Beer-Can Cabbage on the Char-Broil Big Easy

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’m a big fan of making beer-can chicken. I end up with tender, moist flavor-packed chicken every time. That’s why I was so intrigued with the idea of making beer-can cabbage on the Char-Broil Big Easy. Just like with chicken, the cabbage came out tender and tasty. Absolutely perfect, chopped and mounded on top of a pulled pork sandwich.

Beer-Can Cabbage on the Char-Broil Big Easy

I used a head of purple cabbage to make my beer-can cabbage on the Char-Broil Big Easy. You want to make sure you get one that is big enough to hold a beer can. The can doesn’t have to fit entirely inside of the cabbage, but you want it to go at least three inches. The hardest part of making beer-can cabbage is definitely the process of hollowing out the center of the cabbage. You don’t want to hollow out too much, so be careful.

Of course, the stronger the beer, the stronger the beer flavor will be in the cooked cabbage. I used a very light American beer. Since I was using the cabbage on a pulled pork sandwich I didn’t want something overwhelming.

Beer-Can Cabbage on the Char-Broil Big Easy
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4 from 1 vote

Beer-Can Cabbage on the Char-Broil Big Easy

Absolutely perfect, chopped and mounded on top of a pulled pork sandwich.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword Big Easy, cabbage, Char-Broil
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 1 cabbage
Calories 380kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fire up your Big Easy.
  • Cut out the core of the cabbage.
  • Open beer. Drink half and then place the can in the holder, if using.
  • Using a spoon, carve out enough of the center of the cabbage so that the beer can (and holder) fit at least halfway inside the cabbage
  • Insert the beer can.
  • Rub the outside of the cabbage with a little bit of oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Transfer to the Big Easy basket and lower into the cooker.
  • Cook for 1 hour or until tender. (Test by carefully inserting a skewer).
  • Carefully remove the basket from the Big Easy. You don’t want to spill the hot beer on yourself.
  • Let cool for 15 minutes before removing the cabbage to chop or slice as desired.

Notes

You’ll want to use a beer can chicken holder from Char-Broil to help keep the cabbage from falling over.

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 1640mg | Fiber: 23g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 890IU | Vitamin C: 332mg | Calcium: 377mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Love your Big Easy as much I love mine? Check out my Big Easy Add-Ons page and my free Big Easy eCookbook!

Cajun-Style Smothered Cabbage

In just a short time, my wife and I have gone from rarely eating cabbage to having it on a regular basis. Sure, it’s great in slaws, but also great cold and fresh with a dip such as hummus or Ranch. Or roasted in the oven. Or grilled on cedar planks. And also, smothered and cooked in Cajun-style flavors.

This Cajun-style smothered cabbage comes out tender, with just a little bite to it. And great flavors. The cabbage soaks up the chicken broth flavors along with a nice hit from spicy Cajun seasoning. I added a few chopped bell peppers for a little crunch and some needed color.

Cajun-Style Smothered Cabbage

This Cajun-style smothered cabbage is absolutely perfect without the peppers, so if you don’t have any, don’t fret. But I’d get some if I were you. They do add a wonderful flavor, texture, and some color!

I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make this cabbage dish and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!

Also try my Cajun mashed potatoes and my crazy-good bacon-smothered cabbage.

Cajun-Style Smothered Cabbage
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5 from 1 vote

Cajun-Style Smothered Cabbage

This Cajun-style smothered cabbage comes out tender, with just a little bite to it. And great flavors. The cabbage soaks up the chicken broth flavors along with a nice hit from spicy Cajun seasoning. 
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword cabbage, Cajun
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 59kcal
Author Based on a recipe from the Mar/April 2016 issue of Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large skillet.
  • Add the onion and peppers and cook until starting to soften, about 8 minutes.
  • Add the cabbage and sprinkle with half of the Cajun seasoning. Turn and season other side.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the broth and cover.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add more broth, checking every 5 minutes. Cook until the cabbage is tender.
  • Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 349mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1045IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Onion Cajun Sauce

We have long loved roasted Brussels sprouts. Roasted sprouts are fantastic (as opposed to the boiled sprouts I hated as a kid). When I saw this idea for roasted cabbage wedges with onion Cajun sauce I immediately added it to my to-do list.

Brussels sprouts are often referred to as mini-cabbages, so using the same approach to roast cabbage as sprouts should be great, right? Yes! Yes! It’s fantastic! Absolutely great! Top them with an easy-to-make (you just whisk a few ingredients together!) mustardy sauce and they are truly fantastic!

Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Onion Cajun Sauce

No matter how you do it, you’ll love these roasted cabbage wedges with onion Cajun sauce. I like to cut the cabbage into 1/2″ – 3/4″ thick slices. A consistent thickness means that the pieces cook evenly all the way across, versus if you cut them into wedges, where the thicker end won’t be as tender as the thinner one. That’s personal preference, and either way is fine. One advantage to cutting them into wedges is that they do have a different texture from one end to the other. Kinda of mixes things up.

Make sure you grip the cabbage tight as you slice it, though, or it’ll fall apart!

Also try my slow cooker stuffed cabbage rolls.

Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Onion Cajun Sauce
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4 from 1 vote

Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Onion Cajun Sauce

Brussels sprouts are often referred to as mini-cabbages, so using the same approach to roast cabbage as sprouts should be great, right? Yes! Yes! It’s fantastic! Absolutely great! Top them with an easy-to-make mustardy sauce and they are truly great!
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword cabbage, Cajun, onion
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 112kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 F.
  • Place cabbage slices on a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or sprayed with non-stick spray.
  • Brush cabbage with oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Place in oven and roast 20 minutes or until slightly softened and lightly charred.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan.
  • Whisk in the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
  • Remove roasted cabbage slices from the oven and serve drizzled with the sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 384IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Slow Cooker Spicy Kielbasa Cabbage Soup

It was one of those days. Too much to do, and just not enough time to put together a complicated meal. And worse, it was mighty cold out. Crazy bad cold And snowing. Crazy bad snowing. The best solution to my problems? This slow cooker spicy kielbasa cabbage soup. Yes, three ingredients. That’s it. Great Campbell’s spicy V8 flavor (you could substitute any V8 flavor that you love!), with yummy kielbasa sausage. Oh, and cabbage. It’s deceptively good, actually, and not what you might expect from something so easy. It’s perfect for a busy day.

Slow Cooker Spicy Kielbasa Cabbage Soup

I prefer to brown most meats before adding them to the slow cooker. It adds a bit of texture and color and better flavor, in my opinion. But you don’t have to brown the kielbasa for this slow cooker spicy kielbasa cabbage soup first.

Don’t let the ‘spicy’ part of the recipe name scare you. For us, at least, this soup did not come out overly spicy at all. The flavors mellow a bit as the soup cooks throughout the day. But one man’s mellow might be another man’s spicy.

Also try my slow cooker tortellini soup and you’ll love my slow cooker French onion soup.

Slow Cooker Spicy Kielbasa Cabbage Soup
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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Spicy Kielbasa Cabbage Soup

Don’t let the ‘spicy’ part scare you. For us, at least, this soup did not come out overly spicy at all. The flavors mellow a bit as the soup cooks throughout the day.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword cabbage, crockpot, kielbasa, slow cooker, soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Servings 8 -10 servings
Calories 15kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

  • ½ head green cabbage shredded
  • 1 64 ounce spicy V-8 vegetable juice
  • 2 14 ounce Kielbasa sausages cut into 1/2" rounds (lightly browned in a skillet with a splash of oil, if desired)

Instructions

  • Add cabbage to bottom of slow cooker.
  • Add juice, followed by the sausage.
  • Cook on low for 8 hours, stirring every hour or so.

Notes

Nutritional values do not include the V-8.

Nutrition

Calories: 15kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 56IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Smoked Cabbage Rolls

The other day I asked my wife if there was anything special she wanted for dinner this week. She said cabbage rolls. I instantly thought smoked cabbage rolls. I didn’t necessarily run the ‘smoked’ part of the idea by her. But that’s what I made, and they came out tasting absolutely fantastic. Juicy, moist, flavorful stuffing, wrapped in tender steamed cabbage leaves, all in a simple but still yummy tomato sauce. Smoked for about an hour, these cabbage rolls combine the traditional with just a hint of smoky flavor. We both agree, these are fantastic and that it’s ok that I didn’t run the idea by her first!

Smoked Cabbage Rolls

You can also make these awesome cabbage rolls in the oven, baking them at 350 F. Smoking them does give them a different, unique, wonderful flavor, but they are still great in the oven. If you have a smoker, I definitely recommend the little bit of extra effort it takes to fire it up to make these rolls.

I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. For these rolls I went with apple. The results were amazing!

Also try my slow cooker stuffed cabbage rolls.

Smoked Cabbage Rolls
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4 from 3 votes

Smoked Cabbage Rolls

Tender, moist, flavorful stuffing, wrapped in steamed cabbage leaves, all in a simple tomato sauce. Smoked for about an hour, these cabbage rolls combine the traditional with just a hint of smoky flavor. They are fantastic.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword cabbage, rolls, smoked
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 10 rolls
Calories 323kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the rolls

  • 1 medium green cabbage core removed but keep the head intact
  • 1 ¼ pounds ground beef
  • ¼ pound bulk pork sausage
  • 1 cup white rice cooked ,cooled
  • 1 small sweet onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning

For the sauce

Instructions

  • Fire up your smoker for high heat (350 F) cooking. Use whatever wood you prefer. You can also cook the rolls in the oven at 350 F.

For the rolls

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Add the cabbage with the hole where the core was facing down.
  • Cover and boil for 10 minutes.
  • Remove the head from the water and let cool slightly. Gently remove 10 large leaves. You might need more or less depending on how large they are.
  • Lay the leaves flat so that the stem side is up. Using a sharp knife, gently cut the stem section horizontally, removing as much of the stem as you can without cutting the leaves.
  • Combine remaining roll ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
  • Working in batches, form meat into a miniature log that is about 1″ or so in diameter, and about 2″ long.
  • Place each log onto a leaf near the stem. Fold in the sides then roll up from the bottom (stem area), like you would a burrito.
  • Place into a disposable aluminum pan, seam-side down.

For the sauce

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
  • Pour sauce over the rolls.
  • Place onto smoker and smoke for 15-20 minutes.
  • Cover pan tightly in foil and continue smoking for up to 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the rolls reaches 160 F.
  • Let cool slightly then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 307mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 914IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Mardis Gras Pasta Salad

Well, this Mardis Gras pasta salad sure came out pretty. And good tasting, too. All of the colors are Mardis Gras are there. Gold (er… yellow). Green. Purple. This salad is almost like a slaw, except for the pasta.

Mardis Gras Pasta Salad

I wouldn’t be afraid to add more mustard to this Mardis Gras pasta salad. I use Zatarain’s Creole mustard although Dijon could be substituted (in a pinch). I shredded the cabbage pretty fine. I didn’t want big pieces of cabbage like I would normally do for a slaw, so I used a box grater. But you can thin shred your cabbage if you prefer.

I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

Also try my crab pasta salad and my Tuscan pasta salad.

Mardis Gras Pasta Salad
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4 from 1 vote

Mardis Gras Pasta Salad

Well, this Mardis Gras pasta salad sure came out pretty. And good tasting, too.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword pasta salad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 243kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cook pasta per package instructions. Rinse and drain well then let cool slightly. Transfer to a large bowl.
  • Add remaining ingredients (start with just 3/4 cup of the mayo) and stir to combine.
  • If mixture is too dry add more mayonnaise, one tablespoon at a time, stirring, until the salad is the desired thickness.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 608mg | Potassium: 383mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 681IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.