Cocktail Confessions

Well, anyone up for another foodie review?  Good.  This past weekend I had the pleasure of getting out of the house with my buddy Jon, and we decided to head just slightly out of our geographical comfort zone and head up to the city of Orange.  There’s a lot of interesting restaurants of all ethnic varieties scattered throughout Orange and some really interesting digs in Old Town Orange.

Well, I had a hankering for some BBQ this summer evening, so I suggested to Jon that we open the sunroof up on my Ford Edge, crank up the tunes, drive up HWY 241 and head into Orange the back way and mosey into old Johnny Rebs’.  I’ve been to Johnny Reb’s a handful of times now and it is an interesting place to say the least, and I’d suggest it to anyone who wants a little something different in the barbeque experience.

There are 4 Johnny Rebs’ locations in CA and you can visit their main page and click on the ‘locations’ link to see them all in case you ever make it out to the Golden State.  Personally, I think the one located in Orange is the nicest looking of the bunch.  It has a very unique street facade, that while looking slightly out of place in a somewhat modern city, brings a down south charm to the neighborhood.  It often reminds me of a themed ride you may find at Knott’s Berry Farm or some other Californian ghost town like Bodie.

Red Trolley Ale served here.

Rebs’ was established in 1984 and tries to bring in the influences of Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and North Carolina to the forefront in it’s aesthetic style, food choice, and hospitality.  According to their own website, it was Zagat rated as the Best BBQ Restaurants in Southern California (2004), although its not clear which location.  To be blunt and honest though, a lot of BBQ joint have sprung up in the last few years and I daresay I think I’ve had some better BBQ in 2010 such as Bad to the Bone in San Juan Capistrano, CA amongst a few others as well.

Speaking of hospitality though, Johnny Rebs’ does excel.  Everyone there is extremely nice and helpful and I find the staff generally chatty and pleasant, often coming around the table more than a few times to check on your meal, your satisfaction, or if you need anything else.

Johnny Reb's, Orange

The place itself is a site to behold, both inside and out.  As I mentioned earlier, it has a really nice ‘rustic’ vibe, both inside and out, and the setting and decor itself transports your mind back in time.  I think older folks and kids alike will enjoy the ‘log-cabin’ feeling on the inside, the swamp inspired waiting area outside, and of course the covered patio room located on one side of the building.  It was packed this particular night with a waiting list outside.  They also cater to parties as well and we witnessed the ritual “pig-kissing” and dancing for some old coot’s birthday that the whole place gets involved in as well.

There’s a small bar located centrally within the restaurant, which allows standing or seating for a good 6-8 people and they serve various beers on tap, some common and some uncommon ones as well.  This day, Jon and I both had a large schooner of Red Trolley Ale and it just seemed perfect for the setting.  While the beers are nice and cold and the staff friendly, I was discouraged to hear that the lemonade was actually from concentrate.  WTF?  Concentrated lemonade at a BBQ joint?  That just seems sacrilege and wrong and not an area a fine BBQ joint should be cutting corners on.

There’s tons of peanuts on the floor as well.  It’s one of those places you can get your own roasted peanuts, shell ‘em, and then toss them on the floor.  It’s fun and adds to the charm as well.  But the one bone I have to pick here is that the peanuts aren’t always fresh.  Sorry, but I’ve seen them toss new peanuts on top of the older ones in the barrels there, meaning the older ones never get rotated enough and thus just get older.  Not just this time, but other times my party has commented that we’ve always gotten more than a few stale peanuts, and there just really isn’t an excuse for that either.

For openers, Rebs’ has a really nice lineup of down south appetizers.  I’m not going to list them all here, but you can’t go wrong with their cornmeal dipped fried green tomatoes, hush puppies, sweet potato french fries, fried okra, or my personal favorite: fried dill pickles.  Yup, everyone looks at me sideways at least twice when I order them, but I think I have converted quite a few.  These dill pickles are sliced like a quarter, then breaded in cornmeal, deep fried, and served with a side of ranch dressing.  Yum!  Oh, and I may as well mention here they make their own biscuits and cornbread as well.

Between us, we split an order of the fried dill pickles and an order of sausage.  The pickles were as ever good as I recall, and ths sausage was moist and peppery.  Although when I think BBQ sausage, I think we were expecting more of a traditional hand made sausage, and this was more like a kielbasa link served with BBQ sauce.

Okay, so now onto the main fare: Like most BBQ joints you won’t be surprised to find both beef and pork ribs, fried or BBQ chicken, tri-tip and brisket in various forms, and catfish.  They also have pork chops & gravy, Cajun sausage, and blackened prime rib or sirloin steak.  Now since we are going to a BBQ joint, we are going for the ribs.  But give the menu a good looking over, there are plenty of bbq inspired sandwiches, a few salads and fish dishes as well.  Prices are average to slightly below average from what you’d expect in a BBQ joint.  Expect a dinner meal for two with drinks and appetizers to run about $65, and of course it’d be less for the smaller dishes or lunch.  They also serve a pretty exciting country breakfast as well.

I had a 1/2 rack of St. Louis ribs along with a side of mac-n-cheese, Cajun rice, and biscuit.  Jon had a 2 meat sampler of sausage and ribs along with mashed potatoes, biscuit, and something else I can’t recall right now, maybe baked beans.  The one thing you need to know about the sides is that you can request a second helping of any of your ordered sides, at no additional cost when your server comes back on by to check on you.  For me, I had a second helping of mac-n-cheese, although it wasn’t the best mac I’ve ever had.  Many places make gourmet mac with a combination of 2-3 cheeses, or a creamier texture by adding Velveeta.  Personally, Rebs’ came up a bit short in my book as their mac-n-cheese only uses one type, cheddar, and it was a little one-note and dry.  Same for my Cajun rice….it was a bit dry and bland and not what I was expecting or hoped for.  I did enjoy my ribs however, eating every last one and was happy with the amount of meat and taste I got for St’ Louis style (I usually get baby back pork).

Jon didn’t finish his whole meal, opting to take a portion home, but he seemed to enjoy it none-the-less.

At this point we were pretty full from our meal, opting not to have any desert, but here’s the quick rundown on the sweets: drop biscuit peach or chocolate cobbler, southern pecan pie, key lime pie, fried Mississippi mud pie, apple pie and vanilla ice cream.  I did note one special addition I hadn’t seen on the menu: a banana and nilla wafer pudding parfait I imagine was served in a mason jar that I would have liked to have tried but skipped out on it.

This place was tougher than I thought it was going to be to score.  There are some pretty definitive pro’s, yet a few things that after thinking about it a bit more make me want to hold back.  Overall: 3.

Ambiance: 4 – The nostalgic decor, peanuts in the floor, rustic look, and picnic style seating make for a fun and cozy atmosphere for most.  Bathroom could use a little extra love.

Hospitality: 4 – Very friendly and attentive staff who seem to be cheerful and chatty with the customers.  Something you’d expect from the South.

Food: 3 – Decent prices.  Great appetizers and desserts really open and close the show nice.  Main fare was ‘okay’, missing a bit of that smokey element one looks for in BBQ.  Some of the sides were one note and sub standard in some cases, but at least you can get an extra helping if need be.

Freshness: 2.5 – Rice was dry, mac-n-cheese a bit dry, lemonade from concentrate (?), stale peanuts, and ribs missing that ‘it’ factor kinda bummed me out.

Value: 3 – Extensive menu, extra sides, prices are good for the portion size you get

*Santa Fe burger courtesy of FoodTV

So I realize I’ve been a little light on the recipe’s this summer. Not much of a cocktail and grilling blog if you don’t have the content to back it up once in a while. I’m still working on some “how-to” video’s for smoking a brisket…it takes a lot longer than you think, but I made some good headway this past week and I should have the first one posted soon.

Anyway, the kids should be headed back to school soon (if they haven’t already) and summer is starting to wind down, so I think this recipe will fit in nicely. It’s relatively easy, yet looks and tastes like it may have taken some real time and effort, and could be the star of the last summer hoorah.

I give credit to my wife for finding the basis of this recipe from her own online searches. It’s basically a Bobby Flay inspired recipe that stands out great on its own, but like most things, I like to make my own adjustments and spins on discovered recipes and try and make it my own.

This cheeseburger has it’s flavors rooted in the Southwest, a favorite of mine. The queso sauce is rich and spicy and replaces the traditional ‘processed slice’ we’re usually accustomed to, and allows a platform for the roasted pablano chili’s to cling to. Some blue corn chips give the burger an unexpected textural surprise along with their salty crunch.

Ingredients

Burgers

• 1 large poblano chile
• 2 1/2 TBS canola oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5 LBS ground chuck (80% lean) or sub 90% lean ground turkey for healthier alternative.
• 4 large gourmet burger buns, split & toasted. (Check local bakery for fresh goods like a nice ciabatta or potato bun.  Try and avoid the generic burger buns)
• Handful of blue or yellow corn tortilla chips

Queso (cheese) Sauce:

• 1 TBS unsalted butter
• 1 TBS all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups whole milk. (*sub 1/2 cup milk with heavy cream if available for a richer, creamier taste)
• 8 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups).  (*Sub Monterrey Jack for a slightly milder, not as spicy alternative if desired).
• Dash of dried chipotle powder for earthy, smokey flavor (*optional)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Directions

1. Coat pablano chili with 1 TBS of canola oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place on grill, medium heat, and turn every few minutes until skin begins to char and bubble on all sides.  Remove chili and place in paper bag or bowl covered in plastic wrap and allow to steam for 15 minutes.  Peel, stem and seed chili at this point, then coarsely chop and set aside for now.
2. To make queso sauce, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add milk/cream, increase heat, whisk constantly until slightly thickened (approx 4-5 minutes).  Remove from heat and then whisk in cheese, a little at a time, until melted.  Season with salt, pepper, chipotle powder.  Keep warm.
3. Divide meat into 4 equal portions.  Form into 3/4″ thick patties and make small depression in the middle of each with thumb.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Using remaining oil (or cooking spray), coat grill and cook burgers over medium flame until desired doneness.
4. Place burgers on toasted bun bottoms, top with a few tablespoons of cheese sauce, a few chips, some of the pablano, then of course, toasted bun tops.

So now the beer pairing:  Personally, I really enjoy Mexican lagers with my Southwestern food.  For me, Negro Modelo is a no-brainer.  Maybe even Modelo Especial or Dos Equis.  Make sure you have plenty of sliced limes nearby.  If Mexican beer isn’t your thing, how about other domestic lagers or an ale?  These pair very well with summer beef dishes.  Try a Fat Tire amber ale, or maybe even Land Shark or Long Board lagers.  They all have a crisp and clean taste in my opinion.  And you can’t go wrong with any of the seasonal summer crafts from Sam Adams.

This morning when I first got up I decided I was going to be somewhat proactive today and do some ‘Jayson’ chores about the house.  In addition to do some laundry, watering plants, sweeping the garage, taking the car in for an oil change, I decided I’d take the time to build the free smoker my wife graciously gave me as her 10 year work anniversary present.

Armed with a bloody Mary in one hand, screw driver in the other, and a mix CD of dance trax pumping from my garage stereo, I finally broke out the ’smoker’ box that has been sitting in my garage for the last few weeks and decided to assemble it.  It turns out that the time we got was in-fact NOT the Brinkmann Gourmet Smoker we thought was listed in the catalog, but the lower-end Brinkmann 810-5301-6 Smoke ‘N Grill charcoal smoker.  It actually retails for about $69 and is made in China, which is quite apparent when you start your initial assembly.  The issue straight out if the box is that you can tell that quality control is a low priority with Brinkmann, or at least this model.  But then again, it was free to us, so it all depends on how much you really want to complain.

Straight out of the box, here are some of the issues I came across:

1. Main kettle drum was slightly damaged on bottom rim.  Not a deal breaker, but a minor dent was disheartening for a brand new grill.
2. Top kettle paint job was badly scuffed.  Yeah, right out of the box there was some major scuff and scratch marks to the black enamel paint job.
3. Weld points on the actual chrome-plated grill surface were loose.  On one of the 2 enclosed grill surfaces, I noticed that a few weld points were in fact not secured properly.
4. Drill holes were off-kilter.  On some, (not all), of the pre drilled holes where the handles are to be attached, the holes were not aligned properly.  After some minor bending of the handles, I was able to secure the handles as instructed, but they should not have been as difficult as they were.
5. Kettle was not perfectly round.  This is an issue if you want the top kettle drum to fit on body correctly.  Since the body was ’slightly’ oval instead of round, (as it should have been), it took some additional bending and compression my end to get it to the proper shape.
6. Finally, the sheet metal door that allows access to the front of smoker to add additional charcoal was also bent.  Thankfully, it is thin enough where I could bend this back into shape by hand, but overall, very dissapointing construction for an out of the box product. 

All these items could be fixed easily and shouldn’t affect the overall process of grilling and smoking, but that’s not really the point.  Free or not, when I buy a factory sealed product, I expect it to be as close to 100% mint as possible.  In this case, this ‘freebie’ felt as if it were perhaps a clearance item and no wonder it was given away free to my wife.  I’d say it was closer to 75%-80% condition out of box.

Assembly was fairly easy, even with the re-bending of some of the sheet metal I had to do.  The few other issues I noted are as such: A) The legs are a bit short.  I wish they were slightly sturdier and longer.  B) Thermometer is a very cheap model that indicates ‘warm, ideal, hot’ as opposed to actual degrees.  When cooking a brisket, pork, or chicken, you may definitely want to invest in a separate meat thermometer as the included one will be hard for anyone to tell what the actual maintained temperature is.  C) The included charcoal and water basin plates could fit a tad better as well.  They are exactly the same parts used internally, but how they rest on the internal clips is a little shaky.  A handy person with a drill and some engineering or shop experience may want to employ a little additional efforts and modifications to help secure these items prior to use as this may be a recipe for errors down the line.

Speaking of modification, I came across the following website in which this gentleman vastly improves his own Brinkmann smoker.  Using just a few of his ideas may vastly improve your own cooking experience, and over time I think I will introduce his mods on a more accurate thermometer, gasket, and internal grills surface security.  Check it out here.

So my initial score would be a 2.5 on a scale of 5.  Could be much better, could be much worse, so I guess I gave it a half point for being ‘free’ in my case, otherwise the construction seems a bit subpar for a $70 product…and that’s Amazon’s price mind you.  It may actually be more at BBQ shops or other online grill stores, so this is for sure a ‘budget’ item.  There are higher qulaity smokers out there, but of course expect to start shelling out $100+ at that point.

So once completed, according to the instructions, you should initially cure your smoker to help burn off any excess factory paint inside and help resist and prevent future rusting.  I did this by removing the internal charcoal pan and grill grates and spraying the inside with PAM grill spray.  After a liberal coating inside, I began to start a few pounds of regular Kingsford charcoal in a standard chimney starter.  You can find generic versions of these as low as $10 bucks at most hardware stores.  Anything more than $17 maybe a rip off and I don’t think the higher end ones are all that much better than the $10 ones.

Once I had the charcoal started, I let it burn for approx 15-20 minutes within the starter before pouring it directly into the smokers charcoal pan.  Allowing the 15-20 minute burn allows for any fuel on the charcoal to dissipate for an overall cleaner tastes in your food (no gas taste).  Also, it allows for all the charcoal to get started evenly and reach a more consistent temperature.  When the charcoal turns from black to an ash gray, its ready.

Now that the charcoal is in the smoker, go ahead and put the lid on top.  Within 5 – 7 minutes or so, you should see the thermometer reach  the ‘ideal’ reading.  Go ahead and let the smoker cure for a minimum of two hours.  If you note that the dial begins to dip in the first 45 minutes to an hour, go ahead, open the door, and add some more charcoal briquettes.  But after 1.5 hours, no need to add anything else.  Let it burn through as is and make sure it cools q100% before removing spent charcoal.  At this point your initial curing should be complete and your ready to start your real first smoked effort.

During the curing stage, I went to Lowe’s and bought myself a bag of hardwood hickory charcoal.  It’s not that expensive, about $7.50 for a regular size bag.  Just remember that it takes less hardwood charcoal than standard coal briquettes to maintain the same temperature and they also burn longer.  Follow instructions on the bag and you should be able to make it last longer than standard OTC charcoal everyone else uses at their beach BBQ’s.   Not to mention you’re getting these because the idea is that you actually want to ’smoke’ your meat.  Smoking is all about low temperatures, maintaining that temperature, and long times.  We aren’t grilling hamburgers of chicken breasts here.  No we are smoking for generally 8 or more hours depending on the cut of meat.  A 10 lb brisket will smoke easily for 10-12 hours, so we’re in it for the long haul.

So I received a few requests for some of my Father’s Day 2010 recipe’s I made this past weekend, so I thought I’d share one of them with you today.  Now most people aren’t necessarily crazy about zucchini, not unless it’s fried and drowning in ranch dressing, and they are even more skeptical if you tell them its grilled. 

Well, this easily prepared dish I can tell you was met with rave reviews, even from my own mother, daughter, and nephew who are rarely ever seen even eating anything resembling close to a green cooked vegetable.  My daughter even ate two and I have often seen her ditch vegetables on her plate to the garbage can when she thinks no one is looking.

I guess the secret is in the bacon gremolata.  Hell, I wasn’t quite sure myself what ‘gremolata’ even meant until I looked the definition up to satisfy my own curiosity.  Basically gremolata is defined as a ‘chopped’ herb condiment usually consisting of garlic, parsley, and lemon zest and is Italian in origin.  But then again, everything is better with bacon, in that there is no doubt so you can’t really go wrong in the first place.

Anyway, it’s a great way I figure to introduce grilled vegetables to kids, and it looks very impressive and pretty when presented on the plate.  It appears to be much more involved than it really is and is sure to wow your guests when they think you spent quite a bit on time on it.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-large zucchini (approx. 6 oz each)
• 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (save the lemon peel for the gremolata)
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• Bacon gremolata (recipe follows)

Directions (makes 8 servings):

1. Cut zucchini’s in half, lengthwise.  Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop out center to form 1/4 – 1/2″ shells.  Set aside.
2. In small bowl, combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt, pepper.  Brush zucchini shells with lemon mixture.  Place shells, cut side down, on grilling tray.
3. Grill shells over medium flame, 5-7 minutes or until cut sides begin to brown.  Turn shells over at this point (cut sides up) and grill 1 minute more.  Remove from grill.
4. Spoon bacon gremolata into shells, evenly, then return to grill.  Cover and grill 2-4 more minutes until cheese begins to melt.

Bacon Gremolata:

In a bowl combine a whole pack of crisp cooked bacon slices, drained, and finely crumbled (you can sub 1 cup finely chopped Canadian-bacon as well), 1 cup finely grated Parmesan and/or Romano cheese, 1/4 cup fresh basil (julienned), 1/4 cup fresh diced jalapeno pepper OR pepperoncini (I actually use a bit of both), 4 Tsp shredded lemon peel (use zester tool), 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 Tsp ground black pepper.  Mix well and spoon into shells.

Many congratulations to my wife, who just celebrated her ten year milestone at her place of employment.  I actually believe she’s been there a bit longer as she started off as a temporary employee before the company officially hired her as a full time employee.

The last few years have been a mental struggle for her, as I imagine it would be for anyone after ten years.  It’s hard to be continually challenged and motivated after so many years, especially when there are a lot of changes to the corporate structure every few months or so.  At times it can be very stressful for her as she will come home and tell me about some new bombshell that drops unexpectedly and a whole new management team is coming in.  It’s actually happened quite a few times with more and more frequency the last couple of years where they have had at least four different CEO’s within that time frame.  As you imagine, with each regime change, there is always new people coming in, old people leaving (not necessarily by choice), and shake-ups as to who is now reporting to who.

With all that being said, however, she has a decent job.  She works less than ten minutes from our house, every day is casual day, and her hours are somewhat flexible.  For as much heartache as it gives her, it could be a lot worse.

Needless to say, for her ten years of effort the parent company gave her an eight page catalog in which she can select a gift.  She brought the catalog home last night to show me and I honestly have to say, what a fricken’ joke.  I don’t know who at that company is in charge of employee relations or morale, but I cannot help but imagine some old little bitty who knits tea cozies is at the head of this thing.  All the gifts are so cheap looking, tacky, useless, or just plain outdated.

I had to laugh at the artwork section.  After ten years of service, who in the hell in their right mind is going to choose a piece of artwork by some unknown artist that you can easily pick up at a swap meet and look right at home in a dental office?  I mean really…a picture of a lion? An eagle soaring?  A barn in the middle of nowhere USA? Pathetic.

How about the ladies pastel pink checkered golf bag from 1970?  The brushed nickel analog clock paper weight?  How about the sterling silver ring some inlaid polished rock you’ve never heard of?  If those don’t catch your fancy, how about the glass bowl party snack holder?  The fluted vase?  The leather luggage tags?  Are you kidding me?  Ten years of service and you can have leather luggage tags.

Absolutely embarrassing and sad.  It’s not even my award and I feel insulted for her.  Why not just give her a healthy bonus check?  They think that picking some stupid flea market ‘Big Lots’ clearance reject is some lofty gesture on their part to show gratitude and appreciation for all those years of dedication.  I know, how about give her an extra week of vacation, or why not the catalog that the CEO gets to pick from.  Do you think for a minute that the CEO (if one ever lasts that long) is going to choose the simulated mahogany 5×7” picture frame?  He’d throw the catalog back across the desk, take his family out for a 5-star meal and charge it back as a business expense and laugh the whole way home.  I know I would.

My wife decided to look up many of these gifts to see their value on the Internet.  As you would expect, the majority fell along the lines of $59-$79 dollars, with the majority landing on the lower end of that spectrum.

With that being said there was one item in the catalog that may actually have some value to our family, and not necessarily for her, but more for me.  My wife was gracious enough to extend her gift to me instead and made the suggestion that we pick this particular item: a charcoal smoker.  Despite the fact that at Lowe’s it actually does retail for $59 (probably cheaper during July 4^th weekend or end of summer sale), my wife is sacrificing her earned gift to me which is a very generous and appreciated gesture.  So, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to her and let her know I love her.

Now, once we get it, perhaps in her honor we can do a really nice smoked brisket and invite some of her close coworkers to our house later this summer for a celebratory BBQ.  It’ll give me a great excuse to try a new recipe and buy some nice apple or hickory wood and a stove-pipe charcoal starter with real ‘wood’ briquettes.  I’ll do a review of it once we try it out down the line.

At my house we generally entertain our friends, co-workers, and neighbors.  It’s not very often I have the pleasure and pressure for cooking for family.  I usually do it only a few times a year, and while my wife does indeed offer to help me, I’m one of those guys that doesn’t like too much help in the kitchen.  I craft the menus, do the grocery shopping, prep the kitchen, and all the while in my head try and calculate over/grill temperatures, cook times, and the order of stuff so it all comes out at the same time ready to eat.

For family get togethers I don’t “do” hamburgers and sausages on my grill.  Like I said, that is for the impromptu parties for the neighbors where I may do some wings and some brats as we swill various beers and tell crass jokes.  No, when my family is over, I want to give them an ‘experience’.  I am pretty confident in my cooking abilities, and I know I am a decent chef, and I like things done my way so I tend to get anxious and nervous when too many people start hovering about the kitchen.

Tonight I’m going to the grocery store.  I am crafting a meal for eight adults and two nephews.  Unfortunately my nephews will be getting hot dogs and hamburgers because their palate isn’t mature enough to appreciate some of what I have planned.  Yes, that may make me sound like a snobby uncle, but once you see my menu, try and picture a five year old boy enjoying this and not wanting to throw it away when no one is looking.  No, Grant is more the ‘chicken nugget’ type these days, and Mitchel is about the same.  He’s completely satisfied with a McDonald’s hamburger.

I have the added pressure of my in-laws and my brother and sister-in-law attending as well.  My father-in-law grills all the time, and when he grills, it’s generally for large parties of people.  One year for my 33rd birthday, he even grilled me an entire pig.  He’s accustomed to doing steaks and ribs multiple times a month, so I have to kick it up a notch just for for him.  Being that he was a Master Gunnery Sergeant in the Marines and spent many a year in the kitchen and behind the grill, he also tends to make (how do I put this nicely?)…um…standard or very traditional ribs.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but you can get that style of ribs at just about any chain BBQ joint.  No, mine need to be different.  I need to show off new styles and open up new flavor profiles that make mine stand out from what everyone is used to.

My brother and sister-in-law aren’t too bad in the kitchen themselves.  Rich goes camping often, shoots his own game and has been around the campfire plenty of times.  He was also a short order cook at small greasy spoon years ago.  Vivienne is also a good cook in her own right.  Like myself, she experiments quite a bit in the kitchen and is always swapping recipes with other bloggers, friends, family, and neighbors.  She has too.  She cooks for her husband and her four boys.  But she is more the Martha Stewart type, not so much the grill type. 

My own father doesn’t cook much of anything unless it can go in the microwave.  My mom does all of the cooking, and her dishes are typically regular “Americana” fare.  She’s a fine cook herself, but not a chef.  Nothing super fancy or complex comes out of her kicthen.  She’s more a comfort food person, all about the classics, and never touches a grill lest it be to bake an occasional potato.

So what’s on my Father’s Day menu this year? (pictures will come later when I actually do the cooking):

1. Braised pork baby back ribs that will be finished on the grill.  I’ll make my own fresh dry rub and braising liquid, start them in the oven and finish on my grill.  Brushed at the end with my own BBQ sauce.
2. Curry-lime chicken kabobs as an appetizer.  Boneless chicken chunks marinated in a homemade yogurt/curry sauce infused with lime, cilantro, Dijon and threaded along with summer squash, red/yellow/orange peppers and various cherry tomatoes.
3. Grilled Zuccini boats stuffed with a bacon gremolata with aged parmesan cheese and a hint of fresh jalepneo from my own chili garden, brushed with a crisp lemon and basil infused oil.
4. Deviled egg potato salad.  Okay, this one is store bought through and through.  My super market makes it fresh daily, and saves me a lot of time.  I’d make this myself, but I already have quite a bit on my plate as it is.
5. Grilled corn on the cob with a chil-avocado butter.
6. Strawberry and spinach salad with feta cheese crumbles, toasted almond slivers and a raspberry/walnut vinaigrette.
7. Desert – Still not sure.  I was going to make home made ice-cream, but at this point, I may just go with pre-made stuff.  If I was going to be home this Saturday (tomorrow), I would go te extra mile and make ice cream, but Monica and I will be out for the entire day (thus my grocery shopping tonight).

One of my all time favorite chef personalities is Bobby Flay.  From his early days on Food Network TV, I have pretty much followed him for the better part of a decade after I first ran across one of his earlier shows “Grilln’ & Chillin’“. 

I was pretty much hooked on his interpretation and fusion of southwestern dishes.  Since those early years on TV, no can deny he has garnered quite a following from the numerous shows he has hosted and energetic charisma.  He has opened a few restaurants over the years as well, namely the famous Bolo (now closed), Mesa Grill, and the more recently Bobby’s Burger Palace.

Bobby currently hosts “Throwdown! with Bobby Flay“, “Grill Nation“, “Grill It! with Bobby Flay“, co-hosts “The Next Food Network Star” and of course is a coveted “Iron Chef America“.  He is definitely one of my early inspirations for first wanting to picking up a set of tongs and claiming the BBQ as my outdoor kitchen.  Over the years I have received his cook books, accessories, and pre-packaged rubs as gifts and have enjoyed them all.  I suppose my secret passion is to both eat at Mesa Grill and to also meet Chef Flay in person.

But enough of the history lesson.  Let’s get down to business.  The ‘Cuban Burger’ is actually a Flay re-interpretation of the Cuban classic sandwich that is pressed and grilled as if it were a panini.  Traditionally, it was made with cold sliced pork, sliced Serrano ham, dill pickles, Swiss cheese and yellow mustard, all on buttered Cuban bread (made with lard, not oil). 

Chef Flay made this his own by substituting the pork with a grilled beef burger, buns, Dijon mustard and a garlic mayonnaise spread.  I made it that way when I first saw him grill this and it is was absolutely delicious….a very unexpected treat for a burger.  Simple, yet effective.

As anyone who knows me, I too like to experiment in the kitchen and come up with my own twists on recipes and stylizing it as my own.  I can’t really say its my creation, but it is indeed my spin on the Cuban Burger and every single time I make it for friends and family, I have always had someone ask me for the recipe.  That makes me feel really good, and while in the end it is just a burger, I have had more than a handful of guests tell me it’s one of the best burgers they have ever had. 

The good news is it’s pretty darn simple to make.  There is a little bit of extra assembly mid stream, but it’s not rocket science by any means and you can customize this further and make it your own as well.

Be careful though, a bit too much customization and complexity may be your foil.  You won’t catch a Cuban putting lettuce or tomato on this as it would be considered too much of an American-ization of a classic.  But I say, you could probably swap the bun for ciabatta rolls, maybe try a dab of chimichurri sauce or a banana pepper along with the pickles, and maybe try your favorite mustard. 

Anyway, with out further ado, here is the Cocktail Confessions Cuban Burger:

• Preheat grill to medium-high heat. (Make sure grate is clean and seasoned. Use a non-stcik spray if need be)
• Form fresh ground chuck into 1/4 inch patties.  While most burgers are ‘ground beef’, I prefer ‘ground chuck’.  It is slightly leaner at 15-20% fat whereas regular hamburger meat is closer to 30% fat.  This means that not only is chuck a healthier choice, but won’t shrink or flare up as much on the grill.  In a pinch, you can find frozen pre-made patties (in different qualities and grades) at the store, but make sure you thaw them out before the next step.
• Season patties with fresh ground black pepper and kosher or sea salt.  Please try and avoid iodized table salt and pepper if you can, I guarantee your taste buds will thank you later.
• Have slices of good quality Swiss cheese on standby.  Should be one slice for every patty, and don’t skimp here by using processed cellophane wrapped slices.  Also have slices of good smoked ham and kosher dill pickles stacker’s on standby.
• Tear off sheets of aluminum foil that you’ll be able to wrap your burgers in and place aside for the time being.
• Grill patties 2-3 minutes each side for medium doneness.  Longer if desired, but remember, we’re not done cooking these yet.
• While grilling the meat, you can combine 2-3 smashed or pureed cloves of garlic to about a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise.  For a healthier choice, go ahead and substitute Smart Balance mayo (I can’t really tell the difference in taste to be honest), and to save this step even further, Kraft has recently introduced a Hot & Spicy mayo in a squeeze bottle.  This stuff is the bomb.
• Spread both sides of your split bun with your mayo and mustard.  Here, I use high quality Dijon mustard (not yellow) which is either smooth or stone ground.  I also use my Kraft Hot & Spicy here.  My buns are a slightly higher quality than generic hamburger buns.  I like mine with sesame seed sprinkled on the top, or I’ll use potato buns large enough for a burger, or ciabatta rolls if I have a bit extra to spend.
• Begin assembling your burgers by placing the cooked meat patties down on lower bun, followed by slice of Swiss, followed by a slice or two of your smoked ham, and top off with at least two long strips of sandwich stacker dill pickles.  Put bun top on and now wrap each assembled burger in a sheet of tin foil.
• Using your hands, press down on the wrapped burger, not smash, but enough to compact them to a slightly flatter shape.
• Lower heat on grill to medium, and place wrapped burgers back on for approx. two minutes, then flip for an additional two minutes.  This should be long enough to not only heat the bun and meat, but melt the cheese inside.

That’s it.  I know my directions may seem a tad lengthy, but once you assemble the first one the rest are a snap and pretty much fool proof.  Like I said, this is pretty close to the spirit of a real Cuban sandwich, and you change a few ingredients, but I wouldn’t deviate that much.  This is one of those recipe’s where less is more, or “keep it simple, stupid”.

Once you unwrap these I’d be surprised if you didn’t get a few compliments.  I’d probably have a side dish of grilled watermelon, maybe some ranch style beans, some southwestern potato salad, or other Latin/caribbean inspired sides such as a jicama slaw.

Drink wise I’d shoot for a mojito or some other tropical light rum cocktail.  Try some iced watermelon or traditional sangria, or maybe a good cold IPA or medium bodied beer.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe, and I’d love to get your feedback.

As promised here is part 2 of my grilled portobello mushroom recipes.  First off we have a another somewhat easy recipe with a bit of Asian flair.  Second recipe is a bit Italian inspired but could be adapted for mediterranean tastes easily if you substitute in some black olives and goat cheese.

Asian Flair Portabello Mushrooms

Clean and stem mushrooms.  You can clean the gills out with a spoon by scraping them out and discarding.

In a bowl, make a paste my combining the following: 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 bunch of fresh parsley (chopped fine), 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/4 cup of fresh olive oil.  *As an option, you can add a little fresh ginger (oh, say 1/2 tsp or so) and maybe a little bit of Asian sriracha sauce for heat).

Rub oustide of caps with 1/3 the paste you made in the prior step.  With remaining paste, fill inside of caps and season with salt and pepper.

Grill on BBQ over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to shrivel on edges. Remove and serve.

*Optional: Sprinkle a tiny bit of sesame seeds on finished mushroom for extra flair.

 Serve with a good Japanese beer like Kirin or Sapporro.

Spinich and Sauage stuffed mushrooms (intermediate and adaptable)

Clean 4 large portobello mushrooms (get the biggest ones you can find)

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.  Using a grill safe frying pan (or I suppose you could do this on the kitchen stove as well) heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and crumble in 12oz of mild or hot Italian sausage until brown and then remove to bowl. (*Sub turkey sausage for health conscience diets)

In same pan, add 1 finely chopped white onion and saute for approx. 2 minutes.  Then add 1/2 tsp or more of freshly minced garlic to pan and continue to cook until onion begins to brown.

Add sausage back in along with 1/2 cup tomato sauce or finely chopped tomatoes (*and optional pinch of red pepper flakes) and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add in about 8oz of coarsely chopped spinach leaves, stir until evenly distributed and allow for them to wilt down.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella, and optional 2 Tbsp each of fresh chopped basil and fresh chopped parsley.

Brush gill free mushrooms with olive oil and place on grill face down for about 4 minutes or until they begin to soften.

Remove mushrooms and now carefully stuff with sausage mixture.  Top of with sprinkled mozzarella cheese and place back on grill, stuffed side up.

Grill, covered, for approx 5 minutes or until cheese begins to melt and brown.

Remove and serve immediately.

As I stated at the top of this post you can adapt the above recipe for varying tastes.  Using the same basic principles, how about stuffing with a grilled chicken sausage and pesto filling?  How about instead of using Italian sausage you were to brown minced lamb, and then add in some black olives and goat/feta cheese for something a bit more Mediterranean.  Use your imagination.  Pair with a good Italian red wine.

I wasn’t a big fan of mushrooms as a kid.  As a matter of fact I dreaded just about every dish my mother prepared for my father and I as I was growing up that had anything to do with mushrooms, especially cold, chopped mushrooms in salad.  I’m not exactly sure I can pinpoint why I didn’t care for them.  Perhaps it was a texture thing.  Maybe I thought they didn’t have much of a taste onm their own, or maybe because most of the time they were’nt cooked.

For years I struggled with teh various dishes presented before me by picking off mushrooms, one by one or pushing them off to the side.  Sometimes my mother would then force me to eat them anyway as she wasn’t having anyone dismiss any vegetables or food she prepared.

The really odd thing is, as much as I hated mushrooms, I did actually enjoy them in two dishes: 1) I love cream of mushroom soup, and 2) I enjoy them on pizzas.  Now I know that doesn’t make any sense, and even today I cannot venture to explain why I would accept them in those two dishes, but would rather die on all the rest.  Perhaps the cheese and sauce of the pizza, or the creamy gravey of the soup helped masked my conception of previous bland encounters.  I dunno.  But like most foods children hate in their youth, often as adults we come to appreciate and even savor them.

Mushrooms are no exception, and even though I still tap dance around them with trepadation when served in salads or plain, I have come to enjoy them in other forms.  I actually make a really good wild mushroom rissoto with shitake and button caps truth be told.  However, it was Bobby Flay of FoodTV Network that helped me change my mind.  And since I like to share BBQ recipes with you all, I’m going to rattle off a few portabella mushroom pleasers that are pretty easy to make, are relatively healthy, and in some cases can be meals in and of themselves.  Some people even describe the taste to have some ’earthy’ undertones, what ever the hell that means.

So what is a portabello mushroom?  Basically it’s a white or button mushroom grown to maturity and averages 5″ to 6″ in diameter.  It’s ‘top’ skin darkens with age, to a flecked or freckled biege color.  It’s gills are dark in color, and the flesh is known to be quite meaty and very high in vitamin D.  It can be usually found in grassy areas and if one were to think it has a season, it would be late spring through autumn.  Anyway, enough of that, lets get to the good stuff:

Basic Grilled Portabello

I think the outcome is very good and most people are impressed by the touch of pine nuts.  I often use this as a side dish, and in some cases am able to cut in half to make two servings along grilled porkchops and potatos.

Take 4-6 large portabello mushrooms and lightly clean under water.  Pat dry with towel and careful not to damage gills if possible.

Using a small pairing knife, cut down the stems so they they are flush with the remaining mushroom.

Being careful, randomly press in fresh pine nuts (arrow side down) into gills until covered all around.  This is the most time consuming part of the whole recipe, and make sure the pine nuts are fresh.  Older nuts can taste funny if the natural oils go rancid.

Brush olive oil on both sides of mushroom and bring to preheated grill.  Season with fresh black pepper and kosher or sea salts.

Using tongs, go ahead and place portabello’s gill side down on either indirect or low-to-medium heat.  Grill about 5 minutes.

Turn mushrooms over and now grill an additional 10-15 minutes to desired color or until mushroom begins to shrivel on ends.  Be careful not to burn and avoid flare-ups from oil.

Serve immediately with main dish, or cut in 1/2 to double prepared servings.

Now, you can do also ditch the pine nuts and just plain grill them and use the finished mushroom like you would a patty in a hamburger.  They are meaty and large enough to be placed on a bun with all the traditional fixings, and thus quite healthy and great if you have any stinking vegitereans at your party.  You know, they’re the ones drinking wine coolers and talking how great Obama is off in the corner.  Serve with a good beer.

Now I only included one recipe here, due to the length of my introduction, but look for part 2 in the coming days with some additional recipes and tips.  Look for part 2 in the next few days!

This past weekend we celebrated my wife’s 40th birthday with a BBQ at our house. Not only was it a celebration of her birthday, but also a few of our neighbors birthday’s as well that all fell around the same time frame these past two weeks.

I’m not exactly sure how and when it happened, but it seems that our house is the goto house for parties as of late, since our other neighbor picked up his family and moved out to Texas last year.  See, we used to have block parties that spanned the end of our culdesac street that primarily centered out of his driveway and that of his neighbor. But now that they are gone, the street scene now tends to migrate down to our house. Not that I’m complaining. We enjoy entertaining and hosting cookouts. We have a corner house with nobody behind us, and a nice sized backyard. The only issue for me is I kinda do get tired of cleaning it up the next day. In that respect, I wish my neighbors volunteered their homes a bit more often.

So the main theme was somewhat latin in flavor. We decorated the house and backyard with Mexican themed streamers, banners, and cutouts.  Tacos, Spanish rice, ranch style beans, and margaritas were on tap, but these weren’t your typical tacos. I ended up making two different gourmet style types. The first were three large top sirloin steaks in a citrus-chipotle marinade that were cooked out on the grill and then cut up for easy service.

The second was a slow cooked pulled-pork shoulder that I had marinated in an achiote paste recipe served with roasted peppers and grilled pineapple. All the usual condiments were present: sour cream, shredded cheese, red onions, cilantro, various salsas and hot sauces. Monica happened to make a salad as well, and we had plenty of margarita’s, Jack Daniels, wine, and beer on hand.

[View with PicLens]

Listen to the podcast on how I prepared the pulled pork, and check out my earlier post on achiote paste and powder to know what it is and how to make. I can tell you it was delicious and I got some solid thumbs up from our guests.  I also discuss the preparation of roasted pasilla/pablano and Anaheim chili peppers (on the grill or in the oven), along with grilled pineapple.  I guarantee the added color and texture of fresh roasted peppers along with the sweet caramelized taste of fresh grilled pineapple bring these pork tacos full circle as a treat to the taste buds.

Monica did very well in the gift department as you can tell by the pictures, that is if you like alcohol as a gift. The more I think about it though, it may appear that by the amount of Crown Royal she received, one would think she has a problem. But I’m sure that Crown will be used up by everyone in future parties and I’m sure I’ll have a slug here and there.

As the night marched on, one of our friends Anthony found himself taking a liking to the Jack Daniels…perhaps a bit too much…and we had an entertaining ‘exit’ show as his wife (who drove) was rounding him up to leave.  There were plenty of hugs to go around initiated by Anthony, as well as multiple ‘good-byes’ and the almost wipe-out of our entertainment center which includes a 42″ plasma television, blu-ray player, stereo system, XBox and Wii gaming systems.

Even later when the natives got restless an impromptu session of Rock Band 2 broke out, with yours truly attempting to sing, and sing badly I did.  Girls took turns playing the drums and guitar and even singing.  Needless to say, there were plenty of pictures taken and all had a good time. 

The part at its peak was about 30 people strong, enjoying each other’s company, the outdoor fireplaces, drinks, jokes, games,and of course, food.  It wrapped up by 1:15am, and I did some preliminary cleaning until I finally crashed at 1:45.  The next day consisted of cleaning the house and resting.

Show Notes:

• Intro Song: Cumbia De Los Muertos (track 3) of the self-titled debut album, Ozomatli.
  

  Ozomatli

• Pulled Achiote Pork preparation along with roasted peppers and grilled pineapple.
• The Crown Royal Easter bunny.
• Anthony almost takes out the entertainment center.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (37.3MB)