BUMP
We had great weather today, so it was swimming and dinner out back and that means... IT'S BBQ TIME!
We had BBQued smoked cheddar cheese quesadillas. No fooling. They were awesome. Ever had a BBQued quesadilla? You should!
First, I prepared the homemade chipotle sauce. You take chipotle chilies and rehydrate them in hot water. Once they're hydrated, blend them in a blender with salt, a dash of vinegar, sugar, fresh cracked black pepper, dash of lime juice and a bit of water on a high setting. Cook the sauce for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens. You can even make the chipotle chilies, like I do, at home. Buy red jalapeños (yes, chipotle chilies are actually jalapeños). Cut the tops off and cut them in half length wise. Put them in your smoker for 5 hours with smoke, and 2 more without smoke. Let them dry for two days on the window pane in direct sunlight for two or three days. Store when completely dried. Chipotle chilies are actually smoked, dried jalapeños.
Don't have a smoker? Build one. Purchase two non-glazed clay terra cotta planters with about 17 to 18 inch diameter. Place bottom planter on three bricks to allow air flow through the bottom hole. Insert a 1,000 watt electric burner (check Walgreen's; $8-$10) on the bottom and run the AC cord through the hole. Plug her in and turn it on high. Place a heavy pie pan with some smoking chips or hardwood chunks (mesquite, hickory, peach, oak, cherry, apple woods work best) on top of the burner (don't use thin aluminum pie pans! Stainless steel cake pans work great, too). Place a replacement Weber-style grill grate inside the bottom planter. It should rest about two inches from the top lip of the planter. Place inverted second planter on top and add a BBQ thermometer in the top planter hole. And there you have it, a $50-$60 terra cotta smoker that can smoke anything from Pork Butts, fatties, briskets, ribs, chickens, turkeys, etc. Plus, chilies and cheddar cheese, of course.
So, I smoked my own jalapeños, my own cheddar cheese for this meal. Not bad, uh? I laid a tortilla down on the BBQ and poured on some home-smoked, home-shredded store bought aged cheddar cheese. Once it started to get crispy, I folded them in half. Grilled for about three or four minutes on each side (close the BBQ lid when doing this. It makes the food more 'smokey' and melts the cheese quicker.) I had my homemade chipotle sauce and sour cream for dippin' along with some fresh diced tomatoes, onions and cilantro. One of my boys, whose identity will remain hidden, wanted BBQ sauce and ketchup. OK, whatever.
Drinks were milk, homemade lemonade or lemon iced tea. Fantastic meal outdoors, next to the pool with family and dog on a hot summer night with the radio blasting. 👍