Cornbread

Hi everyone... Its been a while and sorry about that!  But as you all know I am quite fond of Bar B Que and smoking of various meats from Brisket to Ribs to even Pheasant so it won't surprise you to learn My Brother Stan and I made a trek to the north side of Chicago to go to a "Smoking Class" put on by Jared Leonard, Owner and proprietor of Rub BBQ company.  It was a great time and I would HIGHLY recommend trying their food....  check out their web site www.BackCountryQ.com  Jared is a great guy and VERY passionate about his BBQ...

He has some secret rub and other recipes  but what I am going to share with you today is to me one of the most unique cornbread recipes I have ever had and I want to make sure Jared gets all the credit.
Here goes:
Custard Filled Cornbread
Ingredients:
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking POWDER
1/2 teaspoon baking SODA
2 eggs
3 Tablespoons butter Melted
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Whole Milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Sweet Corn kernels (DO NOT USE CANNED)
1 Cup Heavy Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*.  Butter an 8 inch square baking dish and place it in the HOT oven while you prepare the batter.  Stir or sift together the flour, cornmeal, backing powder and baking soda.  In a mixing bowl beat the eggs and add the melted butter (slowly) and beat until well blended.  Add the sugar, salt, milk, corn and vinegar and beat well. (If you mix the vinegar and the milk together in a 2 cup measuring cup and let it sit for a few minutes the milk will start to sour (in a good way) and take on some of the characteristics of buttermilk.  Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture just until the batter is smooth.  Remove the HOT backing dish from the oven and pour the batter into the heated dish.  SLOWLY pour the heavy cream directly into the center of the batter.  DO NOT STIR.  carefully place the dish back in the oven and check after 45 minutes.  It is done when the top becomes lightly browned.  IT WILL BE jiggly...   do not expect it to be firm at that time. 
Serve warm with honey on the side.

Notice the distinct layers

 
I have made it twice and each time it has come out perfectly.  I think I might try adding finely diced jalapenos to the batter or some fresh sage or thyme...   Notice how the custard floats to the middle of the cornbread - the hot pan sets the bottom crust and the leavening causes the rest of the batter to envelope the creamy custard. 

It isn't overly sweet so it goes well with BBQ

Ike and I and our fed ex man Mike had our last Continental and clean up a couple weeks ago and More on Ike's exploits there.. But let's just say that he may have turned the corner on retrieving on that day.  More to Come....  Until then... "Ike, Find that Bird!":

Smokin' Volume II

Yep I know I am repeating myself already, but while it is still BBQ-ing time I have been trying to replicate my favorite smoked brisket. It is from a place in San Antonio TX - Rudy's. Since my dad's name is Rudy and he does a pretty mean whole hog roast I knew I was going to have to try it. When you stop in at that old gas station on your way out to La Cantera and Sea World you may not know what to expect as white linen it ain't... More like White Butcher Paper! And I wouldn't want it any other way. The Brisket is GREAT but I would be remiss if I didn't also mention their Creamed Corn - That is the best I have ever eaten anywhere.

If you're in San Antonio -look 'em up and try Rudy's. My guess is you won't be disappointed.

Anyway I tried the first time and oversmoked it - good but too dry. This time I held the temp a little lower used Pecan wood, and only smoked it about 3 1/2 hours. Looks pretty good huh??

Let me know where your favorite BBQ joint is. Perhaps it is a hidden gem too.

Until the next post.. Ike, find that bird!

Smokin'

For my first post I thought nothing is more representative of summer than cooking some ribs on the BBQ. Well, smokin' them is more like it. Earlier this year I broke down and got a Weber Smoker (ranked #1 by America's Test Kitchen by the way) and have done Country Style Ribs, Baby Backs, Brisket, and Pheasant Breasts wrapped in bacon -(that's a later post, thanks Ike). So today I thought nothing would be more appropriate for my first post and represent summer more than smoking some ribs.
I really like this Weber as it is easy to keep the temp in that smoking zone of 200-250 degrees and it has 2 racks as well as a water bowl to infuse more flavor. For these baby backs I used Lump Charcoal and soaked a couple handfuls of Pecan chips. I really like the flavor of the pecan - not as sharp as Mesquite.

I also want to give credit where credit is due - I use a Kansas City Rib Rub - Sweet with a little hint of heat see the link to A GREAT site for all kinds of rubs http://bbq.about.com/od/rubrecipes/Rub_Recipes_Recipes_for_all_kinds_of_rubs_for_all_kinds_of_meats.htm


Here are couple of pics of the middle and end of the process . I smoked them for 3 hours (nice smoke ring and crusty bark on them by then). I then slathered them with our favorite BBQ sauce and put them in a 200 degree oven for 2-3 more hours wrapped tightly in foil. They become fall off the bone tender and carmelize that sweet bbq sauce.... Mmmmm (Props to America's Test Kitchen for this hint)

Now that is a classic summer meal. Hope you like my first post. (Ike gives it 4 paws :)