Smoked Tri-Tip Roast to Perfection
Smoked Tri-Tip Roast to Perfection
Smoked Tri-Tip Roast to Perfection - If you're one of those that thinks Tri-Tip roasts smoked to perfection is a difficult task then read on cause it's so simple that you'll be amazed. Your biggest challenge, depending on where you live, could be finding Tri-Tip roasts. Unlike the West Coast there are sections of the Country where these cuts of beef are not only unavailable but some butchers/meat cutters have no real clue as to what a Tri-Tip is. I have read many postings on forums that report they are unable to find these roasts locally.
Fortunately I live on the West Coast near Santa Maria, California which is where a butcher at Safeway in the early 1950s first grilled a Tri-Tip roast rather than grinding it up for hamburger. As they say, The rest is history.
Started with a USDA Prime Peeled Tri-Tip Roast that I picked up at my local Costco. The beauty of a peeled roast is that the fat cap has been trimmed by the butcher. The only thing that remained was to remove any silver skin. Rubbed the Tri-Tip roast with extra virgin olive oil and Pete's Western Rub. Wrapped the seasoned roast with plastic and refrigerated overnight.
Preheated my MAK 2 Star wood pellet smoker-grill with Hickory to 230ºF. Smoked the tri-tip roast for approximately 2 hours until the internal temperature reached 145ºF. Rested the hickory smoked tri-tip roast loosely under a foil tent for 15 minutes before slicing against the grain.
Served with a side of steamed cauliflower and a green bean casserole. Steamed cauliflower is a great alternative for mashed taters if you're watching your carbs.
As I said, smoking a tri-tip roast to perfection is really simple. Season the roast, preheat your wood pellet smoker-grill to 230ºF with your favorite wood pellet flavor for beef, smoke the roast till the internal temperature reaches 145ºF, rest the roast, slice, and enjoy ... Doesn't get any easier than that!!
Mexican Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Mexican Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Mexican Stuffed Chicken Breasts - The DW loves Mexican cuisine so I decided to surprise her with a new recipe - after nearly 45 years of marriage it's not that easy to surprise her. The results were delicious ... I done good!!!! Served with a side of refried beans, rice, guacamole, and a dollop of sour cream.
We have a local Mexican Meat Market which has an exceptional selection to choose from. The Butcher is an artist - he took a couple chicken breasts and provided me with 4 beautiful thin butterflied chicken fillets. The stuffing consisted of: 4 oz softened cream cheese, 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, 4 oz can of fire roasted diced green chiles, and 1 TBSP taco seasoning.
Rolled the stuffed chicken breasts and secured them with toothpicks. Mixed 2 TBSP olive oil and taco seasoning. Brushed the breasts with the oil mixture. Baked in a preheated 400ºF oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the stuffing reached an IT of 165ºF. Topped chicken breasts with shredded mozzarella and baked an additional 3 minutes until cheese was melted.
Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions
Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions
Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions - The Money $Shot ... This exquisitely tender, moist bacon wrapped pork tenderloin was as good if not better than the dish the DW enjoyed in Las Vegas. This time I chose to taste and enjoy the pork medallion's full pork flavor without using a sauce but I can see serving it with a sauce in the future. I'm still awed at how tender and delicious this turned out to be. Served it with a side of my Daughter-in-law's macaroni salad and a little green salad. Oddly enough this is the first time I have ever made macaroni salad ...
A while back the DW and I were eating out in a Las Vegas restaurant and she ordered the Pork Medallions with some sort of sauce. It was a stunning dish and I was amazed how tender and moist the Medallions were. So I made it my goal to learn more about Pork Medallions. After reviewing countless pork medallion recipes online I came up with this easy version which involves bacon. After all, everything tastes better with bacon.
First let me say that Pork Medallions are formed by slicing Pork Tenderloins. Having smoked, baked, and roasted pork tenderloins over the years I know how tender, moist, and delicious these cuts can be using all methods of cooking.
Swift Premium Pork Tenderloin I buy at Costco comes 2 in a package. Trimmed silver skin from both Pork Tenderloins. Cut tenderloins crosswise into 12 equal slices (medallions) about 2-inches wide. Lightly rubbed the medallions with roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with Jan's Original Dry Rub.
Placed 2 medallions together and wrapped a bacon slice around both pieces to hold together to make pork "mignons". Secured with toothpicks. This recipe is scrumptious and really easy to prep and cook. There won't be enough cooking time for the bacon to get crispy so I selected thin bacon which I pre-cooked over medium-high heat briefly until lightly browned but still flexible.
Melted butter and olive oil together in a skillet and over medium-high heat seared each bacon wrapped pork medallion for 2 minutes on each side. Transferred the seared pork medallions to my 400ºF pre-heated MAK 2 Star pellet grill. Baked the medallions for about 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature reached 145ºF. Rested the medallions for 5 minutes loosely under a foil tent before serving.
Gravy with a side of Smoked Meatloaf
This post is for all lovers of gravy like myself!! I normally post Money $Shot photos with a touch of gravy in order to best display the cook. But before settling down to wolf my dinner I drown certain foods with gravy. Meatloaf & mashed potatoes is one of those recipes. I don't think I'll hear too complaints of people asking me where's the gravy!! As the meal progressed I must admit that I supplemented my plate with more gravy ... There is no better comfort food in my opinion than meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and lots of gravy.
Mixed up 1 lb hamburger, 1 lb Jimmy Dean sausage, red onion, green pepper, 2 eggs, Italian bread crumbs, tomato sauce, granulated garlic, black pepper, seasoned salt, and garlic salt. Split the mixture into 2 loaves. You can substitute this meatloaf recipe with your favorite family recipe.
Preheated my MAK 2 Star wood pellet smoker-grill to 200ºF with hickory -> smoked the meatloaves at 200ºF for an hour -> bumped the pit tempt to 365ºF -> topped the loaves with tomato sauce after 30 minutes -> pulled the meatloaves at an internal temperature of 170ºF -> rested the meatloaves for 15 minutes loosely under a foil tent ... for planning purposes it took 2¾ hours from start to finish.
SPAM Orzo Recipe
SPAM Orzo Recipe
SPAM Orzo Recipe - I'm always looking to develop and try new recipes so this morning I started thinking about ways to use SPAM. I recently restocked my pantry and found I need new ways to use cans of SPAM I bought on sale. Like many people, and the State of Hawaii as a whole, I really enjoy the taste of SPAM.There are almost 20 varieties of SPAM and I can honestly say that I've only enjoyed the Classic. Well over seven billion, that's billion with a "B", cans of SPAM have been sold to date. SPAM was first introduced by Hormel Foods Corporation in 1937.
According to its label, SPAM'S basic ingredients are pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, sugar, and sodium nitrite as a preservative. Natural gelatin forms during cooking in its tins on the production line.
Hawaii consumes more SPAM than any state in our union -- in total, 7 million cans a year. According to the SPAM website, the island's love affair with SPAM began in World War II, when GIs were served the salty luncheon meat because it didn't require refrigeration and had a long shelf life.
Over the years I've made what I call 'Red Rice' which uses leftover ham in a tomato based sauce over white rice ... therefore turning it into red rice. If you do a search for 'Red Rice' you'll find millions of hits but I don't know where I first found a recipe for my version of 'Red Rice'. Not having any leftover ham around I decided to substitute SPAM. Then, I noticed that I've ran out of white rice. Upon further exploration of my cupboards I discovered that I had some Orzo left from a previous recipe. So I figured: ... why not throw together my 'Red Rice' recipe but use SPAM and Orzo.
Orzo, which means "barley" in Italian, is used most traditionally in soups, but this very versatile, rice-shaped pasta has been widely adapted by chefs in Italy and America for both main courses as well as side dishes.
Ingredients: ½ pound orzo > 1 can Classic SPAM diced > 1 cup chopped celery > 1 cup chopped red onions > 4 oz canned mushrooms > handful of sliced black olives > chopped green onions > 14 oz tomato sauce > 14 oz chopped stewed tomatoes > 1 tsp crushed garlic > 1 tsp seasoned salt > ½ tsp black pepper > 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil.
Directions: Sauté celery & onions in olive oil till translucent > mix all ingredients except orzo in a large skillet > bring to boil and lower to a medium simmer > simmer SPAM and ingredients for 30 minutes > boil orzo according to directions > Drain orzo and add to sauce > Serve with a side of green salad and toasted roasted garlic bread.
