Fire-eater rub and seasoning is by far my favorite kicked-up rub and all-purpose seasoning. It has the wonderful flavor of celery seed. I am a little heavy-handed with the celery seed. Don’t be afraid to cut back on it a bit. Especially if you’re not quite the celery seed enthusiast that I am.
This seasoning has a fantastic bit of heat. A good amount of heat actually. Hence the name.
This salad is a variation on the traditional approach, adding a bit of mustard and chopped pickles. The mustard and pickles really make a big difference in the salad. A little crunch from the veggies and pickle, and a little zing from the mustard. Perfect!
I used smoked chicken breasts in our creamy smoked chicken salad sandwiches, but smoked thighs are also fantastic!
I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
This is a variation on the traditional approach, adding a bit of mustard and chopped pickles. A little crunch from the veggies and pickle, and a little zing from the mustard. Perfect!
I’m a low-and-slow smoking kind of guy. Well, usually. Sometimes, I don’t have 12-14 hours to get a cook done. I gotta roll. This high-heat smoked pork butt approach that cuts the time to 5-6 hours and still produces tasty, tender pulled pork . Although its not quite as good as the low-and-slow approach as the fat doesn’t have as much time to truly render. It is still a fantastic technique.
This approach also calls for an injection, which I don’t usually do when I cook low-and-slow. It’s easy, helps tenderize the meat, and adds a nice flavor. I used my stainless steel injector. It totally rocks. It’s heavy-duty enough to handle serious injecting. I wouldn’t get any other kind. Admittedly, I had a El Cheapo Plastico injector before and it lasted three or four uses. The Bayou Classic Injector is the real deal.
I ended up with plenty of pulled pork (using my bear claws) from an 8 pound butt. This high-heat smoked pork butt does not disappoint. We had it on sliders the first night, some topped with slaw and others topped with red onions. All sauced with Weber Original BBQ sauce. I also made pulled pork stromboli and nachos, among other yummy things!
Combine all of the injection ingredients and whisk until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Inject marinade into pork butt every inch or so. Don’t worry if some squirts out. It will. Just get the needle down deep into the meat and inject away.
Pat outside of butt dry with a paper towel. You don’t have to go crazy, just get the worst of the leaking marinade off.
Cover the butt in the rub. Don’t be shy.
Place onto a smoker that is cooking at 325 F – 350 F. Use a light smoking wood, such as hickory or apple. If you are using a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker do NOT add water to the water pan or you’ll never reach the temperatures you need. Just foil the water pan to make cleanup easier.
Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
Wrap the butt tightly in foil and continue smoking until the internal temperature reaches 195 F for 30 minutes.
Remove the butt and let rest 30 minutes (still foiled) before pulling. Add any juices that have accumulated in the foil to the pulled pork. You don’t want to waste any of that great flavor.
Notes
Since you’re cooking over high heat, try to stay away from a rub that contains a lot of sugar.
This is our go-to recipe for Italian meatballs. We usually double the ingredients and make a big batch (24 2-ounce meatballs), freezing some for later. They are perfect on sandwiches, over pasta, wrapped in bacon, on pizza, you name it. They’re great fresh but also great to have on-hand frozen for that quick-and-easier lunch or dinner.
These Italian meatballs really need to set up overnight in the fridge to be the right consistency and flavor. We always make 2 ounce balls, but you can make smaller ones if you like. I wouldn’t make them any bigger, though. As much as I do love meatballs, I think there’s a limit. I want them cooked perfectly all the way through. I’ve found that really big meatballs tend to get done on the outside long before the inside.
This is our go-to Italian meatball recipe. We usually double the ingredients and make a big batch (24 2-ounce meatballs), freezing some for later. They are perfect on sandwiches, over pasta, wrapped in bacon, on pizza, you name it.
Note: If you use a high-fat ground beef, such as 80/20, you can use 1 pound of beef and 1 pound pork. The less fat in your beef, the more pork you’ll want to use.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, using your hands.
Shape into meatballs (we usually make 2-ounce balls) and place on a wax paper-lined pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
Cooking on the stovetop
Add meatballs to your favorite sauce (such as our pizza and pasta sauce) and simmer for 40 minutes.
Cooking in a smoker
Smoke at 225 F for 2-3 hours over a light wood such as apple.
Cooking in an oven
Bake at 325 F for 25 minutes.
Cooking on the Char-Broil Big Easy
Cook for 25-30 minutes.
Notes
Note: Meatballs are done when the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
My addiction to hot dogs is not a secret. I’ve made them hundreds (it seems) of different ways, from traditional to definitely-not-traditional. A dog and a bun make a great canvas for flavors (I bet no one has ever said that before). Like these nacho hot dogs. They’re really great. I really like the contrast between the beefy dog flavor and the coolness of the guacamole and sour cream, along with the crunchiness of the chips.
These hot dogs have some of my favorite toppings on them (you can add whatever, of course).
Embellish As You Like
I recommend making a thin slice down the dogs before cooking them. Not all the way through, but about 1/4″. The slice will open up as the dogs cook. This gives the toppings a place to go. That way they don’t just roll off the dogs!
I could see adding refried beans. Or black olives. Jalapenos. Chopped tomatoes. Green chiles. You name it. Also try my other variation on nacho hot dogs. Same concept, different toppings.
This cool-n-crunchy egg salad definitely stands out from the crowd. It’s not quite your traditional egg salad. But it’s not so different enough that it’d scare people off at your next family get-together. Chopped carrots add a nice crunch to the salad. Using cream cheese and only a bit of mayonnaise makes the salad a little thicker than your standard egg salad. It’s rather tasty good as a salad, and would be just as excellent on sandwiches or crackers.
One Fantastic Egg Salad
I found the original recipe for this Cool-n-Crunchy Egg Salad over at the Louisiana Egg Commission’s website. It’s a real winner of a dish and something we make often. So my hat is off to the Egg Commission! Thank you!
This cool-n-crunchy egg salad definitely stands out from the crowd. It’s not quite your traditional egg salad. But it’s not so different enough that it’d scare people off at your next family get-together.Â
My wife is squeamish about crab legs. When large snow crab legs went on sale here I had to sneak out and get a few pounds of them and hide them in the freezer. I waited to make them for lunch while she was at work. These drunken steamed crab legs take almost no time at all to make and came out absolutely delicious. I could’ve easily eaten more of them.
Your Patience Will Be Rewarded
I don’t find crab legs to be a lot of work to eat. You have to take your time. Crack (using a crab cracker of course!) them in the right place and have a little patience. You’ll be rewarded with one of the best flavors ever. I made drawn butter for dipping, which of course takes these drunken steamed crab legs to the next level, and I added a few grilled lemon slices.
Note: This recipe was developed using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer. If you are cooking using the Char-Broil Smoker-Roaster Grill you should cook with the lid open and the temperature set to High. You might also need to adjust the cooking time.
I bought a Char-Broil The Big Easy TRU-Infrared Oil-less Turkey Fryer a while back. It is one of my favorite “grills” by far. It doesn’t get any easier – marinate/brine/rub/whatever meat you wish to cook and put it into the cooker. Turkeys and chickens take about 15 minutes per pound. A family pack of wings takes about 30 minutes. Done. No mess, no fuss. It’s a beautiful thing. And trust me, I cook a lot of wings on my Big Easy. A lot. To get a family pack of wings onto my Big Easy, I use my homemade mod, the Wingin’ator 3000. You can always cook the wings in an oven or charcoal or gas grill of course.
Just The Right Kick
These fire-eater chicken wings from Steven Raichlen’s The Barbecue! Bible 10th Anniversary Edition are absolutely amazing (as are the other recipes in the 575 page book). Yes, they have some kick, but it’s not overwhelming at all. They’re perfect. I plan on using the rub recipe on whole roasted chickens and turkey from my Big Easy, it’s just that good.
I cook the wings for about 30 minutes in my Big Easy, then I toss them onto a hot grill for a few minutes to crisp up the skin. You can skip that final step and still enjoy really fantastic wings. I served them with our cool Ranch dipping sauce.
Fire-Eater Chicken Wings on the Char-Broil Big Easy
These fire-eater chicken wings are absolutely amazing (as are the other recipes in the 575 page book). Yes, they have some kick, but it’s not overwhelming at all. They’re perfect.
I grew up eating a lot of okra. My dad is from Arkansas, and okra is quite popular in our family. It was almost always prepared the same way: into a frying pan with oil, cornmeal, salt and pepper. No dredging, just into the pan. And it came out crunchy good. I loved it. So, I was a little skeptical when I ran across this recipe for southern fried okra. It uses flour instead of cornmeal. I was thinking there might not be as much crunch as I remembered from all those times make okra. Well, I have to say my skepticism was completely unwarranted.
Gone In Seconds
This southern fried okra came out absolutely fantastic. Light, crunchy, delicious. I served it as a side, but it was better than fried pickles so I’d not hesitate to serve it as an appetizer (with a nice southwestern dipping sauce, perhaps).
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
This southern fried okra came out absolutely fantastic. Light, crunchy, delicious. I served it as a side, but it was better than fried pickles so I’d not hesitate to serve it as an appetizer.
Usually, a quick grilled dinner at our house consists of some burgers or dogs, with a side and a salad. But sometimes, I like to throw together a just-as-easy meal-in-a-packet, like these grilled kielbasa dinner packets. Everything’s in there. Just assemble (you can put them together the night before) and toss onto a grill (I used my Weber grill) over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Adding rosemary really takes this from a rather mundane dish to something a little more special.
Dinner In A Packet
These grilled kielbasa dinner packets make for a great meal. You can change it up if you desired. I like substituting poblano for the bell pepper. It adds a slightly different pepper flavor. Of course any kind of pre-cooked or smoked sausage will do. You can even use sliced hot dogs and make this a packet the kids will love. Actually, I’d like that too so I’m going to try it next!
I like to throw together a just-as-easy meal-in-a-packet, like these grilled kielbasa dinner packets. Everything’s in there. Just assemble (you can put them together the night before) and toss onto a grill over medium heat until the vegetables are tender.Â
