Smoked Half Chicken

Johnny sure knows how to cook chicken right! I’m usually more of a chicken tenders kind of girl, mainly because I don’t like having to worry about getting the meat off the bones. This half chicken is so tender and moist that I had no trouble at all finding delicious hunks of meat that were falling off and ready to eat.

Let me tell you: this is a lot of meat! I knew a half chicken would be big but I was surprised by how much white meat was packed on. Definitely enough for more than one person. Or if you don’t want to share, save some for later and you’ll have another great meal.

Some customers worry that this chicken is too pink to be safe to eat. Actually, the meat is cooked to a proper 165 degrees, until the juices run clear and the joints move freely– two signs of fully-cooked chicken. Jill explained that the smoking process can leave very distinct pink rings on the meat. Any pink you find in this chicken is just proof of how well it’s been smoked. As Jill assured me, “We’re using real science to cook your chicken; we’re not just wingin’ it!”

Today I paired the chicken with Johnny’s potato salad. I found it to be the perfect balance of hearty potato chunks and crispy onions. Also, you don’t have to worry about being overwhelmed with mayonnaise. Del-icious!

The smoked half chicken made for a difficult photo shoot but in the end we had several great pictures of a delicious meal. Check them out here.

Soups

Johnny always strives to make food that is good for the soul and his soups are no exception! Pintos are a perfect match for anything on the menu but I’m also happy to have a cup of chili or brunswick stew any time.

Johnny’s soups come in the traditional sizes of cup or bowl but if you’re really adventurous, you should give the endless bowl a try. For only $4.95, it’s as much soup as you can eat. Johnny will keep refilling your bowl with any soup of your choice! So go on, try that cup of pintos. Then the chili. Then the brunswick stew. What have you got to lose?

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Fried Mushrooms & Pickles

I’ll be up front and say that I don’t like mushrooms or pickles. They’re on my list of foods that I routinely “eat around” and leave on my plate if they happen to be mixed in with something I’m eating.

But I agreed to try Johnny’s fried pickles and fried mushrooms anyway. I wasn’t sure that I would like them but I knew they deserved a chance.

The verdict: YUMMY! I probably won’t be ordering either one instead of a brisket quesadilla any time in the future, but I wouldn’t mind eating them again.

Both the pickles and mushrooms were fried right. The batter wasn’t too thick yet still lent the right amount of fried flavor give the mushrooms a unique taste. Inside the batter, the pickles were still surprisingly crisp and fresh. To top it off, these dishes are both served with Johnny’s delicious smokehouse sauce. I think I would eat nearly anything if only it were dipped in this amazing sauce!

Check out the pictures on Facebook.

Hummus

Nearly every time I look at the JMS menu, the hummus jumps out at me. I first tried it at an event a couple years ago and have since had it in the restaurant. Every time, I’ve loved it. So, I’ve been looking forward to photographing (and eating!) it. All winter long, I’ve been looking forward to it.

Jill and I agreed that hummus is more of a spring/summer dish and so we should wait until warmer weather to feature it. So I waited through the icky winter weather. I waited through snow and rain. I waited when the temperature was below freezing and I thought my toes would fall off. Can you tell that I don’t really enjoy winter anyway? Waiting for hummus just became one more reason I couldn’t wait for spring to arrive. Now, warm weather is finally here and so is my beloved hummus.

Johnny’s hummus is delicious. Garlic is a part of many dishes on the menu and hummus is no different. BUT it’s not overwhelming. Two words come to mind when I think about Johnny’s hummus: smooth and cool. Oh yes, this hummus definitely has texture but at the same time it is very smooth. It’s also the perfect snack when the sun has been beating down on you all day and your tastebuds feel half-dead from heat exhaustion. To me, there’s just something about hummus that says “relax and enjoy this delicious food.”

Johnny’s hummus comes with veggie sticks or homemade corn chips. There’s a delightfully fresh *crunch* of eating hummus with veggie sticks. At the same time, Johnny’s homemade corn chips are fresh and crispy in their own way and are quite a delicious companion.

I know you’ll love this hummus but let me know which dipping companion you prefer: corn chips or veggies?

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Prime Rib

On Tuesday afternoons around 3 o’clock, you can usually find me at Johnny Mitchell’s Smokehouse enjoying another amazing meal and a chat with Johnny and Jill about the quality and unique nature of their food.

Last week, I was very lucky. I went on Tuesday as usual and had a delicious veggie burger but Jill also convinced me to come back on Thursday to try their prime rib. Boy did she have to twist my arm to convince me to come to Johnny’s twice in one week! Yeah right, I was thrilled at the opportunity.

“Why Thursday?” you may be wondering. Thursday is the day that Johnny cooks the prime rib. Thursday afternoons at 5 o’clock, the prime rib is fresh and ready to be eaten. So, of course, I was ready with my camera on Thursday at 5:15.

Johnny’s prime rib is fantastic! That’s all I can really say about it. It was perfectly cooked and I loved it.

Just be warned, this is an enormous piece of meat. Johnny measures his meats after cooking, not before. So this ribeye was 16 oz, after cooking!

Something I’ve learned is that with a truly nice piece of meat and a cook who is as talented as Johnny, the meat doesn’t have to be as well done for me to like it. Normally, when I order a steak I go for medium-well and I don’t really want to see any pink. Now Johnny has me hooked on eating things medium-rare. I trust him to cook the meat right and I’ve started to enjoy the extra juicy flavor of medium-rare.

So two things:

1. go to Johnny’s on a Thursday and try the prime rib
2. try ordering your meat slightly less cooked than usual and let Johnny surprise you with how good it tastes

Check out the photos on Facebook! I’ve found that it’s very difficult for me to capture the delicious essence of Johnny’s steaks but I’m very satisfied with these shots. Hopefully they will make your mouth water and your stomach rumble

2 delicious dishes

Another quote from the guest book...

"Awesome crab cakes with hummus as usual!!"

note the two exclamation points (I promise I didn't add those)

Veggie Burger

Wow! I cannot believe how chock full of veggies this burger is! I’ve grown accustomed to “normal” veggie burgers, where you can tell it isn’t meat but you’re not really sure what’s in it. Not so with Johnny’s veggie burger.

Look at those colors! Clearly real veggies are a major part of this burger. The basis for this burger is always Johnny’s delicious black bean queso dip. What other vegetables go in is determined by what’s fresh. My burger was filled with carrots, broccoli, green beans, potato and cauliflower. Then the whole thing is flavored with Johnny’s Smokehouse Rub to give it that special JMS feeling. Yum yum!

I love the texture of this burger. It’s not too firm, and delightful chunks of veggies kept falling out of the bun and onto my plate. To me, this just seems to prove how real Johnny’s food is. It reminds me that these veggies were mixed together in the kitchen by a truly amazing chef who really cares about feeding people good food.

I chose pintos as the perfect companion for this burger. Johnny’s pintos are delicious. Eat them as an appetizer, with your meal, or as a dessert! Johnny adds smoked garlic to the pintos for extra smokehouse flair. Now that’s something you don’t see every day.

Check out the pictures on facebook.