by Terra Kelly
Set up your pit for a two-zone fire (one area of the pit with charcoal, the other section for indirect heat.) Place a disposable aluminum pan underneath where the pork will be in the “indirect” zone for
dripping. You can also put some water (or even better, more apple juice) in this pan to help keep your shoulder moist during the wood-smoking process.
Get your pit up to somewhere between 250-300 degrees F, this is your sweet spot for the project- aim for 275 degrees F and keep it there. Remember wood burns hotter than the lump charcoal- so adding wood will spike the heat a little bit.
For the pork shoulder, we chose hickory wood for the smoke, but you could also use mesquite or apple. Grab the big chunks of wood they are easier to work with, compared to the wood chips.
Do not add any wood until the temperature of your pit is where you want it.
Get your smoke started, then bring the pork shoulder to the pit. (Optional) Place the meat in a disposable aluminum pan for the first part of the cook- it will help in preventing the outside of the pork shoulder from burning.
Now you just babysit your pit, monitor the smoke, keep track of the pit temperatures, feed either the
charcoal or wood whenever you need to. Don’t walk too far away from the pit, this process is so different from sticking a pork shoulder in the oven.
Your initial goal is to get the pork shoulder to 145 degrees F. Once it reaches 145 degrees F, pull the shoulder off the pit and wrap it in aluminum foil. You can baste it at this point if you want, either with apple juice or the drippings you collected in the pan.
Place wrapped shoulder back on the pit, and keep feeding that fire. You can back off on the smoke now, since the meat is wrapped.
Now your goal is to get the pork shoulder to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. This will take another several hours, so just keep at it.
Once the pork shoulder has reached 165 degrees F, remove from pit and let sit for 30 minutes. The meat will continue to cook, and the temperature will rise as it sits.
Use a fork and shred the pork.
For Roasted Garlic:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the top of the garlic bulbs, then wrap 2-3 bulbs in aluminum foil, let roast for 1 hour or until garlic is spreadable.
For Pizza Dough:
For Red Star Yeast recipe: In small bowl combine yeast, 1 cup flour, and salt.
In small sauce pot over medium-low heat, combine liquids and warm to 120°-130°F.
With Stand Mixer, combine dry mixture and liquid ingredients in mixing bowl with paddle or beaters for 4 minutes on medium speed. Gradually add remaining flour and knead with dough hook(s) 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place dough in bowl coated with oil, and let rise for at least 30 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
For Creamy Herbed Tomato Sauce:
In medium sauce pot on medium heat, melt butter, then slowly add flour and whisk the butter and flour together to make a roux, stir continually for about 1 minute.
Then slowly add in cream, whisking cream and roux together. Next add nutmeg, whisk together until sauce has thickened and leaves a layer on spoon. Next add crushed tomatoes, Italian herb paste, and
salt and pepper to taste.
For Pizza:
If you are using pre-made pizza dough from the store, let sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before spreading out on pan.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray round or square pan with cooking spray, and then lightly coat with corn meal, spread out pizza dough until touching edges.
Spread out creamy herbed tomato sauce on dough, next add arugula, pork shoulder, mushrooms, roasted garlic (optional,) and shredded cheese.
Bake pizza for 20 - 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown on bottom and the edges.
Top-Selling Recipe at Lexie Eats- Kitchen Sink Beef Brisket Chili
Ingredients:
For Chili:
2 (15 oz cans) kidney beans
28 oz can tomato sauce
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
16 oz can sweet corn, drained
10 oz can Rotel (hot habanero)
16 oz can large black olives, sliced
10 oz can enchilada sauce
12 oz package mushrooms, sliced
12 oz package mirepoix, (or dice 1/2 cup carrots,
1/2 cup celery, and 1/2 cup onion)
1 pound ground beef
1 pound brisket, (buy pre-made at barbecue
restaurant or see recipe in directions to prepare)
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp adobo sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
For Garnish:
Sour cream
scallions, chopped
Salsa
Shredded cheese
Cubed avocado
Diced onion
* * *
Directions:
For Brisket:
Wood-smoking beef brisket is a two-day process. For a family of six to eight, buy a 9-10 pound beef brisket.
The night before: There is a layer of fat called the “fat cap” that needs to be thinned, and a layer of membrane that needs to be peeled off before you start to add the injection and rub. This process is not
easy, and may be a little tricky at first. Next, you will do a liberal injection of apple juice or beef broth in the brisket. Injecting the meat will provide a layer of flavor and keep the meat moist during the wood-
smoking process.
For the rub, you can buy a rub of your choice or make your own. Amounts are never really exact on a rub, so get creative and just make sure you have enough to liberally coat the brisket. A traditional rub
recipe includes cumin, cayenne, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and brown sugar.
Once you have trimmed, injected, and rubbed the brisket. Now completely wrap it in foil, place in a pan, and let rest overnight in the refrigerator.
To wood-smoked brisket it can take 15 hours or more, so plan to be home all day for the process. The rule-of-thumb is one hour per pound in the pit, plus some. When ready to start the process, bring out the
brisket from refrigerator and let sit to return to room temperature.
Set up your pit for a two-zone fire (one area of the pit with charcoal, the other section for indirect heat. Place a disposable aluminum pan underneath where the brisket will be in the “indirect” zone for dripping. You can also put some water (or even better, more apple juice) in this pan to help keep your brisket moist during the wood-smoking process.
Get your pit up to somewhere between 250-300 degrees F, this is your sweet spot for the project- aim for 275 degrees F and keep it there. Remember wood burns hotter than the lump charcoal- so adding wood
will spike the heat a little bit.
For the brisket, we chose mesquite wood for the smoke, but you could also use hickory. Grab the big chunks of wood they are easier to work with, compared to the wood chips.
Do not add any wood until the temperature of your pit is where you want it.
Get your smoke started, then bring the brisket to the pit. (Optional) Place the meat in a disposable aluminum pan for the first part of the cook- it will help in preventing the outside of the brisket from burning.
Now you just babysit your pit, monitor the smoke, keep track of the pit temperatures, feed either the charcoal or wood whenever you need to. Don’t walk too far away from the pit, this process is so different from sticking a brisket in the oven.
Your initial goal is to get the brisket to 165 degrees F. Once it reaches 165 degrees F, pull the brisket off the pit and wrap it in aluminum foil. You can baste it at this point if you want, either with apple juice or the drippings you collected in the pan.
Place wrapped brisket back on the pit, and keep feeding that fire. You can back off on the smoke now, since the meat is wrapped.
Now your goal is to get the brisket to an internal temperature of 195 degrees F. This will take another several hours, so
just keep at it.
About an hour left in the cook, when your temperature is close to 195 degrees F, unwrap the brisket and place back on the pit. Unwrapping the brisket at this stage will create that famous bark we all love. Once the brisket has reached 195 degrees F, cover the brisket and let sit for 30 minutes. The meat will continue to cook, and the temperature will rise as it sits.
Use a fork to shred the meat, or cut the brisket in cubes.
For Chili:
In medium pan, brown ground beef, add garlic paste.
In large stock pot, add kidney beans, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, sweet corn, rotel, black olives, enchilada sauce, mushrooms, mirepoix, and let cook together for 15-20 minutes. Next add ground beef, brisket, and adobo sauce, let cook together for another 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish chili with favorite topping and enjoy!
Aunt Anna’s Special Apple Pumpkin Strudel
Ingredients:
3 cups apple, diced (1 extra large apple -
honey crisp)
6 Tbsp white sugar (Taste before adding all
six tablespoons of sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 pinch allspice
1 pinch ground ginger
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 pkg (2 sheets) puff pastry
1/3 cup water
* * *
Directions:
Partially thaw-out puff pastry.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray sheet pan with cooking spray, or place parchment paper on sheet pan.
In medium sauce pan on medium heat, add apples and let cook down for about three to five minutes or until softened. Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground ginger, and pumpkin, stir together well, if too thick in consistency add water to loosen mixture.
Place puff pastry sheets on prepared sheet pan, lay out flat and pinch together the creases to keep puff pastry sheet together. Add half of apple pumpkin mixture in middle portion of puff pastry, carefully bring each of the puff pastry sides to center covering the apple pumpkin mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on oven, or until golden brown. Let cool.
Optional drizzle: 2 cups powdered sugar, 6-8 tablespoons water (or bourbon to make it an adult dessert.)
Lexie’s Favorite Strawberry Cheese Danish
Ingredient:
2 quarts strawberries, remove stems and slice
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp fresh basil, chifanode
(cut into long thin strips)
1 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp water
(or use southern comfort or bourbon)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 heaping Tbsp Greek yogurt
2 pkgs (4 sheets) puff pastry
1 egg
1 Tbsp heavy cream
* * *
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray two sheet pans with cooking spray or cover with parchment paper. Whisk together egg and heavy cream for egg wash.
Partially thaw out puff pastry so it’s easier to separate and work with.
In medium sauce pan on medium heat, cook down strawberries, sugar, and basil for about 10 minutes, until juices come out, then add slurry of cornstarch and southern comfort, once mixture bubbles and thickens take off the heat.
With mixer, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt, mix until creamy and free of any lumps.
On parchment paper or greased surface, cut each puff pastry into four squares, place heaping tablespoon of cream cheese mixture and strawberry mixture in center on each square, bring each corner of puff pastry to center, brush top of danish with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on oven, until golden brown.
Optional drizzle: 2 cups powdered sugar, 6-8 tablespoons of water (or add southern comfort or bourbon)
Lexie’s Special Mac n’Cheese Pizza with Beef Brisket and Vegetables
Ingredients:
Bell peppers, sliced into strips
Red onions, sliced into strips
Scallions, sliced
1 pound (16 oz box) noodles
For Bechamel Sauce:
8 Tbsp salted butter
8 Tbsp all-purpose flour
6 cups heavy cream
4 cups cheese (2 cups Vermont sharp cheddar
cheese, 2 cups pepper jack cheese)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup (4) scallions, sliced
1 Tbsp parsley paste (Gourmet Garden Herbs)
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
For Pizza Dough:
Buy pre-made pizza dough (or make Red Star Yeast recipe)
1 cup Water
2 Tbsp Olive oil
3 cups Bread Flour
1 tsp Salt
2+1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
For Brisket:
Buy wood-smoked beef brisket at barbecue restaurant (or follow recipe below in directions section)
9-10 pound beef brisket
* * *
Directions:
For Brisket:
Wood-smoking beef brisket is a two-day process. For a family of six to eight, buy a 9-10 pound beef brisket.
The night before: There is a layer of fat called the “fat cap” that needs to be thinned, and a layer of membrane that needs to be peeled off before you start to add the injection and rub. This process is not
easy, and may be a little tricky at first. Next, you will do a liberal injection of apple juice or beef broth in the brisket. Injecting the meat will provide a layer of flavor and keep the meat moist during the wood-smoking process.
For the rub, you can buy a rub of your choice or make your own. Amounts are never really exact on a rub, so get creative and just make sure you have enough to liberally coat the brisket. A traditional rub recipe includes cumin, cayenne, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and brown sugar.
Once you have trimmed, injected, and rubbed the brisket. Now completely wrap it in foil, place in a pan, and let rest overnight in the refrigerator.
Wood-smoking brisket can take 15 hours or more, so plan to be home all day for the process. The rule-of-thumb is one hour per pound in the pit, plus some. When ready to start the process, bring out the
brisket from refrigerator and let sit to return to room temperature.
Set up your pit for a two-zone fire (one area of the pit with charcoal, the other section for indirect heat. Place a disposable aluminum pan underneath where the brisket will be in the “indirect” zone for dripping. You can also put some water (or even better, more apple juice) in this pan to help keep your brisket moist during the wood-smoking process.
Get your pit up to somewhere between 250-300 degrees F, this is your sweet spot for the project- aim for 275 degrees F and keep it there. Remember wood burns hotter than the lump charcoal- so adding wood will spike the heat a little bit.
For the brisket, we chose mesquite wood for the smoke, but you could also use hickory. Grab the big chunks of wood they are easier to work with, compared to the wood chips.
Do not add any wood until the temperature of your pit is where you want it.
Get your smoke started, then bring the brisket to the pit. (Optional) Place the meat in a disposable aluminum pan for the first part of the cook- it will help in preventing the outside of the brisket from burning.
Now you just babysit your pit, monitor the smoke, keep track of the pit temperatures, feed either the charcoal or wood whenever you need to. Don’t walk too far away from the pit, this process is so different from sticking at brisket in the oven.
Your initial goal is to get the brisket to 165 degrees F. Once it reaches 165 degrees F, pull the brisket off the pit and wrap it in aluminum foil. You can baste it at this point if you want, either with apple juice or the drippings you collected in the pan.
Pla
ce wrapped brisket back on the pit, and keep feeding that fire. You can back off on the smoke now, since the meat is wrapped.
Now your goal is to get the brisket to an internal temperature of 195 degrees F. This will take another several hours, so just keep at it.
About an hour left in the cook, when your temperature is close to 195 degrees F, unwrap the brisket and place back on the pit. Unwrapping the brisket at this stage will create that famous bark we all love. Once
the brisket has reached 195 degrees F, cover the brisket and let sit for 30 minutes. The meat will continue to cook, and the temperature will rise as it sits.
For the pizza, shred or cut into chunks.
For Pizza Dough:
In small bowl combine yeast, 1 cup flour, and salt.
In small sauce pot over medium-low heat, combine liquids and warm to 120°-130°F.
With Stand Mixer, combine dry mixture and liquid ingredients in mixing bowl with paddle or beaters for 4 minutes on medium speed. Gradually add remaining flour and knead with dough hook(s) 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place dough in bowl coated with oil, let rise for at least 30 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
For Bechamel Sauce:
Boil pasta while making béchamel sauce.
In Dutch oven or large stock pot, on stove top heat pan on medium heat, melt butter, then slowly add flour and whisk the butter and flour together to make a roux, stir continually for about 2 minutes.
Then slowly add in cream, whisking cream and roux together. Next add nutmeg, whisk together until sauce has thickened and leaves a layer on spoon. Add pasta to sauce and let thicken.
For Pizza:
If you are using pre-made pizza dough from the store, let sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before spreading out on pan.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray round or square pan with cooking spray, and then lightly coat with corn meal, spread out pizza dough until touching edges.
Spread out creamy pasta on dough, next add brisket, and vegetables.
Bake pizza for 20 - 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown on bottom and the edges.