One of the most respected barbecue web sites in the country, About.com, lists the Char-Broil Deluxe Electric Water Smoker as one of the Top Ten smokers on the market. Here’s what they say:

“…this is about the most basic, easy to use and cheapest unit on the market. If you want good barbecue, but don’t want invest a whole lot of time or money in the process then this is probably a good unit for you. It is also a good unit if you are just starting out in barbecue and don’t know how far you’ll be going with it. The electric heat element in this unit controls temperature and allows this unit to maintain an ideal smoking temperature for a very long time.”

So regardless if you been naughty or nice, make sure Santa knows this is what you want on your list this holiday! And it doubles as a table-top electric grill! Make this next year the year you start smokin!

Product Details
- Center section removes to create a 9″ tall portable tabletop electric grill
- 1650 watt heating element with 5′ grounded electric cord and temperature control
- 2 chrome-plated cooking grates provide 380 sq. in. of total cooking area
- Integrated heat indicator for monitoring temperature
- Porcelain water-marinade pan for moist, flavorful foods

CLICK HERE to find more details on how to buy

Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to our five runners-up. The judges selected the winner because it met all of our objective and subjective criteria.

Interesting This dish compliments any meal regardless of budget or size and uses very common ingredients – presenting them in a delightful way that attracts the eye. The “concept” also encourages the home cook to experiment with different ingredients to personalize and make this dish truly a family favorite!

Appetizing This dish is visually appealing to most everyone at the table. Kids love that it’s served with the main dinner and yet it can be a dessert course as well. We think it fits with breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack! Serve it hot, warm or cool!

Easy This dish is so easy to make you can use all store-bought items or make part or all from scratch, depending upon your skill-sets. We also liked that kids could participate in making this recipe and that helps build family traditions at the holiday or any time.

And the Winner of the first ever The Big Easy Thanksgiving Recipe Contest is……

Bev Jones of Missouri

Cran-gerine Upside Down Biscuits

Section of the meal the recipe is recommended: Bread Serving Size: 1 biscuit Number of Servings: Serves 10 Time to prep for cooking: 5 minutes Time for cooking: 12-15 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 can (16 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
2 teaspoons grated tangerine zest
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tube (10 count) refrigerated biscuits

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Combine butter, cranberry sauce, tangerine zest, pecans, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Divide between 10 greased muffin tins; top with biscuits. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes; cool 5 minutes, run knife around edges, and invert pan onto platter.

Comments:
These biscuits are so very easy to make, but your guests will never believe that! As the gooey cranberry glaze drips over the edges of the biscuits, just sit back and watch everyone’s eyes light up. These are great to serve at Thanksgiving Day breakfast or as an appetizer, too.

We received many, MANY entries to the first The Big Easy Thanksgiving Recipe contest and I want to personally thank everyone who entered for submitting their creative and interesting recipes. As we read through all the entries we received and discussed each, we tried to honor every recipe as a treasured family heirloom that had been enjoyed by the family of the person who submitted it – and we looked to find recipes that, in our judgment are: interesting, appetizing and can be easily made by practically anyone without special preparation or skill-sets. Thank you to everyone who entered!

The following are recipes the judges believe deserve special recognition.

HONORABLE MENTION

Perhaps it was the rain outside or the steamy windows that made all the judges hunger for this recipe, and earning a runner-up position. We all thought it sounded delicious and tasted even better! You can make this at home or outdoors, starting in the microwave (as suggested) or on a burner; finish in an oven (as recommended) or even in a covered grill! And it will keep for several days getting more delicious as the flavors meld. We also thought the recipe allowed for some creativity (using canned or fresh mushrooms) and that folks could add left-over meat from pot roast, roast pork, turkey or chicken. Yumm!

A runner-up award goes to this recipe:

Becky’s Barley Casserole
Section of the meal the recipe is recommended: Side Dish
Serving Size: 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Number of Servings: 6-8
Time to prep for cooking: 10 minutes
Time for cooking: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Marsala wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup pearl barley
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 4-ounce can whole button mushrooms, drained
¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fesh parsley, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine wine and broth in a 2-quart microwave safe and oven safe casserole dish. Microwave on high until mixture boils, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in barley, butter, onion, mushrooms, rosemary and pepper. Cover tightly, and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender. Fluff barley with a fork, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve warm.

Comments:
In the busy holiday season, I appreciate that I can count on this as an easy, fuss-free side dish that everyone will enjoy. I think the flavors are the perfect accompaniment to a traditional Thanksgiving turkey. Plus, no one suspects it is so easy to prepare, because the resulting casserole packs such a depth of flavor. Submitted by Rebecca Anderson, Texas

Thank you for submitting this recipe Rebecca! And congratulations on being selected as a runner-up!

We received this thoughtful letter just after Thanksgiving.

Hello, I am Fire Captain Brian A. Hughes, who grew up in the “Big Easy” – New Orleans, LA. I am a twenty-six year veteran of the Kenner Fire Dept. local # 1427 of I.A.F.F. just 5-miles west of the inner city.

I have always done the cooking around the house for family and friends. Here in New Orleans we don’t eat to live, we live to eat. My family and I were invited to Mississippi for Thanksgiving. The day before the big feast, my brother-in-law received a phone call and it goes something like this.

“Hey has the Fireman got there yet”? My brother-in-law said yeah. “Well get in the truck and come see what I got.” So we did and as soon as I saw “The Big Easy” and understood the method I said: “This is the safest product I have seen for cooking in many years.”

Being from the south we do a lot of outdoor cooking and I can say this is a great & safe product. Being a Firefighter of twenty-six years I have seen too many terrible accident’s with hot cooking oil, resulting in serious injury and even house fires. As a family man and a firefighter who loves having friends over to grill, smoke and even to fry a turkey, I wish to say a Big Thanks to all who had a part in the process of making “The Big Easy”. It’s already on my wish list for Christmas. If I may be of any assistance please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Brian A. Hughes
City of Kenner Fire Captain

For those of you who have purchased one, you’ll notice on one flap of the box is printed the following: “Char-Broil recognizes the heroics and dedication of local responders in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In appreciation of their commitment, Char-Broil has a made a donation to the New Orleans Fire Fighter Association. Char-Broil wishes the community and the firefighters of New Orleans continued success in restoring the grandeur of this fine city.”

Char-Broil has also made a donation to the National Volunteer Fire Council.
CLICK HERE to learn more about this fine organization.

Thanks everyone. Happy Grilling!

This dish was a favorite of every judge and it seems that it reminded them of something their mother or dad used to make with leftovers. But it has a new twist we all liked.

Here’s a tasty runner-up recipe:

Thanksgiving All Rolled Up

Section of the meal the recipe is recommended: Great Meal For Small Families or Leftovers
Serving Size: 1 generous slice
Number of Servings: 4-6
Time to prep for cooking: 15
Time for cooking: 40 minutes (check temperature and time depends upon oven)

Ingredients:
1 box puff pastry (thawed overnight)
1 cup chopped leftover turkey or thick sliced deli turkey chopped
2 cups leftover stuffing or 2 cups Stove Top
1 cup leftover veggies (broccoli or green beans)
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup leftover cranberry sauce (There’s always leftover cranberry sauce)
1 egg white
1 tsp. water

Directions:
Preheat oven: 400 degrees
1. Foil line and grease a 13×9 baking sheet and unroll puff pastry.
2. Spread stuffing on one half of pastry. Top stuffing with turkey, veggies, and cheese. Roll up puff pastry and place on baking sheet with the seam side down.
3. Whisk together egg white and water to create an egg wash. Spread egg wash of completed Thanksgiving Roll up!
4. Bake 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees

Serve with a side of cranberry sauce.

Comments: You’ve gotta try this. It’s a yummy way to have a thanksgiving for a small family or to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers! Submitted by Candice Peters, Ohio.

Thank you for submitting this recipe Candice! And congratulations on being selected as a runner-up!

I’m repeating a warning that comes from federal, state and local authorities and is printed in manufacturer product information guides. Do not even think about bringing your outdoor gas, charcoal or wood grill, cooker, smoker or stove inside to use for cooking! Don’t even think of bringing it into your garage – fooling yourself that with the garage door open you will be safe. Outdoor grills, smokers, stoves and cookers are not intended for use indoors or other enclosed spaces.

Gas and charcoal grills and smokers can produce large quantities of Carbon Monoxide – which has no odor or color. Carbon Monoxide can kill you!

Please be safe and please be here to give me a hard time when I goof up on recipes!

Happy & SAFE Grilling!

You’ve only got until December 15th, 2007 to enter the Pilgrim’s Pride Snack Zone Photo Contest. They’re looking for photos that epitomize great snacking opportunities: parties, tailgating, family get-togethers, television watching – you take the photo and enter it.

Prizes include Thermos Grill2Go portable grills.

So enter today with those snapshots of the cousins playing flag football on Thanksgiving afternoon. Or how about submitting snap-shots of your summer vacation, you know the one where you and friends are sitting at the beach with a plate full of fried chicken and tater chips? Maybe you’ve got a picture of dad taking a snooze in the easy chair with a bowl of popcorn on his lap – trust your instinct and enter today! CLICK HERE

Today it is my pleasure to present a delicious and easy recipe the judges thought really improves upon the traditional dish of baked sweet potatoes. It has complex flavors and yet it’s still pretty darn easy to prepare. We think this goes well with many dinners featuring turkey, ham, beef, lamb, pork or chicken and would be an excellent dish to take to a pot-luck!

Smoked Gouda Sweet Potatoes with Praline Pecan Crumble

Section of the meal the recipe is recommended: Side Dish
Serving Size: ½ cup
Number of Servings: 8
Time to prep for cooking: 5-7 minutes
Time for cooking: 1 hour
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
8 ounces smoked Gouda, shredded
1 ½ cups cranberry juice
½ cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoon flour
½ cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Spread 1 tablespoon butter over the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Layer the cubed sweet potatoes in the baking dish and toss with the salt, Creole seasoning, and smoked Gouda. Pour the cranberry juice over the potatoes and cheese mixture. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the brown sugar, flour, pecans, and nutmeg. Mix well and set aside until the potatoes and cheese finish baking.

Remove the casserole from the oven and spoon the pecan mixture over the top. Continue baking, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes.

Comments: This sweet and savory recipe has a short list of special holiday ingredients, is quick to assemble and bakes along side other holiday dishes. The Smokey Gouda compliments the flavors of Fried, Grilled, or Smoked Turkey. Submitted by: Judy Armstrong, Louisiana

Thank you for submitting this recipe Judy! And congratulations on being selected as a runner-up!

Today it is my pleasure to present a delicious and easy recipe that can be made by just about anyone. One of the reasons the judges chose this soup recipe is because you may use fresh, frozen or canned squash. And they interpreted “squash” as also meaning “pumpkin.” In addition the use of fruit juices as a sweetener is a great idea and how refreshing to see yogurt in a recipe as a wonderful and healthy ingredient rather than sour cream.

Here’s a recipe the judges loved and it is a runner-up:

EASY SQUASH SOUP

Recommended section of the meal: Soup entree
Serving Size: 1 cup
Number of Servings: 8
Time to prep for cooking: 10 minutes
Time for cooking: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
24 oz. cooked squash (frozen, fresh, canned)
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup apricot nectar, pear nectar or apple cider
1 cup plain yogurt for garnish

Directions:
Place all ingredients except yogurt in soup pot and bring to boiling.
Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, then serve with a dollop of yogurt.
Serves 8

Comments: This tastes as if you’ve been working all morning on it–delicious! Submitted by Joni Hilton, California

Thank you for submitting this recipe Joni! And congratulations on being selected as a runner-up!

Q: “How long do I cook it?”

A: “Until it’s done.”

I think that question in various forms is the most often asked question I receive by email of by web log comment post. And the answer isn’t intended to be arrogant – it is the correct answer.

Due to outside temperature, humidity, wind conditions, thickness of meat, types of meat, brines, rubs, injections, type of fire, efficiency of fire, and most of all with consideration for the personal taste of those who will be eating, the time it takes to cook meat on the grill, in the smoker, over the fire, in The Big Easy, or using the side burner or outdoor stovetop – it’s all relative.

The only truly honest answer I or anyone can give you is to get to know the equipment you are using, learn through experience the way meat cooks and then use the USDA safe guidelines for internal temperatures. [Remember that most cuts of meat will continue to cook and raise approximately 5-10F degrees internally after being removed from the oven or grill - especially if you cover it with aluminum foil and keep it on a warm plate.]

Thanks and Happy Grilling!