This cheesy slow cooker ham and potato casserole is the ultimate comfort food. With hash browns, a creamy sauce, ham, and stuffing mix, you can throw it together in a matter of minutes and let it cook all day until you're ready to eat. Ingredients: 1 (30 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes (cubed or shredded) 1 onion, diced 1 green pepper, diced 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion 1 teaspoon salt 8 ounces sour cream 1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of chicken soup 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 cups cooked diced ham 4 Tablespoons butter (melted) 1 (6 ounce) package herb-seasoned stuffing mix Melt some butter in a frying pan. Saute the diced onion and green pepper for a few minutes until they are softened. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Add the sauteed green pepper and onion. Combine hash browns, dried onion, salt, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, cheese, and ham and place in slow cooker. Stir well. Sprinkle stuffing mix over top, then drizzle melted butter over stuffing. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high 2-3 hours. Serve and enjoy! To watch me prepare and cook this recipe simply watch my video below.

One of my favorite sandwiches is the French Dip. One reason is because you can dip that sandwich into some Au Jus gravy to take the flavor to the next level. Miniaturize the sandwich into a slider and now you have the perfect crowd-pleaser at any party or family get together. Cook your beef in the Instant Pot, as it not only speeds up the cooking time, it also makes a delicious Au jus as well. Let me show you how easy it is to make. Ingredients: 3-4 pound Chuck Roast 1 Onion, sliced 2-3 cloves minced Garlic 4 sprigs fresh Thyme 3 cups Beef broth Hawaiian Rolls Provolone Cheese Kosher Salt Black Pepper Butter Season the Beef with Salt and Pepper. Turn your Instant Pot on high Saute and heat up some oil. Brown the Beef for a few minutes on each side. Remove and set aside. Now saute the Onion and Garlic until softened. Then pour in the Beef broth, and using a spatula scrape the bottom to loosen the bits of flavor. Add the Beef back into the Instant Pot with the Broth and Onions and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes per pound. Let it naturally release when it is done cooking. Remove when done and shred with a couple of forks. Turn the Instant Pot back to high saute and bring the Au jus to a simmer, as this will help thicken it and reduce it down a bit. Add the Beef back to the Instant Pot and turn it to keep warm. Now butter the tops and inside of your Hawaiian Rolls. Sprinkle some Kosher Salt on top and broil for a few minutes until brown. Then add some slices of Provolone Cheese to the rolls and add some of the Beef on top. Place in a 300 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until heated up. Serve and enjoy! Watch my video below where I show you how to prepare this recipe, step by step.

If you have a Blackstone Griddle you know the issues you can have trying to cook in high wind or cold weather. It becomes very difficult to maintain even temperatures, and as a result cooking time is increased and you use so much more fuel. So does adding some Wind Guards to your Griddle solve this problem? Are they a hassle to install? Do you really need them? Watch my video below to see what I think of the Sivsis Wind Guards for the Blackstone Griddle.

When people ask me what is something easy to smoke and hard to screw up, I tell them Beef Short Ribs. Just 3 ingredients are needed for this recipe, Beef Short Ribs, Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper. Not only are they easy to cook, they are absolutely delicious. Ingredients: Beef Short Ribs Kosher Salt Ground Black Pepper Apply Kosher Salt on all sides of the Beef Short Ribs. Let them Dry Brine overnight in your refrigerator on a wire rack. You want to make sure air can circulate around the Ribs. The next morning apply Ground Black Pepper to the Ribs. Allow to rest while you heat up your smoker. I would recommend using Hickory Wood for this. Try to maintain a temperature in your smoker anywhere between 275-325 degrees. Spray occasionally with a 50/50 mixture of Red Vine Vinegar and Water. Smoke the Ribs for 4-6 hours, until you are satisfied with the bark, and the internal temperature is at least 160 degrees. Then remove and wrap with foil. Make sure to add some liquid, I used beef broth, but beer or water would work as well. Put back on the smoker or oven and continue to cook until the internal temperature is 200-203 degrees and probe tender. Allow to rest and cool down wrapped up for at least an hour before slicing. Enjoy! To watch me cook this recipe step by step simply watch my video below.

What do you get when you combine two of Chicago's favorite restaurants? Lou Malnati's, famous for their Deep Dish Pizza recently joined Portillo's, famous for their Italian Beef Sandwiches, to offer for the first time ever Deep Dish Italian Beef Pizzas. When I heard that I knew I had to try them! These are only available to order frozen, and can be delivered anywhere within the United States. So how do these Pizzas taste? Watch my video below to see what my family and I thought of Lou Malnati's Frozen Italian Beef Pizzas.

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.