Pellet Smoked Chicken Breasts
Chicken breasts on a pellet smoker are always a delicious meal. But you should avoid the boneless skinless breasts because they are lean meat and that usually dries out on the smoker. Go for the bone in skin on chicken breasts which usually cost less than the boneless skinless type. The rib bones help protect the meat from the heat and the fat in the skin keeps the lean breast meat from drying out. If you have time to do an overnight brine, the meat will be even juicer and more flavorful. Smoking chicken under 300F usually results in a rubbery skin texture and to avoid that you can cook the final stages under high heat or over a flame. For this recipe, were going to smoke the chicken breasts at 235F for roughly 2 hours until they reach about 158F. Then they get transferred to to a grill and placed skin side down with the lid open. This will tighten up the skin and give it a nice flame kissed flavor.
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 2 – 4 chicken breasts bone in skin on
- 2 tbsp BBQ rub
Brine
- 1 gallon water
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 lemon
Directions
Boil 1 gallon of water along with all of the listed brine ingredients. Allow the brine to boil for a few minutes then turn off the heat. Remove the pot from the burner and allow the liquid to cool for 1 hour. You can add ice in a large zip seal bag to speed up the cooling process but do not add ice directly to the brine because this will dilute the solution. When the liquid reaches a medium warm temperature, add it to an 8 quart container and place it in the refrigerator for several hours.
When the brine reaches refrigerator temperature (around 32F) then add the chicken breasts to the brine. Place the brine back in the refrigerator overnight or at least 12 hours.
After the brine phase, wash off the chicken breasts then place them on a sheet pan with a cooling rack. Pat the chicken down with paper towels to absorb as much liquid as possible. It is important to dry off the skin as much as possible to prevent rubbery skin texture. If you have time, place the chicken back in the refrigerator overnight and this will circulate air around them which dries off the skin.
When you are ready to cook, preheat your smoker to 235 using pecan wood pellets. Place the chicken breasts on an upper rack in your smoker and let them cook for around 2 hours or until they reach a internal temperature of 158F.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a preheated grill and place them skin side down. If you are using a gas grill, set the burner on medium. Keep the lid open and watch out for any flare ups as the chicken fat melts into the flame. Cook until the skin reaches your desired doneness, then flip and cook on the rib bone side. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
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Eggplant Mozzarella
Eggplant Mozzarella
Eggplant mozzarella is a lower fat and quicker recipe than typical eggplant parmesan. This recipe also includes other veggies that you would not find in classic eggplant parmesan recipes. Now of course you will need to spend at least an hour salting the eggplant to get the bitter liquid out. Add the chopping and baking steps and you might need to save this recipe for the weekend. But overall this is pretty easy to put together and it is just amazingly delicious!
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 1 yellow onion
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms
- 14 oz can whole artichoke hearts
- 1 clove garlic
- 1tsp basil
- 8 oz low fat mozzarella cheese
- 3 oz parmesan cheese
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 1/2 tbs Italian seasoning
Directions
Cut the ends off the eggplant then slice the eggplant lengthwise in ¼ inch slices. Set aside any odd shaped slices or leftover bits to use later. Salt the eggplant on one side and let it rest for 30 minutes. Pat the eggplant slices dry then flip them over and salt the other side. Let it rest for 30 minutes and pat the eggplant dry.
Drain the artichokes and let them dry on paper towels. If you purchased whole artichoke hearts, you can squeeze the liquid out of each by hand. Dice the onion and mushrooms. Dice the artichokes when dry. Roughly chop any leftover eggplant bits and misfit slices.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place aluminum foil on 2 baking sheets then spray them with cooking grease. Add one layer of eggplant on the sheets. Brush them on both sides with olive oil. Apply salt, pepper and oregano on both sides. Bake for 20 minutes on the middle rack.
Cook the chopped eggplant bits, mushroom, onion, and artichoke mixture in a frying pan at a medium heat for 10 minutes or until the onions become translucent.
Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 cooking dish with marinara sauce. Add a layer of eggplant, then spoon in a layer of the onion mushroom artichoke mixture. Spoon on a layer of marinara sauce, then a layer of mozzarella. Repeat these layers until you use up the ingredients. For the top layer use eggplant covered lightly with marinara then mozzarella.
Seal the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes at 400F. Next, remove the foil then top with grated Parmesan and Italian herbs. Turn the broiler on high then place the dish uncovered in the oven for 3 – 5 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on the brown color of the cheese and do not allow it to overcook. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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Pellet Smoked Turkey Legs (Disney Style-ish)
Pellet Smoked Turkey Legs
Everyone loves smoked Disney turkey legs and we searched the inter webs for the best Disney style recipe. We found most recipes to vary from each other and it started to seem like nobody really knows the recipe, just like KFC’s secret herbs and spices. So we’re not going to claim this recipe to be the actual Disney formula, but it is a mashup of a few good ones with our own spin on the spices and steps. This recipe is easy but it does take some time from start to finish. You will need to make a brine and soak the turkey legs overnight in that mixture. This adds a great level of flavor to the meat and helps to keep the meat moist. After the brine, you should dry out the turkey legs in the refrigerator overnight to give the skin a less chewy texture. This last step is optional but plan for 1 to 2 days of prep work before the actual cook.
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 4 turkey legs
Brine
- 1 gallon water
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp dried sage
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
Directions
Boil 1 gallon of water along with all of the listed brine ingredients. Allow the brine to boil for a few minutes then turn off the heat. Remove the pot from the burner and allow the liquid to cool for 1 hour. You can add ice in a large zip seal bag to speed up the cooling process but do not add ice directly to the brine because this will dilute the solution. When the liquid reaches a medium warm temperature, add it to an 8 quart container and place it in the refrigerator for several hours.
When the brine reaches refrigerator temperature (around 32F) then add the turkey legs to the brine. Place the brine back in the refrigerator overnight or at least 12 hours.
After the brine phase, wash off the turkey legs then place them on a sheet pan with a cooling rack. Pat the turkey down with paper towels to absorb as much liquid as possible. It is important to dry off the skin as much as possible to prevent rubbery skin texture. If you have time, place the turkey legs back in the refrigerator overnight and this will circulate air around them which dries off the skin.
When you are ready to cook, preheat your smoker to 230 using apple wood pellets. Spray the turkey legs with duck fat to act as a binder and skin browner. Apply smoked paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and kosher salt on all sides.
Place the turkey legs on an upper rack in your smoker and let them cook for an hour. After an hour, flip them over and then spray them down with duck fat. Check the temperatures and move around any legs from hot areas to cool areas if needed. Repeat these steps until you get close to 165 F, then increase the heat to 300F. Higher heat will help tighten up the skin. Continue cooking until the turkey legs reach around 175F. This should take around 3 hours.
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Italian Pasta Salad
Italian Pasta Salad
Cookouts and get togethers need a crowd pleasing side dish to compliment the main course. This recipe produces nearly 6 pounds of deliciousness for everyone except vegans. This recipe is American inspired so your Nonna’s true Italian recipe still reigns supreme. But with that said, these ingredients should be easy to find in most USA grocery stores. You can prepare most of the recipe ahead of time and cook the pasta on the final day. Combine everything together and you get one hearty and tasty dish.
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta
- 8 oz mozzarella balls
- 8oz pepper jack cheese
- 9oz genoa salami
- 6oz pepperoni
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- ½ red onion
- ½ green pepper
- ½ cup halved kalamata olives
- ½ cup sliced pepperoncini
- ½ cup parsley
Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Directions
First, cook the pasta following the instructions on the package. Typically you should boil 4 – 6 quarts of water. Add salt and the pasta then boil for 7 – 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and allow it to cool.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half or thirds if they are large. Dice half of a red onion and dice half of a green pepper. Add everything into a large mixing bowl. Add the sliced kalamata olives and sliced pepperoncini. Next, cut the salami and pepperoni into small cubes and add it to the bowl.
Next cut the mozzarella balls in half and add them to the bowl. Cut the pepper jack into small cubes and add to the bowl.
Prepare the dressing by combining the ingredients into a jar then seal the jar. Shake until everything is well combined.
Pour the pasta into a 9 x 13 foil pan. Pour the diced ingredients from the large mixing bowl.
Mix everything together while incorporating the dressing. Top with chopped parsley.
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