Iron Chef International

[BamsBBQ]

in the South kitchen..............Iron Chef International Keltin

in the North kitchen............. Iron Chef International Bam




All right! Kitchen Stadium welcomes the first challenger representing Southern Style Pit BBQ, aiming to take down Iron Chef Bam.

BBQ vs. BBQ .

Keltin vs Bam......This is going to be a great one.

We should be expecting a lot of the same techniques.

These two chefs show alot of similarities in the kitchen and on the grill.

This should be a fairly good match.

We are going to do it a little differently. Today is a one dish show.

Todays secret dish is...................... Smoked Chicken Lasagna

Doc, are you ready?









So now Friends, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle..................... Allez cuisine!

[Keltin]

Crap! It's raining here, and has been all day! Doesn't look like I'm going to be able to do the Smoked Lasgana today, so it will have to be tomorrow. Bummer!

[Love2"Q"]

looking forward to see how this turns out ...

[chowhound]

lol, funny thread...
I remember my first beer..... lmao

[Keltin]

lol, funny thread...
I remember my first beer..... lmao

I always remember my first beer......it's the last 1 or 2 that get fuzzy! :lol:

[chowhound]

Ain't that the truth!

[BamsBBQ]

as soon as i do some more editing, i will post my whole cook here...back in a few

[BamsBBQ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP0OBdVhbEY

[TexasGirl]

that looks freaking good!! Even those nasty shrooms!!now, who is going to eat all of that??

[BamsBBQ]

that looks freaking good!! Even those nasty shrooms!!now, who is going to eat all of that??

i cooked for my cousins little girl and the moms inlaws tonight..cousin went to a wedding.

[lifesaver91958]

that is really cool bam, i like it

[lilylove]

Feeding the family. That's nice Bam!!

[BamsBBQ]

couldnt do lasagna with the chicken today... it was 28*,very very windy and snowing today...

i used all the same ingredients but stuffed them into shells instead...

[Keltin]

Rain be damned, I decided to do this anyway. I started late, and it ran late, but hey, I’m a night owl!

Ok, Iron Chef Time!! This is a big pictorial since it’s an Iron Chef thing, so it is split between 2 posts.

I pretty much stuck with the recipe shown in a Smoked Lasagna video Bam posted a while back (http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7580), but I added 4 Cornish Hen Leg Quarters to mine to make it a bit different. To get the Cornish Hen leg quarters, I had to take 2 Hens and cut them myself. I then cut the backbones out and froze the breasts with wings attached. I’ll cook them at a later time.

The chicken was smoked in an 18” Weber Kettle with 30 coals, 15 per side, for just over 1 hour with hickory. I measured the temp, and 30 coals in the 18” Weber Kettle produces a dead on 300 degrees.

I later baked the constructed Lasagna in the kettle with 40 coals which gave me right at 350 degrees in temp. I let it cook for 1 hour.

I used an 8” x 11.5” baking dish…..and it was TOO small for this recipe! Argh! So make sure your’s is a bit bigger.

There is some work involved in this. Total, I’ve got 3.5 hours invested in this dish which includes 1+ hour of smoke time and 1 hour cook time for the construction. But, it is worth it. This is very, very yummy! I hope you try it. Thanks Bam!! :thumb:

This one ended up being quite the challenge for me. There is a lot of work involved if you try to do this all in one day. To make it easier on yourself, I’d suggest smoking extra chicken during a Q and save it for this on another day…..unless, of course, you start early and have all day! Also, this is the first time I’ve ever made Lasagna…..sad, but true. I was thinking my baking dish was big enough, but it turns out it wasn’t. Time to get a bigger one!

So, here it is, my Southern Kitchen entry into this, NCT’s first International Iron Chef Challenge! It was fun, and I look forward to doing more IC challenges in the future! Thank God we weren’t restricted by the 1 Hour time limit!

Smoked Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients

8 Boneless & Skinless Chicken thighs
4 Cornish Hen Leg Quarters

16 oz Cottage Cheese (small curd)
15 oz Ricotta Cheese
8 oz Cream Cheese
16 oz Mozzarella Cheese
Grated Parmesan and Romano blend

24 oz Spaghetti Sauce
15 oz Alfredo Sauce
1 pack sliced Baby Portobello Mushrooms

10 Lasagna Noodles, cooked
3 Tbsp Butter
Seasonings – Salt, Cracked Black Pepper, Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Mrs. Dash original.

Procedure

Smoke the chicken thighs and Cornish Hen Leg quarters for 1 to 1.5 hours or until done. When cool, chop the meat and reserve.

In a skillet, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and sauté over medium high heat until tender, about 10 minutes. When done, drain and reserve.

Place the cottage cheese in a strainer and allow to drain excess moisture, about 15 minutes. Once drained, in a large bowl, add Cottage cheese, Ricotta cheese, Cream Cheese, and half (8 oz) of the Mozzarella. Stir to blend well and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine Spaghetti and Alfredo sauce until well blended and set aside. No need to heat it up. It will heat during the final cook.

Build-1
In a large baking dish, add enough sauce to coat the bottom of the dish. Now add 3 cooked lasagna noodles.

Build-2
Add the smoked and chopped chicken on top of the noodles in an even layer. Next, add the mushrooms on top of the chicken. Now, add 3 more noodles over the chicken and mushrooms.

Build-3
Spread the cheese mixture over the noodles. It’s best to pinch bits off a bit at a time and scatter it about. It will melt and spread when it cooks. Once all the cheese is down, add more of the sauce mixture to semi-cover and fill in the gaps between the drops of cheese. Now cover this with 4 lasagna noodles. You want a complete and tight seal here.

Build-4
Next, use remaining sauce to cover the tops of the noodles. Now add the rest of the Mozzarella in an even layer. Now, sprinkle generously with the Parmesan and Romano blended cheese. Finally, bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Once done, let rest for 15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

-------------Pictures-------------

International Iron Chef Challenge – Smoked Chicken Lasagna (Part 1)

The original recipe called for a jar of Alfredo sauce. I used jarred sauce for everything. With so much other work going into this, I appreciate the short-cut. Sorry purists!

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_10-3.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_11-2.jpg


They simply do NOT sell boneless and skinless chicken thighs down here. So, I had to buy bone-in and skin on thighs. Then I had to bone and skin them myself. I started with 7, but decided to add an 8th once they were done.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_1-15.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_2-15.jpg


Here are the thighs “marinating” in EVOO, salt, cracked pepper, thyme, basil, and oregano.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_3-12.jpg


I had to cut the leg quarters off the Cornish Hens. These got seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper, and Mrs. Dash original. Note: the skin was discarded.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_4-11.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_5-9.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_6-8.jpg


Smoke the meat!

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_7-6.jpg


Here they are on the smoker nearly ready to come off.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_12-1.jpg


And now here is the meat before being chopped.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_13.jpg

[Keltin]

International Iron Chef Challenge – Smoked Chicken Lasagna (Part 2)

Finally, the meat is chopped and ready. I actually had more thigh meat than I needed, so I kept the Cornish Hen meat in a small bowl by itself. The intention is to use enough thigh meat and ALL the Cornish Hen meat for the Lasagna. We want about a 60/40 blend between chicken thigh and Cornish Hen. Cornish Hen is in the 1st pic, and chicken thighs are in the 2nd pic.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_14.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_15.jpg


Melt the butter in a skillet and then sauté the mushrooms.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_8-4.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_9-4.jpg


Add sauce and noodles to the baking dish.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_16.jpg


Now add the chicken and mushrooms.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_17.jpg


Final layer of noodles with mozzarella and the Parmesan and Romano blend. Notice my dish is too small, and I’m mounding over the top now. Argh! But there is no turning back now!

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_18.jpg


Put it on the grill and let it cook at 350 for 1 hour. I didn’t add wood here. At this point, you’re using the grill as an oven and not a smoker. Yeah…..the dish is too small!

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_19.jpg


It’s done and needs to rest for 15 minutes.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_21.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_22-1.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_22.jpg


Cut a square and plate it. Done. Unfortunately, it was runny. The taste is great, but it is a mess on the plate. Oh well, better luck next time!

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_24.jpg

[Keltin]

Note: I over-estimated how much chicken I would need for this recipe and cooked 8 thighs and 4 Cornish Hen leg quarters. You can actually make this with 6 Thighs, or 4 Thighs plus the Cornish Hen. I ended up with quite a bit of smoked chicken that I froze for later use.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_20.jpg

[BamsBBQ]

looks awesome Keltin

did you drain your cottage cheese? usually i put it in a piece of cheese cloth and turn the end of the cloth with a wooden spoon wrapped around it until no more liquid comes out.

yah did awesome for your first time making lasagna.... i slightly undercook my noodles as well, any excess liquid gets sucked up by the noodles..

this was also a first for me, i have never made manicotti by myself... now that is a long day and i had the smoked chicken already..lol

i was the picture taker,the developer,the prep cook,the chef and the assembler...oh and i was the waiter when it was all cooked..lmao

next time weather permiting;).. i will be able to stick with the theme..lol

[Keltin]

Yeah, I drained the cottage cheese. I’m thinking my dish was too small, and there was a lot of oil from the cheese. Plus, I did the big no-no of lasagna and cooked the noodles till near done. I should’ve Googled BEFORE I started this. I imagine my noodles being so done means they didn’t absorb a lot of the liquid. Oh well. Mess on the plate, but good to eat. It does taste great, but dammit, that last pic was messy! :lol:

[BamsBBQ]

i still remember my first lasagna... it looked and tasted like the stuff hamburger helper makes...lmfao

the biggest and most important question is this thought... did the DW like it?

cuz if she like it, then it can only get better when you make it again..lol

Yeah, I drained the cottage cheese. I’m thinking my dish was too small, and there was a lot of oil from the cheese. Plus, I did the big no-no of lasagna and cooked the noodles till near done. I should’ve Googled BEFORE I started this. I imagine my noodles being so done means they didn’t absorb a lot of the liquid. Oh well. Mess on the plate, but good to eat. It does taste great, but dammit, that last pic was messy! :lol:

[Miniman]

Maybe you could use no cook noodles, they will absorb a lot of liquid.

[Keltin]

i still remember my first lasagna... it looked and tasted like the stuff hamburger helper makes...lmfao

the biggest and most important question is this thought... did the DW like it?

cuz if she like it, then it can only get better when you make it again..lol


Actually, she loved it. She's never been one to care about a neat plate, but flavor instead. She tore into this and said WOW and gave me a kiss. She loves it. It may not be pretty, but the flavor is there. But, I guess I'm taking a big hit on plating points now! :lol:

[Keltin]

Maybe you could use no cook noodles, they will absorb a lot of liquid.

I will definitely try that next time!!! Thanks. :thumb:

[BamsBBQ]

well you make up those points with using the actual theme..lol

i tried this dish on a person who really doesnt care for chicken... she has now eaten the chicken i have cooked twice...once on mothers day and tonight... success..lol

[BamsBBQ]

Maybe you could use no cook noodles, they will absorb a lot of liquid.

i find, this is just from personal experience that when i use the no cook ones, you get that "gummy" or "starchy" texture... flavor is still good but just not my favorite..

dont get me wrong, i have used them manyyyyyyyyyyy times..lol

[Keltin]

i tried this dish on a person who really doesnt care for chicken... she has now eaten the chicken i have cooked twice...once on mothers day and tonight... success..lol

:thumb:

Excellent! It doesn't get much better than that! Love it and congrats!!

I've got a bit left, so I'll chill it in the fridge, and hopefully it will cut better cold. Then I'll pass it out to the neighbors. I'll report back once they begin talking.

[BamsBBQ]

and the winner is......................













Iron Chef International Keltin

[chowhound]

That's a good looking meal, Keltin.
I think the only thing I would have done differently is use a bigger baking dish...
:yum::yum:

[TexasGirl]

they both look great!!

Jeff, that certificate is awesome!

[lifesaver91958]

I agree that both meals look just wonderful and delicious :)

[lilylove]

They both made me very hungry!! YUMMMMY!

Keltin runny is good... more juices to dip bread in ;)

[Keltin]

That’s a really cool certificate Bam, thanks!

But, I’d say we’re BOTH the winners here!! So cheers to you and your excellent work as well! It looked great! :clap:

Come to think of it, perhaps the real winner here is NCT! We just generated 2 more smoking/cooking pictorials and recipes!! :thumb:

[BamsBBQ]

like we were talking about last night... we should pick a few ingredients...get a few people together and see what different dishes we can all come up with

That’s a really cool certificate Bam, thanks!

But, I’d say we’re BOTH the winners here!! So cheers to you and your excellent work as well! It looked great! :clap:

Come to think of it, perhaps the real winner here is NCT! We just generated 2 more smoking/cooking pictorials and recipes!! :thumb:

[Keltin]

Sounds good to me. Next time we ought to pick something simple like.....pork. And then just see what happens. We could make a list of a bunch of ingredients and then use a random number generator to pick an ingredient for us.

[BamsBBQ]

Sounds good to me. Next time we ought to pick something simple like.....pork. And then just see what happens. We could make a list of a bunch of ingredients and then use a random number generator to pick an ingredient for us.

yup pork sounds good to me... now we just need to have some participants and some judges...lol

[BamsBBQ]

the invitation for all to join..lol

[Keltin]

Ok, so the ingredient will be pork. Any kind of pork right, the cut doesn't matter? Alright, I'm in!! :smile:

[Love2"Q"]

or .. we could do throwdowns .. give people a couple weeks to come up with
something ...

[BamsBBQ]

Ok, so the ingredient will be pork. Any kind of pork right, the cut doesn't matter? Alright, I'm in!! :smile:

yup pork...pork pork and more pork...pork is pork..lol

or .. we could do throwdowns .. give people a couple weeks to come up with
something ...

or iron chef style..think on the fly..lol

maybe the cook days be on saturday or sunday and give us the whole week to prepare

[Keltin]

Well, lets do it then. Ingredient is pork, any cut.

Maybe we should start an International Iron Chef II thread and see who wants to join. Cooking and pics should be submitted by no later than this coming Saturday night. That gives us all week to think, and you can cook and submit at any time between now and Saturday night.

What do you think. I’m already pondering how I’m going to do the pork. I’ve got a few ideas! :smile:

I don’t know about judging and winning, but I think it would be cool for everyone to just do something with the secret ingredient and post. We don’t need a “winner”, just creative juices flowing and pics taken for the secret ingredient. In the end, NCT and all NCT members win because of the new recipes and pics!

[BamsBBQ]

yup all sounds good to me..... you wanna start the thread Keltin?

maybe put on the title something like--- iron chef international contestants or challengers needed,open to everybody-- just not so long winded like my post..lol

Well, lets do it then. Ingredient is pork, any cut.

Maybe we should start an International Iron Chef II thread and see who wants to join. Cooking and pics should be submitted by no later than this coming Saturday night. That gives us all week to think, and you can cook and submit at any time between now and Saturday night.

What do you think. I’m already pondering how I’m going to do the pork. I’ve got a few ideas! :smile:

I don’t know about judging and winning, but I think it would be cool for everyone to just do something with the secret ingredient and post. We don’t need a “winner”, just creative juices flowing and pics taken for the secret ingredient. In the end, NCT and all NCT members win because of the new recipes and pics!

[lilylove]

I agree Keltin! Keep it fun and everybody wins!!

:) :) :) :)

:heart:

[Mama]

DANG! Both of those looked AWESOME! Congratulations to you both! Keltin, I like to add an egg or two to my cottage cheese mixture. I find that helps to make the cheese "set" if you let it cool for about 15 or 20 minutes.

[BamsBBQ]

DANG! Both of those looked AWESOME! Congratulations to you both! Keltin, I like to add an egg or two to my cottage cheese mixture. I find that helps to make the cheese "set" if you let it cool for about 15 or 20 minutes.

thats eggsactly how i make my filling for stuffed shells etc etc..lol

[Deelady]

They both lookk awesome guys!!! Great jobs! Definnately will try the recipe sometime hopefully soon! :clap:

[Keltin]

DANG! Both of those looked AWESOME! Congratulations to you both! Keltin, I like to add an egg or two to my cottage cheese mixture. I find that helps to make the cheese "set" if you let it cool for about 15 or 20 minutes.

Now you tell me! :yum:

Thanks, that's a great tip that I wll definitely use. Just 1 beaten egg?

[Mama]

Now you tell me! :yum:

Thanks, that's a great tip that I wll definitely use. Just 1 beaten egg?

For the recipe that you posted, I would use 2 eggs and mix the Parmesan cheese in with the cottage/ricotta mixture and then sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of the cottage/ricotta/parmesan mixture.

[lifesaver91958]

Excelent videos... I loved them!!!