Smoker Fun

Byrd and I set out yesterday to spend time with some family.  My cousin Matt and I wanted to fire up his smoker and try out a few new rubs and well, just cook.  This is an original smoker built by Matt.  He documented the entire build on The Smoke Ring.  Here is the link to his build.  You can tell by the size, this isn't a cooker you fire up to do a little cooking so we had big plans for the day.  Matt lives across from a pecan orchard so having plenty of it, that is what was used for the heat and smoke.

We got the temperature up to 250 and put on a brisket.  It looks so lonely all by itself.

One of the reasons for this cook was to get our cooking times down for a competition in April.  The Bodagetta BBQ is in its second year and is held at Auburn University.  Matt and I both are Auburn graduates so what better place to enter our first competition.   We tried a new rub that Matt has been working on for the spare ribs.  It has a cast of the normal rub characters.  

Now on to join the brisket

After the spare ribs were on, some family members dropped  by to get a few items smoked while it was hot.  Added to the spare ribs and brisket were 2 slabs beef short ribs, 2 pork tenderloins, 5 split chicken breasts, and 1 slab of pork baby back ribs.  Like I said no reason to fire this behemoth up unless you are going to cook an obscene amount of food.

Both trays pull out for easy loading and unloading.

This is the brisket after it reached internal of 165.  Then it was wrapped in foil and put back on till internal of 195.

The brisket sliced.  Great smoke ring and flavor. 

One of the slabs of spare ribs.

Matt's wife Erin, made some great sides.  A marinated slaw and spinach Madeline.  

The tenderloins, beef ribs, chicken, and baby back ribs went home with there respective owners so no pictures of those meats.  They all looked great when they came out though.  The ribs had a great flavor, and the sides were delicious.  Spinach Madeline was new to me.  I did get the recipe from Erin and I will be having it again soon.  Once again we came out on top with no big errors on the cook.  We got our times down and close to the flavors we wanted.  We also got to sit around and enjoy the first day of spring by cooking and drinking beer.  Not a bad way to start off the BBQ season.  Not that the season ever really stops around here.

Caramel Custard

Every once in a while my mother will send me recipes in the mail.  They are usually something she saw in a newspaper or magazine that she thinks I will enjoy making.  She knows me all to well.  I love these packages.  We got one of these the other day, it contained three desserts.  Knowing we are having to watch what we eat, due to Byrd's doctor, one was a "Dessert Without the Guilt".  It is a caramel custard.  The picture of it made it look too tempting not to try.  I would link it to the magazine it was from, but there is nothing on the bottom/top/sides of the copies I have.  I will look into this more and give the creator their due. Start by placing a 1/2 cup of sugar in an 8 inch non stick cake pan, melt the sugar over med. heat until golden.   Take off the heat and let it sit for 5 mins.

While that cools put 2 egg yolks, 1 large egg, 1(14 oz.) can fat free sweetened condensed milk, 1(12 oz.) can evaporated fat-free milk, 3 oz. 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened, and 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract into a blender.  Blend well.  Then pour on the sugar in the cake pan.

Place this in a water bath and into the oven at 350 for 1 hour.

My mom always writes notes on the recipes that she sends.  These are things she added, removed, or thinks is a better way to make the printed recipe.  I don't want to discredit the very talented chefs/cooks that come up with the recipes in the magazines, but they should consult my mother before printing.  I say this because I forgot to "cover with foil before baking" which my mother wrote 2 different places on the recipe.  So it turned out looking like this.

But after the 3 hours in the fridge I flipped it out onto a paper plate.  Paper was not a smart choice on my part.

It cracked, but it was delicious.  I have learned that desserts, when they don't come out pretty, are easier to eat.  You don't have to worry about cutting the perfect wedge, you can just take a hunk and go.  Or just eat right from the plate, this is frowned upon when you are not at home( like rolling your corn on the cob directly on the stick of butter). This will definitely be made again.  I think next time, I will pour into small muffin pans, and after cooled top with sugar and broil them.  Like mini brulees.