Smoked Pork Ribs

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 Smoked Pork Ribs
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 racks of pork ribs
  • Dry pork rub
  • Coarse salt
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons mustard
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • BBQ glaze:
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup mustard
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons hot sauce optional
  • Smoked Pork Ribs
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 racks of pork ribs
  • Dry pork rub
  • Coarse salt
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons mustard
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • BBQ glaze:
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup mustard
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons hot sauce optional
  • Smoked Pork Ribs
Instructions
  1. Score membrane and remove from ribs.
  2. Salt ribs and let dry brine for an hour.
  3. In a spray bottle, mix apple juice, mustard and maple syrup.
  4. In a medium-sized bowl, mix all the ingredients for the glaze together and set aside.
  5. Preheat smoker to 225 degrees.
  6. After the ribs have brined for an hour, using the mixture in the spray bottle, spritz the ribs.
  7. Completely cover ribs with rub and put in the smoker for 3 to 4 hours.
  8. After smoking the ribs for about 2-3 hours, spread glaze over the ribs and continue smoking for another hour.
  9. Ribs are ready when you can pick them up with tongs, give them a slight bounce and you see a large crack on the surface of the meat. If the crack is small or no crack, you will need to give them more time.

Dutch Oven Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches

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 Dutch Oven Sausage andPepper Sandwiches
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb sweet Italian sausage links
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 bell peppers
  • 1 large yellow onion sliced into rings
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Pepper
  • 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
  • Sliced Provolone cheese
  • 4 crusty hoagie rolls
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb sweet Italian sausage links
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 bell peppers
  • 1 large yellow onion sliced into rings
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Pepper
  • 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
  • Sliced Provolone cheese
  • 4 crusty hoagie rolls
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausages; cook until browned on all sides. When sausages are cooked through, remove from Dutch oven to paper towel lined plate.
  2. Add peppers and onions to Dutch oven and heat until they begin to soften. Add garlic, salt, and pepper then cook for another minute.
  3. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Increase heat until sauce begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer over low heat.
  4. Add cooked sausages to sauce. Cover and cook until sauce has thickened and the peppers and onions are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
  5. When sausage and pepper mixture is done, place 1 sausage link on a hoagie roll, then peppers, onions and sauce.
  6. Top with sliced cheese.

Smoked Mac and Cheese Sandwiches

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 Smoked Mac and Cheese Sandwiches
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups elbow macaroni
  • 5 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
  • 2 cups Milk
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
  • 4 oz process cheese cubed, Velveeta
  • 1 loaf of white bread
  • Sliced cheddar cheese
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups elbow macaroni
  • 5 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
  • 2 cups Milk
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
  • 4 oz process cheese cubed, Velveeta
  • 1 loaf of white bread
  • Sliced cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat smoker to 350 degrees.
  2. Cook macaroni according to package directions.
  3. Meanwhile, in a skillet or saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium heat.
  4. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
  5. Reduce heat. Add 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese and process cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.
  6. Transfer cooked macaroni to a greased Dutch oven or a casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni and mix well.
  7. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on top.
  8. Smoke uncovered on 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
  9. When macaroni is done, cool to room temperature then refrigerate for 2 hours.
  10. When cool, slice into squares that will fit in between your bread.
  11. Get 2 slices of bread, butter one side on each slice. Put a slice of bread, butter side down in square cast iron cooking iron.
  12. Place a slice of cheese, then a square of macaroni on top of bread.
  13. Stack slice of cheese on top of macaroni and another piece of buttered bread, buttered side up.
  14. Close cooking iron and cook over fire until bread is browned and cheese is melted.

Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

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 Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • Bread sliced
  • butter softened
  • Sliced cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Sliced deli ham
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • Bread sliced
  • butter softened
  • Sliced cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Sliced deli ham
Instructions
  1. Spread butter on bread, then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on bread.
  2. Flip bread slices over and begin building your sandwich by placing the cheddar cheese on first.
  3. Add ham then put more cheddar cheese on top of ham.
  4. Preheat two skillets on medium heat. (To test skillets if they are hot enough, sprinkle small amount water on the surface. If it sizzles, start grilling. If not, let them heat up a bit more).
  5. Place sandwiches on one of the skillets and let them cook for 10-20 seconds before placing the second heated skillet on top. Place the skillet on top using gloves or hot pads.
  6. Cook sandwiches until cheese is melted.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Print Recipe
 Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs Ribeye steak sliced as thin as possible
  • 8 slices of Provolone cheese or cheddar cheese sauce
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper optional
  • mushrooms optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Oil for cooking
  • butter softened
  • 4 crusty hoagie rolls
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs Ribeye steak sliced as thin as possible
  • 8 slices of Provolone cheese or cheddar cheese sauce
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper optional
  • mushrooms optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Oil for cooking
  • butter softened
  • 4 crusty hoagie rolls
Instructions
  1. Slice onions, peppers and mushrooms.
  2. Preheat Flat Top Griddle or Camp Chef griddle to medium temperature.
  3. Add cooking oil to the griddle and sauté onions. Salt and pepper onions to taste. After 5 minutes add the peppers and mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes before adding the steak.
  4. Add steak separate from the vegetables and cook until it’s almost done.
  5. Salt and pepper the steak to taste while cooking.
  6. Continue to cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally.
  7. When steak is almost done place cheese on top of steak. While cheese is melting, butter hoagie rolls and place them face down on the griddle to toast.
  8. When the steak is done and the hoagie rolls are toasted, place roll on meat and pinch meat into roll.
  9. Add onions, peppers and mushrooms.

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Meatball Sandwiches

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 Smoked Bacon Wrapped Meatball Sandwiches
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb lean ground beef
  • 1/2 lb Italian sausage
  • 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons dehydrated onion
  • 2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon parsley
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 package bacon
  • 24 oz jar of marinara sauce
  • Slice Provolone cheese
  • 4 crusty hoagie rolls
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb lean ground beef
  • 1/2 lb Italian sausage
  • 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons dehydrated onion
  • 2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon parsley
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 package bacon
  • 24 oz jar of marinara sauce
  • Slice Provolone cheese
  • 4 crusty hoagie rolls
Instructions
  1. Preheat smoker to 225 degrees.
  2. Combine beef, sausage, dry breadcrumbs, pepper, dehydrated onion, Parmesan cheese, basil, parsley and garlic in a mediumsized bowl and stir until mixed well. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Depending on the size, you should have 15-20 meatballs.
  3. After you’re done shaping the meatballs, cut the bacon strips in half. Wrap bacon around the meatballs.
  4. Once the smoker is to temperature, remove meatballs from cookie sheet and place them directly on the grates and close the lid.
  5. While meatballs are cooking, get the jar of marinara sauce and pour into skillet. Place in smoker to heat up.
  6. When meatballs have reached internal temperature of 150 degrees, place meatballs in the marinara sauce.
  7. Cover meatballs with sauce and cook until the meatballs reach internal temperature of 160 degrees.
  8. When the meatballs are done, get hoagie rolls and place 4-5 meatballs inside each roll. Spoon some of the marinara sauce over meatballs.
  9. Cover with sliced Provolone cheese.

Smothered Steak and Gravy

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 Smothered Steak and Gravy
Spann family favorite. Mom’s go to meal when having a big family gathering. Serve with cornbread and Uncle Ben’s white rice. Mom would slow cook in the oven on low, in a covered cast iron skillet.
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds of round steak
  • 1/2 cup bacon grease
  • 3 T flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds of round steak
  • 1/2 cup bacon grease
  • 3 T flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Cut round steak into serving pieces
  2. Heat bacon grease in cast iron skillet
  3. Season meat with salt and pepper to taste
  4. Brown both sides of round steak until nice and brown
  5. Transfer meat to a platter.
  6. Gravy
  7. Scrape the any of the drippings that are sticking to the bottom of the pan. Heat drippings over medium heat.
  8. Sprinkle flour onto the drippings. Quickly stir with a whisk or slotted spoon so that the flour gets incorporated in the drippings. Let the flour brown a bit, before adding liquid. (you can also start with a mixture of flour and water)
  9. Whisk while slowly adding liquid like stock or water to dissolve the flour into the liquid.
  10. Allow the gravy to simmer and thicken and continue to slowly add liquid until you have enough gravy to cover the browned meat.
  11. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Always taste first before adding more salt! It may not need it.)
  12. Add the browned meat into the gravy, making sure the meat is covered. Cover pan and place in a low oven for several hours. May need to add some liquid to keep the meat covered.
  13. Make a pan of cornbread and a pan of rice. Serve and use gravy over the meat and the rice.
Recipe Notes

Where meat is the main feature of the meal and paired with a few side dishes, plan on about 1/2 pound (eight ounces) per person, up to 3/4 (12 ounces) pound for bigger appetites. Follow this ratio. For each cup of gravy, you want, start with two tablespoons of drippings and fat, and two tablespoons of flour or cornstarch. (This will produce a rich and thick gravy. If you would like a thinner gravy, either start with one tablespoon each of drippings and starch, or add more liquid to thin the gravy.) So, if you want to make 2 cups of gravy, remove all but 4 tablespoons of fat and drippings from the roasting pan (set aside for future use). These instructions will be for the end result of 2 cups of gravy, but you can easily divide or multiply to adjust for how much gravy you want to make.

Granny Bird Beans

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 Granny Bird Beans
Great as a side dish, or the main meal with corn bread, sheepherders bread or crackers. I have used the left-over beans to make a pot of Chile.
Course Entree, Side Dish
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound Dry pinto beans
  • 1 small onion coarsely chopped
  • 1 ham hock or ham bone
  • 1 T Salt
Course Entree, Side Dish
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound Dry pinto beans
  • 1 small onion coarsely chopped
  • 1 ham hock or ham bone
  • 1 T Salt
Instructions
  1. Pick over the beans for small rocks or debris.
  2. Rinse well, cover with cold water and soak for 6 hours or overnight
  3. Transfer beans to a slow cooker or crock pot and add water to cover by one inch.
  4. Add onion, and ham hock or ham bone. Slow cooker on high until really hot. Reduce temperature to simmer for several hours.
  5. Check that water still covers the beans. Add more if needed
  6. Continue to cook until beans are soft and creamy, and the broth is well seasoned and lightly thickened. Ham should fall off the bone but be sure to remove the bone before serving.
Recipe Notes

Vonnie, would measure the dry beans in a bowl. She was an expert of identifying how many beans to make. She would dump these beans on the table and sort through them to get out the rocks and bad beans, taking three or four beans at a time and slide them back into the bowl that sits on her lap. She was fast.

Pulled Pork

Print Recipe
 Pulled pork
Course Entree
Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 6-8 Hour
Passive Time 45 Minutes
Servings
10 People
Course Entree
Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 6-8 Hour
Passive Time 45 Minutes
Servings
10 People
Instructions
  1. When ready to cook, start the smoker on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Set the temperature to 250 degrees F and preheat, lid closed, for 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. While smoker comes to temperature, trim excess fat off pork butt. Generously season with a rub of your choice on all sides.
  3. I use salt, pepper, garlic salt, and ground sage on everything.
  4. Put pork butt directly on the grill grate and cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (approximately 3-4 hours).
  5. Remove pork butt and wrap in a double layer of aluminum foil. Put apple cider in a foil packet with pork and return to grill.
  6. Cook until internal temperature reaches 204 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat (an additional 3-4 hours).
  7. Remove and let pork butt rest for 45 minutes in the foil packet. Pour excess liquid into a fat separator.
  8. Place pork in a dish large enough for you to “pull” the meat, removing and discarding the bone and any excess fat.
  9. Add separated liquid back to pork. Season to taste with additional rub.
  10. Serve alone, in your favorite recipes, or on sandwiches. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – A Low Fat Recipe

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 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork - A Low Fat Recipe
This recipe results in succulent, flavorful meat that no one will believe is low fat. It's a great recipe to throw together in the morning and have ready to eat for dinner. It can be served on big buns for a meal or mini slider buns for a party. Versatile and delicious!
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 4-5 pound lean pork roast (center cut pork loin or similar)
  • 1/2- 3/4 cup 14-spice dry rub mix in the ingredients section
  • 1 bottle dark beer 12-oz.
  • 3-5 tablespoons cornstarch
  • barbecue sauce
Course Entree
Servings
Ingredients
  • 4-5 pound lean pork roast (center cut pork loin or similar)
  • 1/2- 3/4 cup 14-spice dry rub mix in the ingredients section
  • 1 bottle dark beer 12-oz.
  • 3-5 tablespoons cornstarch
  • barbecue sauce
Instructions
  1. Remove as much fat as possible from pork roast.
  2. Cut roast into 3-4" pieces.
  3. Pour dry spice rub into a shallow dish. Roll each piece of pork in the spice rub, covering all sides.
  4. Place pork in slow cooker. Add beer. Cook on low 8-12 hours, or on high for 6-10 hours. When done, pork will easily flake apart with a fork.
  5. Remove pork from slow cooker and shred with 2 forks.
  6. Strain broth through fine wire mesh strainer. Remove fat with grease separator or spoon.
  7. Return broth to slow cooker or saucepan on the stovetop.
  8. To thicken the broth, measure 1 tablespoon cornstarch per 1 cup of liquid. In a small bowl, whisk together a slurry with equal parts of the cornstarch and water.
  9. Slowly whisk slurry into hot broth. Heat until thickened.
  10. Combine shredded pork and thickened broth in slow cooker on high; heat through.
  11. Taste and add salt, if needed.
  12. Serve on buns, plain or with barbecue sauce.
  13. ALTERNATIVE METHOD: Mix barbecue sauce with cooked, shredded pork in a slow cooker in place of thickened broth. Heat through on high.