Smoked SPAM

I fired up my smoker the other day. I was going to smoke a big chub of bologna. I figured I might as well throw a few bricks of SPAM on there too. There was plenty of room. I’m a big fan of not wasting space on a smoker. It’s already lit, why waste it? I haven’t had SPAM in like 100 years, and I’ve heard that smoking it makes it even better, so I figured… why not? Well, believe me, smoked SPAM is awesome!

Smoked Spam

A Blank Canvas For Flavors

I tried this two ways. One I just scored the SPAM and sprinkled it with Dizzy Pig Swamp Venom before putting it onto the smoker.

The other SPAM was scored in a checkerboard pattern. It expanded sort of like a Bloomin’ Onion. I then inserted some pineapple chunks and onto the smoker it went! Yum! Either way is fantastic. You can’t go wrong with smoked SPAM.

Also try my cedar planked SPAM and SPAM burnt ends.

I like to get my smoker going using my homemade fire starter cubes.

Smoked Spam
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Smoked SPAM Two Ways

Smoked SPAM two ways!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword smoked, SPAM
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 232kcal
Author Mike

Instructions

  • Heat your smoker to 225 F.
  • Score one block of SPAM from side-to-side, about halfway through. Sprinkle with rub.
  • Score the other block in a checkerboard pattern. Sprinkle with rub.
  • Smoke for 2 hours. Insert pineapple chunks into SPAM with the checkerboard pattern.
  • Smoke another hour.
  • Slice the SPAM without the pineapple and serve on sandwiches. (You can also brown them a bit in a skillet or on the grill first).
  • Serve the SPAM with pineapple as an appetizer with crackers.

Notes

I used regular SPAM but other flavors would be great too!

Nutrition

Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 1040mg | Potassium: 301mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Deviled Egg Salad

I love deviled eggs. I love egg salad. Now I can have them both in a deviled egg salad. And I don’t actually mind making them even if peeling the eggs can take a while when you’re making a big batch. This recipe from Simply Recipes takes all of the classic flavors of deviled eggs and puts them into a great salad.

Deviled Egg Salad

I Am Hard-Boiled Egg Challenged

I recently bought an egg cooker. To be honest, I had no hopes of it working. But it does! It makes hard-boiled eggs (and other styles) perfectly every time. I was shocked. The model I have is no longer available. The one below is similar and has a few cool features that mine does not. This little device keeps me from embarrassing myself when I mess up making hard-boiled eggs. It’s worth every penny!

Also try my cool-and-crunchy egg salad.

Deviled Egg Salad
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Deviled Egg Salad

This recipe from Simply Recipes takes all of the classic flavors of deviled eggs and puts them into a great salad.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword deviled, eggs, salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 241kcal
Author Simple Recipes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Boil the eggs.
  • Peel and chop.
  • In a large bowl, place the eggs, green onion, celery, and red bell pepper.
  • In a small bowl, combine the mustard, mayonnaise, wine, and hot sauce.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Fold the dressing into the eggs mixture.
  • Chill for at least 2 hours.
  • Serve sprinkled with a little paprika.

Notes

Best served nice and cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 377mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 213mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1028IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Spiraled Hot Dogs

Just tossing a few dogs on the grill is a quick way to get dinner done. But those plain-old looking dogs can get mighty boring after a while. Of course you can put all sorts of fancy toppings on them (my favorite is the Chicago dog or just chili, onions and cheese). Another simple way to visually jazz them up is to score them in a spiral pattern, making spiraled hot dogs. This not only looks cool, it also gives your condiments a way to hold on to the dog.

Spiraled Hot Dogs

Easy Once You Get The Hang Of It

To make the spiral, just start on one end with a sharp knife held at a 30-to-45 degree angle (the sharper the angle, the less spirals you’ll get) and start to rotate the dog. I find it’s easier to do with the dog standing up on one end. Start at the top with the knife, rotating the dog until the knife gets to the bottom.

For an extra flash, score the ends with a ‘+’ sign, 1/4″-1/2″ deep.

Grill the dogs until they puff up pretty and golden brown!

Also try my steakhouse hot dogs.

Smoked Bologna

Sometimes you want to change things up from the usual smoke – ribs, pulled pork and the like. I was feeling that way the other day when I fired up my Weber Smokey Mountain Charcoal Smoker. So, I ran down to the grocery store and picked up a 5 pound roll of bologna. The woman behind the counter wanted to know how I wanted it sliced. She looked at me rather puzzled when I told her I wanted the whole thing as-is. I told her I was making smoked bologna and that it was going to be a happy day.

Smoked Bologna

I’m Scoring Challenged

Scoring the bologna can be challenging, but you don’t have to worry if it doesn’t come out perfect. It lets the smoke in a bit better and gives the BBQ sauce a place to hold on to. You can see my Red Chile smoked bologna for further proof you don’t have to get all fancy when you score your bologna.

The Best Sandwiches Ever

Sliced thin, smoked bologna is the best bologna you’ll ever have. It has a light smoky flavor and makes for absolutely excellent sandwiches. I used Cashman’s BBQ sauce on the bologna and really liked it. Our neighbor’s daughter brought it to us from Defiance, OH. I wish we had it here in Indy! (I think they no longer exist, so substitute your favorite sauce!)

Also try my pepper jack cheese-stuffed smoked bologna and if you’ve never made it, I highly recommend smoking some Spam next time you have your smoker going!

Smoked Bologna
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Smoked Bologna

Sliced thin, this is the best bologna you’ll ever have.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword bologna, smoked
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings 20
Calories 220kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat your smoker to 225 F.
  • Score the bologna with a sharp knife every inch or so in a diagonal, making a diamond pattern. Score the ends also.
  • Slather the bologna with the mustard and sprinkle with the rub.
  • Place on smoker and smoke for 3 1/2 hours.
  • Slather with the BBQ sauce and continue smoking another 30 minutes.
  • Slice thin.

Notes

Slice thin for the best sandwiches.

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 737mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Freezing Fresh Herbs

Well, time for us to harvest the last of the fresh herbs we planted this year. Thyme, rosemary…. all of our favorites. Some I dry, some I freeze. This is how I freeze them for later use. Freezing fresh herbs is easy. I freeze mine in olive oil. Most recipes that I have that require fresh herbs also require olive oil. So it’s a no-brainer to put them into oil. I think they also keep their color better in oil. You can also use melted butter.

Freezing Fresh Herbs

Chopping the rosemary reminds me that it is time to make one of our favorites – rosemary focaccia bread. That’s the nice thing about freezing fresh herbs. I always have them on hand for my favorites!

I also like to dry fresh herbs, such as cilantro, using my Nesco Snackmaster Pro.

Freezing Fresh Herbs
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Freezing fresh herbs

Easy way to store fresh herbs.

Ingredients

  • Fresh herbs
  • Olive oil or melted butter
  • Ice cube trays

Instructions

  • Roughly chop the herbs if desired.
  • Fill ice cube trays up about 2/3rds of the way.
  • Fill trays up the rest of the way with oil or butter.
  • Put into freezer until frozen solidly.
  • Remove from ice cube trays and place in resealable baggies.
  • Label and keep in freezer until needed.

Notes

Use within 3 months of freezing.

Nutritional values are approximate.

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 4: Apple pie wonton crisps

My wife and I picked up some old lunch trays at the antique mall recently. Ever since then we’ve been wanting to make a TV dinner-like meal. We settled on this outstanding combination. Smoked meatloaf, scratch mashed potatoes with gravy for starters. Then we added fantastic herbed peas and carrots. For dessert we made a light apple pie wonton crisp. In this part 4 of our dinner, we’ll make the apple pie wonton crisps.

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 4 - Apple pie wonton crisps

Time For Dessert

These are somewhat reminiscent of the apple cobbler you would get with a meatloaf TV dinner, but easier! I got the idea from the berry wontons we made recently.

Herbed peas and carrots recipe
Smoked meatloaf recipe
Mashed potatoes and gravy recipe

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 4 - Apple pie wonton crisps
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Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 4: Apple pie wonton crisps

Easy apple pie-like crunch for dessert.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apple pie, tv dinner, wontons
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 118kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Spray 16 muffin pan cups with cooking spray.
  • Push wonton wrappers down into muffin pan, leaving some of the edges to extend over the tops.
  • Bake 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
  • Let cool completely.
  • Spoon 1 tablespoon (or more) of the apple pie filling into the bottom of each wonton cup.
  • Top with whipped cream and serve.

Notes

You can use any pie filling you like.

Nutrition

Calories: 118kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 3: The herbed peas and carrots

My wife and I picked up some old lunch trays at the antique mall recently. Ever since then we’ve been wanting to make a TV dinner-like meal. We settled on this outstanding combination of smoked meatloaf, scratch mashed potatoes with gravy, these fantastic herbed peas and carrots, and a light apple pie wonton crisp.

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 3 - The herbed peas and carrots

Gotta Have Your Veggies!

In this meatloaf TV dinner part 3, we’ll make the peas and carrots. These are not the canned peas and carrots you might remember from your school cafeteria or from a frozen TV dinner. You’ll actually want to sit down with a bowl of these and dig in, and you’ll probably ask for seconds!

I have to admit, in the days when I did sit down with a TV dinner, I put butter on my peas and carrots. But then, I used to put butter on just about anything. Now I try to refrain and just use lots of freshly ground black pepper instead.

Smoked meatloaf recipe
Mashed potatoes and gravy recipe

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 3 - The herbed peas and carrots
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Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 3: The herbed peas and carrots

Great peas and carrots!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword carrots, peas, tv dinner
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 132kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 7 medium carrots peeled and diced small
  • 2 medium shallots peeled and finely chopped
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 pound baby peas frozen, thawed
  • 1 tablespoon parsley minced

Instructions

  • Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.
  • Add carrots and shallots.
  • Season with salt and pepper and cook until the shallots are softened, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the water and cook until it evaporates and the carrots are tender, 5-10 minutes.
  • Add peas and cook until heated, 3-5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

You can substitute sweet onion or red onion for the shallots.

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 445mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 12646IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 2: The mashed potatoes and gravy

My wife and I picked up some old lunch trays at the antique mall recently. Ever since then we’ve been wanting to make a TV dinner-like meal. For our meatloaf TV dinner Part 2 we settled on this outstanding combination of smoked meatloaf, these scratch mashed potatoes with gravy, some fantastic herbed peas and carrots, and a light apple pie wonton crunch.

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 2 - The mashed potatoes and gravy

The Perfect Side

In this meatloaf TV dinner part 2, we’ll make the mashed potatoes and gravy. The potatoes are pretty much your standard fare, but the gravy is insanely good! It’s a great poultry gravy that you can throw together without having to use chicken or turkey drippings.

Herbed peas and carrots recipe
Smoked meatloaf recipe

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 2 - The mashed potatoes and gravy
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Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 2: The mashed potatoes and gravy

Outstandingly yummy mashed potatoes and gravy!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword gravy, mashed potatoes, tv dinner
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 361kcal
Author Ina Garten

Ingredients

For mashed potatoes

  • 3 pounds white potatoes peeled and quartered
  • kosher salt
  • ¼ pound unsalted butter
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the gravy

Instructions

For the mashed potatoes

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Add the potatoes and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes.
  • Drain.
  • Melt the butter in the half-and-half over medium-low heat.
  • Place potatoes in the bowl of a mixer. Use the paddle attachment on low speed to mash the potatoes.
  • Slowly add the butter and half-and-half mixture, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Mix until mashed but not smooth.

For the gravy

  • Saute the butter and onions over medium-low heat in a large saute pan, about 12-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are lightly browned. (Make sure they are browned. If it takes longer than 15 minutes, so be it. Don’t rush it!)
  • Whisk the flour into the pan and add salt and pepper.
  • Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring.
  • Add the chicken stock and cook another 4-5 minutes, until thickened.
  • Add the cream.
  • Stir and serve.

Notes

I also like to steam my potatoes instead of boiling them.

Nutrition

Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 333mg | Potassium: 717mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 735IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 1: The smoked meatloaf

My wife and I picked up some old lunch trays at the antique mall recently. Ever since then we’ve been wanting to make a TV dinner-like meal. We settled on this outstanding combination of smoked meatloaf, scratch mashed potatoes with gravy, fantastic herbed peas and carrots, and a light apple pie wonton crunch.

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 1 - The smoked meatloaf

The Star Of The Show

In this part 1 of our dinner, we’ll make the meatloaf. This was made on the smoker. You could also make it on a grill (over indirect heat), or in your oven. The original recipe came from a Texas BBQ Rub newsletter. You should try their rubs – they’re great! And sign up for their newsletter. It’s always full of great recipes, like this one!

Mashed potatoes and gravy recipe
Herbed peas and carrots recipe

Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 1 - The smoked meatloaf
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Meatloaf TV Dinner Part 1: The smoked meatloaf

Fantastic meatloaf. Absolutely the best meatloaf you’ll ever eat.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword meatloaf, smoked, tv dinner
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 656kcal
Author Texas BBQ Rub

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F if cooking in the oven.
  • If smoking or grilling, cut a few slits about 1/2″ up from the bottom in the pan so that the excess fat can drip out.
  • Mix all ingredients except for the BBQ sauce in a large bowl.
  • Place mixture into baking pan.
  • Form into a loaf.

For the smoker or grill

  • Smoke or grill at 225 F for 2-3 hours.
  • Spread BBQ sauce over top of loaf and return to smoker or grill for another 30-45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 F.

For the oven

  • Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  • Spread BBQ sauce over top of loaf and return to the oven and bake another 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 F.

Notes

Also great sliced thin and served on bread for sandwiches.

Nutrition

Calories: 656kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 252mg | Sodium: 1086mg | Potassium: 992mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 717IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 349mg | Iron: 10mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Southern Fried Chicken Salad

We ate at a Max and Erma’s the other day. We’ve always enjoyed their southern fried chicken salad. So, I figured I’d try to duplicate it at home. And did I ever. Of course, the key to this salad is the fried chicken. For me that means two things: buttermilk and hot sauce. The rest is pretty much up to you!

Southern Fried Chicken Salad

The end result was very tasty, and as good as the real thing. Maybe even better. Everything about my southern fried chicken salad was delicious, and not just the chicken. Normally I’d lean towards a Ranch or blue cheese dressing, but the bottled Dijon mustard vinaigrette matched the restaurant original’s taste perfectly. This is a great salad. One that I’d make again and again!

Also try my grilled Greek chicken salad and my copycat of Max and Erma’s Santa Fe chicken salad.

Southern Fried Chicken Salad
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Southern Fried Chicken Salad

My take on Max and Erma's Southern Fried Chicken salad.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword fried chicken, salad
Prep Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 513kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

For the chicken

For the salad

Instructions

  • Place the chicken in a resealable baggie with the buttermilk, hot sauce, and Cajun seasoning. Shake to cover. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
  • Heat oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer (3″ worth) to 350 F.
  • In one bowl, place the eggs and beat lightly.
  • In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, paprika, nutmeg, and onion powder.
  • Working in batches, remove the chicken from the bag. Shake off any excess marinade.
  • Dip into the flour mixture. Shake off excess.
  • Dip into the eggs. Shake off excess.
  • Dip into the flour mixture again. Shake off excess.
  • Fry until done, 3-5 minutes per side. Remove to a paper towel lined plate
  • Let cool slightly then cut into thin slices.

For the salad

  • Place lettuce on serving plates.
  • Top with tomatoes, garnish with eggs and cheese.
  • Add chicken.
  • Serve with warmed dressing

Notes

The dressing is best served warm but can also be served cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 513kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 484mg | Sodium: 1415mg | Potassium: 885mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3642IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutritional values are approximate.