All I want for Christmas is Chateaubriand

The Apex of Beef Steak is the Filet Mignon.  The only thing that trumps that is the Chateaubriand, a filet of the Beef Tenderloin treated with exceptional care.  This is what French Kings eat.  It is the Acme of Herd Animal Cuisine.  Pair this with some Mushroom Gravy, or a Red Wine Reduction, and it is Nirvana on a Plate...

Its also really damn expensive, but worth it for Christmas Dinner.  I bought a trimmed Beef Tenderloin to save some time, and, I guess, spend some more money.  Well, besides that, I wanted to work on my technique for preparing a Highfalutin French Meal for Christmas.  My in-laws were very happy about it.  What I did is sort of biased toward Texas, of course.

So I took the trimmed Beef Tenderloin, and give it my usual Adams Spice Rub.  This is the Rub that I use on the Pork I usually make.  Its Salt, Pepper, Chile Powder, Garlic, Onion, Cumin, and Paprika.  Light, not too much, because it is only on the outside.  You don't want to overpower the Beef Tenderloin itself, or the Pecan Smoke Flavor.

Then I tied it up with Butcher's Twine to keep it a little more uniform in the Smoker.  I trimmed the excess twine, and then it went into the Pecan Smoke it went for a couple hours.  I started this at around 8 AM, and then didn't even get to try it until 2 PM, agony, why?  But, when I did get to taste it...  It was perfection..

 Here I have put the Chateaubriand into Lunch Buckets, LOL!  Maybe I have set a precedent...

Andromeda Galaxy

Now there is something to look at...

Nuther Shot...

Super Steak

Sometime you just need a Big Cut of Beef...

I really punched the spices into this T-Bone.  Something different, extremely tasty...  Steak, and Taters...

And, yea, Taterz...

Gas Grill Ribs

Cooking Ribs, in this case Pork Baby Back Ribs, has a bunch of rules attached to it.  If you have ever searched for a Rib recipe you know what I mean.  I'll agree that Ribs are difficult to cook because they are full of connective tissue.  This requires a Low, and Slow technique to make the Ribs tender, but I've gotta say I've seen Low, and Slow taken too far.  Even I have taken Low, and Slow too far.  Well, what I am looking for here is good Ribs that don't take all night to cook.

 

In restaurants Time is Money, and they don't want to mess around with an inefficient cooking method.  It literally  could cost them money when they are trying to make money.  The idea of smoking Ribs for many, maybe even more than 10 hours seems pretty inefficient.  Now if you are going for competition Ribs, maybe.  What I want has to be a whole lot quicker.

That means the Gas Grill.  I'm going to take a store bought rack of Pork Baby Back Ribs, season them with a store bought Rub, then put them on my Baby Q, on low.  I want to mark both sides with some Chargriller Marks, and start bringing them up to temperature not so slowly.  We are really looking for a specific internal temperature, and not merely serenading them with smoke.

I'll grill the Ribs for maybe 20 to 25 minutes per side total, but I flip them over frequently to prevent burning the outside.  There is only Rub on the Ribs at this point.  You don't want to sauce them before the grill.  After the grilling is done I wrap the Ribs in foil, and put them into the oven at 325 F for an hour.

 This first attempt at this process has yielded good results.  The Ribs are fully cooked.  The meat comes away from the bone easily.  There are some of the bones sticking out of the Ribs.  However there are some dry parts of the exterior that are overcooked, dry, and sort of Jerky like.  Not bad though.  Next time I try this I am going to spend less time on the Gas Grill, and a little more time in the oven.  I want the Chargrilled flavor, but not the dry spots on the outside of the Ribs.  More time in the oven, perhaps at a lower temperature will help to breakdown the connective tissue a little more, and expose some more bones.  I'm adding a little sauce, in a cup, when I serve the Ribs.

Zetecus Hot Sauce

I made a new Hot Sauce.  This one is scary, mean, evil, HOT!  Carolina Reapers... Whoa man...

So, I made this sauce in my do everything stir fry pan.  Then, directly afterwards, I made some noodles in the same pan for dinner.  Even though I scrubbed that pan thoroughly the Reapers are infused into the pan.  I didn't add any Hot Sauce to the Noodles directly, but they were excruciatingly HOT!  LOL!

This is the it don't mess around at all Hot Sauce...

Clean It Up

Fifty percent of cooking is cleaning.  You made a mess, clean it up...  This is especially true when you are making smoked meats.  A Smoker makes an amazing mess.  First you are burning wood, which has all sorts of compounds within it, and some are oils.  Then, you are cooking meat, another source of oil, fat.  This stuff gets all over everything you have, and you have to clean it off when you are done.  Well, OK, I can do that, but the space that I have to do that is not adequate.  My sink is about half the size that I need to clean the grates from the smoker.  So, whatzit I do?  You need a portable sink...  A Bus Tub...

A Bus Tub is something you can find in any restaurant.  Usually there is a "Busboy" that cleans off the tables after customers leave, and he uses a Bus Tub, on a Bus Cart to stow the dishes, leftover food, and any other mess that is left before leaving the table ready for the next customer.  These "Bus Tubs" are literally a portable sink.  It's a large, plastic bucket that can hold water for some sort of culinary duty.  For me it is a sink that is larger than my kitchen sink.  I got the biggest one I could find, in the color black for Grill Service, and it fits the grates from my Smoker perfectly, both the food grates, and the fire grates.  Amazing luck, LOL!

With my kitchen sink the grates only fit diagonally in the sink, and I can only soak them one half at a time.  I wanted to submerge all the grates simultaneously, and let them sit for an extended period of time to dissolve all of the grungy stuff that builds up on them during the smoking process.  With the Bus Tub, all of the grates can be submerged simultaneously, and this helps to get them really, really clean for the next cooking process.

No one wants the crud from a week ago on their barbeque this week, LOL!  With my previous smoker I would literally burn off the old crud by bathing the cooking grates in fire to immoliate the crud, and then scrap off the residue with a wire brush.  Well, OK, that works, but it literally destroys the grates over time.

With my new Oklahoma Joe's Smoker there are nicely enameled cooking grates that they recommend washing, rather than the purification by fire process.  So, OK, I agree, and being in the Food Service Business makes a lot of sense to me.  We want a nice clean place to put the fresh meat when we go to smoke it...

So, it's a process...  Make some food, clean the kitchen.  Make some more food, clean the kitchen again.  Any process in the kitchen requires the "Clean the Kitchen again" subroutine.  Sometimes we do the "Clean the Kitchen again" subroutine just as maintenance, even though we didn't make anything.  LOL!  Clean up that Mess!

Garlic Shrimp with Brussels Sprouts

I've been doing a lot of Food Service stuff this year, and it's hard on all the equipment I have.  I've actually had to replace a lot of it because my old equipment just failed because its old, inferior, or I just broke it.  My Smoker was 20 years old, rusted, with a broken leg, and the weekly Food Service literally killed it.  The refrigerator in the garage has been reliable for more than 30 years, and Food Service killed it.  My favorite End Grain Cutting Board broke in half, and even my Ladle broke...

So yeah, I've been pushing the limits in the Kitchen lately, but there is a complimentary side effect... I have become much better at cooking food.  And this side effect benefits me directly.  When I want to make something special, that I like, it's not a chore, or a pain, but simply a autonomic reaction.  Like, for instance, I say "I want Garlic Shrimp", and there is a little whirlwind in the kitchen, then there it is...

I love Gulf Coast Shrimp, and one of the best ways to treat it is Chinese.  Garlic Shrimp is something you can get at any Chinese Restaurant.  I put my own spin on it, of course.  Brussels Sprouts are another personal favorite.  Maybe we'll throw some Red Onions in there too.    Brown Rice?  OK...

So, on Friday Night, on a whim, and I had all the right ingredients, and made Garlic Shrimp with Brussels Sprouts.  The Stir Fry started with Butter, Olive Oil, Red Onions, and quartered Brussels Sprouts.  Then I added about six cloves of Garlic, sliced, and the ginormous Gulf Coast Shrimp.  Serve all that with a side of steamed Brown Rice, and mui nomlishous...

Lilac Smoked Meats

Over the weekend I tried a new wood in the new smoker, Lilac, well Texas Lilac.  It is a flowering tree that grows around this area.  Now that I know what it is I realize that I have known this tree for decades, but didn't know the name.  You probably know it also...

It has woody stems, and a fairly rough bark.  It's smoke smells kind of acidic but otherwise similar to a hardwood smoke.  I started up the smoker the way I usually do with charcoal, and let that burn until the briquettes are white, then added the wood.

So I smoked some Chicken Thighs as a baseline food so I can taste the smoke flavor well.  Then also smoked some Pork shoulder steaks.  So I think I like the Lilac smoke flavor, but I don't know if I can use it all the time because I haven't found a place to buy it.  To use it I would have to keep on the lookout for people trimming their Lilac trees.  I noticed some things about the new smoker this time as well.  The Thermometer glows in the dark.

This is a neat feature if you are out there schmoking in the middle of the night.  I am really impressed with this Oklahoma Joe's Smoker.  The other feature that I knew about, but hadn't got to work yet is the fat drain.  The smoker is on a incline, and was leveled the wrong way, so the fat moved away from the drain.  So, anyway the legs of the smoker are attached to tubes on the body of the smoker.

So I used my hydraulic jack to raise the side fire box to a level which let the fat drain toward the drain side of the smoker, then loosened these bolts which hold the legs onto the smoker.  This let the legs drop down to the patio, and I tightened the bolts again.  Then I removed the hydraulic jack, and the smoker was leveled in a way that let the fat move to the drain side of the smoker.

I think it's really neat that this smoker has leveling legs.  Now the fat can drain out of the smoker, and doesn't build up on the inside.  I had a grease fire inside of my gas grill a couple weeks ago, and I don't want to repeat that.  That happened pretty regularly in my last smoker.  This one is much better in that aspect.

Schmokin' in the middle of the night

Texas, August, yeah it's really hard to be outside when the Sun is looking at you...  So what do you do?  LOL!  Work in the middle of the night.  It's still hot, but not beat you down, relentlessly hot.  So, anyway, I'm making some smoked meats in the new Smoker, and got up around midnight to start it.

I'm making some Chicken Thighs, and a Pork Butt.  They get a nice rub with Adams Spices. I used the Texas Style Smoked Chicken Rub on the Chicken Thighs.

Then also used the Texas Style Smoked Pork Rub on the Pork Butt.  These spice mixes are very flavorful with not too much heat.  When they are mixed with the wood smoke are very flavorful, and really highlight the flavor of the meats.

Then they both go into the Smoker for an extended ride.  The Chicken was in there for a couple hours at about 225 F.  Then I let the Pork Butt ride out the rest of the fire overnight.  I pulled the Pork Butt out of the smoker the next morning, and let it ride in the Crock Pot for another couple hours.  Both the Chicken Thighs, and the Pork Butt were absolutely delicious.

Then I take my smoked meats, and integrate them into Lunch Bowls that I take to work, and sell for $3.  It's a 12 ounce portion that is about half smoked meats, and half side dish like my Frejoles del Fuego, Texacali Salad, or Mexican Rice.  They are all good, and I generally have good reviews.  Mainly the only complaint is that they are too spicy.  LOL!  Spice is Life...  Wutcha complaining about?

Tres Chiles

I've been playing with Chiles today.  Three things. Genuine Texas Red Chili, Fire Roasted Green Chile Salsa, and something I'm calling Inferno, a Serrano Hot Sauce.  I definitely had fun with it.  Now it's time to eat.  Gotta Go...

American Smoked Pork and Freedom Beans

Its late on July Forth 2019.  I've been cooking, and am extremely tired.  I had come to an impasse with this new product I've been working on.  I've been making packaged food lately.  Mainly Pork with Beans, and Rice.  So, I'm making another batch of food, and I get inspired by events as of late. So, I decided I had to get this one done tonight, it was imperative.  So, now I am finishing, just before midnight, and I've got the product in a labeled package.  It is Pecan Smoked Pork Country Ribs, which I then finish in the Slow Cooker with a side of Pinto Beans, and not to spicy.  I think it is great, and the timing fits the day perfectly.  So here it is, American Smoked Pork and Freedom Beans...

Another Batch of Notch

I had bought a case of 24 Sauce Bottles, and only used 14 for the Fuego.  So I wanted to make some more sauce.  I went and got another pound of Habaneros.  This batch of Notch went a lot smoother, and took less time.  I pretty much followed the same recipe with Onion, Garlic, Habaneros, Spring Water, Bragg Vinegar, and Sea Salt.  This time I reduced the viscosity a little so that it can work in the dripper bottle.  The plastic squeeze bottles have a thing I don't like which is they get a ring of Capsaicin around the threads of the cap, which is brown, and doesn't look good.  So, altogether I am pretty happy with this batch even though it only made five, and a half bottles.  Burn...

Fuego

My first batch of Hot Sauce, Fuego...

Let me elaborate...  Lets get a big bag of dehydrated chiles, and turn them into some Hot Sauce.  What does that take?  Well first we have to sort, and clean the Chile.  Then we have to take the stem, and caylex of each, and every one of the Chiles...

 All of them, like a thousand Chiles...

Then there are the seeds left over, throw then in there as well...

Then we will put all of this ina pot of water, and rehydrate them on stove in simmering water.

I going to add some Garlic to this Hot Sauce, so I peeled two heads pf Garlic, and am sauteing them in Olive Oil.  Not too brown, I want the Garlic to have a bite in the Hot Sauce.

So, after the Chiles are rehydrated, and the Garlic is sauteed we are going to combine them in the Food Processor, and turn them into sauce.  I'm going to discard the hydrating liquid, and use fresh Spring Water.  Then also I'm using Bragg Vinegar, and Sea Salt to season the Hot Sauce.

I made a spectacular mess in the kitchen doing this.  Not just making the Hot Sauce, but bottling it.

I think the viscosity is a little high, and would have used more liquid, but the Food Processor was more than totally full capacity, and even overflowed when I was trying to add more liquid, adding to the mess.  So, yeah the Hot Sauce is a little thick, but it's good.  Hot, garlicky, saline, and maybe a little too viscous.  It still gets the job done...

Notch

Do you remember Emeril Lagasse?  I saw him doing an infomercial for the Air Fryer last night.  He's an amazing Chef, has many restaurants, and is probably the biggest influence on my culinary attitude.  Well he had a thing, "Kick it up a Notch".  Exponentiate the Spice...

OK, yeah I can do that, but the people that eat my food can't always handle the level of Heat that I like.  So, this has spawned an idea to push the spice over to the side.  I call it Notch.  It's a little condiment cup of Hell Fire that you use to Kick it up a Notch.  I'll start with some Habaneros...

You want the "Notch" to be potent.  You want a little to go a long way.  There is no better way to do this than Capsicum Chinense, aka Habanero, or Bhut Jolokia, or Naga Jolokia...  Really Forkin' Hot Chiles...

I also want to add some flavor to this mix, not just heat.  So, I'll combine Garlic, White Onion, Water, Bragg Vinegar, and Sea Salt in a Sauce Pan, and simmer this mixture down for around half an hour.  Make sure that your exhaust fan works before doing this because this mixture is very odoriferous, and can actually hurt you.

 Once this mixture is cooked put it in the blender, and turn it into a smooth liquid.  This took some time on the high setting.  I have made a lot of sauces that turned out like a paste, and that is not what you want here.  You want a thick liquid that can be portioned one drop at a time.  Yeah, it is that hot.  Notch is meant to kick up the Heat Level of the Food.  One drop here, a couple bites later, another drop there.  Then, BAM!  Culinary Nirvana...

Fishy Noodles 2

You know that Ramen Noodle square package?  The brick of skinny noodles that you boil for five minutes with the dehydrated vegetable package?  Every college student know this miserable package of might be food.  I know my digestive system doesn't like it.  With a little skill you can make wonderful Noodle Bowl that far surpasses the miserable block of noodles.  First use actual vegetables...

Whole vegetables are the cheapest food you can get.  If they are processed in any way they only get more expensive.  It might seem cheaper if you are only buying one portion, but that is only perspective.  I'm going to start this with some butter, diced Onion, and sliced Mushrooms.

 Gotta has the Spice, so adding diced Jalapeno, and sliced Serrano Chiles.  Don't forget salt...

Then we need to add "the" savory, lots of Garlic.

It's Fishy Noodles...  In this case it's a 7 oz. can of Salmon, cheap, maybe like a buck...

I had the Wide Egg Noodles cooking on another burner, drain, and dump those in...

The "fishy" water from the can of Salmon is the "gravy", and we'll mix all this together...

They I'll add a bunch of chopped Cilantro, mix, and dump it into a bowl...

Sure it's a little more expensive than Ramen, but a million times better...

Fishy Noodle Bowl...