Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Slow Cooker Brisket


Nothing brings down your day more than a downpour when you planned on grilling outdoors.  When the weather's not behaving as you would like, try out this amazing "smoked" brisket that can be made in the slow cooker.  Prepare your meat the night before, and throw it in the slow cooker in the morning.  Come dinner time, its all ready!

Ingredients:

  • 4 pound beef brisket
  • 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke (this can be found with the marinades; I used the hickory flavor)
  • 1 tablespoon of black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon of jarred garlic (or 2 cloves garlic)

Steps:

Place your meat onto a large cutting board.

Put 1/2 tablespoon black pepper, 1/2 tablespoon sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon jarred garlic on one side of the brisket.




















Rub the ingredients into the meat.

Repeat on the other side.

Flip the meat over again, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the liquid smoke.

Repeat on the other side.

Cut 2 pieces of foil that is 3 feet long each.

Arrange them like a plus sign (+).

Place the seasoned meat where the two pieces of foil meet; this should be in the middle.

Wrap the meat tightly in the foil.  You may need a little extra foil to make sure that everything is concealed.






















Place the wrapped brisket in the fridge over night.

In the morning, place your prepared, wrapped meat into your slow cooker.

Cook the brisket on the low setting for 10 hours.

Towards the end of the cooking time, some of the juices will begin to leak out of the foil, that is ok.

When the brisket is done, remove the wrapped meat from your slow cooker and place it onto a large cutting board.

Let the meat rest (just leave it alone, don't unwrap it or anything) for 10-15 minutes.

After the brisket has rested, carefully (its hot, and full of steam) unwrap the meat.

I found it easiest to trim off the fat while the brisket was still hot.  However, you could do it before you cook it if you would like to.  But trust me, I tried to trim it off before hand, and it is not easy.

The meat should be so tender that you can easily pull it apart with a large serving fork.

















Shred the brisket and serve on a large hamburger bun slathered with warmed up barbecue sauce (Chef Matt and Meg's favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's).

To compliment this delicious brisket sandwich, serve golden brown onion rings, or crispy french fries

                                                                ****************
Not in the mood for barbecue, try using this perfectly seasoned brisket to make brisket tacos.


Place your shredded meat in the center of a warmed up corn tortilla.

Top with your favorite salsa, and cheese.

Simply delicious!

                     ~ Chef Megs

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

A Summer-Time Favorite--Peach Cobbler


What goes better with a great backyard barbecue than a fantastic dessert?  This super easy peach cobbler is a winner! Served with vanilla ice cream, this recipe is sure to be a hit.

I cut this recipe down to serve two, however I will make this adjust the measurements to make a cobbler that will serve 8.

Ingredients for the batter:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 large egg, slightly beaten

Steps for the batter:

In a bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.  Be sure to cover the butter so that it doesn't splatter.

Pour the melted butter into a 9X13" cake pan.  Rotate pan to cover the bottom and sides with the butter.

In a separate medium sized bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

When the dry ingredients are well combined, add the egg and milk.

Mix well.




















Pour the combined ingredients into the cake pan with the melted butter.
























Ingredients for the filling:

  • 1 28 ounce can of sliced peaches in heavy syrup
  • reserve 1/2 cup of the syrup, discard the rest
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves

Steps for the filling:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the drained peaches (remember to reserve 1/2 cup of the syrup) into a large bowl.

Add the syrup, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Toss the peach mixture lightly.




















Evenly pour the peach filling into the cake pan filled with batter.

Place the cake pan in the pre-heated oven, and bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

















Serve warm.  Top cobbler with either vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.


Enjoy!
        ~ Chef Megs