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One of my favorite things to smoke is a Pork Loin. To make it taste even better simply wrap it up in Bacon, and I guarantee your family and friends will be very impressed. Let me show you how easy it is to do on your pellet smoker. Ingredients: Pork Loin (mine was around 4 pounds) 1 pounds of Bacon BBQ Rub of your choice Start by trimming your Pork Loin to remove any excess fat or Silverskin. Season generously with your favorite BBQ rub. Set aside. Next lay down several pieces of Bacon to match the length of your Pork Loin. When completed carefully place the Pork Loin on the Bacon and wrap the Bacon around. Sprinkle some additional BBQ Rub on top of the Bacon. Heat your smoker to 225-250 degrees. I would recommend using a Fruit Wood for the smoke, like Cherry or Apple. Place the Pork Loin in the Smoker and Smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 140-143 degrees. Remove and cover with foil, allowing it to rest for 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy! To watch me prepare this recipe step by step simply watch my video below.

Since we have been experiencing some bitter cold the last few weeks I decided to make some Split Pea Soup. This meal warms you from the inside out, and is definitely a delicious meal that your family will love during these cold winter months. Let me show you how easy it is to make. Ingredients: 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil 1 Medium Yellow Onion, minced 2 Stalks of Celery, diced 2 Carrots, peeled and diced 2 Potatoes, peeled and diced 3-4 Slices of Bacon, chopped 1 pound of Ham, diced 1 lb of Dried Split Peas, rinsed, rained and picked through 8 cups of Chicken Stock 4 Sprigs of Thyme 1 tsp of Dried Oregano Salt and Pepper to taste In a dutch oven or pot add a drizzle of the oil along with the bacon, cook on medium heat until the bacon renders its fat and crisps up around the edges, remove it with a slotted spoon and keep the drippings in the pot. Next add the onions, celery and carrots, saute until nice and tender, about 7 minutes. If you have a Ham bone add that and saute as well. Next add the stock, diced ham, potatoes, thyme, oregano and split peas, and bring to a boil. Then partially cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half or until the soup is lovely and thick and creamy. Add the bacon back in, taste and adjust for seasoning. Enjoy! To watch me prepare this recipe step by step simply watch my video below.

One thing I learned from cooking in that you always cook to temperature, not to time. That is why an instant read thermometer is a necessity when cooking, especially when grilling or smoking. Without one you risk over cooking or under cooking you food. In order to assure you cook your food properly you also need the ability to check the temperature of what your cooking on. For example if you are trying to sear a steak on your grill between 400-500 degrees, how are you suppose to check that temperature on your grill? This is where an infrared thermometer becomes a necessity as well. With one you can quickly check temperatures from a safe distance, and know exactly how hot your cooking surface is. With its high accuracy and speed, an infrared thermometer is great for monitoring both near-surface and deep-down temperatures quickly and easily. Today I check out the Erickhill Rook 600SP Infrared Thermometer. Is it something I would recommend? Watch my video below to find out what I think.

Today I experiment by combining two different cooking methods in the search for the tastiest Carnitas that I can make. Smoking it first adds that delicious smokey flavor, and finishing it in the Instant Pot speeds up the total cooking time drastically. I was amazed at how well this turned out, and would highly recommend trying this recipe if you have a smoker and a Instant Pot. Ingredients: 4-5 pound Pork Shoulder 1 Onion 1 Orange 1 Lime 2 teaspoons Salt 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin 1 teaspoon Crumbled Dried Oregano 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander 2-4 Bay Leaves 1 cup Chicken Broth Start by slicing the Pork into strips. Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, and coriander. Apply to all sides of Pork. Smoke Pork for 1-2 hours, or until a nice dark bark in formed. Once done smoking allow to cool for a few minutes. Add Chicken Broth, sliced Onion and Pork to the Instant Pot. Squeeze the juice from a whole sliced Orange and Lime on top. Place the pieces into the Instant Pot, as well as a few Bay Leaves. Sprinkle remaining rub on top as well. Pressure cook on high for 50 minutes. Allow to naturally release when done cooking. Remove and shred pork with a couple of forks. Add shredded Pork back to the Instant Pot to keep warn and ready to serve. Enjoy! To watch my make this recipe step by step simply watch my video below.

Sometimes the most basic meals hold the special memories. For me that meal is Hamburger Helper. It was a trendy and fast way to prepare a delicious meal with nothing more than a pound of ground beef. Let me show you how to take it to the next level with a homemade version that will impress everyone, and bring back those special memories. Ingredients: 1 lb of Ground Beef 1 Small Yellow Onion, minced 3 Cloves of Garlic, minced 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil 2 Tbsp of Flour 1/2 cup of Tomato Sauce 5 cups of Beef Stock 1 cup of Milk 1lb of Elbow or Shells pasta 8oz of Sharp Cheddar, grated 1 tsp of Italian seasoning 1 tsp of Granulated garlic 1 tsp of Granulated Onion 1 tsp of Paprika 1 tsp of Chili Powder Pinch of Cayenne Pepper, optional Salt and Pepper to taste In a Dutch oven add the oil, preheat over medium heat, then add the beef, break it up as much as you can with a wooden spoon, cook until about 80% cooked through, if it releases too much fat, discard most leaving behind under 2 tbsp. Add the onions and garlic, season with a touch of salt and pepper, sauté for about 5 minutes then add the flour and stir it in for a full minute. Add the stock, milk, tomato sauce and seasonings, bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes then add the pasta, cook until al dente, adjust the seasoning to taste then stir in the cheese and dig right in! To watch me show you how to make this recipe simply watch my video below.

In my quest to teach my son Kyle the basics of smoking and barbecuing I decided to teach him how to smoke a Beer Can Chicken. This recipe is extremely simple, get a Chicken, a Beer Can and the BBQ Rub of your choice. Not only is it fun to cook, but the Chicken looks so good standing upright. This also allows all sides of the Chicken to absorb some smoke and for the skin to get crispy. Ingredients: Whole Chicken Beer Can (I also recommend a Beer Can Chicken Holder) BBQ Rub of your choice Start by removing your whole Chicken for the packaging. Rinse well and make sure the cavity is empty. Place a Beer can with around 1/3 of the Beer removed into a Beer Can holder and sprinkle some Rub inside. Carefully place the Chicken on the Beer Can. Season well on all sides with your BBQ rub. Cook on your smoker at a temperature of 275-300 degrees. I recommend using a fruit wood, like apple or cherry. Cook until the internal temperature of the Chicken reaches 165 degrees. Remove and cover with foil for 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy! To watch my son Kyle and I cook this recipe simply watch my video below.

My family and I had a wonderful Christmas this year, despite some seriously cold weather and lots of snow. Since it was a special occasion I made some Prime Rib and Shrimp Cocktails for the family. Everything came out amazing. Ava Grace even sang a special Christmas song for you all to enjoy. Come enjoy Christmas with my family and I. Simply watch my video below.

Nothing makes me happier than teaching my son Kyle how to Barbecue and Smoke. Since he has only cooked with me a few times I decided to go with another recipe that is very hard to screw up. Smoking a Chuck Roast for Pulled Beef. It is both easy to cook and comes out delicious. Ingredients: Beef Chuck Roast Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder BBQ Rub of your choice 1 Onion, sliced 4 cups Beef Broth 50/50 mix of Apple Cider Vinegar & Water to spritz Start by seasoning the Chuck Roast with Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder. Make sure to cover all the sides. Then season with your favorite BBQ rub. Be careful not to use a overly salty BBQ rub, as you already applied salt. Allow to sit on the counter while you fire up you smoker. Heat you smoker to 225-250 degrees. Use the wood of your choice for smoke. Spritz the meat every 45 minutes to an hour. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees, and you are happy with the bark. Remove the Roast. Take the drippings and pour into a pan with the sliced Onion. Pour in the Beef Broth in and place the Roast in. Cover tightly with foil. Place back on smoker and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 200-203 degrees. Feel free to increase the temperature of your smoker to help speed up the cooking time. This can take anywhere from 6-10 hours to cook depending on the size of your Roast. Remove and allow to sit covered for at least 20 minutes. Shred and enjoy! To watch Kyle and I cook this recipe just watch the video below.

I decided to smoke some Ribs for my first cook on my brand new Char-Griller Auto Kamado. Usually I smoke Ribs on my Pit Barrel Cooker, so I was interested to see how they would taste compared to those. I also wanted to see how accurate the temperature controller works on the Auto Kamado. Overall I was very impressed with the Char-Griller Auto Kamado. Ingredients: Rack of Ribs BBQ Rub of your choice BBQ Sauce of your choice Start by seasoning your Ribs with the BBQ Rub of your choice. Make sure to cover the Ribs completely. Let them sit out on the kitchen counter while you fire up your Auto Kamado. Smoke the Ribs anywhere from 225-250 degrees. I decided to set the temperature at 225, thinking I might overshoot that by 15-25 degrees, and would still remain in the desired temperature range. I also used a few chunks of Cherry wood to add some smokey flavor to the Ribs. Once the Ribs hit an internal temperature of 175 degrees you can start basting the Ribs with the BBQ Sauce of your choice. This will allow the sauce to caramelize. You also can increase the temperature to 375 to help speed up the process. Once the Ribs hit 200 degrees remove and cover with foil and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes. Serve and enjoy! To watch my make this recipe step by step simply watch my video below.

Sometimes you don't need to get fancy or overthink something simple and delicious, and these Bacon wrapped Pork Tenderloins are the perfect example. Simply wrap sliced pieces of Pork Tenderloin, apply your favorite rub or seasoning, sous vide cook and finish them off on a hot grill. Simple, easy and absolutely amazing. Ingredients: Sliced Pork Tenderloin pieces, around 1-1.5 inch thick Sliced Bacon BBQ Rub of your choice Toothpicks Slice your Pork Tenderloin into pieces and wrap with slices of Bacon. Hold the Bacon in place with toothpicks and apply your favorite BBQ Rub. Carefully place the pieces in a freezer bag, being careful to keep the toothpick tips pointed upward and away from the bag. Cook in a sous vide bath at 144 degrees for 2-5 hours. Remove and dry off well with paper towels. Apply additional seasonings if needed. Finish with a quick sear over a very hot grill. Serve and enjoy! Watch my video below where I show you how to make this recipe step by step.

One of my favorite things to eat is Pizza. Since I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago I have had many Deep Dish Pizzas over the years. One of my favorite restaurants that serves Deep Dish Pizzas in Lou Malnati's. Nothing beats enjoying their Pizza fresh out of the oven at one of their restaurants. Unfortunately most of their restaurants are within the Chicago area, so I don't get to enjoy them quite as much as I would like, therefore it is a special treat to have when I am visiting Chicago. Thanks to my Dad I now get to enjoy one of their Pizzas at my home. He purchased me a couple of Pizzas from them that are flash frozen and can be shipped to anywhere within the United States. So how do these Pizzas compare to the restaurant ones? Are they worth purchasing as a special treat if you have a craving for one, but live hundreds of miles away from a restaurant? That is what we will find out today. Simply watch my video below to find out what my family and I think of Lou Malnati's frozen Deep Dash Pizza.

So the Holiday Turkey dinner is done. But now you find yourself with lots of leftovers. Can you take some of those leftovers and make something completely different but absolutely delicious? You certainly can! Let me show you how to make an outstanding Turkey Shepherd's Pie that your whole family will love! Ingredients: 3 cups shredded, leftover turkey (can substitute chicken) 1 large onion, chopped 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped 2-3 carrots, chopped 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 cup of peas (frozen or canned) 1 cup cheddar cheese 4 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 2 cups chicken broth 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup gravy (leftover, packet or jarred) 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 4 cups leftover mashed potatoes (or you can buy pre-made mashed potatoes at the grocery store) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Then add the Garlic and simmer for a few minutes more, stirring frequently. Salt and Pepper to taste, and then add the flour. Stir and cook for a few minutes until no flour is visible. Then whisk in the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Once the mixture is simmering pour in the milk and gravy, and add the peas. Stir and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste and season if needed. Then add in the Turkey and mix well. Spoon the turkey mixture into a baking dish then top with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the top of the potatoes with some cheese. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Serve and Enjoy! To watch my prepare this recipe step by step simply click on my video below.