Here is a great way to cook a 3-course elegant meal on a smoker…Helps if you have a Camp Chef with the Side Kick Flat Top Griddle.   The “SBS” stands for Smoke-Braise-Sear—a three-step method of cooking these to perfection.

What it Takes:

BSB Short Ribs:

• Rack of Beef Short Ribs, 4-6 ribs. We recommend Dartagnan Angus or Grass-Fed Bone-In Short Ribs
• 1 cup of a nice Cabernet Sauvignon, preferably what you are serving with dinner..keeping the pallet consistent.
• Kosher Salt
• Coarse Ground Pepper
• A nice Semi-Sweet Rub. We used Willow Seasonings “Sweet Smoke” and it added just the right amount of flavor.

Directions

1. Prepare Short Ribs, by NOT Stripping them, but sprinkle them with kosher salt and coarse ground pepper, then a coat of olive oil as a bonding agent, then your rub.   We used Willow Seasoning’s “Sweet Smoke” and the results were excellent.
2. Set Smoker to 225 degrees and smoke level 8.
3. Smoke on Top Rack for 3-3 ½ hours, spritzing with apple juice every 45 minimum
4. Line a shallow baking pan, just big enough to fit ribs, with aluminum foil, leaving enough to cover over the top after the ribs are placed in.
5. At the 3 ½ hour mark, take the ribs off of the rack and place them MEAT SIDE DOWN in the lined baking pan.
6. Pour approx. 1 cup of wine over the top and make sure the rack is 2/3 submerged in the wine
7. Return to the BOTTOM rack of smoker for 2 ½ hours in the pan covered in foil
8. When Temp of the meat reaches 197-205 degrees, pull and set aside under foil to await a sear.

Pesto Salad

• 1 medium bunch of Fresh Asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 small bunch of Green Onions, diced
• ½ Red Onion, Diced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, Diced
• 1 Orange Pepper, Diced
• 1 Zucchini, sliced
• 1 Yellow Squash, sliced
• 20-25 Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
• 15 Mozzarella Balls
• 3 tbsp Pesto Sauce
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Combine 1^st 7 ingredients and place in a bowl
2. Drizzle with Olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Either on Stove or if you have a flat top, grill to a nice brown sear on vegies
4. Remove and set aside and chill
5. When ready to serve, combine with tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and pesto
6. Salt and pepper to taste and serve cold.

Tater Tots

• Frozen or Fresh Tater Tots (as many as you like)
• 3-5 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 1 stick butter
• ½ cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

1. Place tots on a flat baking sheet
2. Melt butter in a pan and add garlic minced
3. Brush Tots lightly with butter garlic mixture
4. After Meat has been removed from Smoker, Pre-Sear, bring up the temp to 400 degrees and smoke level 1-2
5. Place Tots on pan on top rack for approx. 15 minutes until Golden Brown or desired texture
6. After the first 7 minutes…return Ribs, out of foil and pan, to the bottom rack, flipping once, for the last 7 minutes of the Tot cooking time

Turn off the smoker, the griddle, and pour a glass of your Cabernet, and enjoy!!!

Cheers

Reverse Seared Tri-Tip

Tools: 

• Pellet Grill or Charcoal Grill
• Sharp Knife
• Cutting Board
• Aluminum Foil
• Meat Thermometer 

Ingredients:

• Tri Tip (2-5 pounds) Grass Fed …I prefer Mishima Wagyu from Dartagnan Foods
• Kosher Salt or Coarse Salt and Coarse Ground Pepper
• Marinade of Choice if you prefer. I do not use a marinade on a Wagyu cut, the taste of the beef is good enough.

Reverse Seared Tri-Tip Recipe

Instructions

Trim excess fat and silver skin from the roast. Place in a zip-top bag with your favorite marinade.  I prefer  Let marinate for 1-2 hours.

Preheat your Smoker or Pellet Grill to 220, to set up for indirect grilling/smoking.

Remove the roast from the marinade. Wipe off excess marinade. Season with a 50/50 blend of the Salt and Pepper.  Place in  Smoke at 220°F until the internal temperature reaches 105-110°F. Remove from the grill. Cover loosely with foil.

If you have a two-piece diffuser, remove the door and place  the Grill Grates  over the firebox. If you have a separate area or grill to sear,  turn the grill up to 475°F.

When the grill comes up to temp, grill the roast on both sides to achieve nice grill marks. Remove when the internal temperature reaches 125°F. Rest 10 minutes before slicing thin, against the grain.

First we smoke. Then we sear.

Recipe by:

The Life Cycle Foodie

www.lifecyclefoodie.com

Classic Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:

• 1 lb whole grain Pasta, (linguini or spaghetti preferred)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus a little bit more for drizzling
• 1 bunch green onions
• 5-7 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 14-16 extra-large shrimp, about 1 lb.
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup dry white wine/Sauvignon Blanc recommended
• ½ lemon juiced.
• 1 cup diced Roma or Vine-Ripened tomatoes
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley, and a little extra for garnish.

1. For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to a boil, add a splash of olive oil and the pasta of choice.  Stir occasionally to make sure the pasta separates.  Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the pasta done but not overcooked.  Drain and set aside to keep warm in a covered pot.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter. Sauté the garlic and green onions until both are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the lemon juice, wine, and sauté’ to reduce slightly.  Add parsley, stir in for about a minute and add shrimp.  Salt and pepper and allow to cook about 2 minutes per side until pink.
3. Remove from heat. Leaving in the pan, stir in tomatoes.  This will allow the tomatoes to warm but not overcook, and also stop the shrimp from cooking.
4. Center pasta on individual plates, and Shrimp, with the desired amount of sauce, and tomatoes.   Sprinkle parmesan cheese and a little parsley for garnish.

Wine Recommendation:  “Colterrace” Sauvignon Blanc

Recipe by Gary Robinson

The LifeCycleFoodie

www.lifecyclefoodie.com

It’s not hard to figure out how to make great bbq ribs. Try these sticky, smokey BBQ St Louis ribs at home – you’ll probably eat a whole rack to yourself!

Barbecue ribs must be one of the most popular menu items ever to come off a smoker. Smokey, sweet, porky sticks of deliciousness that satisfy a primal urge to gnaw the meat straight off the bone. Good ribs will require sheet after sheet of paper towel to mop up extra sauce from your fingers and face. Heck, you may just need a bib as well.

I based my recipe on the 3-2-1 method, which calls for 3 hours of smoke, 2 in foil, and a final hour of unwrapped but sauced smoke exposure. I guess mine is actually more like 3-2-.15? I think 6 full hours can result in slightly overdone ribs, and that really the final step only needs enough time to “set” the barbecue sauce, which is usually only 10-15 minutes. All this takes place at 225f, and I recommend a remote thermometer for a more accurate reading of the temperature inside the cook chamber.

Many people think that “fall off the bone” is the hallmark of perfectly cooked ribs, in actual fact barbecue aficionados (and judges) consider this to be overcooked. A perfect rib should have a perfect bite mark, clean to the bone, with the rest of the meat still intact. But, I get it, some people just want them super soft and bone-free, so if you’re one of those people just leave the ribs on for the full final hour.

One final note – the BBQ sauce you choose to use will have an effect on the final appearance. A dark sauce with brown-ish hues will result in dark lacquer, whereas a lighter, orange/red sauce will lead to a more mahogany finish, and your choice of the rub will affect the final color, too.

This recipe calls for St Louis or Spare ribs. Baby Back ribs are much smaller with less meat and so will cook much faster.  Also, we recommend using Applewood or a medium fruit blend of pellets depending on the type of smoker you have.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 rack St Louis or Spare cut pork ribs
• Approx 1/2 cup of BBQ pork rub
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup BBQ sauce or glaze

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fire up your cooker/smoker to a temperature of 225 F, and get it to hold at that point.
2. Prepare the ribs, and make sure to remove the membrane from the back of the bones. This is easiest to remove with a paper towel, just, lift one of the corners with the paper and pull – it should come off in one go. You can also trim away any excess fat or loose meat for a neater appearance.
3. Pat ribs dry with another paper towel, and season generously with BBQ rub on both sides, then place in the smoker for approx 3 hours, making sure to monitor and maintain your 225 F temp without any major spikes or drops.
4. Prepare two large squares of foil, one on top of the other, and place butter and brown sugar along the bottom. Remove ribs from the smoker and place the meat side down onto the sugar/butter. Wrap the parcel tightly and return it to the smoker for a further two hours.
5. After two hours, carefully open the foil package (there may be quite a bit of liquid that has accumulated) and gently return the rack to the smoker, bone side down. If this is too difficult, you can simply unwrap the ribs and tuck the foil in at the sides, forming a “boat’ around the meat and leaving the tops of the ribs exposed.
6. Using a brush, paint a generous amount of the BBQ sauce onto the meat side of the rack. Close the lid and smoke a further 15-20 minutes, which will allow the sauce or glaze to set. You should be able to lightly tug on the bones and feel little resistance. If you feel they could be more tender, leave in the smoker for up to an hour. Re-baste if desired.