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

Stuffed Lobster Imperial Myron Mixon Smoker MMS-48

If you read my previous post, about me getting a Myron Mixon Smoker for Christmas, you'd know I put my smoker to the test, cooking up a wide range of seven meals in 14 days and quite frankly; I am impressed.   This is an honest review, I wasn't paid for it. In fact I paid to take Myron's cooking class and that's when I first fell in love with his Myron Mixon Smokers. You can see me in the land of his smokers here in this post.

Lobster Selection here was not good. I settled upon some frozen Jumbo Tails.

I debated getting an enclosed box smoker for a long time. I was considering a Mixon, a Backwoods, and even the Stumps.  For me, I'm used to cooking on open pits or even oil drums, so the move to a box smoker is a real stretch and one that I had to contemplate.   Yet my wife made the decision for me getting one for Christmas.

For this second meal, I wanted to try smoking some Lobster stuffed with Crab Imperial. I wasn't happy with the Maryland selection; hey, it's winter what can you do?  When I'm in Maine lobsters are everywhere, and in fact getting fresh lobster is easy and right down the road. You can't beat the taste and they are so fresh.  In Pennsylvania, finding fresh is a bit harder.  I had to settle for frozen large lobster tail this time of year but for the experiment, I didn't mind.

Maryland Steamed Crabs, ate these recently;  probably from Louisiana.

My mom was raised on the Eastern Shore so I'm big into seafood (thus my crab dip on Food Network recipe). My wife grew up eating steamed crabs every week....her uncle used to sell lump crab meat from the Eastern Shore.  It's a Maryland thing I guess.  Most of Maryland's winter steamed crabs aren't from Maryland at all but from warmer climates.

I basically just cut one slit into the shell, pulled out the meat in a butterfly fashion.

After my tail thawed I had to butterfly it and mix up some crab imperial. You don't want to mix your meat too much or it will break up. For this I got lump meat, but again, when you're in winter months you get what you can get. Always opt for jumbo lump.  Here is my recipe, which is similar to most you will find on the web although I use dill and butter--the latter which; as it cools, will keep your imperial together.

Wayne's Awesome Imperial for your Lobster Recipe: 

1 lb  lump crabmeat  (prefer jumbo lump)

½ cup Heavy Mayo

3 Pinches of Old Bay Crab Seasoning

1/2 tsp dill

pinch parsley flakes

1 large egg (beaten)

1/4 stick of salted butter, melted (add when lukewarm not hot)

1 lemon cut into slices

Mix the above by folding and fluffling,  keeping lemon slices to the side. Squeeze lemon on top before, during and after the baking or smoking process. 

 

Note this is not jumbo lump, and folding will cause it to break. Always go with jumbo!

Since I was smoking I wanted to get a head start on the lobster. Lobster is tough and meaty, and so one must remember this will take the most cook time.  You don't want it too tough, but I decided to add the imperial about half way point.  In actuality, the crab imperial won't take long to cook or smoke at all. If it wasn't for the egg it would be already cooked.  

Important to cook tails halfway in this case, as they are so big.

So, the key here is to get a head start on your lobster, of which I squeezed some lemon and sprinkled a little more Old Bay on for good measure. I used a tray lined in foil for easy smoking, instead of a pan.

Enter the power of H20

I have to say overall you cannot duplicate this moistness that ends up in your food, primarily from the indirect heat mixed with Myron's H20 technology.  Now in the past I have done stuffed lobster and even crab cakes on direct heat cooking them on Webers and my huge pits.   They have come out good, I wasn't impressed with the smokey flavors that the Weber trapped under it's lid and gave my meat a smokey taste.

Smoking Lobster Tails

I wish I could give you a time but since lobster tails vary in size I can only say when your tails are about half way done you will see a huge difference in the texture of the meat appear less slimy and raw and more white. When said lobster meat reaches about 155 and is almost done, you can then top them with your imperial and go til 165 internal for safe measures.  Your imperial will turn golden in the process.

Overall my lobster came out great. It was a hint smokey and not overloaded with smoke, and didn't burn or fall apart.

I can't believe this baby was smoked to perfection, and was so easy!

So this was meal two of seven, and I'm pleased.  You can physically see the difference in the color of the ones above, and my smoked crabcakes that were done on the direct heat smokers here.

Keep looking for seven meals on the Myron Mixon smoker series. See them all here:

1. Smoked Turkey

2. Stuffed Lobster

3. Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast Stuffed With Italian Sausage 

4. Whole Hog 

5. Baby Back Ribs (coming soon)

6. Brisket (coming soon)

7. Cupcake Chicken  (coming soon)

Make sure to check out my got beef? store.

Boneless Ribs Pumpkin Sauce Ten Minute Prep Meal

Boneless Ribs like this are often in family packs.

Boneless Ribs : Ten Minute Prep

Working long hours and traveling a lot leaves little time for dinner prep, so I try to eat healthy and cut out the prep time.  I Don't  you love dinners with a ten minute or less prep time? I'm going to tell you about a quick and easy meal I love.

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Boneless Ribs W/ Pumpkin Sauce

Somewhere in the pork section you'll often find these boneless ribs in a family pack. They are often a little fatty (and miscut) but suffice to say two racks of the above only cost $6.94, so for a family meal you can't ask for more.

Love this meal, it's a family favorite.

You'll need to prep two things: 
-My Zesty Marinade (recipe here)  Total time 2-4 minutes
-A Side Salad Total time 5-6 minutes or less.

You will need one additional item: 
- Pumpkin Butter

Cook in: 
Casserole, Preferably Non Stick. We're using Fiesta Ovenware.


If you're quick at salad, we're talking 8 minute prep or less.  Now I am a big fanatic about dry rubbing and pre-marinating, but in this case, I am not doing it. My zesty marinade is formulated to cook right in and make your tongue slap your brain.  It's got a zesty bite to it and that's where the cool pumpkin sauce comes in oh yeah.

 Throw them bad boys into a non stick pan and pour that marinade all over.

Step One: 
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and make your zesty marinade.  While your oven is heating up whip up your side salad.  Now you are about ten minutes in and your oven should be caught up.

Step Two: 
Lay your ribs in the casserole, you don't have to be neat, in fact you want to lay them up on edge so when you pour the marinade it goes around them and in between. If you were to layer them perfectly it would be hard getting the marinade down.

Yes, you are drowning them a little. Note how it's in between.

 Step Three: 
Drown them , using all the marinade you made and making sure it is down in between each rib.

As you cook the ribs will absorb the marinade. 

Step Four: 
Bake them on 400 degrees for 8 minutes ,then cut back your oven to 350 degrees, temping to see when they are done. Ribs should be 165 inner temperatures.  In my house I tend to want to bake them low and slow (as you do with grilling) but the wife hikes them up to 400 and roasts them, and to be honest the marinade keeps them moist and they don't come out half bad.

The top should be crispy, the inside well done but not tough.

So if you wanted to leave them on 400 they wouldn't be as tender, but more crispy, that's up to you. Usually these are done around 40 minutes if you do the 400/350 split.   The extra marinade in the bottom of the casserole (if any) can be used as an au' jus.

My secret hack: Pumpkin Butter

Step Five: 

Your favorite pumpkin butter will serve as a side dipping sauce. I choose pumpkin butter in this case because I recently visited the Flinchbaugh's Orchard up in Pennsylvania,(read more here - coming soon)  and due to the time of year they had lots of this in stock.  Of course you could mix this up and do Apple Butter if you prefer, but the pumpkin dipping sauce is out of this world.  Five star restaurants and top chefs often incorporate pumpkin dipping sauce in their short ribs or lamb, this is the quick hack for home.  You can warm the butter but we didn't. We like it as is. 

 Behold the pumpkin butter. 

Step Six:

Serve it up with a side salad and sit down for a spell. You deserve to enjoy your dinner, don't you think?  Leftovers can be reheated and eaten alone as an appetizer, too. Yum!

Dinner is always better with a salad or side of veggies.

Disclaimer: Sometimes I have sponsors who want me to talk about their products or services,  or link them in. It was my pleasure adding in Karen from MarkedCo on Etsy,who makes all kinds of cool decals, custom vinyl decals and lots for foodie lovers. It's important for me to personally tell you I have purchased her products and am very pleased. I am happy to endorse her for quality and hip design.  She has custom made me decals for my front door at my business, for some artifacts I donated to a museum, and cool labels for my jars. Love her.  As you know I support Etsy and small businesses. Buy handmade. 

Getting #hungry #OMG #food love it #Etsy https://t.co/pGAD16OYYB I ordered some decals fr her @BigFatDadys of course #gift #foodie #custom
— Wayne M. Schafer (@BigFatDaddys) December 13, 2014

You all know I teach cooking classes now?   Check them out  PitmasterSchool.com
This post last updated on 12.15.14

GOT BEEF STORE NOW OPEN AT WWW.GOTBEEF.COM

Big Fat Daddy's Zesty Marinade Recipe Ribs Chicken Steak

These boneless ribs come out tender and pack a punch with my Big Fat Daddy's zesty marinade. See how to do this Boneless Country Ribs meal here. 

I get asked a lot about basting meats, using marinades or using injections.  This is something I do quite frequently and I'm old school, so I believe when doing them "less is more."  In my opinion, twenty crappy ingredients won't yield you the same results a few fresh ingredients.  I am a firm believer that less ingredients extracted at a higher quality, can produce a better result.  Much along the same lines of my dry rub, I feel that marinades really bring out the flavor of your meats.

Juicing your marinades pull out the ingredients in the spices that you would not normally expect.

In this case, I have my original zesty marinade recipe that you can make in small batch quantities at home, but you will need a juicer.  This marinade can be applied days ahead of time on you steak, chicken or ribs to marinate in the fridge, or can be used immediately when cooking to produce a zesty flavor full of heat.  My wife loves this on her wings.

Ingredients for My Zesty Rib Marinade:  REGULAR   (7 ingredients)

This will yield enough for one large rack of ribs, or two small racks, a family pack of chicken, one rump roast, a small brisket, or six nice steaks. 

2 teaspoons whole mustard seed  (Sauer's)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
1 teaspoon Whole Peppercorn melange' or Peppercorn Medley (Sauer's)
1 slice of a small red onion (fresh)
1 pinch of White Pepper
1 small fresh clove of garlic  (Peeled)
1/3 Cup Lite Italian Dressing

or (Use Gluten Free Recipe Here) for Less Zesty Alternative)

2 teaspoons whole mustard seed  (Sauer's)
1 tablespoons Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Whole Peppercorn melange' or Peppercorn Medley (Sauer's)
1 slice of a small red onion (fresh)
1 pinch of White Pepper
1 small fresh clove of garlic  (Peeled)
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil


Blend the ingredients in a juicer.   Not using a juicer will yield you unsavory results. I cannot stress enough how a juicer can take a small piece of food and pull out the flavors you never expected.   These ingredients must be juiced until they create a liquid.  You will still see small chunks of peppercorns which should now resemble large bits of pepper but no trace of the onion.  (see photo above).

You can either: 

A) Marinate your meat with this product up to 24 hours in the fridge.  The longer you marinade the more overpowering the peppers and garlic will become. I usually do not go over 24 hours but my wife marinades wings up to 48 hours in this, and they are good.

B)  Pour over your meat when baking  using 3/4 of the product up front, and 1/4 of the product nearing the end of your cook time as a brush on baste, or dribble baste.

For grilled products, you will want to use 3/4 of the marinade  as in step A, but save 1/4 of the product as a last minute baste. You must remember the oil in the dressing will speed up the browning process so using A. 

YOU MAY LIKE:
You can see this marinade on Boneless Country Ribs with Pumpkin Butter Ten Minute Prep here

also did you know that shopping with CF Sauer online gives you free shipping over $25 in spices?   They are my sponsor and you should enjoy theirYou can also nab some of the great Sauers recipes here.

Hey, we're working on some new icons, do you like them?

              

Big Fat Daddy's is celebrating over three decades of catering, fairs and festivals therefore, we thought it only right to vintage up our blog a little. Here is an old child's learning game!

Welcome to the fair! Made of wood is always good!

This post last updated 12.15.14

Food Network Filming Midway Munchies Crab Dip Summertime

Wayne Schafer and family with host of Food Network's Carnival Eats Noah Cappe

Food Network Filming

Summer's almost over and I had fun this summer.  Back at the end of May I had the pleasure of filming in Virginia with host Noah Cappe and the great folks over at Alibi Entertainment for the show "Carnival Eats" also named "Midway Munchies" which is in production by Food Network Canada. Season One will premier in October on Food Network and the Cooking Channel.   

These guys took a tour cross country tour all over the States going to select fairs, festivals, carnivals to find the best (and sometimes the craziest) regional foods.  I heard that one of the features was fried cactus. Not only are they featuring everything you will find, but the process in which it's made.  I guess they thought my crab dip was amazingly crazy. Truth is, it's popular in my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland but other states kind of wonder what the heck it is. Imagine seeing this in places where steamed crabs aren't popular.

Food Network's Noah Cappe with Wayne Schafer Big Fat Daddy's

Behind the Scenes Filming

So what goes into 15-30 minutes of TV fame?  A heck of a lot. They did some pre-filming of my product over the weekend which included getting the public to eat and taste the crab dip and comment.  In total about four hours of footage of me, the crab dip, the process, etc goes into getting a good segment for the show most of which will end up on the cutting room floor.  My full segment was filmed with Noah and I making the crab dip on May 26th (Memorial Day) early before the crowds came in Virginia.

 Food Network Filming Carnival Eats

Here's how it went....

4:00 am  My day starts with my wife stressing that it's time to get up. She starts scrubbing my face with some sugar facial crap saying she's making me camera ready and throw me in the shower.  I am not sure what it was but it burnt the hell out of me and smelled like brown sugar.  I decide to leave some manly stubble on my face, because that's the tv trend now.  Wife is not happy about that complaining about the stubble. Good morning!

5:00 am  Off to Virginia from Baltimore.  Got a big coffee, it's going to be a long day. 


6:30 am I arrive in my stand getting the crab dip ingredients prepped and ready for the crew.  Clean up the area, wipe down, and my wife and family are there to help.  I am pumped.

 Had a great time filming with these guys!

  
7:00 am   The Director and big whigs arrive and talk. In this case I met the owner and we chat about what's going to happen and what other shows they are working on.  Noah has left his hotel and will be here soon, they have a lot to do before he gets here.

7:15  am   The first thing that happens is photography and production crew has to set up the shoot. The important thing is making sure the lighting is right and the segment will look TV worthy. We were actually getting a green tinge from my green and black crab dip tent so we have to shift operations into the opposite tent and flip flop some things so they could film us in the right light.  They didn't want me looking green, and I appreciate that.

Getting the perfect shot!

7:30 am  After everything is set up to satisfaction, the sound guys set up the sound and we've rearranged everything for the perfect shoot. The area is cleared of unsightly items and Noah and I get on the same page with the Director to find out what production direction we're taking and how they want us to do it.   

8:30 am We're still filming, over and over, different takes and different shots. Noah is a great host and I'm wondering how he can stand wearing that sweatshirt, it's already 75 degrees in Virginia.  I'm having fun with these guys. 


9:30 am  My family is starting to cook turkey legs and barbecue from behind us, and now when we're filming I can smell the smoke from the pit and I'm getting hungry. I hope the sound man can't pick up the stomach grumbles.  There's a hot pizza oven in front of me for the crab dip and a hot grill and pit behind me, and I'm still wondering how Noah can stand that sweatshirt. It's about 81 degrees now outside and about 90 degrees in this stand.

10:30 am Shoot wraps (mostly) and the crew is munching on the crab dips we used for props, hey can't let them go to waste can we?   A few selfies and jokes with the crew and I had a blast.  It wasn't my first time on camera but it was the most fun I've had in awhile.  These guys are great.

11:00 am  I'm finally done and get a few final takes out in front of my stand. My work day is now officially starting, I have some crab dip and BBQ to sell today!

Meanwhile, Noah is off to the neighbor's perogie stand yet he's still wearing the sweatshirt, it's now 86 degrees in Virginia.  I wonder if he wore it in Texas too? Have to watch the show to find out.The first season has 13 episodes!   Can't wait til it hits the airwaves in October!   I will be filming another show soon I hope!

Hope everyone is enjoying their wonderful summer!  Eat lots of crabs, enjoy your garden vegetables and make sure to use this great Julienne vegetable peeler on this quick and easy summer salad recipe!

SUMMER SALAD RECIPE
2 cucumbers semi peeled and chopped
1/4 white onion diced small
4 large garden tomatos
1 hunk feta cheese crumbled (8 oz)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup low-fat Italian Dressing
Mix and enjoy!

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Quick and Easy Deviled Eggs Recipe

Quick and Easy Deviled Eggs!

MY DEVILED EGG CHEAT RECIPE

With St. Patty's Day gone, and Easter's on it's way I always bring the deviled eggs. My recipe is so simple that I'm ashamed to say. I like my eggs creamy but to look purdy!  This quick and easy recipe only takes a few minutes to whip up.  

  

For one tray:

15 Small to Medium Eggs to allow for rejects.

3 Tablespoons Mayonnaise

Few Sprinkles Kosher Salt

Tops chopped off fresh spring onions (aka chives)

Paprika

3 to 4 teaspoons Sweet Pickle Brine

1. You will need about 15 small to medium sized eggs to fit your tray, and of course, to allow for rejects.  Boil the eggs.

2. I cool them by running cold water over them.

3.  Peel the eggs, slicing in half. Determine which whites are rejects, but combine all yolks together.


4. Press out yolks with a fork to get them to fall apart and become dry fine clumps. 

5.  Once they cool, add in 3 Tablespoons Heavy Mayonnaise, and 3 Teaspoons Sweet Pickle Brine and the salt. Basically if you have a jar of sweet pickle slices, just use the juice from the jar. 

6.  Whip the mixture with a fork, and if it's too dry, add more pickle brine. If it's too runny or not mixed properly, refrigerate your mixture until it firms up making sure to get all the mayo and juice mixed in.  Then proceed to stuff!

7. Top every other egg with either paprika, or chives. I cut the top off a few fresh spring onions. It makes a very nice display contrast of colors.

The whole cook-prepare time is under 30 minutes if you use cold water to cool your eggs.

NO SMUSH DURING TRANSPORT

Here's how I keep them perfect. In the very center of my display, I'll add some kale or lettuce for padding, add some extra eggs and in the center a large strawberry or ornamental piece of fruit.  For transport I cover the strawberry or ornamental fruit with a cup upside down, or in this case, coffee mug then wrap them with saran. These will never get smushed in transit.

REJECTS?

I immediately rejected some of these eggs as they were not whipped property or blended right. You can see this because the mix being too runny and not sat in the fridge like it should have been.  Some have hard cuts and aren't shaped right. You can also see some lumps and clumps.  You would want to allow these out the door in catering or when cooking for others.  In this case my family snarfed the rejects in no time flat.