Rib Night!

When you have a taste for something that you can't let go of, the only solution is to go out and get it and cook it up! That's what happened Friday. Ribs. My mouth was so ready for a nice slab of slow smoked spare ribs so we had rib night.  My personal favorite is the spare rib. Baby backs are wonderful but spares are just meatier and with the extra fat in them, they are juicy and tender as can be if cooked right.  So to start the night out right, the day before I made a couple of sauces; a sweet smoky barbecue sauce and a habanero sauce. I'm growing habaneros in my back yard and now that they're coming in, I have more than I'll ever know what to do with so I created a sauce. You take 12 peppers (seeds and ribs included) a can of peaches, some vinegar, 5 big cloves of garlic, some molasses, honey, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, orange juice, liquid smoke, paprika, cumin, coriander, ginger, allspice, salt & pepper all ground up in a food processor or blender then simmered for about a 1/2 an hour to thicken just a little. It's good without the simmering too! This sauce is the perfect combination of sweet and heat and you can use it on ANYTHING!

Habanero sauce

Red Stagg Black Cherry barbecue sauce

Rib Rub

The rib rub is brown and white sugar, cumin, paprika, garlic, and onion. Rub the ribs down on both sides a couple hours before cooking to cure the meat.

Ask your butcher if the spares are already prepped, meaning the rib tips are cut off. If not, it's a lot easier if you ask him to do it for you. I treat the tips the same as the ribs themselves. Don't ever throw them out because there's plenty of meat on them.  Pop them in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes while you get the grill ready. I set mine up for indirect heat (fire on one side, meat on the other). Soak a few handfuls of flavored wood chips for at least one hour as well. When the coals are ready, just as you're going to put the meat on, place a handful of wet wood chips directly on top of the hot coals. Using a rib rack is nice for space if you're cooking more than 1 or 2 racks.

Try to keep the temperature at a moderate 200 degrees or so by closing the vents almost all the way. Low and slow will produce the juiciest ribs and a nice smoky flavor. There are two kinds of rib fans - fans of the dry rub and fans of the mop sauce - I'm a dry rub girl but I do spray them down every 15 minutes of so with a bottle of Stagg Black Cherry Bourbon and apple cider vinegar for moister meat. It's also nice to serve a couple of different kinds of sauces on the side for dipping if you're so inclined.

When you see the meat pull back from the bones about an inch or so, they should be done!  These took about 3 hours to complete once they got over the fire. The ultimate carnivorous treat - ribs!!!!  Make some this weekend while the weather is nice.

Ribs, tips, au gratin potato balls and, of course, a hot dog

Come back and visit again sometime!

L&M

When Smoke Gets In Your Eyes...

I love the smell of smoke - when it's coming from my grill. Last week, after realizing that 3 people in 2 different houses had a brisket craving on the same night, we figured it was fate. We MUST smoke beef brisket this weekend.... and smoke we did. I found a nice 10 lb piece of meat and a mouth watering recipe to match, along with side dishes good enough for being the main attractions themselves. This was going to be good! I think I was more excited about this gathering then I have been for many of them. Why? I don't know. Maybe because it was a beautiful, hot, sunny summer day or maybe it was because we had an awesome group of friends that were going to share in our feast. Either way, the day turned out perfect. Just like the food. This recipe comes from Steve Raichlen's BBQ USA. So far, he hasn't disappointed us. Let's get started, shall we? Marinate the brisket in: 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup Dijon mustard, 2 minced garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of apple cider (or just enough to make the mixture a thick paste). Rub half of the mixture over the meat, wait 15 minutes and do it again with what's left. Next, make the rub with 1/4 cup paprika, 3 tbsp each of garlic powder & celery salt, 2 tbsp each of coarse salt, dark brown sugar, ground cumin & chili powder, 1 tablespoon each dried oregano, ground black pepper, ground white pepper and 2 tsp of cayenne powder. Mix with your fingers and sprinkle half over each side and pat down so it all really sticks. Let this marinate for about 2 hours. When it's time to cook, prepare your grill for indirect cooking (hot side, cold side) and be sure to soak some wood chips for at least one hour. Place your hot coals on one side and 2 handfuls of chips right on top of them to create delicious smoke. I used 1/2 hickory and 1/2 apple wood. Place the brisket on the cold side of the grill, fat side up, close the vents to keep it a cool fire and cook for about 2.5-3 hours until the temp of the meat reaches 165. The grill temp will probably be around 250. Keep your eye on it and replenish the coals and wood chips about every hour.

Make a mop sauce of 1 quart apple cider, 1 cup cider vinegar 1 tbsp coarse salt & 1 1/2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce. I made the sauce I used and can you know the recipe if requested.  Whisk together and mop the beef every 30 minutes or so. Since you're cooking this by heat and smoke instead of a searing fire, you don't have to worry about flipping it. Once the beef reaches 165, remove it from the grill and wrap it tightly in foil. I then put mine in an aluminum pan to finish cooking so I can use the juices later.

Cover the grill and let this smoke for about 4 more hours. I let my temp get up to about 200-210 before taking it off and letting it rest. Meanwhile, on the gas side of the grill, we made BBQ baked beans with black beans, red kidney beans and pork & beans. Mix with your BBQ sauce, brown sugar, a lb of crispy bacon, 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped poblano peppers, a chopped red bell pepper, 4-5 cloves of garlic, 3 or more jalapenos, Dijon mustard and liquid smoke. Drizzle with some bacon drippings for an added touch. Let these cook about an hour or so but be sure to let them rest a while before serving too.

You really have to try this salad!!! It's a Tex-Mex version of 7 layer salad that will make you throw out your mom's version! The dressing is so good, you can use it as a dip!!! Here's the Creamy Lime Dressing: 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp lime zest, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 clove garlic-smashed, 1 tbsp honey, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend all ingredients in a blender except olive oil, until smooth. While blending, slowly drizzle in the oil until incorporated. SO GOOD!!!!  Mix together drained and rinsed black beans with a packet of sazon seasoning, salt & pepper. Toss some salsa with 2 tomatoes (seeded and chopped). Cut a pan of cornbread into croutons. Toss your lettuce with 3/4 cups of the dressing. In a trifle dish or large clear bowl, start layering: black beans, Monterey jack cheese, the tomato salsa mixture, 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, the dressed romaine lettuce and top with the croutons. Serve the rest of the dressing on the side.  I sure wish I had a picture of this so you'll just have to take my word on the taste.  Out of this world yummy!!

Like that isn't enough food, we thought some stuffed tomatoes would be nice... and we were right!  I would usually use extra virgin olive oil for this recipe, but since there was still some bacon grease in my iron skillet, I sauteed chopped onions, celery and poblano peppers in the drippings, added a jar of tomatillo salsa, a pan of crumbled corn bread, fresh cilantro & basil, salt & pepper. Stir a few minutes and spoon the mixture into hollowed out tomatoes. Stuff 'em nice and full!! Top with pepper jack cheese, replace the tomato lids and grill over medium low heat for about 30-40 minutes.

Oh hey... the brisket is ready!!! When you unwrap your beautiful package, it should look like this:

And when you cut into it:

I couldn't get enough!  Even on Sunday, the smell of smoke lingered around and I just wanted to keep eating it.  This was my 2nd try at brisket and I hope in the future when we do this again, that it comes out this tasty. It's a tough piece of meat to cook correctly and I think we did a pretty good job this time around.  So when it was all shredded and put into another pan, all I had to do was pour the drippings over the top and serve. There was BBQ sauce served on the side but I'm not sure anyone used it.

The music was playing, the conversation was flowing, the beer and the whiskey was pouring... I must say, it was an awesome night on the deck for dinner!

Come back and join us next time.  Not sure when or what we'll be fixin' but I'm sure there will be an open place at the table for you!

Ciao,

L&M

It's been a while....

I can't believe it's been a month since I last updated this blog! We've done plenty of cooking between then and now, just haven't gotten it to the page. SO needless to say, today's the day for an update!

Who out there is blessed with great in-laws? My hand is raised because I truly am. My husband's parents live for their grand kids these days - go to every game, every practice, every party - and will watch them overnight at the drop of a hat asking nothing in return. Last night my 4 year old spent the night with them along with his 9 year old cousin while we were out so we had them over for dinner tonight. The menu: Grilled beef tenderloin with a smoky pomegranate spritz, sweet corn with bacon, potato planks and Caprese butter.

First we started with a beautiful 4.5 lb beef tenderloin that I rubbed down with salt, pepper and hickory molasses smoky seasoning.  Seared it over hot coals on both sides for a nice char crust, lowered the coals and let it finish cooking for about 40 minutes until it was a beautiful rare to medium rare.

The warm corn salad was to die for! I cooked a half pound of thick cut bacon in a cast iron skillet over a hot grill flame. Just before crispy, pour off most of the bacon fat, add 1 large chopped sweet red bell pepper and half of a large chopped onion, I used a purple one. Cook until soft, while stirring. Deglaze the skillet with about 1/2 of a cup of sherry - be sure to scrape up all those delicious bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it sit and simmer until almost all the liquid is gone. Next, stir in a bag of frozen sweet corn, 1 cup of heavy cream, about a 1/4 of a cup of tomato sauce, a few shakes of cayenne pepper and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes or so. Season with salt, pepper and a few chopped scallions including the greens. Serve warm.  It is SOOOOO good!!!

For the potato planks, Idaho bakers work nice. Slice evenly, about 1/4" thick. Toss into a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Lay the planks on a hot grill for a couple minutes and turn just enough to give a cross hatch grill mark. Turn them all over and do the same to the 2nd side. When tender, put them back into the bowl, toss with a little more olive oil and some fresh parsley.

Even tho beef tenderloin does awesome alone, what could a little butter hurt? Especially if it's sun dried tomato, basil and garlic butter!  Soften 1 stick of butter to room temperature and in a bowl, mix it with 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, about 4 or 5 chopped sun dried tomatoes, and a few chopped basil leaves. Stir well and place the mixture on a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap and roll into a cylinder shape. Chill for at least an hour.

Serve the chilled butter atop a slice of the tenderloin.  This was my plate:

Everything turned out just right. A nice bottle of Reggae Red was deeLish as our wine. I hope you try at least the corn recipe. It was the perfect side dish!!

Come back and join us again!

L&M

Swordfish... Mario Batali style

Oh man do I love trying something new. When it comes to cooking, I really do love the stuff that takes a lot of prep work, or has a lot of steps to get to the perfect finished product. New flavors, different combinations of things you've had before all mixed up in one bowl. It's exciting! Like a journey for your taste buds. This week, it was Mario's turn to impress us. From his book "Mario Batali Italian Grill" our dinner was Swordfish Involtini Sicilian Style.  The recipe called for cutting a 2 lb skinless swordfish steak into 6 thin slices and rolling it around the stuffing. We had to improvise.  I bought 6 beautiful swordfish steaks and had the butcher butterfly them.  Then I mixed together a cup of breadcrumbs, a handful of fresh chopped parsley, the zest of 2 oranges, salt and pepper to taste and enough olive oil just to moisten everthing, then mixed it with a fork.

Open the steaks like a book, across two, six inch pieces of kitchen twine. Divide the mixture between all 6 steaks, close "the book" and tie until just snug.  Refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the tomato salad. Chop about a pound of seeded and chopped ripe tomatoes. Combine with a handful of pitted Calamatra Olives, a couple tbsp of drained and rinsed capers, golden raisins (the recipe called for currants but I could not get any), toasted pine nuts and some red pepper flakes and olive oil. Stir gently. Set aside but don't refrigerate. Oh, if you've never done it, toasting pine nuts is done easliy in a small skillet on the stove top. Shake the pan or stir often. They brown quickly so don't walk away!

 

For an appetizer, we also marinated 2 pounds of grill ready, butterflied shrimp in some Wild Turkey Bourbon BBQ Sauce. Nice and sweet. I bought it at the distillery last July and kind of forgot about it in the pantry. I'll bet buying some more for sure!

When the shrimp was almost done, we brushed a little olive oil on the swordfish steaks, sprinkled with a little salt and pepper and placed them on the hot grill, about 5 minutes per side. 

(Browning some rolls)

When the fish is nice and flaky, take off the grill, serve on top of the tomato salad. We also had  gorgeous and oh so yummy pasta salad. Nice shells, with blanched string beans, black olives, bacon, tomatoes, cucumbers and shredded cheese with a nice chipotle ranch dressing. I could not get enough of that!!

Mary and Phill tried a nice Ranger India Pale Ale, my husband had Coors Light and I had raspberry vodka and iced tea.

Now isn't this a beautiful plate?

I cheated on dessert, bought some Sugar Cane Key Lime mini muffins. Mmmmmmmm.....

What do you think of that?  Good huh?  Should'a tasted it!

Well that's all for today.  Not sure what we're making next, but I'll be sure to let you know!

Caio for now,

L&M

Guess Who Got A New Grill?

It's a banner day in the Purcell household. I got a new grill! It took a bit of reasoning with my husband, but once I entered the "do you want to see the beef tenderloin go up in flames like the ribs did last summer" argument (long, sad story) he had to realize it was a good idea. I must admit I had some help from the Hayes's, they have great reasoning skills!

My new baby - that I assembled right in my driveway! One side gas and one side charcoal. Perfect for the quick weeknight dinner on the gas side, and long, slow cooked meals over hot coals.

So we had to christen it the right way, thick & juicy ribeye's!

We made a rub with equal parts, kosher salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano & a sprinkling of Hickory & Molasses Char Crust. Two steaks were salt crusted only.

Then we set the grill for direct grilling, with the coals up nice and close to the grill grate to create a nice sear on both sides. Once the steaks had a nice crust, I lowered the coals and closed the lid to let them finish cooking to a nice medium rare.

Meanwhile, we sauteed baby bella mushrooms in garlic, butter and red wine.

Time to eat! We served up a nice salad, baked potatoes that were nice and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and topped the steaks with the sauteed mushrooms. Nice filled bellies tonight!

I KNOW your mouth is watering now, isn't it? Thanks for joining us for dinner tonight. Come back next time, we'll be cooking a Mario Batali recipe; Swordfish Involtini Sicilian Style.

Caio!

L&M

St. Patrick's dinner - on the GRILL!

I've never been one for changing up traditions, especially ones that preceed me. Take corned beef and cabbage for instance. From what I understand, this is not really a traditional Irish celebration meal. It was, in fact, popularized by the Americans.  So in honor of the American culture, we thought it would be a good idea to start our own St. Patty's Day dinner celebration. Now I am married to an Irishman who cannot stand corned beef or cabbage so  we altered the preparation a little. We thought, "let's GRILL a corned beef!" ... and we did. Here's how it started:  Corned beef is a beef brisket that has been salted and seasoned to preserve it. In fact the term “corned” comes from the very coarse salt used long ago in this process. In the Old English, corn referred to grain (American corn or maize was still unknown to Europe) about the size of the coarse salt used, hence, “corned” beef. The secret to cooking corned beef is to get that salt back out. This is typically done by boiling it with potatoes and other vegetables. Potatoes are particularly good at absorbing salt. Tradition dictates that cabbage is then boiled in the water you boiled the beef it. This flavors the cabbage. So I bought a 6 lb. corned beef and soaked it in warm water for a few hours, changing the water every hour or so, and then patted it dry and seasoned it with my own bbq spice rub. I am having issues with my husband in regards to a new grill (a totally long story) so since I was grilling this beef low and slow, and was so afraid of flare ups, I put it on a grill pan. We used an indirect grill method keeping the temp at 225 for about 3 hours.

In the mean time, Mary had some beautiful BBQ Baked Beans cooking in her crock pot. We transferred them into a preheated oven to thicken up while the beef cooked. She uses a combination of black beans and red beans with chiptole peppers and sauce for a nice smokey, spicy kick. There was a sweet hint of molasses and brown sugar that perfectly paired with the spice.

Earlier in the evening, instead of watery, boiled up cabbage, I made a nice and crispy fresh cole slaw.  Half head green, half head purple mixed with slivered carrots, red onion, poblano pepper and sweet red pepper. Add a nice handful of sugar & celery seed, 2 handfuls of dill, a little onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. Add equal parts of real mayonaise and sour cream, mix thoroughly. This tastes best if left in the fridge for an hour or so. The end result is gorgeous and DEE-LISH!

The drinks of choice were interesting. We did a few nice Black & Tans with Guiness and Harp, some

Smithwicks, and a couple odd ones we picked up along the way. You know, we love to sample!

                                  

We weren't supposed to opent the Reuben beer because it's a collectors item. I kinda wish we didn't because it was really bad. Oh well, whatever!

I know you've been asking "Where's the beef?" (sorry, I couldn't resist) and HERE IT IS:

This, my friends, is the way we'll be serving up St. Patty's day dinner at my house from now on. It wasn't quite a regular bbq'd beef brisket, it still had a lot of the corned beef attributes to it that set it apart and we really like that. Plus, Mary's family said the leftovers made fabulous corned beef hash topped with poached eggs for breakfast the next day. Damn, wish I'd have tried that!

Thanks for joining us. Not sure what we're cooking next so check back during the week. We'll have your seat at the bar and a nice chilled glass ready for you!

Shall we "dress for dinner"?

Welcome back! Hope you're hungry. I need to start by saying, that I had sweet beef dreams last night and a full, satisfied belly. Oh... what a  night! 5 1/2 sticks of butter and 27 cloves of garlic later, we feasted. My hands still have a faint smell of garlic and I have no problem with that at all! Occasion? Our local grocer had a sale - beef tenderloin for $4.99 per lb. That's all the reason you need for a dinner like this.
We were going to be eating a little late so we needed a good starter. Fresh raw oysters. Topping a Saltine cracker with a dab of spicy cocktail sauce, a swish of horseradish and a beautiful, meaty, fresh oyster, we assembled perfect little hors d'ourves. Hopefully Phill doesn't need stitches in his hand. That's all I'm going to say about that.

 There's a restaurant on Hilton Head Island that we love, called Steamers. One of the very best Creole sauced shrimp dishes EVER! The sauce is heaven. You get your rolls and you dip, slop, slurp whatever is left after the shrimp is gone until the bowl is wiped clean.  It's a "must have" every time we go. Needless to say, that put us on a mission - duplicate that shrimp! Alas, Mary has done it. She has made it a few times now and I do believe, the one last night was the best. You start by browning garlic in butter (lots and lots of butter!) and a bit of sugar for carmelizing. Add in your celery, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper of course, creole seasoning and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pour this mixture over the shrimp and bake for a few minutes until the shrimp are pink. We also warmed some nice, crusty rolls for dipping. I must have been too busy licking my bowl, because I forgot to take pictures of the finished product! So here's an "in progress" shot:

About the time we finished off the shirmp, the rest of our dinner was coming together nicely. Mashed potatoes. Using Yukon Gold, she diced the potatoes and ran them under water to get rid of as much starch as possible. Sauteed them in an iron skillet with, of course, butter and lots of chopped, fresh garlic. Instead of using water, we finished cooking them with half and half. Beat 'em up with a good old hand mixer and you have the perfect accompaniment, creamy, fluffy, garlicky mashed potatoes.  Along with that, I steamed some broccoli florets and tossed them with some fresh chopped garlic as well.

And now I present, the star of the show, Mr. 5 Pound Beef Tenderloin:

Isn't that a thing of beauty? For a dollar a pound more, they would trim it up for you, but we just brought it home as is and did our own work. First, let's work on the sauce. Start with a pound of shallots, covered with olive oil and roasted in the oven, a few slices of crispy bacon, a cup of Porto, butter, garlic, fresh thyme and beef stock. Simmer until reduced, about an hour. Transfer into a blender, whip to desired consistency. Please note, that it WILL look like a chocolate milk shake at this time but trust me to say, it won't taste like it haha! Now, season the beef with salt, pepper and chopped fresh rosemary and brown all sides in the iron skillet with the bacon grease.  As soon as you get a nice sear, pop it into a warm 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

When it comes out, transfer meat to a platter and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. By now, the men are just hovering around the counter like a pack of hungry wolves and the aromas filling the house are making our tummies rumbly! A few minutes before serving, pour the blended sauce into the hot skillet and whisk into a nice gravy, serve on the side. As you see below, we don't bother with setting fancy tables or doing things formally. It's all about the food and drink. Oh, and we did have to drink the rest of the bottle of Porto. Why let such a thing go to waste right?

                              

Now we're not always dessert people, but on this night, I thought a nicely presented, little something sweet, would finish this dinner off perfectly. Enter my non baking skills. I love to cook, grill, fry, roast WHATEVER but when it comes to baking... not too good. So why not try making something like a Lemon Molten Cake with Simmered Blueberry Sauce. Yea, go right for the big stuff. I knew it was going to work out perfectly when, the recipe had called for 2 whole eggs and 1 additional yolk, I broke the 2nd egg into the bowl and it was double yolked. To me, that was a good omen. I don't have a stand mixer so I had to stand at the counter and beat the eggs, fresh lemon juice, vanilla, sugar and flour by hand for 14 minutes. Luckily, my son who just turned 4, is the overly helpful type. He was able to get beer for me from the fridge so I didn't have to stop mixing. That's a handy thing to have around. Meanwhile, I have blueberries, sugar and water simmering on the stove. The recipe called for using 12 brioche molds so you can invert them onto plates but all we had were a few ramekins. Being the creative geniuses that we are, we used silicone cupcake trays.

 

They only have to bake for 8 minutes but we had refrigerated the batter and didn't account for the chill. I'd say they baked for about 10 minutes, just until they felt a little spongy. They flipped out of the molds nicely, plated each one, topped with  a little blueberry sauce and a  touch of powdered sugar and lo and behold:

I made dessert!

A couple dozen beers and a few bottles of wine later, I'd say it was a great night. Although, we didn't get to do any outside cooking last night, I'm letting this one slide because DAMN it was good!
Come back next week when we'll be serving up GRILLED CORNED BEEF. Your table is waiting!
L&M