Tailgating at Bristol Motor Speedway: Bristol Bash 'em Up Paninis

Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway has been compared to "flying fighter jets in a gymnasium" because of it's short track, steep turns, and high traffic. 

The Bristol NASCAR race is next weekend so I wanted to come up with an easy and tasty tailgating idea.  Since that race involves a lot of rubbing, bumping, and outright crashing,  I couldn't think of a more appropriate item than panini, where everything is smashed together! 

To give it a taste of East Tennessee, I revved up this panino with a "hi-octane 'cue sauce" by simply mixing in a little moonshine (now legal!) with a commercial bbq sauce.

I wanted to make sure this was easy enough to do at the track so I made it on a completely portable,  14.5 inch, $30, throw in your trunk Weber Smokey Joe.  I'm not kidding, I bought this grill at our grocery store. 

Bristol Bash 'em Up Panini

source:  NibbleMeThis

1 10" loaf of french bread
2 cups cooked chicken
1 to 2 TBSP of BBQ Rub (I used Albukirky Rub tonight)

3 slices bacon, cooked

3 slices pepper jack cheese

1 sweet onion (vidalia, Texas sweets, etc) sliced into 1/4" slices

4 slices pickles

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 oz Apple Pie Moonshine
1 brick wrapped in foil

Set up your grill for medium high heat.  Place the foil wrapped brick on the grill and allow it and the grate to preheat for about 10-15 minutes.

Whisk together the Apple Pie Moonshine and the barbecue sauce.  The apple and cinnamon seem to enrich the flavors of the barbecue sauce while the "shine" gives it a twang or kick.  TIP:  For tailgating, do this at home and toss it in a cheap squirt bottle.

NASCAR, BBQ, and moonshine share common roots.

Grill the onion slices for a few minutes per side until tender.

Grill the pickle slices for about 2 minutes per side.  Yes....grill your pickles.  No, I'm serious.

Assemble your sandwich as follows

chicken

bbq rub

bacon

Hi-octane bbq sauce

cheese

onions

pickles

second round of Hi-octane bbq sauce

If you are a visual learner, here you go....

Cut the sandwich in half.  Place on the grill and top with the brick.  Grill for 45 seconds or long enough to toast the bottom.

Flip, top with the brick and grill another 45 seconds.

We loved this one.  It was a fantastic use of leftovers (bacon and chicken), easy to put together, and did I mention, FAST?

Speaking of fast, if you are heading up to Bristol next weekend, here are some tailgating tips from Kingsford.

NASCAR®  Tailgating Tips for the Track

NASCAR®  racegoers are among the most loyal fans and are legendary for their ability to tailgate in style. To ensure a memorable race weekend, fire up the grill in the infield or cheer on your favorite driver in your own backyard with a few  Kingsford® charcoal tailgating tips.

Pre-Race Check List: The first step to a successful tailgating party at the track is to create a list of what you need to bring. Write down everything from condiments to containers to avoid serving hamburgers without anything to put on them. Plus, buy all supplies, especially food, snacks and drinks, before hitting the road, as prices near the track will likely be higher than at home.

Fill Up Your Fuel Tank: Since you will be transporting food and drinks, invest in a second cooler. Separate raw meats and cooked foods in individual containers and layer with ice to keep them preserved and away from each other. Organize the cooler with drinks on one side and food on the other. Don’t forget to place appetizers on top to avoid digging for the first course.

Secure an Early Lead: Chips and dip make great appetizers for any tailgate party. Try paring tortilla chips with world champion pitmater, Chris Lilly’s, coal-fired pico de gallo for an instant fan favorite. Give tomatoes, peppers and onions a quick turn on the grill before combining with cilantro, garlic, salt, sugar and lime juice to taste.

Speedway Sizzle: Add gourmet taste to grilled favorites like burgers and chicken with marinades. For ultimate flavor, let meat soak in a GLAD^® food storage bag in the refrigerator or cooler for a few hours before the festivities. Seafood and vegetables should marinate for no longer than an hour, chicken and pork for two to four hours, and beef can marinate for 24 hours. Try new KC Masterpiece^® Buffalo marinade for a great way to add flavor to grilled chicken or pork.

 

Don’t Over Steer: To ensure a more uniform doneness, let the meat come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before grilling. Also, the internal temperature of most meats will spike at least five degrees after you remove it from the grill. Let it sit or “rest” undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes before serving to allow the temperature to equalize and reabsorb the internal juices.

Turn Left: When cooking steaks or burgers on the grill, turn the meat just once. For steaks, turn them when the juices start to bubble on the uncooked side (the clearer the juice, the more well-done the meat). Your burgers are ready to flip when you can you lift the patty from the grate without the meat sticking.

Party With the Pit Crew: Tailgates are not only a time to celebrate with friends and family but also a great way to meet new people. Bring extra food and share with others. Be courteous to those around you, clean up after your party.

Instant Replay: Be sure to bring a camera with you.  Having a small tailgating party before a NASCAR® race is a fun experience, one that you will want to document with pictures. Your NASCAR®  race weekend, is an event that you will likely never forget.

Extra Laps: One of the perks to hosting a tailgate party at the track is enjoying the leftovers. Make food that you can cook once and eat twice, so you have enough leftovers to create another meal. From chicken tacos to Philly cheese steak sandwiches, there are limitless options for what you can fix with the meat your guests don’t eat.

Kingsford U: Grill Once Eat Twice

I am at a loss for words.

I know that is shocking, normally you can't get me to shut up.  But after the past weekend at Kingsford University and 3 days of sensory overload, I don't know where to start.  I guess I'll start with five ways that Kingsford University is NOT like regular college.

The food is much better than a meal pass!  Dinner at Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak, dinner cooked by Chris Lilly, Ken Hess, & crew, and the lunch we cooked (chicken tacos) ourselves were top notch.

The cooking equipment consisted of more than a microwave and illegal hot plate.  Yes....that IS a flat screen TV in that Pitmaker smoker/grill unit!

The dorm rooms didn't have bunk beds and cinder block walls.  Kingsford put us up at The Signature at MGM Grand.

The Dean of the University didn't put us on double secret probation.  If anything, Chris was putting us up to things! 

The "adult beverages" consisted of more than cheap beer and grain alcohol.  I have a great story about the 'Cue Cocktail Contest but out of respect for the ONE innocent party on our team, I will defer. 

One of the themes of Kingsford U was "grill once eat twice".  So tonight I followed that precept since it takes no more time, fuel, or chickens to cook two chickens as it does to cook one.  Wait.....it does take more chickens, I'm bad at math.  But it doesn't take more coal or time.

I spatchcocked two chickens and seasoned them with my favorite poultry rub.  Here's a tip from me...season the holy living flip ("flip" trademarked by DivaQ) out of the backside of your butterflied chickens.  I put about twice as much on the back side that I do the top.  You won't be biting through the backside so feel free to light it up.

I grilled the birds at 350f direct heat on a raised grate (8-9" above the coals) for one hour, keeping them bone side down the entire time.  

I pulled them off when they hit an internal temp of 160f in the breast and 180f in the thigh.  One bird came off right at one hour and the other took another 15 minutes.  That's why you cook by temp, not time.

Since it was a weeknight, we went simple and served it with some grilled zucchini.   Alexis rocked out some dinner rolls because she had made up dough this weekend and froze it into serving sized balls. No need to break out the stand mixer tonight.

The best part is that we have chicken leftover for dinner tomorrow night!  And like leftovers, I have much more to come from the past weekend.

Closed For Edumacation

If you are reading this, I am in Las Vegas attending the prestigious Kingsford University.  (Forget Ivy League....this is a "Hickory League school"!)

I will be picking up some expert BBQ and grilling tips from the folks at Kingsford Charcoal, Chris Lilly, and an amazing group of live fire cooking enthusiasts. 

Don't worry.  While what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, we'll be sharing what we learn! 

Pork Tenderloin Fajitas

I cooked inside last night but had a good excuse.  Knoxville was hit with record setting rain falls in just 2 hours yesterday resulting in flash floods across the city.  Here is Tenth Creek, which bisects our neighborhood.  Normally this part of the creek is small enough you can step across it in most points.

On the pond side, the island was underwater and I think the sign on the bridge might say, "NOTICE - When You Can't Read This Sign, Bridge Is Under Water"

Here is the earthen dam at the end of the pond.  As you can see, the water level got to the very top of the dam but fortunately both the overflow drain and the spillway both kept functioning.

The reason I bring this up is that other areas of Knoxville were hit much harder and the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee lost their entire warehouse of food.  Second Harvest feeds more than 150,000 people in 18 counties every month and this loss is a major blow to already strained resources.  If you can, PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING SECOND HARVEST A CASH DONATION TODAY.   Thanks for helping if you can.

Pork Tenderloin Fajitas

source:  NibbleMeThis

serves 4

1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2" x 1/2" x 2" strips (smaller than your pinky)

2/3 cup red & yellow bell peppers, sliced thin

1/3 cup red onion, sliced thin

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

4 flour tortiallas

Three Way Fajita Marinade

3 Tbsp oil

3 Tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup beer or tequilla

2 cloves garlic 

1 1/2 tsp season salt (I used Tony Chachere's)

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp McCormick's Roasted Cumin

1/2 tsp McCormick's Chipolte Chile Powder (sub cayenne if you need to)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

2 Tbsp roasted red bell pepper, chopped  

Veggie Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp Three Way Fajita marinade

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp oil

salt and pepper to taste

Ranchita Sauce

3/4 cup ranch dressing

2 Tbsp Three Way Fajita Marinade 

Toppings:  Cheese, salsa, etc

The thing I like about this recipe (a slight variation of my normal fajita marinade) is that it uses the marinade three different ways.  Process all the marinade ingredients in a food processor or blender until all of the solid ingredients are well blended in.

Reserve your 3 Tbsp of Three Way Fajita Marinade.  Marinade the pork strips in the remaining marinade for 2-4 hours.   Mix the Ranchita Sauce and refrigerate.  Make the vinaigrette by whisking the oil into the other ingredients.  Toss veggies in the vinaigrette and chill. 

To cook fajitas inside, you want a very hot cast iron pan.  I preheat mine in a 400f oven for 15 minutes.  Then put it on your stove top on high.  Many gas range tops have what is called a "power burner", use that one if you have one.  

Remove the pork from the marinade, shake off the excess, and place in the pan, trying not to crowd the pieces.  Cook for 6-8 minutes.  Remove from pan.  

Cook the veggie mix for 1-2 minutes until wilted.  I like mine with a little texture so pull them out after a minute.

Divide the meat and veggie mixtures between the 4 tortillas.  Top each with a few squirts of the ranchita sauce and whatever toppings you like. 

The slightly crispy veggies, the tender pork, and bold flavor of the three way marinade made these fajitas excellent.....even if they were cooked inside! 

Blackened Steak Experiment

Can you feel it in the air?

It's coming.  I see it on the buds of tree.  I hear it in the voices of birds.  I smell it in the....ACHOOOOOO.... pollen floating around.  Yes I'm talking about SPRING!  Dig out and thaw out people, SPRING IS COMING SOON.

It was a beautiful blue sky day today and it couldn't be wasted inside.   Today was a day for playing in my open air kitchen on the deck.   I decided to blacken a ribeye steak, something I have not done before.   Steak doesn't need anything more than salt, pepper and charcoal, but I was in the mood for something different.

"Blackening" does not meant burned meat.  Blackening is a high heat cooking method that creates a dark, spicy seasoning crust on properly cooked meat.  Since it is high heat, it works best with relatively lean proteins such as fish, steaks, and pork chops.   This method was invented by famed chef, Paul Prudhome, so you can imagine the seasonings are Cajun based.

Blackened Ribeye Steak

source:  www.nibblemethis.com

2 ea ribeye steaks, at least 1" thick

Rub

1/2 Tbsp paprika
1 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp thyme, ground
1/4 tsp oregano, ground
1/4 tsp celery seed 

Garlic-Butter

1/2 cup butter

1 clove garlic minced

1 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning  (You could substitute some of the blackening rub or a cajun rub)

Special equipment:  Cast iron skillet

One of the most important parts of proper blackening is making sure your cast iron skillet is cooking over a "rocket hot" grill, basically as hot as you can get it.  If you are using a normal charcoal grill, use Kingsford Competition Briquettes or lump charcoal for this one, they burn hotter. [Click here for a great explanation by John Dawson of Patio Daddio.]

Preheat your cast iron skillet.  Trust me, don't cheat here.  The entire process depends on a HOT HOT skillet.  Let the skillet preheat for 10-15 minutes.   

Not a skillet but plays one on TV.

Yeah, that's not a skillet.  I got a spider rig from the Ceramic Grill Store this week.  When cleaning last night, I noticed that the upside down lid to a Lodge #12 cast iron dutch oven makes a concave griddle that fits the spider rig PERFECTLY!  

Rub your steaks heavily with the rub on both sides.  Set aside.

Make your garlic butter mix by heating all the ingredients for a few minutes in a small sauce pan over medium heat.

Now it is time to drop the hammer on these steaks.  Pour some of the garlic butter mixture on one side of each and place that side down on the skillet.  Be prepared for some serious smoke.  That is why you do this outdoors!

Cook for a few minutes (2 minutes med-rare, 3 minutes medium) and then flip.  Ladle a little of the garlic butter mixture over the steaks.  Be careful when doing this because splash overs can cause a flash fire.  (My Facebook followers will see the uncensored video of this.)  If that happens, don't panic.  Just close the grill top and the fire should extinguish itself quickly.  

Remove the steaks from the grill to a raised rack to rest for 5-10 minutes.  I use a baking cooling rack over a plate, but you could just steal the rack out of your toaster oven.  When you put the steaks flat on a plate to rest, the heat trapped between the meat and the plate will "steam" the meat pores open, releasing the juices.  Raising the steaks prevents that. 

When serving, top with a little of the garlic butter mixture.

My test steak turned out darkened just right but not burned at all. 

And the inside was still nice and juicy.  

I prefer my steak medium-rare and this one turned out medium but that is because I gave both sides an extra flip for about 45 seconds each.  Next time I'll stick with the 2 minutes per side for medium rare or use a thicker steak.   The flavors were bold and a bit of a party, just like you would expect from Louisiana.   

Cheerwine Comes To Knoxville

The Carolina soft drink company is celebrating their expansion into Tennessee with a special event at Calhoun's on Neyland Drive this Thursday, March 3rd.    Guests can win various Cheerwine prizes, including an iPod, T-shirts, 12-packs of Cheerwine and goodie bags. Hors d'oeuvres and light refreshments, including drink specials, will be served.   If you are interested, visit Cheerwine on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/cheerwine, to RSVP for a coveted invitation.

Greg's Default Orzo and a Spider

And along came a spider....

Quit buggin' out!

Wait, don't run away scared you big chicken!  It's not a real spider...but more about that later.

I wanted an easy and fast side dish tonight to go with some ribeye steaks I was going to grill.   I saw a package of orzo in the pantry and my mind immediately turned to SippitySup's "default pasta" process and came up with this.

Orzo and Stuff

2 cups orzo
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1/2 cup shredded cheese (we used the last of my home-smoked manchego cheese)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the orzo according to directions.   Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Drain the rest.

Pour the hot pasta on the other ingredients and toss in a bowl.   Season with salt and pepper.  Add pasta water, IF NEEDED, for your desired consistency.  See?  Easy peasy! (pun intended)

But back to that spider.   It's actually a 13" cast iron grate from Craycort and a "spider rig" that I bought from the Ceramic Grill Store. 

This is kind of specific to a Kamado cooker like the Big Green Egg.  The smaller sized grate and spider rig let you get your meat closer to the coals like this....

On my large BGE, the normal distance from the coals is about 5 1/4".  The spider rig lets me get under 3".  Being right next to the coals lets you sear your meat at even higher temps, like they do at premium steak houses.  

If you flip the "spider rig" over it becomes a wok base.  (Can't wait to do that cook this weekend.)

You can count on seeing the spider rig and the small Craycort in many posts to come because elite cooking equipment like the Big Green Egg deserves top level accessories like these! 

Lamb Chop Greek Pizza

We had two tiny lamb chops leftover and four of us to feed so I figured I had three options:

1. Become a divinity and multiply it like the loaves and fishes (If I have that kind of power, forget the lamb....I'm going to make some wine.)
2. Tell the boys there is a new XBox 360 game hidden somewhere in the basement and then quickly eat the lamb chops before they get back upstairs.
3. Make a Greek pizza

I'm pretty sure that #1 isn't going to happen and the boys aren't going to fall for #2 a fourth time, so we made the pizza. 

Preheated the Big Green Egg coal fired pizza oven to 500f.

Topped the pizza crust with
-sun dried tomato pesto as the pizza sauce
-meat from 2 lamb chops, finely minced
-red onion, sliced
-2-3 mini sweet red bell peppers, sliced
-olives sliced
-oregano (about 1 Tbsp)
-feta cheese
-mozzarella cheese
-red pepper flakes (about 1 tsp)

Put it on a pre-heated pizza stone on the Big Green Egg and bake it for about 9-10 minutes, depending on who is keeping time and remembers to press the START on the timer. 

Yeah, this wasn't half bad for leftovers.

Have any favorite tips for making pizza?  What are your favorite pizza flavor combinations?