Every now and then life gives you a hard turn. Two weeks ago our dog (in my profile picture) passed away. Her name was Elsa, a bullmastiff that was a few weeks shy of turning 3 years old. All of a sudden she became sick, and a visit to the vet showed she had a very aggressive cancer in the liver, so we had to put her down the same day. I loved that dog so much, and our home sure feels empty now.
I figured the best thing I could to honor her memory is to stack up on meat (she never was big on veggies…), and get some good ’q on. So, in one session I figured I should cook bacon (pork belly) glazed with maple syrup, bacon wrapped deer fatty, jalapeno poppers and one big mother of a T-bone steak. With a bit of planning it should be a smooth ride.
Dry aged, 2.2 lbs, top quality T-bone:

A good 2 inches thick, it doesn't get any better:

PREP TIME
Bacon: I trimmed the skin off, and dry brined it the night before. In the morning I applied my standard pork rub. That's it.
Fatty: I mixed 2 lbs of minced deer meat with 0.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp red chili flakes. Wrapped it in bacon streaks. Simple.
Poppers: Gutted them, filled with a good strong matured cheese, and wrapped each in bacon streaks. A no brainer.
T-bone: dry brined the night before, and that’s it. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.
I used a bit of alder wood for smoke.
Prepping the fatty:

Rolling up the fatty, just add baconâ„¢:

Bacon and fatty on the grill:

Bacon being glazed for the first time:

COOK LOG
2:00 pm: I started the fire in my BGE. Added some alder wood for a bit of smoke.
2:30 pm: It was up and running, dialed in at 230° F. I put the bacon and fatty on first. I figured the bacon would require most time, so when the fatty was done I would swap it out for the T-bone.
3:30 pm: First layer of dark maple syrup on the slab of bacon. The fatty now at 134° F, ready within 20 minutes or so I think.
4:00 pm: The fatty was done, internal temp was 150° F, so I removed it, and wrapped it in aluminum foil and a towel. Instead I put the T-bone and poppers on, and moved the thermometer probe to the slab of bacon.
4:30 pm: second maple syrup glaze applied.
5:00 pm: The T-bone was done (internal temp 122 ° F / 50° C), ready for a good reverse sear, which the BBQ Dragon helped me with. A great tool. I brought it up to an internal temp of 140° F / 60° C. Applied third glaze on the bacon.
5:30 pm: the bacon was done, wrapped it in aluminum foil and a towel, and let it rest.
The fatty is done, time to wrap it:

T-bone just hit the grate together with some of the poppers:

Here's the T-bone after searing it:

And a mandatory cut-through of a truly superb steak:

Here's the fatty, ready to serve. Note the little smoke ring:

And finally the bacon, triple-glazed with maple syrup, just beautiful:

6:30 pm: time to eat. The T-bone was out of this world. I ate it as it was, no sides, no nothing. Most likely my best steak ever. The fatty turned out great also, the chili flakes added just the right sting. The bacon was super moist, very gentle flavor that was very enjoyable.
Thank you all friendly, helpful and generous people of this forum for all your inspiration and camaraderie.
I figured the best thing I could to honor her memory is to stack up on meat (she never was big on veggies…), and get some good ’q on. So, in one session I figured I should cook bacon (pork belly) glazed with maple syrup, bacon wrapped deer fatty, jalapeno poppers and one big mother of a T-bone steak. With a bit of planning it should be a smooth ride.
Dry aged, 2.2 lbs, top quality T-bone:
A good 2 inches thick, it doesn't get any better:
PREP TIME
Bacon: I trimmed the skin off, and dry brined it the night before. In the morning I applied my standard pork rub. That's it.
Fatty: I mixed 2 lbs of minced deer meat with 0.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp red chili flakes. Wrapped it in bacon streaks. Simple.
Poppers: Gutted them, filled with a good strong matured cheese, and wrapped each in bacon streaks. A no brainer.
T-bone: dry brined the night before, and that’s it. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.
I used a bit of alder wood for smoke.
Prepping the fatty:
Rolling up the fatty, just add baconâ„¢:
Bacon and fatty on the grill:
Bacon being glazed for the first time:
COOK LOG
2:00 pm: I started the fire in my BGE. Added some alder wood for a bit of smoke.
2:30 pm: It was up and running, dialed in at 230° F. I put the bacon and fatty on first. I figured the bacon would require most time, so when the fatty was done I would swap it out for the T-bone.
3:30 pm: First layer of dark maple syrup on the slab of bacon. The fatty now at 134° F, ready within 20 minutes or so I think.
4:00 pm: The fatty was done, internal temp was 150° F, so I removed it, and wrapped it in aluminum foil and a towel. Instead I put the T-bone and poppers on, and moved the thermometer probe to the slab of bacon.
4:30 pm: second maple syrup glaze applied.
5:00 pm: The T-bone was done (internal temp 122 ° F / 50° C), ready for a good reverse sear, which the BBQ Dragon helped me with. A great tool. I brought it up to an internal temp of 140° F / 60° C. Applied third glaze on the bacon.
5:30 pm: the bacon was done, wrapped it in aluminum foil and a towel, and let it rest.
The fatty is done, time to wrap it:
T-bone just hit the grate together with some of the poppers:
Here's the T-bone after searing it:
And a mandatory cut-through of a truly superb steak:
Here's the fatty, ready to serve. Note the little smoke ring:
And finally the bacon, triple-glazed with maple syrup, just beautiful:
6:30 pm: time to eat. The T-bone was out of this world. I ate it as it was, no sides, no nothing. Most likely my best steak ever. The fatty turned out great also, the chili flakes added just the right sting. The bacon was super moist, very gentle flavor that was very enjoyable.
Thank you all friendly, helpful and generous people of this forum for all your inspiration and camaraderie.
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