Beef and Broccoli

Timing is everything.

That is one of the things I like about this dish, you can prep it all out and then wait for your dinner guests. Then you can quickly cook it from start to finish in about 20 minutes. I also like the fact that the veggies cook just about the same amount of time that the steaks need to rest so it all comes together at the same time.

Alexis and our 21 y/o son were on their way back from Florida yesterday and I wanted to have a hot dinner for them when they arrived. Alexis called when they were an hour away so I could start making dinner. An hour later when I expected to drop the steaks on the grill as they walked in, they were still at the NC/TN state line stuck in traffic from the rock slide reconstruction.

Normally, Trevor (10) and I would have savored that extra hour. It would have given us extra time to scurry around cleaning and hiding the evidence of the wild parties that we had. Pasties on the ceiling fan, how'd those get up there?

But sadly, we were well behaved all week and there was no damage control to be done. So I put all the prepped ingredients in the fridge, cut the grill temp to low to keep it warm, and just waited.

Just before they got home, I opened up the vents on the Big Green Egg and we were eating within 30 minutes of them walking in the door.

Beef and Broccoli
Source: Broccoli part adapted from an adaptation of Joy of Cooking

2 ea ribeye steaks
1/4 cup ginger flavored soy sauce
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 head Broccoli chopped into 1" pieces
1 tablespoon Peanut oil
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
3 cloves Garlic finely minced
1 tablespoon Ginger finely minced
1/4 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
1/3 cup Chicken stock
1/4 cup Oyster sauce

Instructions
Marinate the steaks in the soy sauce and 1-2 cloves of minced garlic for 1-4 hours.

Preheat grill to high. I had my Big Green Egg running at 500-550f with a cast iron grate. Grill the steaks 2 minutes per side and then do another 90 seconds per side to get to medium done. Cut that time to 60 seconds for medium-rare, 30 for rare. You could also pan cook or broil the steaks if that is your only option.

Remove the steaks to a cooling rack to rest for 10 minutes. If you don't have a cooling rack, use an extra grill grate or even the rack from your toaster oven.

Why not just stick them on a plate? I picked this tip up from Rouxbe Online Cooking School. I tried it a few months ago and found it DOES make a difference. Here's why and another tip...

Rouxbe Online Cooking School & Video Recipes

As soon as the steaks come off, place a wok on the grill. Heat oil in wok. Stir fry garlic, ginger, and pepper for just a few seconds. Don't let the garlic brown. Add in broccoli (wet from rinsing) and stir fry for two minutes.

Add chicken broth, cover tightly, and steam for four minutes. By cover tightly, I mean with the wok lid, not just closing the grill.

Add oyster sauce and stir fry for 3-5 more minutes. If you want a thicker sauce, mix in a slurry of 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp cold water mixed together. If you like spicer, add 1 Tbsp of sriracha sauce.

Slice the steaks into strips, plate with the broccoli and drizzle a little of the sauce from the wok over it all.

My road weary travelers devoured this, mentioning they had not had one single home cooked meal while they were gone.

Ahhh it's good to have the family back, we put the fun in dysfunctional!

Fire Roasted Stuffed Summer Squash

Do you remember the old Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercial "You got your chocolate in my peanut butter - You got your peanut butter on my chocolate"?

Apparently the same incident happened with yellow squash and zucchini when I found those freaky looking squashchini things last weekend. I didn't know what I was going to make with them but I had to buy them.

I decided on an idea tonight after seeing a recipe for stuffed zucchini in Joy of Cooking and noticing it cooked at the same temp as the pork tenderloin I was cooking so I could do them both on the Big Green Egg.

Fire Roasted Stuffed Summer Squash
Source: Nibble Me This, inspired by Joy of Cooking (97 version)

2 ea summer squash (try to get the largest that you can)
1 Tbsp butter
1 ea green onion, finely chopped (white and green parts)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp dry white wine
1 ea egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh herbs chopped (I used basil, thyme, and parsley)
1/2 cup Locust Grove Galloway Reserve Cheese, shredded (sub a quality sheep milk cheese like pecorino romano)
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cayenne pepper (I used my home made ground chili pepper mix)

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the core, leaving a shell like below reserving the pulp. TIP: If the squash is firm, you can run a paring knife around the shell before using a spoon or tiny melon baller to scoop out the pulp.
Steam the shells with the hollow side down for 5 minutes. TIP: You don't have to have a steamer to do this. I used a large sauce pan with a 1/2 cup of water, put a metal colander over it and covered that with a glass pot lid.


Saute the green onion in the butter over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and chopped squash pulp, cook another 1-2 minutes. The pan should be almost dry. Add the wine and give a quick stir. TIP: If you want this to be more of a main course than side dish, skip the squash pulp and add 2 ounces of browned chorizo sausage.

Put that mixture into a bowl and mix together with the egg, bread crumbs, herbs, cheese, salt and pepper. Spoon into the cooked squash shells. Sprinkle with a bit more of the cayenne pepper.

Place in a shallow baking dish and add enough liquid (water, broth or wine) to come close to the edges of the squash. Place in a 400f grill or oven with indirect heat. The problem was that I was also cooking a pork tenderloin over DIRECT heat at the same time. No problem, I put the baker dish on top of a cast iron cornbread mold to block the direct heat from underneath like this....

Cook for 30 minutes.

That's the squash recipe, but since I was also cooking a tenderloin, with 21 minutes left, I added the pork tenderloin. I had already trimmed the silver skin off like this.

Rouxbe Online Cooking School & Video Recipes

Then I rubbed it with a mix of 2 parts ground red pepper, 2 parts kosher salt, 1 part cumin. I grilled it, turning it a few times during those last 21 minutes.

While that was going on, I made a quick cheating pan sauce by sauteing 1/4 cup onion in butter, deglazing with 1/4 cup dry Marsala wine, when it was almost evaporated, added 1/2 cup chicken stock. I reduced that by half and then seasoned it with salt & pepper. I whisked in 1 Tbsp of butter.

By now, the stuffed squash had cooked for 30 minutes and the tenderloin was at 140-145 internal so I pulled them both off and let them rest for five minutes. I added the juices from the rested pork to the pan sauce.

I sliced the tenderloin thinly and served it on a plate with the squash. I dusted it with a little more of the homemade ground red pepper and drizzled some of the pan sauce over the pork.
NOTES:
It was a very good dish but I would make a few changes the next time. For example, I'd do the chorizo with the squash. Also, I'd take the squash out of the baking dish in the last 5 minutes and finish cooking them over direct heat just to get some char on the bottom of them.

I used pastured pork for the first time. It was definitely different than the grain fed pork I usually use. Cooking to the same time and internal temps, it looked more done, was still as moist, but not as tender. Not tough, but just a different texture.

I was thrilled with the flavor that the ground red chili pepper I made this weekend came across in both of these recipes.

Experimenting with Chili Peppers

I tried something new this weekend without any real knowledge about how to do it, only what I had picked up on the Internet.

Wait, that sounds REALLY bad.

I tried making my own ground chili peppers this weekend. This isn't a "how to", I was just stumbling through this.

This year, Alexis grew a nice cayenne pepper plant that has been quite productive for a single plant.

I supplemented that with a nice selection from Rushy Springs Farm in nearby Jefferson County.

I picked a handful of the cayenne, some of the sweeter green chili peppers, and then those tiny little devil dogs (not their real name), some kind of thai chili pepper similar to a birds eye. I decided to try to cold smoke them first. I loaded my home made cold smoke generator with cherry and apple wood chips.

And smoked them whole for about 90 minutes inside of the Big Green Egg (not lit).

Then I cut them into slices, cleaning out the seeds, and placed them on a $6 garage sale bought dehydrator. I ran it for 14 hours.

Once they were crispy and dry.....

I rough chopped them and ran them through my spice grinder (electric coffee bean grinder, never used for coffee) for about 15 seconds. Too coarse.

I ran it back through a second time for about 30 seconds. Much better. I can use it at this texture or run it through a pepper mill for a more fine texture.

I like the texture and color that the larger green chili pepper pieces add. The heat provided by just two of those thai peppers gives a nice hit of heat but it's balanced by the rich flavor of the rest of the milder peppers.

I'm not sure how much of the smoke came through at the end though. Next time I'd either seed and slice the peppers before smoking them or just smoke the ground pepper at the end. There was a steady thin smoke coming out, I just think the waxy skins of the peppers kept it from getting in.

The aroma of this mix smells unlike any packaged ground red pepper I've ever bought. It smells like....ground chili peppers. Real chili peppers. I can't wait to grill with this stuff.

If you try this at home, let the spice mixer rest for a second after grinding to let the pepper dust settle. I failed to do that and when I opened the top, the whiff of dust burned my sinus cavity for a few minutes. It reminded me of this old joke.

Doctor: So, have you had any odd symptoms since we changed your medications last time?

Patient: No. Well, yes, just one. It's kind of embarrassing. Every time that I sneeze, I have an orgasm.

Doctor: Oh? That's odd. And how have you been treating that?

Patient: By snorting pepper!

Have any tips for dehydrating peppers or herbs?
If you had just a little bit of this red/green pepper mix, what would YOU use it on?

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.

Habanero Steak Sauce

After reading about Fire Ant Juice at Hot Sauce Daily last week, I placed an order to get my free bottle of this sauce that Brian praised. My order arrived from Tropical Island Gourmet Company this week and I couldn't wait to try these out.


You can tell they are different as soon as you pour some out, they aren't watery thin, they have texture to them. The ingredients are all natural - no artificial preservatives or additives.

I tried each one by putting a drop on a saltine cracker. The Fire Ant Juice is a blend of cayenne, jalapeno, and habanero peppers. It is my new favorite hot sauce because not only does it bring some heat, it packs a rich set of flavors. The Fire Ant Bite is a jalapeno sauce with a salsa verde type of flavor and it rocks on a breakfast burrito.


The Orange Krush is a habanero sauce so it delivers the kick. A bit strong by itself but perfect for, say........a steak sauce!

Habanero Steak Sauce
Source: Nibble Me This

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp molasses
6 oz tomato paste
1/2-3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp thyme, fresh chopped
1 Tbsp black pepper, coarse ground
1-2 Tbsp Orange Krush Habanero Sauce
Kosher salt to taste

Heat oil in a small sauce pan. Saute garlic for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Mix in the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.

Note: Start with the lower amounts of water and Habanero sauce. Add the water as desired for consistency. Add more sauce as desired for heat.

I normally don't use steak sauce for steak, I use it in my burger mix. But in this case, I tried it with some grilled ribeyes. You can definitely taste the habanero in it but it is an appropriate level of heat. My wife doesn't like a lot of heat but she loved this steak sauce.

If you are interested in getting a free bottle of Fire Ant Juice, CLICK HERE to read Hot Sauce Daily's blog post about it.

Standard Product Review Disclaimer. We paid full price for the products (except the free bottle of Fire Ant Juice offer), received no compensation for this post, and have no affiliation with the supplier.

Easy Stir "Fired" Pepper Steak

A few weeks ago when I stir fried something on the Big Green Egg, Russ of Inner and Outer Demons insisted I come up with a better term since it was on the grill. So I decided to call cooking using a wok on the grill "stir firing" instead.

I did a video of this recipe just for fun, unscripted and one take. I am still learning with these videos. I need to get better at getting the information in, in a shorter amount of time because they have to stay under 5 minutes to keep someone watching. I also need to insert a graphic listing out the ingredients.



I took a shortcut by using the Kikkomans as a marinade, sauce ingredient and condiment.

Easy Stir "Fired" Pepper Steak
source: NibbleMeThis

1 lb milanesa style cut beef (thin sliced steak cutlets)
1 jar Kikkoman's Teriyaki Baste & Glaze with Honey and Pineapple
1 ea onion, sliced crosswise into 1/2" slices
1 ea green bell pepper, sliced into 1/2" slices seeds removed
1 ea red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2" slices seeds removed
1/2 cup beef broth
1 Tablespoon dry sherry
1 cup sweet Jasamine rice
1/4 cup green onion sliced

Marinate the beef in about 1/2 cup of the Teriyaki Baste & Glaze at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Grill the steaks over direct heat at 450f for about 1 minute per side and set aside. You don't want them all of the way cooked through because they are going into the wok.

Grill the onion and peppers about 2-3 minutes aside. You should start to get a little char on them and they should start being tender.

Quarter the onion and pepper slices. Slice the steak into 1" wide strips.

Put the wok on the grill and turn the heat up to high (I'm guessing mine was about 600f by this time). Add the beef broth, sherry, and 1/4 cup of the Teryaki Baste and Glaze and allow to come to a simmer.

Add the steak and veggies and stir-fire them for 2 minutes.

Make a slurry with the cold water and starch, then whisk that in. Cook and too for another minute.

Serve with the cooked rice and garnished with green onion. Have some of the extra Terriyaki Baste and Glaze on the side as a condiment.

Why do I grill the meat and veggies if I'm stir firing them anyway? I like the slight char on the meat and I think that fire grilled veggies taste sweeter.

I like this Kikkoman Terriyaki Baste and Glaze with Honey & Pineapple and will be buying it again. It was the only seasoning in this dish and we all loved it. This would also be great on roasted chicken wings, kabobs, or some beef short ribs. I bet it would rock on a Hawaiian styled burger! The sweet flavor really shines when grilled. Not sure if this is a new product or not, but I recommend trying a bottle, it's good stuff on the grill.

Click for Standard Product Review Disclaimer but we paid full price for this, received no compensation for this post, and have no affiliation with the supplier.

Grilled Beef & Basil Rolls

My parents stayed with us this past weekend and my mom mentioned that they were trying to eat light, so not to worry about making a huge meal. So I decided to make it a day of little bites.

One of the tapas I made was Steven Raichlen's Grilled Beef & Basil Rolls from The Barbecue Bible (one of the BBQ book standards...it's well, a "BBQ Bible"). They looked simple to make and seemed to make a great presentation.

Grilled Beef & Basil Rolls
Source: slightly adapted from The Barbecue Bible

1 lb ground beef, lean
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
5 teaspoons fish sauce
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons black pepper
40 leaves fresh basil, rinsed

Mix together the beef, garlic, fish sauce, sugar and black pepper. Divide into little "meat gnocchi".

Wrap each meat dumpling with a basil leaf. Make sure to wrap the leaf tightly and then impale onto a kabob. Wait that sounds brutal...um, spear with a kabob. Stab with a kabob? Thread! Thread onto a kabob! Do 5 per skewer.

Preheat your grill to 400f and then grill direct for 2 minutes per side.

These were a great little appetizer and I would make them again, but I didn't make them perfectly this time.

First, I doubled the quantities (the ones listed above are already doubled) except the fish sauce but only came out with 40 rolls compared to the 50-60 that the recipe says you get with 1/2 of the ingredients. The math says that I made my meat dumplings too big but they didn't look that much bigger than the pics in his book.

Second, I must have "measured" too much black pepper because they packed a kick. We made up for the heat by making a quick sweet dipping sauce of cherry preserves, hoisin, soy sauce and believe it or not, a hint of Coca Cola. The coke was added kind of as a joke but hey, it is sweet.

Update:
Have had some discussion about these on the Egg forum and in the comments here. The temperature listed (400f) was the dome temperature at the top of the Egg. With this direct heat set up, the temperature at the grate was probably more like 450-500f. With this short of a cooking time, it's kind of hard to overcook these even with a higher temp. I'd recommend trying a test batch first on your grill and adjusting the time by 30 seconds if needed. For ours, they were done after 2 minutes per side, but we cut them open to make sure;)