1 cup crumbled blue cheese that is about 4 oz. in a block
1-1/2 cup mayo
6 tbl white wine vinegar
1-1/2 to 2 tbl sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbl finely chopped chives
by APL
Popular in a restaurant.
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or a little less if you don’t like it hot!)
INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and mayonnaise. Add red wine vinegar, lemon juice and minced garlic. Stir in blue cheese crumbles. Season with salt and pepper and taste.
For a lighter dip, replace the sour cream with greek yogurt and the mayonnaise with light mayonnaise.
6/18-22/2016 – Made per the recipe but the blue cheese used was Kraft crumbled and was bland. So, the dressing tasted strong mayo. Bought new blue cheese and added it. Now very chunky and better. Mary also added at least twice the lemon juice and that brought out the blue cheese taste.
June 12, 2016 – This was the second time to try this method as presented by Adam Parry Lang.
Two-bone rib-roast has thawed in refer for two days. Early morning of day of cook split the roast and removed heavy fat. Sprinkle liberally with Four Seasons plus cracked black pepper approximating his measurements. Rendered fat for baste. The ‘steaks’ are about 3″ thick.
Southern Baste – Modified his recipe some. As only used 1 cup of EVOO (he called for 1-1/2 cups) most other ingredients were slightly less than what he called for–hence the “slight” designation below. Note that this time did use the soy sauce, dark brown sugar and rendered fat from the roast..
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
1/2 cup rendered fat from the meat
1 teaspoon (slight) soy sauce
1 teaspoon (slight) Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon (slight) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons garlic mashed then minced
1/4 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
2 (slight) teaspoons sea or kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Continuous thunderstorms kept us from this today so plan to cook it tomorrow, Monday, June 13. Then will whisk into the baste 1/4-C fresh lemon juice and 1/4-C white wine vinegar just before using. Note that there will have been an additional 24 hours aging the baste in the refer and the Four Seasons dry-brining the meat.
Monday, June 13, 2016 – Left work at 4 PM. Mary lite the full chimney about 4:45 before I arrived.
Ambient temp is 85 and humidity is about the same.
About 5:15 the briquettes had settled down so I added some to fill the chimney. By 5:45 they are burning and all but the top were grey. Poured them evenly across the fire grate in the Kettle in a rectangular shape to match the space that will be between the bricks above. Had cut a 3″ diameter pecan log into two 1.5″ thick “cookies” and put one on either end of the briquettes. Placed the top wire grate, two old street bricks on each side and an iron grate from the gas grill across the bricks.
By 6 
PM the iron grate was hot. Placed the meat on the iron grate turning about every 1-1/2 minutes and basting the hot top as soon as it turned. Some baste and likely some rendering fat dripped into the fire and small flames appeared as desired to make for more flavor. After four times on each side set them on edge for two times per side. Basting each side as it rotated up.
About 6:30 removed them to the cutting board and cut off the bone. IT ranged from 110-125. The pecan chunks have burned up. They had made a light smoke and burned with nice small flames. Covered the meat in foil to rest per APL. Lowered the upper iron grate to the wire grate level removing one brick on each side. Put the bones back on the iron gra
te and they cooked fast. Although the coals were now only 1/2 their original size they were very hot. Kept having to move the bones further to the edge and off the flames.
About 6:40 (have rested about 10 minutes) became worried they would cool off too much and not get up to 135-140 before the fire burned too low. Put them on the iron grate that is sitting on the wire grate. Fat began rendering and the baste dripping off so it flamed up badly and consistently. Tried moving them around and turning but could not stop the flames. In 10-15 minutes they were charred and all the flavor built was burned up. Should have recognized that when the bones flamed up too much the larger pieces would be even worse. When the flames could not be controlled I should have quit trying and either: removed the meat and sprayed the coals or; wrapped and finished in the oven or; left the iron grate at the one-brick level so the meat would not have been so close.
Hurriedly prepared a Board Dressing like Langs using: 3 count of EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil); some chopped Cilantro; freshly ground black pepper, and minced garlic. Heated it a little in the heavy small pan. Poured some on the cutting board and cut up the meat that had been too long in the flames. The charred smell and taste of the meat overwhelmed the dressing.
Notes about the baste – Having used the rendered fat and dried thyme this time the baste seemed heavier and not as flavorful. In addition, as I did used only 1C and not the 1-1/2 C EVOO the percent of fat was a bit higher. I had also reduced the butter and should have reduced the rendered fat but do not think that would have made a big difference–it still would have been heavy/greasy. This time also used the brown sugar and soy sauce but could not tell they made any difference with the heavy greasy tone. The sugar may have contributed to the almost bland taste of the baste by hiding other flavors. Again forgot to add the lemon juice and vinegar just before roasting. Next time make it like I did the first time I did this cook.
Next time in the MES – http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110433/prime-rib-new-best-ever and http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/239166/smoked-prime-rib-47th-anniversary-dinner
Perfect Pinto Beans recipe from Ree Drummond
Ingredients
3 thick-cut slices Bacon
2 Bay leaves
3 cloves Garlic
1 Onion, medium
1 1/2 lbs Pinto beans
1 Red bell pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne
2 tsp Chili powder
1 Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cumin, ground
Directions
- Put the beans in a large bowl, cover with cold water and let soak overnight.
- Drain and rinse the beans, then put them in a large pot. Cover the beans with water and add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, bacon, garlic, bay leaves, onion, bell pepper and some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the beans are tender, 2 to 3 1/2 hours.
Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond
July 16, 2016 – Followed the directions but only had 1 lb. beans. Also substituted 6″ of green onion cajun smoked sausage plus 4 thin slices of bacon for the 3 thick slices. It was better than what we usually make and can still be better with a ham bone and ancho homemade chile powder and/or ground dried chipotle peppers. Could add a very small can of chipotles in adobe sause. Kicking up the cumin will make it more like what the mex-tex restaurants serve.
Elote is the Mexican name for corn on the cob. Ingredients needed for 4 or 5 ears of corn:
The Slather:
3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
3 teaspoons fresh lime juice
The Seasoning Rub:
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (my favorite is Texas Red Dog from Penderey’s)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, shredded Mexican blend cheese, Cotija anejo, or Queso fresco. (these last two cheeses are mild Mexican cheese that crumble easily)
Cooking oil spray
Melted butter
Preparation:
Prepare grill with a medium hot fire. Combine mayonnaise and juice in a small bowl, check the taste … there should be a nice lime flavor… adjust the lime juice if needed. Combine chili powder, cayenne, cumin and salt in the second bowl, adjust any seasonings to suit your taste. Have a third bowl with the grated or shredded cheese.
Spray corn with cooking oil spray. Place corn on grill and baste the upside with melted butter. Grill corn 12 to 15 minutes or until tender, turning frequently and basting with butter after each turn. (You are always basting the corn AFTER turning to avoid burning the butter). Some of the kernels will begin to char and this is an indication you are approaching doneness. When corn is done, remove corn from grill; brush with mayonnaise mixture, sprinkle on some of the seasoning, then sprinkle with cheese mixture. Serve immediately.
June 5, 2016, smoked with apple chips along with pork loin bone-in.
Rubbed the tomatoes and peppers lightly with EVOO so the smoke would stick. [Not sure that worked.] They smoked for 1 hr 15 minutes on the top rack on the SS tray. The skin was beginning to crack and so that is why I pulled them. The peppers have a smokey look and are a bit soft to touch as are the tomatoes.
Put the whole tomatoes in the blender along with the red onion, garlic, jalapenos, fresh cilantro, black pepper and kosher salt. The salsa is too thin. Should have cut the tomatoes up so some of the liquid would have drained.
The four jalapenos were twice as much as needed for the amount of tomatoes.
For the updated method see Mary’s Roasted Tomato Salsa 2024.
Next time:
Review – http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/106374/salsa-with-smoked-roma-tomato-serrano-and-garlic
Review Salsa part of http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/81096/chuckie-enchiladas-and-smoked-tomato-salsa-w-q-view
Try cutting all in half and pour out tomato liquid then smoke with cut side up. Also try pecan as the apple was not as distinctive as when we did it with hickory pellets.
Very nice fresh 5# bone-in roast bought at Randall’s for $0.99/lb. Night before dry brined with APL’s Four Seasons. About an hour before putting in MES added Cayenne, paprika and dried minced garlic.
Ambient temp stayed around 76° and humidity was 85+%. Pre
heated MES40 to cook at 240 on the third rack from the top.
12:30 PM – Put roast in pan with 1/2″ chicken broth into smoker on third rack from the top.
1:15 – MES has been set at 250 but seems like grate temp is staying over 260 so reset to 235. after a while grate temp stabilized at ~244.
2:10 – Pulled tomatoes and jalapenos I was also smoking for salsa so the door has been opened at least twice more that it had to. See separate post about that smoke.
2:30 – Grate 254, MES probe reads 244 – TBS
3:20 – Grate 252, MES probe reads 245 – TBS
3:40 – Grate 261, MES probe reads 244 – TBS, Inserted MES meat probe and IT is 134. IT with RT600C is 128.
4:00 – Grate 256, MES probe reads 255, IT 139 – TBS
4:20 – IT with MES probe is 135, and in two places with RT600C is 148 and 128.
4:45 – Pulled from smoker as IT with MES probe is 161.
Let it rest for about 30 minutes under a foil tent. Cut off two “chops” from the end where I had cut off two for Kelley. They were not as done as we like and the rest–further into the middle–were less done. Put it into the oven wrapped in foil at 300 for 30 minutes. When it came out it smell done.
Good but not great. Final roast in foil seemed to wash it out–or off. Needed bolder bark.
This smoked followed one done by SmokinAl at SMF where he said he always smokes meat in an aluminum pan with a broth. This cook began the afternoon before, June 3, 2016, when Mary dry brined it with Adam Perry Lang’s Four Seasons.
March 4, 2016, 3:00 PM Removed it from the refer and top dressed the cross hatched thin fat cap with cayenne and soy sauce.
4:00 – Had preheated MES40 to coast up to 255 so set at 250 and inserted loin in an aluminum pan with canned chicken stock about 3/4″ deep. Box is lightly filled with smoke from the AMZNTS with hickory pellets. Have ChefAlarm air probe on back side of third rack from the top just behind the meat pan. MES meat probe inserted into loin read 52°. [should have heated the broth and not inserted meat probe until after 2 hours for hygiene reasons].
4:15 Grate temp with ChefAlarm is back to 261. Box set at 250 and it just cut off.
5:00 – Grate is 260 and IT is 93.
5:30 – Grate is 243, Box reads 255 and IT is 112.
6:30 – Grate is 262, box reads 253 and IT is 143 so pulled it out. Rested for maybe 15 minutes.
Sliced in half and center is slightly pink.
Very moist. Looks like all the chicken broth has evaporated and only jus left. Ate dinner.
Sliced the loin at 1/4 – 3/8″ and put into plastic storage container then pour jus over it. [Should have added a little cider vinegar.]