Flank Steak and Shtake Yakitori - Kingsford Invitational Day 1

The cookers have cooled, the smoke has cleared, and the First Annual Kingsford Invitational is in the books.  

First, here is a recipe from the weekend.  The recipe is by Chris Lilly for Kingsford and the picture is the Anheuser-Busch's chef's interpretation of that dish.  He marinated the flank steak in Stella Artois, grilled it whole and then topped with the onion/shitake skewers.

Flank Steak and Shitake Yakitori

by reprinted with permission from Kingsford and Grilling.com

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Ingredients (12-14 skewers)

• 28 shitake mushroom caps
• 1 flank steak
• 1 bunch green onion tops
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 12-14 4-inch skewers, soaked in water

For the Marinade

• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup mirin (rice wine)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Cut the shitake mushroom caps in half and place them in a mixing bowl. In a medium sauce pan add the marinade ingredients and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Then, remove from heat and pour the hot liquid over the mushroom caps, marinate for 20 minutes.
2. While mushrooms, marinate, cut the flank steak across the grain into 1/4 inch strips. Cut green onion tops into 1-inch pieces.
3. Once mushrooms have finished marinating, remove mushrooms and set marinade aside. Use skewer to pierce the flank steak at the end of the strip. Next piece a piece of mushroom cap followed by a green onion top. Weave the flank steak strip around the mushroom and green onion, and flank steak until the steak strip ends. Lightly season the skewers with salt and pepper.
4. Preheat the grill using Kingsford charcoal. Dip each skewer into the left over marinade and place on the grill over direct heat. Grill for 2 minutes on each side, or until the streak browns. Remove the skewers from grill and serve.

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I arrived in St. Louis just in time to check in my room and have a few minutes before having to meet the Kingsford gang downstairs.   

View from my room.  I think it is half of a McDonalds.

Kingsford took us all to a farm to table dinner at Farmhaus where host, Chris Lilly, talked about the importance of this contest as a unified championship for the world of competitive BBQ.  He also talked about continuing and emerging trends in the food world and how they relate to grilling and BBQ.

Photo taken by Harry Soo.  Chris Lilly is on the left.  I'm in the far right corner.

The next morning we headed to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery for a plant tour.  When I heard "beechwood aging" all those years, I assumed they were aging beer in beechwood barrels.  Actually, the beechwood is large shavings inside the tanks and it facilitates the yeast and natural carbonation as opposed to artificially forcing in CO2.  

Sclemeel, schlemazel, hasenfeffer incorporated!  Errr....I mean Anheuser-Busch!

After the tour we had a special presentation about pairing beer with foods by Anheuser-Busch's Brewing Specialist and Ambassador, Sarah Schilling.  That meant an excellent lunch as well.  The tips she gave for pairing include concentrating on

• balance - matching intensities
• contrast - creating different "angles" by pairing opposing profiles, intensities, etc
• compliment - flavors that enhance or add to each other

The chef made a vinaigrette with Shock Top Belgian Wheat.  The orange peel and coriander in the beer balanced with the dried fruit.

Jalapeno beer cheese soup paired with Budweiser to cleanse the pallet of the milk fats.

Did I mention that all of this beer drinkin' was before noon?

Creme Brulee Cheesecake with Bourbon Bud - Budweiser aged in bourbon casks with vanilla bean.

Next, we traveled a few hours to the Cook Farm at the Kingsford plant in Belle, MO where the first part of the Kingsford Invitational was underway - The One Bite Challenge.  The cooks had 1 hour to create the perfect grilled appetizer but they were limited to using 5 ingredients.  At stake was a $5,000 bonus and a 1 point lead for the main competition the following day.

Some of the other bloggers were more prepared with equipment than me.  Kidding, part of the production crew.

It was unseasonably warm and beautiful, but windy as all get out.  See the flags?

Godfather of BBQ, Johnny Trigg, with his One Bite Challenge turn in.

"Just pretend we're not here and cook like you normally would."

Meanwhile, the Kingsford Pitmaker was in action, grilling up dinner for everyone.

 

The dinner was 

• charcoal grilled turkey with fresh herb butter
• spiral sliced ham with spicy apricot glaze
• grilled sweet potato steaks with maple pecan butter
• grilled seasonal veggies
• grilled pineapple upside down cake
• and all delicious!

Now for the winner of the preliminary event....

Chris Lilly about to announce the winner of the One Bite Challenge.

I kept feeling like we were being watched ;)

Yazoo's Delta Q won the One Bite Challenge with. their Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp

Shortly after this, the teams headed back to their sites because the main competition would be starting soon.  They would be cooking through the night for their chance at the top prize of $50,000.

The flag shows the cooks would contend with strong winds all night.

All of the noise and celebration didn't bother this farm dog that kept coming into the tent.  He got up on stage and took a nap. 

It was the end of a long exciting day and I was ready to go to sleep too.

For more information about the Kingsford Invitational or just great grilling information and tips, check out Grilling.com.   Also - tune into the BBQ Central Radio Show Tuesday Night live at 9pm Eastern to hear his takes about the event.

The Taste of Imagination

I am in St. Louis covering the Kingsford Invitational BBQ contest.  Last night during the opening dinner world champion Pitmaster, Chris Lilly, talked about food trends and one of those trends was related to "artisan burgers".  I already had this post scheduled to run while I was away.  Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good :)

About two weeks I saw this Cajun Cuzin Burger pop up on The Wild Olive's fan page on Facebook.

Picture credit:  The Wild Olive

They taunted me with it with their description:  Tonight we are serving our Cajun Cuzin burger which is the cousin to the Gouda Burger. It is a 8 oz prime beef patty with fresh organic arugula, and topped with a tasso and smoked gouda cheese sauce.

Tasso and smoked gouda cheese sauce.....drool.

So why didn't I just go buy one?  Because they are over 500 miles away in the small town of Crestview, FL. 

I have eaten at The Wild Olive once this Spring and if you are ever in Crestview or passing through on your way to Destin, I highly recommend stopping in.  

For a restaurant that is located in a remodeled house and has a gravel parking lot, you might be amazed at how wonderful The Wild Olive is.  It has a charming decor inside and the staff are friendly.  They are BYOB for wine and beer.  The menu varies frequently depending on the freshest local ingredients available. 

The food that I had was fantastic.  They actually had ABT's (stuffed, bacon wrapped, smoked jalapenos) on their menu when I was there, so you know I had them for my appetizer.   For an entree I had a strip steak with a knock out demi glace that put a smile on my face.  

So when Alexis saw the burger picture and said, "Oh my, can you imagine how good that would taste?"

Ummm....yeah, I can imagine.  And I did that night.  And imagined it the next day.  A few days later too.  Finally, I had enough.  I made my own Cajun Cuzin burger.

The most difficult part was buying tasso ham around here.  Tasso is a heavily seasoned cured and smoked ham or shoulder that is used in a lot of Cajun cooking.   I have had it in restaurants but have not seen it in stores.  No problem, I made my own using a recipe from the Jamison's book Smoke and Spice.

4 lbs of pork butt sliced into 1" steaks.

Ready to go in the fridge for a cure.

After smoking.  I think I have enough for a year!

I only needed a 1/4 cup! 

Based on what I imagined their sauce would taste like, this is what I did for the sauce. 

• 1/4 cup tasso ham, minced
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp AP flour
• 1 1/2 cups of half and half
• 3 oz smoked gouda cheese, shredded (about a cup of shredded)
• 1 tsp whatsthishere sauce
• 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 3/4 tsp smoked salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp white pepper

1. Saute the ham in butter until the fat is rendered, about 4-5 minutes.  Whisk in the flour to form a blonde roux.
2. Slowly whisk in half and half and then simmer until reduced, about 10 minutes.
3. Whisk the cheese in using small batches, until well blended.  Season with the paprika, salt, and pepper.

Makes way too much for just 4 burgers but it was damn good.

They used prime beef but all I had was choice.  Grilled up 4 half pound patties.  Did I mention this was way too much sauce for 4 burgers?

They used arugula.  Meh.  I'm not crazy about arugula by itself so I used spring mix and all was good.

We loved these burgers and they are what I imagine the Cajun Cuzin would taste like.

The good news is that we will be in Crestview in the next few weeks.  Let's hope they still have it on their menu then so I can find out if my imagination was close.

[Standard Disclaimer]  I have no affiliation with The Wild Olive.

Faux Cochon de Lait

Cochon de Lait is a Louisiana specialty.   Renowned Chef John Besh waxes nostalgic about it in this excerpt-

The pig of my youth meant a celebration, a cochon de lait. Some of my favorite childhood food memories surround the slaughter and cooking of the suckling pig for holidays, christenings, or football championships. Read More

While the name translates to "pig in milk" it is actually a roasted suckling pig.  My version is, in fact, "pig in milk".  I braised a Cajun seasoned pork shoulder in cream and milk.  The result is tender, juicy, and spicy shredded pork with a luxurious cream sauce that is worthy of a holiday feast.
  

Served with dirty rice and roasted carrots.

What makes the sauce so decadent is that as the milk/cream reduces, the pork fat renders into the sauce making it liquid velvet. 

This is adapted from a milk braised pork roast that I did last year as part of a cooking lesson from Rouxbe.

Faux Cochon de Lait

by www.nibblemethis.com

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 4 hours

Ingredients (6 servings)

• 3 1/2 - 4 lb pork shoulder roast (pork butt)
• 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning this one works
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 cups whole milk
• 2 cups cream
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 - 1 tsp xantham gum (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill to 400f and have it set up for direct heat. Once hot, put your Dutch oven in the grill to preheat. (Inside alternative - preheat Dutch oven over med-high heat.)
2. Season the pork shoulder on all sides with the Cajun Rub.
3. Add butter to the Dutch oven and sear the roast on all sides until lightly golden brown, about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side.
4. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, milk and cream. TIP: Cold liquid and hot cast iron don't play well together. Temper the milk and cream by ladling it over the hot roast instead of straight onto the hot cast iron.
5. Bring to a simmer and cover with lid. Reduce grill temp to about 300f (adjust heat down enough to keep a simmer - try not to boil). Simmer, flipping the roast every 30 minutes, until the roast hits 195-197f, about 2 1/2 hours.
6. Remove the roast from the Dutch oven and keep warm. Simmer the sauce uncovered for about 20 minutes until reduced and thickened. (Optional - if still not thick enough, take out 1 cup of the sauce, whisk in xantham gum or corn starch and return back to the pot.)
7. Strain sauce through a sieve. Push any milk solids through the sieve too. If you kept your temps to just a simmer, the sauce should be ready. If it got too hot and boiled, the sauce may have split. Hit the sauce with an immersion blender and that should help.
8. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed.
9. Shred the pork and serve with the sauce on top.

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This all started because I had 15 lbs of pork butt in the fridge and I was determined to use all of it for something OTHER than pulled pork for a change.  I also had a pork loin.

I got two boneless shoulder roasts (tied), 3+ lbs of cubed shoulder meat, 4 lbs of meat for curing/smoking my own tasso ham, two pork loin roasts (tied), and 8 boneless loin chops.

Buying in bulk, minimal meat cutting skills, and a vacuum sealer save money.

I was using a #12 Lodge dutch oven.  A #10 would be a better size for a 3 1/2lb roast.  Whatever size you are using, adjust the liquid depth to be over 1/2 to 2/3rds the height of the roast.

Season it heavily. 

Sear on all sides, don't forget the ends!

Spooning the milk/cream over the roast helps temper it and season it.

I could just drink this sauce as a soup!

This reheats well and leftovers make an incredible open faced sandwich on toasted bread or as a po-boy.  If you like sliced pork, you can pull it at an internal temp of 185-190f and it should still be able to be sliced yet fork tender.

Have you already planned out your holiday menus yet?

Beef Medallions with Whiskey Mushroom Sauce

Alexis found a good deal on a beef tenderloin this week and last night I broke it down into a Chateaubriand (roast), 3 beef fillets, beef tips, and 6 tournedos.

Tournedos are thinner than filet mignon.  I cut mine at 3/4" while my filet are usually 1 1/2".  I usually eat two of these medallions so you might wonder why not just eat a filet if it is the same quantity.  Both weigh 6-8 ounces.  BUT (see?  I have a big but) - two tournedos have twice the surface area as the one filet.  That means you have twice the flavor from the Malliard browning which is a good thing.  Plus they grill in almost no time - about 90 seconds per side on a hot cast iron surface.

Beef Medallions with Whiskey Mushroom sauce

by www.nibblemethis.com

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Keywords: grill entree beef

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 4 beef tenderloin medallions, 3/4" thick
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp shallot finely diced
• 1/4 cup whiskey
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat a charcoal grill to hot (500f). Preheat a cast iron griddle or pan on the grill at the same time.
2. In a small sauce pan, saute mushrooms in 2 Tbsp butter until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove to mushrooms to a plate.
3. Add remaining 1 Tbsp butter to the same sauce pan and saute the shallot 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the whiskey away from open flame then ignite with a long stem lighter to flambe it. Let it burn itself out, reducing the whiskey. (NOTE: This can be dangerous. Wear heat resistant gloves and have a lid ready to cover and extinguish the flame if necessary. Read Safety Tips )
5. Add the broth and pepper, bring to a simmer. Reduce the volume by half which should take a little over 10 minutes.
6. Return the mushrooms to the pan and keep warm.
7. Taste for seasoning and add salt/pepper if needed.
8. Season the medallions on both sides with fresh cracked black pepper.
9. Oil the cast iron cooking surface and cook the medallions until they reach an internal temperature of 125-130f, about 90 seconds per side.
10. Lightly season with salt as soon as the medallions come off of the grill.

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In the above shot, I am using a cast iron griddle insert for my Craycort grate system on a Weber Smoky Joe (also fits a small BGE).  You could also use a cast iron pan or a cast iron griddle plate.

Making the sauce.  An excuse to play with fire.

Look at that flavor developing!

Served with a mound of Alexis' yummy mashed potatoes.

Kingsford Invitational

Next weekend, Kingsford is hosting a "best of the best" BBQ competition and the winner-take-all grand prize is $50,000!  When I say best of the best, I am talking about the 2012 winners of select BBQ competitions like Memphis In May, Jack Daniels Invitational, American Royal, and a handful of others.  It is going to be a knock down, drag out, king of the hill competition.  When the smoke clears, one team will win bragging rights and that big check!   (For more about the Kingsford Invitational, check out Grilling.com)

I'm excited because I get to attend (spectator, not competitor) the festivities in St. Louis courtesy of Kingsford.  It is an action packed weekend and many of my favorite BBQ buds and buddettes are going to be there.  I'll be posting about it here on my blog and real time on my twitter (@nibblemethis) and Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/NibbleMeThis2).

Pulled Pork Tostada with Slaw and Chipotle Cream

I feel bad sometimes posting smoking recipes because I know most of you don't have a smoker or inclination to smoke something for 8 hours or more.  But this recipe actually was written for a slow cooker, so feel free to break out your crock pot.  

But for me and my house, we will use the smoker.  

For National Pork Month - Porktober - I wanted to make something different.  I found this Mexi-BBQ fusion recipe at Pork Be Inspired.  I am only going to note what I did differently so here is the link to the actual recipes for the pulled pork and the tostadas:

Slow Cooker Chili Rubbed Pulled Pork
Pulled Pork Tostadas with Slaw and Chipotle Cream

The pork roast has a mildly spicy chili rub that goes well with the cilantro lime slaw.  The chipotle creme put it over the top, these were great.  They get a little messy eating with your hands so have a fork on hand.  It comes in useful as a little shovel.   The same mix would be just as good in hard corn tortillas for crispy tacos, which might be a better option if using these for a party or game day food.  Either way, this recipe is a keeper.

Here's what I did different from the written recipe.

• Smoked it instead of using a slow cooker.  The Big Green Egg IS my slow cooker.  I used 3 chunks of cherry wood and coal.
• Pork Sirloin Roast - the recipe calls for pork shoulder but says a sirloin roast can be used.  I just HAD to try that.  It came out similar to pulled pork but I definitely prefer pork shoulder because it has a more luscious texture.
• Pork Rub - I added a teaspoon of turbinado sugar (Sugar In The Raw) to 1) help with browning and 2) to balance the spiciness.  I also used McCormick Mexican Chili Powder instead of regular and their Hot Shot instead of cayenne. 
• Chipotle cream - I used a Knorr chipotle cube and 1 tsp of lime juice in a cup of sour cream instead of as directed.  Simple and delicious, this would rock on a baked potato.  It really pulled everything together with this dish.
• Cotija cheese - I had to include cotija cheese as a garnish, this dish was just screaming for it.  It wouldn't shut up.  Just kept yelling, "I NEED COTIJA CHEESE, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, I NEED COTIJA CHEESE" so I gave in. 

The pork sirloin seasoned and ready to go onto the smoker.

It cooked similar to a pork butt.  7 hours 45 minutes for a 3.5 lb roast.  Cooked it at 250f and it did do a stall at an internal temp of 170f. 

The slaw was simple, just 6 ingredients - cabbage, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, oil and salt.

You could also use leftover BBQ pulled pork for this but the chili rubbed pork goes better, I think.

Need some inspiration for Porktober?  Hop over to Pork Be Inspired for this and other great recipes.  Here are some other pulled pork recipes from there:

Herb Rub Oven Braised Pulled Pork

Simple Savory Rub Grilled Pulled Pork

Chili Rub Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork Salad with Peaches and Cilantro

Smokin' Hot Sister

So you may remember that my sister, Rhonda, bought a Big Green Egg and came to my house for a crash course on Egging.  She bought a table for her Egg that makes me green with envy!

Update:  Several folks have asked about her table.  She bought it at Turner Ace Hardware in Jacksonville, FL and it is made by Challenger Cabinets.  They have several models available in all kinds of finishes. Be prepared for sticker shock.....they aren't cheap!

Once back in Florida, she made pizzas for her first cook on her Egg.  Saturday night she smoked a pork butt for 14 hours and I have to say it looks like she nailed it.

She says it's because she is smarter than me and that she is a fast learner....and also mentioned that I was adopted*.  Pffft!  Older sisters WOULD say that.  I just think it's because I'm a great teacher :)

Disclaimer:  *I may have embellished that statement.  Or totally made it up.  What is she going to do, tell Mom and Dad?

Happy Porktober!

I have been remiss in my duties.  It seems that I have forgotten to mention that October is National Pork Month or as I like to call it, "Porktober"! 

To commemorate Porktober, here are some ribs that Trevor and I made a while back.  We used Melissa Cookston's recipe for barbecuing loin back ribs (aka "baby back" but there are technical differences).

 

Who is Melissa Cookston?  Seriously?  

Gee....she only won Memphis in May World Championships twice in the past three years and is the co-owner of the highly acclaimed Memphis Barbecue Company in Horn Lake, MS.  Some people say she is one of the best female pitmasters out there.  They are wrong.  She is one of the best pitmasters out there.  

You might have caught Melissa recently  on Food Network's Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives when they visited Memphis Barbecue Company for their world championship barbecue (Surf'n'Turf Jackpot episode.)  I DVR'd it because

1. I'm a BBQ geek 
2. and so I can do an at home version of her awesome sounding, drool inducing cheese fritters.  If you saw the episode, you know what I mean.

The recipe for the ribs can be found here - World Champion Melissa Cookston's Competition Style Baby Back Ribs.

Here are some pics of our fun cooking the ribs.

Trevor pulling off the membranes.

Trevor slathering on the mustard.

Ready to go into the fridge over night.

Two hours into the cook on the Big Green Egg, smoked with cherry and hickory.

Trevor demonstrating the "bend test", my favorite part of the day. 

Ribs.  I like ribs.  Did I mention that?  Ribs, ribs, ribs.

 

Fancy plating...errrr...I mean, PAPER plating. 

I followed the recipe as written which has some steps that I normally don't do.

• Her recipe has you put the mustard slather on AFTER the dry rub.  Most I see have you do it BEFORE and I usually don't bother with the mustard slather at all.
• Cookston's recipe has you let the ribs sit with the rub on them overnight.  I don't usually.
• She cooks the ribs at two different temps in stages.

Despite all the departures from my normal techniques, these ribs tasted great.  I found that I really liked the base rub recipe and I've used it several times since then.   I think this just re-iterates that there is not just one way to make good BBQ.  

So it's not too late to enjoy Porktober!  To get your creative juices flowing, check out Pork Be Inspired` for some delicious recipes featuring all things pork.

Happy Porktober!