Hickory Smoked Cheese in the MAK 2 Star General
Spoke with the MAK Grills Support personnel to get the scoop on the temperatures of the Warmer/Smoking box of my MAK 2 Star General Pellet Grill, in order to smoke Cheese. The ambient temperature in Central California will soon rise making it harder to smoke Cheese. Picked up some Cheddar and Gouda Cheese at Costco.
Cut the cheese down to size and let it rest on the counter top for a spell. It’s good to let the cheese dry a little before smoking. Let it sit uncovered in a cool place (or even in the fridge) on wire racks for an hour or so. This forms a very thin skin or crust that acts as a barrier but allows the smoke to penetrate just fine.
Loaded the MAK 2 Star General Smoker box.
Setpoint to SMOKE using Hickory wood BBQ pellets.
Planning to smoke for 2 hours but an hour and 45 minutes into the smoke I decided to pull the cheese since a few chunks closest to the chamber were showing signs of melting a little. Lesson learned: Next time I will place a foil pan full of ice under the cheese to help in keeping the Smoke Box temperature down.
Here’s a view where I used an ice filled foil pan while smoking cheese in my Bradley Smoker.
In this closeup you can see a nice coloring of the cheese from the smoke and signs of a little bit of melting. I have used Apple when smoking cheese in the past but wanted to see the results of a bit of Hickory smoke. Let the cheese cool for about an hour or so before vacuum sealing.
Tasted a little of the Gouda before vacuum sealing and slapping the cheese into the back of the fridge for 2 weeks. The flavor of the Gouda was pleasant enough but I want to allow the smoke to penetrate deeper into the cheese. Have found that allowing the cheese to rest for at least 2 to 3 weeks makes all the difference!
Who cut the Cheese? … Not me. I will cut no cheese before it’s time …
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Squash Casserole with a side of Marinaded Cherry Smoked Chicken Breast
This Squash Casserole calls for some zucchini and yellow/crooked neck squash, red onions, mushrooms, a can of stewed tomatoes, minced garlic, and seasoning.
Over the years I’ve cooked this in the microwave but decided to use my Char-Broil Infrared Combo Propane Cooker (SRG).
Using the new Stackable Ovens for The Big Easy/SRG Cookers. 3 Stackable Ovens fit in the SRG and I am using 2 of them for a test. Found a Souffle Dish that fits perfectly in the Oven. You can see the fit.
Here’s a shot with 2 Stackable Ovens with their lids on with the SRG temp control to HIGH. Took an hour for the Squash Casserole.
Marinaded some bone-in chicken breasts for 30 minutes in the Marinade Express using 2 cups of Yoshida’s Original Gourmet Marinade and Cooking Sauce.
Vacuum sealed the Chicken Breasts and placed them in the fridge for a few hours till I was ready to toss them on the MAK 2 Star General Pellet Grill.
Slapped together a few ingredients for a bit of Macaroni salad. Wanted to give the ingredients a little time to blend and chill. Macaroni, olives, eggs, celery, Kosher Dill pickles, mayo, and spices. Also mixed in some crumbled cooked bacon.
Set the MAK 2 Star Setpoint to SMOKE (180º) for 1 hour using Cherry wood BBQ pellets.
After an hour of smoke, bumped the Setpoint to 325ºF till the Internal Temperature reached 165ºF.
Chow time!! Squash Casserole, Cherry smoked Bone-In Chicken Breast, Macaroni Salad, Garlic Bread, side of taters, a shot of vino, and a nice Alaskan Amber
The Money $$hot$ … Bon Appétit …
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Take and Bake Pizza on MAK Pellet Grill
It was time to see what the all the commotion is about concerning Take-n-Bake Pizzas on Pellet Grills. Have read so many good reviews so decided it was time to test out my MAK 2 Star General Pellet Grill with a Papa Murphy’s Favorite Family Size Pizza.
Directions called to pre-heat to 425ºF which I did for 30 minutes. Used Apple wood BBQ pellets but at 425ºF I would think you could use any type of pellet. Chose the Family Size pizza cause there’s nothing better than cold pizza for breakfast!! The breakfast of Champions …
Checked the pizza after 10 minutes. Due to it’s size I started rotating the pizza every 2 minutes to brown the crust evenly since it overlapped my MAK 2 Star General Blank Grease Pan which was causing parts of the crust to brown differently. Directions call for 12-18 minutes. Took it out after after 20 minutes but part of that was due to checking the pizza every 2 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Turned out wonderful
Lessons learned: After 10 minutes I’m going to remove the pizza from the serving/cooking tray and finish cooking it on a Frog Mat for a crispier crust. No need to pay big $$ for pizza take out anymore. Will have to try the Costco take and bake pizza and juice it up a little with a few more ingredients
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Apple Smoked Chicken Enchiladas
Decided to use up some Apple smoked Chicken I had lurking in the freezer and test one of the new Philadelphia Cooking Creme products. Have used regular Creme Cheese in the past inside casseroles but this product has been developed especially for cooking. Found a nice easy Chicken Enchilada recipe on the back of the container.
The ingredients for the Enchiladas included the following:
- Sauté a small onion in EVOO
- 3 cups of shredded Apple smoked Chicken breasts
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes – Drained
- 1 tub (10 oz) Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme
- ½ cup Mexican Style shredded cheese
- 8 Flour Tortillas (6 inch)
- Mix onions, chicken, tomatoes, ¾ cup Cooking Creme & shredded cheese
- Spoon mixture down center of each tortilla
- Roll up. Place seam side down in 13×9 inch baking dish sprayed with PAM
- Top remaining Cooking Creme and top with shredded cheese and sliced olives
- Bake 20 to 30 minutes in 350ºF oven until warmed through
The Money $Shot$ … A couple of creamy Apple Smoked Chicken Enchiladas with an ear of corn on the cob
This was a nice change from your traditional Enchiladas. The Santa Fe Blend Philadelphia Cooking Creme had all the necessary seasonings, peppers, etc giving it a nice spicy flavor. The Cooking Creme made for an excellent rich creamy sauce.
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Oak Smoked Meatloaf … Comfort Food Smoker Style
For our Weekly Dinner/Pinochle Party I had a hankering for some ‘Comfort Food’. So I gathered up some ingredients and decided to make us a small Meatloaf with Mashed Taters and a side of veggies.
My favorite meatloaf recipe calls for hamburger, pork sausage, some sauté onions, red/green peppers, eggs, garlic, bread crumbs, tomato sauce (reserving ½ for topping later), and Fagundes Seasoning.
Threw everything together, formed a little loaf, and Smoked on the MAK 2 Star General Pellet Grill for an 1½ hours using Oak wood BBQ pellets.
After an hour and a half of Oak smoke (180º), bumped the temperature to 275ºF, inserted meat probe, and topped off the meatloaf with the remaining tomato sauce.
Pulled the Meatloaf when the Internal Temperature reached 160ºF and let it rest for 10 minutes.
The Money $Shot$ … A nice simple plate of Oak Smoked Meatloaf, Mashed Taters and Gravy with a side of steamed Zucchini and Yellow Squash … Bon Appétit
