Bacon Wrapped Chicken Myron Mixon Smoker

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast Stuffed With Italian Sausage

As my previous posts indicated I put my Myron Mixon MMS-48 smoker to the test. I debated a long time before going with a "box smoker" when I have always used open pits, barrel smokers or drums. I've had a great time smoking all kinds of things on regular old charcoal pits and this is what I've made a living doing.  Well, I tested the Myron Mixon onto 7 meals in two weeks and a wide range of dishes. I have to say, I'm totally pleased.

Using dry rubs is key. See my dry rub guide.

I modified Myron's bacon wrapped smoked sausage recipe from his book "Smokin' With Myron" with my favorite Italian Sausage, and wow, I was impressed.  I went to the butcher in town to get some fresh bacon, not the store bought in packs. Country bacon from the butcher is larger, wider, and thicker. 

I have also made this same recipe on my Weber Kettle, and well, the chicken (even if wrapped) on most of pits would  come out dry. Here, it was just melting in your mouth with moisture thanks to the technology of the H20 Smoking Technology on the MMS-48 smoker. The recipe is easy, prep time is fast,  and as you can see I made sure to use a little of my got beef ? ® dry rub.

My original Big Fat Daddy's got beef ? ® dry rub

I tried three at a time, they were pretty large chicken breasts and large butcher bacon.

Well they came out moist and delicious on the first try.  Even the sausage had a smoke ring to it which surprised me, since it was tucked inside. Eating one of these bad boys will fill you up. And you get the best of pork and chicken in your mouth all at once. What's not to love? 

Can you say yummo? 

Want to see the other dishes I've made so far?  Start here at Myron Mixon Smoker Review and stay tuned.  

Make sure to check out our Lookbook of Got Beef ?  ® official designs for 2015 here: 

 Big Fat Daddy's Got Beef ? ® Lookbook for 2015

Pic:  gotbeef.com

Pontoon Boat Tequila Lime Chicken Kabobs Recipe

If you can't catch fish, catch some barbecue this old boat is ready for some 'que!

Summertime , Boating and BBQ

Today was the first day I felt like summer is actually on it's way. It's been a long cold winter and for one, I'm tired of it. I can't wait to get out to fairs and festivals and grill up some barbecue, and of course check out all the sights that summer has to offer.  You get the picture...

Just sayin' I love summertime.

I was wondering if my wife would go for me converting my pontoon boat into a mobile barbecue unit. I don't catch much fish on the lake anyways--gosh knows I try but I come back with sunburn and the only thing I caught was a beer buzz. The Bologna and PBJ's suck when you are out there all day, mushy from the ice in the cooler.  I'm starting to think there's no fish in East Grand Lake.   Being there's also no barbecue joints up there in Maine, on the Canadian border, I figure I may as well grill it up on the boat and as I pass my neighbors drop them off some tasty barbecue.

Recipe for the Boat

I'm going to start with some chicken breast and let you know how it goes.  While I'm threading the worms on the hook my pit crew will be chopping up some veggies for kabobs. Here's a recipe for your boat and something you can cook on a tiny small grill.

Summer Grilling Recipe - Pontoon Tequila Lime Chicken Kabobs

The night before: Cube and marinate 4 medium sized chicken breasts in a mixture of 1-2 fresh squeezed lime juice, two springs of fresh chopped dill, and lite Italian dressing. Bag it up for the boat.  

You will also need an old ketchup or squeeze bottled filled with a mix of glaze.
This glaze will be:
1/2 bottle Lite Italian Dressing
4 sprigs of chopped dill including stalks
1 small jar of pepper jelly
4 teaspoons sugar
Juice of 2 limes. 



Take with you: 
APack of Kabob sticks preferably soaked in water the night before to avoid splinters
1 Large Red Pepper
1 Yellow or Orange Pepper
1 Green Pepper

1 Large Onion
1 Red Onion
2 Limes
Your Squeeze Bottle of Glaze

Pack of Cherry Tomatoes
Cutting Board
Plates
Knife
Plastic Tub or use old cooler for dirty dishes
Food grade gloves.

1. Cut the veggies into square or triangular pieces less the tomatoes and limes (these are for last.) Make piles of veggies and make sure you have gloves on. Layer your kabobs with colorful veggies and cubes of chicken. Each kabob should hold at least 5 pieces of chicken.

2. Grill them turning often until the chicken is 85% done, at which time you will add your end cap tomatoes and grill further making sure you don't turn too much at this point as they will fall off.. 

3. Garnish with the glaze squired in zig-zag shape over the kabob and serve with a quarter lime for extra juicing.


Need a Boat? 

If you don't have a boat why don't you rent one?  I know a great site out there that connects boat owners with renters. This is great not only for the owner to rent their boats, but the renters to find a great boat for a day. There's a ton of pontoons on there. Temptoy is the place, and maybe you'll see my boat on there soon if I can't get a weekend off to go on vacation!

Turkey Chicken Recipes Poultry Party Time

Summer's coming and I can smoke up more turkey legs. Check out the bark on that one middle of the pit!

Believe it or not, I miss the hectic summer and biting into a turkey leg that's been grilled over my pit.  So in the winter I eat a lot of turkey and chicken and am on the lookout for good recipes.  Here's two I suggest for you. One is an original and one I found online.

RECIPE ONE:

This soup will warm you up!

Big Fat Daddy's Veggie Chicken or Turkey Soup Recipe w/Doughboy Dumplings

One is my original recipe, and I get a little help from the Doughboy.  For this, you can change it up several ways. You can opt to use leftover turkey, or chicken.  You can also charbroil or grill chicken breasts for this recipe. Experimenting with different poultry meats with give you different flavors but they are all great.

For this you need the following:

2 cups chicken stock (or frozen stock from your last chicken, turkey, etc)
4 stalks of celery diced into large pieces - including the tops!
1/2 large red pepper diced (or do it all up if it's small)
1/3 large white onion diced small
2 carrots diced
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup water
1 pack pillsbury crescent rolls *help from the doughboy*
6 cups water
1 lb or more leftover turkey or chicken (cubed or cut or picked)
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dill weed
Sea Salt to taste
Saute' pan
Stock Pot
Long Spoon (Silicone works best)

As you can see I left most of my celery chunky.

Step One: Combine 1/4 cup of your stock in a large saute' pan with the celery, pepper, onion, carrots, and butter.  Saute' down until veggies are somewhat cooked and stock is darker in color from the veggies.


Meanwhile:  Start a large stockpot with 6 cups of water, the remeaining 1 3/4 of chicken stock, and chicken or turkey product.   I also add the pepper and dill right before I go to the next step.

This soup looks almost done, you could eat it as is, but it's almost Doughboy time.  See how nicely the veggies look?

Step Two: Once this is hot, transfer your saute' pan into it.  Let everything it simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat. You will want to wait until you see it boiling to add the below crescent rolls.

I ball them up ahead of time, about this size.

Step Three: Doughboy Time!   Ball up your cresent rolls into small balls--about quarter size.  Once you get them all, add to the now-boiling stock pot. At first they will look a bit gooey, but don't worry.   Gooey is good.

Hmmm, a new way of making dumplings or what?

They won't take that long to cook, because your water is boiling and you made them small. You want to Gently turn them with a long spoon, taking care not to burn yourself over the steam.  Depending on the size of your stock pot, you can cut one open with a fork and see if they are all the way cooked. At 95% cooked, turn off your soup and let the pot sit on the stove.

Step Four: Enjoy!

RECIPE TWO:

Believe it or not, Golden Corral Fans online site has a huge array of easy to make recipes, and one I really enjoy cooking is their - Golden Corral Bourbon Street Chicken (recipe) . They have a wider selection of recipes here on Lovely Corral. 

Both the above recipes are easy to make at home, and will keep you wanting more!


Cook on!

updated 3.29.15  

Grilling With Liam Bacon Wrapped Chicken Part 2

Liam Sean O'Sullivan uses an electric smoker but his recipes can be used on any smoker.

It's been awhile since we featured Part One of Liam's Grilling Tips, featuring his scrumptious pork that used an Electric Meat Smoker .  Liam Sean O'Sullivan smokes it up in Central Illinois. His recipes are out of this world and not to mention healthy! We can apply his recipes to any regular grill smoker! 

Liam's Bacon Wrapped Chicken Recipe
Courtesy of Liam Sean O'Sullivan

Liam's Bacon Wrapped Chicken is Delicious and Nutritious!

Liam's top secret recipes looks more complicated than it is.  He uses chicken breasts and if you look closely adds a bit of seasoning (which includes red pepper).  A bit of dry rub wouldn't hurt either!  Liam wraps them lovingly with farm raised bacon (you can go up to 3 slices thick), and garnishes the toothpicks with sweet peppers. 

Total cooking time he says is about 2.5 hours, and slathering with your favorite BBQ Sauce before, during or after is optional.  Make sure to read about Liam's other meals under Part One here if you haven't already.

Eat Healthy!

Poultry is a healthy alternative when grilling.  Here is a great book on Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes. We also recommend eating lots of fruits and vegetables throughout your day to balance those big meaty meals you have too.   The web is full of healthy recipes and low fat alternatives, for something totally different yet super yummy go to healthy food recipes.  We made a very scrumptious Thai Mango Salad.
 

Eat Healthy at the County Fair Chicken Galore

Photo courtesy of IraMency, taken at the Cecil County Fair.

I hear a lot of people hate overeating at the county fair.  They dread eating funnel cakes, Italian Sausage and Cheesesteak which may be loaded with calories--although sometimes traditional food associated with fairs. Sometimes just the giant bread itself makes you feel stuffed and bloated after just one sandwich.  If you want to choose a healthy alternative why not try a turkey leg, or get some sliced pit beef without the bread?  My Cheesesteaks are made with my real texas beef, so they seem to be a good alternative if you do have to eat something BIG!   

Big Fat Daddy's grilled chicken dinners are lower in fat that most fair foods.

I do barbeque chicken platters at some of my county fairs, and they are a great alternative when on a diet.  I cut a whole chicken in half, add some dry rub and smoke it on high heat on both sides.  It then steams in a pan of water on our grills, coated in a hickory sweet barbecue sauce so that it's moist when you eat it.  Add two sides try some of my cajun homemade slaw, texas basked beans, 1/2 grilled corn cob, small side of fresh cut zero trans fat oil fries, summer cuke and tomato salad or fresh cut watermelon, and this proves to be a healthier alternative over traditional fair food.

Now honestly I don't see anything wrong with skipping lunch and pigging out on a big old pork barbecue or beef sandwich, if you know you are going to the fair, why not enjoy yourself?  Just don't overdo it. Remember, eat in moderation but do enjoy the bbq!

Want to Eat and Cook Healthier at Home? 

For more great tips make sure to check out this great website: Healthy Cooking Tips

Ferris Wheel at the Cecil County Fair.  Courtesy: IraMency

Recipe: Chicken Soup Tribute to Ray Rice Keep Warm on Game Day

With our without rice, our chicken soup is nice!

Since our beloved Ravens are off to the AFC championship game, we decided to break out our Chicken Soup w/ Rice recipe. Using this with or without Rice is nice...but for the Baltimore Ravens  Rice is a must.  This chicken soup will yield you approximately 12 - 6 oz servings, more or less depending on how much water you add.  This should keep you warm on game day!

You will need:
Five frozen skinless chicken breasts
**1 Cup of Chicken Stock (Use 1.5 to 2 times this if you use the optional rice to this recipe)
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 teaspoon of basil (you can substitute Italian Seasoning)
1/2 teaspoon dill
5 medium to large carrots
1/4 yellow onion
6 stalks of celery
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste


Optional: For Non-Gluten Free recipe add 1 cup Rice cooked in another pot while you are doing the rest of this: 


Begin:
In a 6 qt stock pot with lid simmer your frozen chicken breasts on medium-high covered with 6 to 8 cups or water (more if needed - only to the top of the breasts.) Cook covered while you chop and dice your veggies.

Veggie Prep: 
Slice your carrots thin. Dice your onions small.  Cut your celery into 1/4" to 1/2" slices, and chop the leaves, we recommend you use the leaves also.  Place in a bowl awaiting transfer into stock pot.

When your chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees, remove breasts to cutting board area, with caution as they are hot. Leave existing broth to simmer down to one inch of water in your stock pot. When existing broth hits one inch, remove lid and turn heat down to medium. 

Now it's time for love... Add your Basil, dill cut celery leaves, butter, salt, pepper, and cut vegetables.  Veggies will start to simmer and existing one inch of water will start to evaporate, if that happens too quick, add enough water only high enough to cover the veggies. Note the veggies are now meshing with the leftover chicken breast stock and love is happening. This should only take a few minutes to get your veggies to half cooked while you are cubing your chicken breasts on the cutting board.

See our tip , we did not use any high sodium chicken stock, but our own frozen leftovers!

Once your cubed breasts are finished, add them back in with chicken stock** and fill to desired level in pot with water (if you use a six quart pot, we suggest filling to at least 4.5 quarts, adding 12 more more cups of water.)  Simmer on low for fifteen minutes, which should yield you a bit under 4 quarts of soup.   Once your soup looks like ours, it's time to serve and enjoy, unless...

OPTIONAL Adding Rice (optional for non-Gluten Free Users): You may wish to add rice. Many chefs add it during the last few minutes of cooking, but due to absorption factor we enjoy cooking our rice cooked in another pan, and adding in once we turn the soup off.  We also suggest using up to two cups of chicken stock and some extra water, as rice tends to absorb this.

**Chicken Stock Tip: My wife swears that you can achieve more by saving and freezing your own chicken stock. Once we are done with our butt chicken carcass, our cooked chicken carcass, or if we have pieces we haven't touched such as wings, legs, thighs, or skin,  she often boils the remains and skin down for at least two hours in five quarts of water. I never used to believe her, but I' starting to. After two hours the remnants are reduced to about a quart of concentrated golden yummy chickeny  stock. Oh yeah, we love that stuff. 

Read all our FREE recipes here.

GO RAVENS!

GO RAY RICE!

LOVE US SOME RAY RAY LEWIS!

Alternative to Taco Bell ; Eat at Home Ground Turkey Tacos

Taco Bell's been in the news lately.  (My wife loves that stuff.) Urghhhhh.....have I mentioned how sad I think it is that a piece of beef in the US can contain only 40% beef and 60% bi-products and be called beef?  You won't find me using that cartlidge-ground-nose-pig tail-crap in my offerings, or in the stuff I eat at home!  So here is my recipe to keep the wife happy!
 

Taco Bell Alternative Recipe Wife Don't Know the Difference:

"Big Tomaters" and ground turkey, Big Fat Daddy style.

At home however we love to enjoy tacos that are healthier made with Ground Turkey or Ground Chicken.  A little chili powder while cooking and it tastes just like a good taco should.  We like to mix in the Taco Bell sauce (sold in the grocery store) while the meant is cooking to get the Taco-Bell-like taste.  Now you can fake out the wife, kids, mother in law, whatever into thinking she's getting grade A dog food ground meat when in fact it's healthier for her.

I like my tomatoes chunky and so we load it up.  Don't forget the lettuce, cheese and sour cream though!

DID YOU KNOW: 
Did you know Kirkwood (ground) Turkey in the individual pound roll is actually a 85/15 blend and contains 17grams of fat per 4 oz serving, (almost the same as most ground beef!) So it's better if you are going to buy ground turkey to try to find the 93-99% lean to avoid the extra fat content. Otherwise, you could buy a cut of leaner beef, or ground round and eat your tacos in moderation!