Spice-Guy's Kitchen

This is my favorite way to do brats.

Ingredients per serving:

one uncooked brat

2 strips of bacon

several slices of  jarred jalapeno peppers

Directions:

Using a sharp knife cut a slit in one side of the brat.

Stuff several slices of jalapeno peppers into the slit.

Starting at one end, tuck one end of  bacon into the slit and wrap the bacon around the brat. Do the same thing with second piece of bacon from the other end.

Bake in oven preheated to 425-450F until the bacon is crisp.

Stick the brat into a deli style roll, cover with sauteed onions and condiments of your choice.

Good grinds right there…

And here’s a cross section of deliciousness…

Enjoy!

This is with out a doubt my favorite way to cook a steak. The only seasoning used is the salt in the pan. The steak does the rest. I like to say, “the steak is the seasoning”  besause all those juices that would normally go into the fire concentrate in the pan. Your steak will have a wonderful “crust” that you can only achieve with a cast iron skillet.

Directions:

Get your BBQ red hot and place your cast iron skillet on the cooking grate.

When it starts smoking well, sprinkle about a tablespoon of kosher salt on the bottom of the skillet.

As soon as the salt starts to turn brown lay your steak on the salt.

Turn after 4 or 5 minutes and cook for another 4 minutes for rare.

Remove from the skillet and allow to rest for a few minutes.

Yams are great anyway but coconut and pecans make them even better.

Praline Yams

Ingredients:
1 (29 ounce) can cut yams, drained
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place yams in an ungreased 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and blend well. Sprinkle over yams.

 Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

8 ounces sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup sweet red bell pepper
4 cans (16 ounces each) beans(white, pinto, black, kidney)
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 or 2 diced jalepeno peppers
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a 3-quart Dutch oven.
Cover and cook over medium low heat for at least 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Serves 12.

If you have a smoker you can(should) do this:

Place the beans in an aluminum disposable pan and place them in the smoker right under the meat that is being smoked so the drippings fall into the beans. That puts them over the top!

Thanks to http://noexcusesbbq.com/ for the idea.

Chili made with beer and chocolate. Does it get any better than this?

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons mexican style seasoning
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
3 cups chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 (12-ounce) bottles dark beer
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed, with juices
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons salt
1-ounce semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons masa harina
Grated Cheddar, for garnish
Finely chopped green onions, for garnish
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over high heat.
Add the beef, chili powder, cumin, Mexican style seasoning, cayenne, cinnamon, crushed red pepper and bay leaf and cook until meat is well-browned.
Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until the onions soften, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the beers and stir until the foam subsides, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, salt, and chocolate to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until thickened and meat is very tender, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Skim off any fat that rises to the top of the chili.
Sprinkle soup with masa harina and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Serve topped with the cheese, green onions, and cilantro.

Slow cooker beef stew with a twist of beer, chili sauce, and brown sugar.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-3/4 pounds beef stew meat,
cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large potato, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup (rounded) chopped celery
1/4 cup (rounded) chopped onion
1 or 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup beer
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Place the beef stew meat and flour in a large resealable plastic bag, and shake to coat.
Transfer coated meat to the skillet, and cook a minute or two until browned.
Mix the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in a slow cooker.
Place browned beef over the vegetables, and season with basil and thyme.
In a bowl, mix the chili sauce, beer, and brown sugar, and pour over meat in the slow cooker.
Cover slow cooker, and cook 8 hours on Low or 2 hours on High.
Serve with crusty bread and cold beer of course.
6 servings.