1tablespoonJack’s Old South Original Rub or make your ownsee this page
FOR SERVING:
4tablespoons½ stick unsalted butter, melted
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Instructions
Prepare your smoker and heat it to 325°F.
Prepare the lobster tails: Use kitchen shears to make shallow cuts right down the middle of the tough tail shells.
Next, use your fingers to gently loosen the meat from the shell, making sure to just loosen it and not remove it entirely—you want to keep the tail meat attached at the base of the tail.
Lift the meat so it is resting on top of the split shell (again, keeping it attached at the base of the tail).
Use a sharp paring knife to make a shallow slit down the middle of the meat so that you can butterfly the tails and open them up like a book.
Drizzle the tail meat with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place the butterflied lobster tails in an aluminum baking pan.
Place the pan in the smoker, cover, and smoke for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lobster meat turns completely bright white and opaque and the tails begin to curl.
Meanwhile, prepare the salad: In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery, lettuce, and rub.
Set aside.
Timing is key here: When you’re ready to remove the lobster from the smoker, you don’t want to let it cool completely, or the meat will begin to toughen up.
So remove the lobster from the smoker, transfer to serving plates immediately, and for a dramatic presentation serve the tails in their shells next to the salad, drizzling the butter over the tail meat.
Alternatively, you can remove the tails from their shells and serve them directly on top of the salad with the melted butter drizzled over the top of the tails.
To make this recipe, you’re going to need to either ask a fishmonger to clean your catfish for you—the path of least resistance—or else figure out how to do it yourself. The leathery skin of catfish makes the process a little more complicated than it is for other fish. Some fishermen where I live hang the catfish from trees before they strip them, or else nail the fish heads to boards. Those techniques work great, but this page has another way for novices:
This is one of the easiest methods of cooking fish for a little backyard dinner party with family or friends—it’s simple, delicious, and smoked, my three favorite attributes for food.
Rub the salmon fillets all over with the vinegar, then pat dry thoroughly with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
Brush them all over with the oil, then season with the rub, salt, and pepper.
Transfer the fish to an aluminum baking pan.
Place the pan in the smoker, cover, and cook until the salmon flakes easily, about 2 hours.
Serve with Classic Creamy Coleslaw, if you like.
Notes & Wine Advice
Variation 1:You can substitute 2 pounds of other fish fillets and use this same method. For example, where I live we love mullet, a fish found in coastal and tropical waters all over the world, but especially beloved down here in South Georgia and parts of Florida. It’s a bony and oily fish that takes very well to smoking. You can also substitute trout fillets, pike fillets, roughy fillets, or other kinds of fish you like and use this method. Variation 2:
You can substitute the ½ cup of olive oil I call for here with ½ cup of cubed unsalted butter. Just cover the fish with the butter cubes and put it in the smoker.
Rub the salmon steaks all over with the vinegar, then pat the steaks dry thoroughly with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
Brush both sides of the steaks with the olive oil, then season with the salt, pepper, and rub.
Transfer the steaks into an aluminum baking pan.
Place the pan in the smoker, cover, and smoke until the steaks are firm to the touch and flake when touched with a fork, 45 to 60 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, make the glaze: Combine the barbecue sauce, apricot preserves, and chopped onion in a blender.
Puree to combine thoroughly, about 3 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan.
Over medium heat, bring the glaze almost to a boil, removing it from the heat just as small bubbles begin to appear at the surface.
Set the glaze aside to cool.
When the fish is done, remove the pan from the smoker and use a kitchen brush to glaze the salmon steaks with the sauce.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: You can easily make these salmon steaks without applying the glaze; just skip that step entirely and serve the salmon steaks with some barbecue sauce on the side for dipping if you like.
You can also substitute tuna, swordfish, or halibut steaks for the salmon and this recipe will work just as well.
Finally, I like the way that the sweetness of the apricot preserves pairs with the barbecue sauce, but you are welcome to try other favorite flavors of preserves in its place if you prefer.
Thirty minutes before you’re ready to cook the meatloaf, prepare a smoker and heat it to 200°F.
Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and ¾ cup of the sauce.
Stir in the crackers, ground beef, ground pork, eggs, nutmeg, Parmesan, beaten egg, and rub, and mix gently to combine, taking care not to overmix the meatloaf.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pack the meat mixture into the prepared pan.
When the smoker is ready, place the meatloaf pan inside.
Cover and smoke the meatloaf, checking the temperature frequently to maintain a consistent 200°F, until the internal temperature of the meatloaf registers 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 hours.
At that point, brush the remaining ¼ cup of sauce on top of the meatloaf.
Close the smoker and continue to smoke the meatloaf until it reaches its final temperature of 155°F, about 1 hour more.
The total cooking time should be about 3 hours.
Transfer the meatloaf pan to a cutting board, cover it loosely with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
brunch burgers combine juicy beef patties, smoky pork belly, melted cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce, and toasted buns into a rich comfort food recipe packed with bold Southern barbecue flavor. The crispy pork belly adds deep smoky richness while the juicy burgers stay tender and flavorful.
This pork belly burger recipe remains popular because it transforms a classic cheeseburger into a hearty brunch-style barbecue meal. The combination of smoky pork belly, sharp cheddar, barbecue sauce, and grilled beef creates indulgent flavor perfect for weekends and cookouts.
Smoky pork belly creates rich barbecue flavor
The popularity of brunch burgers continues to grow because crispy grilled pork belly adds smoky texture and savory richness that pairs perfectly with juicy beef patties. The honey soy marinade also gives the pork belly subtle sweet smoky flavor during grilling.
Another reason this barbecue burger recipe works so well is the balance between smoky meat flavor and creamy melted cheese. Sharp cheddar and barbecue sauce help bring extra richness while lettuce and tomato add fresh contrast.
Juicy burgers and crispy toppings add texture
The grilled beef patties give this pork belly burger recipe juicy texture while the crispy pork belly creates crunchy smoky contrast in every bite. Toasted buns also help hold the rich barbecue ingredients together beautifully.
If you enjoy rich barbecue burger recipes, you may also like our Bejewelled BBQ Pork, another comforting recipe packed with smoky grilled flavor.
Texture plays an important role in this recipe. The burgers stay tender and juicy while the pork belly becomes crispy and caramelized during grilling.
The barbecue sauce also creates glossy smoky richness while the lettuce and tomato help balance the heavy savory flavors with freshness and crunch.
Perfect brunch burgers for weekends and cookouts
These brunch burgers work perfectly for weekend brunches, game day gatherings, outdoor cookouts, family dinners, and casual barbecue parties because the smoky burger flavors create satisfying comfort food everyone enjoys.
The burgers pair beautifully with fries, potato wedges, coleslaw, grilled corn, onion rings, baked beans, or extra barbecue sauce served on the side.
Proper food handling remains important whenever preparing ground beef and pork. Always cook burgers thoroughly and refrigerate raw meat properly before grilling. For additional food preparation and meat safety guidance, visit the FDA.
Ultimately, brunch burgers deliver juicy beef texture, smoky pork belly richness, melted cheddar flavor, and bold barbecue comfort in an indulgent burger recipe perfect for weekends.
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Brunch Burgers With Pork Belly
Juicy cheeseburgers topped with crispy pork belly and smoky barbecue sauce.
If I’m going to indulge in a burger, I don’t mess around: I like to make ’em with about ½ pound of ground beef apiece. And yes, if you don’t feel like firing up your smoker, you can still enjoy this burger by doing the first step in the oven.
A half hour before you’re ready to cook your burger, preheat a smoker to 300°F.
(If you’re cooking these in the oven instead, preheat the oven to 300°F.
)
In a medium nonreactive bowl, combine the ground beef with the ranch dressing mix and the rub.
Using your hands, mix gently to combine, taking care not to overwork the meat.
Form into two patties of equal size (or three or four patties, if you like smaller burgers).
Transfer the burgers to a small and shallow aluminum baking pan.
Refrigerate them until the smoker (or oven) is ready.
Then place the pan in the smoker (or oven).
For medium-rare burgers, smoke for 15 minutes, or for medium-well burgers, go to 30 minutes.
Remove the burger pan from the smoker (or oven) and allow the burgers to rest, uncovered, while you melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat on a stovetop or gas grill (the smoker won’t be hot enough to give you a good sear).
When the butter is melted but not smoking, use a spatula to slide the burgers carefully into the skillet.
Cook for about 3 minutes, just until they’re seared on one side and a nice crust has formed, then flip them and do the same on the other side.
Top them with cheddar and then slide the burgers onto a platter and let them rest, lightly covered with aluminum foil.
While the burgers rest, wipe out the pan.
Over medium heat in that same pan, cook the Canadian bacon about 2 minutes per side, until each side is lightly crispy.
Using a spatula, slide the Canadian bacon onto paper towels to absorb any excess grease.
Toast the buns in your smoker or on a low setting in the toaster oven.
Smear a little mayonnaise on the bottom half of each bun.
Top with the cheeseburgers, a slice of Canadian bacon, a nice piece of cold, crisp Iceberg lettuce, a slice of ripe tomato, and pickles.
Smear the inside top of each bun with a little more mayonnaise.
Preheat all grates of a well-oiled charcoal or gas grill to high heat, about 400°F.
Season the steaks with rub on both sides and work it in with your hands.
Using your hands or a brush, evenly—but lightly—coat the steaks with olive oil.
Place the steaks on the grate, decrease the heat to medium, close the lid, and do not move the steaks until they are well marked and have a light char.
Flip them, close the lid, and continue to cook with the lid down to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for rare, about 6 minutes per side for medium rare, about 7 minutes per side for medium, and 9 to 10 minutes per side for medium-well to well-done.
Transfer the steaks to a platter and cover with aluminum foil.
Let rest for 10 minutes.
Make your steak sauce: Collect ¼ cup of the pan drippings from the platter.
Combine the juices with all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan.
Over medium heat, whisk continuously to combine.
Let the sauce just come to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
To serve the steak, use a sharp knife to cut the meat across the grain in thick diagonal slices.
Pour the sauce over the slices, if you like, or serve it on the side for dipping.
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The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
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