Tag: smoking

Cold Smoked Salmon or Steelhead Trout

On By greg@kandflivingIn Photo Gallery, Recipes, UncategorizedLeave a comment

If I’m near a bagel shop, I’m hard-pressed to not snag a smoked salmon bagel.  There’s something about the melty salty salmon combined with onions, whipped cream cheese and capers that gets me every time!  Naturally, I said to myself recently, “I can do this at home”.  Sure enough, I figured out a great process to make my own smoked fish that’s fresher and tastier than anything I’ve had before.  This recent recipe was made with a steelhead trout fillet, but can be replicated with salmon as well.

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COLD SMOKED SALMON OR STEELHEAD TROUT

Ingredients

  • 2-3 Lbs. Salmon or Steelhead Fillet
  • 1 1/2 Cups Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tsp. Black Pepper

Instructions

  • Inspect your fish for any pin bones and remove.  Rinse fillet and dry completely with paper towels.
  • In a small bowl, combine salt, sugar and pepper.  Mix thoroughly.
  • Spread 1/3 of salt mixture in a glass baking dish to completely cover the bottom.
  • Place fish on the salt mixture, skin-side down.  Cover the fish with the remaining salt mixture and pat lightly to make sure it adheres.
  • Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
  • After curing, remove fish from fridge, take out of glass dish and rinse under cold water to remove salt mixture.
  • Dry completely and place on paper towel on a cookie sheet.  Put in fridge and allow to dry for 3-4 hours uncovered.  Flesh will be firm and slightly tacky.
  • Cold smoke fish with alder or another mild wood at 120 degrees for 90 minutes.  I smoke mine over a foil pan filled with ice to prevent the fish from cooking.  The goal is to impart the smoke flavor only.
  • Remove from smoker and refrigerate.  Slice thinly and serve.  It will remain fresh in a ziplock bag for 7-10 days.

I love when a recipe relies on just a few ingredients, but tastes like a million bucks.  The technique here isn’t difficult, but the result is delicious and better than most store-bought versions.  Imagine the oohs and ahhs when you serve your homemade smoked salmon for your next brunch!  Take the time and give it a try, I think you’ll love the process and I know you’ll love the end product.  Dig in!

Southwest Blackened Chicken Rice Bake

On By greg@kandflivingIn Photo Gallery, Recipes, Uncategorized1 Comment

Do you ever have a taste for something, but not quite sure what?  Working from home today I really wanted to put something on the smoker, especially in 60-degree weather.  I was craving spicy Tex-Mex flavors though too and wanted to come up with something that would combine the two while using ingredients we already had in the house.  The result was a cheesy spicy rice casserole with smoked chicken.  While you don’t have to fire up the smoker to make this dish, the flavor was outstanding!

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SOUTHWEST BLACKENED CHICKEN RICE BAKE

Ingredients

  • 2 Bone-In Chicken Breasts
  • 3 Tbs. Blackening Seasoning – I love Hog’s Breath
  • 1 1/2 Cups Uncooked White Short Grain Rice
  • 1 1/2 Cups Black Bean Salsa
  • 1 Cup Medium Salsa
  • 1 1/2 Cups Water
  • 1 Cup Corn Kernels (frozen or fresh)
  • 1 Tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper
  • 2 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 6-8 Green Onions, Chopped
  • Sour Cream & Hot Sauce For Garnish

Instructions

  • Wash and dry chicken breasts.  Rub in blackening seasoning on all sides.
  • Smoke offset from heat over mesquite or your favorite wood for 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees until internal temp is 180 degrees.  You can also bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or they reach the same internal temperature of 180 degrees.  Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a 2-quart baking dish place rice, both salsas, water, corn, salt and pepper.
  • Remove skin and take chicken off bone.  Shred into bite-size pieces and add all meat to the casserole dish.  Mix all ingredients with a spoon until well combined.
  • Cover dish with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour.
  • Remove from oven.  Check rice to make sure it’s tender.  If not, you can add a bit more water or chicken stock, stir, cover and bake an additional 10 minutes.
  • Spread shredded cheese over top of the casserole and place under a broiler until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
  • Remove from oven and serve immediately.  Top each plate with chopped green onion,  sour cream and hot sauce to taste.

When I first baked this, I didn’t allow for enough liquid and had to add more to finish the rice cooking.  However, the recipe above should yield a perfect result!  I know you and your family will love this stick-to-your-ribs dish that gives just the right amount of bite set off by the bright flavors of green onion and sour cream.  And if you like to smoke, I would highly recommend the smoked chicken over the baked, it was awesome.  Dig in!

Smoked Stuffed Peppers With Tomato Sauce

On By greg@kandflivingIn Photo Gallery, Recipes, Uncategorized2 Comments

Stuffed peppers are one of my favorites, but the same old recipe can get old and be a little one-dimensional.  By switching up sweet bell peppers for traditional green ones and smoking over applewood, you get a whole new dish with a richer sweeter flavor.  This one is actually really easy to make and impresses guests for an old standby!

SMOKED STUFFED PEPPERS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce

  • 2 Cans Organic Tomato Sauce
  • 1/2 Yellow Onion, Diced
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
  • 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbs Chopped Parsley
  • 1 Tsp Ground Thyme
  • 1/2 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
  • Salt & Pepper To Taste

Directions

  • Saute onions and garlic in a medium saucepan until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add tomato sauce and then remaining ingredients.  Simmer for 20 minutes minimum.
  • Remove 1 Cup of sauce and allow to cool.

Stuffed Peppers

  • One Red & One Orange Sweet Pepper
  • 1 Lbs Ground Beef
  • 1/3 Cup Uncooked Short Grain Rice
  • 1 Egg, Beaten
  • 1 Tbs Chopped Parsley
  • Salt & Pepper To Taste

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Instructions

  • Wash peppers, cut each in half and clean out seeds and white membrane.  Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients as well as 1 Cup of the prepared tomato sauce.  Mix thoroughly, but do not overwork.  Mixture should be wet, but hold together when formed.
  • Divide mixture into 4 parts and stuff each half pepper.  Stuff these loosely to keep the meat moist and tender.
  • Place peppers in a foil pan and smoke uncovered on charcoal and applewood for 30 minutes.
  • Add another cup of prepared sauce to foil pan, cover with aluminum foil and cook on grill for another 30 minutes.
  • Serve with remaining sauce to pour over finished peppers and toasted ciabatta.

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I cooked these peppers at 350 degrees for about an hour.  If you don’t have a grill or smoker, you can easily follow these instructions and prepare in your oven the same way.  This is a basic recipe, but you can create great variations by substituting meats and sauce flavorings.  Think about Italian Sausage and topping with provolone cheese.  What about chorizo with jalapeño and cilantro in the sauce?  Try them and let me know how they turn out!