Flank Steak and Broccoli Stir Fry

[FTC Disclaimer]  We are proud to be sponsored by Certified Angus Beef® Brand; however, this is not a sponsored post. I am personal friends with Chad Romzek, the owner of Kick Ash Baskets.  I have no affiliation with the Ceramic Grill Store, the source of the wok and spider rig.  I am a student at Rouxbe Online Culinary School, but I am not an affiliate partner and receive no benefits from them. I have no affiliation with Thermoworks.

I've been trying to eat a bit more heart healthy and stir-frying is an excellent technique for doing that without sacrificing flavor.  Earlier this week we made this Flank Steak and Broccoli Stir Fry on one of our kamado grills.

Advantages of Stir-Frying

Stir-frying offers several benefits, even more so for stir-frying on a kamado style grill. 

• Stir-frying is low-fat because it utilizes leaner cuts of meat, such as flank steak, shrimp, flat iron steak, chicken breast, and skirt steak.
• Stir-frying is a balanced diet meal because it encourages the use of more vegetables, especially fresh seasonal ingredients.
• Stir-frying's high heat cooking retains more color and nutrients of the vegetables.
• Stir-frying is economical because it extends smaller portions of meat with more veggies.
• Stir-frying helps clean out some of those leftover ingredients in your fridge.

Stir-frying over the intense heat of a kamado style grill (Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, etc.) offers an advantage over stir-frying inside.  According to Rouxbe Online Culinary School, heat is one of the most essential elements of stir-frying.  Most home stovetop ranges are only rated at 15,000 but while a commercial wok burning can draw as much as 200,000 but.  A rocket hot kamado grill can out produce your stovetop any day of the week. 

That said, you can cook this inside.  Just use the hottest burner that your range top has.

Flank Steak Broccoli Stir Fry 

Ingredients

Stir-Fired Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is what happens when you get culinarily bored.  I combined a Cajun chicken recipe with stir-frying techniques (aka stir firing on the grill) to come up with this creamy and delicious Stir Fried Cajun Chicken Pasta.

I started with this Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe from BigOven as a jumping off place and changed the ingredients for my preferences or what I had in supply.  I decided on stir-frying because the ingredients suit that style of cooking and stir-frying on the grill is fun.

Remember that stir-frying happens at a frenetic pace.  Mise en place* is especially important with this "blink and it's done" type of cooking.  This includes the tools you will need, in this case, grill mitts, wooden spatulas, and maybe a set of tongs.  

Stir Fried Cajun Pasta

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, sliced stir-fry style
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (divided)  I used my NMT Cajun Beef Rub recipe
• 1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt (divided)
• 2-3 tablespoons peanut or other high temp cooking oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned 
• 1 poblano chile, julienned 
• 1 sweet onion, julienned 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 lb rotini pasta, cooked according to directions
• Slurry made of 1 tablespoon cold water and half tablespoon or cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheese finely grated for garnish

Instructions

Grilled Flank Steak with Spicy Green Beans

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  We received no compensation for this post.  We have no affiliation with any specific brands mentioned, except Certified Angus Beef and the GrillGrates were a review sample.

Here is that Flank Steak with Spicy Green Beans recipe that I mentioned in my review of the Woo rig for a BGE Mini-Max.

Flank steak is a great cut of beef because while it is lean, it is still very flavorful.  I often use it instead of skirt steak for fajitas because I prefer the flavor and thicker portion of beef.  It has long muscle fibers running the length of the steak so it is very important to slice the steak against the grain to get the most tender bite.

• Despite the name, the green beans are only mildly spicy as is.  That's what the chili garlic sauce is on the platter - to let each person adjust the heat to their liking. 
•  To blanch the green beans, drop them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes.  Then remove them and shock them in a bowl of ice and water for a few minutes.  That will stop their cooking. Then just pat them dry with paper towels and if not using until later, put them on refrigeration.
• I make a blend for stir fry oil.  I like the flavor of sesame oil but it's way too strong for my tastes.  So I blend about 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to a half cup of a high temp cooking oil.  I used to use peanut oil for stir frying but recently switched to avocado oil.  Avocado oil has a very high smoke point (500°f compared to 450°f for peanut oil) plus it is high in Omega-9 fatty acids.
• We like to serve this with sweet jasmine rice but coconut rice or a cilantro chile rice would be good too.

Grilled Flank Steak with Spicy Green Beans

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Flank steak

For the marinade

• 1/2 cup Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce
• 1/4 cup Ink Ginger Sesame Soy Sauce
• 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon roasted garlic
• 1/4 cup stir fry oil

For the Spicy Green Beans

• 12 ounces green beans, blanched
• 3-4 medium sized portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, sliced into wedges
• 1/4 cup Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 teaspoon roasted garlic
• sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. Marinade the steak.  Mix the marinade ingredients together.  Place the flank steak in a 1 gallon zip top bag, add the marinade, press out excess air, and zip the bag.  Slosh the marinade around to cover the steak and place in the fridge for 4-6 hours.  Flip once or twice during that time.  Remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.
2. Make the Stir Fry Sauce.  Mix together the 1/4 cup of Yoshida's, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, teaspoon chili garlic sauce, and teaspoon of roasted garlic.  
3. Preheat charcoal grill to 450°f.  
4. Grill the steak.  Shake off the excess marinade and pat the steak dry with paper towels (helps form nice sear marks).  Apply a very light coat of the stir fry oil (maybe 1 teaspoon a side) on the steak.  Grill the steak about 4 minutes per side to an internal temperature of 128°f for medium rare or about 5 minutes per side to 135°f for medium.  Remove to a resting rack and immediately put the wok on the grill to preheat few minutes.
5. Stir fry the veggies.  Once the wok is hot, add about 1-2 tablespoons of the stir fry oil and add the mushrooms and onions.  Stir fry until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add in the green beans and just enough sauce to cover everything but not pool, 1-2 ounces.  Cook another 2-3 minutes until done and remove from heat.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6. Slice the steak across the grain and serve with veggies, the leftover stir fry sauce, and extra chili garlic sauce on the side.

Notes/substitutions

• Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce - It is a sweet Asian style sauce that we get at Sam's, Publix, and a few other retail stores.  If you can't find it, you can substitute a sweet teriyaki sauce.
• Ink Ginger Sesame Soy sauce - As of this post, Ink isn't widely available yet. We got ours to test out from a very cool friend that happens to work for their insurer.  You can use another flavored soy sauce or just regular soy sauce and add some ginger and sesame oil.
• Chili garlic sauce - We use the standard Huy Fong brand and buy it at one of the grocery stores that we frequent.  I love this stuff more than Sriracha because it has a more balanced heat to flavor ratio.  You could substitute sambal oelek in the same amounts or a little less sriracha.
• Portobello mushrooms - These are the medium sized ones 1-2", not the full sized 4-5" ones.  You could also use about 5 or 6 of the smaller "baby bella" variety or go with something different altogether, such as shittake and/or oyster 'shrooms.

We didn't marinade under suction, the steak was part of a two pack so we have vacuum sealed it prior to this. Didn't want anyone thinking I had some special technique.  I do have a vacuum marinator but I'm not convinced it does anything special.

I had to season the wok because this was the first time I used it, so I did that before grilling the steak.  It's a carbon steel wok from Ceramic Grill Store.  My sister got that and the Woo rig it is on, for me for Christmas.

Grilling the flank steak on GrillGrates on the Mini-Max, a small sized kamado grill.  The marinade has sugar and will burn easily, which is another reason I pat the steak dry after marinating.  You're not wiping off the flavor, it should already be in the surface of the meat. 

Always rest your hot meats on a resting rack to avoid trapping heat between two flat surfaces. This minimizes moisture loss during resting and yields a juicier steak, according to Rouxbe Online Cooking school.  I tried it side by side after taking a class there and I've done it this way ever since that comparison.

After seasoning the wok and cooking the steak, I had burned my coals down and needed to add 2 handfuls of lump coal.  You want plenty of heat with stir-frying and an under-fueled fire just wasn't going to cut it.  This wasn't ideal but it only took a few minutes to get the heat fully going again because I still had a good base of hot coals.  I was just topping it off.

Stir frying over a fire - or as I like to call it "stir firing" is a great use for small kamado grills like the Big Green Egg Mini-Max. I bought this one from Mannix Pools down in Winter Haven.  They just expanded their grilling show room and added facilities for the frequent BBQ and grilling classes that they have.  If you're in the area, check them out for your grilling equipment, grilling supplies, and pool supplies.  BJ and his staff will take care of you.

Once you add the beans, you are just cooking them until heated through, 2-3 minutes.  Also don't use too much sauce.  You only want 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sauce.  You want just enough to coat the veggies, you don't want them swimming in the sauce.

Kamado grillers are notoriously picky about the lump charcoal that they use.  We prefer to use Parker's Charcoal which we buy at a local grocery store.  They are based in our State and use only Tennessee hardwoods.  In my experience for the past 2 years, it burns clean and consistent.  Usually it has pretty equal sized pieces without much dust, although we recently went through a couple of bags that had been treated roughly, probably at the store level.  The newer bags are back to the usual quality.

Sliced up and ready to serve.  Take some of the leftover sauce, mix in more of the chili garlic paste to get the heat level you want and add it to your plate.  I put it on everything, the beans, rice, and steak.

For other recipe ideas for flank steak, check out these flank steak recipes at Certified Angus Beef. They are one of our sponsors but this is not a compensated post.  I just like the look of these recipes, especially that Southwestern Salad with Avocado Dressing.  I'll be making that one for sure.

Reverse Seared Strip Steaks with Veggie Stir Fry

I have written about using the reverse sear technique a good bit but someone recently asked me how to do that on a gas grill.  It's really not much different - start with a slow roast at low temperatures and then finish over a high temp sear.  

I did a reverse sear recently for a post over at Char-Broil Live when I made these Reverse Seared Strip Steaks with an Oyster Mushroom and Asparagus Stir Fry. 

Here is the basic setup that I used on my Char-Broil Gourmet TRU-Infrared grill.

This is the set up at the beginning - only the left burner was on, so the steaks roast with low indirect heat.  When they hit 5 degrees less than my desired final internal temp - I remove them, turn up the heat, and let the steaks rest until the internal temp stops rising.  Then it is back on the grill for a quick sear.  

For full details and the recipe, hop on over to my post at Char-Broil Live.

Quick Stir Fry

I have done stir fry dishes on the grill, what I like to call "stir fire", for years.

The ginger chicken that I stir fired last night.

I have been taking classes from Rouxbe Online Cooking School and when I recently took two stir fry lessons, I really didn't expect to learn much since I had stir fried for so long.  But I was wrong, I learned many things to improve my stir fry skill set.  Here are 5 things that I took away from the lessons:

1. A little goes a long way.   I have been using too much meat and too much sauce in my stir fry dishes.  I adjusted down this time and saw an improvement.  It should be about 4 oz of meat, 2 cups of veggies, and 2-3 Tbsp of sauce.  
2. Turn up the heat.  I used to worry I was getting the wok too hot, not any more.  Commercial wok burgers kick out up to 200,000 BTU's compared to a home stove burner of 15,000 BTU's.  
3. Blanch hard veggies first.  Hard veggies like carrots take a lot longer to cook.  I just used to put them in earlier than other veggies.  But taking the time to blanch them ahead of time not only shortens the stir fry time, it does a better job preserving the color and texture of the veggies.
4. Dry your ingredients.   Wet meat and veggies lead to a mushy looking stir fry.  
5. Velveting.  Ever notice how the meat in stir fries at good restaurants seems more tender than your stir fries at home?  Many use a technique called velveting ahead of time.  The meat is coated in a mix of cornstarch, egg white, and rice wine vinegar and then partially cooked submerged in hot oil  Use your best George Takei voice and say, "Oh my!"

Why do I like stir firing on the grill instead of stir frying inside?

• Because I can get my grill hotter than my stove top,
• Because it's outside,
• Because coal fires were the original heat source for wok cooking, and
• Because I can. 

Here are three tips from me about "stir firing" on your grill.

Mise en place

Having your ducks in a row is important with stir frying.  It is doubly important with stir firing.  In the kitchen, if you forgot something, it's just arms reach away.  At the grill, you can be 20-30 paces away from that one thing you forgot and seconds count on the wok.  And not just ingredients, you need to have any piece of equipment that you will need ready.  Tongs, resting racks, food gloves, heat resistant gloves, pinch pots, etc.  

Organized chaos.

No Place To Run To Baby, No Where To Hide

On the stove top, the sides of the wok are cooler than the center because they are not directly over the burner AND they are higher up from the heat source.  On the grill, they are only higher up from the heat source, but still directly over it and hot.  So it is extra important to keep stirring and moving the ingredients around.  That also means your forearms will be directly over the pits of Mordor.  You will definitely want long sleeved heat resistant gloves.

Along Came A Spider

If you have a Kamado style ceramic cooker like our Big Green Eggs, I HIGHLY recommend a "spider rig" for holding your wok in place.  They are cheap and effective.  Plus you can also use them with a small cast iron grid for searing steaks right next to the coals.  Note:  I have to use mine "legs down" because of the long handles.  My next wok will have the short handles so I can use the spider "legs up"

The "spider" is the wire rim on which the wok is resting.

The dinner itself was basic so I won't right up a recipe.

• Two thighs, sliced and seasoned with salt, pepper, 5 spice, ginger, and garlic.  Cooked until just done, about 4 minutes.
• Seasoned more oil with 2 garlic cloves and 3/4" of fresh ginger.  Removed and cooked blanched carrots, bell pepper, and onion about 3 minutes.
• Returned meat to wok.  Added 1/4 cup of my sweet stir fry sauce (Yoshidas, rice wine, sherry,  soy sauce, sriracha, garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper flake, sugar), tossed to coat and then mixed in a cornstarch slurry. 

What are your favorite stir frying tips?   If you have a favorite stir fry dish, post a link in the comments, I'd love to try it out.

Flat Iron Steak with Fun Guy Stir Fry

You know how Discovery Channel does "Shark Week" each year?  

I'm doing something similar.  Everything this week will be about fungi...you know, mushrooms.  Don't worry, these mushrooms won't attack you but you might attack them!

Brief Culinary History of Mushrooms

Humans have been eating mushrooms ever since pizza was invented.  Okay, that might not be factual.

  

But we have been cultivating them since the Chinese were growing them in oak logs in the 13th century (McGee 9440).  If we were growing them then, we were probably eating them long before that.  Maybe lightning struck a dinosaur and while the cavemen were enjoying the overgrown lizard's unfortunate demise, they noticed some nearby fungi smoldering in the embers and how great they tasted together. The white mushrooms that you find in almost any grocery store produce department began to be cultivated in the 17th century in rock quarry tunnels near Paris (McGee 9440). 

To me, what is more important is the recent history.  When I first worked in a stupidmarket produce department in high school (circa paleolithic era aka "1985"), we had two kinds of mushrooms for sale.  

• The white ones shrink wrapped in an 8 oz, blue styrofoam package and 
• the reduced price ones that were the same packages but almost out of date and turning brown.  

These days most grocery stores stock fresh white, portobello, and shiitake mushrooms and other dried varieties.  With the farm to plate movement, many areas local purveyors of specialty mushrooms with unique textures and flavors.

Many folks like Larry of Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings have bought kits and are growing their own.   Places like local Brewer's Mushrooms will set you up and educate you to grow your own specialty mushrooms easily, at home and using no chemicals other than H2O.

I stumbled on Brewer's Mushrooms at a local market last year.  When they were making deliveries in town this week, Hugh dropped by an unexpected surprise of a variety of fresh mushrooms AND a lions mane grow kit!  That inspired Fungus Among Us Week.

I won the custom cutting board & a year of coal from a cooking contest with McCormick's last year.

This grilled steak combines the "fifth taste" of umami from the oyster mushrooms* with layers of ginger, garlic, basil and red chilies to create an Asian flavor profile that hits all notes of the taste buds.  The stir fry cooks during the steak's resting time, making it convenient for a quick but delicious dinner.

Flat Iron Steak with Fun Guy Stir Fry

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb flat iron steak

For the dry rub

• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp basil, fresh minced
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp McCormick's Roasted Ground Ginger
• 1/4 tsp dried minced garlic

For the stir fry

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp peanut oil
• 8 oz oyster mushrooms, fresh
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger, peeled and diced
• 2 Tbsp roasted red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
• 1 Tbsp basil, fresh and cut chiffonade style
• 1/4 cup beef stock
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flake
• slurry (1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp cold water mixed together)

Instructions

1. Preheat a charcoal grill to 450f set up for direct heat.
2. Mix the dry rub together and season both sides of the steak.  (Alternatively, use a broiler)
3. Grill the steak 5 minutes per side, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 130f for medium rare*.
4. Remove steak and rest on a raised rack.  
5. Reduce grill heat, place a wok or large saute pan on the grill and allow to preheat for a few minutes*.  (Alternatively, do on stove top)
6. Drizzle the sesame and peanut oil into the hot wok.  Stir fry the mushrooms for 3 minutes until starting to turn tender and releasing their moisture*.  
7. Add the garlic and ginger, stir fry another minute.
8. Add the red bell pepper, stir fry another minute
9. Add the basil, beef stock, mirin, soy sauce, and red pepper flake.  Stir fry another 1-2 minutes.
10. Add the slurry and cook another minute or until the sauce is thickened.
11. Slice the steak across the grain (short side) and serve family style with the mushroom stir fry over the top.

Notes

• Oyster mushrooms have a natural umami flavor.  If you can't find oyster mushrooms, use another kind and add 3/4 tsp fish sauce to the mirin/soy sauce mixture.
• For the Big Green Egg, I had the top DMFT totally open and after preheating, the bottom vent was about half way closed.
• For the Big Green Egg, I closed the bottom vent all the way.  The fire was already going from the steak and stir frying requires you to have the Egg top open.  The coals will get plenty of air from the open top. 
• I love the flavor of sesame oil but using it as the only oil is over powering.  Using a little sesame oil with a neutral flavored oil like peanut oil gives a balanced flavor.

The combination of coarse rub ingredients like garlic, pepper flake and basil add texture.

Fresh mushrooms "stir fired" over hot coals seem to cook quicker than stir fried on a stove. 

Saucy, rich, spicy, and mushroomy! 

Served family style.  Trick - stuff the rice into a mini loaf pan and invert it.

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.

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.

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.

Chorizo Rice Dressing or Stuffing

Trying new recipes is kind of like that Kenny Rogers' song The Gambler.

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run

Sometimes you instantly know that you won't be trying a certain dish again. Sometimes you know you've got a keeper. But it's the "in between" ones that can test you. If it didn't thrill you the first time, is it WORTH trying again with modifications? Or are you just wasting good ingredients & time after bad?

I wanted a different stuffing/dressing for Thanksgiving last year and found one called Arnold's Rice Stuffing With Chorizo and Hot Chilies. It was okay but my comment that I wrote down "Okay, but not really a stuffing. More like a baked rice dish."

I tried it again this year but this time I adapted it according to the notes I made last year, made substitutions/additions, and cooked it on the grill.

Chorizo Rice Dressing
Adapted from a lost source*

1 poblano chili
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 lb Mexican chorizo (raw chorizo, not smoked like Spanish)
2 cups cooked rice
4 slices white bread, cubed
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, fresh chopped
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup beef stock (or au jus if available)

Roast the pepper directly over flame. You can do this on a gas burner or a broiler, but I did mine over a 500f grill. Just put on and let go until each side blackens and blisters, about 2 minutes a side. The aroma that chilies release as they char is inspiring for me as a cook, it's as if they are opening up all kinds of culinary kick-assery. (NOTE: I am doing two here but the recipe just calls for one. I made an extra to have for eggs, tacos, etc.)


Anyway, when they are done, put them in a zip top back and let them rest for at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, reduce the heat on your grill to medium (~350f). On the Big Green Egg I did this by cutting the bottom vent to only about 1/8th inch open. Remove the chilies and cut off the large end. Slice down the length of one side to open the pepper flat. Remove all the seeds. Flip and remove the charred skin. You can do this by hand but a paring knife makes quick work of it.

Next preheat a wok on the grill (translation: preheat a large skillet on your stove top for you kitchen dwellers, ha ha) and add 1 tablespoon of a high heat oil such as peanut oil. Saute the onions for 4 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook another minute. Next add the chorizo and cook until browned. This was probably about 10 minutes but I really wasn't counting.


Add the rice, bread, green onion, cilantro, salt and pepper and toss thoroughly for about 1 minute.

Transfer to a buttered 2 quart casserole dish. You can make ahead to this point and hold refrigerated for a day or two, which is what we did. (And the only reason I have pictures, because I had a "no picture/blog" rule for Christmas dinner this year.)

Set up your grill for indirect heat at 350f. Drizzle the dressing with beef stock, cover tightly with foil, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes.

The dressing turned out much better this time and it is one that I will "hold" not "fold". It was the right choice to go with the rib roast we had but would be equally matched as a stuffing for a spiral sliced pork roast.

I don't have pics of that because of my self imposed Christmas photo/blog blackout. But if you happen to have any leftover.....it makes a fabulous breakfast topped with a fried egg!


*The source was lost. I found a link for it but when I searched for it today, I can't find it online. The only exact match came from a UK site that does people searches and it matched on "Andrew Rice" but oddly enough, the search thread gave the exact recipe title even though I didn't include the all of the words.

Thai Grilled Steak with Basil Fried Rice

If you're like me, you have a "try this recipe soon" collection that is growing faster than the US national debt. My "try soon" list is like the universe, it is infinitely expanding.

"try soon" is a misnomer, because usually it's a year or more before I get around to trying any of them.

This is one I saw in a guest post at In Jennies Kitchen, that was written by Alice of Sweet Savory Life. A year and two months later, I finally got around to it. She just seasoned her steak with salt and pepper, which is fine, but I wanted to add a little more heat to balance out the sweetness of the sauce.



Thai Grilled Steak with Basil Fried Rice
adapted from Coconut Peanut Sauce Beef

1.25 lb flank steak
1/2 to 1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Sauce
1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp curry powder
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Rice
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cayenne pepper, finely diced (can substitute red bell pepper)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups of cooked Jasmine rice, cooled
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp sugar
15-20 leaves basil, halved and stemmed

Garnish: Toasted coconut shavings and cilantro

Set up your grill for direct heat cooking and start the fire to preheat the grill to 450-500f. I was using natural lump charcoal in the Big Green Egg, no wood chunks.

While the grill is warming up, make your sauce by stirring all of the sauce ingredients over medium high heat until well blended and thickened. This took about 10 minutes, I think.

Season your steak with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I used a hot blend of chilies that I dehydrated and ground up this summer. But cayenne would be a good substitute.



Grill the steak for about 4 minutes a side until it hits an internal temperature of 125f. Remove to a cooling rack and rest, loosely covered with foil.

While it is resting, put the wok on the grill and add about 1/2 TBSP of a high temp cooking oil such as safflower or peanut oil. If you are using a kamado style cooker like the Big Green Egg, go ahead and shut off your bottom vent. Your coals will get plenty of air as is.

Cook the eggs first, watching it closely. This takes only about a minute or two compared to the stove top.


Remove to a plate and chop.

Add another 1/2 TBSP of oil and then stir fry the onions and cayenne for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.


Add the cooked rice, stirring and flipping for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy/water/sugar mix and stir together.

When the rice looks done, at the last minute return the chopped egg to the wok and add the basil leaves. Toss together. The heat from the rice should wilt the basil leaves.

Thinly slice the steak. Serve with the basil fried rice, ladle the sauce over the steak and garnish as you wish. The recommended toasted coconut definitely contributed to the taste, it didn't only look pretty.


This sauce is so good I think I could almost eat it as a soup! It has a velvety texture and the flavor seems to shift as you're tasting it. It is a little sweet, so I am glad that I added the heat to the steak, it worked out ideally.

The meal delivered on all points, it wins "meal of the week/weekend". It's a true keeper. I might add some spring rolls next time just because they'd be the perfect excuse for using more of that sauce!