Smoking Meat (25 page)

Once the smoker is ready, place the meatballs directly on the grate. Smoke cook for two hours or until the bacon is crispy. About 30 minutes before the meatballs are finished cooking, apply an optional glaze of hot pepper jelly or your favorite barbecue sauce. Serve immediately after removing from the smoker.

Abi’s Classic Potato Salad

This is my wife’s recipe, which is a happy marriage of traditional potato salad and her grandma’s German potato salad. It goes great with
Smoked Pork Spare Ribs
or
Smoked Chicken Quarters
. We also serve it with
Smoked Chicken Gumbo with Andouille
in true Cajun style: place a dollop of the potato salad in a bowl and ladle a serving of gumbo over the top.

½ lb bacon

2½ lb potatoes, peeled and cut into
-
-inch cubes

3 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and chopped

½ cup finely chopped dill pickles

½ cup finely chopped green olives (optional)

1 large red onion, finely chopped

½ cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp yellow mustard

Table salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

Sauté the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until crispy; remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set on paper towel to drain and cool. Crumble into small pieces and set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and reduce heat to medium. Simmer just until tender, but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool without stirring. Place the cooled potatoes in a large bowl and fold in the eggs, pickles, olives (if using), and onion, being careful not to mash the potatoes.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and mustard, and fold this into the potato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste, and top with the crumbled bacon just before serving.

Mexican Corn Salad

This is my sister-in-law P. J.’s recipe, and it’s a great complement to smoked fish or chicken. The southwestern flavors are at their best if you can use all fresh ingredients. If using fresh corn instead of canned or frozen, cut it off the cobs and blanch for about five minutes before mixing it into the salad. Enjoy!

Two 10½ oz cans corn, drained (or one 16 oz bag frozen corn, rinsed in a colander with warm water)

1 medium ripe tomato, chopped

½ red onion, finely chopped

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Table salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Spicy Classic Creamy Coleslaw

Classic Creamy Coleslaw (above) gets a kick from spices and peppers.

1 small onion, grated

2  jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced

2  Tbsp ground cumin

½ tsp Tabasco sauce

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

To the Classic Creamy Coleslaw dressing (above), add the grated onion, jalapeños, cumin, Tabasco, and cayenne, and toss with the slaw ingredients.

Classic Creamy Coleslaw

Another of my wife’s recipes, this creamy slaw is great on
pulled Pork sandwiches
.

DRESSING

½ cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp heavy cream (35% milk fat)

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp celery seed (optional)

1 tsp sugar

¼ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

SLAW

4 cups shredded green cabbage

1 cup shredded carrots

½ cup shredded red cabbage (optional)

1 small onion, grated

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced

2 Tbsp ground cumin

½ tsp Tabasco sauce

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, heavy cream, lemon juice, celery seed (if using), sugar, salt, and pepper. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Combine and toss the green cabbage and carrots together in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. If using the shredded red cabbage, add just before serving; otherwise, all the ingredients will be tinted purple.

Rangecop's Red Cabbage Slaw with Marinated Red Onions

This tangy slaw, contributed by Rangecop, a member of
www.smokingmeatforums.com
, pairs perfectly with
Smoked Duck with Wine Butter Sauce
. You’ll have extra onions, which you can save to make more slaw, top a burger, or, if you’re a die-hard onion fan like me—just eat by themselves.

MARINATED ONIONS

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 tsp dried tarragon leaves)

¼ tsp sea salt

Coarsely ground black pepper to taste

½ cup canola oil

2 large red onions, thinly sliced

SLAW

4 cups shredded red cabbage

2 cups shredded carrots

3 Tbsp chopped sweet pickles

DRESSING

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup canola oil

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp Creole mustard (or grainy mustard)

½ tsp sea salt

Coarsely ground black pepper to taste

To make the marinated onions, combine the vinegar, tarragon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil. Pour over the sliced onions and refrigerate overnight in a lidded glass container. This makes about 2 cups.

To make the slaw, combine the cabbage, carrots, pickles, and ½ cup of the marinated onions (you’ll have some left over) in a large bowl and toss.

For the dressing, combine the vinegar, oil, sugar, and mustard in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and pour over the slaw mixture while still hot. Combine the slaw and the dressing well and refrigerate for several hours. Season with the salt and pepper before serving chilled.

Tangy Coleslaw

Some folks like coleslaw to be sweet, while others prefer theirs on the tangy side. If the latter is what you’re looking for, you will be sure to like this recipe. Capers add a flavor profile that will excite your senses—and that’s saying a lot for a dish that’s almost never in the spotlight.

DRESSING

¾ cup mayonnaise

1 tsp white wine vinegar

¼ tsp sea salt

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

COLESLAW

4 cups shredded green cabbage

1 cup shredded carrots

1 small Vidalia onion, grated

3 Tbsp capers

Whisk together the mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Combine the cabbage, carrots, onion, and capers in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Perfect Pico de Gallo

This recipe is best if you make it at the peak of summer when tomatoes are ripe and flavorful. If they come from your own backyard garden, the pico will taste all the better.

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 to 2 small jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced

¼ to ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice (about ½ lemon or lime)

¼ tsp table salt, or to taste

Toss together the tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeños, and cilantro. Sprinkle with the lemon or lime juice and salt, and toss again. Serve with tortilla chips.

Perfect Guacamole

This simple guacamole disappears from our table very quickly. You can make it in any quantity using one part
Perfect Pico de Gallo
to two parts mashed avocado. For best results, prepare this right before serving.

2 cups peeled, pitted, and mashed avocado

1 cup
Perfect Pico de Gallo

Table salt to taste

Mix the avocado and pico de gallo together in a bowl. Add the salt (always taste the guacamole using a tortilla chip so you don’t overdo the salt), and serve immediately.

Pineapple Salsa

For a fresh Mediterranean twist, try this sweet, spicy salsa. It’s not just for chips; this salsa goes great with
Smoked Mahi-Mahi
. Avoid using canned pineapple if possible.

2 cups diced fresh pineapple

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bunch fresh cilantro, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped (about ½ cup, chopped)

1 lime

Sea salt to taste

In a bowl, combine the pineapple, tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, garlic, and cilantro. Cut the lime in half and squeeze juice over the salsa. Toss to combine and season with salt.

Smoked Apple Pie

This is one of those recipes that you will either love a lot or not like at all. A smoked pie looks a lot like a pie that’s been baked in the oven; however, when you taste it you will discover a hint of smokiness, as if it had been cooked over an open fire or in a brick wood-fired oven. The pie is especially good if you top it while still warm with some vanilla ice cream.

4 frozen 9-inch piecrusts, thawed to room temperature

4 unpeeled apples, cored and diced

4 tsp fresh lemon juice (about ½ lemon)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted