Brisket

Intro

When I visited the States in 2016 I tried bbq brisket with Brooke in Washington and with George in Kansas. Both times absolutely yummy. I tried to replicate at home but my gas bbq is just not the right kind. Then I found this recipe in a book that Sharon gave me and voila. Its not the same as Amwerican bbq but the bacon gives a smokiness and the flavour is great. A whole brisket is quite a cost effective way to feed a crowd too.

Ingredients

Brisket

• 2.5-3kg brisket roast (trim fat to 1/2 cm)

• 500g streaky bacon

Rub

• 1.5 tablespoons packed brown sugar

• 1.5 tablespoons smokey paprika

• 2 teaspoons dry mustard

• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauce

• reserved bacon from cooked brisket

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1/2 cup cider vinegar

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

• 1-2 cups chicken stock

• 1/2 cup tomato sauce

• Chilli flakes

Instructions

• Heat oven to 135 deg C.

• Mix the rub ingredients together in a bowl.

• Rub dry rub all over brisket and poke holes all over with a fork. Place half of the bacon going crosswise in a roasting dish and place brisket fat side down on top of the bacon. Lay the rest of the bacon crosswise on top of brisket, wrapping it down around the sides, and tucking any excess under. Cover pan with foil and place in oven for 4 hours then remove from oven and turn the brisket over so the fat side is up. Replace foil, turn oven off, and return to oven for another hour.

• Pour juices from brisket into measuring jug and place in fridge for fat to rise to the top. Remove bacon from brisket and chop into pieces. Cook bacon in medium saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until fat has rendered. Add onion and cook until softened, 4-5 minutes. Take off heat and add vinegar and dark brown sugar. Return to heat and simmer until reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes.

• Skim fat from meat juices and add chicken stock to make a total of 3 cups. Add to mixture in saucepan and reduce until about 3 cups in volume, 8-10 minutes. Take off heat and add tomato sauce. Mix well and strain if desired. 

• Turn oven to grill. Brush brisket with 1 cup sauce and broil until top is lightly browned and fat starts to crisp. 

• Cut brisket against the grain into 1/4-inch slices and serve with extra sauce.

Vicky's Pancakes

Intro

Ive never been great at pancakes - crepes I've mastered but not fluffy pancakes. Anyhow, I stayed with a lovely lady called Vicky at Bethell's Beach while attending a wedding and this is her recipe which I think was an old family recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 2 eggs
• 450ml milk

Method

Sift the dry ingredients together, then add eggs and milk and beat to combine. Remove spoon from the mix and leave it to sit while pan heats up. Don't mix it again and don't leave the spoon in the  batter. It might need thinning as it thickens on settling. Pour mixture into a buttered pan and cook pancakes until bubbles appear..

Brendan's BBQ Ribs

Intro

In 2016 I did this crazy amazing thing and went on a 3 month round the world tour staying with people in the Koha library community. One of the incredibly hospitable homestays was with Brendan and Sonia in Portland. And we had BBQ ribs!

Ingredients

• Baby back pork ribs - 3 racks

Spice rub

• 1 part Lawry's seasoned salt
• 1/4 part white sugar
• 1/8 part McCormicks Montreal steak seasoning
• 1/8 part spice to your liking: eg cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander
• 1/8 - 1/4 chilli powder / cayenne / smoked paprika etc (ie a pepper)

Method
Combine rub ingredients, pat it 'in' to the ribs, leave to rest for about half hour (sweaty meat)

Put in your smoker or oven (indirect heat) for 135 degrees for about 3 hours. Scratch test (spice rub kind of set not flaky). Not  too much smoke - a kiss of smoke (3 fist sized chunks and briquettes - 135 degrees)

We cooked these on a Weber - Ceramic kamdo grill dome (see photo)

Remove from heat and then coat in sieved brown sugar. Sprinkle on 2 or 3 tblsps of liquid per rack: apple juice / peach juice / pineapple juice / ginger lemonade).

Wrap in tinfoil like a burrito, put back in heat ie oven 135 degrees for about an hour,  toothpick test to see it goes straight meat without tension

Remove from heat, divide into ribs.

Martha's Coconut Biscuits

Intro

I dunno if I'm gonna get hammered for posting this here because it is Martha's straight recipe but I had to save it here in my blog because these are the best biscuits ever and I definitely don't want to lose this recipe.

Ingredients

• 8oz butter
• 1/2 cup sugar plus 2 tblsps
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1.25 cups flour plus 2 tblsps
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 cups coconut chips

Method

Cream butter and sugars relly well - 10 minutes in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Switch to a paddle. Add egg. Fold in half the coconut and half the dry ingredients, then the rest of the coconut and dried ingredients.

Roll into balls, squash and cook about 15 mins until golden.  350 degrees Fahrenheit ( about 179c in a fanbake).

Sourdough Crackers

Ingredients

• 1 cup leftover sourdough starter
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 ozs room temperature butter
• 2 tblsps dried herbs

• olive oil
• Maldon sea salt or coarse salt
  

Method

Combine first 5 ingredients into a cohesive, not sticky, dough (I used a dough hook in my mixer).
Divide into 2 and place each on baking paper with plastic wrap on top.  Roll into a thin rectangle. Place in fridge and chill for at least an hour.

Remove top sheet of plastic and place the baking paper with dough on it onto an oven tray. Roll out to 1/16th of an inch thick. Cut into squares, or 1 cm wide 'straws', brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Prick each square a couple of times with a fork.

Bake at 180 deg C for 25 mins changing sheets over half way through cooking. For the last 5 mins watch carefully and remove the crackers from the edges as they brown evenly. The middle ones take longer.

* 1/2 a cup of very finely grated strong cheese can be added to dough or sprinkled on top.

Strawberry, black peppercorn shrub soda

Strawberry black peppercorn shrub

• 16oz (1/2 kg) hulled, quartered strawberries
• 8oz (1 cup) sugar
• 4 teaspoons black pepper - whole but crushed in mortar
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar

Place strawberries in a container with the sugar and finely crushed peppercorns. Cover and let macerate for 1 full day stirring occasionally. Add apple cider and and let sit for 2 full days. Squish the strawberries up and then strain through a fine cloth into a clean container.

Ingredients

• 1.25oz strawberry black peppercorn shrub
• Ice
• Club soda

Hot and Sticky Eggplant

Intro

This recipe is divine - from my favourite recipe book of all time called Feasts by Sabrina Ghayour, Sometimes I'll add mushrooms, or re capsicums, or zuchini - and when I can't find rose harissa a Chinese Chilli oil works well too. Its a great condiment on steak, crackers and cheese, toasted sandwhichs etc.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 2 egg plants - halved lengthways and sliced about 2cm
• 2 heaped tablespoons of rose harissa*
• 4 tablespoons of honey
• Maldon sea salt

Method

Fry the eggplant slices in oil until they are soft and lightly browned. Remove to kitchen paper to soak up excess oil.

Just before being ready to serve, put eggplant back into the frying pan and add rest of the ingredients. Toss through to reheat the egg plant. Adjust the honey, harissa and salt to taste.

Smoked venison leg

Preparation

Remove connective tissue and fat as you can. For bands of silverskin score them but don't cut into the meat.

Brine

For every  4 litres of water add:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 tblsps pepper
• 1 tblsp black pepper

Soak the venison, covered, for 12-24 hours

Spice Rub

• 1.5  part salt
• 1 part beef stock
• 3/4 part garlic powder
• 3/4 part onion powder
• 1/2 part black pepper
• 1/2 part paprika
• 1/2 part oregano
• 1/2 part thyme
• 1/4 part cornflour

Smoking

Wood chips - soak 1 pound of wood chips for 1-2 hours before smoking

Smoke - fill up water pan, fill wood chip box with soaked wood chips

Keep temperature at 200°F - 300°F

Smoke meat for 1.5 hrs per pound or until meat reaches internal temperature of 140°F. Remove and rest meat for 20 minutes.