4th of July BBQ

God Bless the USA!! I can't tell you how proud and glad I am to live in such a great nation; even with idiots running the country.

Well it's almost the 4th of July, already...

I am going to keep my cooking simple this year. I plan to grill up a couple burgers for the wife and I, or even hot dogs. Both are quick and easy, and I will have time during the day to do other 4th of July activities.

Amazing coming from The Smoker King huh?

Here is a picture of a loaded hot dog I grilled the other day.


The great thing about a hot dog is you can let your imagination run wild when it comes to topping choices. I loaded this baby down with chili, cheese, onions, tomatoes, bacon bits, may mustard, relish, and best of all - celery salt. I have found that celery salt gives the hot dog a great flavor.

I think I got inspired one day while watching a Travel Channel special on hot dogs recipes from joints across the United States. Can you tell?

Remember, you can save time and money by keeping it your grilling recipes simple on the 4th of July.

Ribeyes

I want to share with you pictures and instructions on a few rib eyes I grilled the other day. My goal was to keep the flavor simple, not overpowering the natural greatness of the steak itself. HEB had their Prime-1 cuts on sale for 9.99 a pound, the same price as their choice cuts; and let me tell you - there is a difference! These two babies had great marbling, that's for sure.

I made a mixture of oil and red wine vinegar, put it in a plastic bag, dropped the steaks in and let them sit for about 7 hours in the refrigerator.

I removed them from the refrigerator and let them sit on the kitchen table for 2 hours, bringing them to room temperature before they went on the grill. If you throw a cold steak on the grill, the outside will be done when the inside is still cold. It is impossible to cook a perfect steak if the steak is cold. I can't stress this enough.

I love to grill steaks on a SUPER-HOT fire. The outside gets a nice char, and the inside ends up about medium to medium rare. I just can't seem to get enough of the slight char crunch before the tender, juicy middle.

To prepare the steaks, right before I throw them on the grill I apply a nice coating of Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. The salt and pepper help to form a nice crust on the steak while adding flavor. I use Kosher salt because it is less salty than table salt, and I like the larger crystals. Table salt tends to make the steak too salty.



To get the char like that on a steak I build an extremely hot fire. I will cook a 1" thick rib eye for 3 minutes per side, flipping only once, and the steak will be medium to medium rare; just how I like it. The ones below came out more medium, but the fire was really hot. Not too bad either way.



A side of Scalloped potatoes and sauteed onions and mushrooms go pretty well with the ribeyes too!!

T-Bones

I picked up a few Prime-1 T-Bones from the local meat market. They look GREAT and should go nicely with a hot fire and a few beers.

Snake

I have killed quite a few Copperheads this year. It is really dry and they are searching for water and food.

I have a large watermelon patch in my garden which stays wet. This makes it very interesting when I have to tend to the garden; always watching for snakes!

Test Post

Just testing to see if my blog is embeded in my web site.

Olive Garden Salad Dressing Recipe

My all time favorite salad dressing is the house dressing that so graciously caresses the tender lettuce and tomato of an Olive Garden salad. I do not know the exact recipe, but the one I use sure tastes close. My wife likes it because it seems lighter than the one Olive Garden serves, but it still has that great, tangy flavor.

This is the one I use quite often:

Ingredients

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/8 Cup grated Romano cheese


1/8 Cup grated Parmesean Cheese

1 egg white

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 pinch dried oregano

1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes



Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients with a mixer on medium speed or in a blender on low speed for 30 seconds.

2. Chill at least 1 hour.

3. Serve over mixed greens.

For the salad, I combine:


1 bag of American style salad
1/2 Red onion, sliced
1/2 Can black olives
1 tomato, sliced
banana peppers

These two recipes go well together!!

Grilled Chicken

Today, I decided to grill up a few steaks and a couple chicken pieces that were on sell at HEB. The steaks are for tonight and the chicken pieces are for tomorrow or Sunday.

I love perfectly grilled chicken thighs. While tuning in to watch the Cotton Bowl this afternoon, my alma mater is Texas Tech who received a really nice whooping I might add, I thought about how I wanted to marinade these babies.

So, I poured a bottle of Italian dressing into a Ziploc bag along with 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 TBSP Cayenne, & 1 TBSP Cumin.

I added the chicken to the marinade, removed the air from the bag and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 3 hours.

About 1 hour before I cook any meat, I pull it out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temp. I have found that meat cooks much easier and better this way. If meat is cold when you put it on the pit, the outside will be over-done before the inside is done.

When I build a fire in my pit, I like to stack to coals to one side. I can grill indirectly or directly over the coals. I usually grill chicken indirectly and then finish it over the higher heat if the skin needs browning.

To make sure the meat is fully cooked, purchase a digital meat thermometer. This will insure that the thickest part of anything you cook reaches the temperature you desire.

Anyway, happy grilling!!

The Smoker King
http://www.thesmokerking.com