Bear Mountain | I Can Cook That

Note: I was sent samples of Bear Mountain BBQ Wood Pellets in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

I’m going to keep the yummy smoked recipes going because, well, I can! This recipe for Smoky Bacon Topped Mac and Cheese would be a perfect make ahead dish to bring to your next barbecue.

The Bacon highlights the smoky flavor, but if you want to keep it vegetarian, just omit it!

This recipe is basically my Homemade Mac and Cheese recipe with a few adjustments to make it ready for some smoker action!

Ingredients:

1 to 2 cups pellets, like Bear Mountain BBQ’s Gourmet BBQ Pellets
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 3/4 cups 2% milk
1 box uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 ounces shredded gouda cheese
1/2 lb bacon, cooked
Panko breadcrumbs
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley, chopped

Continue reading Smoky Bacon Topped Mac and Cheese

Note: I was sent a sample of Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend BBQ Wood Pellets in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

I absolutely love grilling, and love to grill anything I can get my hands on. I do not have much experience with smoking foods on my grill though. So when Bear Mountain contacted me about trying some of their wood pellets, I couldn’t wait to get started!

Smoking adds an additional layer of flavor to your grilled foods that can completely change the taste of a dish. If you’re new to smoking your food, wood pellets are a great “intro” option – you don’t have to soak them ahead of time and they can be used on any normal grill. Bear Mountain offers a bunch of different blends to pair with poultry, seafood, lamb, pork, beef and vegetables. Their wood pellets don’t use any fillers, binders, or bark so their premium all-natural wood pellets deliver a perfect, clean smoke – every time. They’ve also refined the pellet-making process, creating the perfect pellet structure with only 5% moisture. This means that Bear Mountain pellets grant the perfect burn, infusing mouth-watering flavor with little ash to clean up.

I was looking through Bear Mountain’s recipes for a little inspiration and was intrigued when I cam across a recipe for potato salad that smoked the potatoes on the grill before tossing them in a yummy sriracha mayo.

I decided to add some bacon to further highlight the rich, smoky flavor of the pellets. The result is this amazing Smoked Potato Salad with Bacon and Sriracha Mayo!

Ingredients:

2 pound red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1-2 cups Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend BBQ Pellets
4 slices of cooked bacon, finely chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha, depending on your preferences
1 cup mayo
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions

Continue reading Smoked Potato Salad with Bacon and Sriracha Mayo