Easy BBQ Baked Beans that are comforting, slightly sweet, mildly smoky, rich, meaty, and totally indulgent. Serve these at your next barbecue and they’re sure to be a hit! One of the very first recipes we served to our friends at the inauguration of our first smoker was BBQ Baked Beans. At the time I…
Pork
What we’ve learned about Smoked Pork Butt (Pork Shoulder)
Full recipe and video tutorial for how to smoke a pork butt and make the ultimate pulled pork sandwiches. Also included is our favorite uses for leftover smoked pulled pork. Smoked Pork Butt (also known as pork shoulder, Boston butt, and Boston Roast) was one of the very first things we cooked when we bought…
Last Minute 4th of July Recipe Ideas for your Smoker or Grill
Have you figured out what you’re cooking up for your 4th of July BBQ yet? This holiday is one of my absolute favorites. I feel so strongly about this weekend that it’s one that we block out each year and dedicate it strictly to family and friends. That means we go all out, and our…
Smoked Sausage and Bacon Breakfast Sandwiches
It’s never too early in the week to start thinking about weekend brunch plans, especially if your plans involve smoked sausage and smoked bacon breakfast sandwiches. And unless it involves pancakes or waffles (I’m talking about you, Waffle Window), my kids aren’t interested in waiting in those notoriously long Portland brunch lines for breakfast. That’s…
Basic Dry Rub Recipe — The Video!
How to make your own basic homemade dry rub for pork or chicken. Have you ever wondered about the mysteries of making your own homemade dry rub? We’ve got a simple formula for making a great homemade dry rub that’s great on barbecued pork and chicken. We get asked ALOT about what our favorite store…
Leftover Smoked Pulled Pork? — Tacos and more awesome ideas
There are some problems I have a hard time admitting to (especially to the BBQ community). Leftover pulled pork is one of them. I know, I know, there are so many worse problems to have. But for us, who like to constantly experiment with different styles of cooking pork butt, and trying out different meat purveyors, the…
Cooking with Kids on AM Northwest
One of the most precious moments of my life. Getting to cook with my son on AM Northwest. When we were presented with the idea of a segment on cooking with your kids, it fell on a date that Sean couldn’t join (darn day job ;)), so somebody suggested instead of me cooking alone that we…
Smoked Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
What could be better than delicious bite sized stuffed mushrooms filled with savory goodness? Adding smoked sausage to an already flavorful filling, and then smoking the stuffed mushrooms to create the ultimate smoked stuffed mushroom. We’ve always been huge fans of stuffed mushrooms. They are a simple, yet tasty, crowd-pleasing appetizer for a gathering (or,…
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Wine Sauce — New Article and Recipe on Wine4.Me
Oh the magical sweet smells of pork tenderloin roasting away in the oven. “Pork tenderloin is one of our go-to meals at home. It’s delicious, affordable, and can be cooked however we feel like (grilled, smoked, pan seared, or roasted). Our favorite method is to smoke it outside on one of our outdoor smokers (duh!),…
Smoked Sausage Lasagna
A nice way to congratulate new parents is with comfort food. The very best way to congratulate them is with smoked comfort food, like this smoked sausage and smoked marinara lasagna! Some neighbors of ours recently welcomed their new baby to the world (hi sweetie!!). And knowing all too well what those first few weeks…
12 Super Bowl Recipes on the Smoker or Grill
We’re down to the last few days before the big day. Have you planned your menu yet? Here are 12 awesome game day recipes that can be cooked on your smoker or grill. I promise this will be my last Super Bowl related post this year! I just can’t contain myself right now. So much…
BBQ Corner – Simple Smoked Sausage Sandwiches (Super Bowl 50 ideas, part I)
Sean is back with a new BBQ Corner this week (it’s about time!). This is one of a few recipes we have planned leading up to the big day, i.e. one of Sean’s favorite food holidays of the year — Super Bowl Sunday! It is considered a holiday, right? At any rate I’m glad he’s back….
Smoked Sausage and Lentil Soup
Smoked sausage and lentil soup. Smoky, savory, hearty, soul-soothing and absolutely perfect for a cold and rainy afternoon. A couple of weeks ago our team at Ember and Vine catered the largest event we’ve cooked for to date – WillaKenzie Estate’s “Pigs ‘n’ Pinot” Party. When we were meeting with the event coordinator she had…
How to Make Homemade Orecchiette (pasta)
How I learned how to make homemade Orecchiette at Masseria Il Frantoio in Puglia, Italy… and how YOU can too! It was already getting dark by the time our group arrived at Masseria Il Frantoio for a cooking lesson and dinner, otherwise I could have easily gone overboard taking photos of the stunning 72 acre property filled…
Smoked Pulled Pork Hash
Smoked Pulled Pork Hash is a fantastic way to use leftover Pulled Pork for the ultimate brunch! This is how people who are obsessed with smoking meats do brunch. Portland is pretty famous for its brunch scene. But we have four-year-old twins, which means we’re not going out for brunch that often. Not that we…
Smoked Pulled Pork Wontons
Sometimes some of the best meals are made from leftovers. What could be better than pork shoulder, perfectly smoked, finely pulled, juicy and tender? Using the leftovers to make these Smoked Pulled Pork Wontons. Well, I suppose that statement is arguable. Freshly pulled pork is pretty darn awesome. But I can say, without a doubt,…
Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Smoked Blackberry Bourbon Sauce
Pork tenderloin was one of those gateway meats that brought me back to the dark side –or rather, eased my transition from being a pseudo-vegetarian to a smoked-meat-loving carnivore. Once I got past the constant visions of Babe, the talking pig, I learned how delicious the protein could be, if cooked correctly. Shortly after we…
Smoked Meatball Sandwiches
Let me tell you about my neighbor, Josh. He makes the meanest, biggest, baddest meatballs ever. When smoked, they are off the hook with flavor, moisture, and texture. We learned this last summer when he’d bring them over to cook on our smoker. See, when we fire up The Beast we often invite neighbors…
Smoked Sausage and Mushroom Risotto, and Wines to Pair
Remember that homemade smoked chicken stock we made a few months ago? And remember how I said it would be great in risotto. Well, it’s true. Mushroom Risotto made with smoked sausage and smoked stock has just taken traditional risotto up about 100,000 notches. I’d been looking for excuses to make risotto again since falling…
Smoked Pulled Pork Spring Rolls
Spring Rolls are an awesome way to use up any leftover Pulled Pork. Springtime + smoked pulled pork + vegetables = this. Spring is here! Now the big secret is that we’ve been enjoying spring-like weather in Portland since, oh, January (don’t hate). But in other parts of the country it seems like the brutal…
Smoked Cuban Sandwich (aka The Smoking Cubano)
What could be better than a Cuban sandwich – you know, the pressed sandwich made with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, served hot on Cuban bread — ??? A Cuban sandwich made with smoked pork, that’s what. Hubs has been on a Cuban sandwich kick since last fall, experimenting left and right…
Recent Articles — Sicilian Meatballs on Wine4.Me
I’m obviously still on a high from my recent trip to Sicily. Anytime I travel to a new city or country I get inspired to try new recipes at home. But there’s something about Italy that inspires me more than any other country I’ve visited. And Sicily is no different. “When I recently visited Sicily,…
Grilled Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce on Wine4.Me
It’s been awhile since I shared some of the freelance work I’ve been doing. Both of these are recent articles I wrote that can be found over on Wine4.Me. First up… Grilled Pork Chops and Wine Pairing Hubs and I cook a lot of pork, but the pork chop doesn’t get much respect in the world…
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese with Smoked Bacon and Chardonnay Wine Pairing
When it comes to food and wine pairing most people start with the food, then look for wines to pair with whatever they intended to eat. But in my house we’re often in the opposite predicament – trying to come up with a dish to pair with a specific wine we want to open. In…
