Pork Tenderloin with Herbed Mustard Potatoes or Idle Hands are the Devil's Something or Other....

Butterballs!
It is I (or we!) the triumphant!  Returning to you from an abnormally long hiatus.  Turns out this adulting thing can kind of take over your life and make you forget things like your hopes and dreams.

It has come to my attention that there is a lady (I assume a lady???) who has (I shit you not) adopted a cat, named it Butters (maybe, at least that's this facsimile's stage name), and purchased the domain name for Cooking with Butters.  It's not me.  I haven't the slightest how someone who apparently has so much web-based knowledge (her page is admittedly nice looking, though unattended for the last year or so...) could not be creative enough to come up with her own concept, but, alas- there are now two "Cooking with Butters" out in the universe.  To be fair, I myself have not been as attentive to this page as I could have been over the last two years or so, so I suppose I should be flattered that my concept was apparently so appealing as to be stolen by someone else.

I'm working hard to get back into things that have given me a lot of joy over the years, and learning to balance my work life (which in itself obviously gives me lots and lots of joy!) with my personal life and my numerous hobbies that have frankly become more and more neglected as I come home more and more exhausted.  I'm starting with my blog, and my endeavors into food in general!

As I take this time to re-explore my own interests, it has become abundantly clear that I am passionate about meat (*crickets chirp*).  Between my salmon smoking (stay tuned as we build a new smoker this summer- I've officially run two charcoal grills right smack into the ground.  On a related note, if anyone has access to a two drawer file cabinet in need of a home, hit me up!), and my somewhat time-consuming and abrasive habit of re-butchering anything that I purchase at the grocery store, I'm just truly interested in carnage in general.

Thankfully, grilling season is finally upon us!  We've had an unforgivably long and disgusting winter during which it was so horribly cold and wet, we hardly left the house at all, and the BBQ, at a whopping 50 feet from the back door, could've just as easily been in Siberia, so it's been a minute since we've really just toasted the crap out of anything.  The last week it's finally warmed up enough to venture one furry (yep) leg out from the comfort of my love seat, so I took the opportunity on Tuesday to make this delightful pork tenderloin.

Speaking of re-butchering, these $4 pork tenderloins from Walmart (yes, you get what you pay for) are often somewhat of a crapshoot.  This one was absolutely perfect!  Just the right amount of fat cap, two pounds of perfect tenderloin.  You'll need:

2 lb. pork tenderloin
Italian seasoning
Smoked paprika
Salt and cracked black pepper
Olive oil

For the herbed potatoes:
2 cans of whole new potatoes
2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
Olive oil
Salt and cracked black pepper
1 and 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
Grillin' skillet (or similar thingy)

Start by coating the tenderloin in the olive oil, then liberally rub with the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and paprika (light on the paprika).  Heat your grill to 450 degrees, clean grates and rub with olive oil.  Sear each side of the tenderloin, then turn heat down to 325, and take off of direct heat, leave for 25 minutes, turning halfway through, or until meat has reached an internal temp of 145 degrees.

For the potatoes:  Drain liquid from cans, put potatoes in bowl, coat liberally with seasoning and olive oil (reserve mustard for later).  Toss until they are coated evenly.  Place in grill pan over high heat, stir occasionally until they develop a brown crust on both sides.  Remove from heat, place potatoes in bowl, add mustard to bowl, and toss until the potatoes are coated.

I don't have a finished product photo- we gobbled it up way too fast, but here is a prep pic, complete with a glass of rose, my grilling beverage of choice as of late.

In closing, it's good to be back, my lovelies!  Stay tuned for all sorts of delightful culinary hijinx as the cat takes back the internet!

XOXO

Mama Katie's Smokin' Salmon!

Butterballs, Butterballs!  Where have you been all my life?  Apologies for my prolonged absence, but never fear! I come bearing piles of delightful recipes.  Dexter, Butters, Matt and I have been spending our days working, building patios (more on that later...), and cooking up a lot of tasty treats.  One of which, my smoked salmon, has become a family favorite, and has been affectionately named 'Mama Katie's Smokin' Salmon' by my ever-adorable husband.

Deep in the heart of darkness that was spring this year, the fur babies and I were itching for an opportunity to get outside.  We strapped on our yoga pants, hitched up our Ugg boots, and decided to try our hand at smoking fish.  "Smoking fish?", you might ask, "but why?"  Yes, you can most certainly purchase a nicely pre-smoked salmon at the grocery store, but having done a little research, a four ounce piece of smoked salmon averages $8 (or $32 a pound...), at least in the greater Missoula area.  If that doesn't convince you, just consider that this is an activity where you literally NEED to sit on your ass, drink a beer, and read a book for a minimum of 2 hours to do it successfully.  So, let's do some math: 

Butters has decided to make some home-smoked salmon.  He goes to the cat grocery store and spends $25 on a whole side of raw salmon, that will yield 8, 4 ounce pieces of smoked salmon (roughly $12.50 per lb.). Last week, Butters had a party for all of his cat friends.  Dexter served them store bought salmon at $32 per lb.  How much cat nip beer can Butters buy with the money he's saving to drink while he smokes his fish?  Do you have your answer?  A LOT of cat nip beers, that's how many.  Essentially, while this process is somewhat time consuming, it will give you the gift of  cost effective, cured meat, with the added bonus of productive leisure time.  Win, win I say.

Now, to make some fancy, hard-smoked salmon, you will need some non-edible supplies:

• Grill- I like my charcoal one for this process.  If you decide to use a gas grill, you won't need the next two items.
• Charcoal (about 5 lbs)
• Lighter Fluid
• Wood chips for smoking (I like hickory) Note:  If you use a gas grill, you will need a smoker box for your chips.
• Large bowl
• Strainer
• Cookie sheet with sides

Before you get started:
You'll want to hang out with your fish to make sure that your charcoal fire stays stoked and covered in chips.  Cooking anything in a smoker has a distinct odor, so maybe don't wear your favorite dry clean only ballgown for this process.

First, you'll need to soak your wood chips.  The longer you smoke them, the less chips you'll need because they will last longer.  Fill your strainer with chips, place it in the bowl.  Fill the bowl with water.  Leave to soak for a minimum of 1 hour.

After you get you chips soaking, you'll need to prep your salmon.  One of the major pros of smoking your own salmon is that you can choose your own seasonings.  I like onion and garlic powder with cracked pepper, but I also have a Trader Joe's lemon pepper grinder I'm itching to try out.  Some people like to play with glazes (think balsamic vinegar and marmalade...), the possibilities are truly endless.  You will need to clear a flat space in your fridge to let your salmon rest.  It will lose lots of liquid, so choose a cookie sheet with sides so your fridge doesn't smell like fish for the foreseeable future. 

Edible Ingredients:
As much salmon as you'd like to smoke- I used 2 lbs. cut into 8ish pieces, leaving the skin on
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. each cracked black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder

Mix dry ingredients together, move a little seasoning into a different bowl as you use it, so you don't contaminate your extra seasoning with fish yuck.  Cover all pink sides of the salmon with a thick layer of seasoning.  Place each piece on a cookie sheet, covered in parchment paper.  Place in the fridge for a minimum of one hour (the longer you let the salmon set, the dryer the finish on it will be).

While you are waiting for your salmon to get dry and your chips to get wet, light your charcoal grill.  Keep the coals in a pile in the front of the grill, where they can get lots of air.  Cover in lighter fluid, and let burn until the edges have started to turn gray. 

Take your salmon out of the fridge.  There should be lots of liquid in the bottom of the cookie sheet.  Wipe each piece off with wet paper towel.  You can leave as much seasoning on the fish as you'd like, but if you leave it all it will be too salty. 

Cover your coals with about 2 handfuls of your wood chips (strain first).  Place your fish on a part of the grill with NO COALS under it, leaving a little space between each piece.  Put the lid down on the grill, and open the vents halfway.  The longer you smoke it the dryer it will be.  2 hours, adding new chips whenever the old ones have completely turned black will make a flaky, moist fish.  Your fish should be a deep red color when you take it off the grill.  Keep it on foil until it cools. 

Serving Suggestions!

Now that you have all of this delicious fish, how do you eat it?  Here are a few of my favorites!

• With a soft cheese (plain goat cheese, or Boursin) on crackers, or a crusty baguette.
• In a sandwich!  Goat cheese, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and red onion on ciabatta.
• On a salad!  Baby greens with sesame sticks, mandarin orange slices, cucumber and a balsamic vinaigrette.
• By itself!  Great with olives, cheeses, and other cured meats like sopressata.
• On a Bagel!  Cream cheese, red onion, and capers, oh my!
• On toasts!  Goat cheese, dijon mustard and capers!  
• In your pasta!  I like it with pesto (see Pork and Pesto for Your Mama! Entry for a pesto recipe!!)
• With quinoa!  Boil the quinoa with garlic and shallots in chicken stock.
• Show it off at parties!  Friends love friends who smoke their own fish!  There's a certain Ron Swanson-esque, je ne sais quoi about a buddy who makes artisanal meats.  
• Smoked salmon dip!  1 lb cream cheese, a little milk, some worcestshire sauce, dill and dijon mustard blended with 4 ounces of your salmon.

Voila!  You can keep your fish in the fridge for a couple of weeks, or the freezer for up to a year.  See?  Wasn't that worth the wait?  Now, put on your bikini, crack open a cold one, and head out to the yard for some quality fish smoking time!

Love and best fishes,
Katie