What cha' Cookin' ?

[cruiseliner64]

4 hours ago, mowerman said:

I think it would go well with lots of mashed potatoes

And cold beer...lots of cold beer...

Paul

[mowerman]

4 hours ago, Joey Mack said:

57 ???

It was short for very short 5-7 

[mowerman]

I was surprised that he is way taller and only weighs about 17 pounds more

[tjc transport]

6 hours ago, mowerman said:

That’s just weird. I’m only 57 and I am like 1 94. 

yea bob, but i was 335 18 months ago .

69 now, and 6 foot tall

 

[mowerman]

Oh, I thought you were like 6-4 wow you lost alotta weight I could not go that long without food 

[Joey Mack]

Im 5'9'' 250... Dont hate me cause I'm Beautiful 🤩 

[other dog]

Final results.

[Joey Mack]

Love it... Glad to see you on this thread.  I usually smoke something on Sunday.  I may do leg 1/4:s next.  They are yummy 😋 

[mowerman]

I don’t think any of us can beat Otherdog. He’s got barbecue  down.

[1958 F.W.D.]

On 9/28/2025 at 9:01 AM, other dog said:

Wow, I just looked at that Pit Barrel Cooker website. Like everything else, they're much more expensiver than when I bought mine. I'm thinking they were like $299 then. But if they do have them at Lowe's or Tractor supply they'll probably be putting them on sale this time of year. Or it wouldn't be too hard to make one, with the barrel and rebar, then you could probably get grates that fit at Walmart or Amazon.

I had one just mysteriously appear......It fell out of the sky. 

[1958 F.W.D.]

I will post some of my recipes from when I was a paid firefighter. No one sat out on any of my meals. Smallest shift I cooked for was 12 guys. 

NAWCADWAR Engine 69 Chicken
This recipe was a favorite of the firefighters at the NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER, AIRCRAFT DIVISION, WARMINSTER PENNSYLVANIA Fire Department, Bucks County Engine 69.
NAWCADWAR FD Closed permanently in March of 1998. This recipe is dedicated to the 50+ years of men who served there, but most of all, to the members of the "A" Platoon with whom I worked with for 2 years.....

You can make this with chicken halves or quarters, but I prefer boneless, skinless breasts. Costs more in the end, but easier to cook in my opinion. If using halves, allow one per man.
4-5 pounds of boneless/skinless breasts will feed 8-10 guys
2 large bottles of italian salad dressing
3-4 large garlic cloves
2 TBS ground basil

Red pepper flakes to taste
4 TBS montreal chicken seasoning
3-4 pounds of pasta (can use ziti, linguini or spagetti.)
3/4 cup of grated parmesean cheese
1/2 cup hormel bacon pieces
1 stick of butter
1 cup of chicken bone broth
 

Place chicken in large baking pans. soak with the salad dressing, just until the sides of the chicken pieces are covered. Sprinkle the seasonings over the tops. Cover with foil & marinate minimum of 4 hours. Preferably 8. Leaving foil on, bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 45 mins. (Time varies if you use halves compared to breasts) Towards the end of the cook time for the chicken, prepare the pasta and drain it off. In a large pot, melt the butter into the pasta, mixing well. Toss in the bacon pieces, the broth and the grated cheese. Serve the chicken over the pasta.
Goes well with garlic bread or plain italian bread, and a nice salad.

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard FD stuffed shells
This recipe was an "A" Platoon favorite of the PNSY FD. In fact, it was so popular, the "B" Platoon would steal the leftovers!

This is a large recipe.....Enough to feed 12 hungry shipboard firefighters........this is enough for 4 of those large stainless steel cafeteria-style pans. If you dont have these, spend a couple of bucks and get a few. DO NOT USE THOSE FOIL PANS- THE ACID IN THE SAUCE WILL ATTACK IT! 

4 boxes of LARGE shells
1 pound EACH: lean ground beef, ground pork, ground veal and sausage meat (1 large of those "tubes" usually works....Bob Evans or what have you.......)
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed/diced
2 large tubs of ricotta cheese
4 cups (2 bags) of shredded italian cheese mix: Mozzarella/Parmesean/Provolone/Asiago
1-2 cups milk as needed
2 eggs
2 TBS ground basil
4 LARGE jars prepared sauce

First prepare the "stuffing." In a large frying pan, cook all the meats and garlic, chopping it all finely. Mix it well. Drain off and discard the fats. Set the meat aside.  In a large mixing bowl: All the cheeses, the eggs, and basil. Mix with an electric mixer, and add milk as needed until it is a pudding-like consistency. When it is all blended well, add the meats, again maintaining a pudding-like consistency. Use milk as needed to accomplish this.

Place in refridgerator to chill.

Prepare the shells according to the directions. When cooked, drain and then quench with COLD water to stop the cooking process.

Make a "stuffers" by snipping off a 1 inch corner pieces of large zip-lok freezer bags. Spread out newspapers on the table, and go in the TV room and get 1 or two of the lazy slobs watching Dr. Phil. This part goes faster when you have 1 or 2 helpers. Take the 4 pans, and coat the bottoms with some of the sauce. Now, with the helpers and the "stuffers", stuff the shells. Spoon the "pudding" into the bags, twist the tops closed, and hold in one hand. Using the other hand, hold a shell, squeezing it open. Squeeze some pudding into the shell, and place it into the pan. When the pan is full with one layer of shells, cover the shells with a thick layer of sauce. Bake at 350 for 45 mins to one hour. Goes extremely well with a salad and garlic or plain italian bread. Serves 12, with enough leftovers for the thieves on the other platoon working tomorrow!

 

Bread-Pot Cheese Dip

Here's a good one to serve at the Firehouse during a football game or new years day or any other special occasion.......Good for about 6-10 people depending on how hard they hit this.....which will be hard!!!!

1- 10" round bread loaf, I prefer a white or sourdough loaf.
1- 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1- 2 cup package shredded cheddar cheese
1.5 cups of sour cream (this works out to about 2/3rds of a 16oz container)
1/2 cup of chopped scallions (green onions.)
2 cups finely diced or finely cubed ham (I buy one plain ham steak, avoid "honey" or "smoked" flavors)
3oz (1 can) mild green chilie peppers, drained and chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
 

-Preheat oven to 350
-Carefully cut a hatch in the bread by slicing it open across the top. Save the "lid" that you cut off.

-Hollow out the loaf, being careful not to puncture the bottom. Save the pieces you tore out from the center, creating a "bread pot". You can toast these and use them for the dip later.

-In a bowl, blend the three cheeses well. Add the ham, scallions and chilies, and worcestershire and again blend well.

-Spoon the mix into the bread "pot". Replace the "lid" Wrap the entire thing in foil all the way around. (If you dont have commercial foil, use normal kitchen-sized foil crossed in a + shape.)

-Bake at 350 for one and a half hours. Serve warm, with the toasted bread pieces, or chips (I prefer Fritos "dipping" corn chips but thats me.)

The BEST PART is the LID by the way!!!!!!! When you take it off, cut it in strips!!!!!

Easy hot cheese dip
If my other cheese dip recipe intimidates the non-cookers out there, this is so pathetically easy anyone can do it, and it tastes great!!!!

1 medium sized block VELVEETA Cheese (I forget what the package size is....get the medium one, or use HALF of one of the large blocks.....)
1 can HORMEL CHILI (with or without beans....I prefer WITHOUT......)

Cut the cheese (HA!) into cubes, toss into a small crock pot, pour in the can of chili, mix well as the cheese melts, serve with chips when thoroughly melted and mixed.
VARIANT: substitute a jar of salsa for the chili.
DISCLAIMER: This is toxic waste but tastes oh so good. And be sure to IMMEDIATELY SCRAPE THE CROCK POT WITH A RUBBER SPATULA, or else you have to clean it with a pressure washer or dynamite.

 

Yardo's Meaty Balls 

Making good homemade spaghetti gravy is hard enough. It is a lot of work and to do it right takes 6-8 hours. We usually dont have that kind of time in the firehouse. So if you want to make a good spaghetti dinner in the firehouse one night, try this meatball recipe, which will do WONDERS for any "store bought" red gravy. (A side note to the red gravy- dont skimp and buy cheap stuff! I know spaghetti gravy isnt cheap, but dont compound the matter by purchasing the cheap stuff! I like Franchesco Rinaldi, for 4-6 servings, I buy 2 large jars of "traditional", one medium jar of "mushroom" and 1 small jar of "3 cheese"). No matter how you go with the red gravy though, these meatballs will cover up the fact that you used store-bought red gravy!!!! This only takes a few minutes to make, and since you can bake these, you can concentrate on other parts of the meal while they are cooking.

Serves 4-6 with leftovers. (2 boxes standard #9 spaghetti pasta and the above recipe for the red gravy. Also dont forget salad and ITALIAN bread!)
Preheat oven to 375.
1.5 pounds of lean gr. beef (try to get as lean as possible.)
1 pound gr. pork
1 pound gr. veal
1 small can tomato paste
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs basil
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or put through a garlic press
3/4 cup of grated parmesean
Italian bread crumbs as needed

mix all ingredients well, using the bread crumbs to "dry" and hold the mix together as needed. Now go to the TV room and grab 2-3 other guys who are watching Dr. Phil and get them to help you roll the meatballs. I like mine just a bit bigger than golf balls, as they bake nicely without drying out in about 35 mins. Place them in a glass baking dish or a deep cookie sheet, as there will be grease produced. Throw em in the oven for 35-45 mins. When they come out, drain them on a paper towel for a few minutes and then toss em right in the gravy!

PS- You can fry these if you want, but I prefer baking for a few reasons- it cooks them all evenly with minimal effort, this kind of a quantity will require 2-3 frying pans or multiple "batches" in one frying pan, plus if you just put them all on a baking sheet at one time, you can then work on the rest of the meal while you wait for these to bake, versus having to constantly tend to them if they were in a frying pan!!!

APG Fire Department "Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole" This is great for those leftover Thanksgiving mashed taters. 

I named this after my last hurrah as a Career Federal FF. I spent 9 years at the US Army Fire Dept at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

This is enough to make a standard 9x13 pyrex glass dish.
5 and 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
8 oz. sour cream
1 tsp. granulated garlic or garlic salt
1/2 cp. milk
2 tbs. dried parsley flakes
1 cp. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bacon- cooked crisp and crumbled. (Note: the pre-packaged Hormel Bacon Bits found in the salad section of the store works also. Use one entire "small" package.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except cheese and bacon. Blend with electric mixer until smooth. Spoon into lightly greased 9x13 dish. Top with the cheese and bacon. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 8-12 servings.

An excellent side dish for almost any recipe that would call for baked potatoes!!!!!

FWD's horseradish-marinade pork loin

Serves 2-4.
1 package Hatfield Pork Loin (usually comes 2 loins per package.)
1 bottle BOARS HEAD CREAMY HORSERADISH SAUCE
Montreal Chicken Seasoning
Cracked black pepper
**CORN FLAKE CRUMBS** (very important to use these, as bread crumbs just wont create the hard crust....You can find packaged corn flake crumbs in the stuffing/bread aisle, or buy a box of the cereal and mash them yourself....)
 

Spray a 9x13 pyrex dish with cooking spray or coat with oil.
Remove the loins from the package and rinse off with hot water. Pat dry thoroughly with a towel.

Dry-Rub the loins with the montreal chicken seasoning, then toss on a few pinches of the cracked black pepper.

Liberally coat the loins with the creamy horseradish sauce. Use the whole bottle, dont be shy.

Put into the fridge and marinate for minimum of 8 hours, I like to let em soak for 24.

WHEN READY TO COOK:
Preheat the oven to 375.

Pour the corn flake crumbs over the loins, covering them completely. As the loins cook, the crumbs will turn into a crust that is out of this world!!!!!

Bake 35-45 minutes or until pork is cooked throughout.

I like this with the leftover mashed potato casserole.

These are just some of what I used to make. If you guys want to see more, say the word and I will post. 

 

[Joey Mack]

Holy Sh!t..

[mowerman]

right,,,,he just topped everyone,lol.bob

[The Heinz]

I'm going to have to borrow some of those, they sound absolutely delicious. 

[other dog]

I cooked up another batch of hot sauce this morning. Got a lot made already, this is the 3rd. or 4th. batch of the year, plus I've made a lot of cowboy candy, that's the candied jalapenos.

I made some sauce out of just jalapenos today, that's the green sauce. Tasted pretty good, I might make some more of that, there's still a lot of peppers left in the garden.

[Joey Mack]

Do you sell them at a farmers market ?

[other dog]

4 hours ago, Joey Mack said:

Do you sell them at a farmers market ?

Nope, just make it and give it away.

[1958 F.W.D.]

On 9/28/2025 at 4:14 PM, mowerman said:

It was short for very short 5-7 

you sounded a lot taller on the radio

[mowerman]

That’s what an overnight driver told me about 35 years ago

[mowerman]

Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh the good ole days when everyone ran a CB and actually used it!!!!!!!

[other dog]

I made cowboy candy today, and some dehydrated crushed pepper flakes. Kind of tired of fooling with all these peppers. One more batch of hot sauce and I'll probably call it quits.

[other dog]

I've been seeing lots of pictures and videos of spatchcocked turkeys lately, and they looked really good after they were smoked. They looked like this at first-

I've never done one but i've been wanting to try it. So I did yesterday, but much like the pictures of the hamburgers in the window at the Tastee-Freez, mine looked nothing like the pictures I saw.

Mine looked like a disaster. So I just cut the leg quarters off and cooked it on the offset smoker kinda like a big chicken.

It never did get done, I couldn't get the temp. up on the smoker. I blame it on the wind, it was very windy . I should have either put it on the Pit Barrel or grilled it like chicken. I guess.

Anyhow, I pulled it off at 150 degrees and I haven't decided yet whether to put it in the oven today or put it on the grill until it's done, and hope it's not dry as a chip. I think I'll put it in the oven at about 200 degrees.

 

[Joey Mack]

For a while now, ive been smoking meat for a few hours, then wrap it as needed, and put it on the grill on a low roll.  It comes out tender and cooked enough for my wife to enjoy it.   That last part is key to a good night. 

[other dog]

Might as well post the conclusion to the story about the aggravatingest turkey ever, that just refused to cook. 

I put the turkey in the oven yesterday, set at 200 degrees. When Zina got home from doing some volunteer work she asked how it was going. I said "it's probably done by now". But when I checked it, it was barely warm. So I turned the temp. up just a little, to 250. Checked it after an hour and it was barely warm. So I turned the temperature up to 350. After about an hour the turkey was still only up to 140, less than what I had it to on the smoker. So, I was going to turn the oven temperature up to 400 and then turn it off and leave it closed. 

We were getting kind of hungry by now, it was well into the afternoon. So Zina said "will it fit in the crockpot?"

I said "of course it will, I'll make it fit".

So I was getting the crockpot, and the top fell off and shattered in the kitchen floor. I was ready to just throw the turkey out into the yard at this point, and the crockpot into the trash can.

 But I restrained my first impulses and turned the stove off and crammed the turkey into the crockpot. Then I used aluminum foil for a cover and put the lid off a roasting pan over the foil, and turned it on "High".

Then we made a Vicki drink and went to my son and daughter in law's mother's house in Pamplin. When we got back home the little plastic pop-up timer had popped up, so it was done-done. 

I had one of the leg quarters last night, and it was actually surprisingly good, moist, tender, and delicious, with crispy skin too- just how I like it.

Now I already pulled all the meat off this morning while Zina was out- doing volunteer work- and put it in Tupperware containers and have the bones simmering now to make turkey stock. So everything worked out in the end, and she already ordered a new crockpot.

[mowerman]

We didn’t do anything different except try a different brand turkey every thing turned out the bomb norbest brand it was 3 times the price but I was curious what 299 a pound was going to taste like versus 99 cents a pound for butterball