Tag: American
Louisiana-Style Catfish Nuggets
Louisiana-Style Catfish Nuggets
Catfish gets a lot of hate, but it is one of my favorites. The nuggets are usually pieces from catfish fillets that fishmongers trim off to make the fillets looks pretty. Louisiana-style catfish nuggets are coated in flour, then dipped in buttermilk seasoned with hot sauce, then dredged in cornmeal and fried. If you can’t find nuggets, you can cut up small pieces of catfish fillets; or you can leave the fillets whole. Serve the nuggets with remoulade sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb catfish nuggets
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tsp creole seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
- remoulade sauce for serving
Instructions
- Coat the catfish nuggets in flour.
- Mix the buttermilk with the hot sauce. Place the catfish nuggets in the buttermilk.
- Season the cornmeal with the spices. Dredge the catfish nuggets in the cornmeal.
- Heat up a 1/2” of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Place the nuggets in the oil, making sure to not overcrowd the pan. You will have to cook the nuggets in batches.
- Fry the nuggets for 5-6 minutes a side.
- Drain the nuggets of grease on a wire rack.
Remoulade Sauce
Remoulade sauce has French origins and is a staple of Creole and Cajun cuisine. The zingy sauce is mayo based, flavored with ingredients such as hot sauce, lemon juice, creole mustard, just to name a few. The sauce pairs great with catfish, shrimp, crab cakes, and just about anything fried and crunchy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp creole mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together.
Smoked Beer Brined Cornish Hens
Smoked Beer Brined Cornish Hens
Smoking cornish hens needs to occur more often on your dinner table. These hens were brined in beer, onions, and garlic for a day, then smoked with hickory and applewood for about 2 1/2 hours. The hens turn out unbelievably juicy and full of smokey flavor.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 2 cornish hens
- 4 cups beer
- 1/2 onion diced
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup sea salt
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 bay leaves
Wood Chips
- 1/2 hickory
- 1/2 applewood
Instructions
- Mix all of the brining ingredients together. Brine the cornish hens in a gallon sized storage bag for 24 hours.
- Remove the hens from the brine and place on a rack. Dry out in the refrigerator overnight.
- Let the hens rest at room temperature for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Place the hens in the smoker.
- Smoke the hens for 2 1/2 hours. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Cayenne Honey Glazed Smoked Meatloaf
Cayenne Honey Glazed Smoked Meatloaf
Growing up, meatloaf and mashed potatoes with meatloaf gravy was one of my favorite meals. I can’t remember the last time I’ve even thought about making it…until I got a smoker. This might be the best meatloaf I’ve ever eaten. It was flavorful, moist and juicy, and gone after 3 meals. The beauty of meatloaf is that you can throw just about anything in it. I think there are couple of necessities that a good meatloaf requires. Regardless of what meat you use, it shouldn’t be lean. Anything more than 85% lean meat will be dry. Meatloaf will need a filler and a binder; that being breadcrumbs and an egg. This will keep the meatloaf tender. For flavoring, grated carrot, celery, and onion really make the loaf taste more luxurious then it really is. Beyond that, you can add any seasoning that suit your taste buds.Smoking the meatloaf slowly adds so much smokiness to the loaf, you’ll wonder why you don’t see more people doing this. I used hickory wood for the smoking process, but pecan, mesquite, oak, or applewood are all equally good depending on the flavor your going for. After adding all of the ingredients and forming the meatloaf, it weighed about 4lbs. This took 2 hours of smoking before the glaze was applied, plus an extra 30 minutes to allow for caramelization.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 3 lbs 85% lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 medium onion grated
- 1 medium carrot grated
- 1 stalk celery grated
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
Cayenne Honey Glaze
- 3 tbsp honey mixed with a pinch of cayenne
Meatloaf Sandwich
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 slices leftover meatloaf 1” thick
- 2 slices wide pan bread
- 2 slices provolone cheese
- 1/4 cup onions sliced into rings
- tomato sliced
- bbq sauce
Wood Chips
- hickory wood chips
Instructions
- Add all of the meatloaf ingredients in a bowl.
- Thoroughly mix.
- Form into a loaf. Cut cross hatches into the top.
- Allow to rest at room temperature for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Place the meatloaf in the smoker.
- At the 2 hour point, brush the meatloaf with the cayenne honey. Smoke for 30 more minutes.
- Allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
