Life is so much better after you have mastered the art if smoking a savory "Fatty". 
​A fatty is basically some sort of ground beef or sausage rolled up in a bacon weave and smoked. And when you want to get fancy - you stuff it with additional goodies. In this recipe we use wagyu ground beef but you can just as easily use ground sausage. And we stuff it with cheese, jalapenos and of course, more bacon....because everything tastes better with more bacon!!

Start by chopping the jalapenos and the chives and mix in a bowl. You want to chopped it very finely so that the chees mixture with be even and smooth.

Add the cream cheese and Mexican cheese mix to the bowl and mix thoroughly. When you have it all mixed up, pour the mixture onto some saran or plastic wrap and shape the cheese mixture like a log. Put in refrigerator to cool. This will stiffen up the cheese mix and make it easier to place and roll later. 

Mix the ground wagyu beef, the beef concentrate and 2 Tbs of the Big Swede BBQ Badass Beef Boost in a bowl. Set aside. Make a bacon weave with the thick-cut bacon. Spread the ground beef mixture onto the bacon weave. Try to have the same thickness throughout the weave. Leave about an inch uncovered on each side.

Spread an even layer of BBQ sauce onto the beef layer. Sauté the regular bacon and spread evenly on top of the BBQ sauce layer. Unwrap and place the cheese in the middle of the bacon weave. Make sure that you at least have three inches on each side of the log so you are able to wrap it tight and fully enclose the cheese mix. If not, cheese will spray out of both ends like a volcano when you smoke the fatty.

Roll up the bacon weave to create the bacon log. Make sure that you seal the ends carefully (remember the volcano). Sprinkle more Big Swede BBQ Badass Beef Boost onto the log. Set smoker for 300 degrees F and use a fruitwood as fuel. Apple, Cherry or Peach all works great. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160. Baste with BBQ sauce to create a nice glaze and continue smoking the fatty until the internal temperature reaches 165. Set aside a let rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve on a burger bun or on a plate with creamy potato salad. Enjoy the Fatty experience!! 

This is a great grill recipe with strong Japanese flavors. The charred Eggplant and Skirt Steak combined with the smoothness and sweetness of the Miso makes a perfect dinner course. It is easy to make and fast to serve which makes it perfect when hosting guest. Getting a good Skirt Steak cut is key since Skirt Steak needs to be cooked to medium-rare to have great texture. If you cook it to rare, it is too raw and chewy, if you overcook it - it is tough and dry..  
Start the preparation by finely mincing the garlic. To make the skirt steak marinade, mix together the Garlic, Red miso, Mirin, Rice Wine, Tobanjan, and sugar in a bowl. Make sure it gets thoroughly mixed.

​Trim the Skirt Steaks. Remove some of thicker parts of fat and try to remove as much of the silver-skin as you can. pan. Lay the skirt steak in the marinade and flip it a couple of  times to generously coat all over. Vacuum-seal and marinate the steak for a minimum of 1 hour in the fridge. Turn a couple of times.

​Start by trimming both ends of each eggplant so you have pieces of similar size. Slice the eggplants in half.
Combine the Miso Glaze ingredients and whisk to combine and remove lumps. Taste the glaze. If you want a sweeter glaze, add more sugar.

Set up the grill for two heat-zones. One side should be set to medium (eggplant) and the other to searing hot (Skirt Steak). 
It's important only to use medium heat for the eggplant because otherwise it will char too much before it cooks through.

​While the grill is heating up, brush the cut side of each eggplant with the oil. Do it 2 to 3 times to use up all the oil.
When the grill is heated on both sides, start with placing the eggplant cut side down on the grill and cook for 4 minutes until it turns a light golden brown.
​After 4 minutes, turn the eggplants over, and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. While it is cooking, use a brush to spread a generous amount of Miso Glaze on the cut side of each eggplant. When the eggplant is squishy and soft, turn over on final time and caramelize the miso-glaze side for 30 seconds.
Remove eggplants from grill, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Two minutes after you put on the eggplants, add the skirt steaks on the grill (on the hot side). Grill the skirt steak for about 3 minutes per side, to medium-rare. The steak might stick to the grill because of the miso, so ease it off carefully. When the steaks are done, let them rest for a few minutes.
Slice the skirt steak thinly and against the grain. Serve with eggplant.

Shepherd's Pie is a tasty and very easy dish to put together. It is very rich and fits perfectly on cold winter evenings. ​In early cookery books, the dish was a means of using leftover roasted meat of any kind, and the pie dish was lined with mashed potato as well as having a mashed potato crust on top. And that is exactly how we will make it in this recipe using leftover Smoked brisket. You can easily switch out the brisket with ground beef, tri-tip or even turkey.

Start by cutting the onion and the carrots in to same sized cubes. The smaller you make them, the better they will mix in the pie. Try to make them the same size as the peas.

Chop the brisket into small cubes as well. If the brisket has good texture when you smoked it, it will come apart very easily during the cook. If the brisket is tough, you might want to pre-cook it until it is tender. Slice the chives and set aside for use later.

​Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Mix the grated cheese and horseradish and set aside. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the butter, salt and pepper, cheddar/horseradish mix  and continue to mash until smooth. 

​While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the BBQ Sauce and the Beef gravy and stir to combine. Add the brisket, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 4-5 minutes. Finally, add the green peas and cook until hot.

Butter an over-proof baking dish and ​spread the brisket mix evenly on the bottom. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Set in oven on broil. 

Broil on high until browned. Sprinkle chives on top. Serve immediately. Like I said, a very easy but very tasty dish to put together. If you like, you can also add some garlic, corn, or bell peppers. Start experimenting - soon you will have your own favorite mix. Until then, enjoy mine!! Bon Appetit!!  

Winter time is chili time. When the tempretaure are creeping downwards, few things are as rewarding as enjoying a rich, flavorful, chili with some bite. I like chili without beans and my favorite recipe is one, cooked using smoked brisket. For a good smoked brisket recipe, check out my recipe on this site, you will find it in the beef section of this blog.

Start by finely chop the onion and the garlic and set aside. De-seed and finely chop the green peppers as well and then set aside for later use. Cut these Brunoise which is a fine dice measuring 4mm x 4mm x 4mm, or 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 inches.If you use fresh tomatoes, remove skin and seeds and chop thoroughly as well.

Next step is roasting the chilis. You have flexibility in the recipe for this step, add more jalapenos and less habaneros for a less spicy version. Roast the chilis over high heat for a couple of minutes, until the exterior is getting charred. Drop chilis in icewater - remove the skin and carefully remove the seeds. I recommend wearing rubber gloves when doing this, especially when you wear contacts. Some of you will know what I mean. Cut the chili into bruniose as well.

Heat some olive oil in a pan, preferably a cast-iron pan, and quickly brown garlic, onions and garlic. Dont overdo it, you just want them slighly browned. Mix in the crushed tomatoes and heat up. Add roasted chilis and stir for a couple of minutes.

Add the porter and let the pan simmer for 30 minutes. While it simmers, finely chop the brisket. This is worth doing thoroughly, the finer the dice, the better texture in the final chili. Take your time. When done, pour into the chili and stir.

Add some salt, pepper and other spices but don't overdo it. It is better to add some gradually for when you are getting a better sense of the flavor of the chili. The chili will now simmer for 5-6 hours and during this timeperiod the chili will get richer, and more flavorful so add spices in moderation. You will also see the it will slighly darken during the cook as well (see pictures above).
​When you feel that you have the right depth, flavor and texture, remove from the stove and serve. Chili is one of those dishes that tastes even better the day after, so dont be afraid to cook a day or two in advance, and heat up when time to serve. Serve with crackers and if you like some added texture, finely choppped oinions, shredded cheese and soem sour cream.  Enjoy!!

Tri-tip is a tender, lean beef cut that gets its name from its triangular shape. It is sold as a small roast from the bottom sirloin or cut into tri-tip steaks. What makes it special is the full flavor it promises for an affordable price. If you haven't heard of tri-tip, that's because for a long time, it was primarily a cut marketed in California and is still sometimes called a Santa Maria steak. Other names for the tri-tip are bottom sirloin roast and triangle roast. A boneless tri-tip roast weighs around 1-1/2 to 2 pounds and is around 2 inches thick. My favorite way to cook the tri-tip is a quick smoke with apple and finished off with a reverse sear. Let me guide you through the process.

The first step is to trim to tri-tip. Remove excess fat and if possible some of the silver skin. Shape it so you have nice slices when it is time to cut the tri-tip. The next step is optional.

You can inject the cut if you want to, but it is not necessary. It does give the tri-tip a nice beefy flavor boost. I inject the tri-tip with a mix of beef broth, Butcher BBQ Prime Brisket Injection and regular Soy Sauce. Inject the tri-tip throughout. I vacuum seal the tri-tip for a couple of hours but you could also just let it sit in the fridge overnight.

The next step is not optional though. Sprinkle the tri-tip with Big Swede BBQ Badass Beef Boost. The more rub you use, the more of a kick the tri-tip will have. It is all about personal preference. Let the tri-tips sweat for 30 minutes before you put them into the smoker at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. I use apple chunks for tri-tip.

Smoke the tri-tip until the internal thermometer reaches about 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap the cut in some aluminum foil and let it rest for 45 minutes. While you are waiting, light your grill to about 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Grill the tri-tip quickly on both sides to get nice a sear.

Let the tri-tip rest for at least 10 minutes before you slice it. As the meat fibers begin to relax, moisture that is driven out during the grilling is redistributed and reabsorbed by some of the dissolved proteins. 
By resting the meat, it holds on to more of its natural juices—the tri-tip won't flood the cutting board when you slice into the meat. Slice and serve with some over-roasted potatoes, roasted in olive oil, thyme, rosemary and garlic.

​Back ribs are usually cut from the prime rib roast which is quite an expensive cut. This thick muscle is used for roasting whole, or cut into boneless ribeye steaks. For that reason the rib bones are removed on the back ribs so there is very little meat on the surface. But there is some tasty stuff between the bones, and often back ribs can be found in slabs of 8 or more 8" long bones. Here is a great recipe using beef back ribs flavored with the Big Swede BBQ Badass Beef Boost.

The bone side of the ribs has a tough membrane that should be removed before cooking the ribs. Slip a dull knife along one of the rib bones under the membrane to loosen it and get it started. Some cooks like to use a screwdriver. Use paper towels to get a better grip when removing them. Beef ribs needs a lot of seasoning, so I just mustard to make the seasoning stick better. Don't worry, the mustard flavor will disappear during the cook. So massage the mustard into the ribs and make sure you get some between the ribs. Then sprinkle plenty of the Big Swede BBQ Badass Beef Boost on both sides of the slab. 

Set the smoker for 235-250 degrees Fahrenheit. I use pecan or oak wood when smoking beef back ribs. Smoke the ribs for about 3 hours and you can spray with some apple juice during the this time to keep the ribs moist.

During the first three hour smoke, start preparing the sauce. I use 1/3 apple juice, 1/3 honey and 1/3 BBQ sauce of choice. To give the sauce some added flavor, I mix in 2 Tbs of the Badass Beef Boost. Heat and mix. When the rub is absorbed into the sauce, baste the ribs thoroughly with the sauce. Wrap in two layers of aluminum foil and put back in the smoker for another 2-3 hours or so. I like the meat between the bones to be around 200 degrees when I pulled the ribs. 

I quickly put the ribs back in the smoker for another 15-20 minutes and then they are ready to serve. Be very careful when you remove the ribs - they should be extremely moist and tender and since they already don't have a lot of meat on them - they will very easily fall apart. Let the ribs rest for an hour wrapped in aluminum foil and then serve with or without sauce.

Ingredients:
Large Beef Brisket Prime
Beef Stock
Soy Sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Yellow mustard
Big Swede BBQ Badass Beef Boost
Butcher BBQ Prime Brisket Injection
BBQ Sauce

Start with mixing the BBQ injection. Mix together a couple of cups of a good beef stock with a tablespoon of Soy Sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Add 1 cup of the Butcher BBQ Prime Brisket injection and a 2 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ beef rub. Heat and stir until completely dissolved. Taste and add more injection if needed. It should be quite salty but very flavorful.

​Start trimming the brisket. I like to start with separating the flat and the point. The flat is the leaner part that I slice and the point if the much fattier one and it is great for burnt ends. Keep trimming by removing any excess of fat on the flat and the point.

​Rub both pieces with yellow mustard and start sprinkle the BBQ Rub of your choice. When cooking at home I use two layers: The first layer is Peppered Cow by Simply Marvelous (light) and the second layer is Beef Rub by The Slabs (generous). I like to gently massage the rub into the meat. Last step of the preparation process before the meat marinates over night is to inject the brisket. Inject the brisket throughout, (one injection per inch of brisket). Wrap in Cling Wrap and keep refrigerated over night.

​Fire up the smoker, I like to keep the temperature around 235 F (113 C). I prefer to use oak lump charcoal and then add apple and hickory wood chunks to the pit. If you want to more of a smoke flavor, feel free to use mesquite. BBQ is all about personal preference.

​Make sure that you have an aluminum pan underneath the meat when you start cooking to collect all the drippings. These drippings will be used later for flavoring the brisket slices and the burnt ends.

​Place the brisket on the smoker and smoke for 6 hours. Turn the brisket over - apply a light dust of BBQ rub and cook for another 2 hours or until the meats internal temperature hits 170 F. During the first two hours, add wood chunks for smoke flavor.

​Remove brisket from smoker. Lay the brisket (flat and point separately) on some heavy duty aluminum foil. Pour some of the drippings on the brisket and wrap tight. Return brisket to smoker and cook until internal temperature hits 200.

The remaining drippings should be put in a fridge. It will cause the fat to rise and harden. After 40 minutes you should be able to easily scrape all the fat from the drippings. Filter through a sieve. What you have left is liquid gold - the au jus will be packed with flavors and we will use it to enhance both the sliced brisket and the burnt ends.

When the temperature hits 200, remove brisket from foil  and pour accumulated juices into a cup. Put in fridge or cooler to separate fat (see above). Allow the meat to release its steam, otherwise the brisket might overcook during its resting phase.
​

​Wrap the flat again in heavy duty foil, place the meat in an empty cooler and let it rest for another two hours or so. While we wait for the flat to rest, use the point to make burnt ends. Slice the point into 3/4 inch cubes and place into another aluminum pan. Toss with some more more BBQ spices, a BBQ sauce of liking and your separated drippings. Put back in smoker for another hours so and stir every 15 minutes (cover with foil).

When the flat is done resting, quickly heat some au jus (separated from the fat).
Slice the brisket perpendicular to the grain. Brush or dip each slice in the hot au jus.
Fan slices on a platter and place some burnt ends around the edges.
Serve and enjoy. This is a simple recipe but the flavors are rich, bold and extremely satisfying. If you want to be popular with the neighbors, try this recipe the next time you have a BBQ at home. And experiment with the flavors, use different kinds of wood, different sauces and different rubs. That is what is so fun with BBQ, it is easy to make this recipe your own. And don't forget, serve with a cold beer!!  ​