Yes, and you can get boneless chicken thigh filets fairly cheaply. They are much better than chicken breasts, very tasty.
I’m also a fan of crockpots! I’ll have to give this a try, thanks!
The crock pot completely changed my outlook on cooking. Sundays are now dedicated to some type of meat slow cooked for 8 hours in that bad boy. Throw in the ingredients in the morning, smell it cooking throughout the day, eat around 5. Can’t get any easier than that.
My favorites are pepsi pot roast, chili, sauerkraut and pork, and pulled pork.
WTF?! Yep, I’m gonna try that.
Before completely dismissing hotdogs–there are in fact healthy versions of the hotdog out there. Try http://www.applegate.com/products/hot-dogs/category for example: lower in sodium, uncured, etc.
I typically use flank steak or london broil for smoking, rather than brisket, just because of the price difference, and chop it afterwards. Works just great.
What’s the lips to asshole ratio in that version of the hot dog?
Dig it Benny! Hate the hotdog while the healthy lean breast option gets the shaft in favor of fat rich thighs.
Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, it’s forgivable to go ass to mouth.
I prefer “lips n peckers” because of the scene in Sling Blade.
My faves are flank steak and tri-tip, delish. Since getting a bout of gout, I switched to chicken breast for my protein. Rub, oven at 450degrees, 20-24 mins depending in size, flip halfway through. Remove from oven, tent with foil.
Alternatively, same recipe but shove a can of Guinness up the chicken’s posterior, put it on the grill and add another half hour to the cook time. Yum.
London broil and another cheap favorite of mine, blade steak, both benefit from a few days of aging with spice. Heavily pierce the meat with a mixture of sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder (“The Chicago treatment”). Put in a freezer bag and let rest in the fridge for 2-3 days. The meat will be much more tender.
Optionally, I often get blade steaks that are pretty thick. Slow-cooking these (smoker or top rack of the grill away from direct heat) for 2 hours will break down almost all the gristle, but still leave you with a tender, nice cut.
I find spices are the thing that throw a lot of quality cheap eats over the top. Almost anyone can get good-quality spices from a local grocer. To step it up a little I like to use Penzy’s Spices. You can get 'em on the web. Not too expensive and nice, potent flavors.
If you are looking to grill a lot and want a way to get a lot of versatility you should look into a 5-in-1 grilltop tool. They work for kabobs, stuffed peppers, fish, and even smoking on non-charcoal grills. It throws a lot of quick, easy options out there for you. for instance, I love using my rotisserie, but the setup and cleaning can be a bit of a pain. A 5-in-1 you just configure and set on top of the grill, easy-peasy.
I’d even recommend going out and buying 'em whole from local ethnic grocery stores if you’re lucky enough to have them. Roasting and grinding fresh coriander, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, etc. has really kicked up the flavors in my cooking. Penzy’s is great for variety and ease of access, but once you’ve ground and bottled this stuff, the flavor compounds are on a swift train to NeutralTown.
Chicken breasts can be really hard to “eyeball” on a grill, especially the boneless ones. Get a good digital thermometer (like $10) with a needle probe and you’ll never have trouble cooking breasts again. As soon as it hits 150 degrees take it off and tent-rest it for ten minutes before dining.
Or bacon rings! Brush thick vidalia rings with hot sauce, wrap them in raw bacon (held together with toothpicks), then dip the onion rings in more hot sauce. heavily pepper and grill on the top rack for about 70-90 minutes. Mix 1tb lime juice with 2tb mayo and 1tb hotsauce for a zingy lime dipping sauce!
Sorry, this topic is too fun.
Well, I think the point was ease and cost, but yeah, fresh is always best. Also, with herbs, a fairly modest potted plant garden can keep you going all summer, and still leave some reserves for at least part of the winter.
Pepsi also makes a good turkey baste for smoked turkey.
Seconding the thermometer. I use it all the time, indoors and out. Remember that meat will continue to cook for a short time after being removed from the heat. Internal temp can rise from five to ten degrees depending on the type of protein and the thickness or if it’s bone in.
That sounds delicious! Does anyone have an experience with using vacuum sealing for marinading steak? I received a food saver for Christmas and while I love it for buying bulk meat etc and storing it in the chest freezer, i’ve heard that it works really well for getting the marinade into the meat.
Vacuum marinade gets the marinade deep into the flesh quickly. But time is still needed for the proteins to denature.