Haven't cooked on MAK in a while... In need of inspiration

[TrickyDick]

Hey all,

Summer vacation is in progress for my family, but I'm back to work tomorrow.

Haven't used the MAK in at least 4-6 weeks. Been out of town for two, before that away at race track on weekend, or else on call.

Need a new MAK cook schedule to get back into it.

This week will be tough as we are just getting settled in again.

I want to make some homemade hot dogs soon for one thing. And then try some smoked sausage snack sticks. These would be weekend cooks for me though. What I'm looking for are some nice summer weeknight easy cooks for family dinner.

Thinking about some options for fast and slow cooks that I could pull off in the next couple weeks before school starts up again (August 8 ish here in FL). Here is what I've come up with. Help / input appreciated!

For two weeks, two cooks per week for weeknight dinner:

Spatchcock chicken
Salmon fillet
Pork tenderloin
All-day (partial) brisket (point or flat?) no wrap/foil? Not sure on this one.
All day pork shoulder/butt.

Mostly looking at the fast cooks, for when I get home, but some early morning 8-9 hour all-day slow n' low cooks that I can set and forget until I get home would also be nice.


Any suggestions?

TD

 

[TentHunter]

Our favorite way of doing salmon is with a sweet brown sugar & dill rub, then smoke with applewood smoke: smoke mode for a good 30 min. then bump up to 350° for another 30 min. And NO, it does NOT dry out cooking that long. The brown sugar creates a glaze that seals the juices in.

http://www.pelletsmoking.com/pelletsmoking-com-gallery-10/sweet-spicy-applewood-dill-salmon-4499/


For spatchcock chicken, we are absolutely hooked on a mayo & high heat combo. Rub it with a mayo rub and apply your favorite rub or seasoning (sage, rosemary and a little salt/pepper works really well). Onto a 400° grill to an internal temp of 165° in the breast. The combo of high heat & mayo make for a really nice edible skin.

 

[Big Poppa]

Inspiration.....this is a good one....My inspiration is the supermarket...seriously I just walk the meat counter and then the produce counter.

Also ask your family what their favorite dish it...one that isnt necessarily BBQ...then try to cook it

Grab a cook book and adapt an indoor recipe to the MAK

If you use firefox as a browser get the plug in Stumble Upon It is also an app for Ipad and enter food and the different food categories that you like and then stumble for inspiration

go back and read recipes posted here there are hundreds of them

Hope that helps!

 

[Phred]

Remember you can also grill peaches, pineapple and other treats to make some great desserts. Cobblers are also a hit. There's always pizza too.

 

[TrickyDick]

I have a whole frozen duck in the freezer. Maybe spatchcock duck!! thanks TentHunter!
Do you put a big brick on top of the chicken or leave uncovered? If you use a brick/weight, wouldn't that "fowl" up the rub/seasonings? Maybe I'm thinking of different methods.

I think I'm going to try baking some pretzels on the MAK to see how they taste compared with an oven baked pretzel.

Ill look into the stumble upon. Just recently getting my PC up and running. Any PC experts care to PM me about system error 53?

I also liked the MAK veggies Kristen posted.

TD

 

[jettman96]

I look for inspiration on the Food Network and Cooking television. I'm partial to Alton Brown and Guy Fieri, they seem to provide more "realistic" recipes that fit my style.

 

[TrickyDick]

heh! I love watching D3 and Good Eats. Had the ENTIRE good eats shows recorded , every episode, until the Dish Guy came and TOOK the dvr unit, suspecting it of being faulty (it wasn't) and replaced it with a new unit (didn't fix the problem). I was at work and my wife was home. I told her to bribe the guy or simply Refuse him to take the unit, kick him out , whatever it takes. Well apparently it was going to take ME being there cause he took the unit anyway. couldn't locate it to return it when they realize that wasn't the problem. Grrr!!
I've given up trying to get them back. I have some I recorded on my TV tuner card on my old PC, that I edited out commercials and compressed. Every time I see good eats on TV I am reminded of losing the DVR dish unit with all the episodes. By the way, I've tried the pressure cooker chili and all it does is scorch the chili into a burnt and sticky disaster. Also tried his mac and cheese, ugh, also a disaster. His cole slaw salting and salad spinner idea is also half baked. Some of his ideas and methods just simply arent all they are portrayed to be on the shows. Anyone else tried that chile? I still enjoy watching them from time to time though. The oven braised ribs are really tasty if you don't have a smoker.

Last week I visited a D3 restaurant while on vacation in CO. The green chile was really really tasty. Can't get decent chiles unless you grow your own where I live however. This winter I'm planning my new garden using hydroponics.

Chopped is sometimes a fun show watch, as well as restaurant impossible.

I don't do a lot of grocery shopping, my wife usually does that. There is a specialty market nearby that I occasionally visit though, which a great meat department. Maybe a visit there is in order.

Ill have to spend some quality time perusing the forum again. It seems difficult to recall where all the great looking recipes are: usually I surf the net on my iPad from work, but at home use a notebook/laptop computer, and the interface is different. For instance finding which threads you've subscribed to or bookmarked.

Anyways, thanks for the recommendations and suggestions everyone.

TD

 

[HogSmoker]

Funny thing talking about inspiration.. I was in my local paint store today and the asst manager asked me what are you doing sunday? I thought wow he is going too ask me to play around of golf with him and was ready too say sure.. HOWever he said I'm working sunday here at the store and sure would like some BQ chicken legs that you fix on your pellet grill... I looked at him and said you really want me too do this? He said I was hoping you'd come by this week so I could twist your arm lol... Anyway I'm glad that he wanted me too do this for him and I will....

 

[TrickyDick]

WOW!

I wish I could have folks bring ME home cooked BBQ while I'm working! I must be living in the wrong town!!!

Seriously though, good for you. What a great community you must live in! This is what America is all about.

seems to be lost to many folks these days..

TD

 

[didisea]

Grill up some corn! Its at its peak right now.

 

[jimsbarbecue]

I do like BP Ii look at the meat counter then produce . Base on what looks good will be what I create our meals around. In the summer it can be a salad, corn on the cob and fish or a steak and two vegetable dishes . Cooking in non stick aluminum foil is good on the grill too.