Chef Jeff from Fox Valley Technical College’s Culinary Arts program joins Focus Fox Valley!
Chef Jeff’s Stuffed Meatballs
- 1 pound Ground Beef or other
- 1 Tablespoon Beef Base, as purchased
- ½ Cup Onions, minced
- 2 Eggs, fresh, large
- 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper, coarse ground
- 1 teaspoon Salt, seasoned
- About 1 Cup Bread crumbs
- About 8 Cheese cubes, about an inch square
Directions
- Set-up your grill for indirect grilling or smoking at about 350° F.
- Prepare the meatball mixture by thoroughly combining the ground beef, beef base, minced onions, eggs, black pepper, and salt. Add the bread crumbs last to bind it all together.
- Divide the meatball mixture into 8 even portions.
- Carefully wrap the meatball mixture around the cheese cubes, being deliberate to create a seal around the cheese to minimize leakage.
- Grill or smoke the meatballs until they reach your desired doneness. It’s a pretty good indicator that if you start to see the cheese leaking a little, the meatballs are probably done.
- Serve immediately as an appetizer or main entrée.
Chef Jeff’s Crab Rangoon Appetizer
- 1 pound (2 8oz packages) Cream Cheese, plain
- 3 Eggs, whole, large, fresh
- 3 each Green Onion, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, ground
- 1 pound Surimi Crab Meat
- 4 oz (1 stick) Butter , salted, melted
- Phyllo Dough, as purchased 4 ounces (20 14×9 sheets)
Directions
- Combine the cream cheese, eggs, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and black pepper in a mixing bowl. Blend well.
- Flake the surimi crab meat with your hands and fold it into the cream cheese mixture, being careful not to over-mix.
- In a 9 x 13 pan, layer 10 of the 20 phyllo dough sheets into the bottom, brushing each of them lightly with butter between each layer.
- Spread the cream cheese and crab mixture over the layered phyllo dough, taking care to spread it evenly.
- Layer the remaining 10 sheets of phyllo dough over the cream cheese and crab mixture, brushing each of them with butter as in the bottom layer.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
- Cut into small portions and serve immediately with your favorite beverage.
Chef Jeff’s Ribs Procedures
1 day prior to cooking
Prepare your brine using this recipe and a wire whisk (note this is enough brine for six 9-bone racks):
- Cold Water 1 gallon
- Salt, plain non-iodized table 1/3 Cup
- Sugar, white granulated 1/3 Cup
Completely peel and trim each rack of ribs. Starting from the front end, count 9 bones and cut off the cartilage end next to the 10th bone. Brine soak the trimmed racks until the next day. Prepare your spray mop using this recipe and a wire whisk (note this is enough mop for many racks):
- Apple Cider Vinegar 1 Cup
- Apple Juice or Cider ¼ Cup 5 hours prior to turn-in
5 hours prior to turn-in
Light your smoker and get it running at 275° F with full smoke and indirect heat. Remove your racks from the brine, blot dry with paper towels and allow them to air dry with the inside up / outside down
and warm toward room temperature.
4½ hours prior to turn-in
Apply the Zinny’s Garlic Pepper Rub (1/3) and then the Sweet Mama BOLD Rub (2/3), first on the inside of the rack, then flip them over and apply the same amount of rub on the outside of the rack. You may need to blot dry the outside of the rack with paper towels after flipping.
‘4 hours prior to turn-in
Put the ribs on the smoker, taking care not to smear any rub in the process. Smoke the ribs for about 2½ hours, keeping an eye on the color. You may choose to mist the rack once or twice toward the very end of the smoking time with the spray mop.
1½ hours prior to turn-in
Wrap the racks in a single layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil with a light coating of spray mop, being careful not to puncture the foil. Return the wrapped racks to the smoker and allow the ribs to reach 205° F. Rest the ribs in a manner that keeps them warm.
½ hour prior to turn-in
Unwrap the ribs and carefully cut them into individual bones. Once you’ve made your selections, brush each bone on both sides with our competition sauce. For best presentation place them in 2 stacked rows with 4 or 5 on the bottom and 4 on the top, depending upon their size and how they look.
Be sure to take a photo before turning them in. They should look and taste awesome. Sit back and look forward to hearing your team called at awards. ENJOY!
