Alameda Smoke n' Sizzle

Chicken Parmesan Sliders on the Traeger might be one of the easiest crowd-pleasers to make.

Take slices of garlic bread, press down the center with a spoon, load them up with crispy breaded chicken, marinara, and mozzarella, then toss them on the Traeger until everything got melty and ridiculous.

Simple idea. Big flavor. Perfect game day, party, or “I need something awesome fast” cook.

The garlic bread getting crispy underneath while the cheese melts on top is the real winner here.

Who’s trying these first? 👀🔥

The best way to make low carb cheese taco shells

Smoke it. Sizzle it. Get after it.
Grate first for flavor, pan finish for juicy perfection. That’s the move every time.

🔥🌮 Shredded Beef Taco Night = SUCCESS 🌮🔥

Tonight’s dinner started with about a 3 lb beef chuck roast and ended with some next-level shredded beef tacos.

After doing a little trim of the harder fat, I hit it with a sriracha hot sauce binder and a generous layer of Kinder's Sweet Heat (sweet + heat = always a win). Threw it on the Traeger at 275° since I was rolling on a tighter timeline and let it ride until about 165° internal.

Then into a pan it went with:
🥣 Beef broth
🥄 Worcestershire
🧈 A little butter
🧄 Fresh garlic

Covered tight with foil, bumped the Traeger to 300°, and let it roll until it hit around 205° internal.

Rested 30 minutes… then the magic happened. Pulled apart like a dream. Juicy, tender, and that spice level was perfect. Had enough kick to know it’s there, but still family-approved.

Loaded into warm tortillas and just like that… taco night leveled up. 🌮🔥

Backyard cooking doesn’t have to be complicated…just solid temps, good seasoning, and a little patience.

Tonight’s dinner on the Blackstone was one of those repeat hits we keep coming back to. We’ve posted this one before, but when a meal is this simple and this good, it earns a spot in the regular rotation every few weeks.

Five-cheese tortellini from Costco went down first, then straight to the griddle with veggies. Tonight we kept it easy with frozen veggies (we usually chop up zucchini and squash). After combining the cooked tortellini and veggies, finished them off with a nice coating of Alfredo sauce, and called it comfort food done right.

For a little extra protein, I cooked up the rest of a package of jalapeño chicken sausage for my son and me. Veggies got hit with a little Holy Gospel while they cooked, and the sausage got a drizzle of Kinder’s hot honey BBQ sauce to add just enough sweetness and caramelization to make it pop.

Simple ingredients, quick cook, zero complaints at the table. This is one of those meals the whole family loves and that’s why it keeps making a comeback.

Tonight’s dinner was mostly by the book… the Meat Church Mexican Grilled Chicken book 😄 — with a few Smoke N’ Sizzle tweaks, of course.

Trimmed up some chicken thighs and tossed them in a bag to marinade with a can of pickled jalapeños for about 5–6 hours. Patted them dry, hit them with Meat Church Fajita seasoning, then onto the Blackstone. During the cook, basted them with a melted butter + Yellowbird jalapeño hot sauce mixture. Cooked to temp, and finished with a melt of cheddar and pepper jack.

We were very hungry and completely forgot to take a pic of the fully built sandwich on toasted buns. Rookie move. Oops. 😂

Bonus points for making the wife a meatless burger patty so everyone wins tonight. 🔥🍔

Kept New Year’s morning easy around here 🍳🔥
Hashbrowns and eggs on the Blackstone — simple, crispy, and exactly what we needed to start the year right.

Seasoned the hashbrowns two ways: Meat Church Blanco for the wifey, and Texas Sugar for me. Best of both worlds.

Good food, no stress, and a slow start to the new year with family. Let’s make 2026 a good one. 🥂

We kept it easy (and tasty) last night to ring in the New Year 🎉
Two Papa Murphy’s pizzas, both finished with a little Voodoo seasoning for good measure, went straight onto the Traeger. Perfectly cooked, crispy crust, zero stress.

Sometimes the best way to celebrate is good food, good family, and a champagne toast at midnight. 🥂
Here’s to a flavorful year ahead — let’s smoke, sizzle, and have some fun in 2026.

The smoked cream cheese was on snack duty throughout the day — perfect for grazing while things were getting prepped. Later, the main event hit the table: a sweet bourbon ham, slow-smoked and full of holiday flavor.

Two different cooks, two different purposes, both absolutely worth repeating. This is why I love stretching the smoker from snacks all the way to dinner.