Smash burgers are by far my most popular way of making burgers. They aren’t complicated, but they’re packed with great grill flavor (with a little bit of a crunchy edge!) and topped with fresh ingredients and a wonderful Smash burger sauce. Nothing fancy here, just great tastes.
Smash Burger Heaven
My smash burger sauce has a bit of pickle juice added for extra flavor. I have learned to never, ever toss out pickle juice. When that jar of pickles is done, there’s still wonderful flavor to be had in the juice. I use it in sauces like this, and also for marinating fried chicken or chicken wings. Never, ever toss out that pickle juice! It’ll stay good forever in the fridge. Just leave it there until you need it (and you will).
Our neighbor brought us a big ole bag of perfect jalapeno peppers. I was like a kid at Christmas. I immediately added the ingredients for jalapeno cornbread to my grocery list. Which isn’t much, since it’s the easiest thing to make. This cornbread cooks up deliciously moist. You can taste the peppers. They aren’t so overwhelmingly hot that you regret every bite. Not at all. There’s a nice little kick, but I found it pleasantly spicy.
Any Pepper Makes For Great Cornbread
This recipe for jalapeno cornbread can also be changed to use whatever your favorite pepper might be. Poblanos bring that great pepper flavor, but without as much spiciness. Green bell peppers of course would be quite tame. The bigger the pepper, the less the heat, so peruse your local market and grab whatever peppers suite your fancy. Or use a combination of peppers for a great pepper flavor-packed cornbread!
I baked my cornbread in a large cast iron skillet. Nothing heats up better and more evenly. And cast iron gives the cornbread that fantastic crust!
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.
Who doesn’t love a big ole bowl of cheesy, delicious scalloped potatoes? The Char-Broil Big Easy is famous for cooking chicken and turkey, but it’s also great for making fantastic side dishes such as these potatoes. They really take no time at all to prepare. The potatoes are tender. The sauce is creamy. And oh, cheese! Glorious cheese! The best part!
The Perfect Side Dish
Cooking sliced potatoes in the Char-Broil Big Easy ensures that they all cook evenly and are done at the same time. Whole potatoes can be a chore to cook. Not these scalloped potatoes. Each bite comes out perfect, with a little sauce and a little cheese. We made these potatoes a few nights last week. And leftovers are great, too! You can re-heat them in the Big Easy (you might add a bit more cream if they have gotten a bit thick) or the microwave.
I highly recommend that you get a bunk bed basket or two for cooking on your Big Easy. It more than doubles your cook space and makes getting things in and out much easier.
Bring the cream to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper and stir.
Add the potatoes. Add more cream if the potatoes aren’t covered.
Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are just becoming tender. This will take 10-12 minutes. If the potatoes stick to each other you can break them apart with a fork but be careful to not poke or break the potatoes.
Remove potatoes from the heat.
Fire up your Big Easy.
Spoon 1/3 of the potatoes into the pan. Also get some of the cream. Spread the potatoes out evenly.
Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with 1/3rd of the cheese.
Add another 1/3 of the potatoes and some of the cream, topped with another 1/3rd of the cheese.
Finish up with the last of the potatoes, cream and cheese.
Transfer the pan to the Big Easy. I recommend using a Bunk Bed basket because it’s easier to get in/out of the Big Easy and it provides support to the bottom of the pan.
Cook for 30-45 minutes or until the cheese is starting to bubble and the tops of the potatoes start to turn golden brown.
Carefully remove the pan from the Big Easy. If using a Bunk Bed basket remove just the basket.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Make sure you support the pan from underneath as you remove it from the Big Easy.
My wife quickly declared this sesame salad dressing as one of her all-time favorite salad dressings. She loved the light hint of sesame oil and soy sauce, with just a touch of sweetness. A light vinegar bite and creamy mayonnaise hit all the right notes for her. It’s not a thick sauce, not at all. It’s just slightly thicker than say, Italian dressing.
Your Patience Will Be Rewarded
Although you can try and rush this sesame salad dressing, don’t. Resist the temptation to do that. Let it rest at least 30 minutes before serving. And if you can, let it sit overnight so that the flavors get happy. And as I note in the recipe, you might want to adjust the sesame oil. Although my wife and I both are fans of sesame oil, we find that a little goes a long ways. We felt that one tablespoon was perfect for us. So, we recommend that you start with a little, taste, and add more if desired. You can always add more after it has set a while, too. You just can’t take it back out so use it sparingly if you’re like us and are a little sesame oil-shy!
Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!
My wife quickly declared this sesame salad dressing as one of her all-time favorites. She loved the hint of sesame oil and soy sauce, with just a touch of sweetness
I should’ve bought more lemon pepper wing dust from Kosmo’s Q. Sure, I put it on wings. But I’ve found myself using it more and more on grilled vegetables. Like these planked lemon pepper asparagus. You can’t get much easier and you can’t get much more flavorful than this grilled side dish. The plank adds just a slight hint of cedar.
Asparagus Elevated
The seasoning adds a serious lemony peppery kick to anything including these planked lemon pepper asparagus. I’m not shy with it because I love it. You might want to start with less and see what you think. You can always add more. The asparagus will take on a great citrusy flavor with a hint of cedar and just the right amount of pepper. Perfect.
Place a cedar plank in water while preparing the asparagus.
Trim the asparagus. I've found the easiest way to do this is to just bend them until they break. They break right at the point where one piece is the woodsy stem part you discard and the other is the yummy edible part.
Fire up your grill for direct cooking, around 400 F.
Gently toss the sprouts with the oil. Just use enough to lightly coat them.
Sprinkle with the Kosmos Q Lemon Pepper wing dust. How much you add is up to you, but my opinion is more is better.
Transfer the asparagus to the plank.
Transfer to the grill and grill for 20-25 minutes or until the plank is charred and the asparagus is as tender as you prefer and has a little char on them too. I find myself taking the smaller pieces off and sampling them as they cook. Not only are they delicious it also helps me determine when they are done.
Notes
Kosmos Q wing dust contains enough salt so you won’t need to add any to the sprouts. You can add freshly ground black pepper if you like.Nutritional values do not include the wing dust.
Oh how I do love roasted potatoes. I love the creamy insides. I love the crispy, golden skin. Baby potatoes are my favorites, but I’ll take a good roasted fingerling any day of the week, too! My ‘weapon of choice’ this time for making roasted potatoes was my gas grill rotisserie. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Sure, I can roast potatoes directly on the grill or in a grill basket, but without paying attention to them, I can end up with an un-even roasting. Not with the rotisserie. Perfect potatoes, all around!
No Bouncing Around, Please
I think one of the reasons my rotisserie roasted potatoes are so fantastic is the type of basket that I use. I could’ve used one of my bigger baskets, the one I use for peanuts, but I didn’t want my potatoes bouncing around like a bunch of bingo balls. So instead I used my only Fire flat rotisserie basket. This lovely toy locks the potatoes in (you want to use ones that are all about the same size) and keeps them from banging into each other. You don’t want scarred, bashed in potatoes. And you want as much of the oil and seasoning to stay on as possible. This basket performs perfectly.
Oh how I do love roasted potatoes. I love the creamy insides. I love the crispy, golden skin. Baby potatoes are my favorites, but I'll take a good roasted fingerling any day of the week,
Fill a pot fitted with a steamer rack with 1"-2" of water and bring to a boil.
Scrub the potatoes clean and add to the basket. Cover and let steam for 10 minutes or until just tender when poked with a toothpick. Transfer the potatoes to a colander to drain.
Fire up your grill for high heat cooking. You want direct heat below (and around) where your rotisserie basket will be.
Place the potatoes in a bowl and toss with a few splashes of oil and season well with salt and pepper.
Transfer the potatoes to the rotisserie, close and place on the grill.
Turn on the rotisserie, close the grill and let the potatoes roast for 10 minutes. Check for color. If the skin has a bit of a char to it remove and serve, otherwise keep grilling, checking every 5 minutes for doneness.
Notes
I prefer to steam, or partially cook, the potatoes before placing into the rotisserie. I like to grill them over very high heat so that the skin gets a slight crunch to it. If you cook the raw potatoes over very high heat without pre-cooking them the outsides may burn before the potatoes are tender inside.
I have to admit it, I was very highly skeptical when it came time to make this simple cauliflower fried rice. My wife wanted a lower carbohydrate dish she could take for her lunches, and this is the one she picked. Well, my skepticism was unfounded, because it’s not just good, it’s great! By golly, I thought I was eating fried rice!
It’s Magic!
Making the ‘rice’ is easy. Just chop cauliflower florets fine, until they start to look like rice grains. A quick fry in hot oil, and boom! Cauliflower rice! Great as a side dish, simple cauliflower fried rice can be turned into a main dish in no time by adding cooked chicken.
I went light on the sesame oil and used the full amount of soy sauce.
I have to admit it, I was very highly skeptical when it came time to make this simple cauliflower fried rice. Well, my skepticism was unfounded, because it’s not just good, it’s great!
Rough chop the cauliflower and place into a food processor.
Pulse a few times until the cauliflower looks like tiny pieces of rice. Do not over process.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the cauliflower and saute for 5-10 minutes or until tender. Remove to a plate.
Wipe the skillet clean and add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.
Add the eggs to the skillet, season and cook, stirring scramble for 3-5 minutes or until eggs are cooked through.
Transfer eggs to a plate. Wipe the pan clean.
Add the second tablespoon of sesame oil to the skillet.
Add the onion and carrots, cooking for 5 or so minutes, until softened.
Add the garlic and ginger to the skillet and cook for 1 minute.
Add the riced cauliflower, frozen peas and diced chicken (if using) to the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes or until cauliflower rice is cooked through, but still is a bit crunchy.
Add the egg back to the skillet, breaking it up as you stir.
Add the soy sauce and stir.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds. green onion and cashews to garnish.
One of my wife’s favorite dishes is fried rice. She requests it often. I thought it was time to throw a curve ball and make a little twist, on the classic that she loves so much. Failure was not an option, because messing with a long-time favorite is risky business. I dove in and made Cajun shrimp fried rice. A fantastic variation on the classic, this dish contains wonderfully spicy shrimp in a traditional rice mixture. This was a major hit. My wife loved it!
You Could Add Stuff… Or Not.
This Cajun shrimp fried rice was perfect just as it was. I didn’t really feel a need to mess with it. Oh, I thought well, I could add some roasted peanuts or cashews. Or more sesame oil. Yeah, I could’ve done that. But I might’ve gotten looks. Best to make it just as it’s written, because it’s great!
After making a sleeve of Fire-Eater saltines the other day, I had to keep trying other flavors. I mean, there’s good and then there’s crazy good. These Ranch saltines are definitely crazy good. Great Ranch flavor on a crunchy yummy cracker. That’s all you’ll need, trust me. Yes, you could slather a bit of cream cheese on them too, but I found them addicting enough just as they are. It’s the easiest snack cracker you could ever make.
Buy It Or Make It
Buy Ranch seasoning in bulk or if you prefer you can make it at home. Check out my homemade version. And add more if you want. I’m a Ranch addict, so I put extra on my Ranch saltines.
I use the same base recipe any time that I make flavored saltine crackers: a sleeve of crackers, 1/3 cup of oil, and whatever flavoring I am using. It’s just that simple.
I’m a big fan of beef jerky, I’ve made it for years. And as good as it always was, I was always searching for a way to perfect my technique. More flavor. More tender, but still with a slight tug. Sous vide has done that for me and more. It’s the only way I make jerky now, drying it on my Nesco Snackmaster Pro. Sometimes I make my own flavors and sometimes, I order packages seasonings, like this Pepper and Garlic flavor from Wilton’s. This is great peppery jerky. It has a hint of garlic, but the main flavor is wonderful pepper and lots of it. I loved it!
Always Great, Time After Time
This approach to jerky is simple and highly repeatable so it’s not like you have to stress over the next batch being just as good as the last. Just mix up the seasoning with a bit of cure and add to thinly-sliced beef. A few hours in sous vide then onto the Nesco Snackmaster Pro dehydrator until perfectly dried. Not too tender, not too tough. Each and every time. Sous vide Pepper and Garlic Jerky on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro is easy and fantastic!
I like my jerky to be pretty flavorful so I usually end up adding a bit more seasoning than the manufacturer recommends. The Pepper and Garlic flavored seasoning definitely packs the pepper punch. But a little more punch is… better!
Sous Vide Pepper and Garlic Jerky on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro
I like my jerky to be pretty flavorful so I usually end up adding a bit more seasoning than the manufacturer recommends. The Pepper and Garlic flavored seasoning definitely packs the pepper punch. But a little more punch is… better!
Set up your immersion circulator for 108 F sous vide.
Combine the jerky seasoning and salt cure per package instructions. Wilbur's has an excellent conversion chart if you need to adjust your quantities for the amount of beef being used. For the cure, visit this link here. For converting the sure cure quantity, visit this link.
Place the meat into a large bowl and sprinkle with the seasoning/cure mixture. DO NOT ADD WATER. Using your hands, mix the seasonings and meat well.
Transfer the meat to a sealable bag and vacuum seal. Make sure there are no leaks.
Transfer bag to sous vide setup and heat for 2 hours.
Increase temperature to 130 F and heat for an additional 4 hours.
Turn on your dehydrator and heat it to 160 F.
Remove the meat from the bag and transfer to the dehydrator. Do not overlap the pieces.
