Summer Cooking from the Ranch

Sizzling steak.  Savory smoked brisket. Roasting hot dogs. These are the staples of the American BBQ that will take center stage as familes gather to celebrate this Independence Day.  It may seem like just a barbeque, a summer meal to keep the kids happy, satisfy those hunger pangs, and give dad a reason to pull out his grill.  But if you think about it, that simple meal is a symbol of so much more.

Food may be a necessity, a sustaining element to life, but somewhere, it became so much more.  It became a gathering beacon for friends, families, neighborhoods and good old American small towns.  Those potluck salads, sweet desserts and mouth watering entrees have gone from merely something to keep the body fueled to something to take pride in, turning an ordinary meal into a family memory worth recollecting.  Traditions are created, centered around secret family recipes, new favorite dishes, and truly scintillating cuisines.  

But only because there are dedicated farmers and ranchers that grow such a top notch products.  From the tender steaks and skewered kebabs to the tangy coleslaw and the juicy watermelon, someone carefully tended those crops.  Every step from the farm to your table, they worked to grow food worthy of your gathering

Intentionally or not, the 4th of July celebration is also a day to support those good men and women, families and operations across the country that work day in and day out to feed the world.  Buying those hot dogs, burgers, buns, and toppings, adding fresh corn on the cob, fruit salads and veggie trays, topped off with a scoop or two of delicious ice cream is in its own way, a toast and thank you to all the American farmers and ranchers that provide for us all.

 Statistics say that 66% of Americans serve burgers during Fourth of July celebrations with hot dogs close behind at 64% of Americans serving them.  Favorite sides include coleslaw served by around 27% of Americans on Independence Day and 50% of Americans agreed that corn on the cob is a must-have Fourth of July food.

So this Independence Day, gather in your people, light the grill and celebrate the opportunity to do so, the people you are with, salute the heroes that make it possible and give a nod to the farmers and ranchers that help your gathering be one you won’t forget.

Statistics taken from https://gitnux.org/most-popular-4th-of-july-foods/

Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket 

HeyGrillHey.com

Ingredients

12-14 lb whole packer brisket

2 Tbsp coarse Kosher salt

2 Tbsp coarse ground black pepper

2 Tbsp garlic powder (optional)

Instructions

Store your brisket in the refrigerator until you are ready to start trimming. Cold briskets are much easier to work with. Flip your brisket over so the point end is underneath. Remove any silver skin or excess fat from the flat muscle. Trim down the large crescent moon shaped fat section until it is a smooth transition between the point and the flat. Trim any excess or loose meat and fat from the point. Square the edges and ends of the flat. Flip the brisket over and trim the top fat cap to about 1/4 of an inch thickness across the surface of the brisket.

In a mixing bowl or empty spice container, mix the salt, pepper, and garlic. Share over the brisket to evenly distribute the spices on all sides.

Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F using indirect heat and hardwood smoke. Place the brisket on the smoker with the point end facing your main heat source. This is a thicker part of the brisket and it can handle the additional heat. Close the lid and smoke until and internal thermometer reads 165 degrees F (usually takes around 8 hours).

On a large work surface, roll out a big piece of butcher paper (or foil) and center your brisket in the middle. Wrap the brisket by folding edge over edge, creating a leak proof seal all the way around. Return the wrapped brisket to the smoker, seam side down so the weight from the brisket crimps the edges of the paper wrap down tight.

Close the lid on the smoker and, maintaining 225 degrees F, continue cooking until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 202 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat (takes anywhere from 5-8 hours).

Remove the brisket to a large cutting board and allow to rest for 1 hour before slicing. Slice both the point and the flat against the grain with a sharp knife and serve immediately.

No Fail BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Food.com

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp black pepper

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tsp kosher salt

1 rack of baby-back pork ribs

1(18 ounce) bottle Sweet Baby Ray's original barbecue sauce

DIRECTIONS

Remove silver skin from bone side of ribs. Never used to do this, but now understand why the pros do. Using the tine of a dinner fork helps get things started, then it just peels off.

Put a large sheet of foil on the counter and place the ribs meat side down. You want enough foil to VERY lightly wrap (or tent) the ribs for grilling.

All the spice measurements above are estimates. We like things a bit on the zippy side, but not burning hot -- just a little bite. With that said, we season the bone side of the ribs heavy with garlic powder, medium heavy with cayenne, medium heavy with pepper, and light with salt. Really hard to over do it, as after 4+ hours on the grill, the spices seem to mellow.

Flip the ribs and repeat the seasoning. Again, may look heavy, but the flavors kinda vanish during cooking. Why you need to try it once and adjust to taste the 2nd time. I never taste the garlic no matter how much I put on, but the cayenne does adjust the spiciness. Even when we go pretty heavy with the cayenne, it is not over-powering.

Lightly wrap the ribs. You want to create a tent on top so the foil does not touch the meat. Pull up the ends lightly and seal. You do want to seal things so moisture does not escape. You can put these in the fridge all day, or put on the grill immediately.

I have a Weber Genesis gas grill that has a front, center and rear burner. Don't have to pre-heat, but I only turn on the front burner to low-medium -- grill will heat to about 250 degrees. Place the ribs towards the rear of the grill (away from the burner). Leave them there for 2 hours. Nothing you need to do except make sure the temp stays around 250. 200 is fine, 300 is fine -- but lower seems to produce better results.

After 2 hours, open the foil and coat with BBQ sauce. Should be a lot of juice in the foil at this point. If not, add some water, beer, or something. Re-seal the foil and let them go another 2 hours.

Now the tricky part. Pull the ribs towards the front the grill. Get a couple wide spatulas, open the foil, and carefully lift the rack of ribs from the foil and place directly on the center of the grill. At this point, the ribs will be pretty much done. Remove the foil from the grill. Turn on all the burners and coat the ribs with sauce. Close the lid. Things should start smoking from the sauce dripping and burning. If things are not smoking, turn up the heat. Keep an eye on things at this point. You do want a nice char, but you don't want to overdo it. Maybe 10-20 minutes for this step.

Get the 2 spatulas and remove to a cookie sheet or platter. Enjoy.

If you like Sweet Baby Ray's Original, you will like these. Fall off the bone every single time, and they require very little effort or attention. You can adjust the base seasoning to your liking. I have made these with the same general recipe and process from anywhere between 3 hours and 6 hours with very little loss in outcome. Hence the reason I call it "no fail".

Classic Grilled Cheeseburger

OliveAndMango.com

Ingredients

2 lbs (32 ounces) 80/20 ground beef, cold

2 cloves garlic peeled and finely minced

2 Tbsp minced onion

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce or A-1 sauce

½ Tsp smoked paprika

1½ Tsp freshly ground pepper

1 Tsp salt

6 hamburger buns

6-12 slices of Selection Thick Cheddar Cheese Slices

Burger Toppings

Lettuce

Tomatoes, sliced

Red onions, sliced

Pickles, sliced

Ketchup, Mayo and Mustard or your favorite sauces

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix all the burger ingredients together until well combined. Don’t over mix the meat.

Divide meat into 6 equal portions and form each into a patty that is approx 4-inches wide across with 1-inch sides and create a shallow depression in the middle. Cover and chill until ready to grill.

Preheat a grill to medium high. Lightly brush the grill grates with vegetable oil, then grill the patties, indentation-side up, until marked on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until marked and slightly firm, about 3 more minutes for medium doneness.

Top with 1-2 slices cheese during the last minute of cooking; cover the grill to melt. Remove patties from grill. Grill buns if desired then serve the patties over the buns and top with your choice of toppings.

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

Marinade:

1/3 C honey

1/3 C soy sauce

¼ C vegetable oil

¼ Tsp ground black pepper

Kabobs:

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1-inch cubes

5 small onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic

12 bamboo skewers, or as needed, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Remove 1/4 cup of the marinade to a small jar; seal and set aside to use while cooking.

Add chicken, onions, bell peppers, and garlic to the marinade in the large bowl. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate.

Drain marinade from chicken and vegetables; discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto skewers.

Place kabobs on the preheated grill. Cook, turning frequently and brushing with reserved marinade, until nicely browned on all sides and chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 12 to 15 minutes.