mylowcountryliving

Delicious Three Meat Texas Chili

I love chili and one of my favorites is three meat Texas chili. Texas chili is unique in that it doesn’t contain any beans. Instead you have a meat based chili that is made with bacon, steak and ground beef and a delicious mix of paprika, ancho chili, and chipotle chili. If you have never eaten Texas chili you need to give this recipe a try. I guarantee you will love it.

Ingredients:
3 cups beef broth
4 strips center cut bacon
1 pound ground beef
1 pound chuck steak
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 medium onion
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 large garlic cloves
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. ancho chili
1 tbsp. chipotle chili
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tsp oregano

Directions:

Cook ground beef in your pot, don’t break up the ground beef too small. It is nice to have larger chunks of ground beef. When the ground beef is done cooking remove it and place in a bowl.
While the ground beef is cooking cut up your onion and set aside in a bowl.
Cut up the steak into 1 inch pieces that would fit on your spoon when eating the chili.
Cut up the bacon into small pieces.
Cook the bacon in your pot and cook until browned, but not crisp. Remove cook bacon and place in bowl with ground beef.
Cook onions in the pot with the bacon grease. Cook until translucent, but before removing the onions add in your chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds with your onions. Remove the onions and garlic and add to your bowl of ground beef.
Add your steak to the remaining bacon grease and sear your steak in the same pot that you cooked your onions in.
Add the beef broth to your seared steak.
Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato puree to the pot.
Add your salt, pepper, brown sugar, cumin, paprika, ancho chili, and chipotle chili to the pot.
Add cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Cover and let simmer on low for 2 – 2 1/2 hours.
When done cooking stir in the oregano, remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick and serve.
Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, and Frito chips.
Enjoy.

Delicious Three Meat Texas Chili

How to make pumpkin puree

It’s that time of year when we make everything we can that is pumpkin flavored and to do that we need pumpkin puree. Unfortunately with the pandemic it seems a lot of stores have a hard time keeping enough pumpkin puree in stock. Have no fear, because we can make homemade pumpkin puree, it is super easy and you only need a pie pumpkin to make it.

Ingredients:

Pie Pumpkin also known as a sugar pumpkin

Directions:

Cut pumpkin in half and remove the seeds
Lay pumpkin halves on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
Cook in a 400 degree preheated oven for 35 minutes
Remove from oven and let cool
After pumpkin has cooled remove the skin and then slice into chunks
Place chunks in a food processor and run until pumpkin is a smooth puree
Remove and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

How to make pumpkin puree

How to make granola at home

You never know what is in your store bought granola. Although we think of it as a healthy snack it can be packed with excessive fats, sugars, and preservatives. When you make granola at home you control exactly what goes in it. You can make healthy, great tasting granola at home that is easily customizable made with superfoods, such as honey and coconut oil, and can include a multitude of foods such as fruits, nuts, chocolate, m&m’s, coconut and so much more. Join me as I show you how to make delicious granola at home.

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats (oatmeal)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cranberries

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup cinnamon sugar

1/2 cup shredded cococunt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. almond extract

pinch of salt

Directions:

Pour the oats onto a baking sheet.
mix the coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract, and almond extract together and stir.
Mix raisins, cranberries, sliced almonds, coconut, cinnamon sugar, and pinch of salt with the oats.
Pour the coconut oil/honey mixture over the oats and mix all together.
Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Make sure you check it every 10 minutes and stir the granola during the time to allow it to brown evenly.
Enjoy.

To get the recipe for homemade vanilla extract go to: https://mylowcountryliving.net/how-to-make-homemade-vanilla-extract/

How to make granola at home

Homemade Pineapple Sorbet

Sorbet’s are like ice cream, but they are dairy-free. That is important for people like me who are lactose intolerant. From time to time I will indulge in classic ice cream, but I can only have it in small quantities. However, I can eat sorbet whenever I want. Sorbet’s are very simple and traditionally they are made from just fruit and sugar (or simple syrup). My take on pineapple sorbet does contain one extra ingredient to make it smoother and more ice cream like and that is coconut milk. Follow along with me as we make a delicious creamy pineapple sorbet.

Ingredients:

1 pound frozen pineapple

1 cup simple syrup

1 cup coconut milk

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Pour pineapple into your food processor and start processing on low.
Add the simple syrup, coconut milk and lemon juice to the food processor and continue to mix until you have a soft smooth mixture the consistency of soft serve ice cream.
Place sorbet into a container to store and freeze for 1-2 hours before use.
After 1-2 hours remove from freezer and enjoy!

Note: If you freeze your sorbet too long and it is harder than you would like you can let is sit on counter to defrost for 5-1o minutes to soften up before you scoop it.

Homemade Pineapple Sorbet

To get the recipe for simple syrup go to: https://mylowcountryliving.net/how-to-make-homemade-simple-syrup/

How to make homemade Simple Syrup

Simple Syrup is super simple to make and it is a staple in bartending. Simple Syrup can also be used when baking to keep cakes moist and also used to make sorbets. Follow along to see how easy it is.

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup white granulated sugar

Directions:

Mix the sugar and water together in a saucepan and simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes until all the sugar granules are dissolved. When the sugar is dissolved and the simple syrup is clear without any cloudiness from the sugar it is done and you can pour it into a container to store. A mason jar works well for storage and it can be stored in the refrigerator up to one month.

Note: The ingredients are in a 1:1 ratio and 1 cup water mixed with 1 cup sugar will yield 2 cups of simple syrup. You can increase the recipe to make any amount of simple syrup you need, just keep your ingredients at a 1:1 ratio.

How to make Simple Syrup

How to make home made Philly Cheesesteaks

My favorite sandwich is are Philly Cheesesteaks, I order them at any restaurant that I go to that serves them. In Charleston my favorite places to eat Philly Cheesesteaks are at the Southside 17 Bar & Grill, and also YE OLE FASHIONED CAFE & ICE CREAM in West Ashley.

They are a classic sandwich and loved by so many people. Follow along to make an amazing Philly Cheesesteak with chopped steak, gooey cheese, onions, and peppers.

Ingredients:

2 pounds steak
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Sliced Mushrooms (Optional)
Hoagie Rolls
slices of provolone cheese

Directions:

Slice the onions so that you have long slices of onion. Place in a bowl.
Slice the red and green peppers into long strips and place in a bowl.
Dice up the garlic and place in the bowl with the onions and peppers.
Chop steak into small pieces. You can do this by slicing the steak into slices and then rotate the cut slices and cut again into smaller pieces. Rotate the cut slices again, and cut again. Keep repeating until the steak is cut into tiny pieces about 1/4 inch in size or smaller. Set aside the cut meat.
Melt 2 tbsp of onion into your pre-heated pan. Pour the sliced vegetables into a preheated pan and cook until the vegetables are soft and cooked through.
Add chopped meat to the pan of vegetables and continue cooking.
Add the salt and pepper to the meat and vegetables.
When the meat is about 2/3 cooked you can add mushrooms if you want. This is optional since not everyone likes mushrooms.
Cook until all liquid from the vegetables has evaporated form the pan and the meat is cooked through.
Once meat is cooked through remove the meat and place in a bowl and set aside.
Rinse the pan and add melt 1 1/2 tbsp butter in the pan. Once butter is melted add your hoagie buns and cook on both sides until lightly toasted. Then remove hoagie buns and set aside.
In the same pan, add enough meat and vegetables back into the pan to fill one hoagie bun. (Approximately 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the meat and vegetable mixture). Then add slices of provolone cheese on top of the mix mixture and cook until the cheese is melted.
Once the cheese is melted you can remove the meat mixture from the plan and place on top of the hogie buns.
Enjoy your philly cheesesteak!

How to make home made Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Home made Hot Link Sausages

Louisiana Hot Links are some of my favorite sausages. I love how spicy they are. I searched all over the internet to find a recipe that I liked. Finally, I came across a Canadian blogger called The Old Fat Guy (https://oldfatguy.ca). I tried his recipe and really liked it, but since he was Canadian his hot link wasn’t really hot. I knew what I had to do…I had to create my own version based on The Old Fat Guy’s recipe. I have created a variation on the hot link sausage that I call the Low Country Hot Link. I will show you how to make these using your smoker or using a Ninja Foodie Grill if you don’t have a smoker.

Ingredients:
3 lbs of pork
3/4 cup beer
1 Tbs black pepper
2 Tbs crushed pepper flakes
2 Tbs cayenne pepper
3 Tbs paprika
2 tsp mustard seed
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic
3/4 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbs skim milk powder
1/2 tsp pink curing salt #1

Directions:

Dice up your meat into cubes and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. It is necessary to chill the meat to enable it to grind properly.
Mix all ingredients except the pork in a large bowl to create a slurry.
Grind you meat in a meat grinder. I like to use a 5 cutting plate. If you use a kitchenaid meat grinder you will need to purchase a cutting plate that is larger than what comes with the kitchenaid. The cutting plates that come with the kitchenaid make your meat come out very small and the consistency of your sausage will be like a hot dog and we want it to be more like a brat.
Mix you ground meat with the slurry.
Rinse your casings out prior to use and then insert your casings onto your sausage stuffer and then stuff your sausages.
Once the casing is full with meat you will want to twist the sausages. I made mine about the size of hot dog buns. Once twisted set in the refrigerator overnight to allow all the seasoning to mix into the meat.
To cook in a Ninja Foodie Grill turn on your Ninja Foodie Grill and set on the dehydrator setting at 180 degrees. This is necessary to be able to cook on a low heat. Cook the sausages for 1 hour at 180 degrees then increase the temperature to 195 degrees and cook for an additional 2 hours. They are finished when the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees.
To cook in a smoker preheat your smoker to 180 degrees. Place the meat in the smoker and cook the sausages for 1 hour at 180 degrees then increase the temperature to 195 degrees and cook for an additional 2 hours. They are finished when the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees.
After the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees you want to let them rest for 1 hours. Then you can place them in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to eat. To eat just reheat them on your grill, a pan, or the microwave.

Home made Hot Link Sausages

Smoked Pulled Pork

Smoking a pork roast to make pulled pork is simple. Follow along with me and I will show you how.

Ingredients:

Pork Roast – Either a pork shoulder or Pork Butt roast

Yellow mustard

Dry Rub

Directions:

Coast entire pork roast with yellow mustard on all sides.
Generously apply dry rub to all sides of the pork roast, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
Remove from refrigerator and put onto your smoker for 10-12 hours at 250 degrees. You want to smoke for 1.5 hours per pound of roast.
After you remove from smoke and the internal temperature is at 200 degrees then wrap in tin foil and then wrap a towel around tin foil and place in a cooler for one hour to allow the meat to cool slowly.
Remove meat from cooler and unwrap. The bone should slip right out of the meat. Using 2 forks you can pull the meat apart.
Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce and ENJOY!

Smoked Pulled Pork

Dry Rub for BBQ or smoking meats

When you BBQ or smoke meats flavoring the meat before cooking is key. The best way to flavor meat is by using a dry rub. Here is a fantastic recipe to create a dry rub that you can use for BBQ or smoking your own meats at home.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup paprika
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS kosher salt
2 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS black pepper
1 TBS chili powder
1 TBS cayenne pepper
1 TBS onion powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp mustard powder

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well mixed together.
Store in an airtight container up to six months.
Apply to meats one hour to 24 hours prior to cooking. The dry rub can be applied directly to a meat, or a binding agent such as mustard or honey can be applied to the meat before the dry rub.

Dry rub for BBQ and smoking meats

The 7 best places to watch the sunrise or sunset in Charleston SC

Charleston South Carolina has been blessed with a plethora of natural beauties. Indeed, mother nature has been quite kind to the Charleston area. Two of the greatest re-occurring beauties are our amazing sunrises and sunsets. The glorious hues that paint the Charleston skyline contain some of the most amazing orange, pink, and purple highlights that you have ever seen. Here are seven of the best places I have found around Charleston to see a sunrise or a sunset.

Sunrise at Shem creek. Take a walk down the boardwalks of the Shem Creek park. There is an area where the boardwalk from the park meets the boardwalk next to the creek. If you stop right there and turn and face the sunrise you will catch the most beautiful sunrise coming up over the creek.

Sunset at Sullivan’s Island. To find the perfect spot to view the sunset come out to Sullivan’s Island and go to the Station 10 beach access. Once you enter the Station 10 area head down to the beach and turn up the beach towards the Ravenel Bridge. Walk down the beach until the sand ends and you are surrounded by marsh. The sunset views from this area are beautiful with amazing views of the Charleston peninsula skyline and the Ravenel Bridge.

Sunrise from the Ravenel Bridge. The Arthur Ravenel Bridge has become a staple for those who love taking a brisk walk over the Cooper river, it also is somewhere that you can see fabulous sunrises. Drive over to the Mount Pleasant side of the bridge and park your car in Waterfront Park. From there you can walk up or ride your bike using the pedestrian lanes of the bridge. The walk from one side of the bridge and back is 5 miles. Along the bridge there are two areas that jut out with sitting areas and offer great views of Charleston and Patriots Point. Either one of these areas is great to catch a view of the sunrise, just turn and face east.

Sunset from the Pitt Street Bridge. Take a stroll down the Pitt Street Bridge in the old village of Mount Pleasant. When the sun sets over downtown Charleston you are treated to a beautiful silhouette of the Charleston skyline.

Sunrise from Folly Beach. Come into the town of Folly Beach on Center Street and head down to the stoplight at Arctic Avenue. Turn left on Arctic Avenue and head down past the pier. The best areas of the beach with the least amount of people begin at the beach entrances starting on 6^th street. There are parking lots on the corner of Arctic and 6^th, Arctic and 9^th, and Arctic and 10^th street. Park at any of these lots or on a side street and head down one of these boardwalks to the beach to witness a beautiful sunrise, in which you can see the sun rise up from “out of the sea” in a brilliant ball of fire.

Sunset at Bohicket Marina on Seabrook Island. Enjoy a fabulous sunset as the sun goes down over Bohicket Marina. What better way to enjoy the sunset than by having dinner on the outdoor patio of the Salty Dog café while the sun goes down. On many nights you may even be treated to a visit by dolphins taking an evening swim around the marina.

Sunset from Bohicket Marina on Seabrook Island

Sunset from the Pelican’s Nest on Seabrook Island. A true treat is to have dinner at the outside restaurant on Seabrook Island called the Pelican’s Nest. The tables are nestled up against the edge of the water and offer fantastic views of beach, ocean and the sunset.