Venison and T-Bones

Okay, so venison and a beef T-bone are an unusual combination. I agree. However, upon checking the deep freeze and seeing what option we had this is what stood out. There were several t-bone steaks and plenty of venison items.

Pork Chops

We do not regularly eat pork. No specific reason. We do enjoy the taste of pork but usually keep our eyes open for chicken to go on sale. However, this weekend I decided to cook pork chops. I made a rub and a dipping sauce.

In the rub I used:

1 t. fresh pepper

1 t. paprika

1 t. brown sugar

1 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. onion powder

Though I do not often make a dipping sauce I do enjoy it from time to time. I am a total amateur when it comes to knowing what to include in a dipping sauce. I followed a recipe but did add to it. This is what I used:

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup water

2 T. sorghum

1 T. white vinegar

1 T. brown sugar

2 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. fresh black pepper

a few drops of Tabasco

Splash of bourbon

I combined these ingredients and cooked them on the stove top until boiling. Next time I make the dipping sauce I would probably use less water in order to have a thicker sauce. I would probably also use slightly more Tabasco.

Cedar Plank Fish

After Aunt Ellen's birthday we had two left-over catfish filets. These filets were "blackened" following a recipe that I found on All Recipes.com. That recipe called for cooking the fish in a cast-iron skillet. Instead, as you can see, I cooked them on a cedar plank. The "blackened" recipe called for:

1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

The fish took longer to cook than I anticipated but were perfect.

Grilled Catfish

Happy Birthday Aunt Ellen. Last week Aunt Ellen had a birthday and requested some type of fish. I grilled catfish and they turned out nice. To prepare them, I crushed a sleeve of crackers and added a little bit of Greek seasoning. They were dipped in melted butter, of course, to help the crackers mixture stick to the fish. Grilled on gas for about fifteen minutes.

I purchased six catfish filets. They were so large that two were saved to cook later.