Tag: main course
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.
Kefta Tagine with Saffron Butter Sauce
Kefta Tagine with Saffron Butter Sauce
Never have meatballs been so luxurious until now. These mini meatballs are poached in a saffron butter sauce with onions and Moroccan spices in a tagine. If you don’t have a tagine, you can definetily use a sauté pan. Traditionally, the meatballs are scooped up with a Moroccan bread called khobz; kind of like pita. If that’s not the way you want to go, serve the meatballs and sauce over basmati rice or mashed potatoes. Either way, you’ll be full and satisfied.
Equipment
- tagine
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
- 1 small onion grated
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Saffron Butter Sauce
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion grated
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix all of the meatball ingredients together.
- Form into small meatballs; about the size of a cherry.
- Melt the butter in your tagine over medium low heat. Add the onions, parsley, cilantro, spices, and cinnamon stick. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the beef broth. Season with salt. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add the meatballs into the sauce.
- Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Lamb Mansaf
Lamb Mansaf
Lamb mansaf is a traditional Arab lamb and rice dish eaten all over the Middle East, but also happens to be the national dish of Jordan where it originated. Lamb is sautéed with onions, garlic, and spices; then simmered for a while, creating a stock. It is then strained and cooked with yogurt and some of the stock. The majority of the stock is used to cook basmati rice in. The rice is spread out on a big serving platter. The lamb and yougurt sauce is put over the bed of rice. It is then topped with an assortment of nuts sufh as pine nuts, almonds, cashews, and pistachios. The whole platter is garnished with freshly chopped mint and parsley. A lot of work, but unbelievably tasty!
Ingredients
Lamb Stock
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless leg of lamb cut into 1” cubes
- 4 cups water
Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice washed and rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups lamb stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Lamb Mansaf
- simmered lamb cubes
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup lamb stock
Toasted Nut Topping
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup pistachios
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup cashews
Garnish
- 1/4 cup mint chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
Instructions
Lamb Stock
- Heat up the olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add in the onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and bay leaves. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste. Add in the lamb and briefly brown for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for an hour.
- Strain the stock from the meat.
- Seat the meat aside.
Rice
- Soak the rice for an hour while the stock is simmering. Drain.
- Add the rice to a pot with 2 1/2 cups of the reserved stock. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes until the stock is absorbed.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Lamb Mansaf
- Add the strained lamb, Greek yogurt, and 1 cup of lamb stock to a sauté pan over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods.
Toasted Nut Topping
- Add the nuts to a small skillet over medium heat. Dry toast the nuts for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
