Papa’s Afternoon Delight
One of the benefits of being a Grandfather is the ability to spoil your Grandchildren now and then! It doesn't get any better than "Papa's Afternoon Delight" - a large Costco Take-and-Bake pepperoni pizza for 3 of my 5 grandchildren after school. The kids enjoyed their treat last Friday ... what better way to end a long week of school than a few slices of pepperoni pizza.
Configure your wood pellet smoker-grill or in my case, a MAK 2 Star General, for indirect cooking and preheat the grill to 400ºF using any flavor of [easyazon_link keywords="Pacific Pellet" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Pacific Pellets[/easyazon_link]. At 400ºF you'll not be generating any measurable amounts of smoke so it doesn't matter which flavored pellets you use. Follow the directions on the Take-and-Bake pizza. I got this one from Costco for $8.99 but you can use any Take-and-Bake from many different outlets.
I've used and own a variety of pizza stones but I've discovered that in order to achieve that crispy crust that our Grandchildren and we dearly love you can just place the pizza directly on your grill grates. Don't get me wrong, pizza stones produce good pizzas but left a little to be desired when it came to a crispy crust.
If you haven't tried a pizza on your wood pellet smoker-grill than you don't know what you're missing. I'm not going to mention any pizza chains but when you have to pay $20+ for a large pizza not to mention pickup or delivery the price of Take-and-Bake pizzas really make a lot of sense. Besides, when's the last time you enjoyed a hot crispy pizza at home that was picked up or delivered?
Grilled Creole Tilapia
High quality farmed tilapia fillets are low in calories, fat and carbs yet packed with protein. The mild and firm fish also provides essential vitamins and minerals like B12, magnesium, selenium, niacin, and omega-3 fatty acids. It's important to be selective and know how and where the farmed fish come from. The best grown tilapia are raised in countries like Mexico, Honduras and Indonesia in pristine deep freshwater lakes. Costco's high quality fresh farmed tilapia is supplied by Regal Springs in Mexico. Regal Springs is the world's leading producer of tilapia and as such was my choice for my Grilled Creole Tilapia recipe.
Check out these healthy low carbohydrate fillets served with a green salad and a side of steamed asparagus. I think you'll agree that tilapia should grace your dinner table more often than not.
- 3 large Costco fresh tilapia fillets
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon melted salted butter
- 3 teaspoons creole seafood seasoning*
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
Rub both sides of each fillet with lemon juice and melted butter. Season both sides of fillets with the creole seafood seasoning and parsley.
* Seasoning recipe can be found in my [easyazon_link keywords="1612435599" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]cookbook[/easyazon_link]
Preheat your MAK 2 Star or your wood pellet smoker-grill to 400ºF with any [easyazon_link keywords="Pacific Pellet" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Pacific Pellets[/easyazon_link]. I like to use a [easyazon_link keywords="Frogmat" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Frogmat[/easyazon_link] or [easyazon_link keywords="nonstick grilling tray" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]nonstick grilling tray[/easyazon_link] when grilling fish fillets.
Grill the tilapia fillets at 400ºF until the fish reaches an [easyazon_link keywords="Thermapen Mk4" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]internal temperature[/easyazon_link] of 145ºF and/or flakes easily with a fork. Rest the tilapia fillets for 5 minutes before serving.
Chip off the old block!
My Son's first hickory smoked pork butts on his MAK 2 Star General were scrumptiously delicious and warmly received by all at our Granddaughter's volleyball match. The parents and young players wolfed down pulled pork sliders all weekend. I was proud to sit on the sidelines enjoying my sliders and watching my Granddaughter play. The pulled pork was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. A true chip off the old block!
For years I've gladly cooked and shared countless smoked pork butts with my Son and his family. The old adage of "... give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime ..." rings true here. My son was eager to smoke/cook the pork butts on his own and now he can share pulled pork with us!
Using my boneless hickory smoked pork butt recipe from my upcoming [easyazon_link keywords="1612435599" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]The Wood Pellet Smoker and Grill Cookbook[/easyazon_link] my Son and Daughter-in-Law eagerly jumped in with both feet. They pulled it off to a tee! Their big challenge was timing - how to have the pork butts ready to be pulled at 11 AM when you have to leave the house 4 hours earlier and travel 70 miles in order to register for the weekend volleyball tournament. There was no power available at the event so reheating the pulled pork was not an option.
The solution, as described in my [easyazon_link keywords="1612435599" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]cookbook[/easyazon_link] was the use of the 'Texas crutch" to bypass the stall and timing the start of the Foil, Towel & Cooler (FTC) just prior to leaving the house at 7 AM. The double foil wrapped pork butts were still more than hot enough 4 hours into the FTC and required using [easyazon_link keywords="B00HLPXL80" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]silicone barbecue gloves[/easyazon_link] for the pulling. Looking forward to enjoying many more pulled pork sliders from and with my Son ... "Give a man some pulled pork and you feed him for a day; teach a man to hickory smoke pork butts and you feed him (and yourself) for a lifetime ..."!!!
Big Julie’s BBQ Rub Review
Having grown up in the family business, Matt always enjoyed the camaraderie and community spirit elicited by cooking BBQ. After 10 years flying helicopters in the Navy and starting a food truck in Arlington, Matt settled with his wife Julie in the Winchester area of Virginia. Their rubs and sauces are all made from scratch using all-natural ingredients. Quality, Service, and Value remain the pillars of his family business. Julie and Matt enjoy carrying on the family tradition.
[easyazon_link keywords="Big Julies's All Purpose BBQ Rub" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Big Julies's All Purpose BBQ Rub[/easyazon_link] is all-natural & gluten-free - no artificial anything! Based on family gourmet recipes from Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
I found the flavor profiles of [easyazon_link keywords="Big Julies's All Purpose BBQ Rub" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Big Julies's All Purpose BBQ Rub[/easyazon_link] to be high on the WOW factor scale! My first impression upon tasting the rub was that this is not your typical salt based rub recipe. I must admit that as a salt junkie I was dubious but after using one of my time tested techniques to smoke fresh chicken thighs I learned that my skepticism was unwarranted.
Rubbed olive oil and a liberal amount of [easyazon_link keywords="Big Julies's All Purpose BBQ Rub" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Big Julies's All Purpose BBQ Rub[/easyazon_link] on and under the skin of the chicken thighs. Smoked the chicken thighs at 180ºF with Hickory for an hour before bumping the pit temperature to 375ºF until the internal temperature reached 180ºF. The end results were very crispy and succulent chicken thighs worthy of being served for any special occasion yet elegant enough for your weekday family dinner table.
[easyazon_link keywords="Big Julies's All Purpose BBQ Rub" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Big Julies's All Purpose BBQ Rub[/easyazon_link]Highly recommend visiting [easyazon_link keywords="Big Julies's All Purpose BBQ Rub" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Big Julies's All Purpose BBQ Rub[/easyazon_link] website to get your hands on their all purpose rub. With the results achieved on chicken I can't wait to use the rub on pork butts and ribs. You're sure to enjoy the results as much as I have. Stay tuned for my review of their authentic Virginian zesty vinegar based BBQ Sauces.Crock Pot Angus Chuck Roast
A Crock Pot Angus Chuck Roast is just the ticket for a rainy cold Winter Sunday night dinner. The San Joaquin Valley of Northern California does not get any snow but in normal Winters and now with the El Niño, we do get our share of rain and cool weather. Today is no exception ... so hence the crock pot and a quick trip to the supermarket for all the fixings of a classic comfort meal with a little twist of my own.
Ingredients:
- 3½ pound Angus Choice Chuck Roast
- 1½ pounds medium red potatoes, quartered
- 1 pound small mushrooms, halved
- 4 celery stalks, cut into 2" pieces
- 10 ounces baby carrots
- large red onion, sliced ½" wedges
- 2 tablespoons [easyazon_link keywords="california olive ranch" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]olive oil[/easyazon_link]
- 2 teaspoons Fagundes seasoning
- 1½ cups beef broth
- 1 packet dry onion mushroom soup mix
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
- Layer onions on bottom of a [easyazon_link keywords="6 quart crock pot" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]6 quart crock pot[/easyazon_link]
- Season both sides of the chuck roast with Fagundes Seasoning
- Sear all sides of the chuck roast in a skillet on high with olive oil
- Place seared chuck roast over the onions
- Mix beef broth, packet of onion mushroom soup mix & cream of mushroom soup
- Pour half the mixture over the chuck roast
- Place all vegetables around and on top of the chuck roast
- Pour remaining mixture over the vegetables & season with pepper
- Cook on HIGH for 6 hours