These Reverse Sear Smoked Pork Chops are smoked first for that awesome flavor, and then finished hot and fast medium rare for a perfectly cooked pork chop. Sometimes when I hear people turn their noses at the idea of smoked pork chops, I can’t help but ask them why they dislike such an amazing cut…
Wine
Smoked Lamb Burgers with Rosemary Aioli and Pickled Onions
Change up your burger routine with a killer Smoked Lamb Burger with Rosemary Aioli. Serve with a delicious brioche bun. People tend to have a love/hate relationship with lamb. Fresh lamb is delicious with an earthy flavor. When smoked however, lamb takes on an even better flavor profile. Lamb Lamb is sheep up to 1…
Merlot Wine — Your go-to guide
Merlot is a grape known for its approachability and smooth body with dark fruit characteristics. But Merlot is so much more than that. These are wines of high quality and an excellent ability to pair with foods (especially grilled foods!). Let’s explore this versatile wine. Merlot is one of the most popular red wine grapes…
Smoked Jalapeño Poppers with Crispy Bacon
Smoked Jalapeño Poppers with Smoked Bacon. An easy game day appetizer or for any occasion made with crispy smoked bacon, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese filling. Jalapeño Poppers are a classic. But our take on the classic popper is to deconstruct the way most people make them. Because when you make smoked jalapeño poppers it’s…
Grilled NY Strip Steak with Coffee Rub
Grilled NY Strip Steak is a tender and flavorful cut of beef with amazing marbling. Perfect for grilling. Add a marinade and rub with coffee for a flavorful coffee rubbed steak that is rich, intense, and flavorful. We have used coffee in many of our recipes to add a richness in flavor that is subtle…
Smoked Sausage Lasagna
Smoked Sausage Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food, made with layers of smoked sausage and smoked tomato marinara sauce. Smoked Lasagna is a great comfort food. It’s not only a great use for smoked marinara sauce, it also a meal that feeds a crowd, and makes an amazing house warming or meal train idea for…
Wine Advent Calendar for the Holidays
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine. Surprise your friends, family, and neighbors this holiday season with a Wine Advent Calendar, featuring 24 glasses of wine, one for each day leading up to Christmas. These make for great host gifts or a treat for yourself…
Smoked Bacon & Tomatillo Guacamole
Smoked Bacon Guacamole with Smoked Tomatillos, is truly the best guacamole recipe for smoked food lovers! It is going to forever change the way you enjoy your guacamole. Guacamole made with smoked bacon and smoked tomatillos is great as an appetizer for the big game or just for a weekend snack. It is also easy to…
Smoked Lamb Meatballs (for Incredible Pita Sandwiches)
Smoked Lamb Meatballs, made with ground lamb shoulder, are jam-packed with flavor and offer an awesome way to jazz up any pita sandwich. Don’t like lamb? Try smoking this first and see how the flavor mellows out and adds a ton of flavor. I didn’t grow up eating lamb. But as an adult I’ve really…
Puglia inspired Tuna Toasts with Tomatoes and Arugula
Tuna Toast with Tomatoes and Arugula is a simple Italy-inspired appetizer made with tuna, tomatoes, arugula, and extra virgin olive oil, using the most quality ingredients you can find. This can be made as a crostini based appetizer, or with your favorite toasted bread. The secret to this recipe is to find the freshest and…
Smoked Beef Short Ribs
Smoked Beef Short Ribs are cooked low and slow until rich and incredibly tender and finished in a wine braising liquid. This is the ultimate comfort food. Today we have a recipe I’m super excited about! Smoked beef short ribs, slowly smoked until tender and rich and incredibly delicious. This is what I request every…
Smoked Tomato Bisque
Smoked Tomato Bisque is a creamy, comforting, vegetarian, silky sooth, and smoky tomato soup. It’s the perfect use for the late summer tomatoes, or a crisp fall evening. Don’t have a smoker? That’s OK, just roast them instead. *UPDATE* — We cooked this recipe for Smoked Tomato Bisque and Smoked Brisket Grilled Cheese Sandwiches live…
Watermelon Cocktail with Sparkling Wine
This Watermelon Cocktail made with fresh watermelon juice and sparkling wine couldn’t be easier to make. And it is the most refreshing summer cocktail you’ll drink this summer. I have an aversion to artificial watermelon-flavored things (candy in particular). But fresh watermelon, I could gobble up for days. And with all the fresh watermelon that…
Smoked Mexican Burgers with Chorizo and Smoked Poblanos
Mexican Burgers with Smoked Poblanos is packed full of flavor. Our secret is mixing chorizo and ground beef, smoking them for incredible smoky flavor, and finishing over high heat for the perfect char. Mexican Burgers. Oh burgers. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t always a huge homemade-burger-at-home kind of gal. I used to reserve those for…
Smoked Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine Braise
Smoked Beef Short Ribs finished with a Red Wine Braise are truly the ultimate beef short ribs (and one of my favorite meals ever)! Comes with wine pairing recommendations. This recipe has dinner party or holiday meal written all over it! Beef Short Ribs are my ultimate comfort food. This is *the* single cut that…
Rosé Wine — And the best of 2020 Rosé
Rosé has a reputation of being the quintessential summer wine. But rose is something to drink year-round and pairs with an incredibly wide range of food. Find out about the many styles of this delicious and refreshing wine along with my top picks of 2020 wines. Rosé is an amazing expression of winemaking that takes…
Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema
Grilled Shrimp Tacos are not only easy to make, but absolutely delicious and crowd friendly. Add a slightly spicy lime crema and your favorite taco toppings and you have a great feast for a crowd or just a weeknight family dinner. Tacos are on regular weekly rotation in our house. Almost any protein or vegetable…
Grilled Tri-Tip with Zinfandel Red Wine Reduction Sauce
Grilled Tri Tip is one of the easiest beef roasts to grill. It is also great for feeding a crowd. This Tri Tip recipe is finished with a Zinfandel red wine reduction sauce to add a little extra flavor after you slice it. Check out our smoked tri tip for even more fun ways to…
Zinfandel Wine — from Everyday to Legendary
Zinfandel is a grape known for bold fruity wines with jammy characteristics. But Zinfandel is so much more than that. These are wines of high quality and an excellent ability to pair with foods (especially grilled foods!). And we’re not talking about White Zinfandel. Let’s explore this versatile wine. What is Zinfandel Zinfandel is a…
Red Wine Marinated Smoked Tri Tip
An award-winning recipe for Tri Tip Marinade from our very first BBQ competition. Made with tender Tri Tip and smoked slowly to perfection. Serve alone or with a delicious chimichurri sauce. We have learned a lot about smoking Tri Tip over the years. It has evolved from a rather obscure cut of meat for us,…
The Wine Pairing Guide to Grilling and Barbecue
Confused about how to pair wine with BBQ? Don’t be! Here’s your guide to pairing wine with barbecued and grilled foods. As summer approaches we’re spending more and more time outside, cooking on the grill, surrounded by family and friends. Those intoxicating aromas from the grill begin to fill the air and the neighborhood streets, and…
Spring 2020 Wine Finds
Wine recommendations that are fantastic for spring sipping. From light bodied whites, to rosé, to elegant reds, to what to drink while staying home, there’s a wine for all occasion this season. This is what we’ve enjoyed as we’ve been home this season. I like to review wines the way most people taste them, with…
Smoked Prime Rib (recipe and video)
How to cook Smoked Prime Rib Roast is a question thousands of backyard cooks ask each month across the web. We put together a comprehensive guide and video on smoking perfect Prime Rib every time. Let us help you be the holiday hero for this magical cut of beef! Looking for other ideas? Check out…
BBQ Chicken Pizza (in the oven or grill)
This homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza beats the pants off any restaurant version. This easy pizza is made with smoked chicken (or any leftover chicken), red onions, tomatoes, cheese, with has a secret sauce that brings everything together, and topped with fresh cilantro. BBQ Chicken can be grilled or cooked in the oven, and is perfect…