Grilled Crab-Stuffed Cherry Peppers

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This recipe and others can be found in the book excerpt

Barbecue Inferno,

by Dave DeWitt and Nancy Gerlach

Ingredients

The Peppers

  • 12 pickled “hot” cherry peppers

Crab Filling

  • 1 ½ tablespoons cream cheese

  • 1 teaspoon milk

  • 3 tablespoons crab meat (canned works fine)

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

  • 4 teaspoons dried bread crumbs

Instructions

Cut out the stems and core the chiles. The opening should be wide enough to fill. The tip of a vegetable peeler works well for this chore.

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling and mix well. Stuff the cherry peppers with the filling and thread on wooden skewers that have been soaked in water. Be sure to thread the peppers so that the filling side is up.

Grill over a medium fire for about 3 to 4 minutes until hot, and do not turn or the filling could fall out.

 

Roasted Poblano Chiles Stuffed with Spiced Goat Cheese

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Poblano chiles impart a distinctive taste to these rellenos and are usually milder than the New Mexican varieties. The filling is a combination of traditional Mexican and New Southwestern ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons ground red New Mexican chile
  • ½ cup goat cheese
  • ½ cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped fine
  • ½ cup raisins
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 4 large poblano chiles, roasted and peeled, stems left on
  • Flour for dredging
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Combine the ground red chile, cheeses, walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, and cloves to make the filling. Make a slit in the side of each pepper and stuff with the filling. Roll each chile in the flour and shake off the excess.

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks and the remaining ingredients (except the oil), then gently fold them into the egg whites to make a batter.

Carefully dip the chiles into the batter and coat well. Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a pan to 350 degrees. Add the chiles and fry until they are lightly browned, turning them once. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Rum-Cured Salmon with Thai Pepper Mint Chutney

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Before smoking, some fish are treated with a liquid cure, a mixture of various ingredients that helps in the preservation process. This cure is both sweet and hot. For the chutney, Fresh Thai chiles are available in Asian markets. Serve on a bed of white rice with the chutney on the side, along with grilled pineapple and mango slices.

Ingredients

  • Hot Rum Cure

  • 1/4 cup dark rum

  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

  • ½ teaspoon ground habanero chile

  • The Salmon

  • 4 salmon steaks

  • Thai Pepper Mint Mango Chutney

  • 2 ½ cups diced mango

  • 1 small red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed,
    diced

  • ½ cup thinly sliced red onion

  • 1/4 cup golden raisins

  • 4 Thai chiles (prik kee nu), stems removed, chopped,
    or substitute 2 serrano chiles

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons honey

  • 6 whole peppercorns

  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the rum, sugar, oil, mint, ginger, and chile. Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes to blend the flavors. Place the steaks in a glass dish and brush the cure on both sides of the steaks. Cover and marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator.

To make the chutney, combine all the ingredients, except the mint, in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the fruits and vegetables are soft. Remove the mango, pepper, onion, and chiles and simmer the sauce until the liquid is reduced to a syrup. Return the fruit and vegetables and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Allow to cool and add the mint.

Place the salmon steaks in a grill basket with handles. Grill the salmon over a medium fire until it flakes, about 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Serve the salmon with the chutney on the side.

Texas Beef Brisket New Mexico-Style

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Okay, okay, we borrowed a Texas technique and changed the rub to reflect our chilehead tastes. For years we have been perfecting recipes using a smoker known as an Oklahoma Joe’s. It is a horizontal, cylindrical smoker about three and a half feet long and about fourteen inches in diameter. It has an attached, dropped fire box that allows smoking with fairly cool smoke because the fire is separated a bit from the smoking area. Because smoking is so time consuming, it makes sense to smoke several things at once. In addition to brisket, we also smoke a turkey breast. Some cooks use the basting sauce as a mop during the smoking process and eliminate the long marinade at the end of smoking. Leftovers, if there are any, make the best barbecue sandwiches when served on a crusty hard roll with your choice of sauce from chapter 3.

Ingredients

For the Brisket:

  • 1 9 to 10 pound brisket (“packer trimmed” preferred)

  • ½ cup lemon juice

  • 2 cups mild red New Mexican chile powder

  • 1 tablespoon ground cayenne chile

  • 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 cup garlic powder

For the Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons commercial chili powder

  • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne chile (or more to taste)

  • 1 pound butter or margarine

  • 2 onions, chopped fine

  • 5 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 ½ cups beer, such as Shiner Bock

  • 4 lemons, quartered

  • 1 bunch parsley tops, minced

  • 2 cups vegetable oil

  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 bay leaves

 

Instructions

For the Brisket:

Thoroughly coat all surfaces of the brisket with lemon juice, and rub in well. Combine the chile powder, cayenne, black pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl, and sprinkle generously all over the brisket, rubbing it in well. Make sure that the brisket is entirely covered. Allow to marinate for at least an hour before smoking.

To smoke the brisket, build a hardwood fire in the fire box using pecan, oak, or any fruit wood. When the fire is smoking nicely, place the brisket on the rack fat side up, to let gravity and nature do the basting. Place the breast as far from the heat source as possible, and close the smoker. During the smoking, do nothing to the brisket. The smoking will take approximately 8 hours at 200 degrees smoke temperature. This means a lot of beer will be consumed while you wait and tend the fire.

After the brisket has finished smoking, remove it from the smoker, slather it generously with Brisket Basting Sauce, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil, and return it to the smoker. Close off all of the air supplies to the fire, and allow the meat to “set” in the pit for about 2 hours.

For the Sauce:

In a pot, melt the butter, add the onions and garlic, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes to soften. Add the beer, squeeze in the lemon juice, and add the lemon rinds to the pot. When the foam subsides, add all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.

 

Roasted Garlic and Chipotle Mashed Potatoes

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These potatoes are very high in flavor and lower in fat than the traditional ones. I sometimes leave the skins on the potatoes for extra taste.

Ingredients

  • 4 to 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 chipotles en adobo
  • 2 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup low-fat milk
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Garnish: Freshly ground Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Rub the garlic with the oil and wrap in a piece of aluminum foil. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until soft. Cool and squeeze the cloves out of the skins, then mince.

Place the chiles with a little of the adobo sauce in a blender or food processor and puree until they are smooth.

In a saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 30 minutes until they are tender. Drain the potatoes well.

Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl along with garlic, butter, milk, and yogurt. Beat until smooth and creamy, adding more yogurt or milk if necessary. Gently stir in the chile and season with the salt and pepper.

Garnish with the cheese and serve.