Petite Fillet with Garlic Peppercorn Sauce

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Let's get the recipe out of the way first since people hate scrolling through the typical food blogger stuff to get to the recipe. This is a simple white sauce variation that is creamy, savory, and as the name implies - it has a peppery kick.

Mini-Surf and Turf - Petite fillet with creamy peppercorn sauce, snow crab legs, and asparagus.

Avocado, Chorizo, and Pepper Jack Cheeseburger

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A chorizo, avocado, and pepper jack cheeseburger is a delicious twist on the classic American cheeseburger. This burger features a juicy patty made from ground chuck and topped with gooey melted pepper jack cheese. We crown it with creamy avocado and flavorful chorizo. The combination of smoky, spicy, and creamy flavors creates a mouthwatering burger experience that's sure to satisfy any craving.

Alexis was craving a griddle-cooked burger while I wanted mine grilled. No problem. I used my modular cast-iron grate from Craycort, which let me swap a grate section out with a griddle plate as shown below.

I've been using cast iron grates from Craycort for about 14 years. In addition to being a fantastic cast-iron grate, the modular design lets you add other components like this griddle, a vegetable wok, or a chicken throne. 
Craycort

Not that you need a recipe for a burger, but here is what we did.

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Asian flavors, especially Thai, make my mouth happy. This easy Thai Peanut Ground Beef recipe is no exception.

The heat and tastes that the peanut sauce brings to this recipe put a smile on my face and a song in my heart...or is that my belly? Either way, we love it so much that I've cooked it a few times in the past two weeks. 

The idea for this recipe came while making The Recipe Critic's popular Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls recipe. 

It was delicious and super easy. But even still, I immediately knew that I wanted to make a Thai Peanut version of it. You can also make this into Thai Cashew Ground Beef by swapping out cashew butter for peanut butter. That's how we made it the first time; both renditions are lip-smacking good. 

These would also be fantastic as the filling for lettuce wraps.

Thai Peanut Ground Beef

Leftover Special: Steak and Cheese Breakfast Hash

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We kicked off last weekend with a steak and scallop dinner.  Here's what we made with the leftovers.

We made our skillet potatoes au gratin on one of our Big Green Eggs. This skillet is one that we recently restored; it's a Griswold #8 from the 1930s.

We also grilled several Certified Angus Beef® Brand ribeye steaks from Food City. We dry brined them in our NMT Umami Steak Seasoning for about 6 hours and then grilled them about 4 minutes per side at 450°f.

We had steak and cheesy potatoes leftover. The first thing that came to mind was making steak and cheese breakfast hash. 

[FTC Standard Disclosure] We received no compensation for this post. We bought our own Easy Kabab out of curiosity and have no affiliation with the manufacturer, but the link is an Amazon Affiliate link. 

I absolutely love a good gyro. Chef Adam Perry Lang calls them a "hyperseasoned crowd-pleaser" in his first book, Serious Barbecue. I have to agree because the bold flavors and tender morsels of meat make my mouth happy.

A batch of gyros that I cooked on the Big Green Egg last weekend.

What's a Gryo?

Gyro is a spicy ground lamb (or a mix of lamb and beef) that is roasted upright on a vertical rotisserie, basting itself as the fat renders. Thin slices of the meat are shaved off and typically served in a pita with sliced tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce. The meat is slightly dense compared to the more loose texture of hamburger, yet very tender.

In Knoxville, your best bet for a great gyro is Yassin's Falafel House. His gyros are loaded with the highly seasoned meat, and the pitas are thick yet delightfully soft in texture.

A Crusty Strategy

For me, the best gyros have slices with crispy edges from the outer edges of the roasting meat. The crispy edges are like having bark in your BBQ, in that it adds texture and boosts the flavor. I've made Alton Brown's recipe and Chef Adam Perry Lang's smoked lamb gyro, and they were both delicious. But they both use a loaf or large roll for their process, which gives less of the crispy bits to go around. So I have started making my gyros as kabobs to get more of the crusty tidbits.

Grilling my second test batch of this recipe on a PK Grill set up with GrillGrates.

I use a Fresno chile in my gyro meat recipe because I enjoy their mild heat. I have substituted a single serrano chile with excellent results. If you want more heat, use 2-3 serranos. 

I use some ground beef for 2 reasons. First, lamb is expensive, and second, I'm not a massive fan of lamb. I made a batch using just ground beef, and it tasted like seasoned hamburgers which was not what I was looking for. I think you HAVE to have a good bit of lamb in there to make it taste like gyros.

Gyros on the Grill

Reverse Seared Porterhouse Steak with Skillet Potatoes Au Gratin

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Last night, Alexis and I grilled a thick porterhouse steak and improvised a skillet potatoes au gratin. This isn't a recipe post exactly but it is the details of what we did.

We found the beefy 24-ounce porterhouse at Butler & Bailey Market, an unassuming, single-establishment grocer in Knoxville. The store is dated and small, it's like stepping back in time to a grocery store in the late 80's. That's part of their charm, they are the opposite of the chain mega-stores these days.  You can't buy tires or mattresses there, Butler & Bailey excels with their customer service and specialty departments. They also sell Parker's Lump Charcoal, which is made with Tennessee hardwoods.

Steak Preparation

Grilled Sirloin Steak with Sweet and Sour Vegetables

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  I received a free sample of Dizzy Pig Spicy Pineapple Head in the mail. The approximate value is $0.62, so I think we're safe from undue influence on this one. 😋

Sirloin steaks are my red-headed stepchild. There's nothing wrong with them, but I have a hard time turning down the well-marbled ribeye steaks and NY strips that my grocery store routinely offers. But with COVID-19 affecting things, I need to shed some quarantine pounds, and beef prices have been a bit more expensive. Sirloin steak is a delicious, lean, tender, and less-costly alternative. 

These Grilled Sirloin Steaks with Sweet and Sour Vegetables are an excellent example of that. 

I thought that the sweet and spicy flavor of the Spicy Pineapple Head would pair well with sweet and sour stir fry. My prep for the steak was simple - I marinated it in ponzu sauce, then seasoned it with Spicy Pineapple Head and grilled it.  

How I Clean the Big Green Egg Modular Nest..

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I have had my BGE Modular Nest for two years and I still love it for its storage, expansive workspace, and durability. Even though it's low maintenance, it was time for me to give the table a little TLC and preventative maintenance.

We got our Big Green Egg Modular Nest at Mannix Pools and Grills in Winter Haven, FL.

Wear and Tear

So what needs to be done with such a robust, hearty table? It was all cosmetic. There were some chips in the powder coating from where I have accidentally struck the table here and there. Fortunately, the frame is aluminum so these chips don't rust. 

The powder coating is generally tough. But if you strike the edge with something hard, like metal tools or another grill cart, it can pop off like this.  Almost all of mine were on the front upper edge, where I do most of my prep work.

I had also noticed some corrosion or rust in some of the corners where the rails come together. That makes sense, given that is where water would collect after rain or where acidic marinades or sauces might spill.

This was after I had washed the table but you can see how the water pools in this location and would take longer to dry. Also, a lot of the marinades, sauces, and spritzes we use are acidic. A spill here, a spill there, and it will cause corrosion on aluminum and rust on the steel parts.

Sriracha-Peach Glazed Boneless Country Style Ribs

[FTC Standard Disclaimer] I received a complimentary review copy of Mastering The Big Green Egg from the publisher. The link is an Amazon Affiliate link, so I do get a small percentage if you buy the book.

I'm not usually a big fan of peaches. I don't care for peach ice cream, peach Snapple, or peach Jolly Ranchers. But when you put peach on pork in the smoker or grill, it magically transforms into delicious sweet porkiness that I can't resist.

BBQ country-style boneless pork ribs, poblano mac and cheese, and BBQ beans - yum!

This recipe comes from Craig Tabor's book, Mastering The Big Green Egg, which I mentioned in my 2020 BBQ/Grilling Books Preview.  Craig's recipe is for double-thick bone-in pork chops, but those weren't available due to the pandemic interruptions.  The store did have some country-style, boneless pork ribs, so I went with those.  

This will be an excellent Father's Day gift or buy it for yourself to shake things up on your kamado grill this Summer.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

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Our youngest son is homebound from college during the COVID-19 precautions and he had finals this past week.  He was studying and asked if we would make chicken alfredo pizza.

Recipe on your website? Looks great

— SDoten (@sdoten) May 1, 2020

SDoten on Twitter asked about the recipe, so here it is.  It starts with our Simple White Pizza Sauce recipe.   This sauce is also killer in grilled cheeses and melts, see the bonus recipe at the end of the post.

(NOTE:  Our full pizza tutorial is here:  How to Cook Pizza on a Kamado Grill.)

Simple White Pizza Sauce

By www.nibblemethis.com
Published 05/04/2020

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 2 ounces mozzarella provolone blend of shredded cheese
• 2 ounces parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)

Instructions

Smoked Green Chile Brisket

Reginald asked about my Smoked Green Chile Brisket last week on Twitter:

Green chile brisket? Do tell....

— Reginald T. Skinner (@regskinner) April 23, 2020

I was going to send him a link to the recipe but was shocked to find I had not posted it before.  That is surprising because Green Chile Brisket is a staple at our house. It is tender, savory, juicy, slightly earthy, and has a mild kick.  We use it in just about everything.

Brisket Nachos (or tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, chimichanga, )

Green chile brisket, fire-roasted corn, diced tomatoes, black olives, green onion, jalapenos, shredded Colby-jack cheese, and our homemade queso.

Breakfast Tacos

A slice of green chile brisket with creamy scrambled eggs, jalapeno, diced tomato, shredded Monterey-jack cheese, and chipotle crema.  It was supposed to be a corn tortilla but flour works.

Brisket with Pimento Cheese Grits 

Stone-ground grits loaded with our homemade poblano-pimento cheese and a couple of chunks of green chile brisket.  So good it will make your tongue slap your brain out of your head.

Stuffed Potatoes

A couple of small baked Russett potatoes stuffed with cheeses, green chile brisket, green onion, butter, and BBQ sauce.

Book Cook: Diva Q's Slashed Potatoes with Chipotle Aioli

[FTC Standard Disclosure]  I received no compensation for this post.  The book link is an Amazon Affiliate link.

This recipe puts a spin on the typical "steak and potatoes" in both flavor and flair.  The Hasselbeck style potato and chipotle aioli are eye-catching and palate-pleasing.

Diva Q's Slashed Potatoes with Chipotle Aioli

I found these two gorgeous USDA Prime, Certified Angus Beef® Brand ribeye steaks, and I wanted to come up with a side worthy of the steaks.

I've had people ask me if I get special treatment from the butchers at Food City because my steaks always look so good.  The assumption is that the butchers hold the "good stuff" for me.  While I am friendly with Justin and the team, almost every steak I cook on here was bought straight out of the meat counter.  

I went to my bookcase, found this recipe in Danielle Bennett's Diva Q's Barbecue, found this recipe, and knew it was "the one."  I did a full book review when it came out in 2016. Filled with almost 200 lip-smacking recipes and loaded with grilling tips, this book should be in your BBQ library.

When I slice Hasselbeck potatoes, I put chopsticks on both sides of the potato as a guide to keep me from inadvertently slicing all the way through the potato.

I Would Do Anything For Loaf - Meatloaf Sandwich

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Do you know what the best thing is about meatloaf? Having leftovers and being able to have a meatloaf sandwich later. It's in my top 5, for sure!

My All-Time Top 5 Favorite Sandwiches

• Pulled pork sandwich - smoked pork, maybe sauce (vinegar, mustard, or sweet), maybe slaw
• Kentucky Hot Brown - sliced turkey, tomato, bacon, and Mornay sauce (cheesy bechamel)
• Meatloaf sandwich - leftover meatloaf, Chipotle BBQ sauce, cheddar, onion ring
• Spaghetti Sandwich (aka the Slim Shady) - leftover spaghetti, toasted garlic bread, Provolone, Parmesan 
• Croque Madame - sourdough, smoked ham, Mornay sauce, Sunnyside up egg

My meatloaf sandwich is the "I Would Do Anything For Loaf," and it consists of:

• Leftover slice of meatloaf
• Chipotle Honey BBQ Sauce
• Sliced mild cheddar
• Beer Battered Onion Rings
• Spicy pickles
• Toasted brioche bun

Here are the ones that Alexis and I made this weekend.

UPDATE:  Several people have asked for it so I have posted the onion ring recipe.

Of course, the key to any meatloaf sandwich is staring with a juicy, well-seasoned meatloaf.  So we started with the Cheddar Chipotle Meatloaf recipe from my second book, The Offset Smoker Cookbook.  

Cheddar Chipotle Meatloaf pictured in The Offset Smoker Cookbook (Ulysses Press)

Even though my second book was all cooked on offset smokers, the recipes are easily converted to a kamado-style grill like the Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe.  I cooked the meatloaf for these sandwiches on one of our large Big Green Eggs. 

Holy Voodoo Chicken Wings on the Big Green Egg

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With the Safer at Home guidelines in place, Alexis and I have missed dining at Knoxville's local restaurants.  I particularly miss our weekly happy hour at Big Kahuna Wings.  BKW does their wings similar to Memphis dry-style ribs, they serve them deep-fried and seasoned with their BKW Original or BKW Fire seasonings.  Your choice of sauce is on the side, so the wings stay extra crispy.

Instead of deep-frying mine, I fire-roasted them and then finished them over direct heat to make them crispy like BKW wings.

Crispy fire-roasted wings seasoned with Meat Church Holy Voodoo and served with an Alabama-style white BBQ sauce on the side.

Grilled Chicken Piccata

I love the intense flavor of chicken piccata - the briny taste of capers and the bright pop of citrus makes my taste buds dance.

Alexis and I went to dinner with our neighbors at Cappucino's here in Knoxville a few weeks ago.  I got Chef Frank Aloise's piccata, and it inspired me to fire up a batch at home.

The problem with grilled chicken piccata is that grilling doesn't give you the sucs (brown bits left if the pan) to make a good pan sauce, which is the base of piccata.  Here are a few workarounds for that.

Event Coverage: 2020 Chain of Lakes Eggfest Winter Haven, FL

The Nibble Me This grilling team kicked off our year by having fun and serving mouth-watering food at the 2020 Chain of Lakes Eggfest in Winter Haven, FL, on Presidents Day weekend.  This Eggfest is hosted by Mannix Pools and Grills, and the proceeds go to Girls Inc. and the Boys and Girls Club of Polk County.

What's an Eggfest?

For the uninitiated, an "Eggfest" is a local food festival where grilling teams cook on Big Green Eggs and serve samples of food to crowds of "tasters." 

• A local Big Green Egg dealer supplies the Big Green Eggs used.
• Those Big Green Eggs are sold as demo units at a steep discount.
• The profits from the "taster" ticket sales typically go to support a local charity.
• There is usually entertainment, such as; live music, local celebrities, bounce houses, games, and live TV/radio broadcasts
• Some Eggfests have a competition aspect to them, but they are more about socializing, sharing grilling tips, and having a good time.
• You can find regional Eggfests here.

Here's a look back at our fun weekend through the eyes of my team's mobile phones. 

What a difference 24 hours and 670 miles make!  Knoxville has been rainy, snowy, and cold lately, so Alexis and I were excited to head South for a warmer climate.

Our team always books a large house for Eggfests.  It is just as cheap as hotels and gives us a kitchen to do our event prep the night before. [Photo credit:  Carson W.]

Carson surprised us and brought a beef tenderloin for our Friday night team meal, along with mashed potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and broccoli.  We didn't have a grill, so we cooked this in an oven and seared it in the cheapest skillet ever.  The skillet was as about as thin as a soda can, so we were actually impressed with how this turned out.

[FTC Standard Disclosure]  I am proud to have Certified Angus Beef® Brand as our beef sponsor.

Have you ever used Szechuan peppercorns?  They are interesting in that contrary to what you might think, they aren't spicy black pepper or chiles.  Even more twisted, they contain a chemical named hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, which creates a slight numbing effect.  You can take advantage of this anesthetic effect by pairing it with spicy heat. 

That's what we did with this Asian inspired Szechuan Pepper Steak that Alexis and I cooked this weekend. The Szechuan peppercorns bring a flowery, almost citrus flavor, and Garlic Chile Butter adds luscious spiciness.  Of course, we cooked it on a grill, but you could absolutely do this on a stovetop.

Szechuan Pepper Steak

By www.nibblemethis.com

Ingredients

• 2 12-ounce Certified Angus Beef® Brand NY Strip Steaks
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 2 green onions, sliced on a bias for garnish

For the Dry Rub

Event: Scenic City Eggfest 2019

I have been on the run at BBQ contests and grilling festivals every weekend for weeks on end.  I've been traveling so much that I haven't been able to get my wrap-ups posted, so I'm playing catch up.

I travel around the country, going to various Eggfests, cooking, teaching classes, and judging.  But my home Eggfest is the Scenic City Eggfest.  It is my Eggfest for more reasons than just being close.

• Elder's Ace Hardware, East Tennessee's leading BBQ/grill dealer, is the host.
• I get the chance to hang out with the best Eggers in East Tennessee.
• Food City, the grocery chain where I shop day-to-day, is the food sponsor. '
• The proceeds benefit the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.  

Here are some photographs of the fun, food, and friendships that we shared at the 2019 Scenic City Eggfest.

The Scenic City Eggfest is held at The Commons, which is a gorgeous open-air public event center.  It is relatively new, has clean facilities, and has room for us to grow.

The covered event area is ideal because this is a rain or shine event. 

Cortlandt Minnich was there, rocking the Pizza Porta.  Their team is always a popular booth because A) everyone loves pizza, and B) The Pizza Porta is an eye-catching accessory.

Midway Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Hoagies

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The Tennessee Valley Fair has been running in Knoxville.  As a kid, I loved the local fair with its bright lights, blaring sounds, and whirring "one loose bolt away from a catastrophe" rides.  Then there was the food - eating brilliant red candy apples, clouds of cotton candy, and fried funnel cakes until you might explode.  

One of my favorite memories of the fair is the smell of peppers, onions, and sausage wafting across the midway.  Here's how I make the best fair sausage hoagie at home on my Big Green Egg.  These are quick and they are also fantastic for gameday food.

So, this isn't as much a recipe, I mean, it's just sausage, peppers and onions, right?  But there are a few key steps in my process that make it better.

1. Toasting the bun
2. Using a griddle or cast-iron skillet 
3. Seasoning the peppers and onions
4. Splitting the sausage
5. Using ultra-thin provolone on the veggies and meat

I like to run the grill about 400°f for sausage hoagies.

I toast the hoagie rolls cut side down without butter or anything.  I skip brushing them with butter or anything because there is enough rendered fat clinging to the sausage and veggies.  

Event Recap: 2019 Sunshine State Eggfest in Vero Beach, FL

The Nibble Me This Grilling & BBQ Team had a fun-filled time at the Sunshine State Eggfest hosted by Wassi's Meat Market this past weekend in Vero Beach.

An Eggfest is a food festival that features mouth-watering grilled delights cooked on Big Green Eggs by teams of "Eggheads" (BGE enthusiasts).  This year there were 41 grilling teams, 8 restaurant teams, and 10 vendor teams participating in the event that raises money for Candlelighters of Brevard.

So much fun, food, and fellowship go on at these events that it is impossible to capture it all in a post.  But here are some pictures from the weekend to give you an idea of what goes on at these food festivals.

For Alexis and me, it starts with loading up the truck with coolers, hotboxes, grilling tools, and whatever else we can fit in the Titan XD.   Our drive for this event was 13 hours thanks to traffic so we got to the AirBnB (actually VBRO?) after dark. 

I woke up the next morning and saw that Sean was fishing at dawn. I rolled over an got another hour or two of sleep, the fish could wait.  Photo credit: Rhonda Hollis

We were on the Indian River which brings back memories of driving to Cape Canaveral to watch Apollo and Shuttle launches.   Rhonda got this fantastic picture from the balcony.

Usually, we do most of the food prep on Thursday at Rhonda's home so we have Friday to goof off and finish up any details.  This year; however, work got in the way and we ended up prepping most everything on Friday.