Grilled Chicken...Tsukune Style

I was asked by the kind folks at Char-Broil, to come up with a chicken recipe for my next "Char-Broil All Star" post.
I thought long and hard about what to grill. Thighs, wings and breasts are pretty common grill items, even though you can change the flavor by using rubs, sauces and marinades.
I wanted to do something a bit different ....SO I went with chicken tsukune.
It's basically a chicken sausage and can be served on skewers or in patty form.
I decided to make skewers and went one step farther and used fresh asparagus spears.  (I had edible finger food in mind :))


I combined my ground chicken and seasoning....

Wrapped thick spears with 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture...

Then grilled until cooked through...but leaving the burner off under the asparagus skewers.

These are best served hot off the grill, while the chicken is hot and the skewers are firm. They make a great snack while hanging out on the patio with friends. :)
The complete recipe is here...
Char-Broil post

If you get the time, please take a peek at my post. Thanks!
I think you could really spice them up as much as you like to suit your taste. :)

Operation BBQ Relief in Oklahoma

As soon as the devastating tornado hit Moore Oklahoma, Operation BBQ Relief jumped into action.  The kind volunteers of Operation BBQ Relief work in shifts gathering food, supplies and equipment to cook and serve thousands of hot meals a day to victims of the disaster...emergency personnel,  fire fighters, police officers, rescue workers.... anyone who is in need or impacted by the storm. They do this out of the goodness of their hearts.

I have helped clean up after tornadoes. The devastation is unbelievable. You help the family with what ever is needed. Gather recognizable items if they are salvageable, clean up larger pieces blocking your way. Then you get down to the broken glass, small shards of wood, I can't describe the debris... it's mind blowing.
One thing about cleaning up after a tornado, you work for hours, not thinking of yourself.  Just thinking of what needs to be done. It's easy to work for hours or days without remembering to rest or eat.
If it weren't for the folks at Operation BBQ Relief, I'm sure that many of the storm victims and rescue workers would do the same... not stop or think about refueling.

Operation BBQ Relief is in need of support. Whether you can spare time, food, supplies or money, it is needed and appreciated.  Here is a link to their site explaining more.
Operation BBQ Relief

I'm amazed at the number of volunteers who have dropped what they are doing to help the people of Oklahoma.  My Smoking Pal Sterling from Big Poppa Smokers has headed to Oklahoma with members of his smoking team, cookers and equipment to help with the project.
It's heart warming to see so many from around the country come together to do what they can to help.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Moore.

Meatball Tacos and Sliders

I had the urge for meatballs but couldn't decide what kind to make.  SO I made three different batches.

First batch I went with veal, an egg, minced scallions, beef bouillon, onion powder, seasoned salt, worcestershire sauce and bread crumbs.

Second batch was beef, green chili sauce, egg, scallions and bread crumbs..

Third batch was beef, spicy red chili sauce, egg, scallions and the bread crumbs..

Into the BPS drum at 325F

They were ready in about one hour. I just eyeballed them and broke one open to give it the taste test.

First I made a green chili meatball taco...

and a spicy red chili meatball taco...

Then the next day I made beer battered onion rings to go with the veal meatball sliders...

I really liked all of them! The red chili meatballs were pretty spicy but still great.  I can't pick a favorite so I'll probably be making all of them again sometime. :)

Black Angus vs Red Angus

Dang they were mad!  The neighboring rancher's Red Angus bull was taunting my Black Angus bull.

Both snorted, circled, kicked dirt up as high as they could....

They talked smack for about an hour before losing interest and wandering off.  Not sure who won this argument.  lol
I was glad that there are two fences and a dirt road between them. Can imagine how much damage they would do with one measly barbed wire fence in their way.

A Big Poppa Smokers "Money" Brisket

I received a great package of Big Poppa Smoker rubs the other day (Thank you again BP!!)  and I couldn't wait to give them a try.
First on my list was Big Poppa's Chanpionship "Money" rub. I've heard so much about it!

I seasoned a brisket with the rub and threw it into the BPS drum with a kiss of mesquite.

added a skillet of spicy pintos. Cooked bacon in skillet, removed, added onions, garlic, green chilies to the drippings. Cooked til tender then added cooked pinto beans, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper and cayenne.

I didn't take the internal temp of the brisket, just smoked til probe tender.

had to have a taste!

I really really loved this stuff! lol

The "Money" rub was soooo tasty!  I can see why it won so many championships.
I'm pretty happy right now,  my brisket stash has been replenished and I get to think up more things to make with the rest of the BPS dry rubs. :D

A Candlelight Dinner

Not the romantic kind of dinner.  The electricity was out for 2 days and I cooked in the dark. lol

Snow hit the area a couple of times in the last few weeks. One storm iced things over before snowing, thus knocking the electric lines down in many places. I still wish I had a wood burning stove but the burners on the range kept the house warm enough.

I decided to make a batch of chicken and noodles to warm me up.

 I made egg noodles,
blend
2 cups of flour
1 tsp of salt
add
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
then add
1/3 to 1/2 cup of water
bring to a ball, knead a few minutes.

divide the dough into fourths...
roll out each piece as thick as you like.

I always wrap the dough around the pin, remove the pin then slice the dough...

then I shake out the noodles, hang and let the dry for 2 hours...

Grabbed a jar of my homegrown, canned chicken and stock...
The jar looks strange but I have it figured out where 1/2 of a jar of chicken meat and filling the rest of the jar with the stock works out perfect for me.

I heated the chicken and stock on the stove...

after 2 hours of drying I broke the noodles into smaller lengths...

I cooked the noodles in boiling salted water until as tender as I wanted... drained and added the noodles to the chicken and stock

checked for salt and pepper, sprinkled with a few green onions (cause I like em :))

Curled up with my pillow and favorite fuzzy blanket and enjoyed the meal...

The noodles definitely warmed me up!

It was a nice comfort meal while being surrounded by darkness, snow and ice. lol


Crazy weather!

Dutch Oven Bierocks

Not sure why I don't use my dutch ovens very often. They are easy to use and they put out some good eats.

I made my dough first.
1 1/4 cups of warm water
1 pkg of yeast
2 TBs oil
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups of flour (more if needed)
I dissolve the yeast in water, add the sugar, oil and then the salt.. stir in 2 cups of flour and add enough of the remaining flour to make the dough come together. Knead 5 minutes, cover and rest for 1 hour.

While the dough was rising, I browned about 3lbs of burger with chopped onions. Then added shredded cabbage and let it cook down until tender. The burger/cabbage ratio is a matter of preference. I like mine with more meat than cabbage. :)
Season with salt and pepper. I go heavy on the pepper. Let the filling cool a bit.

I usually get 9  bierocks out of this amount of dough but I made these a bit bigger and went with 7.

I divided the dough, rolled each out and filled with the cooled filling.

I brushed the tops with butter..

A few hot coals on the bottom and lid...

They take about 30 minutes.  I rotate the pot and lid half way through..

These are almost a comfort food to me.
They freeze pretty well to and I can zap one in the microwave for a quick meal when I don't have time to cook.

I hope to use the dutch ovens more often this summer and keep the heat out of my kitchen. :)