Lime Pickles

I spent the past couple days making lime pickles using my mom's recipe. It didn't take long for me to realize Mom left a lot of details out when she typed this up many years ago.

For one thing, Mom had been canning since she was a young girl, so she didn't need to write down the instructions for canning the pickles. Time to dig out the Ball® Blue Book.

The first step is to clean and slice the cucumbers and soak them in the lime water mixture. They have to soak in this mixture for 24 hours.



















Next you rinse the cucumber slices two or three times and put in a cold water bath for 3 hours.
















After three hours, drain the cucumber slices and put in a large pot (I used a stock pot) with the brine, placing the spices in a spice bag (small muslin bag). Let soak overnight, about 8 hours. Then bring to a simmer and let simmer for 35 minutes.













After it has simmered for 35 minutes. it's time to hot can the pickles. This is the finished product.

These are a sweet pickle. They have much more flavor than the sweet pickles you buy in a store. These are our absolute favorite pickles.

Smoked turkey salad

This is my wife Un Hui's recipe for turkey salad. It's simple, yet very delicious. You can use roasted turkey too. We have a bunch of leftover smoked turkey, so that's what my wife used this time. All quantities are approximate and you can change them to suit your tastes.

2 cups smoked turkey, cut into cubes or shredded.
1 finely diced carrot
1 finely diced stalk celery
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
Mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients, adding mayonnaise until it has reached the desired consistency.

The smoke flavor in the turkey comes out more in this recipe than eating the turkey by itself.

Refrigerate leftovers.

Firing up the smoker again.

Yesterday was another smokin'! day. This time it was chickens, pork picnic, and sausage.

Instead of using charcoal I used maple from a tree that fell into our back yard last year. I used a chain saw to cut sections the right length to fit in the firebox, then split them to firewood size.

I used the same method of lighting the wood that I used for charcoal. The best way to light either one is using a chimney starter. I placed kindling, which for those of you who haven't built campfires is small pieces of wood that will catch fire easily, into the chimney. I use old newspapers and advertisements printed on newsprint (the thin non-shiny paper) dampened with a little vegetable oil. The oil makes the paper act as a wick, burning slower than by itself so that the wood or charcoal catches fire before the paper is burned. I place this in the cavity in the bottom of the chimney, place the chimney on a grate or other fireproof surface, then light. In the case of wood, you can pour it CAREFULLY into the firebox once it is about half burned. This will ensure it will get the rest of your wood burning. In the case of charcoal, wait until all the coals are white before pouring into your grill.

I know a lot of people like brining their meat before smoking it, and that is fine. I like to use rubs instead. There are as many recipes for rubs as there are people who barbecue. Find one you like, modify it to where you like the taste, and there will be one more recipe.

I also basted the meat with apple juice. It helps keep the meat moist, plus adds flavor. Other smokers use other methods, but that's one that I like.

There is a major difference between smoking pork shoulders and picnics. The shoulder, or Boston butt, easily pulls apart to serve as pulled pork. Picnics have a tighter structure without the marbling and connective tissue that shoulders have. They are still good for smoking, but instead of pulling them I prefer to slice the meat.

Earlier times that I smoked breakfast sausage I left it in the smoker 1 or 2 hours. This time I left it in the smoker 4 or 5 hours. This resulted in much better flavor. Sadly, the 1 pound roll I smoked yesterday is already over half eaten. I'll have to smoke at least 2 pounds next time. I did not realize how much better it would taste with the added smoking time. My wife and I ate a quarter pound each just "sampling" it after it came out of the smoker. Yes, I basted the sausage with apple juice too.

I used roasting hens for smoking because they have more fat content than fryers. You want that because of the extended cooking time. Some people split their chickens when smoking them. I didn't this time, but will try that next time.

In addition to basting the meat, I also turned all the meat 180° during the smoking process because it was darker on the side facing the firebox. I also turned all pieces over around the halfway point, then turned them another 180° when approximately 3/4 done. This includes the sausage.

Cooking doesn't have to be in a kitchen or over a stove. Keep in mind that everyone's tastes are different, and unless you're cooking for a restaurant cook food you and your love ones like. If that means modifying a recipe so you like the flavor more, then do so. Recipes, for the most part, are guidelines. The important thing is that the people who are eating the food like it.

I learned a lesson several years ago from the late Jeff Smith, also knows as The Frugal Gourmet. Food tastes better when eaten with others. I always enjoyed cooking, but I enjoy it so much more when I'm sharing that food with friends and family. Have a blessed time in the kitchen, or wherever you cook, and enjoy time with those you love.

Smoking!

My wife bought me a new smoker Saturday to replace the old worn out one I bought used about 14 years ago. We had nasty weather till Tuesday so I was finally able to put it together.

Of course the first thing to do after putting a smoker together is to season it. This is done by rubbing the entire inside of the smoker with vegetable oil, then building a fire in the firebox (offset on the left on this model) and letting it burn for a few hours.





After seasoning it, of course I had to initiate the smoker, right? There's a rack of spare ribs and a pork butt (shoulder). I used a dry rub before smoking them, and basted them liberally with apple juice while smoking.












I couldn't leave an empty space in the smoker the first time I used it so I put a roll of Indiana Pork Sausage (see previous blog entry) in a foil pie plate and placed it on the rack. These were not done when I took this picture. They had only been smoking for a couple hours at this point.










There's nothing like some good smoked meat with your eggs for breakfast.














Add some grits and a cup of coffee for a delicious breakfast.










I was busy baking this afternoon. Between these homemade buns and the crescent rolls below, the house was smelling very good. I love baking yeast breads. Nothing makes the house smell better.







These are layered before rolling up, and a cold butter in between each layer.










I mixed some of the pulled pork from the shoulder with barbecue sauce for sandwiches using the homemade buns.













Time to dig in! And yes it was messy. All good barbecue is.

Breakfast sausage

I love sausage. Not just breakfast sausage, but most kinds of sausage. Here is the recipe I've been using the past couple years for breakfast sausage. It calls for pork, but it should be good with other meats too. If I'm able to connect this fall I'll try it with venison. Unlike nearly all commercial sausages, this does NOT contain any corn syrup or sugar. It doesn't need it. I usually make this for 7 or 8 pounds at a time, depending on the size of pork shoulder I'm using, and single grind it myself.

Indiana Farm Sausage

2 Lbs lean ground pork (I use pork shoulder, usually called pork butt or Boston butt.)
1/3 C finely chopped onion
2 TBsp rubbed dried sage leaves
1 TBsp finely chopped fresh parsley (Dried parsley flakes will do.)
1 tsp crumbled dried thyme
1 tsp crumbled dried basil
1 tsp ground marjoram
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried sweet pepper flakes (you can substitute paprika, but you won't have the flecks of sweet pepper in your finished sausage)
Pinch ground cayenne (up to 1 tsp if you like it hot)
1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

I like to put everything except the pork into a food processor so that it is mixed well.

In a deep bowl, combine all ingredients and knead vigorously with both hands, then beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Divide the mixture into 1 pound portions and, on wax paper or plastic wrap, shape into cylinders about 6 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Wrap sausages refrigerate at least 2 hours, or until firm to the touch.

This makes a great breakfast sausage. Cook as you normally would.

Seafood cocktail sauce

Have you ever wanted shrimp cocktail but didn't have any cocktail sauce on hand? Just mix some horseradish and a little lemon juice with ketchup and you've got better cocktail sauce than most of the manufactured brands. Adjust the amount of horseradish and ketchup to your own liking.

Daeji Bulgogi (Korean pork BBQ)

Before you start preparing the meat you need to cook your rice. I prefer a medium grain rice. Jasmine rice is also good for this. Rinse the rice a couple times till the water runs clear, then add water till it is almost twice as far up as the rice. We added some dried grains and beans to the rice before cooking this time. If you do, be sure to let them soak for a while before cooking. If you use a rice cooker it will take care of all your timing for you. If you cook it on the stove, bring the rice and water to a boil, cover and turn the heat down, and let cook for 30 minutes. Once the rice is done, turn the heat off and fluff with a rice spatula or large spoon.

I used a commercially prepared marinade because it tastes as good as you can make at home and is a lot easier than mixing it from scratch. It is available in oriental stores and in the oriental section of your local megamart. Be sure the marinade you buy has Korean pear and apple.

1 pork tenderloin or boneless center cut pork loin

Minced ginger and garlic (We put fresh garlic and ginger together in a food processor, then keep it in a jar in the refrigerator.)

Green onions cut into 1" lengths and split lenthwise

1 medium onion sliced lengthwise into strips

1 jar pork and chicken bulgogi marinade

Cut pork into thin slices across the grain. Your butcher may do this for you.

Add minced ginger and garlic.

Add green onions.

Cut onion lengthwise, then separate pieces.

Add onion to meat.

Shake jar of marinade to mix, then add to meat. And no, they're not kidding on the label when they say it's hot and spicy. After pouring marinade into the bowl with the meat, run a little water into the jar and cover tightly, then sha

ke jar and pour into the bowl with the meat. You don't want to waste any of this delicious liquid.

This is what it looks like before mixing.

There is no better way to mix this than to just get in there with your hand, breaking the onion ribs apart and making sure the marinade gets well mixed with the meat.

If you're going to take this with you camping, at this point put it into a freezer bag and freeze it. Then you can thaw it out at the campsi

te when you're ready to cook your pork bulgogi.

If you cook this on the stove, use a well seasoned cast iron skillet or griddle. Heat on high. You can also cook this on a grill, covering the grill with foil to keep it from falling through and to keep from losing the juices. In this case, I cooked it on the stove in a cast iron skillet.

Cook in batches so your skillet stays hot. Use one set of tongs to handle the raw meat and another set for turning the meat while cooking. Cook till pork is well done.

This is how it looks when it's done. The top bowl has the rice with grains and beans.

This is a serving suggestion. The yellow circles are tamogi, also called daikon. You can also add kimchi or any other side dishes you want.

My wife says I passed the test. She's a good teacher, and it has to be good to pass her test.