Atomic Shrimp Boats

Most people have now heard of Atomic Buffalo Turds - here's a link in case you forgot. Another twist is the Atomic Shrimp Boat or ABT! Just as easy and just as tasty!

Simple ingredients:

• Quality Bacon
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Cream Cheese
• Medium size uncooked, tail / head off, peeled shrimp. I used 71 - 90 size (whatever that is).

Cut the jalapeno peppers in half and scoop out the seeds.

Spoon cream cheese into the peppers.



Cut the bacon strips in half. Place a still frozen shrimp on top of the cream cheese. I used still frozen shrimp because the cooking time is about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. I figured that if the shrimp were thawed, they might get over cooked. The frozen shrimp cooked up great and didn't taste over cooked or chewy using this method.

Wrap the cream cheese and shrimp stuffed peppers in a half slice of bacon. If you use quality bacon and stretch the piece when wrapping the pepper, the bacon will stick to itself when it contracts after you let go and you won't have to use tooth picks to keep the bacon in place. If your bacon won't stick to itself, feel free to use tooth picks to hold it in place.


Place on the smoker or grill at 250F grate temp. If you are using a gas grill or charcoal grill, make sure the heat is on one side of the grill and place the peppers on the opposite side - on indirect heat.



I cooked these for 90 minutes or until the bacon was completely cooked.

Atomic Shrimp Boats ready to eat!

Dessert Pizza

Dessert Pizza is an all ages crowd favorite. You can use the kind of candy / candy bars that each person likes, it is an inexpensive item to cook, EVERYONE likes it (even my crumb-snatchers), it's quick, and it can be made on a smoker, a gas grill (indirect heat), or the oven.



Simple ingredients - canned pizza dough and candy.

I use classic or thin crust pre-made pizza dough - usually right by the biscuits in a can in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. You can use the bulk dough or frozen dough or get dough from your local pizza shop but the canned dough is so convenient and really really easy to use.



Get your favorite candy, candy bars, some small marsh mellows, chocolate syrup, and a few graham crackers.



Dice up the candy bars. I usually have each person chop up their own and get it ready on a paper plate with the marsh mellows. You can also add diced strawberries or other fruit too.



I spread out the dough from one can and form the dough to a single piece about 9" x 16" and then cut it into 8 or so pieces. Put the pieces on the grate - I usually have the grate temp at about 350 F - making sure they are stretched out. Cook them for about 5 minutes or until the bottom is getting brown and a little crispy.



Flip them over and add some chocolate sauce. This step is not mandatory but it can't hurt.



Sprinkle on the prepared toppings - don't be shy!



Now sprinkle on the crushed graham cracker over the top.



Cook for another 5 minutes or until the candy starts to melt. You don't want it to completely melt but the candy will be softer than it looks. Set it on the counter for a few minutes so you don't burn the roof of your mouth with molten chocolate (don't ask how I know this) and EAT!



Fantastic Dessert Pizza!

Pork Tenderloin

• Pork Loin is a great cut of meat to cook on the smoker, offset side of a gas grill and even in the oven. It is easy to cook and this recipe can be modified to satisfy just about every taste profile. The cut of meat is juicy and hard to screw up as long as you pull it at the correct temp and let it rest for a little while!
  
  
  Pork Loins usually come cryovac'd in a two pack so this recipe is for TWO. Cut it in half if you are only cooking one tenderloin.
  
  Season Salt - 1 tblspn
  Chili Powder - 2 1/2 tblspn
  Onion Powder - 1 tblspn
  Garlic Powder - 1 tblspn
  Black Pepper - 1 1/2 tblspn
  
  Sweet Mesquite Seasoning - shake very liberally over entire tenderloin after all other spices have been rubbed in.
  
  
  
  
  Rinse off the tenderloins in cool water and let air dry for a few minutes. Generously cover the tenderloin with the dry rub recipe until completely covered.
  
  
  
  Shake the Sweet Mesquite Seasoning over the tenderloins until well coated.
  
  
  
  Smoke the tenderloins as low and slow as possible - usually around 225 - 250F grate temp. Flip over after about 45 minutes. Pull and rest the tenderloins when internal temp is about 140F internal temp.
  
  Rest the tenderloin by wrapping in a few layers of foil and then wrap in an old towel and place in a clean dry cooler for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
  
  
  
  Cut into medallions and serve with your favorite side dish!
  
  
  Some other ideas -
  
  Some people like to brine their tenderloin - to do this mix 2 tblsns of salt into a pot of water large enough to submerge the two tenderloins. Submerge in the brine mix for 2 - 4 hours. Rinse well and then refrigerate until you are ready to cook.
  
  Some people like to brown the tenderloin in a hot skillet. This is to seer the juices inside and to create a "crust" or "bark" on the outside. The amount of spices I added to the dry rub recipe will add a pretty thick bark and if the tenderloin is cooked at 225 - 250 F grate temp AND you rest the meat before slicing, you shouldn't have any issue with juiciness. If you are cooking on a gas grill, you can help by putting a disposable 1/2 pan filled a few inches with water and some more of the same spices in the dry rub recipe to increase the moisture at the grate which will also help with tenderness.
  
  Some people like to add a 1/2 cup of brown sugar to increase the sweetness and the thickness of the bark. This is a great idea.

Pig Candy

Smoked Pig Candy is a BBQ favorite of mine. This recipe can be used as an appetizer, side dish, dessert, or a midnight snack. It is easy to cook, hard to mess up, and tastes FANTASTIC! You can cook this on a smoker, gas grill or even in the oven. I show how to cook this two ways - one directly on the smoker grate and one in a pan made from heavy duty foil. Bacon renders a lot of fat as it cooks and the grease dripping on an open flame is a recipe for disaster and will cause a fire in your grill. Even on an indirect smoker, the pooled grease can catch fire so I would recommend cooking in the foil pan the first few times unless you really want to keep a close eye on it.

The ingredients are really basic:

Thick Cut Bacon - cheap thin cut bacon also works fine but doesn't seem to hold its' shape as well.
Granulated Onion / Onion Powder
Smoked Chipotle Powder
Brown Sugar (Lots of it)


Lay the bacon out on a cutting board or flat surface and sprinkled the onion powder and the smoked chipotle powder on lightly. I don't measure for this recipe so it may take you a few times to perfect the amount to your liking.

Heavily shake the brown sugar on - don't be shy!

Below you can see the bacon cooking directly on the grate. Be careful of flare ups and the grease catching on fire! You should constantly tend the grill when using this method. I find that cooking directly on the grate cooks a little faster and makes the bacon crisper.

Pictured below is the bacon cooking in a pan made out of heavy duty foil. Make the foil pan big enough so the bacon is only 2 layers thick. Turn the bacon in the pan often so the brown sugar crystallizes evenly.

After the bacon is cooked most of the way - stretch it out flat and finish cooking it until it is crisp.

Here's the finished Pig Candy as a side dish to a close relative - Smoked Sausage!

Happy eating!

Smoked Potato "Chips"

Smoked Potato "Chips" are easy to make and the variations are endless. This can be served as an appetizer or a side at your next BBQ.

Please note that they do take a while to cook in the smoker or oven. You can reduce the cooking time by pre-baking the potatoes the day before.



I use regular potatoes and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes are a little chewier but still really good! Both are prepared the same basic way...

Cut the potato in 1/4" thick slices.

Drizzle olive oil over the slices and then add salt, pepper, mesquite rub, or whatever spices you like over the chips. Be careful not to add too much salt!

You can flip the slices over and add more spices but it usually isn't necessary.

I put these on the smoker at 250F - 300F depending on what else you are cooking. If the potatoes are pre-baked the cook time should be around 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If the potatoes are not pre-cooked then the cook time is 1 1/2 hours - 2 hours.

When done, they should be a bit crispy.

Smoked Potato "Chips"!

Smoked Corn on the Cob

Smoked Corn on the Cob - two ways!

You can use this recipe on a smoker or a gas grill - just turn the gas grill off on one section / half and place the corn so it is not on direct heat. If you have a grate temp gauge, try and get the indirect heat side around 250F.

This recipe is for corn two ways!

Style #1 - cooked in it's husk! Fill a large pot with cold water and 2 tbspn Season Salt and stir until the Season Salt is dissolved. Submerge the corn completely under water for at least 1/2 hour - better for 1 hour.



Style #2 - Bacon wrapped Corn on the Cob - remember - EVERYTHING is better wrapped in bacon!

Remove the husk from the corn and cut the ear in half. Wrap each 1/2 ear in one single piece of bacon. If you stretch the bacon while wrapping the corn, it should stick without having to use toothpicks when you release the bacon and it contracts.

The fat from the bacon will slowly render into the corn cooking it and adding flavor! Cook the bacon corn until the bacon is completely cooked - usually around 45 - 60 minutes at 250F.

After the corn has been on the grill for about 45 minutes, remove the husk from the whole ears of corn and place back on the grill for another 5 - 10 minutes.

Both ways are excellent! There is already some salt flavor on the whole ears and the 1/2 ears wrapped in bacon usually has enough flavor where no butter, salt, or pepper are needed!

Smoked Mac & Cheese

Smoked Mac & Cheese - this recipe is a crowd favorite, really easy to make, and can be easily modified to suit all kinds of tastes!

WARNING - this recipe is NOT low fat!!!



I like to use disposable 1/2 pans because they're easy to clean up (throw away) and can be used on the smoker, in the oven, or on the grill. They're also pretty cheap.

Here's the basic ingredients per 1/2 pan:

• 1lb of Large Elbow Macaroni
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 tblspn of minced garlic
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tblspn of black pepper
• 1 tblspn of season salt
• 4 cups of shredded cheddar (or mixed cheddar / jack cheese)
• 2 cups of cubed cheddar
• about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs

Boil the elbow macaroni until done.

In the disposable 1/2 pan add the garlic, butter, season salt, and pepper and place onto the grill. Mix until the butter is dissolved.

I added some chopped (cooked) hot links to the pan on the right.

• Add the macaroni
• Add the heavy whipping cream
• Add 4 cups of shredded cheese
• Mix until evenly blended
• Add 2 cups of cubed cheese and mix until cubes are evenly distributed
• Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly across the top

Place in the smoker (or oven) for 30 - 45 minutes @ 250F or until the cheese is bubbling a bit and the bread crumbs are dark brown.

Let's eat!!