Guinness Smoked Brisket

Slow smoked brisket seasoned with a dry rub and sprayed with Guinness.

Do you ever just crave barbecue?  I sure do.  Over the weekend, I had one of these cravings so I talked my husband into seeing what kind of meat he could find on sale.  I was hoping for a pork butt for some easy Slow Cooker Carolina Barbecue, but there wasn't one on sale so he brought home brisket.  I like brisket barbecue too, but usually prefer it smoked, which my husband was happy to do.

Do you ever crave barbecue? [Tweet this]

This was the weekend before St. Patrick's Day and we had plenty of Guinness in the house so my husband had the great idea of using some as a sop.  I've mentioned sop before in my Smoked Top Round Roast.  It's a liquid or sauce brushed or sprayed on the meat while it's being smoked.  It helps add moisture and flavor to the meat.  Between the dry rub and the Guinness sop this brisket had an absolutely delicious bark (the dark outer crust).

Between the dry rub and Guinness sop this brisket had a delicious bark. [Tweet this]

Guinness Smoked Brisket

Ingredients:

Brisket

Dry Rub

Garlic Powder
Salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Red pepper flakes
Green chili flakes
Chili powder
Dried onions
Brown sugar

Sop

Guinness
Apple cider vinegar

None of the ingredients were really measured just add what you like and what smells good to you (or use your favorite spice rub).

Rub the brisket all over with the dry rub.

Fill a spray bottle most of the way full with Guinness and then add about 1/4 cup of cider vinegar.  Gently swirl to mix.

Place the spiced brisket on the preheated smoker and cover.  Allow to smoke all day at about 200F (about 1-2 hours per pound).

Spray the brisket with the sop about every hour.

Brisket is finished when internal temperature reaches 185-200F.  Slice or chop and enjoy as is or with sauce (like a Guinness Barbecue Sauce).

Enjoy.

Other recipes mentioned in this post:

Slow Cooker Carolina Barbecue

Smoked Top Round Roast

Guinness Barbecue Sauce

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Guinness Barbecue Brisket Sliders

Tender smoked brisket smothered in a Guinness barbecue sauce on yeast roll slider buns.

I have to say that Guinness makes everything better.  I love barbecue and Guinness Barbecue Sauce is my new favorite.  Barbecue sauce is pretty easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.  All you need is ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and whatever spices you like.  Check out my Classic Barbecue Sauce for a simple basic recipe.

Guinness makes everything better [Tweet This]

Since St. Patrick's Day is coming up (and we had a case of Guinness) I thought it would be fun to make a Guinness barbecue sauce.  I have to give some credit to my husband for this idea because he had the idea of using Guinness on the brisket and I just copied his idea for a barbecue sauce.  This brisket is Guinness Smoked Brisket, which I'll post the recipe for next time. But the barbecue sauce will taste great on anything.  I even used it on turkey breast sandwiches when we ran out of brisket and it was great.

For the slider buns I just used a simple Whole Wheat Yeast Roll recipe.  I'll post this exact recipe eventually (I need to get pictures of just the rolls, but I eat them too quickly), but it's very similar to Rye Yeast Rolls just using whole wheat flour.  The soft yeast rolls with the Guinness Barbecue Sauce and Guinness Brisket made an unbelievably delicious slider.  The Guinness adds so much flavor depth to a very simple classic barbecue sauce.  I will be making this sauce again next time we have barbecue (no matter what kind of meat we use).  It's so good.

Guinness adds so much flavor depth to a simple barbecue sauce [Tweet this]

Guinness Barbecue Brisket Sliders

Guinness Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tsp butter
1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your tastes)
1 14.9 oz Guinness
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Slider buns or yeast rolls
Brisket (I used Guinness Smoked Brisket)
Onion, sliced

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.  Saute the shallot and garlic until tender and fragrant.

Add the pepper flakes and mix well.  Then pour in the Guinness.  Allow the Guinness to boil until it reduces by half.

Add the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and reduce heat to a simmer.

Simmer until sauce is the thickness you desire and remove from heat.

Add sliced brisket to the sauce (my brisket was cold out of the fridge so I let it simmer a while in the sauce to reheat), mixing until well coated.

Split the yeast rolls or buns in half and add a couple of slices of barbecue covered brisket.  Top the brisket with onions and a drizzle of more sauce.

Serve immediately with sides of your choice (I served it with Parmesan and Garlic Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower).

About 4-6 servings of the sauce.

Enjoy.

Other recipes mentioned in this post:

Classic Barbecue          Sauce         -------------

Rye Yeast Rolls ----------------------------------------

Parmesan and Garlic Roasted Broccoli

Parmesan and Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

More Barbecue Recipes:

Barbecue Brisket Sandwiches

Slow Cooker Shredded Barbecue Chicken

Slow Cooker Carolina Barbecue

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Lamb & Guinness Shepherd's Pie

Minced lamb and vegetables cooked in a Guinness sauce and topped with mashed potatoes.  Perfect for a St. Patrick's Day dinner.

This is yet another dish I made from leftover Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb.  That lamb roast served me very well.  You could easily substitute ground lamb in this recipe too.  I blitzed my leftover, roughly chopped, lamb in the food processor to give me minced lamb, added vegetables and Guinness for this incredibly flavorful and hardy meat pie.  It's not totally traditional shepherd's pie because I have it in a pie shell, but I had one in the freezer and didn't feel like dirtying a dish so I used it.  Traditional or not it was delicious.  I loved the crispy pie crust bottom with the creamy potato top.  And the filling.  Did I mention there's Guinness in it?  The stout gives it this a deep, rich, meatier flavor that is unparalleled.

Did I mention there's #Guinness in it? [Tweet this]

Lamb & Guinness Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
2 red potatoes, blanched and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 small carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup frozen peas
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup Guinness
2 cups minced lamb (I just minced leftover Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, but you could use cooked ground lamb as well)
Few dashed rosemary
5-6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Frozen pie crust (9 inch deep dish), optional
2-3 cups mashed potatoes

Preheat oven to 425F

In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onions, potatoes, celery, and carrots.  Season with salt and pepper then cook, until everything is softened.

Add the garlic and cook for just a few seconds until fragrant.

Add the frozen peas and allow to warm for about a minute.  Then add the flour.

Stir and mix well with the vegetables and melted butter making a roux.

Stir and cook until flour mixture starts to brown then add the Guinness, lamb, and rosemary.

Continue stirring until mixture comes to low boil, lower the heat and simmer until the Guinness has thickened (this isn't a very saucy mixture it's pretty thick but if you would like it thinner add more Guinness or water).

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.  Taste for seasoning and add whatever you think it needs.

Fill a pie crust (follow pie crust directions) or casserole dish with the meat mixture, top with mashed potatoes (that are seasoned to your preference) and bake.

Bake in a preheated oven at 425F for about 25 minutes or until potatoes start to brown.

Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.  Serve with sides of your choice.  I served it with Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots and Sauteed Kale (I'll post these recipes soon). Oh, and don't forget a Guinness to wash it down.

Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy.

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Green Pea Soup

Healthy and easy frozen green peas pureed in a flavorful broth for a creamy and delicious, vibrant green, soup.

(Updated 2/21/16:  New pictures, pin-ables, Tweet-ables, similar posts, and minor editing)

Green peas are very nutritious.  They are high in fiber and protein while being low in fat and contain many antioxidants.  My husband loves peas and we always have a huge bag of them in the freezer.  You will notice two different looking soups in this post because they are from different batches (same basic recipe with just minor alterations).  I was pleasantly surprised when my husband started requesting this soup regularly.  I've made it often since the first post.  I love the flavor and nutritional benefits of this soup and am happy my husband does too.  It's a quick and delicious way to prepare frozen peas.

#Spouseapproved #vegetarian Green Pea Soup  [Tweet this]

I have a kind of love-hate relationship with peas.  I know that they are healthy and try to use them regularly but they aren't my favorite vegetable.  It's not even the taste.  I don't mind the flavor but it's the work it takes to eat them that makes me less of a fan.  This may seem like a silly reason to avoid a food but I can't help it.  I'll have peas on my plate and try to take a scoop of them only to have them roll away or fall off my fork or spoon.  It should not be so difficult to get your food into your mouth!

Get your peas the easy way in #GreenPea #Soup  [Tweet this]

That is why this soup is so great.  It's simple and delicious and stays on your spoon.  It also contains a lot of peas.  1 1/2 cups per serving to be exact and that is a lot of fiber and protein.  I don't think even my husband (the pea lover) would put that many peas on his plate.

Get lots of #fiber and #protein from GreenPeaSoup  [Tweet this]

Green Pea Soup

Cook time:  45 minutes
Servings:  2

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter or oil
1 cup onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 cups green peas, frozen
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tsp dried basil
2 Tbsp guacamole/avocado puree (or cream)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large sauce pan, saute the onions in butter or oil until tender.  Add the garlic, peas, broth, and basil and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and puree the soup with the guacamole until creamy.  (Most of the recipes I looked at used cream to make the soup creamier.  That would be great but I didn't have cream on hand and did have some guac.  Avocados are creamy so that's what I used and it was delicious.  It also makes this soup vegan, if your guac is vegan, and if you use oil and vegetable broth too.  I've also used sour cream in this soup with great results.)

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 2 servings.  It's great on its own or paired with crackers or a sandwich.  (my husband added some Habanero Hot Sauce to his and said it was delicious)

Enjoy.

Check out my Habanero Hot Sauce mentioned in this post:

For more recipes using peas check out:

Lamb & Guinness Shepherds Pie

Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

Patta Gobhi Mattar (Cabbage & Peas)

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Green Lasagna

A meatless lasagna layered with green vegetables, cheese, chickpeas, and pesto.

I had a craving for lasagna.  I also wanted to try a pesto lasagna.  Since pesto is green I decided to go with a green theme and this made me want to make it meatless.  To add extra nutrients and fiber I also added spinach to the pesto.  To make a non-meat layer of protein, fiber, and vegetables I decided to chop up some chickpeas with shredded zucchini and ricotta.  Of course, I still used plenty of mozzarella and plain wheat lasagna noodles.  The results were fantastic.  It was full of flavor and absolutely delicious.  I made this when my husband was out of town and I was happy to eat this all week long.

Green Lasagna: #vegetarian #pesto lasagna  [Tweet this]

Green Lasagna

Prep time:  30 minutes

Cook time:  45 minutes

Servings:  6-8

Ingredients:

Spinach Pistachio Pesto

Prep/cook time:  15 minutes
Servings:  3 cups

1/2 cup pistachios
5 cloves garlic
1/4-1/2 cup parmesan
2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and excess moisture squeezed out
5 cups basil leaves
1/2-1 cup olive oil

Place all but olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend while slowly adding the olive oil until smooth and creamy.  This makes a lot of pesto and extra freezes well.  Makes about 3 cups of pesto.

Lasagna

2 cups chickpeas, cooked or canned
3 small zucchini, shredded
1-2 cups ricotta
1 egg
2 Tbsp granulated garlic
2 Tbsp dried minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
Lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
1-2 cups Spinach Pistachio Pesto (or your favorite)
Mozzarella, shredded

Roughly chop the chickpeas and mix (in a large bowl) with the shredded zucchini, ricotta, egg, garlic, onion, and salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Spread a thin layer of pesto on the bottom of a lasagna pan and cover with a layer of noodles.

Spread another thin layer of pesto on top of the noodles then top with chickpea mixture, mozzarella, and another layer of noodles.  Continue in this fashion until the chickpea mixture is all used and the pan is full.

Finish by topping the last layer of noodles with pesto and mozzarella.  You can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until ready to bake (up to 1 day).

Bake lasagna at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes, uncovered, until well browned and bubbly.

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Enjoy.

For more vegetarian/meatless recipes check out:

Garlic Butter  Gnocchi

Hoisin Baked Tofu Vermicelli

Very Veggie  Pasta

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