| Knuckle Donny's Special Seasoning Mix |
|---|
| Paprika | 16 oz. |
| Celery seed (whole) | 8 oz. |
| Garlic powder | 8 oz. |
| Onion powder | 8 oz. |
| Black Pepper (coarse ground) | 4 oz. |
| Ground Comino seed (cumin) | 4 oz. |
Note: This makes three pounds of mix, but the proportions are such that the recipe can be easily cut to one half or one fourth.
| Sample Size Recipe |
|---|
|
Paprika | 2 tsp. |
| Celery seed (whole) | 1 tsp. |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp. |
| Onion powder | 1 tsp. |
| Black Pepper (coarse ground) | 1/2 tsp. |
| Ground Comino seed (cumin) | 1/2 tsp. |
Note: The regular recipe is based on weights, while the sample recipe is based on volume measurements, so it's not "exact" but it's sufficient to get a taste, just to see if you like it. You may want to adjust the comino, or black pepper to your own personal tastes anyway (no recipe is poured in concrete after all).
How about salt?
I don't use any salt in the mix, because it can cause meats to toughen, and most people will salt food to suit themselves at the table. MSG won't toughen the meat, and can enhance the flavor nicely, but I often feed guests, and some of my friends are allergic to MSG.
How To Use This Mix
Steaks (beef or pork), pork chops, hamburgers (in other words, things that will be cooked directly on the grill): Apply generously to both sides, and grill as usual.
Chicken (whole): Skin the bird and apply mix to all sides. Tear off 18 to 24 inches of heavy duty aluminum foil, fold in half (shiny side out) and make a snug basket to fit under the chicken (breast up) that comes up just to, but not past, the drumsticks. Use a separate piece of foil, shiny side down, to cover the bird completely from the top. Cook on a covered grill for 30 to 45 minutes until nearly done (You'll have to experiment, but you'll get the hang of knowing when to proceed after a couple of trys). Remove the top piece of foil, and allow the bird to finish cooking. When it looks nearly ready, before I take it off the grill, I like to poke a couple of holes in the bottom of the foil basket and let some of the chicken fat run out, so the bird won't be so messy to serve.
Brisket: Rub in, or sprinkle on, a generous amount of seasoning, place the brisket in a covered roasting pan, and cook overnight (six to ten hours) in a 250 degree oven. A lot of liquid will cook out of the meat so use a nice large pot. Allow to cool to room temperature and, without removing the brisket from the roasting pan, refrigerate overnight.
Once the brisket has cooled overnight in the fridge, remove it from the pan and cover the lower half of the brisket (fatty side down) with aluminum foil (shiny side up), add additional seasoning mix if desired, and heat to serving temperature on the grill. This allows the brisket to remain very tender, while picking up a nice smoke flavor, and, if needed, finish cooking.
Note: When I remove the roasting pan from the refrigerator, after I've carefully lifted out the brisket, I skim off the hardened white fat, then package and freeze the congealed broth for later use in soup, stew, or gravy.
According to a web friend who tried the mix, it's excellent on baked fish, and on a very few occasions, we've enjoyed it on grilled jumbo shrimp.
My friend Steve Scott, along with my nephew Jeff Hood, insisted that the mix needed a "cool" name. I remembered that my neice, Genie Robinson, has always called me "Knuckle Donny", thus a "cool" name was born.
If you try the mix, we hope you'll give us some feedback on how you liked it.
"Knuckle Donny" is Don Crowder, your friendly editor here at Phil & Mokes,
and this page was posted on May 13, 2002.
