Berry Stuffed Crepes, photo by Brisbane Falling

As a child I was always barely waiting for my mother to make crepes and eat them filled with home made sour cherry preserves! Back then is when I learned how easy it actually is to make the crepe batter whether you are mixing it by hand or using a food processor or blender. Just follow a few basic guidelines and you’ll always have perfect crepe batter!

Making the crepe batter requires a different technique based on the tools you have at hand to make it. If you have a blender or food processor you can just put all the ingredients together and mix until you get a smooth consistency. If you mix it by hand using a whisk start by beating the eggs then add a bit of flour and milk at a time. Sifting the flour will also help avoiding the flour to clump up but if you don’t have access to a sifter just add the flour one tablespoon at a time and try to spread it all over the batter surface rather than dumping it all in one place. Doing it this way is a bit more tedious but it will ensure that your final batter will be smooth and free of flour clumps.

Consistency wise, I prefer having the batter a bit thicker when using a spreader tool on a heavy cast iron crepe pan or an electric crepe maker, or runny if I use a light pan and spread the batter by tilting the pan. The best consistency is achieved when you poor the batter from a ladle 8 to 10 inches above the batter into the rest of the batter and it forms a continuous stream which does not splash when falling in the rest of the batter. Also you have to keep in mind that if you are refrigerating the batter for a couple hours to leave the flour absorb all the liquid, you will end up with a thicker batter. To compensate for this I usually check the consistency before cooking the crepes and add more milk to achieve the desired consistency.

The basic ingredients and quantities for the basic crepe batter are as follows:

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt to taste

This will create a thicker batter best suited for use with a spreader. Add about 1/2 cup of milk for a thinner batter that will easily spread by tilting the crepe pan.

This batter will work for both sweet and savory crepes but if you want to make just sweet crepes you can add a bit of sugar and vanilla for more flavor!

Bon apetit!

Do you love crepes? So does the author who blogs about them and electric crepe maker machines at http://electric-crepe-maker.com.

There are a few types of different styles of barbecue smokers for making smoked barbecue. The first is the offset smoker. With this type, the fire box is on the side of the smoke chamber, and the meat sits on grills inside the smoke chamber and is subjected to low heat (approximately 235 degrees) and wood smoke. The second type is the Kettle type smoker (an example of this is the well loved Weber Kettle that everyone owns, or at one point in their life has owned.) The third type of smoker is the vertical type. In the vertical type, the fire is built at the bottom of the smoke chamber (picture a large cylindrical object, like a large garbage can,), there is a pan over the fire which contains wood chips that when heated will provide additional smoke. Above this pan are racks that the meat sits on while smoking, and above the meat is a tight fitting lid that has some type of ventilation system for smoke flow release.

This is the second article in a series of three by Jim Hess on the subject of smoking.

A water smoker is a type of a vertical smoker. A water smoker, in addition to the pan with the smoking soaked wood chips, has a pan of water which sits directly above the wood chip pan. This pan is filled with water. The water in this pan helps keep the meat moist during the low and slow cooking process. As the fire burns, it heats the liquid in the water pan, which causes water vapor to mix with the smoke and help keep the meat moist during the cooking process.

To learn more about smoking meat with a water smoker, get the free report here, http://www.bbq-jim.com Jim Hess is an expert article writer and reviews e-books about barbecue cooking and alternative energy systems.

By Jim Hess

Vertical Smoker, photo by Justin

Have you heard the term vertical barbecue smoker and scratched your head and said, “Huh.” Basically, there are three types of barbecue smokers for making real smoked barbecue. The first is what is called the offset smoker. With the offset smoker, the firebox of the smoker is off to the side of the smoke chamber. A fire is built in the firebox, smoke and heat from the firebox travel into and through the smoke chamber, and out through a chimney ventilation system at the top of the smoke chamber. The meat that is to be smoked (and eventually, eaten) is placed on grates inside the smoke chamber. As the smoke and heat pass around the meat on the way to the chimney vents, the meat is flavored by the smoke. This is what makes for great smoked barbecue.

The second main type of smoker category is the kettle cooker (think Weber Kettle.) A kettle cooker can be set up for smoking by building the fire off to the side of the kettle, and placing the meat not directly over the heat source, but off to the other side. When the lid is closed, smoke from the charcoal and any added wood chips will flow around the meat giving it that great smoke barbecue taste before exiting the kettle lid through the vents. The third major type of barbecue cooker is what is known as a vertical smoker. With a vertical smoker, there is only one chamber for everything. The fire is built down at the bottom of the unit, there is a pan with soaked wood chips directly over the fire area, and then there are 2,3, or 4 horizontal racks above the smoke pan where the meat is placed. The smoke will rise in the smoke chamber, go around the meat giving it that great flavor, then exit out the top of the unit. Some of the vertical smokers also have a water pan directly over the smoke pan. This pan will hold water throughout the cooking process and will help the meat stay moist and not dry out.

A vertical smoker can use various fuels. Some burn charcoal or regular wood chunks. Some are fueled by propane, and some even use electricity to create heat, and burn water soaked wood chips to create smoke. The electric vertical smoker is often a good choice for the novice barbecue smoke enthusiast as they are very easy to regulate the temperature, and do not require a lot of attention while cooking.

These three styles of smokers will all have the barbecue enthusiast smoking good quality product, as long as they adhere to the basics of good barbecue preparation.

1. Rub the meat with a rub or marinade.
2. Cook the meat low and slow (low temperature–long cooking time)
3. Apply any sauces at the end of the cooking (last hour or so.)

For more free information on how to cook fantastic real barbecue click here: http://www.bbq-jim.com. Jim Hess is an expert author who loves to cook, eat and write about real barbecue (and meat grilling). Click here to see much more http://www.bbq-jim.com

By Jim Hess

Slow Barbecued Ribs are tender and tasty.

Everyone loves Barbecue Ribs! Did you know you can make great tasting, fall off the bone ribs with a piece of equipment you probably already own. Yes, the trusty Weber kettle, sitting in your garage, can be used to make great tasting barbeque ribs, and it is easy.

First, get the Kettle grill out of the garage, and blow the dust off it. Make sure you have all the parts, including the top. You must have the top to make real smoke barbecue. Take your kettle cooker, and set it up this way. Place one of those cheap aluminum baking dishes that you can buy for a buck at the grocery store in the center of the grill that holds the charcoal. Make two piles of charcoal on opposite sides of the aluminum pan. Light the charcoal, and let it burn down. Place the some soaked wood chips on the charcoal to make more smoke to flavor the meat. Place the grill rack back on it’s holders.

Have your butcher trim the ribs in what is known “St Louis Style.” He’ll know what you are talking about. If he doesn’t get a new butcher. Season the ribs liberally with a good quality barbecue rub that you like. Place the ribs on the center of the grill directly over the aluminum pan. This pan is to catch the drippings from the meat as it cooks. Place the lid on the bottom of the kettle, and adjust the top vents so that the internal temperature of the smoker stays around 250 degrees. Cook the ribs for about 4 hours or so. They are done when you can wiggle the rib bones and it fees and looks like the meat is going to fall right off the bone. This is about 3.5 to 4.5 hours. The last hour or so off cooking, brush they ribs with a good quality barbecue sauce. Most good barbecue masters make their own. There are numerous sauce recipes in many books on the Internet. When the ribs are done, serve with more barbecue sauce on the side, and whatever side dishes you prefer. Classic is coleslaw and potato salad.

For recipes and additional information on how to make real smoked barbecue, see http://www.bbq-jim.com which has a free review of a great barbecue information program and free links to barbecue cookers.