Last month, our BBQ team did a grilling demo for Grill Dome kamado grills and Saber premium gas grills at the local dealer. Since football season was just a few weeks away, our theme was tailgating. We made John's breakfast pizza, MOINK! balls, stuffed Fritos, and these tasty brisket tacos.
Liven up your tailgates with food truck style brisket tacos.
Brisket tacos are one of my favorite things to get at Martin's BBQ in Mt Juliette, TN when I'm headed home from meetings in Nashville. Theirs is just shredded brisket, tomato salsa, cheese, jalapenos, and I like to add in some of their pinto beans.
If you're hungry and traversing Tennessee on I-40, stop off at Exit 226 in Mt Juliette, and get yourself some great BBQ at Martin's. It's on the South side of I-40 across from Olive Garden and Target.
Their brisket tacos are always good or I wouldn't be getting them all of the time. But I wanted to make mine a little more "food truck" style. So I upgraded to a charred corn salsa. For a flavor boost, we hit it with our Salsa Verde Cremosa and Chipotle Lime Crema.
This recipe is excellent for tailgates for several reasons. It's different than the usual burgers and dogs. It's portable and keeps one hand free for the adult beverage of your choice. It also extends how many servings you can get out of your beef. Best of all, it's flexible for preparation:
Make it all onsite if you are overnighting it at the tailgate,
Make the brisket at home and transport it whole to the game, then grill the salsa and tortiallas at the stadium, or
Make everything at home and just put it together at the game.
We opted for option #2, smoking the brisket flat at my house and took it wrapped in foil in a Cambro (you could use a warm insulated cooler) so it would stay hot for 4+ hours. Having a kamado grill like my Grill Dome makes it easier since I can sleep through most of the overnight cook. We grilled the salsa veggies onsite, sliced the brisket, and then grilled corn tortillas to order as we handed out the tacos.
About 24 hours before serving, prepare your brisket flat. Trim fat cap to about 1/8-1/4" thick. Use a meat injector to inject stock (optional but helps keep moist) into the brisket every few inches. Moisten the outside of the brisket flat with the excess stock and then season evenly all over (don't forget the sides) with the beef seasoning and fajita or taco seasoning. Refrigerate.
About 14 hours before serving, set up your smoker or indirect grill and preheat to 275°f.
About 13 hours before your tailgate, place the brisket on your smoker/grill and smoke until the flat is tender when you insert a skewer or temperature probe. This will take about 1 hour per pound or when the internal temperature hits about 200°f. When done, double wrap in foil and place in a warm cooler lined with a towel, the brisket with another towel, and close. This will keep it warm until ready to slice at the tailgate.
Meanwhile, preheat a grill to medium high (450°f) and cook the corn and chiles until charred on all sides. This will take 8-10 minutes, turning them every few minutes.
Make the salsa. Peel, seed, and dice the chiles and place in a medium bowl. Stand each corn cob on one end and remove the kernels by running a sharp knife down the sides. Place corn in the bowl. Add the onion, black beans, tomatoes, lime juice, and oil to the bowl and stir. Season to taste with season salt and refrigerate until ready to use.
At the game: Slice the brisket and chop or break into 1" pieces. Grill the tortillas over a hot grill until slightly browned on each side, about 6 to 10 seconds a side. Top each tortilla with a spoon full of brisket pieces, a heaping tablespoon of salsa, a squirt of salsa verde, a squirt of crema, and if desired, a few pieces of cilantro.
Yield: 18+ tacos
Substitutions
Beef Seasoning - I used my NMT Beef Seasoning. You can also use garlic pepper seasoning, Montreal seasoning, any commercial beef rub, or just use 3 parts salt, 2 parts black pepper, 1 part granulated garlic.
Chipotle Lime Crema - There are several easy recipes. One is to blend 1 cup Mexican crema, 1 chipotle pepper (seeded), and 1 ounce lime juice. Another is to blend a cup of Mexican crema, 1 ounce lime juice, 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder, 1/2 teaspoon season salt, and chili powder to taste.
I like to keep my briskets or brisket flats on a raised rack like this so that the rub on the bottom doesn't get stuck to the pan.
Use the wood you like. I like using a triangle stack of 1" x 13" splits of oak or hickory. The coals go in over this. The basket is a KickAsh basket which makes reusing your coals easier.
My Grill Dome out front since we were staining our deck when we did this demo.
We grilled veggies for the salsa and the cremosa on the Saber grill. The infrared cooking charred the veggies quickly without drying everything out.
Don't worry, you aren't burning the corn, you are just charring sections of the cobs which packs flavor into the salsa.
You can buy jarred salsa for your tailgates but fresh is cheap, easy, and soooo much better.
Alexis heating the tortillas on the Saber grill while the stuffed Fritos were cooking.
A great combination of flavors all in a one handed meal.
Here are some other shots from our grilling demo at The Great Backyard Place, Knoxville's Saber gas grills and Grill Dome dealer.
They used to be the Great Pool Place for years but they carry so much more for your outdoor lifestyle that they recently changed their name. They have top end outdoor furniture, Saber gas grills, Grill Dome kamado grills, and amazing outdoor kitchen set ups. Check them out in Knoxville, Maryville, Cleveland, Chattanooga, and Asheville.
They might be heavy but you can take your Grill Dome to your tailgate if you are inclined.
Setting up for a grilling demo.
John creating one of his breakfast pizzas, these are perfect for tailgating for early games!
Alexis cooking eggs on the Saber side burner while I'm grilling chiles for the salsas.
Eggs, sausage, bacon, cheese, and more all loaded onto a killer breakfast pizza.
MOINK! balls are easy and ideal for preparing ahead of the tailgate.
Meatballs, bacon, and BBQ sauce, how can you go wrong with that?
Stuffed Fritos are a bit unexpected, easy to make, and always a big hit.
The Saber grill was the nicest gas grill I have ever used. Great design and plenty of infrared heat, this thing can cook! It is a complete departure from most gas grills that use hot dry air to cook your food.
Excuse the blurry phone picture. Whoever thought that the lowly Frito could be so awesome?
The rain wasn't supposed to hit until the end of our demo...it had other plans. It got dark with 2 hours to go and then the torrential rains kicked in.
Just hanging around? No...hanging on! With the rain came winds that knocked over trees all around the Bearden area.
Hanging on wasn't just for dramatic effect. Shortly before, the other tent caught a draft, lifted straight up in the air about 15 feet (with Anna Mae under it), and then flipped upside down like this. It took our buffet table of food with it.
Normally we strap our tents down with 5-gallon buckets of water on each corner but we were counting on being gone before the rains were supposed to arrive. Lesson learned!
[Standard FTC Disclaimer] We are sponsored by Grill Dome, Char-Broil (which is in the same corporate family as Saber), and The Great Backyard Place.
The college football season has just kicked off and that means it is tailgate time once again. Even though we aren't big Tennessee Volunteer fans (the home team in Knoxville), we like to go to a few of the games just for the tailgating fun. This is a recipe I have come up with for some of our tailgate menus this year - Flank Steak Sliders with Horseradish Gouda Cheese Sauce!
The creamy cheese sauce had just the right kick of horseradish and the onions bring out the best in the beef.
I like this for tailgates because you can make the onions and cheese sauce at home and just warm them up on the grill while the steak rests after cooking. Just add a little bit of beef stock, beer, or other liquid to the cheese sauce, and whisk on the grill to warm it back up. The amount of horseradish listed provides only a mild taste of the horseradish flavor and not much of its heat. If you want that kick, start with this amount and whisk in more until you get the heat you want. If you have any leftover, it doubles as a great dip for chips or veggies.
Flank Steak Sliders with Horseradish Gouda Cheese Sauce
www.nibblemethis.com
Published 09/08/2015
Ingredients
2 lb flank steak
4 medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For The Marinade
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons Montreal seasoning
1 green onion sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flake
For The Horseradish Gouda Cheese Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
beef stock for thinning
Instructions
Marinade the steak 6-8 hours ahead of time. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a gallon zip top bag. Score the steak on both sides by lightly dragging a sharp knife across the steak in lines about 1" apart in a crisscross pattern (see pictures). Place the steak in the bag, press out the excess air, seal it, and refrigerate.
Caramelize the onions. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat, slowly heat the onions, and season with a pinch or two of salt. Stir occasionally, until they brown, about 30 minutes. If cooking at home and taking to the game, when done, cool, place in a zip top bag, add a splash of beef stock, and refrigerate.
Make the Mornay Sauce. In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium low heat and stir in the flour until it makes a blonde roux (about 3-5 minutes). Add the cream in small batches, whisking continuously, adding more time each time it combines. Don't worry when it starts to coagulate, just keep adding the cream and whisking. Add the salt, pepper, and horseradish. Add the shredded cheese in small batches while stirring until melted. Add stock to thin to desired consistency. Remove and store refrigerated if cooking at home for the stadium. Otherwise keep it warm until the sliders are ready.
Grill the steak. Set up your grill for direct heat and preheat to 450°f. Remove the steak from the marinade and grill until it reaches an internal temperature of 130°f, about 7 to 10 minutes per side depending on the steak thickness. Always go by your internal temperatures instead of time.
Remove and rest the steak. If you are at the stadium and brought the onions and cheese sauce, turn down the heat on your grill to medium low and reheat them on the grill.
Make the sliders. Slice the steak very thinly against the grain. Top buns with the sliced steak, cheese sauce, and onions, then serve right away.
Yield: 8-10 sliders Tags: beef, tailgate, grilled
Using the zip top bag makes it easy to take your marinaded steak to the game and it minimizes the amount of marinade you need. The steak doesn't need to be submerged in marinade, just kept in contact with it.
Standard direct set up using the Grill Dome's hinged grate, no other special equipment needed.
I did the onions at home so I used a skillet. At the stadium I would just use a disposable aluminum pan to minimize dishes to wash or take home.
Even though you shake off some of the marinade, don't be alarmed when the fire flares up when you first put the steak on, that's just marinade hitting the live coals. Just stand back and shut your Grill Dome lid, the fire will be gone in seconds.
The scoring lines that you see here let the marinade hit more surface area and penetrate. They also add texture to the final slices of meat.
This flank steak was thick. Normally flank steaks take about 7 minutes per side but this monster took 10 per side. That's why you always go by internal temperature, not time.
The ends will be medium while the center will be medium rare, so you should be able to accommodate people's preferences. My dad would want the ends while I always want the medium rare ones.
Fancier than the basic tailgate burgers and they pack a flavorful punch.
Game Day Color Grill Dome Kamado Grills
One of the things that I really like about Grill Domes (besides their thick ceramics, heavy duty spring hinge, and adjustment screws for avoiding kamado alignment issues) is that they come in various colors.
When picking our Grill Domes out, I picked the blue and John choose the metallic silver.
But if you are a superfan and have to have a grill that sports your favorite college team colors, Grill Dome can hook you up with their custom colors!
The Great Backyard Place in Knoxville has custom color Grill Dome to support the Tennessee Volunteers. Here's a shot of John cooking some Moink! balls at our last grilling demo there.
If you want to find out more about getting a Grill Dome in your team's colors, check in with your local dealer. That would be The Great Backyard Place for Asheville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Maryville, or Cleveland, TN. You'll be sure to make an impression at the next tailgate!
The ThermaQ is a professional dual probe remote thermometer from Thermoworks, the Thermapen people. I bought mine back in February (paid full price) but haven't gotten around to reviewing it yet. This morning Kathy from Fuggs and Foach asked what I thought about it so I thought I'd better get to it.
The ThermaQ is industrial quality and is built for use by food service kitchens and commercial pitmasters. I say that because of its rugged design, tight accuracy, and features. Here's what you get for $139 (base unit) or $208 (pitmaster kit).
Features
Dual probes let you monitor two meats, two oven/pit temps, or one meat/one pit
Splash resistant seams and buttons for a IP67 water resistance rating
backlit display makes it easy to view in poor lighting conditions
high degree of accuracy +/- 0.7°f, yes, less than one degree
long battery life 3,000 hours on 3 AAA batteries
high/low alarms for both channels
max/min temperature data logging for both channels
variable volume alarms, adjustable from 94dB to 100dB
split screen shows all information for both channels without toggling
impact resistant rubber boot
carrying case to hold the ThermaQ and accessories.
The split screen shows everything for both channels in one view. It shows your current temp, max and mins, alarm settings, volume level, and battery life gauge.
The controls are simple, intuitive, and splash resistant.
Briefly pressing the on/off button activates the back light for the display which is helpful when you are doing those overnight or early hours smoking sessions.
The rubber boot is like an OtterBox for your phone - it makes the unit more splash and impact resistant.
The boot also has a powerful magnet for mounting on metal smokers or grills. Just be sure not to stick it on a hot surface.
The protective boot also has a flip out stand so you can angle it for easy viewing.
The carrying case has plenty of room for the unit and all of the accessories.
Like the Thermapen, the ThermaQ comes with certification about its accuracy and calibration.
"It's a Probe"
The temperature probes are commercial quality K-type thermocouple probes. They use a thermocouple for wide temperature ranges, accuracy, and fast response compared to thermistors used on cheaper remote probe thermomters. The probe wires are thicker than inexpensive sets and toughened with boots at critical stress points where other probe wires typically wear out. The wires are also longer at 79 inches than most probes I have used such as the ChefAlarm's, which are almost half as long at 45 inches. The extra length makes a big difference when cooking on big commercial pits or just navigating around a grill. Some of the probes that I like are
high temp air probe (-58f to 752f, $44),
smokehouse penetration probe (-103f to 482f, $52),
armored smokehouse penetration probe (-103f to 662f, $65)
sous vide mini needle probe (-103f to 482f, $42 to $51),
and the 12" deep frying penetration probe (-58f to 482f, $55).
The base of the wires are rubberized to help prevent wear and tear on the stress points.
ThermaQ's (top) Smokehouse Probe compared to a ChefAlarm Pro Series (bottom). Again, notice the rugged spring sleeve that keeps the tension off of the cable where it connects to the probe.
Pro-Series ambient air probe (left) compared to the K-type ambient air probe (right) that the ThermaQ uses.
Put To Use
I have been using the ThermaQ for several months now and the money spent was worth it. I use it frequently for monitoring the air temp in a smoker/grill and a big meat like briskets or butts. But I have used it just as often as a reference to double check other thermometers.
ThermaQ used on my Grill Dome kamado grill.
Using the ThermaQ to validate the built in thermometer of a Char-Broil smoker. It's helpful for determining the temperature differences between the installed thermometer and other areas of the cooker.
Thermoworks TimeStick (yellow), Thermapen (red), and the ThermaQ.
Competitive Products
Pricing the ThermaQ against competitive products is something you have to consider when thinking about buying one.
Compared to the ThermaQ Kit ($208), you could buy two ChefAlarms ($59 each) and a Pro-Series Air Probe ($17) that would let you monitor two meats or a meat and air temp for less money. But you have to juggle two units, aren't getting all of the same features, and can't get all of the same probes.
A Maverick ET-732 is a dual probe AND wireless for just $69. However it uses the less accurate thermistors for probes and only comes with a 90 day warranty compared to the ThermaQ's 2 year warranty.
BlueTherm Duo is another Thermoworks product. It costs more ($199 base unit, $239 kit price) but has similar features AND has bluetooth for linking to your smart device.
ThermaQ next to a Thermoworks ChefAlarm.
Summary
I think that the ThermaQ is reference grade equipment. I used to be an audiophile and here's an analogy: the ThermaQ is to consumer grade remote probe thermometers like a pair of studio monitors are to a set of cheap bookshelf home speakers.
For me, I think this purchase was money well spent. Is it for everyone? If you're a weekend warrior, something like the less expensive ChefAlarm is more than adequate. But if you need a heavy duty, flexible, and accurate remote probe thermometer, then it might be the one for you.
Speaking of Thermapens, did you see that they released a new version of the Thermapen last week - the Thermapen Mark IV? The main difference to my Thermapen (Mark II) seems to be that the new Mark IV is backlit, has a rotating display, and takes AAA batteries instead of a pair of CR2032's.
[FTC Standard Disclaimer] I have received free samples from Thermoworks in past years; however, I have not received any compensation from them for this post and paid full price for the ThermaQ and accessories.
