Picked up some beautiful Faroe Island Salmon filets from my local butcher, The Butcher’s Market, to serve for Easter dinner. Seasoned with blackening seasoning and olive oil and let marinate for about 30 minutes. Seared off for about 3 1/2 min per side in a preheated cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Easy and ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!
Full blackening seasoning recipe from Chef Billy Parisi
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
Well, yesterday being Easter, I did an Easter ham - something I’ve never actually done before. I followed Meathead’s recipe from the free side and used the apricot glaze which I really really liked.
Ham was a 10 pound Publix brand spiral sliced ham, and where the recipe went wonky for me was attempting to put it over the fire in the SNS to carmelize the glaze. Due to being spiral sliced, it started flopping apart with ham breaking off, and I had to give up on that very quickly, and manhandled it into the DNG pan and let it finish back on the indirect side.
Ran the cook on the SNS kamado, in "turbo slow" mode, and just used the PartyQ to ensure the grill was at 225F when I came in from church 3 hours after lighting the fire, at which time I added the ham and a chunk of wood.
Started unwrapped for 30-40 minutes:
Wrapped with the mix of chicken stock and apricot glaze:
Started to attempt to "caramelize" over the fire in the SNS, but that went south fast, as the sliced ham started flopping open and breaking up. So I manhandled into my second DNG and let it sit upright on the indirect side to set the glaze.
Inside, waiting to be carved into and plated...
Last edited by jfmorris; April 10, 2023, 10:47 AM.
Bogy I was fine until I tried to turn it on its side on the grate, after unwrapping it and draining the liquid from the foil... next time I think I will do as you suggest and get a whole ham that isn't sliced, or just know ahead of time to skip that final step in Meathead's recipe.
DeSpiraling has always been a problem here too
I shove a few meat skewers or even toothpicks around the edges of the ham to keep it together
Doesn't always work but gives you a fighting vhznce
I just wanted to do a drive by here. I tried Meathead's Italian Beef recipe but I cooked the meat at 225F in the smoker. The meat had too much of a smoked flavor to it and everyone complained the smoke flavoring was too much. Next time, I'm using the grill or oven.
Not sure what kind of smoker you have, but I think the smoker would be fine... but without smoking wood. I smoke with charcoal and wood chunks most of the time, and some things I cook, like turkey and chicken, I don't use any wood chunks at all, as the little bit of smoke from the charcoal is plenty. I do agree though that a gas grill and rotisserie may be a good way to go with the Italian pit beef recipe. I've not used my Weber gas grill rotisserie in years - maybe I need to try this myself.
I agree...In that situation, a little smoke can be too much. Italian beefs are not supposed to taste smokey. All of that moisture absorbs smoke like crazy...Especially in the beginning
when the smoke is more sooty and not actually thin blue smoke. Well lit charcoal briquettes with no wood will work, a gas grill, or probably the oven is best. For Italian Beefs anyway.
For Easter dinner, I cooked a leg of lamb lamb. After trimming, this one was about 5 1/2 pounds. I tied it and dry-brined it overnight. The next day it got a rub with Dolly rub. On to the fire it went, and onto the coals, I placed with some weed.
Actually, my thyme plant had died and I was saving it for this occasion.
I brought the leg's internal temp up to 112º before pulling off the Weber and stoking the fire. Seared it and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Dinner was an hour's drive away, so the leg got wrapped tight and carved over a mint board sauce at the in-law's house.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
Leftover ham goes on New York deli rye with extra sharp cheddar, tomato, and a dusting of garlic powder, then griddled for a rustic grilled ham and cheese!
I tried making some flank steak pinwheels for the first time and it didn't disappoint. This style of cook seems to open itself to a whole bunch of ingredient combinations and I'm looking forward to experimenting further. This was mushroom, onion and garlic sauteed in butter and worcestershire, spinach and provolone, seasoned liberally with SPOG.
Assembly
Seared on the griddle and finished on the grill which I had going already for other things. This was a last minute adjustment and I'm glad I did it as it browned the cheese and prevented it from oozing out when it went to the grill.
It turned out really well for winging it and if anyone has some suggestions on other filling combinations I'm all ears! Side is an orzo dish that my wife makes that is so, so good.
Last edited by Andrrr; April 10, 2023, 09:09 PM.
Reason: Trying to get the friggin pics to show up
DTro I'm glad you liked it. I always enjoy it when others show the process too.
jfmorris Now that I think about it I do recall you posting that. The olive/capicola might have to be my next one. I did the pinwheel to speed up the cook but I really liked how it turned out and I think that's the way to go.
barelfly I squared the flank up before butterflying it and surprisingly it didn't take much. The two little pieces I trimmed off were grilled and enjoyed as appetizers.
I had every intention of making PBBE today from a 3 lb 11 oz piece of PB I’d cut off a 7 pounder. However, things turned out different, but great, thanks to the steady temps on my SNS kettle.
I wanted to use Meat Church’s Honey Hog Hot but, alas, the local Tractor Supply only had the Honey Hog. I simply added a thin layer of chili powder to the PB first then topped it with the Honey Hog rub. It was not enough. No heat to the rub at all.
I fired up my SNS for low and slow smoking with two hickory chunks and dialed in a 260-275F temp.
After the PB reached a stall of 175-ish, I thought about finishing it on my pellet smoker. I even went so far as to fire it up and grease the grate. However, the SNS was doing so well holding temps between 250-300F, I chose to open the vents further and let it break through the stall to take it to probe tender or 193F IT, whichever came first. I’m glad I did.
The temp creeped slowly up to about 310F about 5 hours into the cook and the PB was as soft as butter and moist. I did spritz with apple juice a few times during the first 3 hours of the cook. The Honey Hog rub formed a nice, sweet bark that perfectly accentuated the sweetness of the fat.
A leftover twice baked potato, salad and deviled egg rounded out my bachelor feast tonight.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
I made a ham, potato, and cheese casserole with Easter leftovers; it was INCREDIBLE, I’ll link the recipe at the end. But, because there’s just the two of us, there were… well, leftover leftovers.
Since I’m now breakfast taco guy, I thought: “Damn, with a little help this would make an EXCELLENT breakfast taco!” Well, guess what; it most certainly does. These are freakin’ GREAT.
Mise en place:
The ham and potato casserole just needed reheated, the peppers needed to be sautéed:
Crisping up the corn tortillas in some bacon grease. These would be equally good with wheat tortillas, or in a burrito shell for that matter.
And here is where those taco holders come into play!
And finally, obligatory morning light beauty shot. Use it if you got it.
I just ordered 6 racks of St. Louis. This will be the first time I've ever tasted anything other than what was available through the local grocery stores. I'm stoked.
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