Light Spinach and Artichoke Dip

13.75 Art.Hearts packed in H20 -- drain
10 oz froz. Spinach thawed and drained
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 cup light mayo.
2/3 cup. Parm -- good stuff, parm.reg.
4 oz. shredded Mozzarella.
salt and pepper to taste
EVOO Spray

Preheat oven 375'.
Course-chop art.hearts with garlic and shallots
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl
Bake 20-25 minutes until hot and cheese is melted, serve immediately

Weight Watchers 2 pts. per serving, serves 15

Smoking Pork Loin by Malcom Reed

This is a quick and easy recipe that feeds a lot of people as a Pork Loin weighing around 4.5lbs. will easily feed 8.  It’s pretty much ready right out of the cryovac just give it a quick rinse and pat with paper towel. I don’t bother trimming any excess fat off the tenderloin for general eating because it will keep the loin moist and shield heat during cooking.

To season the pork loin, I use 2 layers: First my All Purpose Rub (1 Part Salt, ½ Part Garlic, & ¼ Part Black Pepper) Second a layer of Woody’s BBQ Rub from Sam’s Club.

I want the pork loin to stay moist and have flavor throughout the whole piece of meat, so I use an injection. Butcher’s BBQ makes a pork injection that’s perfect for Pork Loin. Mix 1 heaping Tablespoon with 16oz of Apple Juice and inject it all the way down the loin spacing the injections out about 1”.

Let the Pork Loin sit for about 30 minutes up to 4 hours before placing it on the grill. (Remember it needs to be refrigerated if you let it sit out longer than 30min.)

Place the Pork Loin over the drip pan. For a little added moisture inside the grill I filled the pan ½ full with Apple Juice. This also acts as a heat sink to shield heat from the bottom of the meat.

The cooking temp should be 250 degrees which should give us about a 2-hour cook.  I used Apple wood chips in my smoker.

It’s important to watch the internal temperature on a pork loin because it’s easy to dry them out. Pork loin is done at 145 degrees, so you’ll need a good probe thermometer to keep an eye on it.

At the 1 ½ hour mark the Pork Loin was sitting at 125 degrees, and this is where I brush on the peach sauce for a glaze. (See next page for sauce recipe) The sauce needs about 30 minutes to caramelize and get to that perfect, mahogany color.

I always keep a close eye on the temp and color during the final cooking step. As soon as the Loin hits 140-145 get it off the grill.

Like any piece of meat, the loin needs to rest as soon as it comes off. If you give it 30 minutes, the slices will be extra juicy and you won’t end up with a mess on the cutting board.  When entertaining, I don’t like to be checking the smoker, so adjust the start of cooking so when I pull it off, I can double-wrap it in aluminum foil and place it in a dry cooler with newspaper to keep it warm before slicing up to two hours!

Once you’ve let it rest all that’s left is to slice it and get to eating.

A pork loin like this will feed a lot of people. And since it only takes around 2 hours to cook, add good sides (maybe some grilled veggies) and you’ve got a meal you can write home about.

Peach sauce for Pork Loin

(Serving only four)

·       20        oz. frozen peaches cut into ½” pieces (3 cups)

·       1          cup dry white wine

·       ½         cup sugar

·       1/3      cup cider vinegar

·       4          sprigs fresh thyme

·       ½         teaspoon kosher salt

·       2          Tablespoons whole-grain mustard

Bring peaches, wine, sugar, vinegar, thyme sprigs and salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium -high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and cook at strong simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 2 cups and spatula leaves trail when dragged through sauce, about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and discard thyme sprigs.  Reserve 2 Tablespoons of liquid portion of sauce (without peach segments) in small bowl for glazing.  Cover and set aside remaining sauce.

After 1 ½ hours in smoker, glaze by brushing reserved sauce on pork loin.  Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes.  Add mustard to sauce and reheat.  Cut loin into ½” slices and serve with sauce.

Potato Bombs

Take desired # of potatoes (baking) and pre-cook in the microwave until a bit soft, but not finished.  Core out the center with apple core-er to create hollow cavity along the long-axis.

Stuff with your favorite goodies:  

• meats, bacon, prosciutto, sausage must all be pre-cooked
• onions, shallots, horseradish, scallions
• herbs, spices
• long-sliced cheeses
• use cored potato pieces to plug the ends

Wrap potatoes with bacon, and sprinkle with spice rub.  Wrap in foil and place on grill (350') for 1 to 1.25 hours, rotating a couple times throughout cooking.  Bake until finished.

Half the potatoes and top with your choice of butter, sour cream, chives, etc...

https://youtu.be/7aUNmtSgB0c

Smoked Brisket

Smoked Brisket Recipe

I start with an 8# brisket which will easily feed 6-8 folks. 

I always recommend injecting Beef Brisket just because it will give your meat more flavor and it will help to keep it moist during – and after – the cooking process.

• 1 14 oz. can of beef broth
• Worcestershire Sauce (1 TBS)
• Soy Sauce (1 TBS)
• Accent (1 tea)

Next, apply your favorite BBQ rub.  Give it a good coat all over the brisket. Make sure you get the edges covered and any get it down in all the folds. You want seasoning on all surfaces.

The Last layer of seasoning is Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick. Not only does it bring more flavor to the bark but it also creates texture due to the coarse grind of the spices in it.

So I have the brisket on the pit, fat-side up and the temp holding steady at 225 degrees. For smoke I use a few chunks of pecan and cherry wood, but not too much. It’s easy to overpower beef with smoke. The cherry will give you all the color and smoke ring it needs, trust me on this.

At this point you can set a timer and relax for a few hours. Keep the temp steady at 225 and the door closed. Set the probe for 165-170 degrees and it will take about 4 hours or so.

I don’t go by internal temperature at this point. I know some folks say to take it to 165 or 170 before you wrap, but I really don’t care what the internal is right now. What is important is the color on the outside. It should be dark but not burnt. I want a mahogany color not a meteorite!

Once the color is right on the outside, I wrap the brisket in aluminum foil. Pull off strips about 36” long and lay them cross wise over each other. I use at least 2 layers because I don’t want any leaks. I like to pour ½ cup of the injector marinade over the brisket and then carefully wrap it in two directions and place the brisket back on the cooker to finish.

The temp should be holding steady at 225 for the remainder of the cook and it’s probably going to take about 4 more hours. Typically, a brisket takes me 1 ½ hrs/# to cook at 225.

It’s a good rule of thumb but not always the case. This is where the internal temperature becomes crucial.

Brisket needs to get to 198 degrees in the thickest part of the flat. Sometimes it happens is 8 hours, sometimes it’s 12. There’s no exact science here but be patient and start checking around the 7 ½ hour mark.

Once I see 198 in the flat, it’s time to get it off the heat. Open up the foil and remove the brisket to prepare the burnt ends.  Burnt Ends are considered a delicacy in the BBQ world. They are pieces of the brisket’s point, cut into chunks, sauced, re-seasoned and placed back on the smoker until they are melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Cut the brisket into the desired slices and place the slices in a small pan. In the pan you can mix 1 cup of the au jus and 1 cup of BBQ sauce. This will keep the slices moist and add flavor to them.  I place the sliced flat back in the foil and place it in an empty clean cooler to keep it as warm as possible.

Then I cut the point into burnt ends, toss them in the sauce, and place on the smoker. To make the sauce, use 1 cup of BBQ sauce mixed with 3 TBS of the au jus from the large aluminum pan.

Coat the burnt end pieces gently with this sauce and place back in the smoker for an hour (uncovered).

Enjoy!!!

Turkey Neck Gravy

Take that nasty turkey neck from the brine, and gather some of the herbs to brown it in a pan with ~ 2 Tbsp. of EVOO.

• Keep that neck browning for 5-10 minutes to get burned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. 
• Add ~ 2 cups chicken stock and reduce, scraping bits of the bottom of the pan. 
• Add 1 Tbsp flour to make roux and thicken. 
• Add 2+ Tbsp heavy whipping cream and stir.  
• Add 2 shots cognac or brandy and cook off a bit. 
• Remove Turkey Neck and herb bits and dispose. 
• Continue to reduce until ready to serve. Gravy will thicken when setting. 
• Season to taste, but the brine really helps with this!

B-Fast Casserole Muffins

8 oz. can Croissant Rolls
1 lb. bfast sausage 6 liquid eggs
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Spray 12-muffin pan with cooking spray. 
3. Line the muffin tins with croissant squares from bottom up along the sides. 
4. Brown the b-fast sausage and drain on paper towel. 
5. Scramble eggs, sausage, cheese and divide into the muffin pan. 
6. Bake 15-20 minutes until edges are golden brown. 
7. Let cool a bit before removing from pan.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch clove
1 cup low-fat milk
6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg

Directions:

1.  Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. 
2.  In a separate bowl whisk together milk, pumpkin, melted butter, and egg. 
3.  Fold mixture into dry ingredients. 
4.  Spray or grease a skillet and heat over medium heat: pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. 
5.  Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side. 
6.  Serve with butter and syrup. Makes about six 6-inch pancakes.