Smokin' Pete's BBQ

The more I brine Chicken and Turkey to more I wonder why I never brined much in the past or why I should stop brining in the future!?  Took a dozen fresh Foster Farms Chicken Legs and brined them for 3 hours using the following simple recipe :

• ½ gallon water
• ½ cup of sugar
• ¼ cup of Kosher Salt
• 5 Fl ounces of Yasama Teriyaki
• 1 cup of Mr Yoshida’s Marinade & Cooking Sauce
  (wanted to finish up the Yasama and Yoshida’s)

Cut a small Spaghetti Squash in half and removed the seeds.  The photo below shows the seeds and what it should look like after they’re removed.

After 3 hours, removed the Chicken Legs from the brine, rinsed well, and patted dry.  Rubbed Annie’s Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Under/On the skin and seasoned the legs Under/On the skin with Fagundes Seasoning.  Covered with plastic and returned to refrigerator for an hour.

Preheated the MAK 2 Star Wood Pellet BBQ Smoker-Grill to 350ºF with Hickory pellets.  Cooked the Spaghetti Squash for half an hour before inserting the Chicken Legs.  Leg/Wing holders are great accessories to have.  I picked this one up at Lowe’s Hardware in the BBQ section for $5.  You can pick them up everywhere.

Cooked the Spaghetti Squash for 1½ hours which resulted in the squash retaining just a slight crunch.  Baking time really depends on how big your squash is.  A small one will easily feed 4 people.  Use a fork to scrape the squash to get long, tasty strands.

Wrapped the Spaghetti Squash in foil while giving the Brined Chicken Legs time to reach an Internal Temperature of 180ºF+.  Took an hour and 10 minutes for the chicken to come to temp.  Rested the chicken under a foil tent for 15 minutes before serving.

The money $shot … A few juicy, tender, succulent Teriyaki brined Chicken Legs served with Spaghetti Squash and a nice salad … Simple, Quick, Delicious, and I believe quite healthy!!

Sheperd’s Pie is comfort food at it’s best!!  Here’s a wonderful variation using a leftover Hickory Smoked Turkey Breast.  You can substitute Chicken for the Turkey.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1+ lb cubed cooked Turkey (Hickory Smoked Turkey Breast)
• 1 onion, chopped and sautéd
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can green beans, drained
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 (4 ounce) cans of mushrooms, with liquid
• 1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing, turkey or chicken (or use leftover stuffing)
• 12 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese (Costco Mexican style Blend)
• 8 cups mashed potatoes

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat Pellet Smoker-Grill or oven to 350º F (175ºC)
• Spread stuffing in an even layer on the bottom of a 9×13 inch backing dish
• Top with layer of cubed smoked/cooked turkey
• Top with sautéd onions and a layer of green beans
• Mix canned mushrooms, with liquid, and cream of mushroom soup
• Pour mixed cream of mushroom soup over the onion/green bean layer
• Scatter casserole with half the shredded Cheddar cheese
• Mix remaining shredded Cheddar cheese and mashed potatoes
• Top the casserole with the mashed potatoes
• Dot the mashed potatoes with a few pats of butter
• Bake for 45 to 70 minutes until heated through and bubbling
• Rest Smoked Turkey Sheperd’s Pie Casserole for 15 minutes before serving

Garlic Chicken from my local Chinese restaurant ranks high on my list of favorites so I decided to brine half a Chicken using liquid Garlic along with a Marinade & Cooking Sauce.  Not that I expected to duplicate the delectable flavors of Chinese Take-Out but it inspired me to work on another easy brine recipe to add to my repertoire.

Liquid Garlic & Mr Yoshida’s Brine:

• ½ gallon Water
• ½ cup of Sugar
• ¼ cup of Kosher Salt
• 1 cup of Mr Yoshida’s Marinade & Cooking Sauce
• 3 tsp Garlic Juice [1 tsp = ½ clove garlic]

Brined half a Fresh Foster Farms Chicken for 2½ hours in the refrigerator.  Rinsed and patted the Chicken dry.  Rubbed Annie’s Roasted Garlic EVOO and Plowboys Yardbird Rub under/on the skin.  Here you can see how easy it is to peal back the skin and apply the EVOO and seasoning right on the Chicken for great flavor penetration.

Here’s the half Chicken with the skin replaced and a meat probe inserted into the thickest part of the Chicken Breast.  Food should always be cooked to temperature:  Chicken Breasts to 165ºF+ and Leg & Thighs to 180ºF+.

Preheated the MAK 2 Star Wood Pellet BBQ Smoker-Grill with Hickory pellets and Hickory smoked the half Chicken for an hour.  Increased the temperature to 325ºF.

Pulled the Chicken when the Breast Internal Temperature reached 170ºF which normally insures that the leg and thigh are at least 180ºF.  Rested the Chicken under a foil tent for 20 minutes before serving.  Note the clear juices verifying that the yardbird is done to perfection.  Blood in the liquid is a sign that the chicken has not reached proper temperature.

The money $shot …  Plump moist Garlic/Teriyaki brined Chicken Breast served with steamed Potatoes and Broccoli …  The Mr Yoshida Sweet & Savory Sauce did provided a great starting point for this brine and the liquid garlic complimented the Hickory smoke and Yardbird Rub seasonings.

Hickory smoked Chicken is hard to beat but one of my passions is to develop various easy brine recipes to enhance the moisture and flavors of Chickens in various shapes and sizes when  smoked/grilled on a Wood Pellet Smoker-Grill and/or an Infrared Roaster.

Teriyaki Brine:

• ½ gallon water
• ½ cup of sugar
• ¼ cup of Kosher Salt
• 5 FL oz Yamasa Teriyaki

Brined 7 Fresh Foster Farms Chicken Thighs for 3 hours in a 38ºF refrigerator.  Rinsed the Chicken Thighs and patted dry before rubbing Annie’s Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Fagundes Seasoning under/on the skin.

Preheated the MAK 2 Star Wood Pellet BBQ Smoker-Grill to 180ºF with Hickory pellets.  Hickory smoked the Chicken Thighs for 1½ hours at 180ºF.

After 1½ hours of Hickory smoke I increased the temperature to 325ºF until the Chicken Thighs reached an Internal Temperature of 180ºF.  Rested the Chicken under a foil tent for 20 minutes before serving.

The money $shot …  Teriyaki brined Hickory smoked Chicken Thighs with a side of Brown Rice and steamed Broccoli …  The Chicken was scrumptious, very moist, and tender.  However, the Teriyaki flavor was more modest than expected.  Next time I’ll use the entire 10 Fl oz of the Yamasa Teriyaki.

A Costco Kirkland Swift Premium Pork Sirloin Tip Roast is ideal for those of us who are looking for a nice lean cut of Pork that readily accepts seasonings, brine, and smoke flavors.  The Roasts come packaged in a four pack and each Roast is vacuum sealed for easy storage and/or freezing.  At 2½ to 3 lbs each they’re a perfect meal for a small family.

Hickory Smoked Pork Sirloin Tip Roast

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Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	3 hours, 20 minutes
Total time	3 hours, 50 minutes
Region	American
Website	Smokin' Pete's BBQ Blog

Low Calorie Pork Sirloin Tip Roast is 98% Fat Free. Hickory Smoke to 150ºF. Annie's Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). Plowboys Bovine Bold Rub.

Ingredients

• One 2½ to 3lb Swift Premium Pork Sirloin Tip Roast (Costco Kirkland)
• Annie's Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Plowboys BBQ Bovine Bold
• Fresh Carrots (Steamed)
• Potatoes (Baked)

Note

This low Calorie (100 calories per 4 oz. serving) Pork Sirloin Tip Roast is 98% Fat Free.  You can use the label cooing instruction using a preheated 325ºF oven for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Make sure you take the Internal Temperature to at least 145ºF.  160ºF Internal Temperature in the thickest part of the roast is what the packaging recommends.

Directions

Step 1
	Rub a 2½ to 3 lb Costco Swift Premium Pork Sirloin Tip Roast with Annie's Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The EVOO acts as a glue to allow the Seasoning to adhere to the Pork Roast.
Step 2
	Season the Pork Sirloin Tip Roast with Plowboys Bovine Bold Seasoning. Don't be too heavy handed cause the Bovine Bold can carry a small kick to it.
Step 3
	Wrap the Roast in Plastic wrap to allow the seasonings to penetrate the Pork Sirloin Tip Roast while resting in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 4
	Remove the Pork Roast from the refrigerator and allow it to rest on the counter for 30 minutes. Preheat the MAK 2 Star Wood Pellet BBQ Smoker-Grill to 250ºF using Hickory Pellets while the Roast is coming up to room temperature. Smoke/Cook the Pork Roast at 250ºF to an Internal Temperature of 150ºF, Meats should always be cooked to temperature. Recipe times should be used for planning purposes.
Step 5
	Rest the Roast under a foil tent for 20 minutes before serving to allow the natural juices and flavors to reconstitute into the Pork. Slice the Roast against the grain.
Step 6
	Bake Potatoes using your preferred method: Oven, Microwave, Infrared Roaster, etc. A typical baked potato is ready when it reaches an Internal Temperature of 210ºF. I like to use my Infrared propane Char-Broil 'The Big Easy®' Smoker, Roaster & Grill (SRG). Rub the Potatoes with Annie's Roasted Garlic EVOO and Fagundes Seasoning. Takes about 1½ hours to reach an IT of 210ºF.