Smoked Deviled Eggs

My kids love deviled eggs and these are their favorite! Traditional approach with a bit of smoke and a spicy kick.

To make these, you will need:

  • 12 eggs
  • 2 Jalapenos
  • 4 slices of bacon, crumbled (I use my homemade Chronic Bacon- thick cut slices coated in brown sugar, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes, baked at 350 for about 30 minutes)
  • 1/2C Mayonnaise
  • 2t white vinegar
  • 2t yellow mustard
  • 1/2t chili powder
  • 1/2t paprika, plus additional for dusting
  • 1/2t salt
  • 2T chopped chives

Hard boil the eggs anyway you want. I typically start fresh eggs in cold water that is brought to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes before cooling in ice water for 20 minutes.

Peel the eggs and slice in half. Remove the yokes and place on a baking sheet.

Split the jalapeños and remove the ribs and seeds. Also place on the baking sheet.

Put the baking sheet with egg yolks and peppers into your smoker on it’s lowest setting (165-180F) for 45 minutes. During the last 15 minutes, add the egg whites to the smoker, too. You don’t want the egg whites to smoke for the entire 45 minute period, as they will get rubbery.

Mash the egg yolks in a bowl. Chop the jalapeños and 2 of the bacon slices. Mix in with the yolks. Add the mayo, vinegar, mustard, chili powder, paprika and salt. Stir well and scoop about 1 tablespoon into each egg white. Dust with paprika and sprinkle on chives and remaining bacon. Drizzle with hot sauce if desired and enjoy!

Philly Cheesesteaks

In honor of the biggest Philly Cheesesteak critic I know, Jason Zorc, I provide for you this quick and easy recipe, ready in about 30 minutes.

Adapted this recipe from a sheet pan plan. To make this you will need the following:

  • 1 1/2 pounds ribeye steak, sliced thinly
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 8oz sliced mushrooms
  • 2T olive oil
  • 4oz cream cheese
  • 1t Dijon mustard
  • 2t Worcestershire sauce
  • 8 slices provolone
  • 4 sliced rolls
  • Optional mayo as a spread
  • Salt & Pepper

Set your smoker for 450F. Thinly slice the meat, peppers, onion and mushrooms. Lay them on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Toss everything together to spread oil evenly and season with salt and pepper.

Place on the grill over indirect heat for 30 minutes. Stir the mixture and spread evenly every 10 minutes.

Just before the sheet pan is done, combine the cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce and mustard in a container. Microwave for 1 minutes, whisk until smooth.

Mix the meat and veggies with the cream cheese mix, scoop onto 4 rolls, topped with 2 slices of Provolone. Broil for a few minutes until cheese is melted and enjoy!

Smoked Meatloaf

An absolutely delicious spin on a dinner classic, this meatloaf combines 3 different meats with a bacon-weave so you can serve up the best meat loaf mankind has ever tasted.

I like to make the loaf the day before I want to eat, so all the flavors have a chance to meld in the tasty mounds of meat. Start with sautéing the following until soft:

  • 1T olive oil
  • 1 grated carrot
  • 1 diced stalk celery
  • 4oz diced mushrooms
  • 1/2 diced red onion

Cook the vegies until soft, about 10 minutes over medium heat. Allow vegies to cool, then mix in a large bowl with the following:

  • 2# hamburger
  • 1# hot Italian sausage
  • 0.5# cooked and crumbled bacon
  • 4 cloves diced garlic
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 2t Worcestershire sauce
  • 2t salt
  • 1t pepper
  • 1C breadcrumbs
  • 1/2C condensed tomato soup

Optional Siracha sauce (use 1/2C in lieu of tomato soup and brush on after smoking)

  • 1 C ketchup
  • 1/4C maple syrup
  • 1/4C Siracha
  • 1/4C Worchesteshire
  • 1/4C Steak Sauce
  • 1T Montreal Steak Seasoning

Mix everything together, form into a loaf, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

When ready to cook, start grill on Smoke or a temperature of around 165F. Smoke the meatloaf right on the grill grate for 3 hours.

While the meatloaf is smoking, prepare your bacon weave using 1# of regular or thinly sliced bacon. If you’re not sure how to do a bacon weave, just Google it. They are really cool, but can be a challenge to get crisp. You’ll see my secret for that below.

After smoking the meatloaf for 3 hours, wrap the top with the prepared bacon weave and turn up the heat to 350F. Let cook until the internal temperature reaches 155F, about 45 minutes.

At this point, you need to crisp up the bacon. Move the meatloaf to a cookie sheet and place under the broiler in an oven for 5-10 minutes until crisp. Watch the bacon closely, as it goes from not done to burnt very quickly.

Once the bacon is crisp, remove the meatloaf from the oven and brush with BBQ sauce before returning to the smoker to firm up the sauce. Smoke at 165F for 10-15 minutes to finish. Remove from smoker and let rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Smoked Coleslaw

Don’t knock it until you try it! A crispy, classic mayo based coleslaw with a hint of smoked flavor. Even my wife that’s not a big fan of coleslaw likes this delicacy!

You can either go the quick route and buy a coleslaw mix in the prepackaged lettuce section of your supermarket, and coleslaw dressing with the salad dressings, or make your own. In this example, I bought a bag of coleslaw mix that I tossed with a bag of broccoli slaw mix to add some color, while I made the dressing from scratch.

To make the slaw, shred the following:

  • 1 head green cabbage
  • 1 head purple cabbage
  • 2 carrots

Lay the shredded slaw out on perforated pans and smoke at the lowest setting on your smoker for about 30 minutes, until the cabbage just starts to take on a bit of the smoked color. Remove from the smoker and toss in the dressing. To make your own, mix the following:

  • 1 1/2C mayonnaise
  • 1/4 C white vinegar
  • 1t celery seed
  • 1t sugar
  • 1t salt
  • 1t pepper

You can serve it as-is, or for best results, refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Top with thinly sliced scallions before serving.

Smoked Cheeze-Its

So you’ve got all this grill space, what to do with it? Smoke Cheeze-Its!

What you see above represents one Costco sized box of Cheeze-Its with 2 packages inside the box. Empty the crackers into a bowl and spray/toss with cooking spray. Sprinkle with garlic salt and if you want a zing, cayenne pepper.

Lay out as close to one layer as you can. If you have perforated sheets, use those. Smoke between 150-180 for 3-5 hours, tossing/stirring every hour to keep the smoke even. After they cool, place in a zip lock bag and seal. You can eat them right as you pull them from the grill, but they will taste better the next day.

Barbecued Corn Ribs

An intriguing change from traditional corn on the cob. Start with 4 ears of corn, shucked. Cut cob in half, and then split each half down the middle by carefully cutting through the center of the cob. When you are done, you should have 32 corn ribs.

You can now use your favorite BBQ sauce and rub to slather over the ribs. Using direct heat, preheat the grill to a medium-high temp and oil the grates. Place the corn ribs on the grill and close the lid. Cook until they begin to char, about 6-8 minutes. Flip ribs and repeat.

You can either serve as-is, or brush with more sauce and rub. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Smoked Flank Steak

Started with a 2 pound flank steak. Marinated it in the juice of 3 oranges, 2 lemons and 4 limes, along with 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2C fresh Cilantro, 1 jalapeño, 1/2t cumin, 1/4C olive oil, 1t salt and 1t pepper. Let it sit in the fridge overnight then rubbed with my favorite beef rub and smoked for 1 hour at 165F. Finished on the gas grill over direct heat, until internal temp of 135F, about 6 minutes/side.

Made the salsa using fresh tomatoes from the garden. Skinned and crushed about 2 pounds of plumb tomatoes, 2 sweet onions chopped, 3 jalapenos, and 1 bunch of cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste plus the juice of 1 lime. Always better the next day!

Finished the meal with this homemade peach pie and margarita- recipes available on request.

Smoked Mac & Cheese

I adapted this recipe from Patti Labelle for the smoker. It is the BEST mac & cheese you will ever have!

Ingredients:

  • 1T vegetable oil
  • 1# macaroni
  • 9T butter
  • 1C muenster cheese, shredded
  • 1C mild cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1C Monterey jack cheese, shredded
  • 16oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
  • 2C half-and-half
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1t seasoning salt
  • .5t black pepper

Dirctions:

Cook macaroni in 1T oil until somewhat tender, about 7 minutes. Drain & return to pot.

Melt 8T of butter and stir into macaroni.

Mix all the shredded cheeses and add 3C to the macaroni, along with the Velveeta, half-and-half, eggs, seasoning salt & pepper.

Butter a 2.5Qt casserole dish and add macaroni mix to the dish.

Set smoker for ‘smoke’ or lowest heat setting. Smoke the mac & cheese for 60 minutes, stirring at the 30 and 60 minute mark. Top with the remaining 1C shredded cheese and dot with 1T butter.. Turn the heat up to 350F and continue cooking for about 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and bubbly.

Smoked Tri Tip

Found this baby at my butcher, marinating in a soy/teriyaki mix. Decided to give it a try and it did not disappoint. Roast was about 4 pounds. Smoked at 165F for 2.5 hours, until the internal temp was 120F. Moved over to direct heat and seared for 4 minutes/side. Wrapped in paper and returned to the smoker at 225F. Continued cooking until IT was 140F. Pulled and let rest for 30 minutes.

Made a chimichurri sauce to garnish it with. Wife thought the sauce was better than the meat!

  • 2 Cup packed fresh Italian parsley
  • 4 Teaspoon dried oregano or 1/4 cup packed fresh oregano leaves
  • 4 Clove garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 1/2 Cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 Cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 Teaspoon red pepper flakes

Place all ingredients for chimichurri in a blender and pulse until it reaches a chopped-like consistency.