Smoked Chicken Thighs

Smoked some chicken thighs, we ate a couple n I used the rest the next day to make tetrazzini.

INGREDIENTS:
boneless chicken thighs
marinade:
tequila
packet of ranch mix
minced garlic
honey
soy sauce
terikayi
oil
some type of vinegar

wood chips (I used cherry)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix up marinade ingredients & marinade the thighs in advance (I didnt marinade very long cuz I forgot).
When ready to cook, set up your smoker and smoke thighs about 3-4hrs, till they reach 165F at least. (I let mine go for 4 hrs).

note: I only basted them once during smoking with some honey, next time I'll mop/spray them to keep more moist.
Also they look pink from the wood that I smoked with.

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Stovetop Chicken Bacon Rice Blend

Used this recipe, but basically doubled it & added sausage, onion, & mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked/ shredded (I cooked ahead of time in slow cooker w some ranch & seasoning/garlic)
2 cans cream of chicken
3c chicken broth
3c brown minute rice (or whatever rice you want)
18-28oz smoked sausage, chopped
3oz "real" bacon bits
1 packet ranch seasoning
8oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 onion, chopped
8-12oz shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS:
In a big pot combine the cream of chicken, broth, rice, onion, and shredded chicken.
Bring to a boil.
Add in the rest of the ingredients (except the cheese) and simmer about 15 min.
Stir in the shredded cheese & serve warm.

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Potato Salad

Found recipe here & modded it slightly. This was super delicious

INGREDIENTS:
~3 lb red potatoes, skin on
7 or 8 eggs
4 pkgs of "real" bacon bits (or 12-16oz cooked/chopped bacon)
1 bunch of green onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped finely
lite mayo (to taste, maybe like 2-3c of it or more)
8oz shredded cheddar
salt/pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
Boil the potatoes 15-30 min, till soft. (I cut the potatoes in half first cuz I used big ones*).
Hard boil the eggs: put eggs in pot of cold water. Heat to boiling with the eggs in it, after it boils remove from heat & let sit covered for ~12min. Remove shell** & chop.
After the potatoes are done cut them into cubes (mine cooked a good while so they were a little mashy).
Combine everything in a big bowl, and refrigerate for an hour, serve cold.

*note: second time I made this I cubed the potatoes before boiling them, they came out better (less mashy).
**note: Last time I made this, to get the shells off the eggs I peeled them under cool running water (would work submerged in cold water also) Seemed to make the shells come off easier.

more photos (in various lighting):

Hot Brown Sandwiches

Found recipe here and based the sauce on this recipe. I made open-faced sandwiches

INGREDIENTS: (makes 4)
1 tomato, sliced
bacon, cooked (I used turkey bacon)
4 pieces bread (toast/crescent rolls/flatbread/etc)**
sliced turkey (thick cut)
sauteed mushrooms (I sauteed with garlic/worcestershire)

sauce:
1 stick butter
1/4 c chopped green onion
1/4c chopped parsley
2 T flour
2 c cream
8oz shredded sharp white cheddar (or whatever other kind of cheese)
~ 1/2 c grated parmesan
salt/pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
make sauce:
Melt butter in medium saucepan over med heat.
Stir in green onion & parsley, let it cook a couple minutes.
Stir in the flour & keep stirring for a couple minutes more.
Pour in the cream & increase heat to med-high.
Once it simmers reduce the heat to med-low & stir in the shredded cheese & parmesan.
Stir in salt/pepper if needed, and let it cook a couple minutes till it thickens.
Remove from heat or keep on low till needed.

assemble sandwiches:
Heat up oven broiler while you assemble:
In a baking dish lay out the crescent rolls (or toasted bread or flatbread or whatever you are using as the base layer).
Top each piece with a layer of turkey, bacon, mushrooms, sliced tomato, then the sauce.
Broil for ~2 minutes to get everything nice n melty.
Serve with additional sauce if desired.

note**for the bread I used a tube of Pillsbury Grands crescent rolls; the tube makes 8 rolls but I used the whole tube to make 4 larger rolls (for each roll I pressed together 2 triangles & rolled up). After baking I split each roll in half lengthwise (like butterflying it) and then layered the toppings.

more photos:

Smoked Pork Butt (pulled pork)

Found this recipe here!!! Used it as a guide along with youtube vids on electric smoking.

INGREDIENTS:
8 lb pork butt (shoulder)
rub:
mustard
seasoning (I used packet of mccormick smokin texas bbq)
spray mop:
1/4 c oil
1 c cider (I used hard cider)

wood chips (I used applewood)
BBQ sauce
Buns (I used kings hawaiian)
sliced cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Night before: coat the pork butt with mustard & then the seasoning.
Wrap with plastic wrap.
The next day smoke the meat according to your smoker directions for ~8hrs, till inside temp is at least 145F(safe to eat temp) (the original recipe says 180F is best for shredding).
Fill a spray bottle with the oil & cider, and spray the pork butt every hour or so. Can use a bowl/brush & baste it instead if u want.
After meat is done, remove from smoker, put in a pan, let it rest a bit then shred it with meat claws or forks.
Add in some BBQ sauce & serve in sandwich form.

notes:
The word is cook for about 1 hr per pound of meat. Mine was at 160F after only 6 hrs, so it depends I guess. I let mine keep cooking longer bc we weren't ready to eat yet & I figured it'd be easier to shred if it cooked longer. I just covered it with foil @ around 6 hrs & let it go for another 1.5 hrs).
Also I have an electric smoker, I tried doing the soaked wood chips in a packet of foil w/ holes in it. Worked great for an hour but then it got burned up, I kept just throwing more wood chips in every hour or so. Going to invest in a metal smoker box for next time.

more photos:

Lasagna Soup

Very good! original recipe found here I adapted it for slow cooker but you can do it in a big pot.

INGREDIENTS: (used 7 qt slow cooker)
1 lb ground turkey sausage
minced garlic
1 onion, chopped
3oz "real" bacon bits
12oz fresh sliced mushrooms
4c chicken broth
15oz tomato sauce (or pasta sauce)
14oz can diced tomatoes
salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, basil
grated parmesan
8oz shredded mozzarella
lasagna noodles, broken into pieces

DIRECTIONS:
In a big skillet over med/hi heat, cook the turkey sausage & crumble. Drain out the liquid & set aside.
Add the onion into the skillet & some minced garlic.
Cook for 8-10 min or till onions are pretty cooked.
Add the onion into the slow cooker. Add the turkey sausage on top of it.
Add in the bacon, mushrooms, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, seasonings, & broth.
Cook on low for ~8 hours.
Before serving cook/drain the lasagna noodle pieces & add into the soup. Also add in the parmesan & mozzarella.

more photos:

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Found recipe here & made some changes based on the reviews. They were very similar to RL!

INGREDIENTS: (makes 8-10 really small biscuits, or like 5-6 big ones)
2c baking mix (Bisquick etc)
1.5 c shredded cheddar
2/3 c buttermilk
minced garlic (a glob of it)
garlic powder (few dashes)
Old Bay seasoning (few dashes)
1/4c melted butter
chives, chopped (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a bowl combine the baking mix, cheese, buttermilk, and garlic/seasonings.
Scoop dough onto a baking sheet. (I made 8 biscuits out of it).
Bake 12-14min.
Meanwhile, melt the butter & mix in a little more Old Bay seasoning.
Brush butter mixture on the biscuits & bake an additional 2 min.

note: next time I'm going to double this, bc leftover biscuits go well as a side\

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