Grilling (Anniversary party) – Lee Neighbors, Chris Dawson, Maya Drinkall (July 2008)

RECIPES   

Stuffed Grilled Pork Chops 
Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

See this recipe on air Tuesday May. 13 at 2:00 AM ET/PT.
Show: Good Eats

Episode: Chops

4 double thick bone-in loin end pork chops
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon mustard powder
2 cups cider vinegar, heated
1 pound ice cubes
1 1/2 cups cornbread, crumbled
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries, halved
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 teaspoons fresh sage, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a plastic container put the salt, sugar, peppercorns, and mustard powder. Add the hot vinegar and swirl to dissolve. Let mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes to develop flavor. Add ice cubes and shake to melt most of the ice. Add chops and cover with brine. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Remove chops from container and rinse. Cut horizontal pockets in each pork chop for stuffing. Combine rest of ingredients, and put into piping bag that is not fitted with a tip. Pipe each chop full with cornbread mixture. Grill the chops on medium high heat for 6 minutes on each side. Turn each chop 45 degrees after 3 minutes to mark.
 

Brisket (Fire or Oven)

Not everyone has a smoker in their backyard, so I have included cooking instructions for both a smoker pit and a regular ol oven.

Things you need:

1 x Super Trimmed Beef Brisket 7.5 lbs (less fat means more seasoning but more people can eat it)

1 x Foil Pan with a lid

Heavy Duty Aluminum foil

Brisket/Steak/Beef Rub (your choice)

Charcoal

Wood chips (or logs), soaked in water

OR

Normal Oven

Brisket marinade ingredients:
1 cup Newman’s Own balsamic vinaigrette
1 cup hickory smoke sauce (you choose.  I use cheap stuff)
1/8 cup (x2) liquid smoke
1/8 cup Wortcheshershershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lite maple syrup

8 oz of Coca Cola

 

Mix together in a medium size bowl, everything except the cola.  Should come out to around 3 cups total.
 

Wash and stab brisket, lovingly, several times on both sides with a knife or fork

And place in a foil pan.

Apply 2/3rds of the marinade to the brisket, coating both sides.

Coat non-fat side with desired amount of brisket rub, flip.
Coat fat side with twice as much as non-fat side, rub in. 

Sprinkle one last layer of rub on fat side and do not rub it in.  leave it dry.
Top with cracked peppercorn (optional---actually, top with whatever you want)

Leave fat side up in the foil pan. 

Add Coca Cola to the remaining marinade and pour in on the sides of the brisket into the foil pan, not over the top.

Cover and marinade overnight
 

Remove brisket and wrap in aluminum foil.

Start fire and get it smoking.  place meat in smoker at 225 degrees.

Place brisket on the far side of the smoker.  Away from the heat.

Cook for 8 hours. at 225-250 degrees…the longer you cook at a low heat, the better.

Remember to keep the heat at 225 and keep the smoke going.

Use wet logs/chips on the fire.  They smoke better.

For oven cooking, leave brisket in the foil pan with the marinade.  Cover the top with alum foil.

Cook, fat side up, for 6 hours at 225.

After six hours, take brisket out of the oven and flip, fat side down. This will cook off any fat that hasn’t melted yet and will add more flavor to the juices the meat is cooking in.

Cook for 2 more hours.

After 8 hours, cut meat to test tenderness.   If tender, eat it.  If not, cook it more. Do not cook at higher than 225 or it will become a roast.  After cooking, drain marinade into a container and place in the fridge. Once the drippings have cooled down it should have an orange jelly layer at the top.  Scoop that out and re-heat it; use it as a sauce.  You won’t lose weight or avoid heart attacks by eating it but it will taste really good.  You can also add flour to thicken it up.

After removing the meat from the fire (or oven) let the meat sit for 5-10 minutes.  This is called “letting the meat rest”.

Slice meat against the grain:

Trial and error are key.  Always try cooking a brisket on your own if you haven’t done it before.  This way, if you dry it out, nobody knows but you and the brisket.  AND, even a dried out brisket makes a good meat salad.  ;)

The golden rule with brisket is:  cook longer and slower at a very low heat and you can’t mess it up.