Connecticut barbequer and KCBS member Dave Conti likes his food spicy, on or off the grill. He shared his jambalaya recipe with Hartford’s WSFT-TV and with his friends at KCBS for this book. Chef Paul has tweaked it a bit and suggested other products in case you can’t find the ones in the recipe in your area. If you can’t get Luzianne Cajun Spice, you could mix 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cayenne, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried).

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
6 chicken thighs
1-3 tablespoons Luzianne Cajun spice, or more to taste
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped onion
1 whole head of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 lemon, cut in half
1 (12-ounce) bottle Saranac Pale Ale or ale of your choice
1 bag shrimp boil (optional)
2 cups chopped chorizo sausage
2 cups chopped ham
2 (28-ounce) cans whole Sclafani tomatoes, with juice
2 pounds shrimp, any size, peeled and deveined
2 (8-ounce) boxes Goya Yellow Rice, prepared according to package directions

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the chicken, and season with the Luzianne seasoning. Sauté the chicken until brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Set the chicken aside to cool and add the celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic to the pan. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. At this point you could add more Luzianne seasoning (about 2 tablespoons), depending on your taste. Remove from the heat.

In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the broth over medium-high heat, then add the sautéed vegetable mixture, the lemon, half of the ale, and the shrimp-boil. Tear the chicken skin and meat off the chicken thighs and discard the bones. Chop the meat and skin into bite-sized pieces and add them to the pan. Add the sausage, ham, tomatoes, and the rest of the ale. Cook until the mixture is bubbling, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. During the last 7 to 8 minutes, add the shrimp (so the shrimp don’t overcook).

Add the freshly cooked rice and mix well to combine. Enjoy!

This recipe is from Ronald Lewis Buchholz whohails from Fitchburg, Wisconsin, by way of Milwaukee, and the ingredients in this smoked stuffed jalapeño recipe reflect his heritage and some of his favorite foods. It makes creative use of an empty dozen-count cardboard (not Styrofoam) egg carton with the lid cut off. For a smoky flavor, put ¼ cup unsoaked hardwood chips on the fire before covering the grill.

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup shredded Wisconsin sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons beer, preferably Schlitz or Spotted Cow
2 teaspoons hot sauce, preferably Wisconsin Badgers
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of salt
6 slices thick-sliced bacon
12 jalapeño chiles, seeded

Instructions

Prepare a medium-high grill to cook over indirect heat.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, beer, hot sauce, black pepper, and salt. Mix with a table fork until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Using a sharp knife on a cutting board, slice a 1-pound package of bacon in half across the grain. Set aside.

Put the cream cheese mixture in a 1-quart resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag and, with scissors, cut about ¼ inch off one of the bottom corners of the bag.

Cut the lid off an empty cardboard dozen-count egg carton. Place the hollow jalapeños upright in each cup. Squeze the cheese mixture into each chile. Save any leftover cheese mixture for spreading on crackers and enjoying while the chiles cook.

Cover the top of each stuffed chile with a half-slice of bacon, securing the sides with a plain round wooden toothpick stuck through the bacon and chile. Place the chiles back in the egg carton.

Put the chile-filled egg carton on your grill, opposite the firs, cover the grill, and cook the chiles for 40 to 45 minutes, until the bacon is as done as you like it. The egg carton will absorb the bacon grease, thus no flare-ups.