Sides

3

Sassafras Smoked Potatoes & Ham

August 23, 2011
by Curt

Thanks to my wife’s idea, I put together another side dish that can be made on the smoker. I made this one along with pulled pork, but it can also be used as a complete dish. And this is what I’m going to consider it to be, because in reality, it has meat, potatoes and vegetables all in one.

I’m really enjoying my wife’s growing interest in my website. She loves to cook, and she’s very good at it. Her creativity has greatly enhanced the variety of recipes coming out on Smoked ‘n Grilled!

So, let’s get to the recipe.

Sassafras Smoked Potatoes & Ham

Ingredients

2 Idaho Bakers
2 green onions (chopped)
Ham chunks (precooked – about 1″ square)
Grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)
Garlic Salt (to Taste)
Cooking Spray

Preparation

First off, put the 2 potatoes into the oven at 350 degrees and bake for 1 hour. Once those are done, slice them up about 1/4 of an inch thick, or a little thicker if you’d like.

Spray the bottom of an aluminum foil baking pan. (Yes, the inside of the pan!).

Now layer the potatoes, onions, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt. In that order. Give it another spray of cooking oil and keep layering until you run out of potatoes. Now put an ample amount of the precooked ham chunks on top.

Now, if you haven’t already, get the smoker started and settled in at 225 to 250 degrees. Personally, I already had this going since I was already 4 hours into smoking a pork roast. Put the aluminum pan of potatoes and ham ingredients in the smoker.

In my case, the wood I was using for the pork roast was already used up, so I added right away, a chunk of sassafras wood. If you’re just starting the smoker, you might consider using sassafras if you have it. It imparts a great flavor. Another good one is mulberry. But you can use any of the milder woods like pecan, oak, peach, apple, etc. Unless you like a heavy smoke flavor, stay away from mesquite. The potatoes soak up the smoke very easily.

The potatoes and ham are already precooked, so you’re only warming things up, blending the flavors, and adding that delicious smoke to it. Take them off after 30 minutes. You don’t want the potatoes to dry out, just soak up that delicious smoke.

Enjoy, I know I sure did!
 
: Cooking Stories, Recipes, Sides
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3

Grandma’s Cucumbers in Cream

August 14, 2011
by Curt

This is a recipe my wife makes for her Dad sometimes. She originally got this recipe from her Grandma on her Dad’s side. Nice and quick to make.

This is perfect as a cool dish for a hot day.

So here we go, Grandma’s Cucumbers in Cream recipe.

Grandma’s Cucumbers in Cream

Ingredients

1 large burpless cucumber
1/4 onion
2 Tablespoons salt
1 can of evaporated milk
3 Tablespoons vinegar
3 teaspoons sugar

Preparation

Slice the cucumber and the onion into thin slices. Put both into a bowl of water mixed with the salt. Let this stand for 1 hour.

Remove the cucumber and onion slices from the water.

In a separate bowl, combine the evaporated milk, vinegar, and sugar together and pour this over the cucumbers and onions. Put it into the refrigerator to chill down until ready to eat.
 
: Non-BBQ Recipes, Sides
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9

Smoked Three Bean Salad

August 3, 2011
by Curt

A new rendition of my baked beans cooked on a smoker. Of course, all of these beans are already cooked, so we’re actually just warming them up and marrying the flavors together.

I tried a different combination of beans to try and create something completely different. After looking around though, I see it’s been done. Oh well, these will be the best, right!?

I believe you’re going to like the flavor of this recipe. I held back on the addition of sweetening ingredients and kept it to just a small addition of brown sugar. I didn’t want to overdo the sweetness and overpower the flavors of the beans and ground beef.

If you have more than one rack in your smoker, or you’re only doing a small meat item, then this can be added right in with the main meat item while you smoke. A meal all done on the smoker. And then again, this dish could be a meal all on its own, although it’s intended as a side dish.

Smoked Three Bean Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 can (15 oz.) Pork and Beans
1 can (15 oz.) Cannellini Beans (Ready-to-Eat by Progresso)
1 can (15 oz.) Kidney Beans
1 medium onion (diced)
1 Tablespoon chopped Cilantro (Dried)
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons mustard seeds
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

Fist of all, make sure the smoker is going and up to temperature. It should be at around 250 degrees.

Note: My wood recommendation for this would be something light like pecan, apple, or if you can get it, use peach or mulberry. Peach and mulberry both impart a very nice sweet taste.

In a skillet on the stove, brown the ground beef and drain off the grease. There won’t be much if you use ground beef with a lean ration such as 85/15.

Note: Before mixing the ingredients, rinse all three of the beans in a strainer before adding to the rest of the ingredients. This will help reduce unnecessary salt.

Mix all of the ingredients together in an aluminum baking pan, or a pan of your choice. Put this into the smoker at around 250 degrees for about 2 hours. They should be bubbling hot.
 
: Recipes, Sides
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3

Smoked Baked Beans & Ham

July 28, 2011
by Curt

I recently created a recipe for some pretty intensely sweet baked beans on the smoker called Smokey & Fruity Baked Beans. I decided I would create a baked beans dish on the smoker that was much simpler. So here is what I came up with.

A smokey version of an all time classic. There’s just something about that smoke flavor! I would recommend using a milder wood with this, like maybe peach or apple. Or for a hardwood, oak or pecan.

Smoked Baked Beans & Ham

Ingredients

1 Large 28 oz cans of Baked Beans (I use Bush’s Vegetarian)
1/2 medium red onion (finely chopped)
1 cup pre-cooked ham steak. (diced)

Preparation

Combine all the ingredients into an aluminum baking pan. I always use those (4 for a dollar) 9 x 9 disposables.

If you haven’t already gotten the smoker going, you’ll want to do that now. I used apple wood for this baked beans recipe. I typically smoke these at a maintained temperature of 250 degrees. At this temperature, they will take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to get bubbling hot, and marry all the flavors.

Serves 6
 
: Recipes, Sides
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