Dry Rubs for Beef
Dry rub for beef brisket: This is the basic dry rub I use to coat beef brisket before smoking: 3 parts brown sugar slightly less than 1 part kosher salt 1 part chili powder 1 part pepper 1/3 part garlic…
Brine (Poultry)
Basic Brine for Chicken 3 qts water 3/4 cup kosher salt 1/4 cup sugar Change the proportions as necessary to make enough brine to cover your chicken. This is sufficient to cover a 5-lb whole fryer. Pickling Spice Brine for…
Crouton’s Chili Beans
You can serve these beans by themselves, or with chili con carne.
Crouton’s Chili con Carne
Over the years I’ve tried chili recipe after chili recipe. This is the one I finally settled on. Notes Chili con carne purists eschew beans. I like them. Here are two compromises for bean lovers: The easy way: add canned…
A Meme for Breakfast
I love a good meme, and here’s one about food! It’s simple: copy it to your own blog, highlight the things you’ve tried, and pass it on. Here’s my list: 1. Venison 2. Nettle tea 3. Huevos rancheros 4. Steak…
Italian Family Barbecue
We were having company Sunday. I wanted to barbecue, but Ditalini wanted Italian food. So we compromised by having an Italian barbecue. Here’s the menu: Grilled Artichokes We prepped the artichokes a couple of hours before the party by cutting the spiny…
Mothers’ Day Menu
Sometimes you get a marriage made in heaven. Ditalini and I share the same tastes in food, so my Mothers’ Day menu has us both slavering in anticipation. What am I cooking? Crouton’s Easy Dry-Rubbed Ribs with corn on the cob and…
Crouton’s Easy Beef Stew
This is a simple one-dish stew you can prepare in the afternoon and serve for supper. Notes Any kind of stew meat will do for this recipe, as long as you trim off the fat & gristle. For tough meats, increase…
Boring Ramen, Not
Ramen is teh bland. Here’s a way to cure that.
Crouton’s Smoked Pork Spareribs
Ditalini and I love pork spareribs. Full slab, St. Louis style, Kansas City style, baby back, they’re all good. In an earlier entry, I offered an easy recipe for dry-rubbed baby back ribs that are first cooked in the oven and then…