Sophie's Foodie

If you had the gall to simply say, "Let's go ahead and cook up a soup on the BBQ grill", old Billy Bob (the "Q" Dude) would probably go ballistic.
But, hey, actually even old Billy Bob might come around and chow down on a really cool soup that is entirely done on the barbie. In fact, you can bet he would because everything is cooked and grilled outdoors. No, it ain't goin' be slow-cooked BBQ pulled pork to him, but it's going to be super delicious and it's going to be something that your family and friends....and good old Billy Bob are just going to love! Plus, it's very economical to make.
Personally, whether it is a soup or a casserole I like to cook things in stages, meaning: For example, you will want to make sure a onion and some garlic are caramelized first and then start adding other ingredients along the way as they are grilled separately. You are going to get very distinctive tastes and colorful looks in your soup because you bothered to take the time to do this.
So, like Clint E. the Movie Director would say, "Action!" Ok, he wouldn't say that, he would say, "Let's get started now!" Actually, if Clint said "Action" Rachael would have had this soup recipe all cooked before he got the "ion" out.
Let's get started now:
1) On a gas grill: Turn one burner to medium high. On a charcoal grill probably a two zone medium fire.
2) In a medium to large stock pot add lots of EVOO and cook one whole chopped onion and 3 to 4 finely chopped gloves of garlic until just about golden brown. You want to have enough oil in the pot that the onion and garlic seem to float. Remove from fire.
3) Rub three whole stalks of celery, three whole peeled carrots, one Anaheim pepper, one skinny yellow squash or zucchini with EVOO and grill them on medium high. Don't go berserk, just get the veggies to the point that you have nice grill marks, remove them from the fire and cut em'up. Dummies can look at the picture above to see how veggies look when they are cut up! Grill a nice Kielbasa sausage and cut that Dude all up, too.
For The Brain Dead: This is what a Kielbasa Sausage looks like....veggies don't really look like this!
4) Add all of Number 3 (For the Rednecks: that's a number that comes before four (4) ) �.add them to the pot and return the pot back to the fire.
5) Everybody likes to sauté veggies until they look like mush. Don't do this! Think crisp! Don't cook all the nutrients out of them. So, cool it! You want "Crunch and Munch"!
6) Start adding 32 to 64 ounces of chicken broth to the pot. If you want more of a "Stoup" stick with the 32 ounces to start with. I tend to make my own or buy the best that I can buy (Chef Paul Prudhomme makes broth to perfection). Hey, I also added 16 ounces of a nice beef broth to the pot. It adds a real different dimension to the soup.
7) In a separate pot cook Buitoni Tortelloni, or something that looks like it, per directions, and add to the pot.

8) You're done, Dude! No need to simmer until all the cool nutrients are cooked out and have gone away.
I'll make no bones: I have two chefs that I think are way above all others�Chef Paul and Chef George Hirsch. I don't know Chef Paul personally, but I do Chef Hirsch. Both are down-to-earth and super nice folks. You can tell! And, they were cookin', grillin' fantastic chow before most of the FN stars were born.
My very favorite is Chef Hirsch! He might, he just might communicate directly with you (if you are nice) and he'll give you more ideas about living, traveling, cooking, grilling than Carter has pills...

Labels: Bauman Farms, BBQ Soup Recipe, BBQ Soup Recipes, Chef George Hirsch, Chef Paul Prudhomme, Kielbasa Sausage

You can never learn enough about barbecuing. And, if you want to get your BBQ'ing right to the top you might want to look into some of the better barbecue books out there. One that I have reviewed and highly recommend is: "BBQ Secrets Revealed" (Link) by Randy Pryor.
Many of the BBQ books that you will come across only cover a few basic things. This book is as through as you can get. It has everything you need to know about barbecuing all in one spot.
It is an E-Book. It has 129 pages that covers everything that you ever wanted to know about BBQing and forgot. It covers how to prepare any given meat, seafood to perfection.
Randy features almost 100 different Rubs in "BBQ Secrets Revealed"...anywhere from an Adobo Rub to a Yucatan Lobster Rub. Like a good Cajun Rub? He features four different ones.
There are almost sixty different marinades from an Achiote Marinade For Beef to a Yucatan Marinade. He has twenty three different sauces that you can prepare.
You can have all kinds of fun showing friends and family your new skills in preparing your own sauces. Why buy them pre-packaged when you can make them from scratch.
Here's more: "How to Make the Best Possible Hamburger Page 105. How to Make the Best Possible Hot Dog Page 106. Is There Such A Thing As a Healthy Sausage? Page 109."
Don't know how to fix steaks the right way...Randy covers virtually every steak cut and how to prepare them the right way.
Is pork a mystery? Randy indentifies all the various cuts for you and how to prepare them.
Next, he gets into preparing chicken the right way. And, last but not least shrimp on the barbie and how to prepare seafood that will impress the masses. "BBQ Secrets Revealed" (Link)
Inside you are going to discover all kinds of exciting tips: (and here are just a few)

You'll learn how to make the ultimate dry rubs, marinates and sauces

How to tell when your grill is at the perfect temperature for the meat you're preparing

What bbq accessories do you really need

Learn how to bbq baby back ribs that will taste "like you died and went to heaven"

Tons of barbecue, grilling and just plain good everyday recipes

Here are some other books that are easily recommended. You are not going to go wrong looking into any of them.
Big Bob Gibson's "BBQ Book" is considered a classic right now and gets very good reviews. Also, "The Barbecue Bible" by Steven Raichlen receives high marks.
From-The-Heart-Plug-Time: If you want to expand on your grilling skills, maybe beyond the "meat thing", there are no better folks to learn from than George Hirsch's Books! I consider him to be one of the best chefs, people and grillers in the world, and he does it all with your genuine good health in mind.
If you are only interested in "food pics" or the meaty thing maybe his books are not for you. If you want down-to-earth phenomenal recipes and hints on how to improve your skills big time on the grill, buy every book he has ever authored. (I only listed 2 of many)
I'm proud to say I grill his recipes all the time and have learned more from him than anybody out there. He's got it more than down, folks!
I do not blog his recipes. They are his! However, maybe I'll sneak in his Cuban Stew on-the-grill with his permission.
I receive no commission, considerations or anything out of this...He has a free newsletter, "Daily Food" you'll be glad you signed up for it! In fact, you'll be estastic that you did!
He doesn't bombard with non essentials, just cool stuff.

Labels: Barbecue Beef Rib Recipes, Barbecue Books, BBQ Secrets Revealed, BBQ Secrets Revealed Review, Books On Barbecuing, Chef George Hirsch, Daily Food, Randy Pryor BBQ Secrets, Randy Pryor Ebooks

There are probably more than a thousand posts/articles written about how to salvage that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving into turkey noodle soup. So you'll have to brace yourself for yet another recipe!
This isn't a barbecue or grilling recipe, but so what? Well, I did barbecue the turkey, along with a ham on my Traeger Grill for Thanksgiving. Gettin' out in the cold, dude!
But, But, just how many folks think that they have salvaged everything off a turkey they are going to get and just toss it? This revolting statistical aberration will shock you: Most just toss it!
All right, you're different! You have all your ducks lined up! You have been to a "Tony" Seminar. You're motivated! You have the ability to make a delicious turkey noodle soup that will have friends, family and all your enemies screaming for seconds .

One leftover turkey (no human turkeys though)

One large pot- One large roasting pan

Large Colander

Kosher Salt, Thyme, Red Pepper Flakes, Parsley Flakes, EVOO

Carrots, Celery, Garlic, Onion, Egg Noodles

Leave the turkey in a roasting pan. Cover it with fresh tap water, but be careful not to fill the pan completely to the top to prevent spillage while boiling, but cover the turkey with water the best you can.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for four hours. Place your colander over the other pot and slowly pour out the contents of the roasting pan. I prefer to do this in the sink.
Now you just acquired a little "nectar of the gods" but it will need some more work. You will find out that turkey broth is super blah by itself.
So, before you do anything, you will want to season the broth. This is where you will want to add some Kosher Salt. Be conservative and add a tad at a time until the "dishwater" taste goes away.
The next thing to do is add about a teaspoon of Parley Flakes and a half teaspoon of Red Pepper Flakes (real boys & girls can add a lot more pepper). Add Thyme to taste.
I like unique flavors in my cooking, so I caramelized four garlic cloves and amount half of a small onion. But, first mince the garlic and coarsely chop the onion.
In a frying pan, along with a couple of tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, it's time to sauté the garlic and onion. This is best done by moving all the contents to one side of the pan and sauté until golden brown, even a little burnt looking.
You will get a very nice & sweet aroma off the garlic and onion when caramelized (I am still trying to learn to say "caramelized" like Chef George Hirsch says it!). Add both to the turkey broth.
Next, line up & slice up three large carrots and three stocks of celery into bite size chunks and place in the fry pan and sauté for about 6 or seven minutes. Add to the main pot.
Remember all the turkey bones and meat that's in the colander? Well, it's time to go to work!
I try to pick out as many bones, and odd little things as I can, first. I use a couple of forks and my fingers (when no one is looking) to separate the turkey meat from the rest.
Put all the meat into a separate dish and filter through it again. Now, add it to the main pot.
Next, it's time to do the Egg Noodle thing. Half of a ten ounce package of noodles will do.
Follow the directions on the package and cook them separately. When you add them to the main pot it won't look like enough, but you'll find out that it is.
Ok, you are at the stage that your fabulous turkey noodle soup creation is ready to eat. It may even be a "Type A" healthy dish, but not vegan. Hey, don't forget to conjure up a nice bread to go along with it.

Labels: Chef George Hirsch, Traeger Recipes, Turkey Noodle Soup

If you are like me, you don't want to buy anything that is garbage whether it is a gas grill or a box of toothpicks.
I have had the same gas grill for over 20 years. I know what I am talking about. I did some research back then, just like you are doing now, and it paid off. I've had to replace one worn-out hose in those 20 years and that's it.
Time has a lot to say about just who makes the best grill, and I would lean toward those that have been around for awhile like Weber, OCI and Luxor. Ok, you can go to the big box stores. But, most of their grills are down a few notches...many are junk. They may claim they have many of the features the top ones do, but are not of the same quality, folks.
I can almost guarantee that if you buy a cheap gas grill that you will be replacing it in two years. Further with your cheap grill you won't be be going green. You'll be right in there with filling up the landfill. Do your homework. A gas grill that you will love cooking on is not going to be cheap.
A 30 inch Luxor Grill It's a dream to grill on. It even has a smoker box and infrared burner....it is very easy to cook on and super easy to clean. It's designed and built to last for years and years.
The OCI Gas Grills Elite 36 Inch Natural Gas Grill On Cart With Sear Zone Burner And Rotisserie is even more money but has more frills than the Luxor and is well worth checking out if you want to grill on the best. It is also six inches larger than the Luxor.
The Weber Gas Grills Summit S-670 Propane Gas Grill W/ Sear Burner is the most economical choice of these three and you have the Weber name. It's not an el-cheapo made grill and it should last for years. You do want to invest in something that last for more than 2 years, don't you?
I am not going to say much more. If you are looking for a cheap grill, "these are not it"! Take yourself to the landfill....you'll find all kinds. If you are looking for a gas grill that is way above the norm, here are three of the very best! Like Chef George Hirsch (For me the greatest griller in the world) would say, "Know Your Fire!"

Labels: Chef George Hirsch, Luxor Gas Grills, Oci Gas Grills, Smoker Box Gas Grills, Weber Summit, Who Makes The Best Gas Grill, Who Makes The Best Gas Grills