Grilled Shrimp with Whiskey Sauce

After almost 5 years of stubbornness, I am finally replacing the gasket on my Big Green Egg.

Speaking of stubborn, the hardest part is getting the old gasket remains off.

It has worked well with a compromised (i.e. pretty much non-existent) seal but I was going to fix the alignment of the dome top so I figured I might as well fix the seal too.  I got the Egg taken apart and the old gasket off last night.  Today I'll put the new Rutland gasket on using Permatex Copper for adhesive.  

So while my Egg was out of commission, I used Alexis' Egg to grill these quick and tasty shrimp skewers on an absolutely gorgeous Saturday.

Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Whiskey Sauce

by www.nibblemethis.com

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Ingredients (6 skewers)

• 36 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup Kramer's BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup whiskey
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tsp spice rub

Instructions

1. Mix the bbq sauce, whiskey, green onion, and garlic together and pour over the shrimp. Allow to marinate for 45 minutes while you preheat the grill.
2. Remove shrimp from marinade (reserve the marinade) and place on 6 bbq skewers. Season both sides with spice rub. For the spice rub, use your favorite seafood rub (Dizzy Pig Raging River, Old Bay, etc). I made a quick one of 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp each of pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder.
3. Bring the reserved marinade to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. On a medium-hot (400f) grill, grill the shrimp 1-2 minutes per side until cooked through. Brush with the marinade during the the last minute.

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Shrimp takes almost no time to marinade.

It also cooks super fast so have everything you will need within arms reach.

After glazing, you want to leave them on just long enough to get the glaze to "set" or cook on.

Garnish with extra green onion if desired.

Kramer's BBQ Sauce

I recently received a set of Kramer's Gourmet Foods wing rubs and BBQ sauce to try out.  

The shrimp aren't the only things I've tired, I've also made a couple of batches of wings, some thin pork chops, and smoked a rack of ribs.  Overall, I was impressed with both the sauce and the rubs.

Alexis and I thought the packaging is catchy.  As you can see, it comes in a glass beer bottle and comes with a cork stopper for once you crack it open.  The labeling is a clean design with simple graphics.  The one downside to the packaging is the 12 oz size is smaller than most and the cost per ounce higher. 

The ingredient list is regular kitchen stuff and free of chemicals that I can't pronounce, that's always a good sign for a bbq sauce.  The sauce has a good consistency, slightly thinner than most, which I like.  You can see the sauce is loaded with the oregano, pepper, and other herbs and spices.  Straight out of the jar, the sauce is sweet with a transition through vinegar and finishes with a spicy kick.

The sauce rocks on grilled wings especially in cahoots with the wing rub.  It hits so many flavor notes it's a symphony.   The boys and I devoured both batches and gave it 100% approval.  

For the ribs, I smoked a rack of pork spare ribs using cherry wood and the rub I used was Draper's AP rub.  I used the Kramer's BBQ sauce as a glaze during the last 20 minutes and then also used drizzled some over the sliced ribs.  

 

I thought it added a lot of heat to the ribs but my son didn't think it was too spicy.  While it was still sweet and spicy, it was just okay on the ribs.  I think it would go better on beef ribs and brisket.  That would make sense, since this sauce has Texas roots.

So just when I thought maybe the sauce is just for chicken and beef, I tried it as a mop on thin grilled pork chops and it was excellent.   It delivered a river of flavor that made the pork chops mouth watering good.   We had guests over and they liked it too.  I think the ribs were maybe an anomaly because the sauce does work on pork too.

We also did a side by side taste test using the three Kramer's wing rubs.  They have three of them, one for every heat tolerance level.

Easy Pickin' - a mild rub with flavor but not a lot of heat.  Lots of visible spices and herbs added texture to the wings.  

Finger Lickin' - my favorite of the three and I would definitely use this regularly.  It has all of the flavor and texture of Easy Pickin' but they turn up the heat and add a little ghost chile.  

What Was I Thinkin' - This one is all about the heat with a heaping dose of the ghost chile.  It has visibly less herbs in it and that shows in the final product.

Kramer's Gourmet Foods started just 2 years ago but they are definitely doing things right with these products.  Like most start ups, you probably won't find them on your store shelves.  You can order online at their website.   UPDATE:  Kramer's has offered a 15% discount.  Just use the code NIBBLE at check out. 

Bratwurst with Spinach and Cheese Manicotti

One of the things that stuck with me from attending Brat Days in Sheboygan, WI was to use bratwurst in creative ways other than the customary grilled brat. 

Sliced, cubed or used as bulk sausage, it all still delivers the robust flavor of bratwurst.   I saw this recipe for Four Cheese and Sausage Stuffed Manicotti on the box of manicotti and decided to change it around to make this version which got raves from the family.

Bratwurst with Spinach and Cheese Manicotti

by www.nibblemethis.com

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 1 hour

Makes:  (14 manicotti)

Ingredients

You'll need

• 1 package Johnsonville Bratwurst (19 oz)
• 1 package manicotti (8 oz)
• 3/4 cup onion, diced (DIVIDED)
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (DIVIDED)

For the sauce

• 1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
• 2 15oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 2 tsp basil paste (equivalent to 2 tsp fresh basil)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt

For the cheese stuffing

• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, cooked according to directions and well drained
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded (DIVIDED)
• 1 egg
• 6 slices provolone cheese, torn into bits
• 3/4 cup Pecorino-romano cheese, shredded (DIVIDED)

Instructions

1. Remove the casings from your bratwursts and break the sausage into small pieces. Brown in a large saute pan (3 qt). When almost browned, add 1/4 of the chopped onion and 1 clove garlic. Cook until the onion is soft, another 3-5 minutes. Drain meat in a colander and set aside.
2. Return saute pan to stove top and saute the remaining 1/2 cup onions and 1/2 cup diced bell pepper until just starting to turn soft (5 minutes or so). Add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook another minute.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Rinse the tomato paste can and add that water to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Stir together the egg, ricotta, provolone, mozzarella and 1/4 cup of the Pecorino-Romano cheese. Mix in 1/2 of the meat and all of the spinach. Set aside.
5. Cook manicotti according to directions.
6. For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender on your tomato mix. If you prefer a more coarse texture, don't. Add the other half of the meat mixture to the tomato mix and simmer another 5-10 minutes.
7. Carefully stuff manicotti with the meat/cheese mixture.
8. Layer 1/2 of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place stuffed manicotti on top. Top with remaining sauce, cover pan with foil and cook at 350f for 35 minutes.
9. Remove foil, top with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Pecorino-Romano cheeses, and put back in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
10. Garnish with parsley if desired.

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It's a mess at this point!

I prefer my sauce texture smooth, so I hit it with the immersion blender.

Instead of trying to spoon it into the manicotti, we found it easier to roll up like compound butter and stick it in there.

Stuffed and ready to roll!

Just like enchiladas, getting the first one out is messy but it goes easier after that.

My 13 y/o declared this "better than lasagna". 

You can also portion these out in individual boats like this and cook them that way.

As we had finished devouring this, Alexis asked me about the difference between bratwurst and Italian sausage.  I wasn't sure so I had to look it up.  It is basically two things, the blend of meat used and the seasonings.  

• Italian sausage is made from pork, bratwurst is a blend of pork and veal.
• The signature notes of Italian sausage are garlic, fennel, and red chile flake.  Brats are seasoned with things like ginger, coriander, caraway seed and nutmeg.  [Source:  Field Guide To Meat]

So there you go. 

We will be making this again.  One of the things that I like about it is that you can make it up ahead of time, refrigerate and then just pop in the oven when you are ready to cook it.  You can never have enough "make ahead" dishes, can you?

Mesquite Grilled Skirt Steak with Chipotle Tortillas

This is the recipe for which I made those chipotle tortillas the other day.

Mesquite grilling always makes me think of Texas or Southwestern flavors so I thought the chipotle in the tortillas and cream complemented the steak. 

Mesquite Grilled Skirt Steak

by www.nibblemethis.com

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (4 servings)

You'll need

• 1 ea skirt steak
• 1 cup KC Masterpiece Sante Fe Picante Marinade
• 1 ea yellow onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 ea red bell pepper, cored and sliced
• 1 ea green bell pepper, cored and sliced
• 8 chipotle tortillas [recipe]
• cilantro for garnish

For the Chipotle Cream

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 Knorr chipotle mini-cube or one chipotle, seeded and minced
• 1 Tbsp lime juice

Instructions

1. Crush the chipotle cube into the sour cream and whisk in with the lime juice. Refrigerate at least one hour prior to serving.
2. Place the steak, peppers, and onions in a Glad (tm) zip top bag and marinate for at least an hour.  I let mine go 6 hours.
3. Preheat a charcoal grill to 400f. Once heated, add 5-6 Kingsford Smokehouse Briquetes - Mesquite variety immediately before grilling.
4. Remove steak and veggies from marinade. Place the veggies in a veggie wok on the grill. Grill the steak 3 minutes per side.
5. Take veggies and steaks off the grill. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes.
6. Cut the steak into thirds and then slice each section thinly across the grain.
7. Serve on Chipotle Tortillas with veggies, chipotle cream, and cilantro.

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This recipe let me play with two brand new products that the Kingsford team shared with us at the Kingsford Invitational a few weeks ago.  Both are scheduled to hit store shelves around January 2013.

KC Masterpiece Sante Fe Picante Marinade

This new marinade joins the rest of the KC Masterpiece family of sauces, marinades and seasonings.  Did you know that all of them are gluten-free?  I didn't.  

Straight out of the bottle, To me, the aroma is strong of vinegar and tomato paste. The marinade is a little thicker than most and you can see the spices and chiles in it. The taste straight is initially sweet, transitioning to tomato, and then finishing with a kick of chiles and onion.

As I carried the marinated meat and veggies outside, Trevor announced that something smelled like great Mexican food.  The marinade didn't burn while cooking and you could smell the flavors building as it grilled.  

The real proof was in the final result. The skirt steak was tender and had a pop of Southwestern flavor.  Throw the grilled veggies in and you have a party. 

I can't wait to use the rest of it on some grilled chicken.

Kingsford Smokehouse Briquetes - Mesquite

I also got my hands on a sample of Kingsford's new Smokehouse Style Briquetes.  These aren't meant to be a fuel source like the Kingsford "Blue Bag" or Kingsford Competition.  These are a smoke flavoring agent.  Once your fire is already going, you just throw on a half dozen immediately before grilling and then you get about 15 minutes of real hickory or mesquite powered smoke flavor.

These briquetes are designed to "bring the flavor of your favorite barbecue restaurant to your own back yard".  The touted advantage of these compared to wood chips is that no soaking or smoker box is needed, you just toss them on your already burning coals.   Idiot proof, so to speak. 

The briquettes are real mesquite or hickory and all natural ingredients.

The potential for that is good for me, since this will work in all of my grills/smokers.  

I used them as noted in the recipe and they definitely delivered the smoke in just minutes after putting them on the grill.  The steak picked up the flavor of mesquite and you know what?  I swear the veggies did too.  I didn't realize the veggie part until the next day at work when I was having a taco with just the rice and veggies (steak was all gone!). 

Just a note:  Grilling with smoke is not the same thing as smoking.  Grilling with smoke is a much shorter "dose" of smoke, minutes vs. hours, so you can get away with a heavier smoke than when you are looking for the "clear" or "sweet blue" smoke you want for smoking. 

For a first cook, I am intrigued and can't wait to try these in a few different ways.  But what I really want to do is try the hickory flavor in a true smoking situation.  I think if I bury the Smokehouse briquetes throughout the coal, I'll get a longer, sustained dosing of smoke. 

Both of these products roll out in January 2013.  The price point will be about $4.99 for a 2.8lb bag, which will yield 4-5 cooks.  

[Standard Disclaimer]  I contribute to Grilling.com, the spot for great grilling/BBQ tips and recipes.  As such, I have received compensation from the Kingford team (trips, product for testing, etc) but any opinions stated are my own.

Chipotle Tortillas

I made homemade tortillas for the first time, recently.  Thanks to Mely's Mexico In My Kitchen and her excellent tutorial on making tortillas, they came out perfectly!  We've been making them often since then.

Store bought corn tortillas are convenient but there is no comparison to home made ones.  Home made tortillas have a softer but sturdier texture and a more pronounced flavor.   That got me to thinking (uh oh, do you smell smoke?) - could I push that flavor even further?

Yep!  I added chipotle to the tortilla dough and the end result was a mildly spicy tortilla.  When served  all together, you could still pick up the flavor from the tortilla but just as a supporting flavor, it wasn't overpowering.

Chipotle Tortillas

by www.nibblemethis.com

Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients (16 tortillas)

• 2 cups hasa marina flour
• 1 Knorr chipotle mini-cube
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/4 cup warm water

Instructions

1. Sift the flour, salt and finely crushed chipotle cube together. Tip: The chipotle cubes crush easily in your finger tips but may leave a few bigger pieces. Crush it into a sieve and the press the bigger pieces through.
2. Add the water and mix until it forms a ball of dough. They say you might have to add additional water and I did, probably another quarter cup, 1 tablespoon at a time until I got the dough consistency.
3. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and work each into a ball, they should be about ping pong ball sized. Keep them covered with a damp cloth while you work or they will dry out.
4. Cut the sides of a Glad (tm) zip top bag so you can open it up. Place it on a tortilla press. Place one of the balls on the bag/press and fold the bag over it. Press it flat then carefully peel the tortilla off.
5. Place tortilla in a hot skillet with a little oil for 60 seconds each side.
6. Remove and keep warm in a tortilla warmer. Repeat for remaining balls.

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Sorry for the lack of "in process" pictures.  I was a one man show and was having to work quickly here.

I know someone is going to ask about the Knorr Chipotle Mini-cubes because my sister had a hard time finding them in Florida.  I find ours at Krogers where the cans of chipotle are in the Latino section of international foods.  You can also find them in some Walmarts.  One cube is the equivalent of one chipotle.  I like them because they provide more flavor than heat, they are easy to use, and convenient to keep on hand. 

I still use regular chipotle too, it just depends on what I'm making.  Obviously, you couldn't substitute regular canned chipotle easily in this dish unless you pulverized it.  You could try adding dried ground chipotle but take it easy, that is usually hotter to me.

I also found my Imusa tortilla press and tortilla holder at Kroger.  

If you can't find one locally, check out Imusa's site for online retailers, I know target carries the cast iron press for under $25.  Mely's blog post shows alternative ways to press them out but I find the tortilla press makes it super easy.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't also find it fun to use like one of those Playdoh Fun Factory toys from my childhood.  

Not just a pretty face.  This warmer does a fantastic job keeping tortillas ready to eat.

I picked up the warmer just because it was there and I thought it would only be a "cutesy" thing but it turns out to be very functional.  It kept the tortillas warm and tender beyond the length of preparation and the meal, much more so than just wrapping in tea towels would have done.  I recommend picking one of these warmers up if you're going to make fresh tortillas, it's worth the few bucks.

[Standard Disclosure]  I received no compensation for this post.  I was offered free product from Imusa a few months back but didn't take them up on their offer.  I bought it on my own instead and paid full price.   

Potato "Meatball" Soup

Inspiration strikes out of nowhere, doesn't it?

The idea for this recipe came to me as I drove through the middle of Thanksgiving night to get back home in Tennessee. 

The white lines of the Alabama highway flew by hypnotically like the blur of a passing train.  My car radio played static along with The Doors' "Riders On The Storm" while Trevor and Alexis slept.  Meanwhile I  mused about the Pommes Parisienne that I made last week and the thought hit me.  They would be great as a "meatball" in a creamy soup.

A cold front was prepared to march across and render Black Friday into a cold and dreary day.  Alexis had to be at work at noon at the mall so I made this batch of this soup for her to take for her and her co-workers.

Potato "Meatball" Soup

by www.nibblemethis.com

Ingredients (6 servings)

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup celery, finely diced
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 1 cup potato, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 4 cups beef stock
• 4 cups half and half
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 recipe pommes parisienne (click for recipe)
• 4 slices bacon, chopped and cooked

Instructions

1. In a stock pot, melt butter and saute potato, carrot, onion, and celery until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Whisk in the flour and stir to form a blond roux.
3. Whisk in the stock to thoroughly blend and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Use an immersion blender to make this soup base smooth. [Note: You can skip this if you want a more coarse and chunky soup.]
5. Stir in the half and half, remaining seasonings, and pommes parisienne. Simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes.
6. [Note: If you don't want to look up the pommes parisienne, you could just pan fry peeled fingerling potatoes or small potatoes in clarified butter until cooked and then add roasted red pepper, parsley, salt and pepper.]
7. Garnish with bacon pieces.

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Potato "Meatballs"! 

Yes, those are styrofoam bowls and a cafeteria style tray.  I thought it was fitting since I was sending this in to her work ;)

I apologize for the lack of pictures.  I made this recipe after about 2 hours of sleep and really wasn't planning on posting it but it tasted too good not to write up.

Speaking of which, here is a bonus recipe that I did for Alexis' work crew on Sunday and I didn't take a single picture.  But it was pretty damn good too.  It was adapted from a chicken and wild rice soup recipe that my mom gave to me years ago.

Smoked Turkey and Dirty Rice Soup
source: www.nibblemethis.com

Ingredients

• 6 quarts water
• 4 chicken bullion cubes
• 1/2 cup carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 1/4 cup celery, finely diced
• 1 8oz package Zatarains Dirty Rice mix
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups half and half
• 2 cups smoked turkey, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp creole seasoning
• 1/2 cup smoked gouda

Instructions

1. In a stock pot, bring water, bullion, carrot, celery, and rice mix to a boil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
2. In a sauce pan, melt butter and whisk in flour to form a blond roux (about 3-5 minutes). Slowly add the half and half while rapidly whisking to thoroughly blend.
3. Add the cream mixture to the stock pot and stir to blend. Add the turkey, gouda cheese, salt, and creole seasoning. Simmer for 10 more minutes to blend.
4. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Yeah, I realized that no grilling or smoking was involved in either of these recipes.  Live fire cooking resumes shortly.

Kentucky Hot Browns - Yet Again

How was your Thanksgiving?

We traveled to Florida so I didn't get to smoke a turkey this year.  Nor did I have leftover turkey when we got back home.

That's a problem.  If I don't have leftover turkey, how can I have one of my favorite sandwiches ever - the Kentucky Hot Brown?

The Hot Brown is an open-faced sandwich with crisp bacon, thin sliced smoked turkey, tomato, and topped with Mornay sauce.  It's all put under the broiler for just a few minutes to make the cheese sauce bubbly and a little charred.

Since I didn't have leftover turkey, I ran to Food City Friday morning and bought their last turkey breast.  I didn't have time to brine so I used an injection instead.

Turkey Injection

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup white wine

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp MSG

1/4 tsp creole seasoning

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Heat all ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat and blend well.  Allow to cool slightly before using.

After injecting the turkey breast, I seasoned the outside heavily with thyme and Lotta Bull's UnBULLevable All Purpose Seasoning.  I smoked it with some cherry wood on the Big Green Egg at 300f for about 2 1/2 hours until it reached an internal temp of 155f.  

Great!  Now I had me some leftover turkey.   Time for Hot Browns.

Alexis works retail in the mall so this weekend (Black Friday) was slammed busy for her and her co-workers.  I surprised them with a batch of these yesterday.

Kentucky Hot Brown

by www.nibblemethis.com

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 45

Ingredients (serves 12)

You'll Need

• 1 loaf Italian bread, sliced on a bias into 12 pieces
• 12 pieces cooked bacon
• 1 1/2 lbs smoked turkey
• 2 tomatoes, sliced

For the Mornay sauce

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp shallot, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, whole slightly crushed
• 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup mozzarella shredded
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and saute until the shallot is tender, about 4 minutes. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly to form a blond roux.
2. Whisk in about a quarter cup of the half/half and whisk until well blended. Add some more, repeat. Then add the remaining half/half. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.  Remove the garlic clove and discard.
3. Whisk in the cheeses in small batches and stir until well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Sauce should be thick.
4. Assemble the sandwiches on a cookie sheet. From the bottom up, you'll use bread, bacon, sliced turkey, tomato slices and then spoon the sauce over it.
5. Stick under a broiler until the Mornay sauce is bubbly and starts to brown.

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You can use a blend of different cheeses but I always like to include some of a salty, nutty cheese like Pecorino Romano or Parmesan.

The sauce needs to be thick enough to cling to a spoon.

Slice the turkey thinly.

Ready to broiler-ize.  Broiler-ate?

One is enough for me, two really fill you up.

These Hot Browns are my favorite Thanksgiving weekend tradition.  Are you finished with your leftovers yet?

Pommes Parisienne

This might be one of our new favorite side dishes and it is just in time for the holidays.  It goes wonderfully with the cherry juice brined pork chops that I grilled tonight but it would be just as great with a prime rib, smoked turkey or ham.

It's a simple recipe.  The prep of the potato balls is the hardest part but it is worth it in the end.  The outer edges get slightly crispy from frying in clarified butter but the insides are fork tender.

Pommes Parisienne

adapted from Rouxbe.com

Cook Time: 20

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 5 lb russet potatoes
• 4 Tbsp clarified butter
• 2 Tbsp roasted red pepper, diced
• 2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Peel potatoes. Use a melon ball tool to remove 1" balls from the potatoes and place the potato balls in a large bowl of cold water. Save the scraps for mashed potatoes, potato soup, hash browns, etc.
2. Preheat a large saute pan over medium high heat and melt the clarified butter. Note: It is important to use the clarified butter because of the temps and length of time. Plain butter will burn.
3. Remove the potatoes from water and dry carefully. Add to the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Toss or swirl the potatoes every few minutes to evenly brown all sides.
4. Add the red pepper and parsley. Season with salt and pepper (Start with 3/4 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper). Toss to coat and cook another 1-3 minutes.
5. Taste for seasoning and add salt/pepper as needed.

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Notes:

• Melon ball tool - I started off using the type of baller that you squeeze a lever and it pops out the ball.  It broke, a potato is much harder than a melon.  Then I used one like this and it worked much better. 
• Flexible flavor - The original recipe just called for salt and pepper, so feel free to substitute whatever seasonings you like.  I went with the red pepper for flavor and color.

Soaking helps remove some starch and avoid enzymatic browning.

Dry well shortly before cooking.  Water is the enemy of browning during cooking.

While the potatoes and chops rested, I quickly steamed some broccoli.

 

 

Cherry Brine

The brine resulted in a nicely flavored pork chop.  The cherry brine recipe was simply 2 cups cherry juice, 1/4 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos (you can sub soy sauce), 3 Tbsp kosher salt, and enough water to make 1 quart.  I soaked the boneless chops for 4 hours and then grilled until the internal temp was 140f, about 5 minutes per side at 375f. 

 

All-Clad B3 Nonstick Hard Anodized

All-Clad has a new product line out, right now exclusively at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  I fell in lust with All-Clad when Alexis worked at Williams-Sonoma two years ago, particularly their d5 line of stainless cookware.

So when a rep for All-Clad asked if I wanted to try out their new line, I gladly accepted.  The B3 cookware line is nonstick hard anodized aluminum.  The work horse of my kitchen for the past 4 or 5 years has been a set of Kitchenaide anodized nonstock pans so I have a good frame of reference for comparison.

The B3 cookware line seems to target the mid-range home cook like myself (cooks just well enough to be dangerous, ha ha).  It delivers All-Clad's professional performance, quality, and durability to the cooking enthusiast.  The B3 designation is given because

• they bond three layers of heavy gauge aluminum to provide even heat distribution
• they bond three layers of nonstock surfacing to give unequaled release and durability.    

They shipped me a 12" chef's pan to try and right out of the box it had the quality design and feel that I've come to expect from All-Clad.  The stainless steel handles are sturdy and stay cool during cooking.  

The sides are sloped for easy tossing.  

The lid seals tightly.   It has a stainless steel bottom plate to help durability to make it compatible with all cooking surfaces including induction.  

Of course, it comes with All-Clad's lifetime warranty.  It beats my existing cookware on all fronts so far, but how does it cook?

Steaming - The almost wok like shape and air tight lid made steaming 2 heads of broccoli easy.  
 

Sauteing - I cooked the pommes parisienne with this pan.  I had excellent heat control using it on a gas range.  This is a dish that requires frequent rotation and tossing the potatoes was easy with the banked lip of the pan.  

Excuse the blurry shot, I took this picture while I was tossing the potatoes.

Shallow frying - the heavy gauge steel bottom let me hold a consistent temp for shallow frying hash browns and quesadillas.

Overall, I was highly impressed with the All-Clad B3 Nonstick Chef's pan in terms of design and performance.  Only time will tell about durability but it seems well made.  The line is available in stores and online from Bed Bath and Beyond.

[Standard Disclaimer]  I received the 12" chef's pan for free from All-Clad for the review.