People often ask Dr. BBQ: “Do you smoke everything?” Not quite, but he’s trying. Here is the classic Thanksgiving casserole transformed just a little. This is also from Ray’s book, Dr. BBQ’s Barbecue All Year Long! Cookbook.
Smoked Prime Ribs of Beef
Dave DeWitt’s mom always served a rare standing prime rib roast for Christmas, but I’m going to change this to just the ribs, and not roasted, but smoked. Buy a large prime rib roast and cut away the center. Then slice the ribless roast into ribeye steaks to use in steak recipes throughout Fiery Foods Central. Then slice the ribs apart so that more smoke will reach them. This recipe is from our book Barbecue Inferno. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.
Chile de Arbol Christmas Salad
This is my take on the popular Ensalada de Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Salad) that is served in Mexico. The jicama provides a nice crunchy texture to the salad, but if they are unavailable, use a crisp Granny Smith apple. For added color diced beets are sometimes added in the traditional salad. Pomegranates are in season this time of year, and the seeds add color as well as flavor to this holiday dish.
Ginger Pumpkin Bisque with Peppered Croutons
We don’t always end a holiday meal with pumpkin pie-sometimes we begin the feast with this spicy soup with its Caribbean island flavor. If you don’t want to use pumpkin, any winter squash, such as butternut, acorn or Hubbard, will do. This is an easy recipe to prepare, but if you want an even quicker version, used canned pumpkin puree or a 12-ounce package or frozen cooked winter squash as a base. This recipe is from Dave’s and my book, The Spicy Food Lover’s Bible.
Hot Cranberry Drink
This recipe is from Dr. BBQ, Ray Lampe, who says “why serve cranberries in a jelly when you can just drink them?” This is the perfect starter for a holiday dinner, and if your significant other isn’t looking, add some vodka to this creation. This recipe is from Ray’s book, Dr. BBQ’s Barbecue All Year Long! cookbook.