Recipe Cook: Spiralized Vietnamese Cucumber Salad.....with Chicken!

[FTC Standard Disclosure]  I received no compensation for this post.

Leave it to me to add meat to a vegetarian dish.

Like everyone, Alexis and I are trying to eat a little healthier as we get older.  Last night, we were going to make this Vietnamese Cucumber Noodle Salad from the May 2019 issue of Eating Well magazine.  It is spiralized cucumbers and carrots tossed in a version of nuoc cham and topped with cilantro and peanuts.  I just had to add some grilled chicken breast.  

I wanted to give the chicken a little Asian flair, but I didn't have time for a marinade, so I improvised.  I used Albukirky Green Chile Rub, which is Southwestern US, but with salt, pepper, chiles, and garlic, it isn't too big a stretch for Asian.  I took 1 tablespoon of the rub and added a 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon of Olde Virden's Spicy Verde for heat.  I seasoned two butterflied chicken breasts with that, and the flavor was passable as Asian.

My "weapon of choice" for this small cook was the Big Green Egg Mini-Max.  A small kamado (13-14") grill is perfect for small amounts like this, plus the grill heats up quickly and doesn't use much coal at all.  

My set up was a Kick Ash Basket full of Parker's Tennessee Hardwood Charcoal, a woo ring, and a stock BGE cast iron grate. 

 

I grilled the butterflied chicken breasts halves for about 6 minutes a side at 450°f until they registered 155°f on my Thermapen.  Butterflied thin like this, they will cook all the way through on the carryover cooking, so I pull them a bit early to keep them juicy.

So we made the salad as written and just topped it with this spicy grilled chicken.

I'm not a huge fan of cucumber, but this was surprisingly good.  I want to use the cucumber noodles and make some kind of gyro salad with some seasoned ground beef, shaved red onion, and tzatziki sauce.

Fusion Mini Tacos - Teriyaki Pork with Thai Peanut Slaw

[FTC Disclaimer] We are proud to be sponsored by Smithfield's extensive line of Fresh Marinated Pork.  This is our 6th and final sponsored post for the year featuring these time saving products.

There is a fine line between fusion and confusion when blending cuisines.  These Fusion Mini Tacos tip-toe right up to that line and do a little dance. Fusion Mini Tacos take the tastes of Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand and serves them in a Mexican style.  

The light and crispy shell crumbles when you bite into it and contrasts against the tender pork.  Smithfield's Sweet Teriyaki Fresh Marinated Pork pairs exceptionally with the rich and nutty slaw, spicy chile paste, and aromatic cilantro.   These mini-tacos are fun, bursting with flavor, and will brighten up any tailgate or party menu. 

The Smithfield Fresh Marinated Pork products are a smart foundation for a quick 30-minute meal and you can find plenty of inspiration at their Real Flavor Real Fast website. Smithfield uses only 100% fresh pork, packed with protein, for these and I've only gotten quality pork from them.

The 2 inch sized tacos were the perfect bite.

Teriyaki Pork Tacos with Thai Peanut Slaw

Ingredients

Teppanyaki Steak and Scallops

The cooking process of teppanyaki is lightning quick so your kitchen prep and timing are extremely important. Like my previous post about the typical teppanyaki appetizers, this isn't one of my regular recipe posts.  It's more just notes about what I do for the process of making a Japanese steakhouse style steak and scallops dinner.

There are just a few basic seasonings and liquids that are used through the cooking process and should be easily accessible.  I like to keep the liquids in squirt bottles.

• kosher or sea salt
• coarse grind black pepper
• granulated garlic
• oil - 1 cup of a high temp oil like peanut or canola seasoned with a teaspoon of sesame oil
• salty baste - 3:1 ratio of beef stock to soy sauce
• sweet baste - 1:1 ratio of terriyaki and chicken stock
• water

The condiments you can make in advance are

• Golden Shrimp Sauce
• Ginger Dipping Sauce - In a blender, mix 1/4 cup onion, 1/4 cup beef stock, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1.5 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, and two quarter size pieces of fresh peeled ginger.

Griddle Set Up
You want multiple temperature zones, which is why I said that just using a griddle plate on a charcoal grill or an electric skillet isn't ideal. A large griddle on a multiple burner gas grill could work.  I like to use three zones as shown below. 

I set the left burner on low so I can cook foods here without paying too much attention to them. The middle two are where the most cooking happens and I keep it around medium high. The far right burner is off but will stay hot enough from the burner next to it to work as a "keep warm" zone.

Leveling the flattop is important.  The drain channel for my griddle is at the front and the collection bin is on the right, so the front right side needs to be slightly lower than the rest.  If not, liquids won't drain off and will just pool up.  On the other hand, if you tilt it too much, all of your liquids will run off too fast.

I preheat my griddle with all burners on low for about 15 minutes while I get my food set up and then adjust the controls to the low-med high-med high-off settings for about 5 minutes before cooking.

Fried Rice
Prep ahead:

Cook 1 1/2 cups of Jasmine rice and chill (chill the rice...not telling you to calm down).  It's important to quickly cool the rice to avoid food safety concerns with bacillus cereus. Just sticking a pot of hot rice in the fridge can let the rice stay warm long enough to become contaminated.  Instead spread the rice out on a baking sheet and put in the fridge to cool quickly.

Cook:

• 3 cups of cooked jasmine rice
• 3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 2 eggs

Squirt oil in the center and spread it around with the spatula until the griddle has a thin, shimmering coat of oil.   Add the rice and veggies, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic, and then toss around with the spatula.  Squirt some salty baste on the rice and toss around a few times.  Push rice off to the "keep warm" zone and scramble the eggs in the center, seasoning with a little salt and pepper.  Bring the rice back in, squirt with some of the sweet baste, toss all together, breaking the egg up into pieces.  Push it all back to the keep warm zone.

This picture shows the type of spatula that I like to use, it's also called a "turner".  Notice how you can see spots where there was soy sauce and then most spots are still plain white.  Flip this around until the color is even and light brown like shown in the first picture.  I usually do several small squirts of the salty baste until I get the color I want and then finish with the sweet baste.

You don't have a lot of time to mess around when cooking the egg, it should only take about 30-45 seconds and you have to keep it moving.

Teppanyaki Vegetables
Prep ahead:
Cut 2 zucchini into 1/2" x 3" pieces. 
Cut 2 onions into 1/2 inch slices. 
Cut 8 ounces of button mushrooms into quarters.

Cook:
Scrape griddle clean (from fried rice) and reapply a squirt or two of oil. Place zucchini and onions in orderly fashion on the low burner side.  Place mushrooms on the medium high section and season with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Skip to steak section.

Once the steak and scallops are cooked, shift the zucchini and onion to the medium high burner.  Cut the onions into quarters (you can cut directly on a flattop like this).  Season with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Squirt with some of the salty baste.  Toss to coat.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like and serve.

Since the veggies have been cooking on low, it should only take a few minutes to finish these off once everything else is done.

Teppanyaki Steak
Prep ahead:  
Marinate 1+ lb sirloin steak in 1/2 cup beef stock, 1/4 cup ponzu sauce, 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper for 4-6 hours.

Cook:

• Remove steak from marinade and wide dry.  Place steak down, season top with salt, pepper, and garlic, and cook for 4 minutes. Toss the mushrooms around and squirt with some of the salty baste. Flip the zucchini and onions. 
• Flip steak, season with salt, pepper, and garlic, and cook for another 4 minutes. 
• Cut the steak into bite size pieces, toss with the mushrooms, season lightly again with salt, pepper, and garlic, and squirt with  some of the sweet baste. Cook until desired doneness, another 1-2 minutes.  Push to the keep warm side to hold.

I quarter the mushrooms instead of slicing them because the flat ones stick to the skillet.

"Steak" on a teppanyaki menu generally refers to sirloin.  If it is ribeye or filet, it will usually say it by name.  Quality of beef matters here.  I did the recipe twice, once with select and once with CAB choice.  There was a noticeable difference in texture and taste.

The steak should be about 110-120 when you slice it so it will only take another minute to hit medium rare.  Keep in mind that since you are slicing it on the flat top, that carry over cooking will be much less than you are used to.

Finish off the plated steak with some scallions if you like.

Teppanyaki Scallop
Prep ahead:
Melt 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and mix with 1 minced garlic clove and 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger.

Keep very cold until ready to cook them.  Dab the surfaces of the scallops dry with a towel (for best browning).  Place on a clean, oiled part of the medium high section and cook for 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Flip and cook one minute.  Pour the butter mixture over and cook until done, about another 2 minutes.  Remove to the keep warm section of the griddle.

Tasty!

Go back to the vegetable section and finish cooking the zucchini and onion.

Remove all and serve with Golden Shrimp Sauce and ginger dipping sauce.

This may sound like a ton of steps but it really is all about the prep.  If you have watched a teppanyaki cook at a restaurant, they roll their cart of supplies out and the cook only takes a total of about 20 minutes tops.  It's all about the timing.

Teppanyaki or Japanese Steakhouse Appetizers

We got our flattop griddle out of storage recently so we've been doing teppanyaki style cooking.

The 4 burners let you have 4 different temp zones, I set up 3 for this type of cooking.

Teppanyaki is a Japanese method of cooking on an iron plate griddle.  Americans mostly associate teppanyaki with the Japanese steakhouses like Benihana.  One of our long term friends is half Japanese and told us that no one in Japan goes to anything like that, just tourists. It's not "traditional" but that didn't stop her from loving to go with us to Shogun (the now defunct, local Benihana knock off).  She enjoyed the food and entertaining chefs as much as we did. 

You don't have to have a flattop griddle to do teppanyaki but it sure helps.  You can use a griddle like the Sizzle Q on top of a grill or an electric griddle, but you will lose capacity and variable temperature control.  Plus you can't use metal utensils on most electric griddles because they have non-stick coating on them. 

The particular model that we have is a Blackstone 36", four burner flattop.  We have had ours for about 16 months and have used it for work functions, onsite cooking events, and at home.  It's somewhat portable (legs fold up and the arms come off) and it's well made.  The griddle top is very thick and weighs more than the rest of the griddle combined.  It's durable and is going to last eons.  I know several grillers that have bought one as well as our favorite local cafe and all of them seem very happy with theirs too.  

So this particular evening, we were making steak and scallops but the teppanyaki style restaurants typically start off every meal with the same three appetizers - ginger dressing salad, mushroom broth, and shrimp.  Here's how we do ours.

Salad with Ginger Dressing

This is very basic.  It's just iceberg lettuce, a little shredded carrot, and ginger dressing.  If they are really feeling fancy, they might shred a tiny bit of radicchio in there too.  The key is the ginger dressing since that is where all of the flavor comes from.  It's slightly sweet on the front followed by a pungent tang on the backside.  We have tried many but I haven't found a bottled ginger dressing that tastes like what they serve in restaurants.  We make our own Ginger Salad Dressing.

You can have any dressing you like, just as long as it is ginger.

Mushroom Soup

The soup is almost invariably mushrooms and scallions in a clear broth.  If you're lucky, there's some fried tempura batter in there too.  I found this recipe a while back and it works very well.  With such a simple soup, quality fresh ingredients is the key.  Slice your own mushrooms, razor thin is best.  Broth from bullion or base comes out a little cloudy so I like using either homemade or Progresso broths for this.

Shrimp Appetizer

This is another simple but flavorful appetizer where quality counts. I used wild caught Carolina shrimp (21-25 count/lb), plan on 2 to 3 shrimp per guest.  You have to make the Golden Shrimp Sauce to go along with this, it tastes so good.

1. Preheat griddle to medium high heat. Squirt a bit of oil (canola oil with a few drops of sesame oil mixed in) onto the hot griddle and spread around with your spatula.
2. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and mix with a minced clove of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
3. Put the shrimp down, sprinkle with kosher salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic, cooking for 3 minutes.  No measurements, I just sprinkled it on.
4. Flip, season again with salt, pepper, and garlic, then cook 1 minute.
5. Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp and cook until done, another 1-2 minutes.
6. Remove and serve with the sauce.

Keeping them lined up like this makes it easy to flip with your spatula in one swoop for each row.

The Golden Shimp Sauce ends up going on just about everything for me except the beef. Especially on leftover fried rice the next day, so much goodness!

So that's our first three courses for any teppanyaki meal that we create. Pretty basic stuff but just remember - don't take any quality shortcuts.

Coming up in my next post - Teppanyaki Steak and Scallop Dinner.

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  We have no affiliation with Blackstone, received no compensation for this post, and paid full price for our griddle. 

Ginger Salad Dressing ala Japanese Steakhouses

I know that they are so 1980s but we like eating at the teppanyaki steakhouses.   The sizzle when the meat hits the grill, the smell of fried rice cooking, the blur of chefs' antics, and even the pandering jokes makes a fun experience.  You just have to embrace the cheesiness and ignore the lack of authenticity.   

One of the standard courses is the salad with ginger dressing.  As far as salads go, it is rather plain.  Just a little ordinary iceburg lettuce, shredded carrot, and dressing.  But oh that dressing.  It is fragrant and eye wateringly pungent.  

This week we did teppanyaki style steak and veggies using our electric skillet.

I didn't flip an egg on a spatula or crack any lame jokes.  I didn't make a flaming volcano.  But I did make the mandatory salad.

Teppanyaki Style Ginger Salad Dressing

Source:  www.nibblemethis.com
Makes 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup onion diced
• 1/4 cup diced carrot
• 1 Tbsp ginger, diced and peeled
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp ketchup
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup oil

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients except oil in a blender and liquify until it is a smooth consistency.
2. Slowly add the oil, while blending.

Notes

• To serve, simply break up a head of iceberg lettuce, finely grate carrot over it and top with dressing.
• I like to make a day in advance, keep in the fridge, and then blend it again just before serving.

We hadn't made this in a while and it was so good that Alexis and I ended up eating salad for dinner the next two nights.  I had a little left last night and poured it onto some boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  They've been marinating overnight and we'll see how they turn out at lunch.

Grilled Thai Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce

Our favorite recipe of the weekend was a "Thai-ish" grilled pork tenderloin with a fantastic peanut sauce.

But first, a big shout out to our friends on the Uncultured Swine BBQ team for taking second in ribs at this past weekend's Big BBQ Bash in Blount County.

I met them at last year's Bloomin' Barbecue, and Bluegrass in Sevierville.  Great bunch of people and they use Big Green Eggs in competition (from Wayne Blalock Home Center).  They also use a Lang 84 using Kingsford with a blend of cherry, hickory and apple.   I'm guessing that they won 2nd by submitting baby backs like they did last year at BB&B.  

Anyway, back to my Thai pork tenderloin.  I like grilling pork tenderloins for several reasons.

1. Twice the fun - they usually come in two packs, so you can cook two different recipes at the same time if you like.
2. Perfect for 4 - one tenderloin feeds a family of 4.  That is until the two kids hit teenage years.  Then TWO tenderloins feed 4 with a little leftover.
3. Quick cooking - 20 minutes on the grill is about all they need, perfect for weeknight dinners.

Our "live at home son" had a friend over so we had 5 for dinner and two pork tenderloins disappeared.  In fact, I was only cooking one tenderloin that night.  But I had extra sauce and they were dying for more so I quickly cooked the other one too.  It was gone in a flash.  Oh well, at least I had some curry and rice leftover for lunch today!  

Grilled Thai Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce

source:  www.nibblemethis.com

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins, silver skin trimmed 

For the marinade

• 1/3 cup peanut oil
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 tsp palm sugar (sub brown sugar if you like)
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

For the peanut sauce

• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce*
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flake*
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

1. Marinate - Put the marinade ingredients in a processor and blend for 30 seconds.  Place the tenderloins in a Glad zip top bag, pour the marinade over them, seal and marinated for 4-6 hours in the fridge*.  
2. Make Ahead - Place the peanut sauce ingredients into a processor and blend for 30 seconds until well blended.  Refrigerate until needed.  When ready to use (if made ahead), heat for 3-5 minutes in a pan over medium low heat while the pork rests (see below).
3. Grill it - Preheat a charcoal grill to 375f for direct heat.  Remove tenderloins from marinade.  Grill, rotating about every 5 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 137-140f in the MIDDLE*. This will take about 20 minutes but go by temp.  Remove and let rest for 5 minutes.
4. Slice the pork tenderloins into medallions about 1/4" thick.  Drizzle with the peanut sauce and serve with more on the side for dipping.

Notes

• Teriyaki sauce - Our family are big fans of Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce for teriyaki.  I learned about this stuff from Paul at No Excuses BBQ and am glad I did.  
• Heat level - as written, this was a mild heat level peanut sauce.  If you want medium or hot, increase. 
• Marinating time - I haven't tried it, but with the slight amount of acid, you could probably let it sit in the marinade all day while you're at work and grill it when you get home.
• Pork Tenderloins are tapered from one in to the other.  Tip 1:  Keep the thicker end towards your grill's hot spots.  Tip 2:  Measure the internal temp in the middle of the tenderloin. 
• Serving Suggestions - We served ours with grilled peppers and onions, jasmine rice, and red curry sauce. 

The nice thing about a gas/coal grill combo?  The gas grill (left) makes for nice counter space.

Multi-purpose grilling - veggies in wok, pork grilling, and curry sauce simmering.

Pork and peanut sauce?  To die for!

[Standard Disclaimer] I received no compensation for this post.

Asian Chicken Wings

Recently, fellow blogger, Stephen Crout published his book A Cook's Book For Cooks.

You'll notice it doesn't say "cookbook".   That's because while it does have recipes, it's not your same ol' same ol' cook book.  It's more conversational than instructional.  Some of the recipes are structured in recipe format while others may just be narrative and both work.  

You see, Stephen is less about getting you to follow a set of instructions.  He's more about motivating and inspiring you to get in the kitchen and maybe stretch your cooking comfort zone a bit.  It's kind of like having him in the kitchen with you just kicking around possibilities.  In the process, he entertains with sharp wit and irreverent humor.  Here's an example from his bit on St. Louis-style Spare Ribs:

There is a membrane on the back side which some people* insist needs to be removed.  It's a little difficult to do and after a brief try I just said screw it.  It won't hurt if you are a bit more persistent than I was (56). 

He kids around a lot, gets on his soap box a few times, and encourages you to experiment on your own.  Here's a recipe I made from A Cook's Book For Cooks and in true Crout fashion, I didn't follow the directions exactly.  I knew he would want it that way....

Asian Chicken Wings

adapted from Stephen Crout's A Cooks Book For Cooks

Servings:  2

Ingredients

• 8 chicken wings, cut into wingettes and drummettes, tips reserved for stock
• 1/2 cup mirin cooking wine
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, sliced on a bias, divided between marinade and garnish
• 1/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup sweet Asian chili sauce

Instructions

1. Mix the mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, half the onion, roasted red pepper and black pepper together.  
2. "Marinate the wings in this for one day.  Don't have a day?  Fine, go for an hour (Crout 75)."
3. Set up your grill for indirect heat and preheat it to 375f.  This will be fire roasting instead of direct grilling.
4. Remove wings from marinade (reserve marinade) and fire roast them for 30 minutes.
5. Flip wings and roast another 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, put marinade in a preheated saute pan over medium high heat.  Rapidly simmer for at least 5 minutes.  Stir in sweet Asian chili sauce.
7. Toss wings in the sauce and return to the grill for 10 minutes.
8. Remove, garnish with remaining green onion, and serve.

Notes

• The book gives bake/broil method for doing this inside.  I'd tell you what it is but then I'd have to pay Stephen royalties.  Go buy the book, it's only $10.99. 
• Wing tip:  When placing wings on a grill, place their cut/open side down first.  This will help the rendered fat drip off/out easier.  Can't remember who I got that tip from but it works.

*Present company included.

[Standard Disclaimer]  Stephen Crout Industries, Inc paid me one kajillion dollars to write this review.  Just kidding I paid full price and received no compensation.  There, happy FTC? 

Grilled Shrimp with Asian Sweet Chili Sauce

Just a quick post. Here's a sweet chili sauce for grilled shrimp that I threw together last night after Trevor's football practice (translated as dinner at 9:00PM on a school night).

Sweet Asian Chili Sauce

Source:  My fridge

1/2 cup Sweet Chili Sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp mirin (sub agave nectar or honey)
1 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
(add 1 tsp of Sriracha only if you want heat)

Mix in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.

I used it on shrimp kabobs that were seasoned with Dizzy Pig Tsunami Spin rub (Dizzy Pig rubs ROCK). 

Grilled them 2-3 minutes and flipped them. I glazed the top. Grilled them another 2-3 minutes and flipped, glazing the top. Remove and serve with reserved sauce. 

Home Based Tandoor

Have you ever cooked on a tandoor? 

NO! Not Jeffrey Tambor, the famed actor who has been in everything from M*A*S*H to Arrested Development to The Hangover.

A TANDOOR – which is the Middle Eastern cousin of the kamado, like the Big Green Egg.

Our good friend, Robyn Lindars of GrillGrrrl.com recently got to cook on a Homdoor – a tandoor style grill for the home. Check out her video. (I'm extremely jealous of her high end video production crew!)

[Standard Disclaimer] We pay full price for our Dizzy Pig Rubs.  I've never touched a Homdoor.  Jeffrey Tombor is funny but his naan bread sucks.  Robyn paid us $20,000 USD to post this.  Just kidding about Robyn.  And maybe Jeffrey.  His naan might not be bad.

Rick Browne's Bangkok Satay

Football is messing with my grilling time.

Trevor just started his 2 hours a day, 4 days a week practices yesterday. That means I have to do meals that allow for advance prep before practice and then short cook times after practice ends at 8:30.

This dish from Rick Browne's new book 1,001 Best Grilling Recipes: Delicious, Easy toMake Recipes From Around the World fit the bill tonight. I prepped everything before I left so all I had to to when I got home was fire up the grill and cook it.

 

Bangkok Beef Satay

Yield: 4–6 servings

Although recipes and ingredients vary, satay usually consists of chunks or slices of meat on skewers that are grilled over wood or charcoal fires. Satay is usually served with a spicy peanut sauce or peanut gravy and accompanied by slivers of onion and cucumber in vinegar.

6 tablespoons (90 mL) dark soy sauce, divided

6 tablespoons (90 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 3 limes), divided

6 tablespoons (90 mL) smooth or chunky peanut butter

3 tablespoons (45 mL) chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons (30 mL) brown sugar, divided

1 tablespoon (15 mL) sweet rice vinegar

2 teaspoons (10 mL) Sriracha or other Asian hot chili sauce, divided

3 green onions, white and green parts, minced

1 (1-inch [2.5-cm]) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Zest of 1 lime

1 tablespoon (15 mL) vegetable oil

1 (11/2-pound [681-g]) beef steak (round, sirloin, rib-eye, or chuck)

1. Soak about 18 wooden or bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour.

2. In a medium bowl, combine 4 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 4 tablespoons of the lime juice, the peanut butter, the cilantro, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the vinegar, and 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of the chili sauce, and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of the sugar, stirring until it reaches a smooth, thick, gravy-like consistency. Cover and set aside.

3. To make the marinade, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the soy sauce, the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the lime juice, the remaining 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the remaining 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of the chili sauce, the onions, ginger, garlic, lime zest, and oil. Process until puréed and set aside.

4. Cut the beef against the grain into pieces 6 inches (15 cm) long and ½ inch (1 cm) wide. Thread the beef lengthwise, piercing it in several places in an accordion fold, on the prepared skewers. Transfer the skewers to a large, shallow pan and pour the marinade over the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

5. Make sure the grill is clean and generously sprayed with nonstick grilling spray. Preheat the barbecue to medium high (350°F [180°C] to 400°F [200°C]).

6. Place a strip of heavy-duty aluminum foil across the front 3 to 4 inches of the grill. The bottom part of the satay skewers can rest on this, protecting the part you handle from burning.

7. Remove the skewers from the marinade and drain, discarding the marinade. Place the skewers on the grill over direct heat for 2 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, warm the peanut sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until it just barely begins to bubble.

8. Serve the satay on the skewers with small bowls of the warmed peanut sauce on the side, for dipping.

Reprinted with permission from 1,001 Best Grilling Recipes, by Rick Browne, Agate Surrey, 2011.

I prepped everything after work. I did it as written except I used cubes of strip steak instead of strips of sirloin steak.

As soon as we got home, I put 4 quarts of lit Kingsford in my SmokeHollow grill.

I grilled the kabobs for 8 minutes total since I wasn't using thin strips.  Then I “stir-fired” some peppers and onions for a side.

We were able to be eating this just about 30 minutes after getting home...

Not McDonalds. Not a frozen pizza. We ate a fresh and kick butt grilled dinner and it completely disappeared into a chorus of “that is soooo good!”.  The dipping sauce is mild, don't worry about the sririacha sauce making it too hot.  If you want hot, use more sriracha.  

I'll be posting more about 1,001 Best Grilling Recipes next week including a review, an interview, and a giveaway, so stay tuned.

Curry Chicken

I've never been a big fan of curry until the past year or so, when I got a mouth awakening curry from my favorite Thai restaurant here in Knoxville.     Since then I crave the flavor often and last night tried making Bon Appetit's Sri Lankan Chicken Curry.

The results were just okay.  It lacked the oomph! you expect from a curried dish.  I had such high hopes for it because the ingredients were fresh and some of my favorites (onion, cilantro, ginger, curry powder, garlic, red pepper, turmeric, etc).  It filled the house with the rich aroma.  But on the plate it just under-delivered.  It was too mild.  Sriracha helped doctor it up some.

• Curry - The curry powder was brand new, so it wasn't that.  I wonder if curry paste would have been better.
• Chicken - The chicken thighs were less than perfect.  They were poorly trimmed and had excessive fat in them.  Plus I made matters worse by overcrowding the pan during the browning portion of the cook. Maybe I should have let the paste sit on the chicken for a while. 
• Coconut milk - I didn't use canned, I used the bottled coconut milk we had in the fridge.  I assumed it would be fresher and better.  UPDATE:  The milk is So Delicious brand and it says it is cultured, adding pre and probiotics.  Could that be part of the problem, can you cook with this stuff? 

I won't make this version again.  Help me out, do you have a favorite, rock solid curry recipe?  It doesn't have to be chicken.  Leave a link if you have one on your blog or another site. 

Dead End BBQ 2011 Cooking Series

This time tomorrow I will be taking the rib class at George Ewart's restaurant.  We'll be learning the ins and outs of how to boil ribs in beer and then cook them in a crock pot.  Just kidding, breathe.  It is going to be a hands on class on the finer points of slow smoking pork ribs. 

Later this year, 4 time American Royal champion Mike Davis from Team Lotta Bull will be teaching a class on May 22nd.  I took his classes at BBQ Boot Camp last year in Sevierville and enjoyed myself.

Then on June 18th, Robyn from GrillGrrrl.com will be teaching a ladies only grilling clinic, no testosterone allowed.  Alexis will be attending this one in lieu of me. 

If you are interested in these classes, visit Dead End BBQ and sign up.

Stormy Sky Stir Fry Chicken

After a long Monday at work, I was ready to get home and ready to grill up a storm for tonight's NCAA men's basketball championship game.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature beat me to the "grilling up a storm" part.

Squall lines, strong winds, and tornado warnings made me reconsider.   The only reason my First Up covering wasn't flying away was because we had it tied down and 40+ pounds on each of the 4 feet.

So I regrouped and came up with this stir fry in the kitchen.  If you wonder why I use a blend of sesame oil and peanut oil, it's because
1)  Sesame oil gives a strong flavor and is associated with Asian dishes but to me, the flavor by itself is too strong and
2)  Peanut oil has a high smoke temp, tolerate of stir fry temperatures.   Together, the two are a nice blend for my tastes.

Stormy Sky Stir Fry Chicken

www.nibblemethis.com

1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp peanut oil1 lb thinly sliced chicken (I deboned two breasts and sliced the breast and tenderloins into 1/4" slices)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 green bell pepper, seeded & cut into 3/4" pieces
1 small yellow onion, peeled and cut into 3/4" pieces
3 Sweet mini peppers, sliced on a bias and seeded
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
2 green onions, sliced in 3/4" pieces
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into matchstick sized pieces *see note
1/2 cup Mr. Yoshida's Sauce (or teriyaki)
1 heaping Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp sriracha sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp corn or potato starch
3 Tbsp cold water
4-5 leaves of Napa Cabbage, cut into 3/4" slices

Preheat your wok over medium high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

The thing about stir frying is that it happens so fast.  You HAVE to have all your ingredients prepped and measured out (aka "mess in place" errr..... mise en place).

See?  I CAN cook without a grill.  I just don't like to.

Add the oils.  Once hot, add the chicken and stir fry until done.  This should take about 3-5 minutes depending on how hot you got the wok.  Remove from the wok and add a Tbsp more of peanut oil if needed.

Add the bell pepper and onion.  Stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add the sweet mini peppers, celery, and the firmer white parts of the green onion.  Stir fry for 1 minute.

Add the ginger and garlic, stir fry for 1 minute.

Move the contents to the edges of the wok and add the Yoshida's, hoisin, sriracha and chicken stock.  Allow to come to a simmer for 30 seconds.  Stir together the cold water and starch to make a slurry.  Add enough of this to thicken the sauce.  You want a consistency that when you dip a clean spoon into the sauce, it clings lightly to the back of the spoon.

Return the chicken to the wok.  Add the napa cabbage and green parts of green onion.  Toss, reduce heat and cover for 1-2 minutes, just enough to wilt the cabbage.  

Serve with sweet jasmine rice and top with crispy rice noodles.  

The whole family liked this one and all 4 of us had seconds.

The worst of the storm has passed so now I can enjoy the lightning flashing and the thunder echoing across the valley.  It makes me appreciate being at home, safe, dry, and with a full stomach.  Very thankful.  

Grilled Orange Beef with Broccoli Stir Fire

Let's be honest.  Spring is a tease.

After some glorious weather a week ago, it seems that fickle Spring smacked us with cold, wet, and dreary.  Want to show nature who is boss?  Want to shake off the winter blahs?  Then drag out your grill, fire it up and do something different! And oh yeah.....bring your wok.

Many people don't think about using a work on the grill but actually it's an ideal match.   Traditionally woks were used over a pit stove with live fire.  A charcoal grill generates the high heat that woks crave.  A flat bottomed wok will work on just about any large grill.   You can use a round bottom wok too, if you have a "spider rig" or if you have a mounting base for it.  The things I like about using a wok on the grill, or as I call it, "Stir Firing", are:

1. It is a fast dinner option.  Most dishes on the wok take only a few minutes of prep and cooking.
2. It is a healthier option.  (less oil, more veggies)
3. It is just fun!

So break out of the same ol', same ol' and try using your wok on your grill.  That is what I did tonight, I made a Grilled Orange Beef w/ Broccoli Stir Fire (aka stir fry).  The steak by itself was pretty damn good but the rest of this dish is good too.

Grilled Orange Beef with Broccoli Stir Fire

1 ea flank steak

Marinade

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup sherry

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 ea green onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp ginger, fresh ground

Veggies

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1 ea shallot, diced

1 head broccoli, cut into 1" pieces

1/3 cup chicken stock

Sauce

1/2 Tbsp sesame oil

1/2 Tbsp peanut oil

1 inch ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 2 Tbsp of fresh ginger)

1 Tbsp orange peel, fresh grated

1/2 cup orange juice

2 Tbsp dry sherry

2 tsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp cold water
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the marinade ingredients together and marinate the steak for 3-4 hours.

Set up the grill for direct heat at 400-450f.  Grill the steak for 3 minutes per side (4 minutes per side if skipping the stir fire part).

Remove to a raised rack and let rest.  Since you will now be working with the grill top open, you will want to cut your lower air intake vents down to almost closed to keep your fire from burning out of control hot.

Place a wok on the grill and preheat.  This should only take about 1 minute.  Add the oil and when it begins to shimmer add the shallot.  Simmer for 30-45 seconds.  Add the broccoli (still wet from rinsing) and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, cover and steam for 4-6 minutes.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the flank steak across the grain.  It is so hard NOT to just eat it all at this point.  But I did have to do some "quality control tasting.....errr....testing" of course. 

Remove broccoli.  Add the oils and when hot, add the ginger and orange peel.  Stir fry for 1 minute.  Add the OJ, sherry, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and stir.  Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Stir together the water and cornstarch and add to the sauce* to thicken.

Return the broccoli and beef to the wok and toss them to coat with the sauce.

Remove and serve immediately with rice.

The beef and broccoli was good.  It disappeared quickly, with my 11 year old having seconds.  But the sauce seemed awfully thin, it just didn't coat like my usual stir fry does.   After dinner I was cleaning up my out door kitchen, gathering things to be washed and there on the table was my unused bowl with the cornstarch slurry in it.........DOH!  Mystery solved.