Buffalo Chicken Smash Burger

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

I've been enjoying smash burgers lately, and something occurred to me. I don't recall seeing smash burgers made from ground chicken. It sounded good, so I decided to give the idea a whirl on Saturday while our favorite college teams played basketball. 

Buffalo chicken smash burgers are spicy and fun gameday food.

They were slightly crispy, spicy, and absolutely delicious; we both loved them. If tomatoes were in season, I would definitely add a slice but hothouse tomatoes in the Winter just make my taste buds sad. I almost added some bacon but thought it might overpower the flavor of the chicken. I'll make them this same way again, no doubt. 

Tips for Working with Ground Chicken

Raw ground chicken isn't as easy to work with as its beef counterpart. Here are a few tips to make the process go more smoothly.

• Ground chicken is extremely tender, almost mushy. Keep it quite cold until the last minute.
• Wash your hands with cold water before handling the chicken.
• Ground chicken tries to stick to anything that it touches, so I spray my burger press and deli sheets with spray oil (Pam, etc.). 
• Ground chicken is bland, so don't be shy with the seasonings.

Here's what we did.

Buffalo Chicken Smash Burgers

Flank Steak and Cheese Mini-Subs

[FTC Standard Disclosures]  I received my bags of Jealous Devil at the 2020 Chain of Lakes Eggfest.  Other than that, I received no compensation for this post.

These Flank Steak and Cheese Mini-Subs are low-effort but high-reward.  How could these not be awesome when they are filled with thin-sliced grilled flank steak, sauteed peppers and onions, and warm gooey cheese?  I made these last week after a refrigerator and freezer dive.  

Before any purists get their knickers in a twist, these are not Philly cheesesteaks.  That would be different meat, different bread, maybe different cheese, and a different cooking method.  

These steak-and-cheese subs are cheesy and easy.  They would be spot on for tailgates and happy hours, once we can do those types of things again.

Midway Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Hoagies

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

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.  

Asian Pork Belly Cocktail Skewers

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

Alexis and I made these fantastic little gems to take to a deck party at a friends house last weekend.  The Luxardo cherry, teriyaki grilled pineapple, and honey-sriracha glazed pork belly were a powerful combination, and they disappeared pretty quickly.

Asian glazed pork belly with teriyaki grilled pineapple and sweet cherry.

The cocktail skewers are a good idea for party appetizers.

Smoky Mountain Chicken Sandwich

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  No compensation was received for this post. 

Fired up one of the Big Green Eggs tonight to grill these Smoky Mountain Chicken Sandwiches.

Typically, a Smoky Mountain chicken sandwich or burger is topped with bacon, BBQ sauce, and cheddar.  I'm not sure how, when, or where this divine trinity became associated with the name "Smoky Mountain".  I have just seen it that way on countless menus.

I went in a bit different direction, but I used the same smoky-sweet-cheesy profile for this game day sandwich.  My secret ingredients were two local Tennessee products, fitting since they live in the shadows of the Smoky Mountains. 

Reload Rub and Seasoning Double Action Sweet and Smoky BBQ Blend

Alexis found this rub at Elder's Ace Hardware. It has a very balanced BBQ rub flavor, featuring things like sea salt, turbinado sugar, powdered molasses, dried onions, dried garlic, and chiles. 

Blackberry Farm Smoked Onion Jam

Yes, THAT Blackberry Farm!  This sweet smoky jam is made with sweet onions, smoked onions, cane sugar, and a few other ingredients.  The flavor is otherworldly. 

It's Tailgate Time! Open Faced Meatball Sliders on a Kamado Grill

The college football season is just really getting rolling and the teams that I follow are pretty much all already out of contention for a National Championship.  That doesn't matter, it is still fun to watch the games with friends, share a few frosty adult beverages, and fire up the grill, right? 

I have just the recipe for you - Open Faced Meatball Sliders.  They are cheesy, easy, and over-the-top delicious.  Alexis got the idea from So Yummy and this was our spin on it.

These are slammin' for any party, office function, or event.  I like to cook them on one of our kamado grills but you can easily do these in an oven.

We used store-bought dinner rolls, meatballs, and marinara sauce, that just makes it easy and it seems more like tailgate food that way.  But if you get the urge, you could certainly make everything from scratch.

Here's what you'll need

• 12 pack of dinner rolls (we used Sara Lee Artesano Bakery Rolls)
• 12 premade meatballs (we used Carando Sicilian Style)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon roasted garlic or minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 12 slices Sargento Ultra Thin Provolone
• 1.5 cups marinara sauce
• 6 ounces shredded mozzarella (about 1.5 cups)
• 1-2 ounces parmesan cheese, fresh shredded
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• basil or fresh parsley for garnish
• a 9"x13" casserole dish or a half-sized steam pan, lightly greased

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

Char-Broil Post: Honey BBQ Wings

[FTC Standard Disclaimer] Char-Broil is a sponsor of Nibble Me This and I receive compensation from them for developing recipes and other content.  However, any opinions offered are my own.

I am glad to have Char-Broil on board as a sponsor for 2017.  Most of my work with them will appear on their website but I want to link to it from here and give you a few behind the scenes shots.  Last month, I made these super easy and delicious Honey BBQ Wings.

I cooked these wings on Char-Broil's new and first (to my knowledge) kamado style grill - The Kamander.  

The Kamander is a budget priced kamado (~$350 neighborhood).  I have to be honest and tell you that I was surprised at it's performance.  I expected it to be "not great" because of it's price point but after several grilling and smoking sessions, it actually performs well.  As I would expect from a good kamado grill, I was able to both grill at high temps and steady, low temps. Obviously, there are many factors to consider, so I'll post a full review later.

I'm pretty certain that this is my favorite time of year for sports because college football is about to hit the bowl season but more importantly, college basketball is going too.  Like millions of homes across the country, game day means firing up the grills in our back yard.

Speaking of teams, Nibble Me This is teaming up with Certfied Angus Beef for the next year.  I've always shared my enthusiasm for CAB but now it's official, I'm on their roster :)  What does this mean for the blog?  Not much really.  They are being very cool about the structure.  Instead of giving us specific recipes or topics that we have to create, they just want us to create using Certified Angus Beef and tell our thoughts about it in our own voice.  I've already been doing that so I said sign me up!  It's easy representing a brand that you already use and have grown to love.

So back to game day, boy yesterday was a big one in terms of rivalries. Some teams were playing for a national championship playoff slot and others playing for pride.  We had FSU vs Florida, Auburn vs Alabama, and Ohio State (#2) vs Michigan (#3) - what a great day of football. These mini-subs are perfect for days like that because you can eat them hot, fresh off the cutting board or you can pull the leftovers out for a quick bite late in the games when everything is on the line.

The star of this team is a rotisserie roasted Certfied Angus Beef eye of round, sliced thin, and then topped with caramelized sweet onions and horseradish beer cheese sauce.

Rotisserie Roast Beef Mini-Subs with Horseradish Beer Cheese Sauce

Published 11/27/2016

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pound Certfied Angus Beef eye of round
• 6 mini-sub rolls

For the Beef Rub

• 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosker salt
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper 

For the Horseradish Beer Cheese Sauce

• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup beer 
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup mild shredded cheddar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 to 1.5 teaspoons grated horseradish
• salt to taste (about 3/4 teaspoon)

For the Onions

• 2 sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your rotisserie grill to medium high heat, about 400°f.
2. Mix together the dry rub ingredients.  Lightly rub the beef with 1 teaspoon of oil and season all over with the dry rub.  
3. Spear the roast onto the rotisserie rod, secure using the tines, and let roast over indirect heat  with the lid closed until the roast hits 127-130°f for medium rare, a little over 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile make the cheese sauce.  In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour.  Stir contantly until they combine in a light roux.  Whisk in the beer in small amounts until it is all worked in and well blended.  Add the cheese in small batches, whisking until it melts.  Add the pepper and horseradish, taste for seasoning and adjust with salt as needed.
5. Caramelize the onions.  Melt butter in a pan over medium low heat  Add the onions and stir occasionally until they turn soft and lightly browned.  Don't rush this, you should take at least 30 minutes to slowly build the complex flavors of caramelized onions.  
6. Once the beef is done, remove from heat and let rest on a resting rack.
7. Slice the beef thinly. Top the bun bottoms with the beef, onions, and drizzle with the cheese sauce.

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.

Cook time: 01 hrs. 15 mins.
Total time: 1 hrs. 35 mins.

Substitution Notes:

• For the beer in the sauce, we used an American style light lager but you can use whatever you like. An amber or stout will give you a darker color and deeper flavor. 
• The Aleppo pepper looks like red pepper flake but it is milder in heat and has a nice smoky flavor.  You can just use red pepper flake or any red ground chile (cayenne, chipotle, ancho). 
• I used store bought prepared horseradish. If using fresh, back off on the amounts some unless you really like the sinus clearing sting.
• If you don't feel like caramelizing the onions, you can always just top your sandwich with french fried onions from the store like my son opted to do.  

My typical rotisserie set up is like this, with coals banked around where the meat will be.  Of course, I light them first using a chimney starter or gas assist if the grill has it, and then move them into position. You can buy a "universal" rotisserie accessory for most grills for about $50.  For kamado grills you will need a specialized rotisserie kit.  

Completely Optional Step:  The eye of round is a pretty lean cut of beef, so I like to give it an injection to boost the flavor and moisture retention. I happened to have some brisket injection on hand so I used that.  But you can just mix 3/4 cup of beef stock, several tablespoons of unsalted butter, and a heavy splash of Worcestershire sauce over medium heat.  Then inject that after it cools slightly.

After seasoning the eye of round with the rub, I tie it to make the shape more uniform.  It's going to be thinner on one end anyway, but that's okay.  A real butcher would tie this with one string but I'm real slow at that so I cheated here.  It works! 

Rotisserie cooking is a type of dry heat cooking method that adds a great color to meats and forms a tasty crust.  If you don't have a rotisserie, you can do this over a regular grill.  Use a raised rack (higher than your regular grill grate) and turn the roast frequently, about every 5-7 minutes until done.

The roast should only rise about 5 degrees after you pull it off. I like to pull mine around 127°f but I was distracted and got it pulled at 131°f instead. 

You can use an electric slicer, especially if you refrigerate the roast before to get it firmer.  But we were eating this right off of the cutting board so I went manual with a 10" slicer knife.

Alexis said this is some of the best sliced roast beef that she's ever had.  Tender on the inside, flavor packed on the golden crust, it blows away anything you can buy in a deli.

The Horseradish Beer Cheese Sauce was pretty amazing too.  This would be good for dipping onion rings, or something like that, too.

The mini-subs are surprisingly big for being "mini".  They won't leave you hungry but you can still handle them with one hand, freeing the other hand up for a cold adult beverage or the remote (just in case your team is losing, ha ha).

Just in time for the holidays, check out the free Roast Perfect App from Certified Angus Beef for help in creating beef roasts like this and others.

It's an easy to use app for your smart phone that has tips, video, recipes, and tools to help you nail that perfect beef roast for the upcoming holiday feasts.  You can get it in Google Play and the iPhone App Store.  

Thanks again to Certified Angus Beef and the Sunday Supper Movement for partnering with Nibble Me This for the coming year! 

Brown Sugar and Beer Brined Wings

College basketball is heating up and the bowl season for college football is going to be kicking off shortly.  These Brown Sugar and Beer Brined Wings give you something different from the usual buffalo style wings.  They are ideal for folks who want more sweet than heat in their game day wings.

I created these wings as part of my sponsorship package with Char-Broil and cooked them on my Char-Broil Kettleman grill. I've cooked on this specific grill for 2 years and it is still holding up to all of my abuse.  The Kettleman is inexpensive ($149), light in weight making it a great portable grill, and it has proven itself to me.  I have about 17 grills that make appearances on my deck but this is one that stays out there year round.

Here is the full recipe for Brown Sugar and Beer Brined Wings.

Chicken Lollipops or Frenched Chicken Drumsticks

The humble chicken leg doesn't get much attention. That's funny because when we were kids, a drumstick was usually a preferred option.  I think that's mainly because kids love food with a handle. Frenching a chicken leg is a great way to elevate the chicken leg to something a little edgy, like a food truck might serve.  It might be adult food but the kid in you will still love the handle.

Frenching is a technique where tissues are cut away, exposing the bone for a fancier presentation. Usually it is simply for appearance sake, as with pork, veal or lamb chops.  But frenching a chicken leg is more than just an appearance treatment.  When you french a chicken leg, you are also removing tendons and compacting the meat, making a more juicy and enjoyable bite.

I first learned this technique from Danielle Bennett, aka DivaQ.  DivaQ is one of my biggest influences along with Chris Lilly and Adam Perry Lang.  She has coached me not only on BBQ but also social media and building a personal brand.  Plus, she has more freaking energy and determination of anyone I have ever worked with.  Anyway, she came out with a great book this year and she has a recipe for Chicken Lollipops in it, you should check it out.  [My review of her book]

I used Malcolm Reed's technique for trimming the chicken lollipops.  

You will need a good pair of kitchen sheers and a sharp knife.  A tool that I figured out is incredibly helpful for trimming the tendons is a pair of locking forceps.  I think I got this pair from a unused suture removal kit that I got after a surgery.  You can buy them at hobby stores or online for just a few bucks. 

One tip from me - make two passes around with your knife. You'll cut through the meat and skin rather easily but those tendons are tough, slippery, and have a way of hiding in the grooves.

Trying to hold onto the tendons for snipping with the scissors was frustrating until I figured out to use the forceps.  It holds those slippery things securely and then I lift the leg by that tendon, making it easier to snip with the scissors. No more chasing tendons as they slip out of my grip while trying to snip. Great "light bulb" moment for me.

All lined up and ready to go.

Seasonings:  The first batch this weekend was a base coat of my poultry rub and then a coat of Meat Church Honey Hog.  That came across as a touch too salty (not bad, but on the edge) so the second batch was Honey Hog by itself. 

This is one of the Honey Hog only legs.  You can visibly see why I love this as a general purpose BBQ rub.  

This cook was on one of our large Big Green Egg's indirect at 375°f until it they hit an internal temp of around 165°f.  Then it's time to sauce and go back on.

I made a honey-bourbon-roasted garlic BBQ sauce using DivaQ's Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce from her book.  I subbed our roasted garlic for garlic. I added 1/2 cup of local honey, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of single batch bourbon.

Dipping the chicken instead of brushing it on is a trick from competition BBQ. 

Legs and thighs should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 175°f.  I like going to 180°f for legs - they can handle it and still be succulent.  My favorite instant read thermometer is my Thermapen.  Yeah, I still use versions 1 and 2 and they are dated (2 newer models out) but I think that's a testament to how well these things are built.  I don't HAVE to buy a new one every time they update their models. [FTC Disclaimer: No compensation for that statement and I am not an affiliate seller of Thermoworks products, just my opinion.]

If I was doing a food truck menu, this would probably be on there.  Chicken lollys and corn on the cob.

These were fantastic.  It had that old school, Southern BBQ chicken flavor with a fancier presentation and a bolder, modern taste.

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

The beginning part of tailgating season is more fun, don't you think?  The weather is still beautiful all over the country, so people take advantage of that and party earlier and longer.  It's also early in the season and most fan bases still believe that this is OUR year, so more people come out to tailgate central.  

These wings are just the ticket for those warmer, early season tailgates because they have hints of Summer with the warm flavors of lime, cilantro, and habanero.  

Cilantro Lime Wings with Habanero Butter

I made this marinade with wings in mind but it works with any chicken, of course.

This recipe makes enough for a family pack of wings, about 4.5 pounds or 14 whole wings. The marinade itself is rather mild, I add heat with the rub and sauce.

Cilantro Lime Marinade for Wings

Published 08/25/2016

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup peanut oil
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1/2 ea jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup packed chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon season salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile

Instructions

1. Place oil, lime juice, jalapeno, and cilantro in a blender and pulse for 15-20 seconds until blended.
2. Stir in the pepper, season salt, chili powder, salt, cumin, and chipotle.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Marinate wings for 4-6 hours

Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 00 mins.
Total time: 10 mins.

Marinate the wings for 4 - 6 hours, just the right amount of time to get loaded up and down to the stadium.

Take the wings out of the marinade and shake off the excess.  Then season them with your favorite rub.  I used a couple of tablespoons of my NMT All Purpose Chicken Rub.

I used my Grilla pellet cooker for this cook using applewood pellets.  I got my Grilla as a thank you for being on their Memphis in May team and I have used it a ton this Summer.  

I cooked them pretty much just like my 30-20-10 kamado wings - 30 minutes at 375-400f, flip.  Twenty more minutes, then sauce and put them back on just long enough to set the sauce, 5-10 more minutes.

Grilled wings have a flavor that you just can't get from frying.

They were pretty fantastic just like this - crispy and tangy.  About half of the family wanted them this way.

But my older son and l were in the mood for more heat so I had made a habanero butter sauce using 6 tablespoons of butter and about a third cup of Yucatan Sunshine Habanero Sauce.

Spicy, tangy, buttery, and....the game is starting?  I'll be there in a minute, I have a few more wings here.

If you want to shake your tailgate up with some extraordinary wings - break out these bad boys!