Charlie wanted one last cook-out with friends before the end of the year

 I cooked two slabs of ribs and a brisket in the smoker.  Prep I trimmed about a pound of fat from it, leaving about a quarter of an inch on the top and removing the hard fat and skin from the bottom. I rubbed it with kosher salt, black pepper and granulated garlic. 

Here is the brisket after 6 hours in the smoker @ 250º.

It took a total of 10 hours to finish.  It was really tender and juicy.

Then I converted it from a smoker to a grill. I removed all the insides and scraped out all the fat, then lined it with foil to further prevent any grease fire when the charcoal went in.  Fortunately Grill Grates makes the size that fits my smoker. Even mor fortunately, I  had some extras from my propane grill that I cut down to fit.  Finally I put some grill mats down so I could change them when I changed the meat I was cookiing so there would not be any transfer of the flavors. 

I also made Mexican street corn, vinaigrette dressrd coleslaw, and a fruit salad.

Perfect Summer Fruit Salad

Allrecipes Recipe by:  Nicole Graham Holley

"The perfect fruit salad for a backyard bbq or any occasion. There are never leftovers! This is one of my favorite fruit salad recipes, as I think the sauce really makes it. This salad is tastier the longer you can let it soak in its juices. I prefer 3 to 4 hours in the refrigerator before I serve it. Enjoy."

Ingredients  

2/3 cup fresh orange juice    2 ounce

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1 oz

1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 oz

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest 2 pinch

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2pinch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2dash

2 cups cubed fresh pineapple 1/2 C

2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/2 C 

3 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced 1

3 bananas, sliced 1

2 oranges, peeled and sectioned 1

1 cup seedless grapes 1/2 c

2 cups blueberries 1/2 c.

Directions

• Prep  25 m Cook 5 m Ready In 3 h 30 m
• Bring orange juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, orange zest, and lemon zest to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool. 
• Layer the fruit in a large, clear glass bowl in this order: pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit, bananas, oranges, grapes, and blueberries. Pour the cooled sauce over the fruit. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

TANGY COLESLAW VINIAGRETTE

1 head green cabbage

1 large green pepper

1 med. Spanish onion

1 C. cherry tomatoes

1 C. sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. celery seed

1 T. salt

1 C. white vinegar

3/4 C. vegetable oil

1. Rinse cabbage, remove dark, tough outer eaves.  Cut cabbage in half, quarter, core and shred.  Should make 10 cups. 

2. Cut green pepper into rings, removing seeds and white membrane.  Slice onion, separate into rings. Cut cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise.  Cover and chill until ready to use. ( I am going to use uncut grape tomatoes and may toss in some Clementine sections too)

3. In a large bowl (I am going to be running out of large bowls) alternately layer half of the cabbage, 1/2 of the onions. 1/2 of the peppers, Repeat. sprinkle with 1 C. sugar

4. In a small saucepan, combine mustard with 2 tsp. sugar, the celery seed, salt and vinegar, and oil.  Mix well, bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Pour hot over vegetables in bowl.

5. Cover coleslaw tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours or longer so that the vegetable mixture can marinate.  Toss the vegetables several times so they all have a chance to absorb the dressing

6. To serve: Uncover the coleslaw and add the cherry tomato halves.  Toss very gently until vegetables are well coated with dressing.   Arrange in serving bowl or platter and serve immediately

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Serves 4

This easy Mexican street corn salad is the ultimate summer side dish! Lightly creamy, spicy & bright, it's a recipe you'll make again and again. 

Ingredients

• 4 ears fresh corn, husked
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
• 1½ tablespoons mayo, (or vegan mayo)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• ⅓ cup chopped scallions
• ¼ cup crumbled Cotija, or feta cheese
• ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika or chili powder
• 1 jalapeño, diced*
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Brush the corn with olive oil and grill for 2 minutes per side, or until char marks form. Remove from grill and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the mayo, garlic, and lime zest and juice. Slice the kernels off the corn and add to the bowl along with the scallions. Stir to coat, then add the cheese, cilantro, smoked paprika, jalapeño, and salt. Season to taste and serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

Notes

*Roast the jalapeño alongside the corn if you'd like.

Make this recipe vegan by omitting the cheese.

Jeyuk Bokkeum (or Spicy Pork Bulgogi) 

Charlies birthday Aug 2,2024

Spicy Korean pork bulgogi marinated in a gochujang based sauce with lots of fresh garlic and ginger!

Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 10 mins Marinating time 1 hr Total Time 15 mins

Servings: 4 Author: Hyosun

Ingredients

• 2 pounds thinly sliced pork shoulder or butt (or a combination of  pork shoulder or butt and pork belly)
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 3 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Marinade:

• 6 tablespoons gochujang
• 1 or 2 tablespoons gochugaru
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice wine (or mirin)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 tablespoon honey (or more sugar)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1/2 small apple grated, 3 - 4 tablespoons (or 2 T plum syrup, maesilcheong)

Instructions

• Thinly slice the meat, if not pre-sliced.
  
• Mix all marinade ingredients well in a large bowl. Add the meat and toss everything well to evenly coat the meat with the marinade. Add the onion and scallions and toss again. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. Ours sat overnight.
  
• Grill or pan fry in a skillet (in 2 batches) over medium high heat until slightly caramelized. Adjust the heat as necessary.

Beef bulgogi -marinated beef, serving size 2 

 I increased the serving size.

1 1/2 lb. prime rib eye beef, thinly sliced

2 T. soy sauce

1/4 C. sugar

1 T. minced garlic

2 tsp. Asian sesame oil

2 tsp. mirin

2 tsp. water

Put soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil mirin and water in a bowl and stir until well mixed.  Add the beef and continue to mix until evenly coated.  Stir-fry over high heat on a frying pan. Cook until brown or to desired temperature.