Smoked Chicken Salad

I love any type of chicken salad- plain, curry, pesto, Waldorf, you name it. But smoked is probably my favorite. Usually I wait until we have leftover smoked chicken breasts but the other day I cheated and used a rotisserie chicken plus liquid smoke, and I have to say, it was hard to tell the...

Smoked Ribs

Zack came home from college and brought a couple friends so Nino wanted to smoke some ribs for them. They were the best ribs I've ever had. I don't know why... he has made them before and they're always good but ribs just aren't my thing in general. This is the first time I got...

Smoked Pork Tenderloin

I don't know why we've never tried smoking pork tenderloin until today. I guess with all the smoke outside and pork tenderloin being the only meat in the freezer, it finally occurred to me. That is smoke. Lots of fires burning this week. AQI 163 I did my usual Smoked Anything Spice Rub on one...

Lazy Smoked Costco Rotisserie Chicken

Costco rotisserie chickens are great as-is of course, but we have thrown them in the smoker for a quick dinner too. It is usually delicious-- but we learned the hard way that you really need to make sure your ash tray is clean or else your chicken will taste like ash. I guess that goes...

Thanksgiving Menu and Timeline 2019

Here's what we had! Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels.com Starters:Stuffed MushroomsJumbo ShrimpCheese plate with salami & grapesMixed spiced nutsMain Meal:Smoked Turkey or Herb Roasted TurkeyMake-Ahead GravyMom's StuffingGram's StuffingCindy's CornbreadGreen Bean Casserole with carmelized onions and crunchy toppingParker House rolls Dessert:Pumpkin PieApple PieIce CreamChocolate BiscottiFrosted Brownies Timeline Week Before: make parker house rolls & put...

Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey

We smoked our turkey this year. I thought it was a bit dry and not quite smokey enough but still pretty darn good. Here's how we did it. I brined it Tuesday: I put a 22-lb turkey in a big pot and covered with water to see how much brine it would need. One and...

Smoked Salmon

This is delicious on its own and also makes a great make-ahead appetizer. Adapted from Steve Raichlen's "Salmon Candy" recipe from Project Smoke. 3 salmon fillets, about 1.5 lbs1/2 C. dark brown sugar2 Tbsp. coarse salt (sea or kosher)1/4 cup pure maple syrup1/2 quart water (16 oz.) Slice the salmon into 1 inch long pieces...

Nacho Bar

We love nacho bars for a big crowd. Or for a small group. Or for the 2 of us. Nino makes some amazing pulled pork and we pile on top of the following list of stuff. It's a nice thing to serve when you don't all need (or want) to sit down together formally. People...

Smoked Pulled Pork

We've smoked pork a lot of times and are always trying to perfect it. But a critical mistake we keep making is noting the preparation but not the results. So we have all kinds of records of how we smoked it but we never know if that was the time it was dry or spectacular....

Smoked Anything Spice Rub

We use this on literally anything that goes in the smoker. Usually chicken and pork. Spice Rub1 Tbsp. salt1 Tbsp. black pepper 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika1 Tbsp. garlic powder1 Tbsp. garlic salt6 Tbsp . brown sugarMix it all up and rub it on! For chicken, make sure and rub under skin as well as on...