Fire Roasted Land Critter

First of all this was a tastey experiment. I couldn't get the fire hot enough because lack of charcoal when I started the fire. So I just added two heaping tablespoons of bacon grease to the grates and watched a four foot tall flame arise. It spoke to me and said" Hey boy, put some chicken on me". I looked at the flame and said"but my chicken isn't marinated yet.The flame was angry "Go back inside .dip that chicken in some peanut oil and throw some brown sugar on it and bring it out here now! said the flame". So I did, and the flame had crawled back into the charcoal in a nice even 3 inch flame. I placed the chiken on till it was done, basting it with bbq sauce that I added more peanut oil too. It was amazing. The flame told me "good job , don't come back unprepared like that again ".

The End

The Pirates of the....West Side of Fort Worth

Yaarrrghhhhh!!!!!!

Ok , I know your like "Uh....hmmmm whats that red stuff? This is imitation crab (made from a fish called pollock or also Hake). Its awesome with garlic butter and tastes just as good as lobster and crab.

You can spend a lot for some king crab to get meat like that or spend about 2 bucks for a 1 pound of imitation.

On the Grill

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Fat Free Italian Dressing to marinate chicken

key limes to season both the crab and chicken

1 skewer

And some Peppers to roast just for fun. (watch your labels at the store kids before you eat peppers,just saying.)

Marinated the chicken in Fat Free Italian dressing , Key lime juice , Garlic powder and a dash of Kosher Salt. Then Marinated the crab meat in some " I cant' believe its not Butter spray" ,Garlic powder and Key lime juice. For the Pepper I coated it with peanut oil just before adding to the grill.

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In the kitchen Cucumber salad.

This was a googled recipe mixed with my own twist.

1 cucumber peeled and sliced thin. ( you can chop the slices too)

1/2 Onion choped

2 tablespoons of veggie oil or peanut oil

2 tablespoons of white vinegar

3 pinches of Dill

Mix in a big ol bowl together and Kaboom you have a tastey instant side dish.

Bunch of Words:

This plate turned out awesome. You can always add bacon to the cumber salad or to the crab skewer.

Slow Smoked Carne Picada (Steak Ranchero)

Romaine and Green Leaf Lettuce

Chopped Onions

Pickled Artichoke hearts

Blue Cheese Crumbles

Mushrooms

Italian Dressing

"Flat Out" Bread (found in most stores)

1 Styrofoam plate ( optional)

This was a lot of fun to make. I had already cooked the meat the night before and just slapped this together in minutes. Instead of Carne Picada you can you use ,sliced Turkey,Chicken, or Grilled Eggplant.

STEAK RANCHERO: This is one of my favorites cuts of meat.Also known as Carne Picada, its cheap in bulk and cooks like fajita skirt meat.Its already cut up like Fajita so its easy to prepare and seasons well. This time I seasoned with just a little lime juice , Garlic powder and a dash of kosher salt. I let it sit for about 15 minutes then wrapped loosely in foil. My smoker was already still going from our kabobs so I took the opportunity to cook this for the next day. The temp was around 250 degrees, with applewood and hickory chunks. There is something I haven't mentioned in this blog and thats my pan of Water/apple juice/hickory chunks kept near the fire. This helps the smoke and tenderize the meat while it cooks. The meat was fully cooked and super tender in 2 hours.

WRAP: In case you have'nt been to a deli or over commercialized poser deli ,wraps are as easy as changing a babys diaper. You get you some wax paper, cut out about a foot. Place your wrap ,add your lettuce, then the dressing first. Then add eveything else and roll it up. I like to cut mine in half but in a 80 degree angle. It makes it looke like straight from my favorite Deli. ( and no ,its not promoted by a nerd or a talking toaster).

Bunch of words: I got involved in cooking at an early age but didn't perfect it till recently. My cravings for big name restaraunts everynight effected my bank account too much. So one night I was like, ok thats it . I can cook that at home and probably better too. I won my wife over with my version of Hooters Wings. She proposed to me just months later ,true story. Have fun with cooking and don't get frustrated just add more seasoning.

The Samich

This "Samich" is tastey and dosn't have to be unhealthy.Before putting together these slices, I toast indivually as shown above before adding the greens and sauce. For the Healthy version, cut out the bread,sauce,meat,cheeses and you got one healthy tastles salad. (For Exzavia Ha)

Green Leaf lettuce

Romaine Lettuce

Baby Spinach

Gorganzola Crumbles

Blue Cheese Crumbles

1 Slice of Gouda

Smoked Turkey

Kens Steak House Blue Cheese

French bread Loaf Sliced thick

Baby Portabela Mushrooms

Bacon crumbles

Captin Salmon and Mr.Shrimpy Shroom

This is grilled Salmon fillets, with Shrimp ,Mushroom,Jalapeno Kabobs.This was extremely fast and easy to make.

Salmon:

Soaked my Salmon Fillets in Terriyaki sauce and key limes with a dash of Kosher salt. Pre-greased the grill grates with a onion dip ed in veggie oil. Cooked for maybe a total of 6 minutes over the fire until flaky.

Shrimp: Soaked the shrimp in freshly squeezed Key lime juice as well then a few pinches of kosher salt and chile powder. Then added baby portabella mushrooms ,with jalapenos on onto the skewers.

Salad:Instead of buying those expensive pre-mixed bags of greens. We mix are own ,almost 2 pounds worth for under $3.00. We get a head of romaine ,and green leaf then choped up and place in a container. For this salad I used Wishbone Lite Blue Cheese,Shredded Assiogo ,Ranch Crutons,Bacon Bits and Cracked Black Pepper.

Thought of the day

This whole meal , prep and getting the grill ready only took 30 minutes. Don't overthink it ,Don't over season and Don't doubt your ability to cook. Just have fun and be creative. My blog here proves a man can cook too. Even though we may leave huge messes for our wives with our best intentions to clean it asap.

With that said . Wax paper is my friend. I place it on the counter to make my meals fast and clean. I do my best to keep all of my mess on the paper, then just toss it when im done. Then all I have to do is wipe up the counter real fast. We use it to wrap sandwichs to take to work as well.

Dr.Pepper Brisket

Brisket:MMMMMMMMM YUM. I have done this many many ways so these pics are of differnt briskets. Using injections , rubs, juices, spices, coffee, tea, Coca Cola, Dr.Pepper if its in the fridge and its sweet and liquid form I may have used it.On this one I remember injecting it with a mixture of brown sugar, garlic powder, ground black pepper and Dr.Pepper. Then rubed it with more brown sugar and added some Onion salt and Ground Rosemary ,Paprika, and more ground black pepper. (reminder Of course you want to trim the fat first but leave at least a half inch layer of fat for flaver ) Easy easy easy part. I placed it indirectly heated for 12 hours ,frequently spraying apple juice on it.

BBQ Medly

What we have here is day three of no oven due to ol man winter knocking out our neighborhood . At least the washer and lights work but no power to the 220 plug that my oven uses. So while digging into the deep freeze I found some spare ribs,boneless skinless chicken quarters and some jumbo Franks.

Ribs:This preparation I premarinated my ribs before freezing. I soaked em in apple cider and then added a hand full of brown sugar and coated both sides. (best to pull the membrane skin off the backside before starting the process) Also added black cracked pepper with a few dashes of Paprika. Added some waxpaper then covered in plastic wrap to freeze. This isn't needed but if you buy in bulk like we do ,its just easier to thaw and throw it on the grill. We will get the family packs from the butcher. You get more meat, and you can separate portions for each meal and freeze what you don't use.

Cooking the ribs: When I start my ribs I place the bone side down first on the top rack cook it indirectly using my fire box but I cook it low and slow 220 degrees for 4-6 hours . This is the best way to get them very juicy and tender . You can also grill them directly just watch your heat don't cook it too fast our it will turn out dry.

Grilled Chicken: I marinated the chicken with believe it or not Sweet Tea. Yep, its awesome. Add a pinch of kosher salt to the marinade, a shake of some garlic powder and let sit for an hour. I throw it on direct heat until fully cooked. In this case I added halves of Limes on each piece while cooking.

Jumbo Franks: OK this is a tough one. You open a package of Franks and throw em on the grill right? Well you can like in this case, but why not just add a little love to it. Slice em down the center add some sliced jalapenos and cheddar in the middle then place on the grill. Or you can soak em in liquid smoke then add to the grill.

Porky's ebdy ebdy ebdy "Thats all Folks"

I know ,poor taste in titles but this is punk-rock cooking. Better than the other title I had "Miss Piggy's last stand". This is very basic and easy as well. I cook this two ways, sweet and sweet and spicy.

2-6 1/2 inch thick pork loin steaks or picnics

1 cup of brown sugar

2 pinches of garlic powder

For hot:2 pinches of cayenne or Fanks Red Hot

To start: Marinate your pork in a combination of brown sugar and apple cider (and hot spices if wanted)in a bowl for at least a hour. No need for salt.

Next throw your pork on the grill ,for chops I will grill on one side for a bit then flip it in a vertical direction . Then I will flip it again in a horzontal direction. This gives you the coolest grill marks (like at Applebees). Once fully cooked throw it on a plate and chow down.

Jamaican me Crazy

This was a lot of fun to make. Completely improvised like most of the meals in this blog. I'm not a chef but I play one in the kitchen. This is a Jamaican inspired BBQ mixed with several visits to a buffet.

4-6 skewers

2-3 lbs of boneles skinless chicken cut into strips

( I marinate my chicken in Apple cider from 1 hr up to overnight)

1 mango

1 cup of sliced and drained pineapples

Jerk seasoning (or a large amount of Cayenne pepper)

To start: Start with greasing the skewers with veggie oil, then place the strips on ,followed by the mangos and pineapple and more chicken. Add the jerk seaoning then place on the grill ,turn till chicken is fully cooked. You can add more jerk seasoning or BBQ sauce the last 8 to ten minutes of grilling.

****** ALSO IN THE PICTURE, fire roasted potatoes. I place them directly into the flames under the grates. They get charred and look like charcoal but once they are done. Muah they mash easy , butter melts easy ,add some sour cream,bacon ,dill, grilled shrimp ,mushrooms and you have a excellant tater.

Sgt. Peppers Magical Mushroom Tour

This is another one of my lazy meals. Super easy to make,and very tasty.
Peppers
2-4 Pablano peppers

1 tub of Whipped Cream Cheese.

4-5 bacon strips or a 1/2 cup of imitation bacon bits
Extras you can also add grilled shrimp,oysters,and crawfish

Skewers:
2-4 grilling skewers

4-6 baby portabella mushrooms sliced thick (recommended for grilling)

1 handful of jalapenos
Extras you can also add shrimp,mangos, pineapple, or onions

Cooking the Peppers: To start your perrpers,you going to cut the cap off and place it back on(as shown in the pic). When you are cutting the cap off ,just make a full circle cut around the top. When you take the cap out , its best to also cut the portion the seeds are hanging on too . Remove all seeds from inside the pepper. Scoop up enough cream cheese to fill the pepper half way then add your bacon. Add more cream cheese then put the cap back on and slap it on the grill, turn till roasted on every side. ( I like to place them in foil to keep them warm until your ready to eat.)

Cooking the Shrooms
To start the mushrooms, have a greased skewer,(grease from the bacon or veggie oil). Place the biggest mushroom peice first then start adding jalopenos and any extras. Slap it on the grill ,turn till every side is roasted.

Power Outage Grilled Breakfast Burritos

The following day from my Snowy day Chili, our family woke up to no power. So I made some easy burritos on the grill, using foil for my bacon and a nonstick skillet (probably not a good thing for the skillet but we were starving lol).

For the eggs
4 eggs,
1/2 cup of milk
2 dash of paprika
2 dash of black pepper
1 table spoon butter

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Tortillas
Bacon
Cheddar/or any kind of cheese

Eggs:
I add the milk first and add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet and heat on the cooler side of the fire. In the mean time I mix my eggs in a cup with a spoon like a beater then quickly pour into the skillet.Stirring fast and frequently removing from the grill and placing it back on so the eggs don't overcook. Once the eggs almost look done , dump the skillet on a plate and let them finish cooking on the plate. Then I add my cheese on the top of the eggs. ( You can also add onions,bell pepper, jalapenos,mushrooms ,artichokes into the eggs for more flavor).

Bacon:
In this case I just used foil to cook on ,laid it over the fire and placed the bacon on it.Let it fully cook turning occaisonally. (The Applewood I used gave it a awesome flavor.)

Tortillas: I used some Marquez brand tortillas from Fort Worth Texas (my familys favorite for many years.) I covered in a tight puch I made out of foil and placed on the top shelf of the grill until they were nice and warm.

The big finale: Grab a hot tortilla, add eggs and bacon, wrap up your burrito and chow down while its hot . Around our house we like Salsa Verde with our eggs, or On the Border salsa,Alberts,Renfros, Herdez (any kind of salsa from this company).









******Disclaimer, trees were harmed in making all of my grilled meals.Only the finest wood Hickory,Applewood,Mesquite,Pear,Pecan will touch my grill. Boycott Propane grills cause they make tasteless BBBQ. If you are a tree hugger ,my apologies to your own unwillingness to enjoy cooking in this tradition our ancestors created for us.*********

Snowy Day Frito Pie

It was one of those days that the school calls you up and says its closing due to the weather poor conditions . I had a craving for Frito Pie. So here is my lazy recipe.

2 big hand full of Fritos

1 can of chilli ( Wolfbrand,Hormel, or your own).

1 handfull of chopped onions

Sliced cheddar for topping (or shredded your choice on amount)

1 Tablespoon Sourcream

1 Dash of dill

Heat up the chilli add your onions and stir, throw your Fritos in a bowl, pour the chilli over the fritos , add your cheese and sour cream on top followed by the dill. And enjoy

Cajun Chicken Skillet Surprise

About up to 2lbs Chicken,
Chicken cut up in to strips, whole

1 to two table spoons peanut oil or veggie oil

1 clove of garlic (or add 3 cloves no vampire will bother you )

3 table spoons Paprika
1 table spoon black cracked pepper (or any pepper,red pepper helps too)
2 medium size potatoes cut in wedges (skin on)
1/2 cut up orange or mango
1 pound of portabella mushrooms choped or sliced
Trappey's ,Franks Red Hot, Louisiana Hot sauce
******* (Any thing red peppery and hot will work)
(Optional)
Marinate in 1 cup Apple juice and 2 table spoons mustard and 1 table spoon Paprika overnight in a storage bag)This helps make the chicken tender and give it a kick.) ****
This is an easy skillet recipe, just start your potatoes first in a microwave until soft. Then slice into wedges or chunks (skin on) . Heat up the oil in the skillet then throw in all ingredients and cook and stir till the chicken is fully cooked. And Whoalla .