Steak Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

So; my wife is on a business trip to Mexico, leaving me completely unsupervised for a week.  For the first time in a very long time, I found myself in my kitchen with NOTHING to do and NOBODY to cook for.  I was hungry.  What to do.......

"Why not cook up some of my favorite bacon wrapped stuffed chilis," I asked myself?  "OH, you've got those two beef tenderloin medallions that you need to cook today," I reminded myself.  What the heck?  Fire up the grill and cook them all!

You Will Need:

• Chili Peppers (I like Anaheim peppers for this)
• Melting Cheese (Cream Cheese, or Cheddar is fine but NOT "Whipped" Cream Cheese)
• Bacon
• Salt
• Cayenne Pepper
• 10oz Filet Mignon or Beef Tenderloin Medallion 
• Preheat Oven to 375
• Light up a chimney full of charcoal on your grill

I make "Jalapeno Poppers" a hundred different ways.  I've stuffed them with Blue Cheese, Cheddar, Cheese Curds, Cream Cheese, you name it.  I've also used a variety of different peppers, not always Jalapenos.  In this case I chose Anaheim peppers because they're bigger.  You could use two old fashioned Jalapeno peppers though, if you wanted.

Slice off the caps and remove as much of the white pithy membrane as you feel is "appropriate."  Remember, the heat in any chili is in the membrane, NOT the seeds!  This is always a balancing act because you want room for the cheese, but you also want to leave some heat so, prep accordingly.

Stuff your chili with cheese.  This time, I used some fresh cheese curds because, well, because I had some and because they melt like crazy, and because they're super delish... Use whatever you want, but do NOT use "Whipped" (or spreadable) cream cheese!  It expands under heat and will leak out of the chili and make a mess.  Plug the end of your chili with a wad of bacon because... bacon is delicious and it will keep the cheese from leaking out!

Finally, wrap the entire chili with a slice of bacon (or two, depending on how large your chili is), grease a pan, and slide them into the oven for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Now, turn your attention to the steak.  It almost seems "criminal" to take a beautiful 10oz filet like this one, and to pound the living crap out of it, but... great "omelets" involve broken eggs, so, take a deep breath and fortify yourself.  You'll need a layer of plastic and some water for lubrication.  Spritz some water on a plastic bag, place the plastic on top of the steak, and gently pound the steak with a mallet, starting in the center and working your way out toward the edges.  TAKE YOUR TIME!  If you pound your meat too aggressively, you'll tear the edges and NOBODY wants that!  Just keep things lubricated, take your time, be gentle, and pound away!  Your patience will be rewarded... :)

You should end up with a nice flat piece of steak that resembles a large flour tortilla.  Excellent!  Season it with a sprinkle of salt, and a shake of Cayenne pepper.

Remove your chili from the oven and place it (while it's still warm) at one end of your "tortilla."  Gently (but tightly) roll it up, and use a couple of wooden toothpicks to pin up the ends.

Place it on the counter to rest while you tend to your fire.  Did you remember to turn off the oven?  Good. This would also be a magnificent time to open a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and to let it breathe.  You'll need it.  Later...

Dump your coals into half of your pit.  I used an old half-charred hunk of oak wood as a "fence."  The idea is to create an area of indirect heat, as well as a super-hot spot of direct heat.

Once everything is pre-heated (give your pit 15 minutes alone with the lid closed), lay your steak roll on the indirect side.  I know, I know, there is fire on both sides in the picture... but as soon as I closed the lid and dampered down the air supply, things settled down.  Close the lid and leave your roll in there, undisturbed for about 12 minutes.

When you lift the lid, use some long tongs to move the roll to the hot side!  Roll it around over there and give it two to three minutes on each side.  You want a nice char, but you don't want to incinerate it, so be careful!

Take the roll off the heat and wrap it in foil to rest while you get your plate ready.  Earlier, I simmered a small carton of mushrooms in half a stick of butter, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup of Burgundy I had leftover, for about an hour.  It's time these two met!  Pour a massive glass of the Cab-Sav and get ready, baby...

I dumped a scoop of the shrooms onto a plate and then unrolled and sliced the steak roll into two halves.  The cheese was gooey, the bacon was crispy, and the steak was perfect!  Being "unsupervised," I was tempted to just pick up the roll with my hand and eat it like a "Boss!"  I didn't... mostly because I didn't want greasy smudges all over my wine glass.

Sadly, it was at this moment that I kicked myself for foolishly not thinking about a sauce... Perhaps a Hollandaise?  Bearnaise?  White Queso? Maybe a Green-Chili sauce?  Oh well.  It was pretty damned delicious as it was!

How to Smoke Baby-Back Ribs

Everyone has a special way to cook ribs.  Some methods are better than others, and some are just downright "odd!"  I was horrified to learn that in parts of the Midwest, they boil them in water before simmering them in cheap BBQ sauce in a crock pot for hours.  Some people grill them, others bake them, still others swear that a rotisserie is the trick.  Me?  I prefer to slow-smoke them!  It may not be the "universally correct" answer, necessarily, but it will certainly earn me an A+ on the rib test...

If you have a smoker, and you're ready for a "no short cuts" approach to slow smoked BBQ ribs, then read on!

You Will Need:

• As many racks of Baby-Back ribs as you can fit on your smoker
• Rib-Rub (more on this later)
• Yellow Mustard
• Honey
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Apple Cider
• 1 Tbsp Adobo Sauce from a can of Chipotle Peppers 

First things first, go outside and start your smoker.  It needs to be fully pre-heated to 225 before you lay on the ribs, so... get that going!  Also, this is going to take 6 hours so get some beers on ice and find a comfortable chair.  Let's Prep!

Before you prep the ribs, you'll want to get your sauces ready.  Mix a generous glob of honey with a hefty squirt of yellow mustard.  Stir it and set it aside.  You just made honey-mustard for a fraction of the cost so pat yourself on the back and have a beer!  Mix a Tablespoon of honey with an equal amount of adobo sauce, stir it into 1 Cup of your favorite BBQ sauce.  Stir it and set it aside.  Mix about a Cup of Cider Vinegar with a Cup of Apple Cider and pour it into a squirt bottle for spritzing.  Set it aside.

You'll need about a cup of dry rub for three racks of ribs.  Personally, I don't like to buy store bought rubs.  They're expensive and even if you find one you like, it may not be on the shelf next time so... you might as well learn to make a rub that you like.  Here's mine, feel free to tweak it to match your own taste:

• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Chipotle Chili Powder
• 1/2 Cup Sea Salt
• 1/2 Cup Coarse Ground Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 Cup Onion Powder

Ok, NOW you can finally take the ribs out of the pack!  Rinse them and pat them dry.  There's a membrane on the back side of the ribs and debates rage about whether to remove it or not.  I consider three facts when it comes to the membrane: 

1. It will not break down during the cooking process.
2. It tastes just like paper.
3. It will inhibit smoke and heat from penetrating the back side of your rack of ribs.

It is for these reasons that I choose to remove the membrane.  Use a sharp filet knife to flick this membrane loose on one side or the other, and grab it with a paper-towel.  Now, pull!  Pitch it in the garbage or give it to the dog, but rest easy and smile, knowing that it's no longer on your menu!

Slather both sides of your ribs with your honey mustard.  Make sure you have enough for the dry-rub to stick to.  Once you have both sides coated, and your dry-rub mixed, you can shake on the rub!  Be generous!

Once your ribs are rubbed, wrap your rubbed ribs in a layer of plastic wrap.  I roll mine up on top of each other, as shown here.  Get them wrapped up nice and tight, and leave them to rest on the counter for about an hour!

Don't skip this step!  The rub and the mustard are getting to know each other and they're making a marinade together.  The salt is waking up the meat a little and it's all starting to come together at this point.  Shhh.... let them be.

Ok, once your cooker is up to temperature, and you have a nice thin line of blue smoke puffing out of your stack, it's time to lay out the ribs.  Lump charcoal burns a bit cleaner than traditional charcoal, and the bark of many hardwoods can burn off with a bitter white smoke that can taint your meat.  I like to use good clean, well seasoned, pecan or oak for my ribs, with the bark peeled off.

Lay your ribs out on the smoker, close the lid, and LEAVE THEM ALONE for two hours.  No peeking!  Have another beer, take off your apron, sit down in a comfortable chair, put your feet up, set a timer, and take it easy... two hours.  GO!

When two hours is up, it's time for a spritz!  Spray them down well with your bottle of apple/vinegar.  Now, close the lid to your smoker and leave alone for another hour. 

During this hour, pour about two cups of apple cider into the bottom of a foil half-pan.  When this third hour is up, transfer the ribs to the pan, spritz them again, and put the lid on, or wrap the pan tightly with foil.

Return the pan to the smoker, ribs, lid, and all, for two hours.  Keep the temp at a steady 225.  Have another beer, things will get exciting soon...

After these last two hours are up, you should definitely see the rib bones starting to peek out!  Take the ribs out of the pan and lay them back onto the rack in your smoker.  Brush a nice layer of your honey-chipotle bbq sauce all over them and leave them in the smoker for a final (6th) hour.  During this hour, the sauce should "set" to a nice glaze.

At the end of this last hour, you should have some shiny sparkling amazing looking ribs!  It's all over but the slicin' !!

Slide the racks onto a cutting board and draw a sharp knife keenly, between the bones.  Delish!

Smoked Pheasant (Bacon Wrapped)

Pheasants are only one letter away from being a true working-class bird (Pheasant -> Peasant... get it?  See what I did there?).  Honestly, pheasants do work for a living.  They're wild, they typically eat swamp grass, seeds, and buds, and they don't have any fat on them, whatsoever.  They are a beautiful bird, however, and they do present quite a challenge to hunters so; many a home-cook has been presented with a clutch of these birds to "cook for the family meal." 

Since plucking the bird is rather time consuming, most hunters simply peel the skin off.  As the cook,  you're presented with a skinless, super-lean, fairly small bird, and you're expected to turn it into a moist and delicious "Family Dinner" masterpiece?  That's a challenge!

You Will Need:

• 2 whole pheasants
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 8 cups water
• 3 cups maple syrup
• 8 whole strips of bacon, cut in half 

We'll start this process by brining the birds.  Brining is easy, but finding space in your refrigerator for a huge bucket of soaking birds is not.  So... Start by dissolving the salt, sugar, and syrup in the water, and then pour half of the liquid, each, into a gallon-sized ziplock bag.  Add one whole, skinned pheasant to the bag, squeeze all of the air out, and zip it up!

Now, empty out your vegetable crisper drawer (who needs vegetables, anyway?), and drop the bagged and brining birds into the drawer.  Why?  Because if one of those bags springs a leak, you don't want birdy brine juice leaking all over your fridge!  I did 6 pheasants at once, and this method worked very well for me.

Walk away, and leave the birds in there to soak for 24 hours.  This should tenderize and season the pheasants, and give their skinless bodies a fighting chance while they're in the smoker (or oven).

Once 24 hours has gone by, take the birds out and pat them dry.  Rub them down with olive oil and lay them out on a nice cutting board so you can wrap them with bacon!  Bacon will add fat, flavor, and moisture to these bare-muscled birds.

Wrap them however you like, as long as you achieve maximum coverage of the bare muscle with some good fatty bacon!  My method uses 8 1/2-slices of bacon, and it covers the legs, thighs, and breasts of the bird.  Get them all wrapped and then sprinkle some BBQ seasoning on the outside, if you like.

Preheat your smoker (or oven) to 250 degrees, and line up the birds.  Caution, when these birds hit the 160 degree mark, they're done!  Every second after that means time spent drying out so... use a probe and pull those birds as soon as they touch 160.  It took mine just 3 hours to get there.

In my case, the hunter who successfully nabbed these birds told me, "The best way to enjoy pheasant is with a cocktail in your hand, as you leisurely pick the meat from the bones and eat it."  I won't argue with the "cocktail" part of his method, but I'm not really a "picker" when it comes to birds.  I'd prefer to cut them into their respective parts... legs, breasts, etc.  So that's what I did.

They were quite flavorful, I must say.  The brine did its job... they were a little bit "chewier" than chicken (for example), but I don't think I could have tenderized them any further, without stewing or braising them, and I really wanted to try cooking them in the pit.  I'm anxious to hear your opinions!  My wife ate it... and she's picky!  So; I consider it a "thumbs up" success!

The Twelve Days of Christmas (BBQ Edition)

There are so many birds found in the list of gifts from the "12 days of Christmas" song, Partridges, Geese, French Hens, Turtle Doves, etc... When I recently cooked six pheasants on my pit, I said, "If 6 Smoky Pheasants isn't in the list, it should be!"  Then, my friend Rayna challenged me to write the "12 Foodbreeze Days of Christmas," and by golly, it seemed like a good idea so... Here's my song, complete with links to all of the recipes!  Sing it to the tune of the original "12 Days of Christmas," (obviously), and enjoy a recipe or two!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, the Pit-boss cooked for me:

Twelve Cheese Filled Chilis...

Eleven Pots of Gumbo...

Ten Racks of Spare Ribs...

Nine Crispy Ducklings...

Eight Roasted Turkeys...

Seven Whole Pastramis...

Six Smoky Pheasants...

FIIIIIIVE Bone-in Hams...

Four Cornish Hens...

Three Beef Ribs...

Two Filet Mignons...

And a Brisket for you and for meeee!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!  Roll that smoke!

Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ahhh, pie.  Is there anything more amazing than your favorite pie?  Americans have gone absolutely crazy, inventing ridiculous designer pies for all sorts of occasions.  I tend to enjoy the classic pies, Apple, Blueberry, etc, but once in awhile, a modern designer pie grabs my attention and I think, "Now, THAT sounds delicious!"

With that being said, I'll offer a more modern designer pie, "Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie," or what my friend Mark calls, "Bourbo-Choco-Peco-Madness!"

Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Madness

A quick word about pie crust; While I believe that a properly homemade pie crust is superior in flakyness, tenderness, and appearance, I do not believe that it is superior enough to go through the tedious process of creating one from scratch.  In my own personal blind taste tests, I pick the homemade crust every time, but I'm simply not prepared to invest the time and effort to "cube cold butter" and to "rest the dough in the refrigerator," etc.  This recipe calls for "Frozen 9-inch deep dish pie crusts" and I believe the filling is so fantastic, that nobody (except for perhaps your Grandmother) will mention your lack of pie crust effort.

For the Chocolate Bourbon Pecan pie, you will need:

• 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1 Cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 Cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 Cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 Cup bourbon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 Cups Chopped Pecans
• 1/3 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips (I prefer Ghirardelli) 
• 1/3 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips (75%)

A word of caution about this particular recipe... Pecan pies are notorious for their ability to look perfectly set and awesome on the outside, while staying unset and gooey on the inside.  You'll notice the small amount of flour and the extra egg yolk to bring some protein to the mix that should help solve this problem.  Bread flour has a lot more protein strings than regular flour, so use it if you can.  In any case, you'll want to pay particularly close attention to the quantity of the ingredients here, do not use more or less than what is described, and be sure to bake it the full amount of time.

Preheat your oven to 350, and take the frozen pie crust out of the freezer to thaw.  Spray some "Pam" inside of your measuring cup, so the syrup will pour out quickly and easily.  Dump your eggs (and yolks) into the bowl, turn on your mixer and get the party started... When the eggs are thoroughly mixed and bright yellow, measure exactly 1/2 cup of dark syrup and 1/2 cup of light syrup into your mixing bowl. While the mixer is turning and burning, add the bourbon, and then add the dark brown sugar, a little bit at a time.  Go slowly, you want it all to dissolve.  Drink a shot of the Bourbon in the meantime, you know, for... "fortification and courage."  Sprinkle in the flour.  Add the vanilla.  Pour in the butter and a pinch of salt, then give it a final twirl in the mixer.

Place the Pecans and the Chocolate into the pie crust first, making sure they're distributed evently.  Then spoon the pie goop over the morsels carefully, until you get to the brim of the crust.  You may have pie goop left over, no biggy!   Place the pie onto a cookie sheet in case it boils over, and then pop it into the oven for 50 minutes to an hour.  Remove the pie and let it set up for another hour or so, before parking it in the fridge.  Here's my after pic of the Chocolate Bourbon Pecan pie:

Garlic Butter Shrimp on the Grill

Let's talk about shrimp!  There are a handful of super simple tips that will transform your shrimp dish into something delicious and memorable that will have your guests asking, "How did you do that?"

TIPS:

Buying Shrimp

1. There are almost as many ways to buy these little buggars as there are to cook them.  Fresh?  Frozen?  Pre-cooked?  Shelled?  Beheaded?  Big?  Small?  What do the numbers mean??  If you're planning to follow a recipe and to cook shrimp for your crowd, do NOT buy shrimp that is already cooked... I see this happen all the time.  People go home and cook shrimp that were cooked/steamed at the store and I can't imagine the rock-hard, dried out, rubberized shrimp pucks that result. Here are my tips:
2. Make sure the label says "Uncooked" (if you're buying frozen), or make sure you get FRESH shrimp from a trusted fish-monger.
3. Get shrimp that just a little bigger than you want to serve.  Shrimp shrink a bit when they cook, and they tend to curl up.  I prefer bigger ones, number 9s or maybe 10s (that's 9 or 10 to a pound).  They're easier to handle, clean, etc.
4. Unless you want to make your own seafood stock, get them as "pre-cleaned" as you can.  Nobody wants to spend the time cleaning, de-shelling, de-pooping, and disposing of shrimp shells, legs, tails, and other nonsense.

Prepping Shrimp

1. When you get them home, take their shells off and give them a good rinse in cold water. 
2. Place all of the empty shells and other "shrimp trash" into a ziplock back and park it in the freezer.  You can use it to make stock OR, you can just pitch it into the garbage on trash day.  Keeping it bagged and frozen will eliminate the odor, flies, and maggots that will collect in your trash bin if you just toss them in, otherwise.
3. Place them in a bowl with ice and water and park them in the fridge until it's time to cook them.
4. Shrimp benefit greatly from a good marinade but remember that acid in citrus can start to "cook" them a bit, so don't use pure lime juice (for example) without some olive oil or something to dilute it.
5. Shrimp hate room temperatures, but the bacteria in shrimp love it.  Keep them cold until it's time to cook and serve.

Cooking Shrimp

1. Above all else, remember cook quickly (3 minutes, on average) and they're best enjoyed hot so... they're usually the last thing to hit the grill before its time to serve dinner.
2. While shrimp kabobs are certainly delicious, great care should be taken to watch them.  Shrimp are happiest then they cook in a liquid because they can go from "savory juicy" to "charcoal dry" quicker than you can pop open a new beer...

Easy Grilled Shrimp 

 

In a bowl, dump in your shrimp and drizzle some olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper all over them.  Stir them around so they all get oiled up for the party.  Take out a "grillable" steel pan and spread a generous blob of butter all over the bottom of it, as if it were a big steel piece of toast.  Pour your shrimp into the buttered pan and set that pan directly over the fire on your grill.

Watch those shrimp!  Do not close the lid, do not go anywhere, do not fetch a refreshing new beer... stand there and watch!  The butter will quickly melt and things will start bubbling and steaming and sizzling and changing colors and you need to be there to stir and mix things around as it happens!  When the shrimp turn from translucent blue to a bright orange, you only have a minute or so left to go.

Ok, the shrimp in this picture are now done!  Total time?  Maybe 4 minutes.  My fire was HOT!  It's now time to take these off the heat and to serve them.  Shrimp don't benefit from a "rest" like beef or pork, and any attempt to "keep them warm" will just cook them further and dry them out so... pull them off the heat, drop the pan onto a trivet, and tell your guests to "dig in!"

Smoked Prime Rib

Sometimes, a fly needs the sledgehammer.  Every now and then, you need to assert your dominance in the party world by "slam dunking" a goal/event with so much authority, that people will talk about it for years to come.  I'm talking about something that shakes up your dinner-party patrons with such thunder and trembling, that hosts and hostesses throughout the County will hesitate to even try to plan a menu for a long, long time! You've put this decision off, long enough.  It's time to plunk down $175 (or so) for an AMAZING piece of meat that will send your guests home in a food coma so strong, they may elect to just have a nap on the sidewalk before they ever make it to their car....

I'm talking about Prime Rib, but I'm taking it to the next level!  What about Hickory Smoked Prime Rib??

Don't let the price tag scare you.  Think about it this way, you'd pay $25 for a 16oz cut of great Prime Rib in a restaurant, wouldn't you?  Then why not pay $8 per pound and cook the whole roast, YOUR way?!  When it comes to restaurant quality BBQ, Prime Rib is one of the most expensive hunks of beef out there, but it's also one of the easiest things to cook, so, why not give it a shot?

You Will Need:

• One Whole Boneless Rib Roast (Mine was 20lbs)
• 1/4 Cup Bourbon
• 1/2 Cup "Thick" Worcestershire Sauce
• Beef Rub:
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
• 1/4 Cup Black Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Chili Powder

Ok.  Have a look at the end of the roast you're thinking about purchasing.  Is it well-marbled?  Here's the thing... You'll save some money by buying a "Select" or a "Choice" grade of rib-roast, as opposed to USDA Prime.  You want some good marbling (fat=flavor, right?) and you don't want to pay through the roof to get it so, have a look at as many as you can and get the best one you can afford.  The one pictured here was "Prime" but I've seen Choice cuts that had better marbling.  It all depends on the quality of cattle that were graded by the USDA's rep on processing day.

Once you've made your selection, rinse it with cold water, pat it dry, and lay it out onto your work surface.  Take some cotton butcher's twine (free from your local butcher, or available at a hardware store) and truss it up.  (This video should help, if  it's your first "tie job!").  Do NOT trim it first, leave every bit of fat and goodness that came with this roast, as part of the package!

Mix your Bourbon with the Worcestershire sauce.  Resist the urge to just drink it, pour yourself some of the Bourbon in a separate glass for "fortification" and keep the faith!  Pour the mixture all over the roast and rub it in.  Rub, rub, rub, massaging this juicy goodness into all of the cracks and crevices!  Note where the rib bones used to be on the underside of the roast, make sure you get some juicy goodness in there, too!

Now, mix all of the ingredients together for the rub, and shake it all over the roast.  Don't be shy!  Shake and turn and shake and turn and pat and rub and really go to town on this bad-boy!

Now, wrap the whole thing in a tight cocoon of plastic wrap.  Use a lot of layers and when you think it's enough, wrap on a few more.  I find that it's easiest to take the roll of plastic out of the box, and to recruit a helper for this step.

Stash your wrapped and spiced rib roast into the fridge for at least 12 hours.  I always do this the day before dinner...

On the big day, pull the roast out of the fridge and leave it on the counter, out of the reach of your dogs or any curious children!  Leave yourself a note, to remind you to do this... My smart-phone beeped at me early this morning to tell me, but my wife prefers paper notes!  The idea is to let the roast come up to about 60 degrees before you start cooking it.  If you don't, the outside will dry out and over-cook before the inside is done... you want a nice even and consistent temperature, consistency, and appearance throughout the roast when you slice it, so this step is super-critical!

Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees.  I used a combination of hickory chunks and lump charcoal for this.  You could do this in an oven, but you would obviously lose the smoke flavor.

Lay on the roast, and insert a probe thermometer so that the tip finds its way to the center of the meat.  I can't stress this enough... do NOT rely on that droning Neanderthal urge in your head that is telling you, "You'll just know when it's done."  You won't.  You just spent almost $200 for this piece of meat, spend another $15 or so for an oven-safe probe thermometer that will tell you EXACTLY when it's done!!

Now... you wait.  You'll wait about 4 hours for this beast to come up to 128 degrees.  Waiting sucks, so, during your wait, go find the right bottle of wine!  For my money, you can't beat an excellent bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to match a Prime Rib.  Find one (or two.  maybe a case.), bring it home, open it, let it breathe, and sample it.  Sample it again while you check the temperature... When it touches 128, get it out of the smoker/oven immediately!!  Wrap it in foil, tightly, and let it sit on the counter, resting, for another 30 minutes.

WOOT!  Unwrap it and slide it onto your cutting board!  Three cheers and a tiger for you, you did it!  It's all over now but for the slicin'  The end-cuts will be closer to Medium or Medium Well, so save those for the people who appreciate that sort of thing.  The biggest prize of all is the cut from the very center... a Medium-Rare thing of beauty that would impress King Henry VIII!

Behold!  The Center-Cut!!  Long live the King!  Slide this onto a plate and dust off your hands.  Bask, as your subjects look at you as though you were conjured up by a sorcerer to do things to a cow that mere mortals can't even comprehend!

You're Welcome!  :D