Mike's Burgers

So, one of my posts featured Mike's Beef Tips, and they were called that because I tailored them to my husband's liking. Mike himself actually is the one who makes these burgers. Well, he at least mixes them up. And might put the on the grill. I usually end up flipping them and taking them off. But I'll still give my hubby the credit. *big smile*

The Details:

1 lb ground hamburger meat

1/4 to 1/2 cup Dale's sauce

2 Tablespoons garlic powder

2 Tablespoon creole seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Place meat in bowl. Add Dale's sauce and seasonings. Mix well. Form 4 to 6 patties. Grill over medium heat, cooking each side approximately 7 minutes.

How much Dale's sauce you use depends on how strong you want the taste. And all the measurements are just estimates, because nothing ever actually gets measured. A lot of our recipes seem to be that way.

Happy Cooking!

Barbecued Country Style Ribblets

Ok, so 'ribblets' might not be a real word, but it sounds good! I think it describes these small, barbecued, pieces of pork ribs quite well. And makes them sound cute.

The Details:

Cut county style pork rib meat off the bone and into bite sized pieces. Place folded aluminum foil or aluminum pan on hot grill. Place meat on foil and coat in favorite barbecue sauce. Turn meat after a few minutes, and coat with barbecue sauce again. Continue turning, using basting/pastry brush to reapply barbecue sauce each time, until cooked through.

Quick and easy. Could be served as the main dish, or as an appetizer. The day I made these I was needing something more to serve with the rest of the food I was cooking, but needed something smaller than the ribs. So I cut the meat up and threw it on the grill!

Happy Cooking!

Hickory Smoked Turkey

So, this year we decided to smoke our Thanksgiving turkey. There's several ways to do this, but I'm just going to explain how we did it this year. And any mistakes we made. Not that we made any. I would never make any mistake.

. . .

Quit laughing.

The Details:

Soak hickory chips in water for a few hours before cooking. Fill smoker pan with charcoal and saturate with lighter fluid. Wait a few minutes to let the lighter fluid soak in and then light. While that is burning down, remove all giblets from thawed turkey and rinse with cold water. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and seasoning salt, rubbing into skin and into body cavity. When charcoal has burned down, add some of the hickory chips to the coals. Combine 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and 1/2 cup Dale's sauce with enough water to fill water pan and place in smoker. Place turkey on rack. Close lid. Remember to check the water level often and add more water when needed. Add more coals and hickory chips as needed to keep the smoker at its ideal temperature according to its manufacture's instructions. Turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees, about 8 to 12 hours.

We have this smoker, is case you were wondering. The mistake I mention? We weren't able to keep the smoker at its ideal temperature the whole time, and as a result had to stick the turkey in the oven the last hour to get it done in time. I think it would have gone better if we had a charcoal starter to start the charcoal before adding to the smoker while cooking. Or at least removing the turkey halfway through and restarting the coals. But either way it tasted great and we will be doing it again. Might try injecting the bird with some marinade next time. And keeping it hot enough, of course.

Happy Cooking!

Grilled Country Style Ribs

Don't you just hate it when you can smell someone down the street barbecuing? Only one thing to do - fire up the grill and give 'em a taste of their own cooking!

The Details:

Marinade

1 cup water

1/2 cup Dale's sauce

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup vinegar

Lawry's seasoned salt to taste

powder garlic to taste

pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients for marinade together. Place country style pork ribs in marinade. Place in refrigerator overnight or at least one hour. Remove and place on grill set to medium-low. Slather on barbecue sauce. Cook until done, turning occasionally and adding more barbecue sauce.

Your mouth watering yet?

Now is it? I know mine is.

If you use a meat thermometer, pork is done at 160 degrees. You can always use your own choice of marinade. Mine changes depending on what I'm in the mood for. Sometimes I might add more garlic, or leave out the seasoned salt, or even add a tablespoonful of brown sugar or honey if I want a sweet sauce that night. Experiment and see what you like!

Happy Cooking!