BBQ Experiment Results

Yesterday, I mentioned some BBQ experimenting I'd done and here are the results.  The first was chicken breasts marinated overnight in jerk marinade, which was inspired by Chris' (Nibble Me This) smoking of a jerk pork butt.  I've only had jerk meat from the grill, but thought it was good from the smoker, although I have to admit the heavy allspice flavor will need to grow on me some more.  A friend and major customer came by to pick up his order and he tried the jerk chicken - his comment was “I’m ordering it this way from now on.” Looks like I have a new menu item and fortunately Eric, son who made the marinade, gave me the recipe.

The next day, I had a couple of slices of the stuffed fatty (see yesterday's post for a picture of the whole thing) for breakfast with a slice of homemade toast and the standard cottage cheese and tomatoes – can you believe we’re still eating our garden maters? The fatty was stuffed with sauteed onion and some type of Ore Ida potatoes I'd found in the freezer, scrambled eggs, and cheddar cheese. By the way, a fatty is smoked breakfast sausage and is often flattened out and stuffed with other items, then rerolled and smoked. I just nuked the fatty to reheat and while the apple smoked, maple flavored bacon was a bad choice with the Thanksgiving brussel sprouts, it was great on the pork, as it provided just a light, maple sweetness. It still wasn’t crisp and since I only eat crisp bacon and don’t need the fat and calories, I left it on the plate.

I will go in search of a thin version of this bacon for the next time I wrap a fatty (which will be soon) and if I can’t find it, I think I’ll brush a coat of thinned maple syrup on the sausage surface prior to wrapping with regular bacon or partially cook the thick bacon prior to wrapping. I believe I have stumbled upon a definite keeper.

I'd mentioned yesterday that I marinaded a pork tenderloin overnight in Wickers Marinade and Baste and I smoked it with no further additions, even salt.  So for dinner, I reheated it at 250* in the oven, tightly wrapped in foil.  It was moist and tender and Bev thought it was good and I thought it was okay but needed something in addition to the Wickers.  Here's my plate which includes leftover broccoli casserole and baked sweet pototo from T-day.

Daughter, Wende, ended up with the Wickers marinaded chicken thigh, so I'll have to wait on a report from her.

Of the three experiments, it is two real winners and one so-so, a pretty good day of learning for me.

Have a good one and thanks for stopping by.

Larry