Skillet Porterhouse Steak Basted with Compound Butter and Tallow

[FTC Standard Disclaimer] This is not a sponsored post, as I have taken a break from sponsorships this year.  However, in the spirit of transparency, we still have a close working relationship with the folks at Certified Angus Beef® Brand.

Many of my friends scoff at the notion of "grilling season" because most of us grill and barbecue throughout the year.  But I still think that there is a "grilling season" that starts for me with Daylight Savings Time.  "Grilling season" to me means that it is the optimum conditions for grilling:

• Lighting - The sun starts setting later in the evening, and for our deck, that means beautiful rays of golden sunlight boldly shine through the trees in our backyard.
• Warmth - It feels good to be outside, with warm breezes and pleasant temperatures.  
• Wildlife - Birds, frogs, rabbits, squirrels, and other critters are out and about, and their chorus of animal Tinder ads fill the air.
• Greenery - Winter's fifty shades of grey is over.  The grass is vibrantly green, flowers are bursting open like fireworks, and trees have leaves, once again.

To celebrate the first day of Daylight Savings Time this year, I went to Food City and picked up the prettiest Certified Angus Beef® Brand porterhouse steak they had.  I cooked it in a skillet over hardwood coals and basted it with a mix of compound butter and beef tallow.

When I was posting about this while cooking, one of my followers asked a good question:

@nibblemethis , this may be a dumb question, but what’s the advantage of searing a steak in a cast iron skillet over coals vs. a hot gas or electric stove? Does the meat acquire extra smoke flavor? Gas seems so easy compared to coals. Thanks

The answer is that I did it solely to enjoy the experience.  With an open grill like this, you aren't going to get any smoke flavor.  If I used the skillet as the sear part of the reverse sear technique, then yes, I would get that smoky taste. 

Gear and Set Up

I decided to use a skillet for this cook.  I love uniform cross-hatch marks, but it is hard to beat a cast iron skillet seared steak.  But more importantly, I wanted to butter-baste our steak.  My weapon of choice was a PK Grill, a simple clam-shell type grill and I used Tennessee hardwood lump charcoal.  Notice two things.  

• First, the skillet is empty.  Don't add food, oil, or anything until it is preheated - when you start to see slight wisps of smoke come off the surface.  
• Second, notice the gap with no charcoals, that is my escape area if the skillet gets too hot.  

Golden Pineapple Mango Glazed Chicken

[FTC standard disclaimer]  I received no compensation for this post.  Some of the links are Amazon affiliate links.  I do have a business relationship with Oklahoma Joe's, but none of that involves promoting them on my blog or social media.  

My first career was in the retail grocery industry, and I started in high school.  I loved working in the produce and meat departments because there was so much to learn as a teenager.  Back then, for a chicken to be considered a fryer, it had to be 3 1/2 pounds or less.  These days, most fryers start about 4 1/2 pounds and can run over 6 pounds.

I was happy to find a 3 1/2 pound Gerber Amish Farms Chicken at my Food City* this past weekend. I didn't know what I was going to do with it until I got home and rummaged through the refrigerator.  I found some Tropicana Pineapple Mango with Lime drink and thought it would make a good poultry glaze.  I was right.

The glaze is sweet with the citrus tang you would expect.  It is mouthwatering good on grilled chicken and tastes like Summer.  It also creates a beautiful golden color on the chicken.

Golden Pineapple Mango Glazed Chicken

Makes about 1 cup

Phone post: Bone-In Ribeye Steak on the Big Green Egg

[FTC Disclaimer]  We received no compensation for this post.

My absolute favorite time of the year for sports is the college basketball tournament.  This year, three teams that we root for are top seeds which makes it even more enjoyable. Carolina had a late tip-off so I grilled this thick, bone-in ribeye for Alexis and I to split.

It was a straight-forward cook, but here are the details for my grilling-nerd friends. 

The bone-in ribeye steak weighed in at just under 1 1/2 pounds.  I patted it dry, lightly oiled it with some peanut oil, and then seasoned it with our finely ground NMT Umami Steak Seasoning recipe.

Sausage Garden Alfredo Sauce

[FTC Disclaimer]  We received no compensation for this post.  

We made a few white pizza sauces for a client project this weekend and had some leftover ingredients. Last night Alexis and I used them to make a creamy, mouthwatering Alfredo sauce for homemade pasta.

Here is what we had to work with:

Tomato and basil jack cheese

Cooked Italian sausage

Baby spinach

Albukirky green chile dried tomatoes

Baby spinach, tomato and basil jack cheese, cook Italian sausage, and our Albukirky green chile dried tomatoes.

First, we made pasta.  We were out of our usual pasta flour but we had Bob’s Red Mill semolina flour and used the recipe on their package. 

We roll the dough with our hand-cranked pasta machine.  We were out of our usual pasta flour, but we had Bob’s Red Mill semolina flour and used the recipe on their package. It turned out fine.

2019 Chain of Lakes Eggfest - Winter Haven FL

We had a fantastic time at the 2019 Chain of Lakes Eggfest this past weekend in sunny and warm, Winter Haven, FL.  An "Eggfest" is a BBQ and grilling food festival featuring teams of Big Green Egg enthusiasts serving their most creative and tasty dishes cooked on the chromatically named kamado grill.  It is all for a good cause, the proceeds from this event benefit the Citrus Center Boys and Girls Club.

Nibble Me This was on hand to serve as a cook team and to perform a cooking demonstration at the event tent.  Here are the behind the scenes pictures of the fantastic time that we had with friends new and old this weekend.

It was an 11+ hour drive for us, so Alexis and I left Knoxville under cover of darkness.  We loaded the truck the night before with everything we would need so we could just get up and go.  Preplanning is the most significant factor in enjoying yourself when cooking at an Eggfest.

While we were on I-75, our teammate, Sean, showed up early and helped with the assembly of dozens of Big Green Eggs of all shapes and sizes.  The Eggs used at these events are brand new and used only this one time.  They are sold as "demo Eggs," limited lifetime warranty intact, for the lowest prices that you will find.

Friday was prep day.  Another key to having a blast at an Eggfest as a cook team is to prepare any and everything that you can BEFORE the event.  Ideally, at the festival, you should only be grilling and serving.  

Prepping Rolled Flank Steak with Bacon Jam and Smoked Gouda for our grilling demo and for sampling. 

Fire Roasted King Ranch Chicken Casserole

[FTC Disclaimer] We received no compensation for this post.  Two of the links are Amazon Affiliate links.

Alexis and I have been on a leftovers purge for the week because our freezers have gotten too full.  Last night, our freezer dive resulted in enough treasures to make Eating Well's Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole. 

Of course, we changed it up a little bit, mainly because of what we had on hand or what we didn't.  And of course, we did ours on a kamado grill - a large Big Green Egg.  I think the fire roasting absolutely adds to the dish.

Steak and Eggs

[FTC Disclaimer]  Technically, this is not a sponsored post, as I have taken a break from sponsorships this year.  However, in the spirit of transparency, we still have a close working relationship with the folks at Certified Angus Beef® Brand and Thunderbird Wings.

I love breakfast for dinner.  Chicken and waffles.  Huevos rancheros.  And of course, steak and eggs.

Prime ribeye, Yukon gold hash browns, fried eggs, and some of our home cured and smoked bacon. 

Alexis and I shared this for dinner the other night when she found a USDA Prime, Certified Angus Beef® Brand ribeye steak at our Food City.  I'm so glad that Food City carries the Prime grade. I don't get Prime every time but it is a treat when we do. Being less than an inch thick, it was perfect for steak and eggs for dinner. 

Alexis and I were sous chefs for Trace Scarborough of Thunderbird Wings at an event last year.  He gave me this new beef rub that he had in development - Bravo.  It is based on the Mexican mole sauce profile - earthy, deep, rich chile, smoky, and with the most subtle hints of chocolate.  I love that unique approach to a beef rub.  I've had to be quiet about it until now because it is finally out for sale.