A busy, busy summer

Well it's been a over a month since my last post, but I suppose this is what happens after our long Northwest PA winters. We've dreamed and planned for July, so once it arrives we are busy, busy, busy.

Since my last post, I’ve:

Had a large family picnic where I broke out two of my summer specialties: pit barbecued chicken, with a vinegar based sauce and smoked pulled pork with my homemade Kansas City style sweet sauce.

We took a week of vacation where we spent 4 days at my uncle’s cabin, with various day trips around the Allegheny National Forest. So much to write about there! I’ve got 4-5 blog posts slated, and I’ll probably even work in a published piece on this trip.

My hometown’s annual motorcycle rally, took place. The Roar on the Shore is in its 7th season, and was bigger than ever this year.

Flower garden is in full swing, and since we’ve had a cool, somewhat wet summer, the yard work hasn’t stopped either.

Shot 2 more videos for the Gear Review at www.NWPAOutdoors.com, plus published an article and worked on a second, for NWPA Outdoors, and the Erie Times-News.

And even as I find time to eak out one more blog post, my mind is wandering to the camping trip with my in-laws last weekend. We headed down to Red Bridge campground on the shores of the Kinzua Reservoir, deep in the heart of the National Forest, and completely out of cell range for 48 hours. A blessing and a curse to be sure!

But this is what we do. Living in the northern tier our winters are long and harsh. Often not much to do, and not a ton of motivation to do what is available. So we plan and dream. Then when July and August comes around we replenish our spirit with warm weather outdoors activities with family and friends.

Happy Exploring
Scott M



Further adventures in German Cuisine

I've mentioned it before, and I'll continue to sing its praises today because The German Cookbook by Mimi Sheraton is an invaluable resource if you plan on diving into authentic German cooking. 

Schnitzel recipes, are typically made with a veal cutlet, and if you've delved past sauerkraut into German cooking you've probably come across Weinerschnitzel, and possible even Jagerschnitzel.  Now I have nothing wrong with cooking with or eating veal, but for my money if I'm going to bread and pan fry, or cover in gravy, the meat I'm cooking with, I find nothing wrong with substituting a pork cutlet from the narrow end of the loan roast.

In German, Jager means hunter, so as a simple dish Jagershnitzel (recipe below) is meant to warm up and fill up a hunter after a day in the field.  Since we were dumped on Friday, I broke out this recipe for my family's Saturday night dinner. 

I served the Jagerschnitzel next to a pile of my homemade Spaetzle coating both with the rich brown gravy created with the dish.  The pork was fork tender and the gravy complemented each part of the dish.  I could easily picture German immigrants sitting down to a taste of the old country in their cabin in PA's north woods.  Maybe that's just where I want to be in my head, but either way this dish warmed my spirit and fed my imagination. 

Happy Cooking
Scott M

Jagerschnitzel

4 pork cutlets
2 tbsp bacon fat or butter
1 tbps minced carrots
1 tbsp minced onion
1 tsp parsley
1 tbsp minced mushrooms
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup water or beef broth

Pound out pork cutlets to be about 1/4 inch thick, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add bacon fat (or butter) to the pan and fry cutlets until golden brown.  Remove meat and add carrot, onion and parsley to the fat in the pan and saute until onion is translucent (mushrooms are a nice addition here as well).  Return cutlets to pan add butter, once melted add flour, mix well to incorporate.  Add water or beef stock to pan mix well to incorporate.  Cover and simmer slowly for 15 to 20 min. 

*The picture above the jagerschnitzel is served next to a bed of pan fried spaetzle.

My 4th of July BBQ

While I do love winter in all of its snowy glory it feels like it may be time for a more summery food post.  In a strong second place for my favorite holiday is the 4th of July. You see the 4th of July is my holiday, meaning that I jointly host the party with my parents, therefore I don't have to travel.  Believe me I'll gladly cook pounds and pounds of meat in order to avoid traveling on a holiday. 

My two specialties, that get the most requests over the years are my pulled pork, and what we've named "Fireman's Chicken."  The chicken gets its name from both the sauce (recipe below) that it is dressed with and the method by which it is cooked.  Many of the small volunteer fire companies in the county have chicken BBQ dinners as fundraisers in the summer. They often use a vinegar based BBQ sauce to baste the chicken, which is grilled in a clam-shell type grill that can be lifted and rotated over a bed of charcoal.  Between the tang of the vinegar and the smoke of the grease on the charcoal the meat is infused with a deep flavor of summer.

The pulled pork has been an evolution over time to its current state.  A brown sugar based dry rub is used 18 hours in advance, then the meat is given 8-10 hours in my cabinet smoker usually over some type of fruit wood.  Apple is nice, and so is cherry, however recently I have been addicted to pecan.  After hand shreding the meat, a Kansas City style sweet red BBQ sauce is added (recipe below).  Just enough to dress the meat, and extra sauce is on the side, per the guest's taste.  I've served a Caroline style vinegar based sauce as well, but my guests are typically more familiar with the ketchup based sweet sauce, so they gravitate towards that one.

Still over 5 months away, and I'm already dreaming of another 4th of July BBQ.

Happy Cooking,
Scott M


Fireman's Chicken BBQ Sauce

*Enough for about 20 pieces of chicken

2       c vegetable oil
4       c white vinegar
2       eggs
1/2    c salt
2       tbsp poultry seasoning
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder

Place all ingredients together in a large, sealable container (like the plastic jug the vinegar came in).  Shake thoroughly to incorporate.  Even though the main ingredients are vinegar and oil, the eggs that were added will act like an emulsifier keeping the mixture together.  Baste the chicken before you place on the grill, and each time you flip the chicken. 

Your heat source should be direct, in order to brown the chicken and cook thoroughly, but not excessively high, where the chicken dries.  Total cooking time is typically 2 hours.

*This contains raw eggs.  If you raise the chicken to the proper 165 degrees internal temp any sauce on the outside of the chicken will also be safe.  Due to the high volume of vinegar, I personally will dip my chicken into the uncooked sauce and have never had an issue.


Scott Messenger's Sweet BBQ Sauce

*This can be scaled up and down, and it can be processed for canning to be shelf stable for months.

3    tbsp vegetable oil
2    tbsp minced garlic
1    c ketchup
1/4 c water
1/4 c white vinegar
5    tbsp brown sugar
2    tbsp paprika
1    tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne

Heat oil and add minced garlic to soften, but do not overly brown.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer slowly for 15 minutes.

* For an interesting twist substitute your favorite honey for the brown sugar.

My Sunday Project Day: Deer Bologna

There's almost nothing I enjoy more than a project Sunday.  Working at home preparing a new recipe, or an old trustworthy recipe.  Getting some food processed to be put up for use later on when you can no longer buy the product fresh.

Of all the recipes I've worked on over the years I'd have to say I'm most proud of the Deer Bologna recipe I'm currently using.  This is a sweet bologna with a bit of smoke flavor that I make from a 50/50 mix of venison and pork.  It's reminiscent of Hilshire Farms Summer Sausage that many of us enjoy around Christmas, but the knowledge of the hunt that resulted in this meat makes the product that much more enjoyable.

The multi-day process usually begins by placing the meat to thaw in the refrigerator the Tuesday or Wednesday prior to processing.  I like to grind my own pork, because the plane ground pork available in the stores is simply too lean for my taste.  I always choose a pork butt, with a nice cap of fat on the the top for this recipe. 

Usually by about Saturday morning I'm ready to start the next step: grinding. After boning out the meat, cubing it, and passing it once through the meat grinder I will weigh out my pork.  Since I'm going for a 50/50 blend with the venison, I remove any pork in excess of the amount of venison I've got thawing.  I like to season this excess pork and make breakfast sausage patties for the next couple days.

The equal parts of pork and venison can now be brought together, and your cure will need to be added.  I use Morton's Tenderquick, at a ratio of 1 tbsp per pound of meat.  If you have used, or have access to "pink salt" or straight sodium nitrate, you'll want to follow the manufacturer's recommendations on proportioning.  Once mixed thoroughly the entire mixture is put up in the fridge for at least 12 hours, I typically will go closer to 18. 

If you've never used these curing agents, don't fret.  I was apprehensive at first as well, but after 10 years of honing this recipe I'm much more comfortable with the process.  As to what they do, they kill off the harmful bacteria, and work to make the meat last longer.  In the end this will still be a cooked product that has been raised to 165 degrees, but it will be a more stable product in the refrigerator.  Think of the difference between keeping a pound of salami in the frig, next to a pound of steak.  They're both at a safe temperature, but the steak will spoil much faster.

After the cure has had time to work, it's time to add the remaining ingredients (see recipe below).  I've changed this list  up several times, and I'd encourage you to do the same.  In my opinion the sugars, and the liquid smoke are two of the keys and I rarely deviate from their proportions. 

The mixture is then stuffed into casings, and I like to give the meat time to rest here as well.  Two things happen:  First the seasonings have time to meld and work well together. Second the pork fat softens the casings making them more supple during the cooking process.

Now into the oven.  If you've done any smoking or roasting you know low and slow is where it's at.  This recipe is no different.  200 degrees for about 5 hours is typical, but I will place a probe thermometer in the meat after about 3 hours.  I also like to rotate the meat so that any liquid created inside the casing doesn't settle to the bottom.  After baking I'll allow the meat to cool in the refrigerator for a day or two, then I'll peel the casings, and slice into disks.  Once sealed into food saver bags they will last for months in the freezer.

My favorite serving is with a nice cheese, like a smoked Gouda, or cheddar.  I've made sandwiches with it, and even cubed it and eaten it with a sweet n sour dip.

Happy cooking,
Scott M


Scott Messenger's Deer Bologna

*Ingredients may be scaled up or down based on your batch size

5    lbs of ground venison
5    lbs of ground pork butt (all fat included)
10  tbsp of Morton's Tenderquick
3/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c corn syrup
4    tbsp of liquid smoke
4    tbsp minced garlic
3    tbsp of ground black pepper
2    tbsp onion powder
1    tbsp ground mustard
1    tbsp Accent flavor enhancer
1    tsp cayenne
1    c beer

Cube and grind the pork butt, including all the fat, and mix with ground venison.  Add 1/3 of Tenderquick, mix thoroughly, repeat for each 1/3.

Refrigerate mixture 12-18 hrs

Mix all remaining ingredients thoroughly until completely incorporated in the entire volume of meat.

Stuff the meat into fibrous casings and tie off ends hog rings.  Both of these are typically found year-round at many hunting stores.

Allow stuffed casings to rest in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

Bake at 200 degrees on a cookie sheet for 4 hours, or until internal temp reaches 165.  Rotate the logs every hour, to avoid a dark streak on the bottom where juices settled.

Once safe internal temp is reached remove from oven, allow to cool slightly on the counter, then place in the refrigerator overnight to cool completely.

Remove casings, slice into lunch meat style rounds, or leave in longer logs.  Vacuum seal and freeze.

An alternative to chili.

As winter blasted the Erie region Monday and Tuesday, and frigid temps locked down the region I found many of my friends breaking out the chili recipes and hunkering down.  Looking for an alternative to chili and I found a recipe for Spanish Chilindron on Hank Shaw's website honest-food.net  

This red pepper stew, has the look of chili, so your mind immediately goes down that path, but once you taste this you realize it's missing the key dried chili pepper flavors.  This winter warmer satisfies your need for warm red foods, but does it in a bright somewhat tangy way. 

Hank's recipe (see below) calls for Pheasant, or some form of wild game.  Since my freezer is far lacking this year, I chose to substitute in dark chicken meat, with skin intact.  I also shorten the simmer time, knowing that domestic chicken will take far less time to be tender.  Having now tasted the dish, I can see where this would be an excellent choice for wild game.

Other than substituting the chicken for pheasant, I followed the recipe as is, and probably would do it that way again  I could see the addition of mushrooms rounding out the stew and perhaps dialing back the bay leaf and rosemary, as the stew was quite fragrant.  The recipe called for stock as needed, and I had gotten my dark meat by boning out 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks, so I boiled those bones with seasonings and a couple bullion cubes.  That created a rich, depth of flavor that I really appreciated in the final product.  I ate the stew straight, and Hank recommends some fried polenta, but I could see any number of breads, or even a bed of rice, being a fine addition to this dish.

Happy Cooking
Scott M

Chilindron, Spanish red pepper stew

(as posted by Hank Shaw)

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

3 pounds chicken, pheasant, lamb, venison or rabbit, in serving pieces

2 large onions, sliced in half-moons

10 cloves chopped garlic

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon hot paprika

1 jar (15 ounces or so) or 5 roasted red sweet peppers, chopped

1 cup crushed tomatoes

2 cups red or white wine

Stock if needed (chicken or beef or whatever goes with your choice of meat)

1/2 cup diced cured meat: Bacon, pancetta, ham, etc.

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

4 bay leaves

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Large handful of dried mushrooms (optional)

If using, put the mushrooms in a container just large enough to hold them and pour hot water over them. Cover and set aside.

Salt the meat and set aside for 10-20 minutes at room temperature. Use this time to chop the veggies.

Pat the meat dry and pour the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a lid.

Heat the pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat on all sides in batches. Do not overcrowd the pot. Set the meat aside in a bowl when browned. Take your time and do this right. Add more oil if needed.

When the meat is browned, add the onions and stir to bring up some of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the onions with a little salt. Cook until they begin to brown, then add the garlic, the cured meat and the mushrooms, if using. Cook until fragrant, then add the meat back to the pot and mix well.

Pour in the wine and turn the heat up to high. Stir and boil furiously until the wine is half gone.

Turn the heat back down to medium and add the tomatoes, the roasted red peppers and all the spices and herbs (except the parsley). Stir well. The level of liquid should be about 2/3 the way up the sides of the meat. If it is low, add the stock. I used the full 2 cups.

Allow to simmer until meat is tender, start testing after 1 hour, I removed from heat after 2 hours.  Wild game will be a judgement call.