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I smoked a brisket last weekend and while it was tender, delicious, and amazing, that is just the start of this post.

One night last week, I made twice-baked potatoes with some of this tasty brisket and leftover pimento cheese that Alexis had made.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

The process is simple. 

• I baked two large Idaho bakers on the Egg until they were tender. 
• I sliced the top off and scoops the steaming potato pulp into a large bowl. 
• There I added about a cup of chopped brisket and a heaping amount of pimento cheese. 
• I stuffed most of this mix back into the potato shells.

I put the potatoes on a tray into a Big Green Egg set up for indirect heat and running at 350°f. I topped them with a few pats of butter and let them run for 20 minutes.

Then I topped them with a "small" amount of sharp cheddar and let them roll until the cheese was melted, another 10 minutes or so.

I seasoned them with some dried herbs and they were ready. Warm, creamy, smoky, and briskety - these were phenomenal. But...that's just half of the story.

Fried Mashed Potato Cakes

Remember the leftover stuffing for the twice-baked potatoes? Yes, the leftover, leftovers. I used those to make Fried Mashed Potato Cakes! 

Here's how I did those, it was pretty simple. 

I started by cleaning out my BGE Mini-Max grill. That is so much easier now that I finally bought a Kick Ash Basket Ash Can.

How fussy are you about adding coal? I like to shake the ash off of the leftover coal in the Egg. It's fine to just add more coal to the basket. But I like to remove the used coal, add the new coal, and put the used coal on top. I find the used coal lights easier and it definitely doesn't pop as much.

I formed the leftover twice-baked potato mix into cakes using a 2 1/2" ring and then double-dipped them (flour-egg-flour).

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I got the Mini-Max dialed in at 350°f and preheated the skillet of oil for 5 minutes. I fried them in oil for right at 1 minute per side.

I put them on a rack when they came out so they didn't get greasy.

I gave them a quick squirt of white queso sauce and it was time to dive into golden, crispy deliciousness!

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I've been using cast iron grates from Craycort for about 14 years. In addition to being a fantastic cast-iron grate, the modular design lets you add other components like this griddle, a vegetable wok, or a chicken throne.  Craycort

Getting everything in place.

Make sure you give your cast-iron time to pre-heat. I THOUGHT this was ready to go but when I temp-checked it using my Thermapen IR, it wasn't quite 450°f yet. My sister got me this combo food and surface thermometer and I love it. No more guessing. Thermapen IR [Affiliate Link]

Cooking the chorizo in a skillet that's over 80 years old - a Griswold #5.

Don't you just love the sizzle when you put food onto the griddle and/or grill?

Options are always a nice thing, right?

I like using the Mini-Max over a large Egg because it's often just the two of us and the Mini-Max saves fuel.

The Classic is one of my go-to SPG-type seasonings for the kitchen or grill. Keep an eye out for Mikey and Cowboy Kev on the Eggfest circuit or you can mail order their seasonings: Fire and Smoke The Classic

Mmmmm a pepper jack cheese blanket!

I always look forward to a cheese-draped burger.

These burgers were FANTASTIC. I wouldn't change a thing.

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We've been chowing down on mushroom Swiss burgers in the past few weeks. Not that you need a recipe for mushroom Swiss burgers, but I have a basic recipe that I follow for the mushroom topping, and it's easy to prepare one of three ways; sauteed, saucy, or creamy.

I add chopped bacon to my mushroom topping to add a smoky, salty element.

Fun Fungi Facts

Here are some fun facts about mushrooms from Harold McGee's epic On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. [Affiliate Link]

• Mushrooms are natural flavor enhancers. They naturally contain monosodium glutamate, and many also contain guanosine monophosphate. 
• Mushrooms don't have cellulose like plants. Instead, their cell walls are made of chitin which is the same thing as the exoskeletons of crustaceans. 
• Mushrooms produce octenol (an 8-carbon alcohol) and there is more in the gills. Therefore, mature mushrooms that have opened have more gills and more flavor while unopened mushrooms like button mushrooms have less flavor.

Whole Mushrooms vs Pre-Sliced

I prefer to buy whole mushrooms and slice them myself. 

• Mushrooms continue to be quite active for days after being picked. Enzymes continue to develop and store flavor compounds in the gills. 
• If you slice them up before packaging, it disrupts that process and also lets the mushrooms start to dry out. 
• For me, the loss of flavor isn't worth the 30 seconds you save from buying pre-sliced mushrooms. 
• Prep tip:  If you don't have knife skills, you can use an egg slicer to slice your mushrooms instead.

Here's the topping recipe that I use. When you do the sauteed version of this, it's basically mushroom ragout and we've tossed it with pasta or used it as a base for mushroom soup.

We didn't have any frozen fries or tots and the only potatoes I had on hand were these bite-size "ruby sensations" that we bought at Food City. If fries are just bite-sized pieces of fried or roasted potatoes, doesn't that make these.....ROUND FRENCH FRIES!?!?

Mushroom Topping for Mushroom Swiss Burgers

Cook time: 00 hrs. 15 mins.

Total time: 25 mins.

Here are two of my recent burgers.

For the first burger, I used my CharBroil Cruise grill with infrared cooking and automatic controls to cook at the specific temperature of my choosing. That's pretty unique for gas grills which usually just have a dial with settings of low, medium, and high.

I started with fresh ground chuck from Food City and made 6-ounce burger patties. I heavily seasoned those with Jalapeno Steak Butter Seasoning from Pepper Palace. I've been using it on burgers a good bit lately - I enjoy the jalapeno flavor and mild sting. There was no specific reasoning for the 535°f, I meant to do 525°f and didn't notice that I rolled past it on the dial.

I cooked the burgers for about 3 minutes per side. If you're wondering why you don't see flames, the CharBroil Amplifire system has a metal emitter plate just under the grate and above the flames. It prevents flare-ups and cooks using infrared heat which keeps the food more juicy.

I like to use two pieces of Sargento Baby Swiss per burger. Perfectly cheesy!

For the "round french fries", I tossed them with oil and plenty of the Jalapeno Steak Butter seasoning.  I put them in a cast iron cooker on the upper rack of the CharBroil Cruise and cooked them for about 30-45 minutes at 425°f until they were tender.

The mushrooms amplify the cheesy, beefy burger.

I cooked this next batch of Mushroom Swiss Burgers on a flat-top griddle.

Sometimes I opt for convenience and use Schweid & Son's premade burgers. They are fresh, Certified Angus Beef® Brand beef. The All American is USDA Choice while the One Percenter is USDA Prime. Also, when making Mushroom Swiss Burgers, it makes sense to season them with a mushroom-based seasoning like Fire and Smoke's Shiitake Steak Rub or my Umami Steak Seasoning recipe.

Cooking burgers on a flat-top grill are probably my favorite way to go, even if I'm not doing smashburgers.

Look at that pile of deliciousness! I would have eaten it just like this except I like to avoid 3rd-degree burns on my lips and tongue.

Umami for the win! I love a toasted brioche bun as well.