Recipe by Melburnbbq These low and slow beef cheeks turned out beautifully after cooking low n slow for 7 hours in the Z Grill. They are so amazingly tender you can even cut them with a spoon! The high collagen content breaks down after a couple of hours creating an exceptionally rich texture. The collagen and fat also keeps the cheeks super moist and prevents them from drying out. Ingredients 1.5 kg Beef cheeks 4 Celery stalks (roughly diced) 1 Large Carrot (roughly diced) 1 Large onion (roughly diced) 4 Garlic cloves (minced) 1 Bunch fresh thyme 4 Bay Leaves 1 Cup Beef stock 2 Cups red wine Salt and pepper to season steps Let your beef cheeks come to room temperature (around 30 minutes) and trim any fat and membrane away then season with salt and pepper or your favourite beef rub. Fire up your your Z Grill pellet smoker to and set to the smoke setting. Spread out the beef cheeks on the grill and leave them for 30 minutes on the smoke setting to infuse as much smoke flavour as possible. This step is completely optional and if you prefer a more subtle smokey taste, you can leave this step out and add another 30 minutes to the next step. Crank your Z Grill up to 148°C and cook for 2-3 hours depending on the size of your beef cheeks. Towards the end of the previous step, sauté some celery, carrots, garlic, and onions on medium heat in a pan. Once translucent, add to a baking tray and place your beef cheeks on top of the vegetable mix Add a bunch of thyme and place bay leaves into the mix before pouring in the red wine and stock over the beef cheeks in the tray. Place the tray back in your Z Grill at 148°C and cook for another 3-4 hours, turning the beef every hour to ensure even braising. The cooking time will be largely dependent on the size of the beef cheeks. At 1.5kg for 4 pieces of cheeks, it took roughly 4 hours to cook through. Ensure that beef cheeks are tender to the touch and probe before removing. Set the beef aside wrapped in foil and discard the thyme/bay leaf bunch. Pour the remaining braising liquid into a deep pot and puree until light brown and smooth. Simmer the liquid on low until the sauce thickens Return the beef to the sauce and serve with a side of mash potatoes and broad beans.

An Aussie classic, these bickies were one of my favourites as a kid. They are super easy to make and turned out great. Best enjoyed with a cup of tea while still warm, but will last in biscuit tin for literally months if not all eaten first. Remember only these ingredients can be used to make ANZAC biscuits, add or remove anything and you have to give them a new name! INGREDIENTS This recipe makes a dozen biscuits. 1 cup rolled oats 3/4 cup raw sugar 3/4 cup desiccated coconut 1 cup plain flour, sifted 125 g butter, melted 2 tablespoons Golden Syrup 1/2 tsp bicarb soda 3 tablespoons boiling water STEPS Combine and mix thoroughly sifted flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl. Melt the butter and Golden Syrup over low heat. Add boiling water to the bicarb soda, once dissolved add into the butter/syrup mix, it will bubble/fizz up a bit. Add the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix throughly. Rolls the mix into golf ball size balls and layout on grease proof paper on baking tray and flatten the tops just slightly. Space the balls with about 3 fingers between each ball as they will flatten to about triple the diameter as they cook. Pre-heat the Z Grill to 176ºC / 350ºF and cook for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Rest on cooling rack until at room temperature then store in air-tight container.

Carrot cakes are one of my favourites and my son had a good basic recipe from school that we added some pineapple and walnuts too. The result is a fairly dense, moist, fruity carrot cake that is very tasty. CAKE INGREDIENTS 2/3 cup of vegetable oil (olive oil works great, not virgin) 3 eggs 1/3 cup brown sugar (not too sweet) 3/4 cup self raising plain flour 1/4 cup wholemeal self raising flour 1/3 cup saltanas 1/3 cup diced canned pineapple (drained) 1/3 cup diced raw walnuts 2 large carrots grated ICING INGREDIENTS 250 grams cream cheese 35 grams icing sugar (not too sweet) Whole lemon or orange zest STEPS Mix all ingredients in a large bowl Place into 6″ greased baking tray or un-greased silicone tray Cook in pre-heated Z Grill at 190ºC for 25-30min until golden brown and no dough when probed Let cool on rack (not directly on plate or board) then apply icing Whip icing ingredients and place in fridge until ready to coat the cake

Easter 2020, so perfect time to give hot cross buns baked on the Z Grills a go! I realised afterwards that I used an extra half cup of flour in the dough that was meant for the white crosses, which explains why they were a bit too big, but otherwise they turned out pretty good. I definitely suggest eating them the same day as baked while still nice an moist. DOUGH INGREDIENTS 4 cups plain flour 1/4 cup caster sugar 14 grams dried yeast 40g butter 1 1/4 cups whole milk 2 eggs beaten 2 tspn all spice 2 cups currants (very fruity) GLAZE INGREDIENTS 3 tbspn apricot jam 1/3 cup water CROSS INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup plain flour 4 tablespoons of water (as required for thin paste) MAKE THE DOUGH Mix 4 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, all spice, salt and currants in a large bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat and add the milk. Add warm milk mixture and eggs to the bowl. Use a flat bladed knife to mix the dough until it almost comes together, then using clean hands, finish mixing to a soft dough. Place dough on floured surface and knead until dough is smooth (5-10minutes). Oil a large bowl (at least 2-3 times the size of the dough) and cover with plastic wrap. Place in warm, draught free location for 60-90 unites or until dough has doubled in size. Line a large (about 30 x 25cm ) baking tray with baking paper. Punch the dough down to its original size and then knead for 30 seconds on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide into 12 even portions and shape each portion into a ball. Tip: Cut in half, half again and then thirds to get 12. Use a large (about 30 x 25cm ) baking tray lined with baking paper. Place balls onto the tray with even spacing. Cover with oiled cling wrap and put in warm, draught free location for about 30 minutes, or until the buns double in size. Preheat the Z Grill to 176ºC / 350ºF WHITE CROSSES Make the flour for the cross by mixing ½ cup plain flour and 4 tablespoons of water together, mixing until smooth. Using spoon put the mix into a small zip-lock bag and cut off one corner to make a piping bag. Pipe the flour paste on the buns to form crosses. BAKE & GLAZE Place tray into the pre-heated Z Grill and cook for 25-30 minutes until they start to turn a golden brown. Check with temp probe or skewer to see if done (no dough on skewer when removed). Once the buns are nearly cooked, add the apricot jam and water into saucepan on low low heat and stir until the jam dissolves then boil for 3-4 minutes until thickened up. Brush the glaze over warm hot cross buns. Serve while still warm. Also great if cut in half and toasted under a grill.

This was my first attempt at making a cheesecake and it turned out pretty nice, once I let it cool down long enough that is! Base ingredients 1 pack Granita crushed biscuits (250g) 70g melted butter 20g sugar (help to bind the base together) CREAM Cheese Filling Ingredients 500g cream cheese 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 1/2 cup sugar (not too sweet) 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 orange zest 1/2 lemon zest 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract make the base Crush or use blender to crumb biscuits and combine with melted butter and sugar. Press biscuit mix into greased tray.  Use round bottomed glass or measuring spoon to compress the base firmly. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with foil (to prevent water getting in or butter leaking out) Bake in the Z Grills at 190ºC for about 15 minutes or until crust begins to brown slightly.  PREPARE THE FILLING WHILE THE BASE BAKES After removing the base, increase the Z Grills temperature to High (232ºC) MIX & BAKE Slowly add ingredients to the cream cheese as you mix Pour the mix straight into the base and return to the pre-heated (High) Z Grill. Bake on High (230ºC) for 10-15min (until puffed and slightly brown surface), then drop the temperature setting to 107ºC Cook for 60+ min then complete the wobble test (the sides seem fairly firm and only the centre wobbles a bit) Remove from Z Grill and allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 6 hours (lightly covered).  Remember to turn the Z Grill to Smoke setting for 10 minutes then Shut Down Cycle.

The next time you are craving falafels, put away your deep fryer, roll out your Z Grill and give this recipe a shot. To most Aussies, meat and BBQ-ing come hand-in-hand. The beauty of the Z Grill wood pellet smoker is that it is so much more versatile than your ordinary gas BBQ. Cook a range of foods such as desserts and even this smoked falafel. ingredients 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed 1/4 cup chopped onion 3 cloves fresh garlic 1/2 cup fresh parsley 1 Tablespoon olive or avocado oil 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon of Lane’s Sweet and Sour Seasoning 1 pinch of cayenne 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3 Tablespoons plain flour cooking spray steps Fire up your Z Grill pellet smoker and preheat to 176°C Blitz together onion, garlic, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and Lane’s Seasoning. Add chickpeas and blitz until you get the consistency you desire. Mix through baking soda and flour. Scoop balls of the mixture, forming patties and place on oil sprayed baking paper. Bake in Z Grill at 176 °C for 25 minutes making sure to flip halfway. Serve smoked falafels warm.

Preparing a feast on your Z Grill pellet smoker but feel like something is missing? These super easy homemade dinner rolls are a great way to top it off. It goes well with everything from curries to pulled pork sliders. Ingredients 4 -5 cups all-purpose flour 2 tbsp rapid rise instant yeast 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups milk 5 tbsp softened butter 1 egg at room temperature 2 tbsp melted butter steps Heat the milk up to 44°C either on a stovetop or in your microwave. Combine 3 cups of flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt, warm milk, butter, and egg in the bowl of your standing mixer. Attach your dough hook and switch your mixer to the lowest speed. Mix until flour is incorporated. Be sure to scrape the side of the bowl down as necessary. Increase speed to medium and mix for another 2 minutes. Slowly add the remaining cup of flour, 1/2 cup at a time and mix until fully incorporated. Mix at medium for another 2 minutes until ball of dough is formed. Add additional flour as necessary. the dough should be soft and slightly sticky but you should still be able to pull it away from the edge of the bowl. Transfer dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise for 30 minutes at room temperature. During that time, you can fire up your Z Grill pellet smoker and preheat it up to 176 °C. Remove the towel or plastic wrap and deflate the dough by punching down lightly. Pinch off pieces of the dough and form 24 rolls. You can weigh them to keep the rolls roughly the same size. Transfer the rolls to a cast iron pan or baking tray. Cover and let it rise for another 30 minutes at room temperature. Bake the rolls in your Z Grill for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. If rolls are getting too brown too quickly, you can cover the rolls in foil for the remaining time it is in your Z Grill. Serve dinner rolls warm.

These sausage rolls are a simple way to use up any offcut beef or if you are just after a quick snack that the family will enjoy. The beauty of the Z Grill pellet smoker is that you can cook so much more than just your BBQ classics. ingredients 500g beef rib plate offcuts or minced beef 200g diced bacon 1 cup cheddar cheese 1 tbsp Lane’s Pitmaster Elite Rub 5 of 6 4 sheets of puff pastry 2 tbsp poppy/sesame seeds (optional) steps Fire up your Z Grill pellet smoker and preheat to 176°C Ground-up your beef rib plate with a meat grinder. If you choose to use minced beef, you can skip this step entirely Mix bacon, ground beef, cheddar cheese, and Lane’s Seasoning together in a large mixing bowl Divide the mixture into 4 parts and wrap them up with the puff pastry sheets Cut sausage roll into preferred size You can sprinkle some poppy/sesame seeds or cheese on your sausage rolls. Bake them in your Z Grill for about 35 minutes at 176°C Serve and enjoy

Kate Irving – Townsville This chocolate tart recipe is a great way to impress your family and friends with what you can cook on your Z Grills pellet smoker. The weather up here in Townsville gets pretty unbearable, especially during the summer months. I use my Z Grill to cook anything that I would otherwise make in my oven in order to keep the heat out of the house. ingredients Raspberry poached pears 750ml water 1 ½ cups sugar 2 cups (about 180g) frozen raspberries 3 pears peeled and halved Chocolate pastry 1 cup plain flour ¼ cup cocoa 75g butter 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp Lane’s Chocolate Sea-Salt Caramel Seasoning 3-4 tbsp cold water Almond filling ½ cup icing sugar 75g butter ¾ cup almond meal ½ tsp vanilla 3 tbsp cocoa 1 tbsp milk steps Raspberry poached pears Simmer the pears in the water, sugar, and raspberries until tender. Leave to cool then leave in the fridge overnight. Chocolate pastry Blend all ingredients for the chocolate pastry ingredients together. Slowly add water until the dough comes together. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for half an hour. Preheat the Z Grill Pellet Smoker to 176°C and blind bake (pre-bake) for 20 minutes Almond filling Whip together the almond filling ingredients and spread into the cooled pastry shell. Cook Place pear halves such that it ‘floats’ on the filling, Bake in the Z Grill at 176°C for 40-50 minutes until the filling has risen slightly and pulled away from the pears. Let it cool slightly and serve your chocolate tart

Kate Irving – Townsville My Z Grill pellet smoker isn’t just great for smoking meat and Low n’ Slow, it is also great for making school snacks and keeping the heat outside. We made banana choc chip muffins and ham, cheese and tomato muffins on the Z Grill cooked at 176°C for 20 minutes. ingredients Banana Choc Chip Muffins 2 small or 1 large ripe bananas 1 egg 45g sugar 1.5 tbps vegetable oil 1 tsp Lane’s Apple Pie Seasoning 1 tsp Lane’s Caramel Seasoning 1/3 cup chocolate chips Ham and Cheese Muffins 90g ham chopped 2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese 3/4 cup self-raising flour 2 tsp Lane’s Honey Sriracha Rub 1/3 cup milk 2 tbsp olive oil 1 egg 1 cup cherry tomatoes steps Preheat the Z Grill pellet smoker to 176°C and grease up a mini muffin tray Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and spoon in into the tray Bake for roughly 20 minutes and let it cool Serve and enjoy

If it is your first time making homemade bacon, this guide is perfect for you. The guys from Smoked and Cured gave us advice on how to make it and we used their pre-mixed Maple Bacon Cure which was super easy. Ready-made cure vs homemade cure You can choose the more convenient pre-mix option or take on a more challenging path of doing your own mix. Most cure recipes will call for some form of curing salt commonly referred to as Pink Salt or Prague Powder #1. This not only helps the bacon develop its signature pink hue but it also ensures that the bacon is cured properly and so safe to eat and last well in the fridge. We have experimented with recipes without curing salts in the past, but it isn’t 100% safe, so best not to risk it unless you really know what you are doing. So, If this is your first time making homemade bacon, we definitely recommend you start off with a ready-made cure such as the Misty Gully Maple Bacon Cure. Otherwise, if you are after something a bit more challenging you can check out this guide from Smoked and Cured. pellet smoker vs kitchen oven While it is possible to cook bacon in your electric or gas oven you won’t get the same great smokey wood-fired flavour as in a pellet smoker. We used the Z Grills 450A Pellet Smoker along with some hickory pellets for this batch of bacon. Hickory wood smoke is known to leave quite a distinct flavor on food that is similar but not quite as strong as mesquite wood and has a hint of sweetness just like maple wood. This combination of aromas is often associated with bacon itself. You could use a more neutral-flavored pellet or a blend if you want something milder. The key thing is that it is your own homemade bacon, so you can experiment to get the flavor profile that you like best. pork cut The type of bacon will usually determine the cut of pork you will need. The two most common types of bacon you’ll find here in Australia are streaky bacon and short cut bacon. We cut down our pork belly to around 1kg pork for our batch, but it is a great idea to do a larger cut or even multiple bellies in a large batch as you can vacuum pack and freeze the bacon and store for months. Streaky Bacon – Pork Belly Streaky bacon is known for the streak of fats that runs through the bacon. Streaky bacon is also sometimes referred to as American bacon. It is made from pork belly, where the fat content is high. Short Cut Bacon – pork Loin Short cut bacon which is also known as British bacon, has a chewier texture compared to the latter streaky bacon. It has a lower fat content and it is made from the pork loin. Video Guide What you will need Misty Gully Maple Bacon Cure Z Grill Wood Pellet Smoker Extra flavour from ingredients like pepper, thyme, mustard seeds, juniper berries or even ground coffee Pork cut of choice steps to make it step 1 – Dry and Cut your pork Pat the pork dry with paper towel, trim away excess fat and cut into a neater square shape. The rind can remain on or be removed. The rind can end up quite tough after the curing and smoking process but can form some nice crunchy rind when cooked in a pan. Perhaps try a cut each way and see what you prefer. step 2 – Apply Cure Mix up the herbs and spices of your choice with 40-50g of the maple bacon cure for every kilogram of pork. We used 50g/kg to be safe, as some ended up left on the cutting board. Apply the dry mixture to your pork cut. Once evenly coated, put in a ziplock bag, push out all the air and store away in the fridge for at least 4 days or up to 8 days. Those extra days making it saltier. We cured ours for 5 days. STEP 3 – FLIP IT DAILY Turn over the bag every 24 hours to allow the cure to work on both sides. The liquid will accumulate in the bag which is what you want to see, so don’t drain that out, and don’t open the bag. step 4 – Rinse/SOAK After the curing is done, give the bacon a thorough rinse under cold water to remove the excess salt. We did this after our 5 days curing time and our bacon was perfect salt level. If you cured for longer than this you may need to soak the bacon for up to an hour in room temperature water to remove some more of the salt. Step 5 – Smoke Fire up your Z Grill Wood Pellet Smoker and bring it up to anywhere between 82°C and 107°C. On the higher setting, the bacon will cook a little faster but will not get as much smoky flavor. We cooked ours at 107°C and were super happy with the smoky flavor. Put your bacon in your Z Grill once it has come up to temperature and let it cook until the internal bacon temperature reaches 65°C. Depending on the thickness of the cut and your temperature setting it could take 2-3 hours. Step 6 – COOL Put the bacon in the fridge for a few hours to allow the fats in the bacon to properly solidify before you try to slice it. Step 7 – Eat & enjoy Just like that, you are done. Give yourself a pat in the back for making your very own homemade bacon. Whether you choose to slice it thinly with a meat slicer or into thicker cuts with your kitchen knife is up to you. Fry it up and enjoy! STORE IT Your bacon will last up to 3 weeks in the fridge or 3