Have a 'Dadgum' Good Christmas with these recipes

For more grab the book "Dadgum That’s Good, Too!"

http://www.amazon.com/Dadgum-Thats-Good-John-McLemore/dp/0848744497

Bacon-Wrapped Smoked Asparagus

Serves 6

You’ll Need

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus

1/2 pound bacon

1 (16-ounce) bottle French dressing

When it comes to asparagus, folks like it every way from crisp to fork-tender. You can go either way with this recipe by adjusting your smoke time. I recommend shaving 30 minutes off of the total cooking time if you want a crisp result. In the McLemore house, we think bacon makes everything better and this recipe is no exception.

The French dressing gives this dish a unique and tangy flavor.

Instructions

1.Wash asparagus and cut the bottom two inches off each stalk. Divide into 6 bundles. Wrap each bundle securely with a slice of bacon. Place in a 12-inch square disposable aluminum foil pan. Pour dressing over and cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate and marinate for 4 hours.

2. Preheat smoker to 250°F.

3.Remove asparagus from refrigerator and discard 1/2 cup of marinade. Re-cover with aluminum foil and pierce foil with a fork in center and three other places.

4. Place pan on middle rack of smoker and smoke for 45 minutes. Asparagus should be fork-tender. Add one small handful of wood chips to smoker and smoke asparagus for an additional 45 minutes, if you prefer it to be more tender. Remove from marinade and serve.

Dadgum Good Smoked Turkey

Serves 6-12

When asked if there was anything I would change about my first cookbook, "DADGUM That’s Good!" I have two words for you: SMOKED TURKEY. There are times in life when you miss something really obvious, and not having a smoked whole turkey recipe in my first cookbook was one of those times. Every time we appear on QVC with our smokers, we smoke a turkey. When folks opened up the first cookbook, we definitely heard some feedback on not having a smoked turkey recipe. We heard you loud and clear and hope you enjoy this recipe. In fact, we almost put a smoked turkey on the front of this cookbook instead of my picture. Some would argue there’s still a turkey on the cover!

You’ll Need

50/50 mixture apple juice and water

1 whole turkey (about 19 pounds), thawed if frozen

Butterball Buttery Creole Injection

marinade or your favorite marinade

Butterball Cajun Seasoning or your favorite Cajun seasoning

Seasonings and marinades (optional) (see below)

Additional Seasoning

Marinade Options:

We highly recommend the Butterball Seasoning Kit with the Buttery Creole Marinade and Cajun Seasoning, but there are other options if you prefer a milder flavor. You can inject the turkey with the marinade of your choice or chicken broth. Season the outside and inside of the turkey with salt and pepper, rubbing it into the skin. Place 8 to 10 pats of butter underneath the skin. You can also tuck several bay leaves underneath the skin.

Serves 6 to 12

Instructions

Option 1 (shorter cook time)

1. Fill water tray 1/2 full with a 50/50 mixture of apple juice and water. Preheat smoker to 275°F.

2.Rinse and dry the thawed turkey. Using a marinade injection syringe, inject turkey with one jar of Butterball Buttery Creole marinade. Season outside and inside of turkey with Butterball Cajun Seasoning, rubbing it into the skin.

3. Place turkey on middle rack in smoker and close the door. Smoke for 5 1/2 hours or until internal temperature in breast reaches 165°F. (This total cooking time is for a 19-pound whole turkey. Based on the weight of your turkey, you will need to adjust the total cooking time. Estimated time at 275°F is about 18 minutes per pound. Make sure your internal temperature in the breast reaches 165°F.)

Option 2  (longer cook time)

1.Fill water pan 1/3 full with a 50/50 mixture of apple juice and water. Preheat smoker to 225°F.

2.See Step 2 above.

3.Place turkey on middle rack in smoker and close the door. Smoke for 9  1/2 hours or until internal temperature in breast reaches 165°F. (This total cooking time is for a 19-pound whole turkey. Based on the weight of your turkey, you will need to adjust the total cooking time. Estimated time at 225°F is about 30 minutes per pound. Make sure your internal temperature in the breast reaches 165°F.

Sweet 'N' Spicy Smoked Ham

Serves 10-12

I've been asked, “Why do you smoke a precooked ham?” Although you aren’t “cooking” the ham, this process infuses tons of extra smokey flavor and the extra ingredients add a burst of sweet ’n’ spicy taste. You can cut this ham recipe into chunks and add to the Smoked Lima Beans with Ham recipe. Remember, the seasonings from this ham will change the flavor of that recipe, but in a dadgum good way.

You’ll Need

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 precooked butt portion ham (10 pounds)

2 tablespoons whole cloves, approx. (optional)

1 (8-ounce) Cajun butter marinade injection kit, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat smoker to 225°F.

2. In a small bowl, combine honey, brown sugar and mustard and rub over entire ham. On top of backside of ham, score an area about 5 inches wide and 3 inches deep. Push whole cloves, if using, into this area. Using a marinade injection syringe, inject ham with 4 ounces of the Cajun butter marinade. Place in a deep disposable aluminum foil pan, and pour remaining 4 ounces of marinade in bottom of pan.

3. Place pan on middle rack of smoker and smoke, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Remove from smoker and cover. Return to smoker and smoke for an additional hour or until internal temperature reaches 160°F. Remove from smoker, ladle some of the marinade over and slice. If the cloves are in the way, remove and slice remaining ham.

Oink 'N' Gobble

It seems we’re always feeding a large crowd at the McLemore house, and we’re doing it all year long – not just during the holidays. ’m all about freeing up the oven and using my smoker to cook all of the meat. Making a ham and turkey at the same time is a great way to feed a large crowd and create tons of yummy leftovers for sandwiches and other dishes. You want the ham above the turkey so that the juices drip down and add flavor. You can use any recipe you choose with this method, just make sure the poultry is below the ham. Oh, and when they are just about done, how about giving us a call so we can come over or dinner?!

For Oink ’n’ Gobble use the Dadgum Good Smoked Turkey recipe and the Sweet ’n’ Spicy Smoked Ham recipe

1. Fill water pan 1/2 full with a 50/50 mixture of apple juice and water. Preheat smoker to 225°F.

2. Follow the recipe instructions for Dadgum Good Smoked Turkey. Place the turkey in the smoker. Proceed to Step 3 when turkey is on the last hour and 45 minutes of cooking time.

3. Follow the instructions for Sweet ’n’ Spicy Smoked Ham and place ham above the turkey in the smoker. Smoke ham for 45 minutes, uncovered, and then cover with aluminum foil and smoke for an additional hour or until internal temperature reaches 160ºF. For the Dadgum Good Smoked Turkey the internal should reach 165ºF.

Smoked Sweet Potatoes

Serves 8-16

You know a side dish recipe is dadgum good when you would serve it as the main dish, and even for dessert! These smoked sweet potatoes fit that bill. The recipe calls for slicing the potatoes in half to serve two people. For my hungry crowd, we serve one potato per person. Want to take them to the next level? Drizzle lightly with

caramel sauce and add a few small marshmallows.

You’ll Need

8 large sweet potatoes

2 1/3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt

1 cup butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup smoked or toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

To smoke pecans: Place pecans in a disposable aluminum foil pan. Smoke at 225°F for 10 minutes.

Instructions

1. Preheat smoker to 275°F.

2. Wash and scrub each sweet potato well. Baste each with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle outside of each potato with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Place sweet potatoes in smoker and smoke for 1 hour. Remove from smoker, double-wrap each potato securely with heavy-duty aluminum foil and place back in smoker for an additional hour.

3. Remove potatoes from smoker and unwrap from foil. Slice potatoes in half and score flesh with a fork. Top each potato half with 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of chopped pecans.

Nancy's Smoked Mac & Cheese

Serves 6

You’ll Need

1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

4 ounce Velveeta Cheese, grated

4 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup sour cream

1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1 1/2 cups crushed cheese cracker

Instructions

1. Preheat smoker to 275°F.

2. Cook macaroni according to package directions, adding olive oil to the water before boiling to avoid sticking. Drain and rinse with warm  water. Add Velveeta and Cheddar cheeses, sour cream, mayonnaise, onion powder and Cajun seasoning, and stir together well.

3. Place mixture in a greased 11- by 7-inch disposable aluminum foil pan, and top with crushed cheese crackers. Place in smoker and smoke for 1 hour. Remove from smoker and enjoy.

4. Add wood chips the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time (do not over smoke)

Smoked Sugary Bacon Wraps

Serves 8-10

I made these Smoked Sugary Bacon Wraps at my daughter Bailey’s 14th birthday party. My intention was to serve them up as an appetizer for the adults, but the kids ate them up as soon as they were done! Some folks refer to these as “meat candy” because the brown sugar gives them a sweet flavor. Plan on making plenty of these because they disappear fast!

You’ll Need

1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon

1 (16-ounce) package cocktail sausages

Toothpicks

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat smoker to 275°F.

2. Cut bacon strips into thirds lengthwise. Wrap each piece of bacon around a cocktail sausage. Pierce with a toothpick and dredge in brown sugar. Place on a baking sheet and then place on rack in smoker.

3. Smoke sausages for 2 to 21/2 hours, until bacon is crispy, making sure your baking sheet doesn’t block the airflow along the sides of the smoker. You may also want to use a sheet that has holes for drainage. Another suggestion is to smoke them for about 15 minutes to absorb that delicious smokey flavor from the wood chips, then finish in the oven at 350°F for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until bacon is cooked through.