SECRET INGREDIENT

SMOKING AND GRILLNG

Staci Jett female Pittmaster and television personality has won numerous barbeque competitions. She won ‘American Grilled’ and has been a finalist on ‘Chopped’. She now has cookbook author to add to her colorful and smoky resume. Her Southern and country roots with a swirl of pittmaster smoke have inspired her to pen “Secret Ingredient, Smoking and Grilling” “Incredible recipes from a competitive chef to take your bbq to the next level”. We at Mad Meat Genius have received a complimentary copy to read and try out a couple of recipes. We are going to make some Southwestern stuffed peppers and cornbread using Staci Jett’s recipes. Pull up a comfortable chair and let’s fire up the grill.

 The cover was adorned with an image of mouthwatering ribs inviting us to come in and join the bbq party. We strolled though the book page by page soaking in the beautiful, enticing and wonderfully food porn images getting inspiration along the way. I bookmarked several recipes along my barbeque sightseeing journey. Our second go through of the book we scanned several recipes. The recipes are written with easy and simple instructions. The author does assume the reader does have some grilling and smoking knowledge. This should be no problem because we live for the bbq. The book covers main dishes to sides and ends with cocktails. There should be something for everyone. Let’s try a couple of her recipes.


SOUTHWESTER STUFFED PEPPERS

1 1lb (454g) bag frozen sweet corn1 jalapeno diced
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chipotle powder
2 cups (244g) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 1lb (454g) bag mixed mini sweet peppers1 tsp (6g) Montreal Chicken Seasoning
1 tsp (15ml) olive oil
3 boneless chicken breasts
1 15-oz (454g) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Prepare your grill for two-zone cooking. If you are using a charcoal grill, burn the charcoal on only one side of your grill. If you have a gas grill, only light one side of your burners. Preheat the grill to 275 (135C)

Combine the chicken seasoning and olive oil in a small bowl and rub over the chicken breasts. Grill the breast over indirect heat for 10 minutes., then move the chicken to direct heat and grill for another 10 minutes, turn a couple of times. Remove the chicken and allow resting for 5 minute before chopping it into a fine dice.

In a large bowl combine the beans, corn, jalapeno, cumin, chipotle powder and cheese. Carefully stir in the chopped chicken. Cut each pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Fill the pepper with the chicken mixture, place them in a baking dish and return to the grill over indirect heat. Cook for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and tops start to turn golden.

This was a combination that worked. The Montreal seasoning with a kiss from the grill really made the chicken element stand out. The sweet peppers with the slight jalapeno sting were comforting flavors for this Chilehead. This would be great as an appetizer or a main course. I might stuff it into larger sweet peppers next time because we did have filling left over. This was a winner, winner sweet pepper dinner.

Sweet Corn Bread

1 cup (140g) cornmeal
2 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
 1 1/3 cups (270g) sugar
2 tbsp. (16g) baking powder
1 tsp (6g) salt
1/3 cup (160ml) vegetable oil
1/3 cup (75g) butter, melted
2 tbsp. (40 g) honey
4 eggs, beaten
2 ½ cups (590 ml) whole milk

 Prepare your grill for two -zone cooking. If you are using a charcoal grill, burn the charcoal on only one side of your rill. If you have a gas grill, only light one side of your burners. Preheat the grill to 350 degrees (180 C and grease a 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33-cm) baking dish.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir just to moisten. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, place on the grill over indirect heat and cook for 45 minutes, or until it starts to brown and show cracks. This recipe can also be prepared in muffin pans. Grease or line the pans and adjust the cooking time to 20 to 25 minutes.

The cornbread smelled fantastic as it baked in our covered kettle. We followed the easy instructions with stellar results. This recipe produces a cake like cornbread with corn flavor and texture. My wife, Ms. Goofy loved the sweet cake like cornbread. She made some honey butter to go with it but it was not needed because this bread stands on its own. This method of preparation is perfect for a hot summer day when you do not want to heat up the kitchen with your oven.

This is a fun book that would be nice for coffee table browsing. The images are mouthwatering and most likely will inspire you to re-create. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. The author does assume the reader has some knowledge around the barbeque and smoker. We loved the simplicity of preparation of our two dishes. The cornbread was cake like and sweet with corn goodness. This recipe will go with any barbequed meat. Our stuffed pepper took a little preparation but was well worth the effort. The combination of seasoned grilled chicken, corn, cheese and topped with a little pepper bite from the jalapeno was a Southwestern treat. There are a lot more recipes that we want to try. This book is an inspiration.

Secret Ingredients
Page Street Publishing
ISBN 978-1-62414-389-2