Category: Product Review

BBQ 25 Steaks

Adam Perry Lang is a classically-trained chef-turned barbecue pit master. He’s got 2 books out now – BBQ 25: The World’s Most Flavorful Recipes-Now Made Fool-Proof, and his first book, Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste, and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking.

While Serious is a considerable tome, BBQ 25 is described as a “BBQ survival guide”. It’s the top 25 barbecue (and by barbecue, Lang means grilling and well as smoking) recipes laid out in a slick, simple, visual manner. All of the recipes involve layering flavors – brines, marinades, mops, bastes, and sauces all come into play. There’s a lot of butter and oil involved too, but it’s mostly as a vehicle for moving the flavors around and getting them to work together.

Since I just happened to have a couple of nice t-bones waiting to hit the grill, I decided to start with the first recipe in the book for marbled steaks under an inch thick.

Marinade
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons chile powder
2 tablespoons grated or finely chopped sweet white onion
2 tablespoons grated or finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup cold water
1 bunch fresh thyme

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a zip-top bag. Mix to combine. Add the steaks and turn to cover. Seal and stash in the fridge for at least 3 hours, but overnight is best.

Baste
Combine in a foil pan or heatproof pan and warm on the side of the grill:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
5 crushed garlic cloves
4 tablespoons finely chopped savory herbs such as rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano and/or sage

The Cook
Set your grill up for a direct cook over high (600°F+) heat. While the grill is heating up, remove the steaks from the marinade. “Glisten (Lang’s term)” them with oil and just a little kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

Put the steaks on for 90 seconds of undisturbed searing. Flip them, brush the top with the herb baste,  and let them go another 90 seconds. Flip them again, baste, and start checking for doneness.  I was looking for a nice medium-rare – 130°F with a hint of red and the center. It took one last flip and another 30 seconds a side to get there.

Put the steaks on a warm plate, baste them one last time, cover them gently with another plate, and let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

The t-bones ended up being totally luscious – rich and tender and wonderfully seasoned. I don’t usually use the word “floral” in connection with meat in a good way, but you could really taste/smell the herbs as a nice top note that complimented the meat. Lang recommends rubbing a little beef base into the steaks right before putting them on the grill, which I didn’t do.  But would definitely use it or a little Worcestershire next time to “ground” the steaks a little more.  Otherwise – this one one of the best steaks I’ve ever had.

Superior Planked Salmon

Bayfield, Wisconsin is one of our favorite places to vacation. When we are there we often take the ferry over for a day trip to Madeline Island.  We love to kayak the lagoon at Big Bay Town Park, tour the island for a bit, and then hang out at Tom’s Burned Down Cafe.

So I was very excited to learn about Superior Planks on Madeline. The grilling planks come from trees that are sustainably-harvested, hauled out by draft horses, run by hand through their bio-diesel saw-mill, and shipped in 100% bio-degradable packaging. These guys are so green they make Kermit jealous.

I ordered up a 3-pack of their maple planks to give them a try. First up – wild Alaskan salmon!

I soaked the plank in water for 2 hours, then set the Big Green Egg up for direct cooking at medium-high heat (about 450°F).

I oiled the skin side of the salmon and seasoned both sides with a just little sea salt and a grind or two of black pepper.

I put the plank on the grill by itself for about 5 minutes, just until I could smell the wood smoke coming off the plank. I put the salmon on the plank, closed the lid, and let it cook for 10-15 minutes. I like salmon when it’s on the  medium rare side, so I took the fillet off when it started to flake, but was still a little translucent red inside – about 130°F internal.

The verdict? While cedar is traditional for salmon, I also liked the sweeter, more subtle taste that the maple brought to the party. It enhanced the flavor of the salmon without masking it.  I think it would be great for a variety of foods, particularly pork. The planks themselves are very nice (and at $4 a plank, they had better be). They’re a good 1/2 inch thick and tightly grained. Twenty minutes on the grill barely charred the back side. I ought to get plenty of use out of these and it’s fun to be able to cook with something from a place we enjoy so much.

Lightning Nuggets Firestarters

Since we got our new deck, I’ve been extra-careful when firing up the Big Green Egg.  I usually light it with a MAPP torch, but that tends to throw a lot of sparks and sparks make me a whole lot more nervous than they used to.

I decided to give Lightning Nuggets Firestarters a try. These pellets are made of sawdust and paraffin. They are supposed to light quick and burn down to nothing.

I tossed one of these little firebombs into the center of a pile of fresh lump charcoal and lit it with a 2-second blast from the torch. I closed the lid and the bottom vent screen, but left the upper daisy wheel vent off and the top open. 20 minutes later I had this nice little fire roaring and the dome thermometer was at 650°F.

There was still a little sparking off the lump, but nothing like the big pieces that come flying off when I use the torch alone. At $16 for a 50 count box, this is going to be the way I start the BGE from now on.

Suck Creek Thighs & Corn Pudding

I finally got a chance to try the award-winning Suck Creek’s Original Hot Wing Sauce. I was (of course) going to try it on a batch of wings, but dinner plans for the weekend called for something a little more substantial. So I matched the sauce with chicken thighs and my version of the corn pudding from The Grand Central Baking Book via Caroline Russock at Serious Eats.

Suck Creek Thighs

8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
1-2 tablespoon of your favorite barbecue rub (I used John Henry’s Texas Chicken Tickler)
1/2 cup Suck Creek’s Original Hot Wing Sauce

About 2 hours before cooking, dust the thighs with the rub, lay them out in a single layer on a sheet pan, and let them sit uncovered in the fridge. This step not only to seasons the thighs but also dries the skin out a bit to keep it crispy.

Set the grill up for an indirect cook over medium-high  (400°F) heat. On the Big Green Egg I used the plate setter to diffuse the heat and added a raised grid to get the thighs crispier still by moving them up into the the hotter part of the dome.

Put the thighs on the grill skin side down, close the lid,  and let them cook for 30 minutes. Flip them and let them go another 20 minutes.

Check for doneness –  when the juices run clear and the internal temperature in the largest thigh hits 160°F , brush the thighs on both sides with the wing sauce. Let them cook 10 minutes more and brush them again. Let them cook  5 more minutes, brush one last time, remove them to a warm plate, and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Corn Pudding

1 cup all-purpose flour (I used Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix to make it gluten-free.)
2/3 cup (3 ounces) cornmeal
2  tablespoons finely chopped dried chives
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of your favorite barbecue rub (Dizzy Pig’s Dizzy Dust this time)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 (15.25 ounce) can corn, drained
2 cups (16 fluid ounces) whole milk
2 tablespoons butter or bacon grease, melted
2 eggs, beaten
3 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheated the oven to 350°F and greased a 2 1/2 quart casserole. The original recipes calls for a 8×8 cake pan, but the casserole gives it a more pudding-like consistency.

The drys – combine the flour, cornmeal, chives, sugar, salt, baking powder, rub, pepper flakes, and baking soda  into a large bowl and mix well.

The wets – melt the butter (or bacon grease, which I used) in a medium bowl. Add the corn, milk, eggs, cheese, and vinegar and beat until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the casserole, then (I love this part!) pour the cream right into the center without stirring.

Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes (I put the casserole in the oven right before I put  the thighs on the grill). It’s done when it still quivers slightly in the middle when shaken. Let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.

The Verdict: ★★★★★

Suck Creek makes some serious wing sauce – great flavor with plenty of heat. Thick and not too vinegary, with lots of herbaliciousness going on. The heat is right up front, but it’s not overwhelming and it doesn’t build or linger. I was afraid it would be a little too much on the thighs without some kind of creamy dip to cool it down, but it really perked up the chicken without covering it up. This is one of the best wing sauces I have ever tried.

All I want for Christmas…

This time of year I get a lot of folks asking me what tools and toys I recommend as gifts for their grillmeister. Here’s a list of some of the gear that I’ve found to be useful for my cooks on the Big Green Egg:

Apron – after trashing a couple of shirts, this cool apron helps keep me clean and keep my tools organized. It’s got plenty of pockets and comes with the all-important bottle opener ;).

Barbecue Sauce – Blue’s Hog Original is an exceptional sweet and spicy sauce. The Carnivore BBQ sauces are also winners.

Chef’s Choice 610 Electric Food Slicer – I’ve run a ton of cottage bacon through this and it does a great job. Also great for pepperoni, cheeses and other goodies for holiday trays.

Grilling Gloves – this is essential protection for working around the grill.

Lodge Cast-Iron Melting Pot – I’m big on basting and this little pot does a great job of keeping my sauces warm.

MAPP Torch – fastest way to light lump charcoal (fun too).

Maverick ET-73 Wireless Thermometer – great for low-n-slow cooks, particularly overnighters. Two sensors let you monitor the temperature of both the meat and the smoking chamber and transmit them up to 100 feet to a portable receiver.

Panasonic GF1 Digital Camera with 20mm f/1.7 Lens – this was my early Christmas present (thanks honey). I love this little camera and lens combination, particularly for food photos. It lets me work without a flash and has excellent image quality.

Rubs – I’m a huge fan of both Dizzy Pig and John Henry. The Dizzy sample pack makes a great gift, but you might as well go ahead and buy them all.

Thermapen – pricey, but it’s the thermometer to go to for speed and accuracy. Three second reading times are great when the cooking is hot and fast. New version is splashproof.

Tongs -16 inch tongs are almost the only tool I use for moving food around the grill. Oxo makes a great pair.

Tool Wizard Grill & BBQ Brush Wizard Grill Scrubber – best grill cleaner I’ve ever used. Cleaning heads are washable and replaceable.

Weber Grill Pan – keeps little stuff from falling through the grate. I use it a lot for veggies and shrimp. You need to bend the ends in just a little to fit a large Big Green Egg.

Happy Holidays to all and to all…..Great Grilling!

Chef’s Choice 610 Electric Food Slicer

ChefsChoice610_101009P1020306

We’ve been curing a lot of our own meat for a number of years now. It tastes great, but slicing it all up for storage has always been a bit of a chore.  This summer we developed a slight addiction to BLTs made with cottage bacon. At 8 bucks a pound, my dear wife offered that if I made our own bacon she’d get me an electric slicer.

Behold the Chef’s Choice 610 Premium Electric Food Slicer.

  • Food carriage is large and tilted so that slicing goes pretty quickly.
  • All the parts (blade, food carriage, food pusher, food deflector, and thickness guide) come off for easy cleaning.
  • 7-inch blade slices cleanly from deli-thin to 1-inch thick slices
  • High-torque motor handles hard foods and big slices.

cottagebacon_100309P1020278

So far I’ve run 14 pounds of cottage bacon, several sticks of pepperoni, and a load of zucchini through it and it has handled it all like a champ – nice even slices with no tearing. Some of the slices of bacon were a good 7 inches long, but the motor never slowed down.

cottagebacon_100309P1020281

It cuts very quickly and the feed is real smooth, so make sure to use the guard and food pusher.  I ran both pork butts through it in under 5 minutes.

All the moving parts come off for cleaning (I put them in the top basket of the dishwasher even though the manual says not to), and the then you just have to wipe down the body.

If we had a little more counter space I’d even consider leaving  it out as an alternative to a box slicer or mandolin.

Carnivore BBQ Sauce – Hot Chipotle Prawns

I’ve been hearing great things about Carnivore BBQ sauces on the Big Green Egg Forum for some time now, and finally decided to give them a try.

Being allergic to wheat gluten, I first sent them as email asking if their product was gluten-free. I was pleasantly surprised that instead of the usual corporate response, I got a nice email from the owner himself,  asking for more information on gluten allergies and what products might contain gluten. We exchanged a few emails, and while his sauces aren’t certified gluten-free, we couldn’t identify any ingredients that would be an issue.

I ordered up a bottle of each of their 3 sauces – Robust, Sweet, and Hot Chipotle. Of course, the day the sauces arrived I wanted to taste all 3 of them, but after my dear wife (kindly and with much love in her heart) pointed out that I already had 6 bottles of other barbecue sauce in the fridge I decided that maybe it would be best to start with the Hot Chipotle.

Initial tasting –  plenty of heat right up front. Hot, but transitory and balanced with some sweetness, so it’s not overwhelming.  Some smokiness, but it doesn’t scream CHIPOTLE, which is nice. Has a very rich base with plenty of herbs that doesn’t get lost in the heat. Wow, there’s a lot going on in there. This is a very, very nice hot barbecue sauce. I can’t wait to try out the others.

Now, what food to pair it with for grilling? We’d just picked up some nice-sized prawns, so I decided to make some skewers and use the Carnivore sauce both as part of the marinade and drizzled over the finished product.


Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds large (21/25 count) prawns or shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cup Carnivore Hot Chipotle BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6-8 bamboo skewers

Directions


Place skewers in water to soak.

Set your grill up for a direct cook over high heat (about 450°F).

Combine barbecue sauce, olive oil, lime juice, and salt in a lidded container. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Skewer the shrimp – run one skewer through the head end and then another through the tail.

Grill 2-3 minutes per side, or until shrimp turn pink. Don’t over cook.

Serve with more barbecue sauce on the side.

This recipe turned out really well. The sweetness of the shrimp paired nicely with the heat of the sauce. I plan on using the Carnivore Hot Chipotle instead of the usual hot sauce in my next batch of  buffalo wings.

Review – Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse by John Stage & Nancy Radke

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a small chain of NY rib joints. Their new cookbook does an excellent job of capturing not just the food, but also the look and feel of the classic blues and barbecue roadhouses.

This is not strictly a barbecue cookbook. It’s more a celebration of all things honky-tonk. The focus is recipes, but it is also full of cooking tips, bold photos, and bathroom graffiti.

There are a lot of recipes for pit-smoked barbecue classics like ribs and brisket that have been adapted to work on your backyard grill. There are many non-traditional recipes like Drunken Spicy Shameless Shrimp and Vaca Frita, as well as a good collection of tasty sides and desserts. I particularly enjoyed their techniques and tips sections that do nice job of walking you through the hows and whys of good barbecue.

So far I’ve made my versions of their Grilled Pork Chops in Brandied BBQ Peach Sauce and Asparagus, Red Pepper Potato Salad. Both were excellent. I’m looking forward to cooking up quite a few dishes from this book this summer.

Crab-stuffed Mushrooms

Meaty portobellos stuffed with a spicy crab and cheese filling. This was a big hit as an appetizer on Valentine’s Day. You could do them in an oven, but since the rest of the meal was grilled (of course), it was just as easy to throw these on beforehand. Many thanks to my very tolerant and understanding wife for waiting for me snap this photo before we dug in.

Ingredients

1 can (6 ounces) crab meat, drained
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon Chesapeake Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2-3 portobello mushroom caps, stems removed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Olive oil

Directions

Set the grill up for an direct cook over medium-high heat (400°F). Grease the bottom of a small, smoke-proof baking dish (a disposable, 9-inch pie pan works fine) with a little olive oil.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine crab meat, cream cheese, parsley, onion, Parmesan, Chesapeake Bay seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper, and the diced stems. Mix well to combine.

Stuff the mushroom caps with the crab mixture, top with bread crumbs and a drizzle of olive oil.

Arrange the stuffed mushroom on the baking dish and grill for about 20 minutes, or until the caps are tender and the tops are brown and bubbly.

Product Review – FoodSaver V3825

After pulling one too many packages of barbecue out of the freezer only to find it ruined by freezer burn, my dear wife and I decided to invest in a vacuum sealer.

Vacuum sealers extend the storage life of food by removing the air and sealing the food for storage. Food can stay fresher up to five times longer with this method, and since there’s almost no oxygen in the packaging, there’s much less risk of mold or spoilage.

We did a bit of research and settled on a FoodSaver V3825 that Costco was selling for $159.99 (this looks like the same unit as the V3840 that FoodSaver sells directly for $173.97, just with a different accessory set).

One of the big reasons we picked this model is that it sits upright and has a spiffy silver and black finish so we can leave it out on the counter top all the time.

Continue reading “Product Review – FoodSaver V3825”

%d bloggers like this: