Triple Treat

Behold the incredible, the amazing, the delicious Triple Treat.

It's pulled pork, Black Forest smoked ham, and peppered bacon with Mad Dog Chipotle BBQ Sauce on a toasted onion roll. With dill pickles on the side.

A word about the bacon. I oven baked the bacon (baked bacon!) after covering it with fresh cracked pepper. I use a cookie pan with a non stick drying rack.

Put the bacon slices on the rack and coat with fresh cracked pepper. The more pepper the better. Bake on the center rack in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Watch closely because the bacon can over cook and burn. Put aluminum foil in the pan for easier cleanup (although you should be able to rinse out the bacon grease with hot water).

A big shout out to Bobby K's Roadside Cafe for inspiring this creation.

And a big thanks to BBQ Sauce Reviews for introducing me to Mad Dog BBQ sauces!

Water Volcano

 It's silly I know. But I just had to record this when I was making the brine for some corned beef.

How to butcher a pig

This is good to know.

Via BBQ Junkie.

Pork Chops on the Grill

Today was a good day to grill bone-in pork chops.

I used my standard pork rub and brushed the chops with a melted butter and lemon juice and garlic sauce. And smoke: hickory, mesquite, and apple wood smoke.

The pic is a little out of focus but the chops were right on.

Some Things Even Bacon Can't Help

The BBQ Grail discovers even bacon can't make chicken livers taste good.

Recipe: Jacked Jerk Chicken

This recipe is based on Diana's Kitchen's version of Jamaican jerk chicken. But it's jacked up with a ghost pepper.

Ingredients

• 1 T ground allspice
• 1 T dried thyme
• 1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 t freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 t ground sage
• 3/4 t ground nutmeg
• 3/4 t ground cinnamon
• 2 T garlic powder
• 1 T sugar

• 1/2 C olive oil
• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 3/4 C white vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 1/2 C orange juice
• 1 lime juice

• 1 habanero, finely chopped
• 1 ghost pepper, finely chopped
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 4 - 6 chicken breast (not chopped)

Directions

1. Combine the spices in a bowl.
2. With a wire whisk, slowly add the liquids to the spices.
3. Add the peppers and onions and mix well.
4. Add the chicken breasts and marinate for at least an hour.
5. When ready to cook, preheat the grill to high.
6. Cook the chicken breasts until done, turning as needed and brush with the marinade.
7. Bring the leftover marinade to a boil and let simmer for about 10 minutes. You want it to cook long enough to kill any bad germs (salmonella) before you reuse it. Serve the marinade on the side as a dipping sauce.

Comments
The original recipe from Diana's Kitchen did not include the ghost pepper. If you're afraid of ghosts but want a really flavorful  jerk chicken with a little bite leave it out. But the ghost pepper adds more than just a ratchet on the heat. Ghost peppers have a unique flavor profile that really enhances any dish. Especially jerks.

Hot Peppers May Kill Cancer

BBC News reports on research that indicates the component in peppers that makes them spicy, capsaicin, may kill cancer cells. At least in petri dishes.

Apparently capsaicin attacks the mitochondria in cancer cells but doesn't affect normal cells (the main function of mitochondria is to produce energy for cells). Researchers tested it in cultures of lung cancer and pancreatic cancer cells.

While the research doesn't indicate that eating spicy food will cure or prevent cancer, it couldn't hurt. Relatively speaking.

That reminds me. It's time to plant my Ghost Pepper and Trinidad Moruga Scorpion seeds. [Link]