Hike Up Tuckerman Ravine

Earlier this month my Wife and I hiked the 2.5 miles up to the AMC Hermit Lake Hut for lunch in Tuckerman Ravine. There are picnic tables to eat at and a nice deck to sit on in the sun and just enjoy the scenery. The weather was perfect and the hike strenuous but we felt pretty good when we got down.

 This photo is about half way to the hut.

This is taken on the trail at Hermit Lake just past the hut.

Apple Wood Smoked Bison Burgers

Served on hearty onion rolls with onions and peppers, feta cheese and fresh spinach.

I start cooking the burgers raw on the foil until they are firm, then sear them over the coals. This keeps them from cooking too fast and burning as Bison has a very low fat content.

Grilled Portabello Mushrooms

Here is my take on a popular alternative to a hamburger. Marinated Portabello mushrooms with Bison Burger grilled to perfection! There are two ways to serve this recipe, with or without the Bison burger, depending on your guests. I prefer it with the Bison so that's how we will proceed!

First things first, the grocery list after the jump.

BBQ For Real

One of my favorite foods is BBQ. BBQ anything. Beef, pork ribs, chicken, turkey, whatever. The smoky slow cooked flavor of food cooked over an open flame just tastes good. I have a charcoal grill I use for everyday grilling, the picture to the left is my home built smoker. This is the "plan your weekend a week in advance" kind of dinner prep.

Depending what is being cooked depends on the time. A 13 pound rotisserie turkey takes 6 hours or more. A pork shoulder for pulled pork sandwiches gets started before the sun comes up so its ready for dinner. The time to brine or marinade your choice is done a full 24 hours before that.

Why do i do it? Well if you have ever had good BBQ then you know the answer to that. And believe me 4 ounces of smoked pulled pork goes a long way on a bulky roll with a slice of onion, 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce and some homemade coleslaw on the side.

You can buy your own smoker almost anywhere and start small. A rack of ribs, a chicken or two, even smoked meatloaf! Whatever you want, just plan ahead and make sure you have a good thermometer to make sure your food is cooked all the way through. The only limitation I have found in smoking is turkey and chicken. Due to the long cooking time chose a bird under 14 pounds so food poisoning does not set in during the long cooking process.

Try this next Thanksgiving or Christmas. Smoke your turkey the weekend before, Separate the meat into foils pans and freeze it. Thaw, warm in the oven and serve.