Cooking With Kristin

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SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA Daniel & Terese Hall 40133 - 620th Ave. 507-956-2657 Butterfield, MN 56120

The Kveno family has entered the 4-5 very ripe bananas (about 1-1/2 cups) world of smokers. I gave my husband a 1/2 cup chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocosmoker/grill for father’s day this year. It late (optional) was time to upgrade our outdoor cooker 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) as the old grill literally went up in smoke in a grilling mishap last year. Peel the bananas and place them directly on the grill grate of your smoker. Let them smoke at 150-

While we are new to this world, we got 165 degrees for 20 minutes. to sample some smoker delicacies this weekend as my father was smoking anything and everything. The results were all absolutely delicious. Here are some of the smoked dishes we dined on. Combine the brown sugar, butter and mascarpone and then mix with an electric mixer on medium-high until the batter is light and fluffy. Add the two eggs and continue mixing. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into the batter. Mix on low

This appetizer is cream, tangy and simple. With just three until the flour is incorporated. Mash the bananas, add to the batingredients you’ll impress everyone! The key to this taste sensa- ter, and mix them in. Fold the walnuts and chocolate chips into tion is smoking it slowly. It’s definitely worth the wait. the batter. Smoked Cream Cheese Line a bread loaf pan with butcher paper or parchment paper. https://www.smokedbbqsource.com/smoked-cream- Pour the batter in and place the loaf pan in your smoker set to a cheese/#recipe temperature of 375 degrees. Cook the banana bread for approxi8 ounces block cream cheese 2 tablespoons yellow mustard mately 65 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick pulls clean from the center. 3 tablespoons BBQ pork rub n

Preheat your smoker to 200 degrees. Coat the block of cream If you’re a deviled egg fan then give this a recipe shot. It has cheese in a light layer of yellow mustard, top and sides. Score some of the tried and true ingredients found in typical deviled the top of the block with your knife in a crosshatch pattern. eggs but with the added smoky flavor which is the result of Season all sides with your BBQ rub. Place your block of cream smoking the hard-boiled eggs. cheese on a tray covered in aluminum foil. Place the tray on the grates of your smoker and let it smoke for about two hours. Serve immediately alongside your favorite chips or crackers. Smoked Deviled Eggs https://www.cutsandcrumbles.com/smoked-deviled-eggs/ 3 tablespoons mayonnaisen 3 teaspoons chopped chives

I love a good banana bread, especially if there’s chocolate 1 teaspoon brown mustard chips involved. This recipe includes chocolate, nuts and smoked 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar bananas. The mascarpone locks in the moisture adding one 2 tablespoons cooked, crumbled bacon more element to this bread — resulting in a smoky and delicious salt and pepper to taste loaf of banana bread. hot sauce Smoked Banana Bread https://www.smokedmeatsunday.com/simple-smoked-bananabread-recipe/ paprika any other toppers you choose, such as jalapeños or more hot sauce 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar 1/3 cup mascarpone, plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, or sour cream 1/4 cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 2 large eggs First, start out by boiling the eggs like normal to a medium or soft boil, as we don’t want them completely done since they are going to cook more in the smoker. We want to lightly crack or smash the shells, so the outside of the egg is exposed. We don’t want to completely peel the shell off, or the eggs will develop a gummy texture. By keeping some of the shell intact, we are allowing the smoke to get into flavor the egg; but at the same time keeping it firm. We want to set up our smoker to a low heat of 200-225 with some cherry wood for flavor, but really any type of wood that you like would work fine. Now they are only going to be in the smoker for about an hour. Any more time and they will get overdone and have a chewy texture. So, more or less, we want to get them in with high smoke and then get them out. For the deviled eggs, you›ll peel and slice 7 eggs in half, then scoop the yolk into a large zip-lock bag. Add in 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 3 teaspoons chopped chives, 1 teaspoon brown mustard, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and a dash of hot sauce (or more if you want them hot). Close the bag and knead together until mixed and egg yolks are broken up. Snip the corner of the bag off and pipe the filling equally into the

COOKING WITH KRISTIN By Kristin Kveno

sliced eggs. Top with about 2 tablespoons of cooked, crumbled bacon and some paprika. You can also top with any other ingredients you choose such as jalapeños or more hot sauce. n

When I think of a smoker, meat immediately comes to mind. Beef or pork, smoking it nice and slow is the only way to go. We tried this tender pork recipe last weekend, and the results were spectacular. Smoked Pulled Pork Shoulder https://www.billyparisi.com/smoked-pulled-pork-shoulder-recipe/ Rub: 2 tablespoons sea salt 2 tablespoons black pepper 2 tablespoons garlic granules 2 tablespoons onion granules 2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons cumin/ Spritzer and sauce: 1 cup apple juice 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup water For the pork: 6-9 pound pork shoulder or pork butt, fat trimmed 4 tablespoons of yellow or Dijon mustard

Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees. Place a drip pan filled with water under the grill grates.

Rub: Combine all the ingredients and set them aside.

Spritzer: Add the apple juice, cider and water to a spray bottle and shake. Set aside.

Rub mustard on every side of the pork shoulder, creating a thin layer. Add the pork shoulder to the smoker over the drip pan filled with water and smoke for three hours. Spray the pork shoulder with 15-20 sprays of the spritzer. Repeat this process for the next 3 hours every hour with the same amount of spritzes.

Once the pork reaches an internal temperature of between 165 and 170 or the top part of the fat on the bark has split, about 6-7 hours, remove the pork from the smoker. Place the pork shoulder on a large sheet of double foil, generously spritz it, and wrap it extremely tight by folding over and covering up the pork shoulder. Place the pork shoulder back on the smoker, bone side up and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees to 205, about 2-4 hours. Remove the pork shoulder from the smoker and rest in the foil for 30-60 minutes before removing the bone, large chunks of fat and pulling it using forks, claws or tongs. Serve should with BBQ sauce on the side or as a sandwich.

Now that we’re a smoker family, I look forward to diving into all food creations that utilize the smoker. If you have any recipes that feature the smoker, send them my way, I would love to expand my repertoire as well as share them with The Land readers.

Kristin Kveno scours the internet, pours over old family recipes and searches everywhere in between to find interesting food ideas for feeding your crew. Do you have a recipe you want to share? You can reach Kristin at kkveno@thelandonline.com. v