Honey-Rum Pinto Beans with Burnt Ends

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
8 ounces double-smoked slab bacon, cut into small dice
1 medium carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater
1 medium Spanish onion, cut into small dice
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Two 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained, rinsed well and drained again
2 cups Bobby Flay's Mesa Barbecue Sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce
1 to 2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned broth, plus more if needed
1/4 cup clover honey
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
A few cups burnt ends from Smoked, Spice Rubbed, Texas-Style Brisket
Handful torn fresh parsley leaves


Directions
Put the canola oil and bacon in a medium cast-iron or enamel coated cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until crisp. Add the carrots and onions to the pan and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, about 1 minute. Add the beans, barbecue sauce, 1 cup stock, honey and brown sugar and mix gently to combine; season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer, about 20 minutes. Check to see if the mixture is dry, and if it is, add a little more stock. Continue simmering until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the burnt ends. Garnish the top with the parsley and let sit 10 minutes before serving.


Smoked, Spice Rubbed, Texas-Style Brisket:
3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon allspice, ground
1 tablespoon celery seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ground
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon mustard seeds, ground
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
One 8 to 10 pound brisket, untrimmed
3 cups oak or pecan wood chips, or 6 big chunks, soaked in cold water for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours
2 cups apple juice (in a spray bottle)


Mix together all the spices in a bowl. Liberally rub the entire brisket with the spices, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Remove the brisket from the refrigerator 1 hour before beginning the smoking process to take the chill off, and remove the plastic wrap.


Get your smoker running at 225 degrees F with hardwood charcoal and a few handfuls of soaked wood chips. This temperature should be maintained throughout the entire smoke. (If you are using a grill: Set up the grill for indirect heat, banking the coals on one side of the grill and scattering the wood chips on top. Maintain the temperature at 225 degrees throughout the smoking process, adding chips as necessary until you wrap the brisket in foil.)


Place the brisket fat-side up on your smoker grate and close it up for the long smoke.


Open your barbecue smoker every hour or 2 and spray the brisket liberally with apple juice to help keep the meat from drying out. Also keep apple juice in the water pan if you are using a water smoker.


When the internal temperature reaches 165 to 170 degrees, after about 4 hours, wrap the brisket in aluminum foil and continue to cook for another 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. This little trick is a big help in getting the meat tender, especially for beginners. Figure that a brisket smoked at around 200 degrees will take about 1 1/2 hours per pound. The brisket is done when the internal temperature reaches 185 degrees F. Remove and let rest 20 minutes before slicing. Remove the foil from the brisket over a large pan or disposable pan and reserve the liquid. Cut off the brisket points and reserve for Honey-Rum Baked Pinto Beans with Burnt Ends.


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Grilled Clams on the Half Shell with Bacon, Garlic, and Hot Pepper

Ingredients
32 littleneck clams on the half shell
1/4-pound bacon, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
Freshly ground black pepper


Directions
Preheat grill to high.


Place a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until lightly golden brown. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and continue cooking until the bacon is crisp. Remove from the heat, stir in the olive oil, parsley, and bread crumbs and season with black pepper, to taste.


Top clams with bacon mixture and place on the grill. Grill for about 1 minute or until just cooked through. Serve immediately.


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Chicken Cobb Burger

Ingredients
For the burgers:
8 (1/2- thick) strips bacon
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, 90 percent lean
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 burger buns, split
1 large ripe beefsteak tomato, cut into 4 slices
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 8 slices
For the vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely shredded romaine lettuce


Directions
For the burgers:
Heat the grill to medium.


Place the strips of bacon on the grill (lay them across the grate so they don't fall through) and grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and slightly crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Increase the heat of the grill to high.


Form the meat into 4 (8-ounce) burgers, brush with the oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the burgers until golden brown on both sides and cooked completely through, about 5 minutes per side. Top the burgers with the blue cheese, close the cover, and continue cooking until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute longer.


Place the burgers on the bottom half of each bun and top with a slice of tomato, 2 slices of avocado, 2 slices of bacon and some of the dressed romaine. Cover each burger with the bun tops and serve.


For the vinaigrette:
Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and oil in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to meld.


Just before assembling the burgers, place the romaine in a medium bowl and toss with the vinaigrette


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Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup stone-ground grits
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1 large clove garlic, minced

Directions

Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. In grease, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.

Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.

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Shrimp

Squid with Bacon and Garlic Oil

Ingredients

• 8 ounces slab bacon, cut into lardons
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds fresh squid, cleaned and sliced into rings
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves

Directions

Place the bacon in a medium saute pan over medium heat and cook until lightly golden brown and the fat has been rendered. Increase the heat to high and add the garlic, olive oil, and squid, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the squid for 2 to 3 minutes or until just cooked through. Stir in the herbs and serve.

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Squid

Bacon