Monday, February 23, 2009

Lemon Roasted Chicken

Lemon Roasted Chicken with a Smokey Orange Sauce and lightly sauteed Asparagus


This 5lb bird was stuffed with fresh lemon, thyme and garlic before being pan seared in peanut oil and Roasted in the oven at 350 degrees for about 1hr 45m. The final 20 minutes I added a 1/2 stick of butter to the natural juices and basted the bird to crisp up the skin.

The Smokey Orange Sauce was started by making about 1 1/2 cups of stock from the giblets. I then sauteed fresh garlic and 1 small onion in 4 tbsp of butter until lightly golden brown. I then stirred in about 2-3 tbsp of flour and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Then I added the stock I made along with 1 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup red wine, 4-5 tbsp orange marmalade, 1/2 tsp liquid smoke and salt and pepper. I cooked this down for about 45 minutes to let it thicken, strained and served. Simple and delicious!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Plut's Birthday Feast















Smoked Caribbean Style Ribs

Roasted Sweet Potato & Poblano Pepper Mash
Bacon & Cheddar Cheese Mac with Grilled Jalapenos, tomatoes & red onions

Sauteed Sweet Corn Puree over field greens



First the ribs were marinated overnight in orange, lemon and grapefruit juices, fresh garlic, ginger, kosher salt and pepper. About an hour before cooking, I washed them off, dried them thoroughly and rubbed them with some of my pork rub and let them sit for an hour. Then they went into the smoker for about 4 hours at 250 degrees or so over a mix of hickory and cherry woods. Delicious!!!


Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Best Bacon I've Ever Had


My obsession with bacon began when I was just a toddler. My father would leave pork cracklins on the tray of my baby walker.

This piece of bacon weighed in at 6 ounces before it was cooked at 225° for 3 hours.

The outside of the cooked bacon was glazed with its natural sugars leaving the outside crispy while the inside remained tender enough to melt in your mouth.