Jalapeños Hot Sauce

May 20, 2013September 29, 2013 ~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

A few days ago we made a bucket full of chili cheese top (recipe comes later this week) and we thought that it was a pity to through away the inside of the jalapeños. Thus we decided to try and make a jalapeños hot sauce, and the end result was so good that we decided that we would share it with all of you guys 🙂

The recipe is quite easy to follow and it doesn’t take long to make. So do you have jalapeños leftovers after dinner, you can freeze them and when you have enough, you can make delicious homemade hot sauce to be served on top of tacos or to spice up your daily cooking. Have you used a properly cleaned jar, the hot sauce can be stored for up to 6 month in a cool and dark place (ours doesn’t last for more than a few weeks, as we looooove hot sauce :-D).

Ingredients (about 3 cups)

50 jalapeños

6-7 garlic cloves

1 large onion

1 tbsp. salt

3 cups water

1 cup apple cider vinegar

Remove the stem form the jalapeños and slice them (as described above, and as you can see the first picture, we have used all the leftovers from our chili cheese tops so we have only added 4 whole jalapeños).

Chop the onion and garlic roughly and place in a sauce pan together with salt, jalapeños and water. Bring to a boil and cook at medium heat for 20 – 30 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated. Stir occasionally to avoid burning.

Remove the cooked jalapeños mix from the heat and let it cool a bit before transferring it to a blender. Use a rubber spatula to get all the chili mix from the sauce pan and into the blender. Blend on medium speed while slowly adding the vinegar. Scrape the sides of the blender if necessary. Blend for 2-3 minutes.

Pour the chili sauce back into the sauce pan and bring to a boil again and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the sharpness of the vinegar is gone.

Depending on your consistency preference you have two options now: 1) you can leave it as it is now and transfer it to a clean jar, or 2) you can transfer the chili sauce through a stainer and into a cleaned jar. This is done to remove any small seeds that did not get blended completely. The difference between the two methods, is the consistency of the end result. Using the last method you will get a very thin hot sauce like e.g. Tabasco, while the first methods gives a thicker and more grainy consistency.

We have chosen the second method as we like it thin, but if you prefer it slightly thicker you can just do that 😀

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (about 7.5 dl)

50 jalapeños

6-7 garlic cloves

1 large onion

1 tbsp. salt

7.5 dl water

2.5 dl apple cider vinegar

How to make Pulled Pork

April 17, 2013September 29, 2013 ~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ 2 Comments

How often do you think about making pulled pork but don’t know how to find the perfect recipe?

Well, we have had pulled pork a dozen places, but nothing is as good as this home made version – and we have never had any complaints, on the contrary people love it and we are often asked if we can make it for different occasion.

Don’t give up beforehand when you go through the recipe – it takes approximately 4-5 days to translate the raw ham into the perfect pulled pork, but it is definitely worth the time! And if you get a properly sized ham, you will have food for 4 people for at least a week!

On the pictures below, there are two hams, but the recipe is only for one! And no matter the size of the ham, the smoking hours are the same, but we recommend that you order a good large ham at your butcher.

Ingredients (30 servings)

1 large ham (these are approximately 22 pounds each)

1/4 cup grainy mustard

1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

1 cup rub

Tools

Water smoker

Charcoals

Nut tree

Thermometer

If you have gotten a whole hindquarters like shown on the picture above, you can begin by removing the tale and tale bone.

Then you need to remove the skin, but not the fat (picture below).

Spread out the mustard and worcestershire sauce followed by the rub. Place the ham in a dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 24 hour (preferably 48 hours).

When the ham had marinated for at least 24 hours, you can begin to prepare the smoker.

Place a small number of hot coals on top of a full charcoal chamber of unlit briquettes. Use the bottom vents to control the amount of air entering the cooker, to keep the fire burning low and steady. The unlit fuel catches fire gradually throughout the cooking session, resulting in long burn times of up to 18 hours, depending on weather conditions. This is called the Minion Method.

Place some wood on top of the charcoals (preferably nut tree).

Fill the water pan with water and check regularly (every 6th hour) to make sure that it doesn’t dry out.

Place the ham in the water smoker and put on the lid. Try to keep the temperature around 230F at all times. It is important that it don’t get below 210F at any time during the smoking process. If you have trouble keeping the temperature up, you can add a few charcoals at a time.

Smoke for approximately 18 hours 🙂

After 18 hours you can remove the ham from the smoker. Place it so it can rest for about an hour before you begin to pull it. The resting time has two purposes, 1) to prevent the meat from loosing valuable juices, and 2) to avoid that you burn your fingers during the pulling process 🙂

How delicious does that look!?!?!

After 18 hours of smoking you know that the meat is perfect, if you can remove the key bone in one grip, without any meat hanging on to it.

With the key bone removed, you are now ready to pull the meat. Use your fingers to pull the meat into small bite-sized chunks.

Looking at the picture below, you can se how the smoke has gone all the way into the meat, and not just stayed on the outside. This is due the long smoking process.

Now you have made the famous pulled pork – how hard was that? So now, you don’t have any excuse to take short cuts, as we often experience people do, when they either boil the meat or cook it in the oven in a roasting bag (shame on you)!

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (30 servings)

1 large ham (these are approximately 22 pounds each)

0.8 dl grainy mustard

1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

2.5 dl rub

Greek Barbecue Lamb Sandwich

March 24, 2013September 30, 2013 ~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

There are many ways to serve lamb, but if you want to try something less traditional, you should consider trying this fabulous greek lamb sandwich, which we made a while ago.

When you have made the meat, it is as easy as boiling an egg, and you get all the good flavors from the greek cuisine combined with the charcoal flavor from the grill – a great great way to serve lamb.

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 Barbecue lamb roast

4 greek flatbread

1 cup greek yoghurt

1 cucumber

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. salt

1 romaine salad, sliced

3 red peppers

1 head 2 small tomatoes

1 red onion

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup stoneless black olives

Grate the cucumber and sprinkle with salt. Let rest in a colander while chopping the vegetables.

Chop the red peppers, tomatoes, red onion and olives into a small cubes.

Drain the salted cucumber as much as possible and mix with the minced garlic and greek yoghurt. Refrigerate the tzatziki for 5-10 minutes.

Cut the lamb roast into 1/2-inch slices and place 2 slices on each flatbread. Add sliced salad, tzatziki, chopped vegetables and some crumbled feta cheese.

Fold the bottom of the flatbread followed by both sides. That way, you don’t drop any of the filling while eating 🙂

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 Barbecue lamb roast

4 greek flatbread

2.5 dl greek yoghurt

1 cucumber

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. salt

1 head romaine salad, sliced

3 red peppers

12 small tomatoes

1 red onion

2.5 dl feta cheese, crumbled

1.25 dl stoneless black olives

911 Hot Sauce

March 20, 2013September 30, 2013 ~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

Are you a fan of VERY hot hot sauce? Then try this incredibly hot chili sauce which is on the edge of being uneatable in large amounts, but still full of flavors and a great dipping sauce for chicken or as seasoning for meatballs and chili.

We made it for burritos, but have since used it for everything that needs to be spiced a little 🙂

Ingredients (6 cups)

5-6 large tomatoes

1 red onion, chopped roughly

1 cup chilis

4 cups water

1/8 cup steak pepper

1/8 garlic powder

1/8 cup salt

1 can chipotle in adobo sauce

2/3 cup ketchup

Bring together tomatoes, onion, chilies and water and bring to a boil. Let cook for about one hour with the lid on.

Take the saucepan of the heat and let rest with the lid on for 30-45 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stir around and blend it. Blend until evenly combined.

Keep stored in an clean airtight jar.

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (6 cups)

5-6 large tomatoes

1 red onion, chopped roughly

2.5 dl chilis (20-40 chilis depending on the size)

1 liter water

0.3 dl steak pepper

0.3 dl garlic powder

0.3 dl salt

1 can chipotle in adobo sauce

1.6 dl ketchup

Barbecue Lamb Roast

February 27, 2013October 3, 2013 ~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

This way to cook lamb roast is a great in more than one way. If you are one of those lamb ‘haters’ that have had an unfortunate experience, you should not be afraid to try this.

Most people have tried to eat lamb, thinking that they eat a hundred year old sheep – it tastes like wet wool, growth in your mouth and has a horrible aftertaste. Such an experience can ruin everything, but we promise that this time you will experience the true glory of lamb meat (and hopefully forget all about the bad experiences).

Ingredients (6 servings)

1 lamb shoulder

2 shallots

1 whole garlic

1/2 stick butter

1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup almonds, roasted

Olive oil

4 tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 cup red wine

Begin by making the breadcrumbs. Take what correspond to 1 1/2 cup of leftover bread (we alway have some in the freezer) and cut it into small cubes. Bake in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Set a side.

Chop the shallots, almonds and half of the garlic cloves finely – keep separate.

Remove the bone from the lamb shoulder (if you buy it at your local butcher, you can ask him to do it). Spread out some olive oil on the inside of the lamb shoulder and sprinkle it with 2 tbsp. of Italian seasoning and the chopped garlic.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the chopped shallots and almonds, grated parmesan cheese and put on top of the all the other ingredients. Top it of with thin slices of butter (make sure that you can close the meat completely – if not, you have used t much stuffing).

Tie up the lamb shoulder together and make sure that the stuffing can’t fall out. Take a small kitchen knife and cut small incisions on the outside of the tied meat. Stuff the incisions with the rest of the garlic cloves. Top it of with olive oil and the remaining 2 tbsp. Italian seasoning.

Place the stuffed lamb shoulder in a cast iron pan or an ovenproof tray. Pour in the red wine and 2 tbsp. butter. Let rest in the fridge while prepping the (kettle) grill.

Set the grill for indirect heating (coal in one side). The temperature should be around 320F. The meat should cook approximately 30 minutes per pound or until it the internal temperature reaches 158F.

Set the cast iron pan with the meat in the middle of the grill and put on the lit. Turn the pan halfway through the cooking process, so it gets cook evenly on both sides. Remove from the grill when it has reached the target temperature and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Remove the tie and cut the meat into thick slices and serve as part of a greek barbecue lamb sandwich 🙂

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (6 servings)

1 lamb shoulder

2 shallots

1 whole garlic

56 g butter

3.75 dl breadcrumbs

0.6 dl parmesan cheese, grated

0.6 dl almonds, roasted

Olive oil

4 tbsp. Italian seasoning

2.5 dl red wine

Traditional Coleslaw

February 15, 2013November 17, 2013 ~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

Coleslaw is without doubt a main dish when having a barbecue party, and is perfect for pulled pork, spareribs or smoked pork cheeks.

We have tried many combinations (adding carrots, herbs, low-fat sour cream, chopped jalapeños and lemon), but found this one to be the best. It is the combination of the cabbage, the intense onions, fat from the sour cream, sweetness from the sugar and sourness from the vinegar that makes the coleslaw tasteful and delicious.

Ingredients (6-8 servings)

1/2 cabbage

2 red onions

1 cup sour cream (don’t use low-fat)

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. mayo

Cut cabbage and onions into thin slices and mix it together in a bowl.

I another bowl mix together sour cream, confectioners sugar, apple cider vinegar and mayo. mix until smooth.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage and onions and mix well. Let rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour, over night would be perfect.

Serve in pulled pork burger as shown on the picture below or as a side dish for spare ribs or any other smoked meat 🙂

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (6-8 servings)

1/2 cabbage

2 small onions

2.5 dl sour cream (don’t use low-fat)

0.8 dl confectioners sugar

0.8 dl apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. mayo

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

February 15, 2013October 3, 2013 ~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

Are you having steaks tonight? And do you have trouble deciding on the seasoning? Then try this fabulous lemon pepper seasoning. Or try it on other beef types, fat fish or chicken.

Ingredients

6 tbsp. lemon salt (kosher salt with lemon zest)

4 tbsp. light brown sugar

4 tbsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. lemon zest

2 tbs. garlic powder

2 tbs. onion powder

1/2 tbs. celery seed

Combine all ingredients and keep stored in an airtight container and at room temperature.

Bon Appétit!

Chinese Barbecue Pork Burrito

February 10, 2013October 3, 2013 ~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

Chinese barbecue pork burrito is a combination of the asian and the mexican kitchen, which might sound a bit odd but it tasted delicious. Serve it as an appetizer on game sunday or make it for your work lunch – your colleagues will envy you when they smell the combination of the asian spices inside a wheat tortilla.

There are not an awful lot to say about this recipe other than: “taste it, we’ll guarantee that you’ll love it”.

Ingredients (4 small burritos)

4 small tortilla pancakes

3/4 pound pulled pork (other kinds of pork can be used as well)

1/2 cup chinese barbecue sauce

1 small red onion

1 avocado

3 tomatoes

1 lime

Preheat a pan with a bit vegetable olie and add meat. If you use pulled pork, the meat is already cooked and therefor only needs to be heated. If you chose to use raw meat it should be roasted carefully with salt and pepper. When the meat is warm/cooked add the chinese barbecue sauce and let cook for a few more minutes.

While the meat and sauce cooks, chop the tomatoes, onion and avocado and warm the tortillas in the oven (they only needs a minute or two).

Now you are ready to fill your tortillas with the most juicy and delicious chinese barbecue pork, onion, tomatoes, avocado and lemon juice.

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (4 small burritos)

4 small tortilla pancakes

340 g pulled pork (other kinds of pork can be used as well)

1.25 dl chinese barbecue sauce

1 small red onion

1 avocado

3 tomatoes

1 lime

Chinese Barbecue Sauce

February 10, 2013October 3, 2013 ~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ 1 Comment

Barbecue sauce is a vague term as there are as many different barbecue sauces, as there burger types. When mentioning the term barbecue sauce, most people often think of a sticky red substance with tomatoes as the main ingredient. In a traditional chinese barbecue sauce the tomatoes are replaced with other ingredients such a soy sauce and/or hoisin sauce.

Our favorite way to use this barbecue sauce is when we make chinese barbecue pork burritos (recipe follows soon) which is an easy and delicious sunday dinner. It can also be used for other meat types such as beef or duck.

Ingredients

1 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sweet soy sauce

1/2 Beer (choose your favorite)

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 cup syrup

1 tbsp. black pepper sauce

2 tbsp. chili flakes in soy-bean sauce

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. ginger powder

1 tbsp. chinese five spice

1 tbsp. onion powder

Heat up a sauce pan and add soy sauce. Let it boil for a few minutes before adding beer, syrup, sweet soy sauce, black pepper sauce and hoisin sauce. Stir to combine before adding all the dry ingredients while whisking.

When combined let simmer a medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the texture is smooth and all the dry ingredients has dissolved.

If you’re not using it immediately, transfer to a clean and airtight jar. If you plan to keep the sauce for more than a few days, it is a good idea to rinse the jar in boiling water or alcohol just before adding the sauce. Keep refrigerated at all times.

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients

2.5 dl soy sauce

0.6 dl sweet soy sauce

1/2 Beer (choose your favorite)

1.25 dl hoisin sauce

1.25 dl syrup

1 tbsp. black pepper sauce

2 tbsp. chili flakes in soy-bean sauce

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. ginger powder

1 tbsp. chinese five spice

1 tbsp. onion powder

Whisky Barbecue Sauce

February 9, 2013December 28, 2013 ~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ 3 Comments

This barbecue sauce is an all-time favorite when we host cosy barbecue dinners and, most often friends and family ask for the recipe or if there are any leftovers for them to take home.

It has taken some time and a lot of experimentation before reaching this recipe which we have chosen to name ‘Best Ever Barbecue Sauce’ as it works for all most all kind of meat or as a mopping and dipping sauce.

Ingredients (5 cups)

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup whisky

1/8 cup worcestershire sauce

3.5 dl ketchup

1/2 cup syrup (chose your favorite)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp. black pepper

1/8 cup salt

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

1 tbsp. cumin, grounded

1 tbsp. ginger powder

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. cayenne pepper

Preheat a sauce pan and pour in vinegar. Let boil for a few minutes, then add ketchup followed by the rest of the ingredients.

Cook for 3-4 four hours before serving. If you’re not using it all at one time, you can keep in an clean airtight jar. If you plan to contain the sauce for more than a few days, it is a good idea to rinse the jar in boiling water or alcohol just before you fill in the sauce.

Keep refrigerated at all times.

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (1250 ml)

2.5 dl apple cider vinegar

2.5 dl whisky

0.3 dl worcestershire sauce

8.75 dl ketchup

1.25 dl syrup (chose your favorite)

1.25 dl dark brown sugar

1.25 dl granulated sugar

1 tbsp. black pepper

0.3 dl salt

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

1 tbsp. cumin, grounded

1 tbsp. ginger powder

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. cayenne pepper

Food on Demant

by Ann & Chris Demant

BBQ

Jalapeños Hot Sauce

How to make Pulled Pork

Greek Barbecue Lamb Sandwich

911 Hot Sauce

Barbecue Lamb Roast

Traditional Coleslaw

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Chinese Barbecue Pork Burrito

Chinese Barbecue Sauce

Whisky Barbecue Sauce