Homegrown Lunch

BLTT (Bacon Lettuce Tomato & Turkey) with homegrown tomato and lettuce. YUMMMMMMM!
(Can’t see it on the backside, but there’s a homemade spicy dill pickle on the plate, too!)

©2014 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

C3TV: Dutch Oven R&R Pulled Pork

Here it is! The world premier of our new online video cooking series!! Please be sure to leave your comments, as we strive to improve the show with each and every episode. Also, be sure to view all the way through the credits for some added “bonus footage”. 😉

Being a Caveman and all, I love to put meat on the grill or in the smoker. That said, I must challenge the purists who insist that good Pulled Pork has to be cooked via one of those methods. This recipe will prove that this dish doesn’t always have to be made in the great outdoors.

Series Premier
Episode 101

©2011 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Dutch Oven R&R Pulled Pork

Being a Caveman and all, I love to put meat on the grill or in the smoker. That said, I must challenge the purists who insist that good Pulled Pork has to be cooked via one of those methods. This recipe will prove that this dish doesn’t always have to be made in the great outdoors.

INGREDIENTS

5-6 Pounds Bone-In Pork Shoulder Roast (Boston Butt)
1 Preparation BBQ Rub-a-dub
1 Preparation R&R BBQ Sauce
1 Medium Onion
4-5 Large Garlic Cloves

RECIPE

Make one preparation BBQ Rub-a-dub.
HINT #1: This rub was developed specifically for this recipe.

Completely cover entire Pork shoulder with rub. Place into large zip-loc bag and press rub into meat. Seal bag and place in refrigerator for at least 12 hours (I go for 24).

When done marinating, remove meat from fridge and let stand for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 300°. In the meantime, slice onion and then cut slices in half. Slice garlic cloves lengthwise.

Evenly spread half the onions and garlic in the bottom of a quality Dutch Oven. Place the Pork should on top of the onion and garlic slices, then cover with the meat with the rest of them.
Place lid tightly onto Dutch Oven and put into oven. Pork shoulder should cook for about 1.25 hours per pound. To be certain it is fully cooked, insert a meat thermometer (be sure it isn’t touching, or near, any bones). Meat should be done when it reaches 175°.

While meat is cooking, make one preparation R&R BBQ Sauce.
HINT #1: This sauce was developed specifically for this recipe.

When the meat is done, it should look something like this.
NOTE #1: See, purists. There is still a nice bark on the outside!

Scrape any loose onion or garlic slices off Pork shoulder into Dutch Oven (don’t worry if some sticks to the meat). Remove meat from Dutch Oven, place onto a raised edge plater (to catch any juices that may flow in the pulling process), and let stand for 15 minutes. Skim fat from juices that remain in pan and reserve any remaining liquid, onions and garlic.
Take two forks and start shredding meat, making sure to separate and discard any fat and/or bones.
NOTE #2: See, purists. The meat is still juicy and tender!

Place remaining meat, drippings, and onion/garlic scraps back into Dutch Oven with reserved liquid and ingredients. Pour in 2 to 2.5 cups of the R&R BBQ Sauce (depending on the size of the Pork Shoulder), and stir all ingredients together. Place lid back onto Dutch Oven and return to oven for 15 minutes.

Now you’re ready to serve up this succulent, juicy, tender, and delicious Pulled Pork. One option is to heat up some corn tortillas, whip up some Rockin’ Guac, and make some Tacos al Pastor. You can also steam up some rice and pour ladles of this marinated, slow-cooked pork on top. But, the overwhelming alternative of choice is to slice open a Kaiser Roll, slap on a heap of the Pulled Pork, top with some Cole Slaw, and drizzle with warmed R&R BBQ Sauce, as shown here. Also, served here with some Oven-Baked Cave Chips.
NOTE #3: See, purists. It still looks delicious!

If you are wondering whether it really tastes as good as it looks, just ask the Caveboy. He declared this stuff to be, during his one and only pause between bites, his “new, personal candy”. But, don’t take our word for it … try it yourself!

Prep Time = 20 Minutes
Marinating Time = 12-24 Hours
Cooking Time = 5-7.5 Hours
Serves 6-10

View the C3TV video version of this recipe here.

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Gnarly Cali Combo Burgers

Mission: Take Poppa Mike’s Legendary Gnarly Burgers to the next level.
Mission Status: Accomplished!

INGREDIENTS

1 Poppa Mike’s Legendary Gnarly Burger Patty
1 Hot Dog (any brand is fine … as long as it’s Hebrew National)
1 Hamburger Bun
1 Slice Cheese
1 Slice Fresh Tomato
1 Slice Sweet Onion
1/4 Avocado, sliced

RECIPE

Prepare one Poppa Mike’s Legendary Gnarly Burger patty.

The great thing about these burgers is that if you make too many, and if you aren’t having a dozen hungry people over you will make too many, you can freeze them and throw them directly onto the grill another time. Hence, the use of some hockey-puck-hard burgers here.

Throw burger onto the grill and cook as usual. Just before you flip your burger, put the hot dog on the grill.

Just before the hot dog is completely done, butterfly-cut it lengthwise. Place onto grill, center-side down.

Place cheese onto burger (any type is fine, but there is something to be said about the flavor combo the good old American slice gives this burger). As cheese begins to melt, cut dog in half crosswise. Place hot dog halves side by side on top of cheese and leave on grill until cheese is sufficiently melted.

Place combo burger onto bun prepared with avocado, tomato, and onion slices. Add condiments to taste.

SIDE NOTE: Chances are, when you are having a BBQ with burgers and dogs, you are going to have, at least, one of each. So, why not combine them into one great sandwich? You won’t miss the extra bun, and the flavor combination will make you wonder why you haven’t tried this before. The only downside is that everyone who is having a plain burger or dog will want a bite!

Prep Time = 15 minutes
Cook Time = 10-12 minutes
Serves 1

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Cavey Cali Cheesesteak

This recipe won Post of the Day for 5/13/10!

A bit of a California twist to the classic Cavey Cheesteak. It’s just as tasty and you probably won’t even notice that it’s a little healthier. 😉

INGREDIENTS

6-8 Ounces Cooked Chicken, preferably Juicy Beer Can Chicken
3 Medium-Small Baby Bella Mushrooms
2 Thin Slices Sweet Onion
1/4 Medium-Small Red Bell Pepper
1/4 Medium-Small Avocado
1-2 Slices of Cheese
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise (we use the Light variety)
1 Fresh Sandwich Roll
Salt & Pepper to taste

RECIPE

Seed, devein, and chop the red pepper. Rinse, lightly scrub, and then chop mushrooms. Chop onions and slice avocado. Set aside.

Cut leftover chicken into one and two-bite pieces. Both white and dark meat are okay. Set aside.

Over a medium-high flame, heat oil on non-stick griddle or in large skillet. Add all veggies and salt & pepper to taste.

Since the chicken is already cooked, and you don’t want to end up over-cooking and drying it out, let the veggies cook a bit before adding the chicken. Just before you are going to flip them the first time is usually a good time to do it.

While everything is cooking, get your roll ready. Butterfly slice the roll, being careful not to cut all the way through. If it’s super fresh like the one pictured here there’s no need to heat the roll up. If it could use a little help, place it on the griddle and quickly heat both sides. Evenly spread mayo, place avocado slices on bottom side, and set aside on plate.
HINT: Choosing the right roll is critical for a really good cheesesteak sandwich. If possible, skip the pre-packaged rolls in the store and get a good, fresh-baked Amoroso roll, Artisan roll, or French Roll. It does make a huge difference!

Just before chicken is ready to come off the grill (you just want to get it hot) add cheese slices. Allow to begin melting before removing from griddle.
NOTE #1: Although we used Swiss Cheese here, any number of cheeses would work well with this sammie. Experiment! Though, the Swiss is gooooood!! 🙂

When ready, remove cheese topped chicken with a spatula and evenly distribute on roll.

With the spatula, remove veggies from griddle and evenly distribute on top of chicken. There! You’ve done it!! Enjoy!!!

NOTE #2: I was planning on taking a picture of the Cavekids unabashedly stuffing their faces with this dish, but I was too busy stuffing my own face to notice that they were done before I even got halfway through mine.
On a side note, the Caveboy called “Dibs!” on the remaining leftover chicken so that I could make him another one of these tomorrow! 😆

Prep Time = 10 minutes
Cook Time = 8 minutes
Serves 1

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Cavey Cheesesteak

When you’ve got some leftover beef, this is an easy way to make another great meal out of it.

INGREDIENTS

6-8 Ounces Cooked Steak, preferably rare
3 Medium-Small Mushrooms
2 Thin Slices Sweet Onion
1/4 Small Red Bell Pepper
1 Slice Cheese
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1 Fresh Sandwich Roll
Salt & Pepper to taste

RECIPE
NOTE #1: After soaking a Tri-tip in some Teriyamic Marinade for a day, we BBQed for the first time in our new Cave and had the Cave-in-laws as our first guests. Unfortunately, we were too cooked from the unending unpacking to do a photo-shoot for a post, too. But, we had plenty of leftovers and, finally, some time to do one for this! A BIG thank you to the Cavewoman for taking some great shots.

Heat non-stick griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat.
As thinly as possible, slice some leftover steak or other rare to medium-rare beef. Set aside.

Slice mushrooms, paper-thin cut the onion, and slice red pepper. Set aside.

Butterfly slice the roll, being careful not to cut all the way through. Place onto griddle and quickly heat both sides. Remove from griddle, evenly spread mayo, and set aside on plate.
HINT #1: Choosing the right roll is critical for a really good cheesesteak sandwich. If possible, skip the pre-packaged rolls in the store and get a good, fresh-baked Amoroso roll, Artisan roll, or French Roll. It does make a huge difference!

Add oil to griddle. When heated, add meat.

Before you are ready to flip the meat, add veggies to skillet/griddle. Keep separated from meat, for now.
HINT #2: Although I said “Salt & Pepper to taste” in the ingredients, I find that any marinated, or rubbed, meat tends to already have more than enough seasonings for this dish. That said, if you feel the need for more, this is the point to add it.

Just before meat and veggies are ready, place cheese on top of the meat. Then, place veggies evenly on top of the cheese, and allow cheese to begin melting before removing from grill.
NOTE #2: Usually, I like to use Provolone cheese on this sandwich. In fact, we had just bought some from our local market. But, upon opening, it was readily apparent that it had already turned to the darkside. So, I subbed out some Swiss, which worked fine. Cheddar would have been great, too. Just goes to show that although “cheese” is an integral part of a cheesesteak, the kind of cheese isn’t as consequential … experiment!

Using a large spatula, remove entire mound of food from griddle and place onto prepared roll. Enjoy!
HINT #3: If you like hot sauce, this is a great vehicle for it. I like to splash a bunch of Tapatio, Cholula, or Tabasco on mine. Pizza sauce also works great … but, I think that may qualify as a whole different sandwich! 😉

Prep Time = 10 minutes
Cook Time = 10 minutes total
Serves 1

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

BTA Turkey Sandwich

No, BTA doesn’t stand for Bacon, Tomato, Avocado. Though, the latter two are part of this sub sandwich. Rather, it stands for Better Than Average … which it is! 😉

INGREDIENTS

1/4 Pound Sliced Turkey
1-2 Slices of Cheese
1/4 Avocado, ripened
1 Lettuce Leaf
2-3 Slices of Tomato
1-2 Slices of Sweet Onion, shaved
1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise (or other condiments)
1 tsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 tsp. World Spice Merchants Italian Herbs or TSS Italian Herbs & Cheese
1 Sandwich Roll

RECIPE

Slice your roll lengthwise, making sure not to cut all the way through the crust on one side.
HINT #1: Believe it or not, the choice of roll is one of the most important steps in making this sandwich rock. Fortunately, our local market has a bakery that makes incredible sub rolls.
Spread your condiments evenly on both halves of the roll. I use lite-mayo to try and make it a little healthier. But, you can use regular mayo, pesto-mayo, mustard, 1000 Island, etc., or any combination thereof.
On the bottom half of the roll evenly place your turkey slices. Then add your cheese slices.
NOTE: I usually use Swiss Cheese, but we were out of everything except for the kids’ String Cheese. So, I just pulled it apart and used that. Any of your favorite hard or semi-hard cheeses will work well.
Next, add your lettuce leaf, tomato slices and shaved onion. On the top half of the roll lay your avocado slices. Sprinkle the Italian herbs over the sandwich. Then, drizzle your oil and vinegar over the sandwich.

I also like to add pickle slices to my sandwich (not pictured because I forgot them until just before my first bite, and I was too lazy and hungry to re-shoot it ;)). You can also throw any of your other favorite veggies on there including cucumbers, mushrooms, peppers (marinated Red Peppers work really well), etc. Be creative … a sandwich is only limited by your imagination!
Enjoy with some chips, pasta salad, side salad, mac salad, etc. Served here with Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips (again, trying to be a little healthier).
HINT #2: To make closing this sandwich up easier, and to be able to slice it easily, take a large sharp knife and lay it against the ingredients on the bottom half of the sandwich firmly enough to hold everything in place without squishing them. Simultaneously, fold the top half over the knife, and then smoothly slide the knife out of the sandwich.

Prep Time = 5 minutes
Cook Time = n/a
Serves 1

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Poppa Mike’s Legendary Gnarly Burgers

These burgers are so truly “Gnarly” that you have to pronounce the “G” when you say the word!

INGREDIENTS

1lb. Ground Beef
1lb. Ground Lamb
1lb. Ground Turkey
2 Tbsp. Dried Chopped Onion
1.5 Tbsp. Worchester Sauce
1.5 Tbsp. Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 Tbsp. World Spice Merchants “Montreal Steak Spice“* (UPDATE: now referred to as “Le Quebecois Steak Spice“)
1 tsp. World Spice Merchants “Chipotle Chili Powder”
2 tsp. Finely Chopped Garlic
1/4 tsp. Ground Pepper

RECIPE

Combine all ingredients in large bowl.

Knead meat mixture and other ingredients together, mixing very well. Grab baseball sized handfulls of mixture and form into patties.

Place patties onto sheets of wax paper. It keeps the burgers from sticking together. Plus, it makes freezing any leftover burgers a breeze.

Just add some cheese, and BBQ or griddle cook as you please. Enjoy!

HINT: My Grandfather, who taught me this recipe, used to use ground Veal. I just don’t do the Veal thing, so I substitute the Turkey instead. Ground Pork can be used, too.
HINT #2: If you freeze these, just throw them straight onto the grill when you’re ready to chow ’em down – no defrosting necessary.

*I highly recommend you get this from World Spice Merchants. Their version the Montreal seasoning is the best I have ever used. Plus, it has very little salt, especially compared to most of the commercial versions available.

Prep Time = 15 minutes
Cook Time = 10-12 minutes
Makes 12 Burgers

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

The Muffin Thingy

Another morning favorite that can be enjoyed any time of day. It may not sound good on paper … but, it is Mmmmmmm MMMMMMM good!

INGREDIENTS

1 English Muffin
2 Tbsp. Cream Cheese
1.5 Tbsp. Fruit Preserves
2 Slices Swiss Cheese

RECIPE

Fork split English muffin and lightly toast. Though, much like The Egg Thingy, a bagel can easily be substituted.

Spread cream cheese and preserves evenly over both muffin halves. In this case, I used some homemade White Peach Jam made by CampViola (OMG! That stuff is phenomenal).

Add a slice of Swiss cheese to each half and place on small cookie sheet or shallow bake pan and place in toaster oven. If you don’t have a toaster oven, just put them under the oven broiler, on low.
HINT: Be sure that cheese doesn’t hang too far over edges of muffin or you will leave more cheese on the baking sheet than the intended target.

Either “toast” or “top brown” until cheese is melted.
HINT #2: Let stand a couple of minutes before eating – the preserves get quite hot.

It may not seem like all these things would go together … but, man do they ever!
HINT #3:  If you’re afraid that this thing will be “The Angioplasty Special”, try using low-fat cream cheese and swiss cheese made from 2% milk.  It will still be incredible.

Prep Time = 2 minutes
Cook Time = 8 total minutes
Serves 1-2

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

The Egg Thingy

A quick and easy open-faced breakfast sandwich to get you out of the cave on the right foot.

INGREDIENTS

1 English Muffin or Bagel, sliced
2 Eggs, Medium or Large
2 Slices of Cheese; Swiss, Cheddar or American
1/2 Tbsp Butter

RECIPE

In a large skillet or griddle, melt butter on medium-high flame.  When completely melted, take muffin or bagel slices (it’s great with either!) and place onto skillet face down, moving around them around to evenly absorb most of the butter.

When browned to taste, flip muffin/bagel over and crack eggs into skillet. HINT: Pour eggs from shell very slowly onto skillet to minimize running.

Before yolks start to harden, take spatula and break open yolks.

This is the key:  Be sure to spread broken yolk over much of the hardening egg whites.

When eggs have sufficiently cooked on the first side, flip over and add a slice of cheese to each egg.  HINT #2: I have tried Swiss, Cheddar, and Mozzarella … all to great reviews.  But, the overwhelming consensus is that plain old American individual slices are the best.

At this point, remove muffin/bagel slices and place onto plate.  Take a domed lid (I use the lid from my steamer) and cover eggs.  Turn off stove and let stand until cheese melts (20-30 seconds usually).  Remove eggs from skillet and place onto muffin/bagels slices.  Enjoy as is or add your favorite hot sauce.

Yes … the muffins are under there!
Want to be a real caveman?  Grill up a couple of sausage patties or bacon slices and place them between the muffin/bagel and the egg.

Prep Time = 0 minutes
Cook Time = less than 5 minutes
Serves 1-2

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.