Beautiful Day

New Beginnings

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

With each sunrise, we are given a chance for a new beginning.  A time to look around, take it all in, be grateful for what you have and embrace the new day. 

What a great time to be with family and friends.  I always say that you should "celebrate your success".  So, take time today to celebrate this day with the ones you love and look to tomorrow and all that it brings. 

We are celebrating today with a great recipe for a smokey glazed ham, some beautiful music and a the perfect wine pairing for you to enjoy. 

The Pots Are On...

The Plate...  

Maple-Jack / Glazed Ham

This is the most awesome and easiest things you can cook (smoke) on your grill.  The ham is already cooked, so you're really just heating/smoking it slowly to enrich the flavor.  I'm here to tell you that it is some kind of good.  The Maple syrup and Jack Daniels glaze will give it an awesome crust just like a "Honey-Baked" ham.  And, the Maple syrup injection will keep it moist and sweet. 

I think you're gonna like it.  And... nothing is easier than cooking something low and slow that you never have to touch.  

Okay... let's get started.  

What you need... 

For the Ham - 

10-12 lb cooked, ready to eat spiral cut ham

1/2 cup Maple syrup

Cherry or Apple wood chips

Meat injection syringe

For the glaze - 

2 tbs Maple syrup

2 tbs fresh ground pepper

2 tbs Dijon Mustard

1 tbs Jack Daniel's Whiskey

1 tbs vegetable oil

1 tbs smoked paprika

1 tbs onion powder

1 tbs chili powder

1 tsp Kosher salt

What you do...

Preparation (the Day Before) - 

Place the ham in a pan face-down. 

Inject the ham with 3/4 cup of Maple syrup (it will run out of the sides by inject it all)

Put together all the ingredients of the glaze and smear all over the exposed surface of the ham (except the flat side).

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. 

Cooking (the Day Of) - 

Set your grill with hot side and cool side  (total temp. 250)

If you have a Big Green Egg - set temp to 250 degrees place plate setter leg side up with regular grid on top.

Place wood chips on top of coals. 

Place ham on top of grate (flat side down).

Cook until internal temp reaches 140 degrees (about 5 hours).

The Playlist...

Beautiful Day

A little "Happy" music for you to help celebrate this beautiful day.  Check out "Oh Happy Day" by Queen Latifah... now it doesn't get much better than that.  

One of my favorites from the last couple of years is "The Sound of Sunshine" by Michael Franti & Spearhead.  If your having a bad day, this will help turn it around. 

Don't worry... be happy!

("The Playlist" runs on Spotify. Don't have Spotify?... Click here it's free )

The Bar...

The Perfect Wine Pairing - 

Belle Glos Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is french for "pine and black"; the pine alluding to the grapes being tightly clustered in a pine-cone shape.

It's a great wine to pair with a light flavored meat like pork, chicken or ham; light tannins with strawberry, cherry and raspberry notes. 

It will be great with your "Maple-Jack Smoked Ham"!

Every day is a new beginning...

Take a deep breath and celebrate!

Pour Decisions

And My Doctor Says I Need Glasses

      (Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

Well, spring is just around the corner. Time for hanging out, porch parties, chillin', grillin' and whatever else you can think of for an excuse to be outside. The only thing you have to do is... make a decision. 

There always comes a time when we all have to make pour decisions. What can we say... things happen! Don't worry, we are here to help. We've made a few decisions to help you with your dilemma. We've got Drunkin' Pork Tenderloin, the Kitchen Sink cocktail and a few drinking songs to help you feel better about all of your decisions.

Pour me... The Pots Are On!

The Plate... 

Drunken Pork Tenderloin

I cook with wine... and sometimes I even put it in the food. Ok, ok old joke. In this case a little wine is an awesome addition. You just have to make a decision on which wine. 

What you need... 

2 lb Pork Tenderloin 

1 tbsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 large white onion / thinly sliced

1 bottle of red wine (make a decision)

1 packet of brown gravy mix (this is the secret ingredient)

What you do...

Preheat oven to 350°. Remove the pork tenderloin from the package and trim off any silver skin – this is a shiny fat type piece that may (or may not) be on part of the tenderloin. Honestly though if you don’t take it off now it is not a big deal, you can cut it off the cooked pork as you are eating it if you need to. Sprinkle the garlic powder, salt and pepper (to lightly cover) over all sides of each piece of pork. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the pork tenderloins. Let the pork sit without moving for about 3 minutes. Before that it will seem like they are “stuck” to the pan, but after 3 minutes or so the pork tenderloin pieces should release. Rotate the pork tenderloins so that you get each of the outside surfaces browned nicely. Remove the browned pork tenderloin from pan and place in a rectangular baking dish. Now add the onions to the same pan you used to brown the pork tenderloin and saute them for about 5 minutes. Then carefully add about 1/4 bottle of the wine to deglaze the pan. It will steam up a lot and you need to take a wooden spoon and scrape the bottom of the pan right away to loosen up all of those nice browned bits – they are full of pork flavor! Once you have the bits scraped up, add the rest of the bottle of wine and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 3 minutes. Now pour the onion and wine mixture over the browned pork tenderloin in the baking dish. Now place in the oven and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. Use your meat thermometer to make sure the pork is at 145° in the thickest part. Remove from the oven and place the pork tenderloins on cutting board to rest. Now pour the liquid from the baking dish into your skillet on high heat and whisk in one package of brown gravy mix. Cook on medium for about 3 minutes to thicken and reduce. Slice your roasted pork tenderloin, after it has rested for about 10 minutes, into about 1/4” thick slices and serve with the onions and top with the red wine gravy.

The Playlist... 

Pour Me

As Mr. Chesney says-"One is one too many and one more is never enough"! What's a person to do? Well, we say... Pour Me!

     The "Playlist" runs on Spotify-Click on the link to listen Pour Decisions

The Bar... 

The Kitchen Sink

No decision here...

What you need... 

2 oz gin

2 oz light rum

2 oz triple sec

2 oz vodka

8 oz lemon-lime soda

4 sprigs of mint

2 oz simple syrup

4 lime wedges, for garnish

What you do...

Muddle the mint in the bottom of a cocktail shaker with the simple syrup.

Add ice to the shaker then the booze and shake.

Strain into 4 rocks glasses filled with ice. 

Top each with some lemon-lime soda and garnish with a lime wedge and some mint.

There... decision made. Wait, what was that middle part again? Never mind, just pour me!

Pour Me Another One...

Cheers!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly

 & 

Keep On Cookin'!

Rewind 2017

Replaying All The Favorites

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

Today we thought we would replay some of the favorites from this past year. We've had quite a year and thank all 33,148 of you for stopping by. So here's to you with a look back at your Favorite Plate'n Playlist. 

The Plate features our Honey Chipotle Wings with a Playlist of 100 of your favorite tunes. Ok, we did come up with a little something new at the bar. How about a frozen Margarita... in a bag? Just think of it as an adult Juice Box or Capri Sun. 

Be kind and please rewind... The Pots Are On! 

The Plate... 

Honey Chipotle Wings

With the big game coming up we couldn't think of a more popular dish to throw on the grill. 

The PnP favorite Plate comes from our Super Bowl post last February. These are not your usual Buffalo Wings... these babies will light you up then cool you down in a sweet way. The key here is the baking powder. It's the secret ingredient to help get crispy grilled wings. Oh yeah! 

What you need... 

3-4  lbs chicken wings
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt

For the gaze:
3 chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tbsp of the adobo sauce
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped

Get cookin'...

Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel and place in a large bowl. 

Sprinkle with baking powder, chili powder, and salt to coat. 

Arrange the wings in a single layer on a wire rack and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Place all of the ingredients for the glaze in a blender and give it a buzz. 

Set your grill with a hot side and a cool side (all coals to one side) or indirect heat on a BGE.

Place the wings skin side up and cook until the skins are crisp and starting to brown (20 min).

In the last 10 min of cooking brush the wings with the glaze then flip and glaze again. 

Remove the wings from the grill and sprinkle with the cilantro. 

Game On!

The Playlist... 

Rewind 2017

Over 100 hundred of your top songs from 2017. As usual you will find some old, some new and some you didn't even know (but liked). So recline and rewind... just don't spill your drink.

The "Playlist" runs on Spotify-Click on the link to listen Rewind 2017

The Bar... 

B&T Frozen Margarita

What you need... 

1 cup bourbon

1 cup tequila

3/4 cup orange liquer

1 liter bottle club soda

12 oz can frozen limeade / thawed

1/12 cup water

Lime slices for garnish 

What you do...

Stir together all of the ingredients together.

Divide between 2 large 1 gallon plastic freezer bags and seal.

Freeze for 24 hours.

Serve in salt rimmed glasses and garnish with lime wedge.

2017... seems like it was just yesterday!

Here's To Good Times Ahead!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!

Swing This

Happy New Year!

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

Time to put on your fancy duds, dancing shoes and get ready to "Swing in the New Year"! 

To help you "Get In The Mood" we've put together some fancy "walk-around" food (otherwise known as fancy apps), a great Tequila/Champagne cocktail and some swinging tunes. 

So grab your partner, cause there's good rockin' at midnight.

The best is yet to come... The Pots Are On!

The Plate... 

BBQ Bacon Burnt Ends/BLT

This was one of our favorite finds this past year. This was just one of the fantastic appetizers that Chef Eric Gephart whipped up at the Kamado Joe block party.  And man is it good.

What you need... 

2 lbs of thick slab bacon
1 cup of your favorite thick BBQ sauce (we like Stubb's "Sweet Heat")
Cherry tomatoes
1 head of Bibb Lettuce

What you do...

Cut the bacon into large cube size pieces.

Coat the bacon evenly with the BBQ sauce.

Marinate for at least 3-4 hours.

Pre heat your grill to 250.

Cook indirect with a pan underneath to catch drippings.

Flip every 20 minutes for 2 hours, the bacon should be tender. 

Now skewer the tomato, a piece of lettuce and then the bacon.

And, just like that BLT appetizers. 

The Playlist... 

Swing This

Go Daddy-O... Time to get this party swinging. As we say Au Revoir to 2017 and swing the new year, ain't nothing better than some good ole Swing music. 

We've got some oldies from New Orleans on Louis Prima and Glenn Miller, but check out some of the new blood like the Atomic Fireballs. Watch out they'll put a "Hex" on ya!

                  The "Playlist" runs on Spotify-Click on the link to listen  Swing This

The Bar... 

The NYE Gold Cocktail

Great for New Year's Eve or Brunch the next day

What you need...

1 oz Repasado Tequila

1/4 oz simple syrup

1 oz grapefruit juice

Champagne

4 dashes Peychaud bitters

fresh raspberries for garnish

What you do...

Pour tequila, simple syrup, bitters and grapefruit into a champagne glass. 

Stir to mix all ingredients. 

Top off with champagne and garnish with raspberries.

• 
  

There's Good Rockin' At Midnight!

Happy New Year!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!

BCE Chili Cook-Off

It's Fall Y'all

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

The weather's getting cooler, the leaves are falling and the smell of campfires are in the air... perfect time for a Chili Cook-off. Thanks to our good friends Richard and Angela for hosting the annual BandY Chili Cook-off. Good times, music, friends and chili. 

Today we're gonna show you how to make a chili we humbly refer to as "BCE"... Best Chili Ever!

Hey, you can't go wrong with 5 lbs of 5 different meat (especially when you start with bacon). Of course you need a little something to wash it down, so we came up with a Pumpkin Wine Bar. And then you have to have music, so we put together a list of tunes for the "Throw-Down"! Oh yeah... there was some trash talk going down. 

Pull up a lawn chair... The Pots Are On! 

The Plate... 

"BCE" Best Chili Ever/Cilantro Crema

                       

Ok... you can search the world wide web or just believe us when we say that this is the "Best Chili Ever"! And we decided that everybody needed to know just how to make it. You will probably say to yourself... "Wow, this is a lot of stuff to throw in a chili." Just trust us and go with it. Besides, what you don't eat you can save because everybody knows that chili just keeps getting better when you pull it back out and heat it up,

Now there are some special "secret" ingredients, so pay attention. 

Ready... here we go. We think you'll be happy. 

What you need... 

For the Chili-

1 lb thin pork loin chops/trim off the fat and cut into small cubes

1 12oz package of "lil Smokies" (the secret ingredient)/cut into four pieces length wise

1 lb 80/20 ground beef

1 lb Venison (or lean ground beef)

1 lb center cut bacon

1 16oz package of "Sweeties"-mini sweet peppers

1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 16oz can each of kidney beans, Black beans, Stewed tomatoes, Tomato sauce

1 10oz can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis 

1 1/2 tbsp of  "Better than Bouillon" (sold in a jar at most stores)

1 medium sweet onion/chopped

8 cloves of fresh garlic/minced

5 fresh jalapeños/chopped (seeded if you don't want as much heat)

2 tbsp each of Cumin, White pepper, Black pepper, Onion powder, Cinnamon, Smoked paprika, and Garlic powder

1 tbsp Cayenne

3 oz Chili powder

For the Cilantro Crema-

1/2 cup firmly packed cilantro

1/2 cup Mexican crema (for sour cream)

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/2 avocado

1 jalapeno / chopped

What you do...

For the Chili-

First things first... in a 2 gallon stock pot throw in the 80/20 ground beef and brown (do not drain off the fat).

After the ground beef has browned, add all of the tomatoes and beans complete with their juice. 

(Do not drain the juice from the beans or the tomatoes... this adds flavor)

Now add all the dry spices except the Chili powder.

Cook on medium high stirring every now and then.

Cook the bacon and drain most of the fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Cook the pork loin in the bacon grease and set aside. 

Brown the Venison and the "lil Smokies" and set aside. 

Saute the onions, jalapeños and sweet peppers in a little oil until they are soft. 

Add the garlic to the pan and continue to saute for an additional minute. 

Add the Venison, lil Smokies, bacon, onions, jalapeños, garlic and sweet peppers to the stock pot.

Add "Better than Bouillon" to the pot.

Add the Chili powder to the pot and stir mixing all ingredients.

Now, turn the down the heat on the stock pot to medium low and simmer for at least 4 hours. 

Serve with a little Cilantro Crema and enjoy. 

For the Crema-

Combine the cilantro, Mexican crema, lime juice, avocado and jalapeño in a blender and give it a whir until it's smooth. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. 

The Playlist... 

BCE Chili Cook-Off

Don't know what it is, but cool weather and a little rebellious blue grass, southern rock and chili just seem to go well together. As usual we've mixed some old with some new. So crank it up and start stirring that chili.

The "Playlist" runs on Spotify-Click on the link to listen BCE Chili Cook-Off

The Bar... 

Pumpkin Wine Bar

Well, we thought since we we're going to the chili cook-off we should do something a little different. We've seen folks do this with beer but we thought this would be a little different. Seemed to go over well. 

What you need...

1 large pumpkin

1 box of your favorite wine (yes there is good box wine to found. We used Bota Pinot Grigio.)

Ice

2  (1gallon) ziplock bags

What you do...

Carve out the pumpkin, scraping out the seeds as best as you can. 

Take a small knife and cut a circle at the bottom on the front of the pumpkin just large enough for the spout on the wine to stick through. Be sure to cut the hole high enough on the pumpkin so you can fit your glass underneath.

Place ice in gallon plastic ziplock bags. Place one bag in the bottom of the pumpkin.

Take the bag of wine out of the box and place inside the pumpkin.

Place the other bag of ice behind the wine for support as well as extra cooling. 

And Then This Happened...

As Usual... Y'all Please Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

Relax, Refresh, Recharge

   (Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

Time to take a break... The phrase "Smoke 'em if you got 'em" was popular during war time meaning "do what you want, if you have the means". 

So, with all that's going on in the world, we thought it was a good time to sit back and take a breath, have a glass of wine and recharge the batteries. Maybe you could just whip up some comfort food like mom used to make, have a smoky cocktail and listen to some funky blues (featuring our good friend Mike Snowden). That oughta take your mind off things for a while. 

Relax... The Pots Are On!

The Plate... 

Slow Cooker Pot Roast/Red Wine Gravy

Man, we love a slow-cooker. It's kinda like having someone do the cooking for you. But, we gotta say that this is not your mama's Pot Roast. I mean come on... it's got red wine gravy. Come to think of it we just did a recipe for pork chops with a red wine glaze. What can we say... we like cooking with wine and sometimes put it in the food. Ha, ok... old joke. 

This will be one easy recipe that will sure wow the family and friends. 

What you need... 

One 4 lb beef chuck roast

1 cup red wine

Salt & pepper

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 tbsp olive oil

4 medium carrots, cut into small pieces (about 2")

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped thin

12 small red potatoes halved 

3 tbsp tomato paste

3 cups beef broth

3 bay leaves

2 sprigs of thyme

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

What you do...

Rub salt and pepper all over the roast then lightly coat in flour.

Heat up a large skillet over medium-high with 2 tbsp of oil.

Add the roast to the skillet and sear on all sides.

Take the roast and place it your slow-cooker. 

Add the carrots, onions, potatoes and garlic.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to the skillet and turn down to medium heat.

Add the tomato paste and stir until the oil starts to turn dark red. 

Now add the flour and wine... whisk until it thickens slightly.

Pour in the beef broth, bay leaves thyme and Italian seasoning.

Whisk until the gravy is smooth and thickens just a little (about 4 min).

Now pour the gravy into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove the roast and let it rest.

Discard the thyme and bay leaves. 

Strain the veggies and toss with the parsley, season with salt and pepper.

Slice the roast (against the grain).

Place the roast on a platter, with a little gravy on top and surround with the veggies.

Serve with the remaining gravy on the side. 

The Playlist...

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

Well, our old friend Mike Snowden is back in the studio and crankin' out some awesome "cigar-box" slide guitar. The story goes that Mike sold a few cigar-box guitars to actor Jeff Daniels. Jeff has a band of his own and wrote a song called "Oh so close but no cigar". Mike then decided that he would write a song called "Smoke 'em if you got 'em"; all about just letting loose and having a good time. 

No time to worry. Just think about the words to Brent Cobb's song "Ain't a road too long"; where he reminds us to count our blessings and carry on. 

                    The "Playlist" runs on Spotify- Click on the link to listen to 

                           Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

The Bar... 

Smoking Scotsman

What you need...

2 1/2 oz Chivas 12

Maple Smoked Plank

Maple Bitters

Creme Brûlée Torch

Orange peel

What you do...

With a creme brûlée torch, a maple plank is scorched until the wood blackens and a small flame rises. 

While it's on fire, place a rocks glass on top of the flame, stifling it and allowing the smoke to fill the glass. 

This will leave a strong residue on the glass.

While the glass fills, the Chivas is stirred (not shaken) with a few dashes of bitter.
The liquid is then poured over one large ice cube, place in the center of the smoked glass.
Pour in the Scotch/bitters mix and garnish with orange peel.

Smokin'!

Check it out... Snowden Guitars

Need More Cigar Box Thunder...

Available on iTunes

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!

Change The World

Yes We Can Can!

A wise man once said-"Don't tell me it's raining... get me an umbrella!" 

Too many people are quick to "point the finger" and blame someone else. You've got to "accentuate the positive"! It is up to us to do something to help the situation; be positive, get a plan and do something that makes things better. 

Today we start off with some great comfort food with a little wine, a cocktail full of sunshine and a playlist full of tunes to get you motivated. 

Yes you can can... The pots are on!

The Plate...

Center Cut Pork Loin/Garlic, Red Wine Glaze 

Relax, you can't change the world in one day. Fix yourself a "Liquid Sunshine" cocktail. Then we think you need to have some good ole comfort food to help make your game plan. This is an easy dish that looks and taste fancy. Hey, anytime you start with red wine, butter and garlic it's got to be good.

What you need... 

4 T-bone center cut pork chops (about an inch thick)

1 1/2 cups of red wine

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp butter

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

16 cloves of garlic peeled

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup beef broth

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

What you do...

Heat the oil and 2 tbsp of butter in a heavy skillet over high heat.

Salt and pepper both sides of the pork and sear them in the skillet (2 minutes per side).

Remove the chops from the skillet.

Turn the heat down to medium high and add the whole cloves of garlic. 

Stir until they are golden brown (2-3 minutes).

Now pour in the red wine and add the bay leaf.

Stir until the sauce is reduced and thick. You may have to turn the heat up a little. 

Now stir in the broth and add the chops back to the pan.

Cook the chops in the sauce for 3-4 minutes then add balsamic. 

Continue cooking for 2 more minutes.

Remove the chops from the skillet. 

Let the sauce reduce a little more until it is very thick and the garlic is soft.

Stir in the remaining tbsp of butter. 

Plate up the Pork Chops and pour the whole skillet of sauce and garlic cloves over the top.

Serve with the remaining red wine and your favorite veggies. We chose lemon pepper green beans. Enjoy!

The Playlist... 

Change The World

World pollution, no solution, institution, electrocution... Black and white, rich or poor, them and us, stop the war! I'd love to change the world... but I don't know what to do.  -Alvin Lee and Ten Years After. 

Well, we think that a good place to start is by looking in the mirror. Decide to make a difference, get a plan to help and you would be surprised what you can impact and change. 

In the words of Dr. John... "You got to Accentuate the Positive!"

                           Change The World

The Bar... 

Liquid Sunshine

What you need... 

3 oz Malibu Rum
1.5 oz Peach Schnapps
1/3 cup OJ
1/3 cup Pineapple juice
Splash of grenadine

What you do...

Fill a glass with ice.
Pour the Malibu remand peach Schnapps over the ice.
Then add the OJ and Pineapple juice. 
Gently stir then add the grenadine. 
Let it sink to the bottom.
Garnish with Orange slice and cherry.

Love all... Trust a few... Do Wrong to none.

It's All In Your Hands!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!