Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Appetizer: BBQ Beef Brisket Potstickers

When you barbecue as much as I do, you end up with some wonderful problems, such as having extra BBQ brisket or smoked pork hanging out in your fridge. This was the case when my wife and I were trying to come up with an appetizer for a friend's birthday back in April. 

We came across some potsticker wrappers at the store. I had just smoked a spicy beef brisket the night before. Boom – inspiration hit. It was one of those “you got your chocolate in my peanut butter” kind of moments. We came up with an idea for BBQ beef brisket potstickers. I'm not sure what you would call this. Redneck fusion? Hillbilly haute cuisine?

brisket, leftover, Asian, appetizer

I had never formed potstickers before so I consulted the same person who taught me how to prep eggrolls – Jaden Hair. The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook has a step by step process for fancier looking gyoza and Healthy Asian Cooking has the same for a simpler version. I used the fancy version.


We also used Jaden's method for cooking the potstickers but the ingredients were more BBQ/Southwest oriented.

Beef Brisket Potstickers
servings: 12 - 16 potstickers (3-4 appetizer portions)
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes


Ingredients
½ cup chopped BBQ beef brisket
3 Tbsp corn kernels (canned, frozen, or cut off of a grilled corn cob)
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp diced roasted red pepper
1 Tbsp diced fire roasted jalapeno, seeded
¼ – ½ tsp BBQ beef rub
1 Tbsp smoky spicy BBQ sauce
½ cup beef au jus*, divided
12 - 16 potsticker wrappers or wonton wrappers
¼ cup water
1 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp oil
¼ cup water

Instructions
  1. Mix together the first seven ingredients and just enough au jus to get the mixture damp, 1 – 2 Tbsp. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
  2. Mix together the cornstarch and water.
  3. Place a heaping teaspoon of the beef mix in the center of a potsticker wrapper. Wet the edges using the cornstarch mix and seal according to Jaden's instructions [insert link]. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
  4. Preheat a pan skillet over medium high heat and add the oil. Add the potstickers and cook until the bottoms are crispy brown, about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add the water, immediately cover, and steam for 3-4 minutes.
  6. Remove cover and cook until the water evaporates.
  7. Serve with some of the remaining au jus ladled around the pot stickers.

Substitution ideas:
For the au jus – simmer 1 ½ cups water and 1 tsp beef base until reduced to 1 cup. Season with salt/pepper.
For the brisket – use leftover roast beef or pot roast and increase the smoky BBQ sauce to 2 Tbsp.
For the fire roasted jalapeno – use some canned green chiles

Smoky brisket on the grill.  You could just buy some at your local BBQ shack or even use leftover roast beef.
Don't overfill the potstickers or they will be harder for form correctly.
beef, leftover, brisket, appetizer, BBQ
The cute little pleats were easier than I expected.
If you can't find the round wrappers, you can use the square ones instead.  Moisten all 4 sides, pull up the 4 corners, and pinch the edges sealed like this.
BBQ, brisket, potsticker, leftover, smoked
You can use the au jus straight or spice it up with cilantro, red pepper flakes, or whatever you like.
These were an instant hit! They looked like regular potstickers but the smoky beef, rich au jus, and mildly spicy veggies threw a delicious curve ball of BBQ flavor.