Carbonara is one of the easiest and tastiest dishes that can be quickly prepared for a perfect weeknight meal!







This Carbonara Bucatini recipe keeps it pretty simple, featuring our homemade smoked bacon, two of our favorite Italian cheeses and the thick and filling bucatini noodles. Whether you want to throw in some broccoli, asparagus or spinach right into the pasta, serve it with a salad on the side or just keep it simple, the results are tasty every time!



It all starts with Chef Britt's cured and smoked bacon. Traditionally Carbonara is made with guanciale or pancetta, both of which are cured cuts of pork from Italy. Bacon makes for a great substitution!



While spaghetti may be the most popular pasta for Carbonara, my personal favorite is Bucatini. Bucatini is a thicker pasta, similar in shape to spaghetti, but hollowed out in the center.



The eggs and cheeses create the sauce that Carbonara is known for. The eggs thicken the sauce, adding richness, while the cheeses define the flavor. You will typically find Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano or a combination of the two cheeses in Carbonara. We snuck in a Pecorino Tartufo with little bits of black truffle worked into the cheese to really bump up the flavor!



As the egg and cheese mixture combines with the bacon fat and is worked into the warm pasta it forms the sauce that coats the bucatini, creating the magic that is Carbonara!

Carbonara Bucatini

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Ingredients

• 4 oz bacon lardons


• 8 oz bucatini pasta


• 2 tbsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt


• 1 1/2 oz pecorino tartufo (truffle)


• 1 1/2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano


• 2 eggs


• 1 egg yolk


• Black pepper


• 1/4-1/2 cup pasta water

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Instructions

Place the bacon in a cold Lodge 12” Cast Iron Skillet. Beginning rendering the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the bacon is beginning to crisp, turn off the heat.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt. Add the bucatini pasta to the boiling water and cook to al dente, about 7 minutes. The pasta should be cooked but still have some bite to it.

Remove the pasta from the water with tongs and transfer directly to the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet with the bacon and bacon fat. Toss the pasta in the bacon fat to coat the noodles.

Combine the cheeses with the eggs and yolk and mix well with a fork. Season the mixture generously fresh ground black pepper.

You might also enjoy: Bacon & Asparagus Pasta Salad

Transfer the egg and cheese mixture to the pasta and toss to coat. Thin with reserved pasta water, as needed.

Taste the Carbonara Bucatini and adjust seasonings as needed.

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Chef Britt gets familiar with center-cut, beef back ribs, and prepares them with tons of Tuscan flavor! These Tuscan Smoked Beef Ribs couldn't get any easier!

Tuscan Smoked Beef Ribs

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Yields: 2 racks of beef back ribs (6-9 servings)

Ingredients

For the ribs:

• Two racks of center-cut, beef back beef ribs


• Cattleman’s Grill Tuscan Steak Seasoning, as needed


• Saica Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as needed


• 2-4 Tablespoons Orlando Balsamic Vinegar


• 1/2 cup (or less) Red Wine, like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Tuscan-style red blend

Instructions

To make the ribs:

• Trim the center-cut beef ribs as needed. This is usually is not more than peeling the membrane from the backside of the ribs. Do this by sliding a butter knife or screwdriver underneath the membrane in the center of the rack, avoiding cutting through the membrane, and remove by separating the membrane from the rack. Pat the ribs dry.


• Coat the beef ribs with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil as a binder and a light coating of Cattleman’s Grill Tuscan Steak Seasoning. This particular seasoning is salt-heavy, so better to take it easy than to have something too salty in the end.


• Allow the seasoning to set onto the ribs, about 10-15 minutes.


• Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s pellet grill to 250℉ filled with BBQr’s Delight Contest Blend Pellets.


• Place the ribs on the upper second shelf meat-side up for approximately 3 hours, until a satisfactory amount of smoke and deeper, mahogany color is achieved.


• Remove the ribs from the smoker to prep for the braising portion of the cook. Raise the temperature of the smoker to 350℉.


• Tightly wrap ribs in two layers of foil with balsamic vinegar and red wine as a braise. Return to the smoker on the upper shelf with the meat-side down. Cook for another hour, or until the desired texture is achieved. If you are planning to shred the beef, it must reach a minimum internal temperature of 212℉. Allow meat to rest covered for 15-30 minutes before serving.

To serve:

• After resting, remove bones from meat, and shred beef. Serve as desired: on its own, on a sandwich, with pasta, on top of a salad, or with grilled vegetables.

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What better way to celebrate Easter (or any holiday) than with a big skillet of cheesy, saucy, Lamb & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells?! It's comfort food, designed for sharing, and Chef Tom is cooking it up on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill!

Lamb & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells

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36 shells, 12 servings

Ingredients

• 12 oz jumbo pasta shells


• Saica Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as needed


• 4 oz fontina cheese, grated


• 4 oz provolone cheese, grated


• Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning, as needed

For the filling:

• 1 lb ground lamb


• 1 lb hot Italian sausage


• 1 tbsp Code 3 spices Grunt Rub


• 1 lb spinach leaves


• 1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese


• 1/2 cup fine ground parmesan cheese


• 2 eggs, beaten

For the tomato sauce:

• 1 (28 oz) can Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes


• 1/4 cup pesto


• 1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning


• 1/4 cup heavy cream

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Instructions

Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 425ºF, set up for indirect grilling.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta, bring the water back to a boil and cook until al dente (not completely softened), about 8 minutes. Strain off the pasta. Discard the water. Place the pasta in a bowl and drizzle with about two tablespoons Saica Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Toss to coat. This will help prevent the pasta from sticking.

Place the ground lamb, Italian sausage and Code 3 spices Grunt Rub in a Lodge 10” Cast Iron Skillet. Cook the sausage over medium high heat until browned on the surface and cooked through. Scoop the sausage out of the skillet with a slotted spoon. Place the sausage in a bowl.

Pour half of the grease from the skillet into the large empty pot used to boil the pasta. Add the spinach to the pot and cook over medium heat until wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove the spinach from the pot. Transfer to the strainer. Let cool before pressing the liquid out of the spinach. Mince the cooked drained spinach.

To make the tomato sauce, add the Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes, pesto and Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning to the Lodge 10” skillet used to cook the sausage. You should still have a couple of tablespoons of grease in the skillet. Bring to a simmer. Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. When the sauce begins to thicken, add the heavy cream. Stir and return to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and let it sit warm.

To make the filling, add the minced spinach, ricotta and parmesan cheeses and beaten eggs to the bowl of cooked sausage. Mix well.

Fill each shell with a generous two tablespoons of the filling. You should have about stuffed shells. You will have extra pasta. It’s wise to make extra, as some will be damaged during the cooking process. Enjoy the scraps as a snack!

You might also enjoy: Braised Lamb Shanks

Divide the tomato sauce evenly between two Lodge 10” Cast Iron Skillets (or work in batches).

Divide the stuffed shells between the two skillets, nestling them into the tomato sauce. Top the shells with the grated fontina and provolone. Sprinkle more Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning on top of the cheese.

Transfer the skillets to the second shelf of the grill. Cook until the shells are fully tender and the cheese on top is melted and beginning to brown, about 45 minutes.

Remove the Lamb & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells from the grill and serve immediately.