Big weekend in the Catskills and an amazing happy BBQ accident! Lots of pics and Q-Vue

[K9BIGDOG]

Every year, sometimes twice a year we have a gathering over 3 days in the Catskill mountains in NY at the old farmhouse that I've been hunting and fishing at since I was a kid. Many of the out of town guys are from the Chicago area and don't get the authentic Italian food and specialties that we take for granted here and they don't get the Catskill Mountains experience so it's a lot of fun for them especially. It's just guys meet up of lots of cooking, fishing or clays shooting depending on the season, ATV riding, more food and drink, cigars and 3 days of merciless ball-busting. This year I took a group of the out of town guys on a little trout fishing expedition and we cleaned up and had a huge trout dinner Friday night. Myself and another very close friend handle most of the cooking, with me handling most of the outdoor cooking and him handling the indoor stuff, but we cross over on a few items. My ribs every year are the highlight of our Saturday afternoon, which is the the last full day of the party, and every year I also do a batch of bbq smoked wings and maybe another little surprise like ABT's or pig shots as well. This year I did a batch of Smoked Honey Teriyaki wings (the pic with the sesame seeds, ribs as usual that were beyond awesome, my special Catskills farmhouse trout with wild leeks, white wine and butter, and these bbq chicken wings.

The happy accident occurred when I decided to make a sticky glaze for my smoked bbq wings. When the wings probed about 155+ I mixed a generous amount of Bird Dog Peach Whiskey into the BBQ sauce and whisked it all together. Gave each wing a very nice coating and let them finish to 175 (give or take). Those were possibly the best wings I have ever cooked (smoked over pecan). The glaze was perfect and the whiskey left behind just a perfect hint of peach flavor that along with the bourbon notes, pecan smoke and my rub were just unbelievable. I doubt I will ever do them any other way.

The Star of the Show! Pecan Smoked Peach Whisky BBQ Wings!!

Friday's Trout haul- 25lbs of trout!!

My special trout preparation.

One of the other specialties of the house is Uncle Vito's fried venison cutlets.

Honey Teriyaki wings smoked over applewood.

Yours truly, taking a break from cooking!

 

[SmokinAl]

WOW!
Now that is a feast!
Nice work!
Al

 

[Bearcarver]

Awesome!!
Great Story!!
Even Better Pics!!
Had to be a Great Time for All !!
Nice Mess of NY Trout !!----All Rainbows???
Thanks for the Show!
Like.

Bear

 

[phantom krankor]

Looks like a great time! Good eating too

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Great looking cook!

 

[Brokenhandle]

Looks like great food and a great time! Awesome scenery too!

Ryan

 

[K9BIGDOG]

Awesome!!
Great Story!!
Even Better Pics!!
Had to be a Great Time for All !!
Nice Mess of NY Trout !!----All Rainbows???
Thanks for the Show!
Like.

Bear

All Rainbows! If anyone wants it I’m happy to share the way I cook these. It’s a nice change from just pan frying in butter or almondine.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Hell yeah man that looks like a great time. Food looks even better. Will have to try out the bird dog peach sauce!

 

[Bearcarver]

All Rainbows! If anyone wants it I’m happy to share the way I cook these. It’s a nice change from just pan frying in butter or almondine.

I'm always up for learning a new way to cook Trout.
My Son is about due to bring me some Trout, and he should be bringing me a few sets of Shad Roe real soon too.

Bear

 

[Winterrider]

Looks like a great time and some good eats!

 

[DRKsmoking]

Very nice feed of Trout, just the right size also 1 pound to 1 1/2 , i'm still butter and onions fried and a squeeze of lemon, cooked outdoors.

David

 

[K9BIGDOG]

Very nice feed of Trout, just the right size also 1 pound to 1 1/2 , i'm still butter and onions fried and a squeeze of lemon, cooked outdoors.

David

I still really like it pan fried in butter too, but my uncle really enjoys this style so I fix it for him.

 

[DRKsmoking]

Honey Teriyaki wings smoked over applewood

also meant to say , but the trout caught my eye. The teriyaki wings look fantastic

David

 

[K9BIGDOG]

I'm always up for learning a new way to cook Trout.
My Son is about due to bring me some Trout, and he should be bringing me a few sets of Shad Roe real soon too.

Bear

OK, here goes...
Get your grill or oven hot, 350-375
You'll need a large or half-sized foil [pan, depending on how many fish you have and how big they are.
A couple medium to large white or yellow onions - quartered and sliced
Seasoned salt
2-3 sticks of salted butter (you could use unsalted if you want, I guess)
Olive oil
White wine (chablis, chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, whatever you have on hand)
Oregano or Italian seasoning
Fresh Parsley, a little fresh basil or a big bunch of fresh leeks
2-3 fresh lemons

1. Clean the trout, leaving the head and tail on (optional), pat them dry with a paper towel
2. Arrange the fish in the foil pan so they all are flat against the bottom of the pan, not turned up on the sides. It's ok if they are touching each other a little.
3. Cut the butter into 1/4" pats and stick 2-3 pats of butter inside the body of each fish.
4. Spread a generous amount of butter pats all around the fish and the pan.
5. Sprinkle a generous amount of the seasoned salt over the fish.
6. Sprinkle some oregano or Italian seasoning over the fish
7. Pour a good amount of the white wine-at least a cup or two, more for a larger pan with more fish. Use plenty, this and the butter are your cooking liquid and you'll want plenty of the juice/sauce to spoon over the fish when you serve it and to mop up with bread.
8. Drizzle with a good amount of olive oil
8. Sprinkle the sliced onion all over the pan.
9. Spread the fresh greens - parsley and basil or the fresh leeks all over the pan (clean the leeks-wash them and cut off the roots and chop the lower part and tear the leaves into 2 or 3 pieces)
(Take a look at the pic to give you the idea. You can also add other fresh veggies like quartered tomatoes or grape tomatoes, maybe even some sliced zucchini or yellow squash. Use your imagination!
10. Place the pan on the hot grill or in the oven covered tightly with foil for about 30 minutes. After 30 minute or so, remove the foil and check the fish. Continue to cook until the fish is done and as flaky as you like by checking for doneness with a fork. The onions should be reasonably tender, not necessarily wilted or translucent. The fish should flake off the bones pretty easy and when you get good at it you'll be able to remove all the bones from each side with just your fork in just about one piece.
Lift the fish on to a plate and spoon some of that beautiful juice over the fish and make sure everyone gets some onions, greens and whatever else you put in the pan. You'll want to have some nice crusty bread on hand, too!

 

[Fueling Around]

Over the top!
We don't get so wild on our hunting week.

Puzzled.

Many of the out of town guys are from the Chicago area and don't get the authentic Italian food and specialties that we take for granted here

I lived in Chicago many years ago and had some very authentic Italian eats there.

 

[K9BIGDOG]

Over the top!
We don't get so wild on our hunting week.

Puzzled.

I lived in Chicago many years ago and had some very authentic Italian eats there.

This isn't our hunting time, that's in November. And as far as Chicago vs the NY Metro area for Italian food, I'm afraid we could debate that for years and never find the middle.