Another Rotisserie Chicken
Ditalini was going to the store this morning, so I asked her to pick up a chicken. She came home with a free range organic fryer that cost three times as much as the typical factory chicken, but we felt…
Beer Can Chicken on the Barbie
Everybody has a barbecue beer can chicken recipe. How is mine different? It isn’t, but I’ll try to make up for that by discussing good techniques for cooking it. Equipment & Technique You want to use a pie pan because…
Birthday Dinner
Our friend and neighbor Poulet en Crote prepared and hosted a lovely birthday dinner for me and Osso Bucco (63 & 72 respectively). On the menu: prime rib, butternut squash, sautéed Brussels sprouts with bacon & onion, salad, and cake…
Smoking on the Road: Cookblogging on the Installment Plan
Crouton and Ditalini are in Las Vegas, visiting our kids, Baguette and Escargot. Baguette and I are smoking turkey breast and sausage today; we’ll serve it with Swiss chard, sautéed with bacon, onions, and feta cheese. We think it’ll be…
Crouton’s 15-Bean Soup
Notes I had a small piece of salt pork in the freezer, so I used it along with the ham hock, removing and discarding both at the same time. I’ve prepared this recipe many times with just the ham hock,…
Hillbilly Tex/Mex?
I’m cooking a pot of chili con carne this morning, using what’s left of my smoked beef brisket from two weekends ago and a bottle of Shiner Bock Ditalini left in the back of the fridge. Sure, it’ll have a…
Italian Family Barbecue Revisited
Here’s the original recipe, if you want the details. A few variations this time around. We recently bought a new gas grill, and in my zeal to protect it and make it last forever, I’m using grilling pans and sheets. …
Weekend Followup
In a previous post, I discussed preparing brisket and spare ribs for smoking. In the post after that, I described my smoking routine. If you’re into smoking, you’re probably curious as to how it all turned out: Actually, by the…
Weekend Countdown
The kids and grandkids are coming for the weekend; possibly my niece and her boyfriend; maybe even some Aussie friends who’ll be in town. I’m planning a cookout for Sunday, and I’ve already started. The menu? Smoked pork spareribs, smoked…
Crouton’s Green Chile Stew
Three summers ago I delivered fancy motorhomes for a Tucson RV dealership. We’d frequently drive new motorhomes across the state line into New Mexico so that customers could take title there and avoid Arizona taxes. Whenever we did, we’d always…