Tag: main course
Smoked Chicken Legs
Smoked Chicken Legs
So I bought an electric smoker. I wanted some smoked chicken. The best deal I can find on chicken are 10lb. bags of whole chicken legs for $5.99. That’s $0.59lb for chicken. Can’t really beat that, plus dark meat is more moist and ideal for smoking. You can obviously use any part of the chicken, but smoking and brining times will vary. A basic brine consists of water, salt, and sugar. I added a head of garlic, black peppercorns, olive oil, and dark soy sauce. The olive oil allows the skin to stay crispy instead of leathery. That dark soy sauce will give the chicken a dark, golden color when being smoked. Dissolve all of the ingredients together and let get to room temp. Depending on the size of the legs, they will need to brine for 3-4 hours. The chicken legs I bought were ginormous. Over 1lb a piece. They needed a full 4 hours. Once they are finished, pat them dry with paper towel. This will allow the smoked to stick better to the chicken.Preheat your electric smoker according to the manufacturer’s instructions to 225 degrees. Chicken is versatile in the smoker when it comes to choosing the wood you use. I used equal amounts of apple and cherry woods during the smoking process. Smaller sized legs around 3/4lb will take about 3 hours of smoking. Larger ones, 1lb. plus, will take 4 hours. The internal temperature needs to read 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. Having a digital probe thermometer comes in handy for smoking. Mine can withstand 700 degrees. Leave it in the chicken the entire time to monitor the temp. This also helps maintaining the temp by minimalizing how many times the door to the smoker getting opened.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 8 whole chicken legs
Brine
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 head garlic minced
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
Wood Chips
- applewood chips
- cherrywood chips
Instructions
- Mix all of the brine ingredients together.
- Put the whole chicken legs in gallon sized storage bags. Split the brine between the two bags. Brine the chicken for 4 hours.
- Place the whole legs on your smokers racks. Pat the legs dry with paper towel.
- Preheat your smoker 225 degrees according to the manufacturer’s directions. Smoke the chicken legs for up to 4 hours. The internal temp needs to read 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.
Tips for smoking chicken
- Brine chicken legs for 3 hours for ones that are 3/4lb; 4 hours for ones 1lb. plus. Brining adds moisture and saltiness to the chicken.
- Pat the legs dry with paper towel before smoking. This allows the smoke to stick to the legs better.
- Smoke the chicken at 225 degrees.
- Use a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature. The legs have to read 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. Smaller legs will take 3 hours to smoke; larger legs will take 4 hours.
Beef Tibs
Beef Tibs
Beef tibs is a popular Ethiopian dish using berbere spice; one of the building blocks of East African cuisine. Berbere is the Ethiopian equivalent of a chili powder, but with a lot more ingredients. Onions, garlic, ginger, and berbere are sautéed in niter kibbeh, an Ethiopian spiced butter, at a low temperature for 30 minutes. If you try to cook the onions down at a higher tempature, the will burn. This is a slow process. Then the onion mix is pulsed a few times in a food processor until it becomes a chunky sauce. In another sauté pan over high heat, lean cubes of top sirloin are sautéed. Sear then for 3 minutes on the first side without moving them. This will help seal in he juices. Then flip the beef cubes over and sear for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and toss in the chunky onion sauce. Serve the beef tibs with injera and sautéed greens.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter or niter kibbeh
- 1 large white onion diced
- 6 garlic cloves chopped
- 3” knob ginger peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp berbere
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lb top sirloin trimmed of all fat; cut into 1” cubes
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add in the onions, garlic, ginger, and berbere. Turn the heat down to medium low and slowly sauté for 25-30 minutes.
- Add the onion mix to a food processor.
- Pulse a few times until chunky, but somewhat smooth.
- Season the beef with salt. Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Add the beef in a single layer. Let the beef sear on one side for 3 minutes without moving.
- Turn the beef over and sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat and toss in the onion purée.
Berbere Spice
Berbere spice is a building block for all East African cuisine. It has a nice smokey and spicy taste. It is the main spice ingredient in Zigni, Doro Wat, and many other Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Somali dishes. Berbere spice is great on meat, fish, vegetables, and eggs.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tbsp granulated garlic
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tbsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cardamom
Instructions
- If you have any whole spices, lightly dry toast them in a pan for a couple of minutes. Then grind them in a coffee grinder used for spices only, or grind them by hand in a mortar and pestle. Mix all the spices together.
Injera
Injera is an East African staple, eaten with just about every meal. Similar in appearance to a buckwheat crepe, the injera is made out of teff flour. Teff is a grain grown in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The flour is mixed into a thin pancake like batter. The batter is left to ferment in the refrigerator for 2 days, giving the injera a flavor similar to sourdough. When ready to cook, ladle some of the batter on an oiled nonstick pan over high heat. The injera takes no more than 2 minutes to make, with no flipping required. The batter is thin enough to cook completely through. The injera is torn and eaten as a scoop for your food.
Equipment
- upright mixer
Ingredients
- 2 cups teff flour
- 1/2 package dry active yeast
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except the salt in an upright mixer for a minute.
- Add the salt and blend for 15 seconds.
- Cover the batter and let sit in the refrigerator for 2 days.
- Lightly oil a nonstick pan over high heat. Pour a ladles worth of the batter into the pan, making a circular shape.
- Cook on 1 side for up to 2 minutes. No flipping required.
Doria
Doria
Doria doesn’t sound or taste like any traditional Japanese cuisine, but it is very much a beloved dish of their culture. You’ve probably never heard of it because it is mainly found only in Japan. Doria was created by a Swiss hotel chef in Japan in the 1930s. He made a fried rice casserole with shrimp, topped it off with a bechamel sauce and cheese, and baked it off in the oven; much like a gratin. Doria was named after a famous Italian navy general, hence the association of shrimp and the sea. Let me tell you something: this right here is ultimate comfort food at it’s finest. It is extremely easy to make and there’s really no right or wrong in the rice. You can use any type of protein. Shrimp is what was traditionally used, but you can use bacon, pork, ground beef, or chicken like I did. Day old rice will work best. The odd ingredient in this recipe is ketchup. It is left to caramelize in the middle of the fried rice before mixing in. It adds another dimension to the rice without getting a ketchup flavor that you think it will have. Top the rice off in a baking dish with the cream sauce and cheese. Bake for just 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly on top.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs finely chopped
- 1/4 medium white onion diced
- 6 shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2 cups steamed rice day old
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup mozzarella shredded
- 1/4 cup parmesan grated
Bechamel Sauce
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the chicken, onion, and mushrooms for 8 minutes.
- Add in the cooked rice. Break up any clumps. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Make a hole in the center of the rice. Squirt a 1/4 cup of ketchup in the center. Allow to cook for a minute before mixing in.
- Mix in the ketchup. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 more minutes. Set aside.
- Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add in the flour. Whisk until all lumps are broken up. Cook for 3 minutes, continuously stirring.
- Pour in the heavy cream.
- Cook for 5 minutes, continuously whisking until the cream sauce has thickened. Season with salt and white pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a round baking dish. Add in the rice.
- Pour the cream sauce over the rice.
- Top the cream sauce with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
