The Fruits of a Smoker

I recently became the beneficiary of a fine charcoal smoker and decided that my first attempt should be a smoked salmon. I was a little worried that I would turn this beautiful fish into uneatable shoe leather, but I was game for a culinary adventure.

Grilled Corn Cakes

Today is my youngest birthday so I decided to make a "special" breakfast this morning. The came out so well that I decided to post.

This recipe is a mixture of two that I took some of this and a little of that until I got these wonderful little guys.

The trick to these basic corn cakes is to add 1 cup of boiling water to the 3/4 cup corn meal and let them thicken before adding to the batter.

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup of sugar

3/4 cup stone ground corn meal (I like whole grain)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup milk)

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

Cook on a oiled skillet until golden brown and cooked through

These cakes are nice and sweet and light. I like to put cut up fruit and maybe some butter on

them. Yum!

BBQ Salad

I was eating at a local restaurant and ordered this grilled salad. It was so good and looked super easy to make. This is my version, a quick and easy way to have your veggies with your favorite BBQ.

I have always used Romain lettuce, but any firm head of lettuce would probably work. Slice the heads right down the middle. Add salt, fresh ground pepper and garlic powder. drizzle with olive oil, (a fine mist sprayer works even better). Place cut side down on a HOT grill for about 2 min or until you get your grill marks. While the lettuce is still warm, grate some Parmesan cheese on top, (blue cheese crumbles are awesome too). Serve immediately! Now eat your veggies!

Tri Tip Perfection!

I have come to the conclusion that there is no finer cut of meat than the tri tip. They can be found everywhere, just as good as a nice New York but not as expensive. I try to find one with not too much marbling (fat) and a pretty even thickness through out the whole cut.

Trim any excess fat off the outside of the meat. This fat layer tends to just burn on the grill and not really impart anything to the flavor.

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