Product Review: Thermoworks New Square Dot

[FTC Standard Disclosure] We received our sample Square Dot free of charge for review, and we recently became a Thermoworks affiliate seller after being a Thermoworks customer for over 12 years.

Thermoworks has started off 2022 by releasing their newest remote probe thermometer offering - The Square DOT.

A remote-probe thermometer means that it uses a probe that is left inside the food in the oven or grill while a device outside of the oven or grill monitors the temperature. 

Note: Silicone Probe Spools are not included.

The Square DOT is a dual-channel remote-probe thermometer that currently lists at $69 from Thermoworks. I have put the Square DOT through the paces for the past week, and there is a lot to like about it. Here are the features that I find helpful.

Reverse Seared Beef TriTip, Skillet Potatoes, and Roasted Broccoli with White Cheddar Beer Cheese Sauce

 [FTC Standard Disclosure] We received no compensation for this post. Any links that may earn us a commission are marked with [Affiliate Link].

This weekend, I fired up a couple of Big Green Eggs to make reverse-seared beef tri-tip, skillet roasted potatoes, and fire-roasted broccoli with white cheddar beer cheese sauce.

Reverse-seared beef tri-tip, skillet roasted potatoes, and broccoli with white cheddar beer cheese sauce.

This isn't a recipe post, rather just a summary of the cook with lots of pictures. 

Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches

 [FTC Standard Disclosure] We received no compensation for this post. Any links that may earn us a commission are marked [Affiliate Link]. 

Last week I saw a bunch of Italian beef sandwiches on Instagram, so when I saw a pretty Certified Angus Beef® Brand chuck roast at Food City this weekend, I knew exactly what I was going to make for New Years Day.

Braised shredded beef with pepperoncini, Provolone, and Chicago-style giardiniera on a toasted hoagie roll, how can you go wrong with that?

These babies are fantastic! The tender braised beef is so luscious that it could be overbearing if not for the piquant vinegary veggies on there. The vinegar balances the rich fatty beef much like a Carolina vinegar sauce balances luscious smoked pork butt. The smooth melted Provolone brings it all together.

I won't call this "authentic" since I'm not an authority on Italian beef by any stretch of the imagination. But I will tell you these sandwiches are powerfully delicious with their robust and vibrant flavors. 

Almost every recipe I looked at calls for a crockpot for 8-10 hours, but you know that isn't going to fly with me. I made ours in a Dutch oven on the grill for the ultimate flavor experience.

Tender and beefy with the bite of acid and peppers, we did a lot of "quality control sampling" before the Italian beef ever hit any bread.

Here's what we did. 

NY Strip Steaks with Roasted Garlic Butter

[FTC Standard Disclosure] I received no compensation for this post.

This was a quick, low-effort, high-reward dinner that we whipped up last night for New Year's Eve - NY Strip Steaks with Roasted Garlic Butter and pan-roasted potatoes.

The thing I liked about doing this steak last night was the simplicity. No dry brine, no reverse sear or sous-vide, I just grilled a couple of steaks. 

Pork Belly BBQ Bites (aka Pork Belly Burnt Ends)

 [FTC Standard Disclosure] We received no compensation for this post. Any links which may earn us compensation will be clearly marked [Affiliate Link].

Pork Belly Bites are a luscious smoky treat. They are cubes of pork belly seasoned, smoked, braised, and sauced. They are delicious and can be served just the way they are. But they are also exceptional in ramen or in BLT cocktail skewers.

This particular recipe comes from my second book. In that book, I address the controversy of whether or not these delicious, wiggly nuggets of pork should be called "pork belly burnt ends."

I don't take offense to someone using the term "pork belly burnt ends". Yeah, it's not the same thing as "burnt ends" but neither are today's "burnt ends". The original burnt ends were the end scraps and bits that were cut off of the brisket during slicing. Kansas City is the home of burnt ends and in an article in 2013, the Kansas City Star mourned the passing of burnt ends.  That's because burnt ends today use the entire brisket point cut into cubes and often doused in sauce and are just an interpretation of the original. -The Offset Smoker Cookbook (Ulysses Press 2019)

So you can call these delicious pork pillows pork belly burnt ends if you like, as far as I'm concerned. Here's how I made this batch of Pork Belly BBQ. Bites.

Sugar Honey Iced Tea Glazed Double Smoked Ham

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I double-smoked a spiral-sliced ham for our youngest son's Friendsgiving today. The ham was as impressive as ever, which I attribute to our tried and true Sugar Honey Iced Tea Ham Glaze.

Notice the rack below the ham. If you run out of glaze (you shouldn't), you can just lift the ham out for a second and pour out the "run-off" that has collected in the steam pan and brush it back on. 

Sugar Honey Iced Tea Ham Glaze

This has been the go-to ham glaze around our home for years because it has Southern flavor, and it is simple with just a few ingredients. The warm, sweet and spicy flavor profiles balance perfectly with the saltiness of the ham.

Let's talk about the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Yes, as a kid, we'd exclaim "sugar honey iced tea" instead of saying the s-word. We thought about it and considered changing the title, but some of our "Pirate Ship" friends tried the recipe, loved it, and insisted it is the shit! (pardon my French), thus the name stuck.

Sugar Honey Iced Tea Ham Glaze

Published 12/21/2021

A warm, sweet, and spicy glaze complements the ham's saltiness for a Southern-style ham.

HPBA's Why I Grill - Winter Edition

[FTC Standard Disclosure] This post is sponsored by the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association as part of their #WhyIGrill series.

I'm excited to be working with Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association to share #WhyIGrill during the shorter days and cold nights of winter. I also teamed up with HPBA to share a new recipe that we created for Smoked Beef Short Rib Tamales with Jalapeno Cheddar Grits with Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce .

Comfort food is taken to the next level - Smoked Beef Short Rib Tamales, Jalapeno Cheddar Grits, and rustic Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce

#WhyIGrill In The Winter

Sure it's cold but that doesn't mean it's time to pack up the grills until Spring. Like most of my friends, we grill and BBQ year-round for a variety of reasons.

• The short and sweet reason is that I want my food to taste as good in the winter as it does during the summer.
• Another reason is that I think that getting outside is one of the best ways to fight off those winter blues.
• Perhaps the best reason for grilling during winter is because of the yummy comfort foods that come with winter, such as; chili, stews, pot roasts, and these tamales. 

For tips on grilling during the winter, check out this link at WhyIGrill.org.

Let's talk about making those delicious tamales. The full recipe is at WhyIGrill [ENTER LINK] while this post is like the commentary at the end of movie credits. 

Smoking Beef Short Ribs