Grilled Portobello Tacos

I think I saved the best for last for Fungus Among Us week.

How do I know that?  Because it is obvious that my home is inhabited by "meat-a-tarians".  We love our meat. So tonight when I made these grilled portobello tacos I thought my picky meatasaurus kids wouldn't like them so I also made our standard beef tacos as a back up.  

To my amazement, after trying one, everyone opted for the portobello tacos over the beef ones.  Even me.  (Don't tell anyone....I don't want my BBQ Card revoked.)

The last topic of Fungus Among Us week is one easy tip.

Grow your own.

There are several advantages to growing your own mushrooms.

1. Freshness.  You'll get the freshest mushrooms you have ever had.  If you think "store fresh" is good, farm fresh or growing your own will blow your mind.  They have a silky taste and a texture that dances in your mouth.  
2. Exotic Variety.  You can get grow mushrooms that you'll NEVER EVER EVER find in your chain grocery store and probably not even local markets.  I've never seen a fresh oyster mushroom in a grocery store but a specialty like the blue oyster mushroom?  Fuhget about it!
3. Micro-farming (or should I say myco-farming...pun fully intended).  There is a big trend towards self sourcing food ingredients.  Gardening, canning, and heck, sourcing your own eggs.  But growing takes land or at least space.  Mushroom kits can be done just about anywhere.

Mushrooms can be grown on inoculated logs or even more easily, in grow kits of sterile hay in bags like this one held by Hugh Brewer.

Photo courtesy of Brewers Mushrooms.

All you have to do is keep them moist and in a mild environment.  I'm absolutely no expert on growing mushrooms but Hugh is.  Check out Tammy and his website for more info, it has tutorials on how to grow your own.  If you still have questions, they'll be more than glad to answer any questions you have.  If you're close enough, they can ship you a "ready to grow" kit.

Grilled Portobello Tacos

Makes 6 tacos

Ingredients

• 2 ea portobello mushrooms
• 6 ea white corn tortillas 
• oil for frying
• shredded cheese of your choice
• thinly sliced lettuce

For the marinade

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 lime juice
• 1 Tbsp Mega's Taco Seasoning (recipe from HotSauceDaily)

For the Pico De Gallo 

• 3 small tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and diced
• 2 Tbsp cilantro chopped
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the portobello mushrooms overnight*.
2. Mix the pico de gallo ingredients and refrigerate for an hour before dinner.
3. In a small sauce pan, heat 1/2" deep of peanut or vegetable oil to 350 degrees*.  
4. Place a tortilla in and allow to puff up for 10 seconds.  Poke with the tip of a sharp knife.  Press half of the tortilla under the oil with a metal spatula and fold the other half over with a pair of metal tongs for 30 seconds.  Flip and repeat.  Remove when golden brown, season with salt and place on a rack over newspaper* or paper towels to drain.  Repeat for other tortillas.  
5. Preheat a charcoal grill to 375f.  
6. Remove the 'shrooms from the marinade and drain well.  Grill 5 minutes per side.
7. Have the taco shells already loaded with shredded cheese*.  Dice the mushrooms into 1/4" pieces and divide among the tacos.  
8. Top with lettuce and some of the pico de gallo.  
9. Serve with Black Bean Fiesta and pico de gallo on the side.

Notes

• I intended to do a 4 hour marination time.  Things happened and I cooked it the next night, worried the mushrooms might be over marinated.  Nope!  They were neither soggy nor "burned" from the marinade.  They were perfect!
• This is NOT a tutorial.  If you don't know how to safely heat oil on a stove top, don't try this.  Go buy a cup of hot coffee from McD's and pour it on your lap but don't sue me.  
• Do NOT use the online version of your newspaper for this purpose.  It will totally jack up your laptop, tablet, or smart phone.  I told you so, don't sue me.  
• The mushrooms cool off pretty quick so you want the cheese already in there so the diced 'shrooms are still hot and give a little melty action.   

I switched to a Glad zip top bag when I realized this was going to go overnight.  Works better for flipping and keeping it in the marinade anyway.

This series was written in conjunction with Brewer's Mushrooms.  It is a joint project with a local expert and is not a paid advertisement.  Hugh Brewer is trained in mycorestoration and Brewer's Mushrooms has been specializing in fresh gourmet mushrooms for years.  Brewer's Mushrooms offers fresh mushrooms at local markets, CSA shares, grow kits, and workshops.

Reverse Seared Ribeye with Oyster Mushrooms

An oyster mushroom tries to get into an exclusive night club but the bouncer says, “Sorry little fella, this is a trendy place. I only let the most fun and hip people in.”

“Oh come on, people love me!” pleads the oyster mushroom, “Just ask anyone and they'll tell you that I'm a fungi!”

Sorry about that. I couldn't help myself!

Brewer's Mushrooms was at the newly opened Turkey Creek Public Markets yesterday. They sell gourmet mushrooms and grow your own mushroom kits, pretty cool stuff. 

Chef Amber Sue did a cooking demo on the grill with oyster mushrooms. 

These were much better than store bought mushrooms, even quality ones. The freshness makes a difference. They have a meaty texture, the earthy taste associated with mushrooms and just a hint of umami. I bought a ¼ pound, got some ideas from Chef and headed home with a plan.

I set my Big Green Egg up for indirect heat (plate setter in, legs up) at 250f. I rubbed a thick ribeye with Steven Raichlen's Lone Star rub and put it on the grill. 

It took 50 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 125f. I pulled it off to rest.

Next I switched the grill back to direct heat and cranked the temp of the grill to 550f. I used a spider rig (the wire looking thing) to drop my Craycort cast iron grate as close to the coals as I could. Then it was just a quick sear for 1 minute per side and it's done.

While the steak rested, I made the sauteed mushrooms. Sure this is nothing new but the ultra fresh mushrooms shine in this dish.

Oyster Mushroom Steak Topping

adapted from Chef Amber Sue

Makes enough for 1 or 2 steaks

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup yellow onion, diced

4 ounces oyster mushrooms

1 tsp Draper'sAll-Purpose Rub (or other bbq rub)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp thyme

2 Tbsp butter, unsalted

Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat on the grill. Add the oil and let it heat up until it is shimmering.

Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with the rub, and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Remove the cast iron skillet from heat and immediately add the garlic, butter, and thyme. The carryover heat of the skillet will saute the garlic and melt the butter.

Serve over steak.

The reverse sear gave me the wonderfully even medium rare from edge to edge.  

I've done sauteed mushrooms for steak plenty of times but these were the best I've ever had.  The freshness makes all the difference in the world.

 

Grilled Smoky Mountain Chicken "Cheeseburger"

I grew up on the beaches of Florida and I have missed surfing for the past 10 years but I love living in East Tennessee.

The area is full of natural and historical attractions and the scenery of the Smoky Mountains still awe this flat-lander. A few weeks ago, Trevor and I got to take a two hour zip line tour above the trees in the Smokies.

Trevor heading away.

Another thing this area is famous for is its illegal bootlegging “home based distilleries and back yard breweries” during the prohibition era (and afterward ala Popcorn Sutton). Fortunately, laws are different now and breweries and distilleries can operate in the open and under regulation. There is a legacy of home brew in these parts.

So when McCormick's Grill Mates and Lawry's Flavor Forecast came out this year...

the flavor pairing that obviously caught my attention was...

Smoke & Craft Brews – Regional American beers are gutsy partners for the BBQ inspired smoke notes that can be cleverly infused through a range of smoky ingredients and techniques.

It's no secret, most mass produced American beers are watered down lagers that don't pack a flavor punch. But micro-brews have the freedom and audacity to “bring it”. I used local Downtown Grill & Brewery's White Mule Ale. It's medium body worked well with the bold spices and seasonings in Backyard Brew.

Did they say “smoky ingredients and techniques”?   Since I was grilling this chicken and not smoking it, I used 3 tricks to infuse that smoky flavor into a beer-cheese sauce. The beer-cheese sauce is so good on it's own you'll want to just use it as a dip for bread or sausage.

Grilled Smoky Mountain Chicken “Cheeseburger”

serves: 4

4 ea chicken thighs, boneless skinless

1 package McCormicksGrill Mates Backyard Brew Marinade

½ cup of your favorite pale ale craft brew

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

8 strips hickory smoked bacon

4 slices tomato (optional)

lettuce (optional)

4 onion rolls

1 cup smoky beer-cheese sauce (see recipe)

Beer Cheese Sauce ingredients

3 Tablespoons reserved bacon fat

¼ cup sweet onion, minced

2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

½ cup of your favorite pale ale craft brew

½ teaspoon McCormick's Smoked Paprika

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon McCormick's White Pepper

½ cup chicken stock

1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded

1 Tablespoon roasted red jalapeno diced (substitute red bell pepper if you must but it's really not that hot)

¼ cup half and half

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Mix the Backyard Brew marinade, beer, vinegar, and olive oil according to package directions and marinate the chicken thighs for 4 hours.

Cook the bacon. Reserve 3 Tablespoons of the bacon fat. (Smoky trick #1)

Sear the red jalapeno until blackened and place in a Glad zip top bag for 5 minutes. Split in half lengthwise so it lays flat. Scrape off and discard most of the charred skin on the outside and the seeds on the inside. Finely dice the roasted pepper. (Smokey trick #2)

In a small sauce pan saute the onion in the bacon fat over medium heat until just starting to turn tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the flour and stir constantly until blended into a blond roux which should only take a few more minutes.

Add the smoked paprika (Smoky trick 3), white pepper, and salt. Whisk in the beer. It will look like your roux fell apart for a second. Don't panic and keep stirring for a minute until the consistency is smooth again.

Add the chicken stock and stir. Bring to a very low simmer. Mix in the cheese in small batches until melted.

Add the red pepper, half and half, and worcestershire sauce. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.

Remove chicken from the marinade and grill directly over medium high heat (400f) for 6 minutes a side or until it reaches an internal temperature of 170.

Toast the insides of your onion rolls.

Build each sandwich with a thigh, two pieces of bacon, ¼ cup of the beer-cheese sauce and lettuce & tomato if desired.

The grilled chicken was great on it's own. But the crisp bacon, rich sauce and the slightly acidic kiss from the tomato put this sandwich over the top.

Serve with your favorite craft brew, of course!

Standard Disclaimer:  I received the pictured Flavor Forecast kit free from McCormicks.  However, I just counted and I have over 30 McCormick's products in my spice cabinet for which I paid full retail price.

Turkey Leftovers - Black & White Chili

I know what you're thinking.

You're supposed to wait until AFTER Thanksgiving before you start making leftover turkey dishes. But the weather is turning cold and wet for the next few days and some comfort food was in order. This is one of our favorites from way back when I was just learning to cook for my new family some 15 years ago.

This isn't like most "black and white chili" recipes because 1) it does not include any white beans, the "white" is just the chicken or turkey and 2) it uses a secret ingredient.

The secret ingredient? Country or "sawmill" gravy mix, specifically Pioneer Brand. Yeah, a prepared powdered mix. I have tried just using a roux but it just isn't the same. You can get it online but we just buy ours at the local grocery stores.


Leftover Turkey Black and White Chili
Original source lost but if you google "black and white chili country gravy mix" you will find many posts of the same recipe on many sites. Just don't know who gets original credit. This is my adaptation. Plus I am trying to win an award for the longest recipe source citation ever!

2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
32 ounces chicken stock
12 oz light beer (substitute water if you like)
2.75 ounce package Pioneer Brand country gravy mix
1 ea poblano pepper, fire roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tsp cumin
3 cups turkey, smoked and chopped
2 cans Bush Brother's Seasoned Black Beans
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped


To start off, I didn't have leftover turkey so I made some. I seasoned two wings with the poultry rub and smoked them with apple wood for 3 1/2 hours at 250F until they hit an internal temp of 180f. Actually I did that part last night. Yes, I cooked "leftovers" last night on purpose.


This yielded right at 3 cups, which is what this recipe calls for.

Fire up your grill to 300f (med-high) and place a cast iron dutch oven over direct heat. Let it preheat for 10 minutes. Add the 1/2 of the butter and saute the onion and celery until tender, about 5-8 minutes.

Make a "well" in the middle of the pot by pushing the veggies to the side. Add the remaining butter, the flour and stir for a few minutes to make a light roux.


Add the chicken stock, chilies, and cumin. Whisk the beer and gravy mix together then add in to the dutch oven. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the already cooked turkey, beans, and cilantro. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Top with cilantro, sour cream or whatever you want.


So when cold, wet weather is hitting your area, what is your favorite comfort food?

Smoky Mountain Chicken

Sigh....

"Two men allegedly "got to drinking" and ended up running naked through the Tiger Haven sanctuary after they were fired from their jobs there" - Knoxville News Sentinel 9/29/10

Only in East Tennessee. I love this region but damn we have our share of yahoos. At least they are entertaining. But fortunately, there are also a lot of great things about living in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

One of them is Smoky Mountain Chicken sandwich, an item commonly found on menus around the area. It's actually rather simple - a hickory grilled chicken breast topped with some type of cheddar cheese, bacon, and a sweet & smokey bbq sauce. Simple like a damn good burger.

Smoky Mountain Chicken Sandwich

2 ea chicken breast, boneless, skinless, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
2 tsp poultry seasoning (I used Perfect Poultry Rub but even salt and pepper works)
4 slices bacon, cooked
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup BBQ sauce

I think the key to getting this one right is the "hickory grilled" part, because the spirit of this sandwich to me is something you could cook on a campfire in the Smoky Mountains. So tonight I cooked on my Fatboyz Fire Pit.

I started a batch of split hickory in my charcoal starter....

And then dumped the hickory into the fire pit to get a good base of coals.

Earlier, I baked a batch of bacon on my Big Green Egg until it was crisp.

Seasoned both side of the breasts with the rub and then cook them over the hickory coals, flipping every 5 minutes until done. This is the tricky part because I was cooking over an open pit. On the Big Green Egg, I would have had more control and would have known exactly how long to cook them. But fire pits aren't a controlled environment like the Egg or a closed grill so wind, air temp and things like that affect the cooking times. Tonight it took about 30 minutes to get them to 160f internal.

Once almost done, top each with two pieces of bacon and some cheddar cheese. I just used a plain sharp cheddar tonight but any cheddar will do. Some places use monterey jack. Cook until the cheese melts.

To make it melt quicker, invert a 1/2 steam pan, baking sheet or foil tent over the chicken.

Top with a sweet and slightly smoky barbecue sauce. What better one to use on a Smoky Mountain chicken sandwich than Smoky Mountain Smokers bbq sauce made by Joe and Voncile Amore over in Sevierville?

Smoky Mountain Smokers is an award winning competitive bbq team and just the nicest people you could meet. I like this sauce because it boasts a range of flavors, not just sweet and ketchup base like many sauces do. Good enough to buy by the gallon.

Typically, I would serve this with a side of slaw and fries, but tonight dinner was just a quickie after Trevor's football practice so I just served them with chips.

So it's a slow night....anyone want to "get to drinking" and run naked through a tiger farm?

Market Square Farmers' Market Burger

The July theme for the Outdoor Cooking Guild is .....

Farmers Markets. Farmers markets and farm markets are different things, so keep that in mind... A farm market is a market at a farm, with one cash register, etc. A farmers market is where several farmers set up booths, usually in a community based market and usually 1-3 days a week to sell the stuff they produce. So the challenge is to get stuff at a farmers market and cook with it outside! Pretty simple, really.

Alexis and I headed to Knoxville's Market Square Farmers' Market about a quarter til "holy BLEEP it's hot out there". I wasn't sure what we were going to make so we just bought stuff I knew we would use this week including a variety of peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, beef, pork, brauts, corn, and eggs.


We also had to stop by Strawberry Fields Market to supplement our supplies with Benton bacon, homemade pimento cheese, and green leaf lettuce.

I decided to go simple yesterday and made two versions of a stuffed cheese burger. These are basic, nothing earth shaking which is why you HAVE to use quality ingredients. There's nothing to hide inferior quality.

Market Square Farmers' Market Burger
Source: Nibble Me This

2 1/2 lbs ground beef (grass fed) from River Ridge Farms
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup steak sauce (used the Habanero Steak Sauce I made yesterday)
2 eggs from Spring Creek Farm
3 slices Cumberland Cheese from Locust Grove Farms
3 Tbsp homemade pimento cheese from Yoder's Country Market
2 ea Better Boy tomatoes, sliced from Crosswind Farm
3 slices Benton Bacon
Leaf lettuce
6 hamburger rolls

Mix the first 7 ingredients together in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly but try not to smash it all together. Divide into 12 even portions. Form each portion into a thin 4" patty.

Top 3 of the patties with the Cumberland Cheese. This is the best cheese in the world. It is their manchego cheese with green peppercorns, sweet red chili’s, onion, garlic, and ginger added. I have to warn you, it is hard to cook with.....only because you can't quit snacking on it instead of using it.

Top 3 of the patties with 1 Tbsp each of the pimento cheese. This is not yucky store bought stuff. If you don't have access to quality handmade pimento cheese, make your own, it's easy.

Cap those six patties with the remaining 6 patties and seal the edges.


Put in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the patties to firm up. This will HELP keep them from rupturing a cheese leak during the cooking.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon and preheat your grill to 450f.

Grill the burgers for 8 minutes, flipping and turning 90 degrees every 2 minutes.

For the record...I said it HELPS prevent cheese leaks. Don't panic if you get a leaker.

Serve on toasted rolls with bacon, lettuce and tomato.
I have a hard time picking which of these two I liked better. I think it would be more of a "which am I in the mood for today" kind of thing.

I'll post a link to Curt's site when the round up of the challenge is posted.

Bow chicka Chow Chow!

Do you know what chow chow is?

No, not the dog with the blue tongue.

Chow chow is a tangy relish type of dish, mostly in the south, but also in Pennsylvania and New Mexico according to Wikipedia. It is a "pickled relish" but it is not "pickle relish". It is made from green tomatoes, cabbage, sweet & hot peppers, other veggies and the typical pickling agents. It is typically used as a condiment on things like hot dogs, bbq, and pinto beans.

My first experience with chow chow was when I stocked grocery aisles in Jacksonville, FL when I was 18 years old. There was this jar of nasty looking stuff with a yellow label and a "way too happy" guy's face plastered on it. Having that guy staring at you while you're working at 3 in the morning is kind of creepy.

I decided right then, "Ewwwww, I HATE chow chow."

Almost 25 years later at the Market Square Farmer's Market this past weekend, I had the chance to sample some chow chow at the booth for Sherie's Garden Style products, including her Hot Chow Chow. I managed to get over my long held bias and try it.

Wow, I stand corrected. I do like chow chow, especially hot chow chow. I bought two jars.

I had some on a grilled hot dog this weekend.

I put some on a pulled pork sandwich at lunch today. I didn't say it was pretty, but you wouldn't look at a king crab or lobster and say, "Dang, I just want to eat that!" would you? (Yes, sadly I took a picture of my leftovers lunch at work on a paper plate).

I tried it on pinto beans.

It has a sweet heat to it with a vinegar kick that I like. Being "garden style" it is a more rustic cut that adds a lot of texture to dishes. It reminds me of a spicy vinegar based slaw or maybe giardiniera. It's much more exciting than sauerkraut and it is kind of what I imagine kimchi would taste like. The thing I like about the hot chow chow is that she adds sweet, jalapeno, AND habanero peppers, a great combination.

I admit it is one of those things you will either LOVE or HATE. I just happened to find out that I am in the love camp.

If you live around here, you can get Sherie's Hot Chow Chow at the Market Square Farmer's Market on Saturdays (maybe on Wednesday's too, I never get down there then) for $5 for one jar, $9 for two. They also sell salsa but I haven't tried it yet. You can also order it online at Armadillo Pepper for $5.95 a jar. I found that site when I googled Sherie's products. They carry a bunch of interesting products, so even if you don't like the idea of chow chow, you might want to check them out.

Farmer's Market
Some other things I've been enjoying about our weekly trips to the Market Square Farmer's Market include

Farm fresh eggs, Locust Grove Farm's Cumberland Cheese (a peppery sheep's milk cheese, but their Manchego rocks too), and fresh baked cheddar jalapeno bread made the best breakfast sandwich.

Spending time with Alexis and Trevor hanging out in one of the best downtown environments I have ever visited. The only time I've been to downtown on a Saturday in any other city was to see a building get imploded.

The adjacent park is cool literally.....and figuratively....

Finding new things I haven't tried before like Black Seed Simpson Lettuce which is as pretty as green leaf but doesn't have the bitter edge that some more ornamental lettuces do. It rocked in a simple salad with avocado ranch dressing (make one 'recipe' of ranch dressing and blend with 1 peeled/seeded avocado & 1 Tb cayenne pepper in a blender for 1 minute).

The family environment, Trevor took this picture of a kid playing in the splash fountains in Market Square. I love seeing what he captures when he takes my camera for a few minutes.

We always have to pay a visit to Earth To Old City, one of the stores at Market Square with eclectic merchandise like this.

[Standard Disclaimer] applies as always but I don't know any of these folks and paid full price for anything I bought.

Wow. I've rambled on. Tell me something "bow chicka wow wow" about your favorite local market.