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Nothing beats the sound of a sizzling platter of fajitas. Thin sliced beef or chicken, onions, peppers and tomatoes severed on a pipping hot cast iron platter.

Seasoning:
4 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon roasted garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

This is enough seasoning to do a few meals

Fajitas:
2 teaspoons seasoning divided
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 orange bell pepper sliced
1 large sweet onion sliced
1 small jalapeno diced
1 tomato diced
Begin by preheating your smoker to 300 degrees. add a chunk or two of cherry wood This will give the vegetables a light smoke flavor when added to the smoker. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon on spice on the meat.

Add vegetables and remaining seasoning to grill basket placing basket on the smoker. Add meat to the smoker and cook until the internal temperature is 125 degrees for beef or 160 degrees for chicken.

London Broil used to be a way to cook lean cuts of marinated beef quickly to medium rare. The meat was then sliced thinly on the diagonal. Now it usually means a top round cut.

Marinade:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon molasses
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons Worcester sauce
1 teaspoon key lime juice

Begin by whisking the marinade ingredients in a measuring cup until well blended. Place meat in a zip top freezer bag. Add marinade and refrigerate for at least two to three hours. About a half an hour before cooking, light you charcoal grill and get a nice bed of glowing coals. I like the charcoal grill over gas because I can place a few chunks of hardwood on at the last minute. I like to use cherry, but oak or hickory are also good choices. This gives an extra smokey flavor to the meat.

Place meat on the …

I belong to several cast iron groups. About once a month someone posts a picture of a small 3 inch Lodge pan and jokes about what can you cook in it.


This is one of the ways I use these great pans. Each pan will hold one extra large egg. I usually scramble them for convenience. Begin by preheating your pans in an oven set to 195 degrees. I do mine in a small toaster oven with a convection setting. While the pans are preheating, scramble the eggs. Carefully remove pans from oven and give them a quick shot of cooking spray. Divide eggs equally between the pans and return to the oven.



Allow the eggs to bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the centers are firm, and reach a safe temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes. You should see the eggs start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Carefully remove them from the pans, they should pop right out.



Slice some prebaked biscuits, or English muffins, and add the eggs to the bottoms. We usually have a pack of m…

I smoke a lot of meat. Usually I do a brisket once or twice a month. Yesterday I couldn't find a nice packer, which is the whole brisket, but  I did find a beautiful flat which was nicely trimmed. Weighing just over nine pounds the price was equal to the fourteen pound packer that was mostly one giant fat cap.
Since the flat is much leaner, I started by injecting the meat with a mixture of no salt added beef broth and about 1/2 teaspoon of the rub. This will keep the brisket nice and moist through the 10 to 12 hour cooking process.

Ingredients for the rub:
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper


Add a circle of charcoal around the bottom of your smoker. Add several chunks of oak which has been soaked over night. Light on end of the circle and allow about one half hour for the fire to start. If done properly, you can smoke all day with charcoal ring and only have about one third to one half of t…

I enjoy creating recipes with unusual ingredients. One of my first posts was datil pepper key lime hot wings. I feel it's time to revisit datil peppers again. Datil peppers are native to the St. Augustine area. I have been trying to grow them for years. Hurricanes and other disasters always seem to destroy my plants. This year I have a plant that is producing peppers. Datils are a very hot fruity pepper.  A very little bit goes a long way. A word of CAUTION, wear gloves when handling, and never touch you eyes with the gloves.  This recipe uses one small, 3/4 inch long pepper.

Ingredients:
1 datil pepper
1 Heirloom tomato
1/2 small white onion
1 ear of corn
1 bell pepper (any color)
1/4 cup cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons key lime juice

On a medium hot grill place all the ingredients except the cilantro.  I like to use a little oak for added smokeiness. Grill, turning frequently, until all the vegetables are grill marked and well roasted. Diced the veggies and add to a small bowl. Scrap the in…

Here is a great recipe for a delicious butter, perfect for grilled corn.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon chopped cilantro
pinch roasted garlic
pinch onion powder


Trim all the loose husk from the corn. Soak corn in cool water for several minutes. Place ears on a hot 350 degree grill. Cook about 10 minutes turning frequently. The husks may blacken but the corn should have light grill marks.

Blend all the ingredients for the butter, in a small bowl with a fork.

Carefully remove ears from the grill with tongs, they will be HOT, and can cause burns. Allow to rest for several minutes then carefully remove husks. Brush with butter, and enjoy.