Smoked Beef Brisket

That is a piece of meat

Smoking beef brisket is about the same as pork ribs. Go here for that process. The longer the heat can stay low and the more smoke can pass over the better for flavor. I created a spicier rub for it with more savory flavors than sweet from a bunch of dried peppers from our Marx Foods sample pack. The mop sauce is a standard vinegar and leftover rub base.

Brisket Rub

• 1 Aji Amarillo chili dried
• 1 Mulato chili dried
• 4-7 Pequin chilies dried
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp sea salt
• 3 tbsp fresh oregano chopped fine
• 1 whole nutmeg grated
• brown sugar to taste

Grind dried peppers and peppercorn. Mix everything  together and rub into meat on all sides. Let meat sit in rub up to 24 hours in refrigerator before smoking.

Salmon Souffle

Potato pancakes would pair well with this

This would work well as a dinner or brunch dish, but does take some time and effort to prepare. I found a three-quart stock pot worked best, but anyone with a proper souffle pan will probably want to use that instead. I used an electric stand mixer to beat the egg whites but it can be done by hand as well.

Salmon Souffle

• 1 medium red onion chopped fine
• 8 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 cups cooked salmon chopped roughly
• 6 tbsp flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 8 eggs separated
• 2 tbsp fresh sage chopped fine
• 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped fine
• 1 cup grated Romano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour whatever pan the souffle will be cooked in, knocking out any loose flour. In a large frying pan over medium heat saute onion in the remaining stick of butter until it begins to darken, about 15 minutes. Add salmon and cook until the fish breaks apart. Add flour and stir until incorporated and it begins to cook, about two minutes. In a small pan bring milk to a low simmer and gradually add to salmon pan. Stirring constantly over medium heat bring to a low boil and thicken. Remove pan from heat and whisk in egg yolks, dill, sage and Romano. Season with salt and pepper. In an electric mixer add egg whites and a pinch of salt. Whip on medium high speed until whites form stiff peaks, 1/4 at a time add egg whites to salmon mixture gently folding them into the batter trying to keep as much air in the whites as possible. Pour mixture into prepared pan and set in the middle of the oven. Turn heat down to 375 degrees and bake until puffed and golden brown on top, about 50 minutes. Try not to open the oven door while it bakes or the souffle could fall. It is done when a tester comes out clean.

Cool as a Cucumber

It's monochromatic

This is not your grandfather’s gin and tonic. Because think about that, how long would that have been sitting out? The key is to let the gin and cucumber have plenty of time to get to know each other, like an hour or two. Trust us, we took it upon ourselves to try cucumber drinks that weren’t infused, and guess what: The cucumber flavor was nonexistent.

Cucumber cooler

• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 2 ounces gin steeped in cucumbers (8 ounces gin, 1/2 cup cucumber)
• soda water

Thinly slice half a cup of cucumber and place in a shallow bowl. Cover with eight ounces of gin. Let sit for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator. Fill a tall glass with ice and then pour two ounces of the gin mix and juice from half a lime into the glass. Fill with soda water and garnish with cucumbers. Resist the urge to eat those cucumbers, they’re really strong after a two-hour gin bath. We stayed away from them for a total of two minutes.

Red Meat and Caffeine

By Katherine

Black and yellow, black and yellow

On Valentine’s Day, I had planned to make this fantastic stuffed beef tenderloin that She Cooks He Cleans shared. But the butcher was only selling whole tenderloins about as long as my arm, and doing the math gave me heart palpitations. Instead I took home two New York strip steaks. They were so big we actually ate them on different nights, but the rub will cover two large steaks. We paired this with the lemony asparagus, since we’d already had a nice starch.

Coffee and Peppercorn Crusted Steaks

• 4 tbsp peppercorns, all black is fine or use a mix of colors
• 1 tbsp whole espresso beans
• 1 star anise
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
• salt

Place espresso beans, peppercorns and anise in coffee grinder and grind until incorporated. You’ll want a nice even coating on the steaks, so try to make sure all the peppercorns are blended. Set two tablespoons of butter out in a bowl on the counter to soften. Add a pinch of the coffee mix and the parsley to the bowl. Mix to incorporate when softened. Put the other tablespoon of butter in a large cast iron pan set over medium heat on the stove. Preheat oven to 375. Salt both sides of the steaks. Then coat each side with the peppercorn mixture, making sure the coat is fairly even. When the pan is hot, sear the steaks on each side until a crust forms. About three-four minutes per side, depending on the size. Ours was more than a pound. Transfer to oven. Cook for about another five minutes, or until the temperature measures 120 for rare or about 130 for medium. Let rest for about five minutes. Top each steak with a tablespoon of the herb butter before serving.

Shrimp with Redeye Gravy over Cheesy Grit Cakes

By Katherine

It's like a fashion model on the runway

Redeye gravy is normally served over creamy grits as a main dish, and it normally has lots of butter. But we were having an herbed butter with our main dish, so I didn’t want to overload on butter. Yes, that’s possible. Instead of sauteing ham in butter, as some recipes suggest, I went for bacon, with its built-in fatty goodness. Hey, I know how to make Greg happy. (This was our starter on Valentine’s Day.) To serve this as a main dish, make the grits as directed, but don’t chill and form into cakes.

For Grits

• 1 cup grits (not instant)
• 3 cups shrimp broth (chicken will work too)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 grated Romano or Parmesan
• salt/pepper

Line a baking sheet or pie pan with parchment paper and set aside. Bring broth to a boil and stir in grits. Lower heat and cover, cooking until broth is absorbed and grits are tender, about 12 minutes. Stir cheese and butter into grits; season with salt and black pepper. Be sparing with the salt, since the cheese is salty. Pour grits onto prepared dish and smooth into an even layer. Cover and refrigerate until very firm, a few hours or overnight. Use a biscuit or round cookie cutter to cut out cakes, about 8-10; cover and refrigerate. Or just cut them in squares to avoid leaving any scraps. If you do have scraps, put them in the fridge and eat them for breakfast the next day.

For Shrimp

• 2 slices bacon
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded, diced
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1 tbsp minced fresh thyme or parsley
• 1 cup shrimp broth (chicken will do in a pinch)
• 1/2 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 cup Madeira or sherry
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 pound medium uncooked shrimp (about 16 to 20 count per pound)
• 1/2 tbsp butter or olive oil

Saute bacon until crisp, in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove bacon, reserving drippings in the pan, and set aside. Once cool chop or crumble both pieces. Return the pan to heat and add onion to the the drippings. Saute until tender, about two to three minutes. Add mushrooms, green and hot pepper and saute until tender, about three minutes. Add broth, coffee, tomatoes and hot sauce; bring to boil. Mix Madeira or sherry and cornstarch in small bowl. Add to sauce and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until thick, about three minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper and additional hot sauce if desired. Stir in half the chopped bacon and half the parsley. Can be made a day ahead. Melt butter or heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and saute. While pink on the outside but opaque in center, add gravy and heat through until shrimp are fully cooked, about 3 minutes.

To assemble: Heat grit cakes in an oven set to 300 until warmed throughout, about 10 minutes. Place one or two grit cakes on each plate and top with shrimp mix, crumbled bacon and fresh parsley. Drizzle gravy around the side.

Super Simple Lemony Asparagus

The lemon is really good after roasting

For sometime, we’ve fussed with juicing lemons. No more! Well at least not when it comes to roasting asparagus. Let the lemon slices do the work for you.

Lemony Roasted Asparagus

• 1 small bunch of asparagus, washed and woody bits trimmed
• 1/2 lemon sliced thin
• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 375. Toss asparagus in olive oil and sea salt and line in a single layer in an oven-proof pan. Layer lemons on top in a single layer. Roast until asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes.

Chicken Broccoli Rabe Wraps

Meat sandwich baby

This is a really easy quick dinner. Regular broccoli can be substituted, just slice the florets thin and long. Using goat cheese keeps the total cheese leakage loss to a minimum.

I got my doctorate in cheese leakage by the way.

Chicken Broccoli Rabe

• 1 tbsp pesto
• 1/2 cup spreadable goat cheese
• 2 chicken breasts deboned and tender removed
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe seperated
• Juice of 1 lemon
• olive oil
• salt/pepper

Butterfly chicken breasts and pound out to 1/4″ thick. Coat breasts in oil and lemon juice and place face up in a oiled baking dish. Whip cheese, pesto and a little olive oil into a thick paste. Spread on 1/2 of each breast. Stack broccoli rabe lengthwise in breasts and fold in half. Season with more oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Roast in 365 degree oven until done, about 30 minutes.