As the weather warms up and summer just around the corner, we're betting you're like us: looking for any excuse to fire up the grill and enjoy alfresco entertaining throughout the season ahead.
We've rounded out a few great-tasing recipes to inspire you to do just that, thanks to an array of Yoder Smokers and exciting new accessories.
Kick-start your taste buds with this juicy, flavour-packed beer-can bacon burger. The flavours of mushroom and Swiss blend delightfully over the meat and the aroma of bacon is unforgettable. It’s a classic that gets even better when cooked on a Yoder Smokers YS640.
Beer-Can Bacon Mushroom Swiss Burger
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- 4 oz sliced mushrooms
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup beer
- 1 tbsp BBQ Rub
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 lb bacon
- 2 Brioche buns (or other hefty bun)
- lettuce, shredded
- Chipotle, or regular Ketchup
Yield: 2 huge burgers, 4 servings
Directions
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Reserve two slices of bacon, then dice and cook the rest in the skillet. Remove the diced bacon and set aside. Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the mushrooms, beer and BBQ Rub (try House of Q BBQ Rub). Cook until liquid is gone and mushrooms are softened. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and set aside. Add the onion, olive oil and pinch of salt to the skillet. Turn to medium-low heat. Cook until onions are lightly browned. Stir often, and don’t try to do this too quickly or over high heat or the onions will scorch.
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640 to 275ºF. While the onions cook, form two (1/2 lb) balls with the 80/20 ground beef. Press a beer can into the centre of the ball and form a sort of bowl around the bottom of the can. Remove the can from the meat. Season the beef with BBQ Rub. Wrap sides of the bowl with the reserved slices of bacon.
Add the fillings to the inside of the “bowl” including half of the cheese (torn into pieces). When the burger is filled to the top with the bacon, cheese, mushrooms and onions, top each burger with one whole slice of cheese.
Smoke the burger until the internal temperature reaches 160ºF (check the temperature using an instant read thermometer), roughly one hour. While the burger smokes you can toast your buns. Serve the burger dressed with the lettuce and your favourite condiments, crack a cold one and enjoy!
Lime Jalapeño Shrimp Skewers with Roasted Jalapeño Dipping Sauce
If you love shrimp and you want to do it right, this quick shrimp skewer recipe will not disappoint!
Ingredients
- 2 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined
- Spice Lime Jalapeño Fajita Bath
- 4 jalapeños
- 1 cup cilantro, minced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
Place the shrimp on bamboo skewers and lay them in a shallow pan. Cover with equal parts Spice Lime Jalapeño Fajita Bath and water. Marinate for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640 pellet grill to 450ºF, set up for direct grilling with GrillGrates.
To make the dipping sauce, place the jalapeños on the grill and cook until the skin is blackened on all sides. Place in a zip top bag and let steam 10-15 minutes. Remove from the bag, peel the skins from the flesh and scrape out the seeds and stem. Mince the flesh of the pepper and discard the rest. Then, combine the peppers with the cilantro, sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice and garlic in a small container. Using an immersion blender (or small food processor or blender), process until the mixture is smooth. Store in the refrigerator.
Remove the skewers from the marinade. Strain the solids from the liquid marinade. Rub the solids all over the shrimp.
Grill the shrimp on both sides to achieve nice grill marks. Remove from the grill when the shrimp are opaque and an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the shrimp reads 130ºF. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
Did someone say Wood Fired Pizza?
Bring the pizza party to the backyard thanks to Yoder Smokers Wood Fired Oven (WFO). It's a favourite new addition for the YS480 and YS640 smokers, delivering piping hot and perfect Neapolitan pizza every time.
The dough can be prepared (or bought) in advance and you can go crazy with whatever toppings you've got a hankering for. The below recipe was developed by Chef Justin Goodman for Yoder Smokers, and features all the fixings guaranteed to make it a fan-favourite this summer.
BBQ Chicken Pizza
BBQ Chicken can have so much depth and variety, so too make this pizza start by turning on the smoker, setting it to 450°F with the heat diffuser removed and a pizza stone on the lower rack opposite of the fire-pot. Next, get the dough ready to go.
Pizza Dough (one medium size pizza):
- 1 package of active dry yeast (.25 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 cup of warm water (if you have an instant-read thermometer, you are aiming for 110 degrees for the water)
In a medium bowl combine the above ingredients and let it sit about 10 minutes. Next, sift in the following and mix until smooth. I used my stand mixer with a dough hook:
- 2.5 cups bread flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Mix this till it has a smooth look to it. At this stage, it is safe to let sit on the counter while you prepare the remaining ingredients. You can refrigerate the dough if needed, but you will want to work with a room temperature dough before it hits the grill. To shape the dough, I work on a cutting board, with a piece of parchment paper covering the board and dusted lightly with flour. The parchment will make transferring the pizza from the cutting board to the pizza stone much easier for shaping the dough, making it as thin as possible without creating any rips or tears. Working with your dough; push the dough out to roughly a 12 inch round.
Next up is time to start topping your pizza!
Start by brushing the outside edge of the crust with olive oil. Next, brush with your preferred BBQ sauce, add some smoked chicken breast, sauteed grilled onions, a cheese blend, and (if desired) spicy bacon for balance.
Transfer the pizza with the parchment paper to the pizza stone. Let the pizza cook for about 5 minutes before you remove the paper and give the pizza a rotation (rotate about 180 degrees and try and get a sense of how done the pizza is by looking).
NOTE: Each pizza cooks just a little bit differently based on how much cheese, toppings, and dough are involved. If the top is starting to brown, it’s worth taking a peek at the underside of the pizza. The first thing to be done with this cooking method is likely the bottom crust. Leaving the lid closed is really key to helping the cheese melt while cooking the crust. If you need to rotate the pizza again 90 degrees do so quickly to help retain the hit above the pizza as well.
As you work through the art of pizza making, you’ll see that different stone vs air temperatures will have a big impact on how much the dough bubbles up with that nice airy texture vs has a more bread-like texture. Enjoy!
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Be sure to tag us if you try out one of these delicious recipes inspired by Yoder Smokers this season, or share your own favourites!
Bon Appétit from the Ultimate Tools team!
