Gringa’s Stuffed Poblanos (Redneck’s Chilies Rellenos)

Marinade: ½ cup lime juice, ¼ cup tarragon vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, 1-2 cloves roasted garlic, minced; 2 finely chopped jalopeno peppers. Marinate chicken breasts (or beef steaks) in marinade at least 2 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Grill over hot coals until done. Slice into thin strips. Set aside. In a medium sauce pan, saute 1 finely chopped onion in a little oil until soft. Stir in 1 can cream of mushroom soup, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 can diced green chilies, 2 tsp cumin, ½ tsp turmeric and ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Reserve 3/4 cup of this sauce and set aside. Stir chicken strips into pan and heat through.

Roast 4 Poblano peppers as follows: place whole peppers over hot coals or under broiler. Roast thoroughly, rolling them around so that the skin on all sides burns and turns black. Immediately place in Dutch oven and cover with tight fitting lid. Let stand 15-20 minutes. Wearing gloves, cut off the stem end of each pepper and scrape off the burnt skin.

Fill each pepper with chicken filling. Place in casserole, drizzle with reserved sauce and heat in 350 oven 20 minutes. Sprinkle with ½ cup Jack cheese and heat until cheese melts.

Serve with refritos, guacamole and tortilla chips.

Nellie has a new smoker

Here is how she inaugurated it:

Beef Brisket

Lightly sprinkle all sides of one 4-6 pound brisket with Adolph’s tenderizer. Combine 2 Tblsp each sugar, pepper, paprika, chili powder with 2 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder and Cookies seasoning salt. Rub the spice mixture liberally all over the brisket. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap let stand in refrigerator for 45 minutes to one hour. Prepare the smoker with water pan, charcoal briquets and mesquite chips. Bring smoker to 225 degrees F. Smoke the brisket for 6-8 hours. Wrap in foil, allow to cool to room temp and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, slice brisket to desired thickness and place in oven proof skillet or casserole. Cover and warm in a 350 degree oven until no longer pink, 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness of slices. Serve over crisp Texas Toast with your favorite barbecue sauce on the side.
Side dishes: Broccoli Slaw and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Peach crisp with ice cream for dessert

Pork Loin

Lightly sprinkle all sides of one 2-4 pound pork loin with Adolph’s tenderizer. Rub all over with Nellie’s Southwest Seasoning: 2 Tblsp chili powder, 2 Tblsp paprika, 1 Tblsp coriander, 1 Tblsp garlic powder, 1 Tblsp salt, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano. Let stand 45 minutes to one hour. Prepare smoker with water pan, charcoal briquets and mesquite chips. Bring smoker to 225 degrees F. and smoke the loin for 6-8 hours. To serve, slice or shred and serve on toasted Hoagies with your favorite barbecue sauce on the side.
Side Dishes: Potato Salad and corn on the cob

Nellie’s smoker has two racks, so she smoked both the brisket and the pork loin at the same time.

Note: It's only been two days and the leftovers are almost all gone. Good stuff.