Oklahoma Joe's Rider DLX aka "The Survivor"

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My smoker has come home from college!  

I don't nickname many of my grills but after 2 years of service at a house with 9 college students, I've nicknamed this one "The Survivor".

When our youngest son moved out of the fraternity house and into a house in "The Fort" 2 years ago, I let him have his pick of all my grills and smokers to take with him. He didn't hesitate to pick my Oklahoma Joe's Rider DLX because he loved the convenience and the ability to switch between smoking and grilling. 

I felt bad about sending this smoker/grill to be the only grill for a house of 9 young men attending the Univerity of Tennessee. I mean....I remember the stupid stuff I did in college and could only imagine what that poor grill was enduring. Words like abuse, neglect, and mistreatment came to mind.

Look at that poor smoker. Yes, it is literally chained up outside!
[Cue Sarah McLachlan's Angel]

Damage Assessment

But now that our youngest has graduated and the Oklahoma Joe's Rider DLX returned home a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised. 

• Sure it had been used heavily and the interior had a lot of build-up. 
• The bottom tray had fallen off and we only had one of the nuts/bolts left.
• The bolt that secures the upper lid was missing.

Grilled Garlic and Herb Chicken with Red Pepper Pesto Pasta On the Char-Broil Cruise

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Alexis and I whipped up this dish for a no-fuss weeknight meal using only things we had in the fridge. To be fair, our refrigerator is pretty well stocked. We used store-bought pasta, prepackaged pesto, and a gas grill to make everything the lowest-effort possible. But low-effort can be delicious as the evidence shows.....

The pre-made pesto already has a warm spice level and the black pepper gives the pasta sauce a surprising kick of heat. Nothing strident, but it is a building heat and lets you know it's there.

For the Grilled Garlic and Herb Chicken

Fourth of July Briskets Cook

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We smoked a trio of briskets for the holiday weekend, overnight Friday through Saturday afternoon. Here are notes and thoughts about the cook. (If you're looking for a how-to post, check out Competition Style Brisket on a Kamado or Smoked Green Chile Brisket.)

We had three briskets and were cooking each one slightly differently.

• Our brisket - BBQ brisket, all for slicing.
• Brett's brisket - green chile brisket, all for slicing
• Kim's brisket - BBQ brisket, sliced flat, point for burnt ends

The Prep

Afghan-Style Game Hens with Harissa Yogurt Sauce on the Big Green Egg

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I have 70+ grilling-related cookbooks on my shelves, but there are only about a dozen that I go back to time after time. Steven Raichlen's classic Barbecue! Bible is one of those. It has over 500 tried and true recipes with influences from around the world. I recently made the book's recipe for Afghan-Style Game Hens, which was phenomenal.

Afghan-Style Game Hens with Harissa Yogurt Sauce

The recipe has you marinate split game hens in a blend of yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, herbs, and spices, and then grill to perfection. The marinade results in vivid orange color, tangy flavor, and juicy meat. He suggests using a rotisserie or two-zone fire. I was using a Big Green Egg and decided to use the raised direct method to get a crispy crust.

Raised-Direct Grilling

Benefits of Raised-Direct Grilling

Steak and Shirazi

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This wrap's bright and bold flavors make my mouth do a happy dance. 

It starts with thinly sliced Greek seasoned flank steak that we top with a sultry tahini sauce. Next, we add a Shirazi salad bursting with Middle Eastern flavors and finally sprinkle on some crumbled feta. We wrap all of that up in a warm, soft piece of naan bread, and it is oh so fantastic! 

Shirazi Salad

Shirazi is named after the region from whence it hails, Iran. We like to call it Middle-Eastern pico de gallo. It is a salad with tomatoes, Persian cucumber, onion, herbs, and an acidic dressing. We can't always get Persian cukes, but English cukes work. Like pico, we find it is best served about an hour or two after making it.

Shirazi salad is brightly flavored and is fantastic with grilled chicken, steak, or by itself.

Here's the recipe for the whole shebang, with pictures and tips following the recipe.

Garlicky Smashed Potatoes on the Grill

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After my recent post about the Green Chile Flank Steak I had a lot of people ask about my process for making the garlicky smashed potatoes.

Three S's of Smashed Potatoes - Size, Seasoning, Smash

It is a simple method - boil the potatoes until they are fork-tender, smash them, cook them on a griddle, season them and cover them with luscious garlic butter. The trick is to follow the Three-Ss.

• Size - You can use just about any variety of potato for this, the trick is to use "b-sized" potatoes, which is 1.5 to 2.5" in diameter. We used red bliss potatoes for this batch.
• Seasoning - A simple SPG rub (salt, pepper, garlic) works the best. I like using my NMT Beef Rub V.2 recipe. For commercial, Fire and Smoke BBQ Company's The Classic is an excellent choice.
• Smash - You want to smash the potato thin enough to get the maximum flat surface area you can while still leaving the potatoes intact. For me, that works out to about 1/2 inch in thickness. If you smash them too thinly, they will be pulverized. I find that smashing them between a folded deli sheet or wax paper makes smashing and handling them easier.

For me, the easiest way to smash them is with a recessed burger press. Instead of a flat bottom, this press is recessed so I only smash them to about 1/2 inch no matter how hard I press.  Perfect every time. In lieu of this, you can smash them with any sturdy, flat surface - a skillet bottom, a stiff spatula, a plate, you name it.

Enjoy!

Garlicky Smashed Potatoes

By www.nibblemethis.com

Published 05/05/2022

Green Chile-Crusted Flank Steak on the Griddle

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This weekend, we made green chile-crusted flank steak with chimichurri, garlicky smashed potatoes, and Mexican street corn. 

Green chile-crusted flank steak with chimichurri, garlicky smashed potatoes, and Mexican street corn.

When I enjoy a meal out at a restaurant, I often like to recreate it at home. Last week, Alexis and I went out to dinner with our older son, his girlfriend, and some friends at Point B on their opening day. We saw that they offered all sorts of boards (charcuterie and otherwise), so we were excited to try them out.

There I got the steak with chimichurri, smashed potatoes, and elote. The steak was tender and it was tasty with the chimi. The potatoes were nicely roasted medallions. I'm always a sucker for elote. The place has a ton of potential, and we are looking forward to going back to try out their boards. 

I thought it might be hanger steak. The waiter asked and was told it was flank steak, but I'm pretty sure it was a hanger. The shape was nothing like a flank unless it was a super thick one cut in steaks lengthwise. That said, I love flank steak, so that's what I used when I did my spin on this meal.

I dry-brined the flank steak with my Green Chile Steak Seasoning recipe and then grilled it on a griddle on the grill to get that broad, crispy crust. The kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, shallot, green chile, cumin, and coriander give it a deep flavor. If you don't feel like making the rub, pick up a jar of Albukirky's Green Chile Seasoning, it's fantastic stuff. I used a variation of Steven Raichlen's The Real Chimichurri because I like my chimi to be more like a light dressing than a thick condiment. 

More details and photos are after the recipe.

Green Chile Crusted Steak with Chimi

By www.nibblemethis.com

Published 05/01/2022