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- Kent

Kent's Heaven & Hell Dip
The Deck Chef Kent Whitaker

2 cups sour cream

1/3 cup Hot Sauce

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon bacon bits

1 teaspoon minced garlic
Mix all cover and chill. Add some chopped banana peppers for added heat!.

 

Chezzy Cheese Dip

The Deck Chef Kent Whitaker

16 oz cheese (Velveeta)

4 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup taco sauce

2/3 cup diced tomato

salt pepper to taste
Slowly melt cheese in microwave. Stir in milk and cream cheese. More milk may be required to soften. Add remaining ingredients and stir. FOR ADDED FLAVOR add some left over chili or taco filling!

Jalapeno Shrimp Pops
The Deck Chef Kent Whitaker
This recipe is made easy with store bought shells and minced peppers from a jar! You can substitute fat free cream cheese if desired as well.
2 boxes frozen mini pastry shells
1/2 -2/3 cup frozen mini / salad shrimp
1/3 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers
I pack cream cheese
1/3 cup real bacon bits
hot sauce as desired
Combine all ingredients in a bowl except for shells. Mix well and spoon equal amounts of filling into shells. Bake at 375 degrees until filling turns a light golden color.

Easy Skewer Maple Chicken
Here is an easy dish that can be made with little prep and cleanup time.
Take a few chicken breasts and slice down the middle. Don't cut the all the way in half. Leave about 1/2 inch. Stretch the chicken apart like it is doing the splits. Pierce with a skewer. Marinate in 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup hot sauce and 1/4 cup vinegar for 2 hours. Then place on a hot grill. Turn a few times until done. While the chicken is cooking mix a small amount of lemon juice, ginger and soy sauce in a bowl with some diced onion. Just before you take the chicken off the grill lightly baste with the sauce. ATTABABY!!!!
From Smoke IN The Mountains

PBR BRATS

The Deck Chef Kent Whitaker

Many of my buddies know my fond taste for an ice cold Pabst! You can sub your favorite beer if you must! 

1 can Pabst Blue Ribbon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon hot sauce

1 sliced onion

1 sliced green pepper

some water

some buns

some brats!

salt pepper to taste
Combine the PBR, sugar, hot sauce in a pot and bring to a boil. When brats puff up toss in onion and peppers. Remove brats to the grill and brown until golden. Keep the veggies in the PBR for a bit then grill if desired to brown up. Combine everything on a bun, top with some mustard or something and eat it during the game!

From Checkered Flag Cooking

 

Stump On Sports Turkey Chili
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cans black beans, undrained
1 can pinto beans, undrained
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 (20-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon your favorite BBQ rub
1 dash cinnamon
Brown turkey in olive oil. Add the salt and peppers just before the meat is completely browned. Drain. In a large stockpot, add the browned turkey, peppers, beans, tomato sauce and water. Stir and bring to a near boil. Add the rest of the spices one at a time, stiring them in completely before adding the next. Reduce heat, cover pot and simmer 4 to 5 hours. For best results, make chili a day ahead of time and leave it overnight in the refrigerator. Then reheat it the next day. Serve with cornbread or crackers, sour cream and shredded cheese.
By Scott Herpst – Walker County Messenger, Georgia
From The Georgia Hometown Cookbook

 

 

Grilled BBQ Pork Chop Sandwich
1 pound thin sliced pork chops
1 cup favorite barbecue sauce
1 sliced green pepper
1 slice yellow pepper
1 cup slice Vidalia onion
In a bowl combine the pork chops and barbecue sauce. Grill along side with the veggies and serve hot on buns.

From the Georgia Hometown Cookbook

 

Crocked Pulled Pork Barbecue 
How simple is this. I know this is not like smoking some pork with hickory wood, but this recipe is pretty darned good and very easy to make.
1 pork roast 
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small onion, chopped 
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup minced Vidalia onion
1 bottle barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
Combine everything in a large crock pot except the water. Add about half of the water, cover and cook on high for about 3 hours. Depending on your crockpot and how many times you open the lid, you may need to add the rest of the water, but most likely not. As roast cooks you will be able to shred with a fork. When completely shredded cook for an additional 30 minutes. Serve hot. Cooking time can vary from 3 –5 hours depending on your crock pot and the size of the roast.

 

Kents Secret Tailgate Grilled Pork Ribs
2 slabs pork ribs
Favorite marinade
1 pack chili seasoning mild
Remove the back membrane from the underside of the ribs. Coat evenly with your favorite marinade and rub both slabs with equal amounts of the chili seasoning. Wrap ribs in cling wrap as tight as possible and store in the fridge overnight if possible. Remove ribs from wrap and sear both sides on the grill over high heat enough to brown both sides. About 5-10 minutes per side. Remove from heat and carefully drizzle with a small amount of marinade and wrap tightly in several layers of foil. Reduce the heat on the grill and cook foil wrapped ribs with the cover down turning every fifteen minutes for about two hours. Ribs will start off stiff in the foil but turn very limber when finished. Use tongs and gloves to turn. Remove from heat and allow to rest for about five minutes before serving. Sprinkle with a bit of black pepper before serving.

MEATS AND SUCH
  Honey Apple Butter Pork Chops
 
4 pork chops one inch thick
   1 1/2 cups apple butter
   1/4 cup lemon juice
   1/4 cup soy sauce
   2 tablespoons honey
   1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
   1/4 teaspoon pepper
   Combine all ingredients, except pork chops and mix well. Place
   chops in shallow glass dish and pour marinade over chops..
   Cover tightly and refrigerate for several hours., overnight if
   possible. Remove pork chops from marinade. Place on grill
   approximately six inches above medium-hot coals. Grill for 10 to
   15 minutes, turning once and basting with marinade.

   Basic Smoked Pork Butt
   Use this recipe as a starter
  
1 Large Pork Butt
   2/3 cups vinegar
   1/2 cups Hotsauce
   1/2 cup mustard
   1/2 cup sugar
   1/4 cup lemon juice
   2 tablespoons black pepper
   2 tablespoons salt
   Combine all ingredients, and marinade butt in glass bowl and
   cover in fridge for about 5 hours. Set up covered smoker for med
   heat / indirect heat at about 200 to 250 degrees. Place butt in
   smoker and smoke to an internal temp of 170 degrees.
   Depending on the size of the butt this should take about 6 hours
   or more. When checking butt baste often. Cover areas that might
   be burning with loose foil. Pull Pork using tongs and a fork. or
   serve sliced.

  Easy Grilled Citrus Chicken Scampi
 
2 large chicken breasts       
   1/2 cup orange juice
   1/4 cup olive oil
   1 slice lemon
   1 slice onion diced
   2 pinches garlic powder
   2 pinches parsley flakes
   Marinate chicken in orange juice for about 30 minutes to an hour.
   Cook on grill over high heat cook until done. Try to get some good
   grill marks. Remove from grill when done. Place remaining
   ingredients in med high nonstick skillet. Place chicken in sauce
   and brown for about 30 seconds to a minute each side for added
   flavor. Serve over pasta or rice, top with parsley flakes. A great
   side dish would be a veggie melody straight from the freezer  
   section with some added seasoning.

Ginger Almond Chicken
Here is an easy dish that can be made with little prep and cleanup time.
2 large chicken breasts
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon ginger or 1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
Lemon slice
Mix egg , milk and beat. Mix flour, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in egg and milk mixture and then roll in flour. Repeat. Take almonds and press into chicken until covered. Place on nonstick baking sheet and cook in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes until chicken is firm and almonds are golden. Mix butter, ginger and melt in microwave and then pour over chicken. Squeeze a drip or two of lemon as well.

Serve over pasta or rice.

Easy Beer Can Chicken
I have had beer can chicken at tailgate parties in many states and all of the recipes are so simple. This one offers a bit of citrus flavor with some garlic. And, of course, beer. People are amazed about beer can chicken because they expect it to taste like old beer, but it is full of flavor.
1 four-pound whole chicken
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons allspice, divided
1 (12-ounce) can beer
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Thaw chicken in the fridge and remove the giblets. Make sure to rinse the chicken well inside and out and pat dry. Rub the outside of the chicken with lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon allspice and put the remaining all spice inside the chicken. Open your beer and pour half of it into a glass. Poke a few holes in the top of the can. Three should do it. Pour the
garlic powder into the beer can. Put the can into the chicken and use it and the legs to balance the chicken on your grill. I also use a small foil pan even on the grill. (I like to cook using in direct grilling.) Cook until skin is deep brown and internal temp is 180 degrees in the thigh. Remove the can before serving and enjoy. Oh yea, while the bird is cooking you can drink the other half of the beer.

CSS SPORTS NITE RIBS
Hey! Here are my rib tips that I used on the show. Thanks for watching Ally and I on CSS with the Golden Girl! email CSS and let them know you like it!
I love pork ribs! Remove the membrane on the bone side.
Brush or spoon lightly with John Boy & Billy Meat Marinade... or Dales if JB&B is not available.
I use a combination of Lemon Pepper seasoning, cajun seasoning and a bit of garlic powder..not garlic salt.
Wrap in cling wrap for as long as possible. I try over night.
Get the grill going with some added wood chunks or wood chips for flavor.
Grill the ribs on both sides for about 15 minutes may be 10 depending on the heat of your fire. You are looking for
an even golden brown searing.
Carefully remove ribs from grill and coat with just a bit of barbecue sauce then wrap, and wrap, and wrap as tightly as you can in some foil.

Adkust the coals, lower the gas, or move the ribs to a cooler part of the grill. You want to steam these babies in their own juice. You can tell when they are getting tender because the STIFF rack you carried to the grill wrapped in foil will start to get real floppy.

This should all take about 3 hours. Be careful not to cook the foil wrapped ribs to close to the heat source or you may burn a bit.

Kent’s Nearly Famous Root Beer Chicken
AS SEEN ON NBC and CSS Sports Nite

Anne Braley, Food Editor of The Chattanooga Times Free Press, wrote a great article about Macee and I appearing on the Emeril Live television show. The article contained several recipes from this book including the recipe the one Emeril and I cooked together. Along with pictures of my family doing what we love to do, cook. The article also contained a picture of me by the grill and mentioned in the caption “…as Kent grills his famous Root Beer Chicken.” Well let me tell you how many times our phone rang from people wanting to know about Root Beer Chicken. People called for weeks wanting to know what it was and how to make it. I spent many nights emailing food lovers this simple recipe. I actually got an email back from one nice lady who accused me of leaving out a secret ingredient because it seemed too easy.
6 to 8 chicken leg quarters
1 (2-liter) bottle of your favorite root beer
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
Dash Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Place the chicken quarters in a pan or bowl large enough to hold them. Pour root beer over chicken. I usually use about 3/4 of the bottle. Add garlic and onion and cover with cling wrap. Place the whole thing in the fridge overnight and place on the grill the next day (reserve the marinade). You can also use a grill with high, direct heat. As you are smoking the chicken,
pour the root beer marinade in a saucepan. Add a dash of salt and pepper and add 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Boil it down for about 30 minutes and use as a baste on the chicken.

Tail Gate Brats - Dawgs & Smoked Sausage
OK CSS Sports Nite Fans and all you tailgaters! These are the tips shown on the Friday Tailgate Show on CSS Sports Nite with THE GOLDEN GIRL and Kent!

BRATWURST - First, fully cook brats in beer without poking a hole in them with a fork. The best beer to use is one of your buddies so you doint have to use one of yours. Next THROW A FOOTBALL!!!, Then remove brats from boiled beer and place on the grill to cook to a very golden brown. How to change this? Toss in onions, peppers, spices and even some of your favorite marinades if you wish. The trick is to FULLY COOK THE BRAT!!! Then THROW A FOTBALL - GO LONG!!!!

When The Brats are golden brown with grill marks and the onions and peppers are cooked or grilled remove form the grill and place on a SUNBEAM roll or bun. Top tith the onion and peppers, some slaw a bit of hot sauce... MAN WHAT A MEAL!! Then eat!

BRATWURST TRICK - This comes from George. Take your finished brat, slice it down the middle and spoon in some cheese dip a some salsa. Roll that sucker up in a warmed tortilla and enjoy!

DAWGS - I always poke several holes in my dogs. Then I marinate them in a spicy barbecue sauce or sweet barbecue sauce over nite in a zip close bag before grilling.

SMOKED SAUSAGE - I love a good smoked sausage. I always marinate them overnit in a zip close bag in some barbecue sauce with a dash of John Boy and Billy Meat Marinade. After I get some good grill marks on them I move the whole bunch of them into a foil bread pan. Cover with the remaining sauce, seal with foil and place back on the coolest part of the grill to allow the sausage to steam in their own juices for a while. THEN THROW A PASS!!!!

DIPS AND SAUCES

Kent's Heaven & Hell Dip
The Deck Chef Kent Whitaker

2 cups sour cream

1/3 cup Hot Sauce

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon bacon bits

1 teaspoon minced garlic
Mix all cover and chill. Add some chopped banana peppers for added heat!.

BACK TO RECIPE INDEX

Chezzy Cheese Dip

The Deck Chef Kent Whitaker

16 oz cheese (Velveeta)

4 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup taco sauce

2/3 cup diced tomato

salt pepper to taste
Slowly melt cheese in microwave. Stir in milk and cream cheese. More milk may be required to soften. Add remaining ingredients and stir. FOR ADDED FLAVOR add some left over chili or taco filling!

BACK TO RECIPE INDEX

SIDES AND SUCH

Simple Vinegar Slaw
1/2 head of cabbage
1/2 carrot shredded
1/2 cup apple vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Wash cabbage and shred. Shred carrot stir in vinegar and sugar and mix well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover, chill and serve.

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Simple Creamy Slaw
1/2 head of cabbage 1 carrot
1 cup mayo 1/4 Cup apple vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Wash cabbage and shred. Shred carrot stir in mayo, vinegar and sugar and mix well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover, chill and serve.

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Ole Time Picnic Slaw
1 large head cabbage, chopped 1 diced tomato
1/2 bell pepper, chopped 1 small jar pimento
1 cup sugar 1 cup apple vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mix all except for the salt and pepper. After mixing cover and seal tightly overnight. Before serving add salt and pepper to taste.

BACK TO RECIPE INDEX

Fine Chopped Topping Slaw
1 large head cabbage chopped
1 small carrot shredded
1/2 green bell pepper shredded
1 small onion shredded
3/4 cup sugar or 6 packs sweet & low
1 cup mayo 1/4 cup apple vinegar Salt & Pepper to taste
Fine chop cabbage, carrot, pepper and onion. Add vinegar & sugar or sweet & low. Add vinegar & mayo NOT SALAD DRESSING. Salt & Pepper to taste.

BACK TO RECIPE INDEX

Breads AND SUCH

Kent’s Famous Barbecue Cornbread
The Food Network Version

The trick to making Kent’s BBQ Cornbread is barbecue. I use left over barbecue, beef or pork, that has been shredded fine and re-smoked on the smoker for about an hour using hickory wood. This adds that deep barbecue flavor that you can sink your teeth into. You can “Kick Up The Sauce On Top A Notch,” as Emeril said by adding a bit more hot sauce. What ever you do just remember that this cornbread slices better if given a few minutes to cool. It is great served with white beans and a side of slaw.
If you ever get to watch this episode, try and count how many beers I get down.

Cornbread:
1/2 pound leftover barbecue pork or beef
1 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 (15-ounce) can cream-style corn
1/2 (4-ounce) can chopped green chile peppers, drained
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 glass-baking dish. Shred leftover barbecue into fine pieces. In a large bowl, beat together butter, milk and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in cream corn, chiles, both cheeses, and barbecue. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to corn mixture; stir
until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into center of the pan comes out clean. Or better yet, until the center is firm to the touch.


Topping:
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons your favorite barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Combine all and melt in microwave. Brush over cornbread and place back in oven for a few minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm or break into pieces and serve in a small bowl

 

Hush Puppies
I have had Hush Puppies served to me many times at many different restaurants that serve barbecue. Somehow it has become the perfect finger bread for a good plate of ‘que. This recipe comes from T.L. who can’t give his full name because he does not want his partner wife to know he gave out the recipe.
3 cups self-rising cornmeal
1 cup self-rising flour
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg, beaten Mix all into a cookie-like dough
Add or reduce milk as needed. Roll into balls or spoon into hot grease. Cook until outside is golden brown. Then serve hot.

BBQ & GRILLING FAQ'S

Here are a few of the FAQ's The Deck Chef gets by email! email Kent, aka The Deck Chef at thedeckchef@hotmail.com

I saw that you used steak seasoning in one of your recipes. What is steak seasoning?   I make a seasoning for just about everything when I cook. My basic recipe for steak seasoning is a combination of salt, pepper and a very, very little bit of garlic. I usually sprinkle some on when marinating and just before taking off the grill. Don't overdo it, only add a bit for zest! I usually only use steak seasoning when making a specific theme dish that requires a more zesty flavor.

What is better to cook with, wood, gas or charcoal?   Heck, I like wood. I generally use hickory. I also use pear, apple and maple. It depends on the flavor I am looking for. I also use gas and charcoal. It all depends on what I am cooking and how long I am going to cook it. If you do use wood never, ever use PINE. For slow cooking I use wood or wood and charcoal, for tailgates I use gas or charcoal and wood chips.

What makes the better Barbecue, Pork or Beef?   I eat and cook both! When you get right down to it I will eat or barbecue just about anything!! In general the Eastern United States and The South are known for Pork Barbecue. Texas, Kansas City and the West are known for great beef barbecues. Why? Simply put Pork was a staple of the Colonial Eastern United States. Pork moved South because it was easy to raise... so to speak. Beef was an easy choice to ranchers due to the huge areas needed for cattle. Everything is bigger in Texas, and beef is king!

How does a dry rub work?   A dry rub is exactly that. A mixture of dry spices are used directly on the meat. A dry rub season the meat. If using a dry rub on chicken make sure it you apply it on the meat and not on the skin of the chicken. My basic rub is a combination of several spices including black pepper, brown sugar, paprika, salt and a few other things. I usually marinate the meat for no less than 4 hours, rub the meat, smoke, barbecue, grill or broast the meat and then just before it is finished I rub the meat again with a very light baste to make it stick

Why Should I use a marinade?   A marinade does more than just add a cover flavor to your meats. A marinade is generally made of some ingredient that actually breaks down the meat... and adds flavor. Ingredients along these lines include vinegar, red wine vinegar, citrus juice such as lemon or pineapple and even orange. There are many more but these seem to be the standard for good ole fashioned barbecue. The reason you want to use a marinade is to add penetrating flavor to your meat. It also helps to make the meat more tender.

What is indirect heat?   Indirect heat means you cook with the heat off from the meat. It is a from or slow cooking and smoking. I usually set up my smoker for indirect heat but you can also use a grill! Indirect heat cooks the meat slowly which helps add the penetrating smoke flavor and tenderizes the meat by breaking down the connective tissue.

I got some flavored wood chips for the grill but they burned up. I soaked them but the dried and burned before they smoked. What do I need to do?    Wood chips are great! I use them all of the time for quick meals, burgers, tailgates and more. Here are the basics for wood chips and chunks. I soak chips for 30 minutes to an hour and wood chunks for 1 hour to 2 hours before using. Next I place them in my cast iron wood chip box, or wrapped very loose in heavy duty foil. I then place the box or the foil on the hottest part of my smoker or grill until some smoke heavy smoke appears. I then move the box or foil off the heat to a cooler part of the grill. Whether you use store bought chips or some from the wood pile you must remember to use a covered grill or smoker or all of that flavor will just wear off.

What is a baste?   Many people think try to use a baste as a marinade or even a sauce. Here is a quick lesson A marinade is used before cooking. a baste is used during cooking to keep the meat moist. A sauce, or actually a finishing sauce, is used on the meat during a the last few moments of cooking. My marinades include vinegar, my bastes include vinegar and meat stock and my finishing sauce includes brown sugar!

Why is it called a finishing sauce?   Because you use it to finish your meat. As I said above, my sauce includes sugar. If sugar cooks to long on a grill the sugar can break down, burn and cause a bitter taste. I use a finishing sauce during the last 30 minutes or less of cooking.



   Kent Whitaker
   www.thedeckchef.com
   thedeckchef@hotmail.com