Tag: American

Pastrami Dogs, 2 ways

Pastrami Dogs, 2 ways

Pastrami Dogs, 2 ways

When the drugs kick in, high asses will create. Best hotdog ever? I think so.
Prep Time3 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: American, Beef, main course, Things High Asses Create
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 2 hot dog buns
  • 2 beef hot dogs
  • 4 slices pastrami
  • sweet pickle relish
  • brown mustard
  • sauerkraut

Instructions

  • Toast the buns in the melted butter on a griddle. Remove from the pan.
    Main course, beef
  • Add the hot dogs and pastrami to the pan. Cook the pastrami for 2 minutes a side. Allow the hot dogs to cook in any fat rendered from the pastrami for 5 minutes.
    Main course, beef
  • Place a slice of pastrami on each side of the hot dog bun.
    Main course, beef
Main course, beef
Place the hotdogs in the buns. One hotdog, squirt with brown mustard and sweet pickle relish. The other top with sauerkraut and brown mustard.
Pecan and Oak Smoked Brisket

Pecan and Oak Smoked Brisket

Pecan and Oak Smoked Brisket

Once considered a cheap cut, brisket is very prized for its flavor and tenderness in the bbq world. It is so popular that restaurants charge upwards to $30lb; even more. It’s even costly at your average grocery store. The best way to purchase a brisket is to buy it whole, untrimmed, still vacuum sealed in the bag. I purchased a whole one, 9lbs, for $4lb from my friends at wild fork foods.com. Best quality you can find for the price.
If you purchase an untrimmed brisket, you will need to trim it unless you want to smoke it whole. I wanted just a brisket flat, meaning that I’m going to have to trim it. Any fat on the top muscle side should be trimmed off. I trimmed off 1/3 of the fatty triangle point side of the brisket. It is probably about 70% lean, so I’m going to keep that and grind it for some brisket burgers. But that’s another recipe for another time.
This next step is very important and is a huge reason why people’s brisket turn out dry and flavorless. The brisket straight up needs to be brined. If you are concerned about sodium content and fat, maybe you shouldn’t be eating brisket. The brine will add moisture and flavor to your brisket, so after it smokes for hours on end, it will be juicy and not suck. I have no better way to say it. Brine it in a large bin, making sure it’s completely submerged; about 2 hours per lb. Allow it to dry out on a rack in the refrigerator for a day.
Smoking brisket is labor intensive. It will take up to 90 minutes per lb at 250 degrees to reach an internal temperature of 200-205 degrees. So my 6lb brisket will take up 9 hours. A 10lb brisket will take up to 15 hours. You will want to use a digital probe thermometer to monitor the temp in the thickest part of the muscle. So when you start your brisket, it most likely will be in the ear;y morning. I through my brisket in the smoker at 7AM. It took 8 hours total to smoke. You will want to let the brisket rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Most people enjoy their brisket sliced with bbq sauce on sandwiches, which is absolutely delicious. But there are so many more things you can do with brisket. Get creative. Make smoked brisket tacos. Dice up a couple slices and add it to your omelette. Put it on top of a burger. The answer to your brisket needs is in the cheeba.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Brining time12 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: American, Beef, electric smoker, main course
Author: Alex Gorgos

Equipment

  • large bin for brining
  • Electric Smoker
  • Probe Thermometer

Ingredients

  • whole beef brisket 8-12lbs

Brine

  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 cup sea salt
  • 1 head garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds

Dry Rub

  • 2 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds ground
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder

Wood Chips

  • 1/2 pecan
  • 1/2 oak

Instructions

  • Pat dry the whole brisket.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Trim off the large piece of fat from the top side. Leave the fat cap on the bottom untrimmed. Trim of 1/3 of the fatty triangle point end if you are looking to have just a brisket flat. Save for later use. If not, leave whole and disregard steps 1 + 2.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Place the brisket in a bin that is large enough to hold it. My brisket was 9lbs untrimmed; 6lbs after I trimmed it.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Mix together the brining ingredients and pour over the brisket, making sure that it’s completely submerged. Use a plate to weigh it down if it isn’t. Brine for 2 hours per lb.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Take the brisket out of the brine and let dry on a rack overnight.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Mix together the dry rub and rub the topside of the brisket.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Why is the picture of the brisket dark, you ask? Because smoking a brisket is a long labor intensive process. You will want to start it in the early morning. Like 6AM or earlier depending on the size of the brisket.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • The brisket will take up to 90 minutes per lb. You will want to reach an internal temp of 200 – 205 degrees. Use a digital probe thermometer to monitor the temp through the cooking process. My 6lb brisket took 8 hours to smoke.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Take the brisket out of the smoker when the internal temp is reached. Let rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
    Smokers, main course, beef
Smokers, main course, beef
Slice the brisket against the grain.
Smokers, main course, beef
Make a brisket sandwich by toasting the bun. Top with brisket slices, horseradish white cheddar, pickles, and your favorite bbq sauce.
Hickory Smoked Beef Sticks

Hickory Smoked Beef Sticks

Hickory Smoked Beef Sticks

If you’re from the Midwest, especially Minnesota and Wisconsin, you appreciate a good beef stick. Every independent meat shop with a smokehouse has their version. It is how they get rid of any beef trim, day old ground beef, dark steaks, etc. Every bit of it becomes either sausage or a beef stick. Ultimately, the beef stick gives that cow a second life. It is a perfect way in utilizing the entire animal’s muscle.
If you have all of the necessary equipment to make beef sticks, then get ready for an afternoon project. You will want to use beef no leaner then 80% lean. Even fattier is better. I’ve learned that mixing all of your ingredients in a standing mixer is the best way. It is consistent, easier on the hands, and takes only 2 minutes. Pipe the meat through collagen casings instead of hog casings, and we’re half way there. You can choose to either cut the sticks now to your desired length or leave them whole and cut after smoking.
Smoking beef sticks is a slow process. If you smoke the sticks to high of a temp, it will render out all of the fat, leaving your beef sticks dry as an actual stick. I preheat my smoker to 250 degrees. I place my wood chips in and let them light for 10 minutes. Then I place my beef sticks in on the racks. I instantly turn the temp down to 185 degrees. At this low of a temp, you’ll only have to change out your chips every 2 hours. So just once. You will want to check the internal temp at the 3 hour mark. Once your thermometer reads 160 degrees, pull the beef sticks from the smoker. Immediately submerge them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Dry them off, and they’re ready to eat. The beef sticks will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Prep Time30 minutes
Smoking Time4 hours
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: American, Beef, electric smoker, snack
Author: Alex Gorgos

Equipment

  • standing mixer
  • sausage stuffer
  • Electric Smoker
  • large bin
  • Probe Thermometer

Ingredients

  • 7 lbs 80% lean ground beef
  • 2 1/2 tbsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp ground mustard
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp celery seed
  • 1 1/2 tsp pink curing salts
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup ice water
  • collagen casings

Wood Chips

  • hickory wood chips

Instructions

  • Add the ground beef and spices to a standing mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 2 minutes, slowly incorporating the ice water. Let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before stuffing.
    American, snack, beef
  • Pipe the meat into the collagen casings.
    Smokers, snack, beef
  • Let rest for 30 minutes before smoking.
    Smokers, snack, beef
  • Place the beef sticks on the racks of your smoker, making sure that they don’t touch each other.
    Smokers, snack, beef
  • Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Let the wood chips light on fire and smoke for 10 minutes. Place the beef sticks in the smoker and turn the temp down to 185 degrees.
    Smokers, snack, beef
  • Smoke for about 4 hours until the temperature reaches 160 degrees.
    Smokers, snack, beef
  • Once the internal temp is reached, immediately transfer the beef sticks to an ice bath in a large bin to stop the cooking process.
    Smokers, snack, beef
Smokers, snack, beef
Dry them off, and they’re ready to eat. The beef sticks will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.