BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

yet another awesome recipe I found here

INGREDIENTS: (makes 4)
4 big flour tortillas (1 tortilla = 1 quesadilla)
shredded chicken (I used pulled smoked chicken)
BBQ sauce
"real" bacon bits
shredded monterrey jack / mexican cheeses
any additional fillings that you want
(optional) ranch for dipping

DIRECTIONS:
For each quesadilla, assemble as follows:
Spread some bbq sauce, layer on some cheeses.
Add shredded chicken & bacon to half of the tortilla.
Top with some more cheese.
Fold tortilla in half.
Cook each side of quesadilla on a big skillet over med-hi heat. I sprayed some cooking spray in the skillet each time before I flipped the quesadilla
After I cooked each side I warmed in the over on a backing sheet @ 375F for about 10 min (I wanted to make sure the inside was hot).
Slice into triangles/serve.

more photos:

Smoked Beer Can Chicken

Used tips from my mom and from brinkmann website. I used an electric smoker, if you have a charcoal smoker etc then adapt this recipe as needed.

INGREDIENTS:

whole chicken (I kinda cheated I used a 6lb marinated "roaster" chicken that had the guts/neck pre-removed)

can of beer (I used Busch)

rub (I used weber garlic & herb, poultry seasoning, and garlic salt).

wood chips (I used hickory)

DIRECTIONS:

Prep smoker according to smoker directions. Soak wood chips in advance.

Use can opener to cut top off of beer can, drink 1/3 of it. Add bunch of minced garlic into the remaining beer.

Rub seasonings onto the chicken.

Shove the beercan in the chicken ass (I used a beer can chicken holder thing).

Smoke for 6-7 hrs. Mine was 160F after 6hrs, I let it go a little longer.

Allow chicken to rest for a few min before eating. Also remove the beer can..

Eat or repurpose (I shredded it and made bbq quesadillas)

note: the seasoning on the skin tasted really good, but the skin was pretty chewy, I ended up peeling most of it off then shredded the chicken to make quesadillas with.  I'm not sure how to get the skin crispy using a smoker (I was cooking it for the meat anyway not the skin).

more photos:

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.

more photos:

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.

more photos:

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.

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