Bacon Explosion — I finally made it!

July 9, 2012 at 8:05 pm (Food and Wine)
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I first encountered the Bacon Explosion when it became popular about three years ago. There were online references and early morning show commentaries and a plethora of health care professionals decrying it as a calorie and cholesterol laden nightmare. And for the most part it is.

I found a recipe from the NY Times in 2009, read it and held onto it. I thought it was mostly a joke and not something worth the effort. Every once in a while I would mention it and my wife would say “So, when are you going to make it?” Well, I decided it would finally became a reality this past weekend at a family Fourth of July gathering at our cabin near Kaw Lake, Oklahoma. Hey, bacon explosion and fireworks explosion!

There are some variables in regard to making it. First, the recipe I had calls for barbecue rub and barbecue sauce. I am well aware that the flavor of either could alter the taste. But I relied on two personal creations: the All-Purpose Spice Rub and BBQ 3. I will include the recipes for each at the end.

There are really only four ingredients: 2 lbs. thick cut bacon, 1 1/2 lbs. Italian sausage, barbecue rub and barbecue sauce.


The first thing is to create a weave of five slices by five slices. One recipe I read called for doing this on foil. Believe me, that made it so much easier.


The recipe indicated to sprinkle with a certain amount of barbecue rub. I just eyeballed it. When it comes to something like this, measurements seem too limiting.


This was an idea I got from another recipe: rolling out the sausage between two sheets of plastic wrap alongside the bacon weave. In this fashion, the sausage is at the correct thickness and you can more easily gauge the size relative to the bacon weave.


Six slices of the thick cut bacon, cooked until crisp, coarsely crumbled (or in this case chopped), and sprinkled liberally.


My barbecue sauce called BBQ 3 because that’s how many tried it took me to perfect it to my satisfaction. Again, the recipe calls for a particular amount but good coverage is all I was seeking.


More All Purpose Spice Rub.


The first step in creating the Bacon Explosion is to roll the sausage layer away from you. It is important that it be a tight roll. Since it is served as thick slices, you do not want the pinwheel to fall apart.


The rolled sausage portion is then folded back toward you in the bacon weave.


More All Purpose Spice Rub. There are two ways of cooking the Bacon Explosion: smoking or baking. I was pressed for time and did not have the smoking option available to me. I read an idea to place it on a rake while baking to allow the grease to come clear of the roll. Based on my time constraints and using an older gas oven whose temperature I could not accurately control. I cooked it at 300 degrees for 1 hour and twenty minutes and 400 degrees for twenty-five minutes, until the internal temperature was 165 degrees.


I glazed it with more BBQ 3 and let it rest for about 10 minutes
The finished product. The only photo not included is the satisfied faces of my family.

My friend and co-worker, Eric Jarman (whose family makes this every year at Super Bowl time) recommended serving these on Grands biscuits and with either Provolone or Mozzarella cheese. We used homestyle yeast buns and extra BBQ 3. The thing is that this recipe is not set in stone. It’s a barbecue addicts delight, with enough variety to satisfy anyone.

We had but one pinwheel left the next morning for breakfast. Now I know why Eric says he and his family always make two.

ALL PURPOSE SPICE RUB
1 jar each: Paprika, Oregano, Black pepper, Garlic Powder.
This is great on chicken and pork, in ground beef, in stews and soups. I don’t use it too much on meats like steak because it lacks salt. It worked great for this recipe.

BBQ 3
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 capfuls of liquid smoke
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

Simmer for 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate in a glass jar.
This sauce comes out more red than most barbecue sauces because I don’t overdo on the sweet aspect. It is richer in tomato taste and doesn’t taste too tart, too spicy, or too hot. It has the right balance for many uses.

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Castorini Chicken and Garlic Pasta

June 5, 2012 at 8:04 pm (Food and Wine, Personal)
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I had an idea for a meal when I made this week’s menu. A concept, really. Grilled chicken over pasta with a butter and garlic sauce. But I didn’t know what I would do until I actually made dinner tonight.

Four very small chicken breasts, already thin. Perfect for a grilled topper. Generously coated with Emeril’s Chicken Rub. Penne rigati, amounting to three-quarters of a decent size of two cereal bowls, in boiling water with garlic salt added. The chicken breasts grilled until done. I cut each breast into about five long thin strips. (The edges did get a little more crispy than I intended but I made sure to cut those pieces smaller.) After the pasta was cooked al dente, I drained it. In the same sauce pan, I melted one tablespoon of butter and then minced three decent sized gloves of garlic, then added two more tablespoons of butter. When it was almost melted, I added the pasta and vigorously stirred, adding a couple of dashes of salt. The pasta went into the bowl, the slices of grilled chicken on top, a mad dash or two of grated Parmesan, and a grind of black pepper. Last minute inspirations.

My wife adored it. And she recognized that my sister-in-law (who loves good pasta dishes and follows my blog) would also love it and that it would have to be a dinner we made for them the next time they came over. Don’t forget to write everything done, my wife reminds me. And, you have to give it a name.

I don’t speak Italian. I could have gone on to babelfish.com and figured out a name and translated it into Italian. Too complicated. My bright idea was to start naming my new creations after actors, actresses, or authors or poets.

Then I laughed to myself. “Castorini Chicken and Pasta”. (My wife reminded me to add “garlic” to the pasta.) Why that, you ask? It was Cher’s last name in Moonstruck. I know you still don’t get it. You see, my sister-in-law, who loves pasta dishes, reads my blog, and takes note of my recipes, does not like the movie Moonstruck. The real question is: Will she come to dinner and eat what is sure to be one of her new all-time favorite dishes that is named after a movie she doesn’t like?

Follow the string of responses; I’m sure hers will appear some time soon.

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When a Conversation Beomes a Recipe

May 30, 2012 at 8:14 pm (Food and Wine)
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I’m fortunate that I work with a lot of foodies in my department. My co-worker, Eric, is the most intense when it comes to all things culinary. But, Katilee, who is a mom of two girls, throws out some good ideas here and there. Last week, we were just throwing out ideas, talking about dinners in general. And then, like the development of most ideas, the “What-if” scenarios started. From those back and forth ideas came my dinner for tonight.

Baked Ranch and Cheez-It Crusted Chicken.

2 chicken breasts, fully thawed, pounded to approximately half an inch, thoroughly dried
2 cups ranch dressing
3 cups of Cheez-it or other baked cheese cracker, well crushed but some pieces can remain
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13X9 baking dish with oil spray.

The chicken breasts are liberally sprinkled with salt and pepper. Each is placed into a shallow dish with the ranch dressing until coated. Then dredge the chicken breast in the crushed Cheez-its. Place in baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven but keep chicken in for another 10 minutes.

The slow cooking keeps the chicken tender; the ranch dressing makes it moist; and the Cheez-its add an additional flavor that you weren’t expecting.

I have taken existing recipes and altered them to my satisfaction. But somehow this one stands out. Because it all came from tossing around a few ideas at work. (And, yes, we DO get our work done.)

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Jerk Rubs: Wet and Dry

March 27, 2012 at 8:39 pm (Food and Wine)
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After our kitchen remodel, I committed the unforgivable sin of ignoring my grill this past winter. I was so enamoured of my dual fuel Wolf range that the five burner gas grill seemed to be a red-headed step-child.
Ah, but the weather in Kansas has been unseasonably warm and thoughts of flame and smoke dance around my head. The balancing act has begun.

Great intro, but to the point…

When it comes to grilling, I enjoy the widest range of styles and ethnicities. My grill has an insert for soaked wood chips as well as a rotisserie. Two additional options for flavor. I make three different kinds of bbq sauce. The one thing that captivated me was Jerk and the blending of sweet and hot and the atmosphere of the Caribbean. After all, I AM the Tikiman.

Years ago, I developed my own wet rub/marinade. I won’t belabor the differences; suffice it to say I determine what worked well for chicken (usually cut up fryers) or pork tenderloins.

JERK MARINADE
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 bunches of scallions
4 habaneros, chopped
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1/2 cup lime juice
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf, crumbled

Blend all in a food processor.

So, after that, you’re putting your chicken in a Ziploc bag or placing your pork tenderloin in a container and pouring the marinade over all. Let it sit for 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Grill on medium heat.

I was quite satisfied with my efforts. But since that time, I have turned more and more toward dry rubs, creating my own blends and having on hand the kind of flavoring required for a desired grilled dinner. This is where I turned it into a challenge: creating a dry jerk rub.

JERK SPICE RUB

1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. lemon pepper
1 Tbs. cayenne pepper

As you can tell, the first three ingredients are the same as in the wet rub. But we use garlic powder in place of the cloves, lemon pepper as a substitute for the citrusy taste of the lime juice, and a heaping amount of cayenne to replace the habanero.

I have used this twice, one time to make Pan-Fried Jerk Chicken Bites and Pan-Fried Salmon. The flavor was definitely there. It is not Jerk in the traditional sense but the essence of it is in this rub. And since a rub can last a bit longer than a wet rub, this is a worthwhile alternative.

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H B Gumbo

February 6, 2012 at 9:44 pm (Food and Wine)
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I will not hide the fact that I am a New England Patriots fan and have been such since 1976. That being said, their last two Super Bowl appearances have been heartbreaking.

But, I recognize that it is a game and has turned into a family event. As I have always been fond of saying “It’s all about the food.”

I have crafted my own recipe for gumbo. This recipe was entered into the Wichita Eagle’s Holiday Cookbook contest about six or seven years ago and then briefly made the rounds of the internet.

Yesterday, I made my finest batch. Needless to say, it would have tasted better with a sweeter outcome. Nevertheless, I offer it up for your consideration.

H B GUMBO

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cut into
½ in. pieces
1 ½ lb shrimp
1 lb scallops
1 lg. onion, chopped coarsely
1 lb pkg. frozen okra
4 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 jar clam juice
½ cup flour
½ cup butter
1 Tbs. oil
1 Tbs. gumbo file

CREOLE SEASONING
(only about a third of this spice blend
will be needed. You can store the remainder
in a glass jar in your pantry)

1/3 cup paprika
3 tsp. oregano
3 Tbs. black pepper
2 Tbs. basil
2 Tbs. Kosher (coarse) salt
½ – 1 Tbs. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. dried onion
4 tsp. thyme
4 tsp. garlic powder

(1) Brown sausage. Drain grease. Set aside.
(2) Thaw shrimp in colander under cold water. Remove tails. Set aside.
(3) In a non-stick saucepan, SLOWLY melt better. Add flour a little at a time. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until roux becomes golden brown with a slightly nutty aroma.
(4) Heat oil in large Dutch oven. Add onion, okra, scallions, and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender.
(5) Add tomatoes and clam juice. Add shrimp and scallops. Bring to a quick boil then lower to a simmer.
(6) Add sausage. Add roux. Stir and blend thoroughly. Add 1/3 of Creole seasoning and gumbo file. Stir.
(7) Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

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I’m not psychic, but… (A pesto follow-up)

June 21, 2011 at 8:28 pm (Food and Wine, Personal)
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I posted a blog entry last week about homemade pesto. My major commentary was that it was relatively easy to make, could actually be made in a healthy fashion, and was a lot more cost-friendly to make it than to buy it in a jar costing $3 or $4.

(Meanwhile, somewhere in the background, my sister-in-law, who also follows my blog, was going shopping for food for our recent family get-together at the cabin in Oklahoma. I was bringing the stuff for biscuits and gravy for breakfast and the pasta salad as the side for dinner. She was bringing the makings of burgers and brats and an appetizer.)

I like to post entries about food and recipes that seem to be “gourmet” but are actually easy to make or prepare. You wind up feeling like you are ahead of the curve and not simply buying frozen pizza rolls. Pesto just happens to be one of those items that SEEMS gourmet but really isn’t. And I went to some lengths to indicate such by making that entry.

(That evening, after shopping, my sister-in-law checks her mail to find a blog entry by me about the ease of making pesto…right after she bought a jar of pesto as part of her appetizer. In her defense, it was a $1.99 jar and not the high-falutin’ $3 and $4 jars that I was dissing in my blog. And it was tasty. Not as tasty as mine, of course.)

So, I will be careful what I blog about with regard to food and recipes when next we get together with the family at the cabin in Oklahoma.

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Pesto made easy

June 13, 2011 at 8:50 pm (Food and Wine)
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It’s really ridiculous to spend $3-$4 for a jar of pesto at your local grocery store. And that’s not even the kind of quality stuff you could get at a gourmet food store. Considering the basic ingredients (basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil) and the ease of a modified recipe, this classic spread can be a favorite in your home.

The first time I made it was not entirely successful. I had already decided to eliminate pine nuts as being an extra ingredient that could be eliminated. I also used all of my wife’s basil plants (which seemed like a lot at the time) but in the end, after the food processor, resulted in a very small amount.

Then, I was chatting up the owner of The Spice Merchant here in Wichita who passed on a wonderful alternative which he insisted his Italian friends found wonderful.

Spinach.

A bag of baby spinach, five to six whole cloves of garlic, somewhere close to a cup of grated Parmesan cheese, a small handful of fresh basil, and sufficient olive oil to create a spreadable consistency—all done up in a food processor. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about two weeks. The top may start to turn brown but stirring it up with a spoon with return it to a beautiful shade of green.

Some of my favorite uses have been:

–Spreading it on artisan bread and broiling to make pesto toast, an alternative to garlic bread.
–Spreading it on chicken breasts or pork chops and grilling, making sure to sear the side with the pesto.
–Pan frying chicken strips, boiling penne, and then mixing it all together with two tablespoons of the pesto with some additional olive oil. All sauces do not have to be red or white.

It’s easy to be a “gourmet” when so many people don’t realize how easy it is to make the kind of things they THINK can only be found in a restaurant.

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Night Harvest Merlot

May 2, 2011 at 6:30 pm (Food and Wine, Personal)
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There is a perception that for a wine to be good it must somehow be expensive. Even the wine you might pick up at your discount store for $8.99 or $10.99 isn’t really that good, right?

What about $3.99?

I was in our location establishment a week ago last Thursday. Wines are 20% off then so it is a regular trip. I periodically check out their discount basket but usually come across a very cheap vodka or an overly sweet white wine. But the blue and black label of Night Harvest caught my eye. On the back:

Deep ruby in color, this inviting Merlot offers bing cherry, sweet cedar, and raspberry aromas that precede rich plum and black cherry flavors. The finish is mellow and delicate with a hint of oak.

Ok, I thought, interesting description and only $3.99. Why not? The next night, Friday, I made some smoked boneless pork ribs with the All-Purpose Spice Rub and figured that the Merlot might go well.

That is an understatement. The fruit aromas and flavors went perfectly with the spicy meat and was absolutely delightful after the meal was finished.

Lesson to be learned that price does not dictate good wine. Only a sense of adventure will carry you forward.

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Crockpot Fryer

March 30, 2011 at 3:24 pm (Food and Wine)
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Easy. No hassle. Healthy. Tasty.

If those are some key words you would like to say about cooking dinner, a crockpot fryer is the meal for you.

Easy — A fryer of any size in a crockpot for about eight hours. Sure, you’ve got to cut open the packaging, remove the gizzards, rinse it in cold water and drain it the night before. But that’s it. And no additional water or liquids are needed.

No hassle — The aforementioned ‘Easy’ part also means you put it in a crockpot in the fridge the night before and get it started right before you leave for work.

Healthy — This may add a little bit of time onto the ‘Easy’ part but with a kitchen shears you can remove a good deal if not all of the skin. Plus it’s fun.

Tasty — What spices or herbs have you got lying around? Ground black pepper and sea salt. Lemon pepper. Garlic powder. Thyme. Parsley. Sage. Rosemary. Cumin and chili powder. Which ones?, you ask. Pick whatever appeals to you.

When you get home from work, your crockpot fryer will be completely cooked and will literally fall off the bone. Some veggies (celery, carrots, broccoli, etc.) with ranch dressing makes a great side dish.

And the bonus will be about three to four cups of real chicken broth to be used at a later date.

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Our tradition on St. Patrick’s Day

March 16, 2011 at 9:20 am (Food and Wine, Personal)
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For the past several years, my wife and I initiated our St. Patrick’s Day tradition: A dinner of corned beef and cabbage, some Guinness, and watching the movie The Commitments. The meal is great, the beverage is compatible, and the movie is fun and entertaining.

I got the recipe from Traditional Irish Recipes by George L. Thomson, a thin 8X11 book on heavy stock with Old World Style fonts and the Gaellic name for each recipe. (My recipe is actually “Mairteoilshaillte agus cabaiste”). It’s a great recipe.

However, as anyone who has ever cooked Corned Beef and Cabbage knows, it takes upwards of three hours for proper cooking (i.e. stockpot). That means that getting home at 5pm and starting immediately means dinner by 8pm.

So, this year I am going to fly in the face of tradition and make it in a crockpot. I’ve scoured the internet for various crockpot corned beef and cabbage recipes and come up with an amalgamation which I think will work. I’m only a bit concerned that the cabbage may wind up being overcooked.

But if all else fails, we’ll still have the Guinness.

What do you do for St. Patrick’s Day? Any traditions that you have started?

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