Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Thai Beef Kabobs

"To feel good, you should run barefoot through new grass," shared our 9 y/0 son tonight as he panted on our deck while we cooked on the Big Green Egg. That's one smart kid in my book.

I had the the left over "chain of bull" and the end pieces from the whole beef tenderloin that we have butchered and cooked over the past few days. I wanted to make something great without a trip to the store so we made up these dishes tonight. Sure they aren't something that hasn't been done before, perhaps not even authentic, but it wasn't bad for just making it up on the spot. Forgive the horrible pictures, my DSLR is at the Nikon factory getting repaired after being dropped last week.

The menu was:
Thai Beef Tenderloin Kabobs
Honey Ginger Carrots
Sweet Jasmine Rice

Thai Beef Tenderloin Kabobs
Ingredients
1 lb beef tenderloin, cubed in 1" pieces
2 T oyster sauce
2 T fish sauce
2 T lime juice
1 T cilantro
1 t sesame oil
1 t red pepper flakes
1 t ginger, fresh grated (added after picture taken!)
Instructions
We mixed all ingredients except the beef and then toss it in too. I let it marinade for an hour but longer would be better, maybe 2-3 hours. Put them on skewers. Cooked them on the Big Green Egg over direct heat at 500f. I used them on the grid extender because my skewer handles stick out of the egg and I wanted them level. If I used bamboo skewers I wouldn't bother with the extender. I did them about 1 minute and then turned them, repeating for a total of 4 minutes.

Other cooking alternatives would be (in order of my preference):
-over very hot coals on any grill other than the BGE.
-high heat on a gas grill
-broiling in an oven

Honey Ginger Carrots
Ingredients
1 lb baby carrots
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 T butter
1/2 inch piece of ginger grated
1/4 cup honey

Instructions
Bring broth/butter to a simmer and add carrots. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until liquid is almost evaporated. Pour off liquid. Add ginger and honey and cook over low heat for another 10 minutes.

The result? Tasty!
Sure I'd change a few things if I had unlimited supplies. I'd add some finely diced chili peppers to the meat marinade. I'd add something more to add visual texture to the carrots (maybe finely diced sweet bell pepper?). But again, pretty darn great for something we just threw together because it's what we had!