Cocktail Confessions

I came across these recipe pages today and thought I’d share them with you.

These come from the aggregate recipe site called Kitchen Daily, a site that collects various simple recipes based upon daily themes.  In this outing I have included on on gourmet hot dogs and sausages, the other on kebabs, skewers, and satays.

Most of all the recipes here can be made on a grill, great for summertime outtings, and on a level of beginner to slightly intermediate levels, which is nice.  Of course, you don’t need to follow these recipe directions to their scripts; I think they are all pretty open to interpretation, so go ahead an experiment with various condiments, toppings, sauces, etc.

Food on a stick: 25 recipes for skewers, kebabs, and satays can be found here.

18 gourmet hot dogs and sausage sandwiches can be found here.

I came across this ‘classic barbecue rub’ recipe today by Taming the Flame author, Elizabeth Karmel.

I’m not exactly sure what constitutes this recipe as ‘classic’, because it seems many of the dry ingredients are found in just about any rub, and I one could always modify this to add or subtract thier own spices based on individual tastes.  For example, I love the smokey and heat profile of chipotle, so I may substitute this in for the chili powder.  I also personally love rosemary which I happen to think always goes well with chicken, pork, and lamb….but it’s noticeably absent here, something I’d more than likely add.

Perhaps it’s “classic” by the definition of what are the most common ingredients across various regions and therefor the basis for all rubs with minor tweaks here and there depending if your grew up in the south or west, or north-east.

Most importantly to me, however, is that you try and use the freshest spices that you can, meaning you may want to invest in a mortar & pistol to grind your own.  That’s where all the true flavor resides, in the natural oils being released for the first time, not those stagnant and lifeless spices that have been sitting in your pantry for the past year and a half. 

Anyway, the recipe below yields about 1 1/2 cups and can be kept in an airtight container for upwards of six months.

Classic Barbeque Rub

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon celery salt
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all these ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  For smoother rubs, you can process this mixture in a spice grinder until all the pieces are uniform and becomes a fine powder which is tan in color.  However, I like the more natural and earthy feel of untouched herbs and spices.  It appears more rustic and hearty to me and when grilled, forms a bit more of a char than a fine powder would.

With summer just around the corner, I hope to be Q’ing a lot this season.  I really enjoy hanging out in my backyard, entertaining my neighbors and friends with good food and better beers.  So with the unusually warm weather this past weekend, I had the opportunity to fire up the ‘ole gas grill and get back into the groove of things.

But what to cook?

Burgers…..nah.  Chicken….not in the mood.  Sausage…next week.  Just so happened we had a nice 3+ lb of Tri Tip in the freezer that we purchased on sale some months back just taking up prized freezer space.  So I took it out Friday night and let it defrost overnight.

But first, what exactly is Tri-tip your asking?  Well for you curious types (like me), tri-tip is small triangular beef muscle from the bottom sirloin primal cut (see picture).  And to do my closest Alton Brown impression, the scientific name for this muscle is Tensor fasciae latae, the connective tissue covering the Quadricep (a group of four muscles) which in turn insert into knee cap of the cow.  It generally weighs 2-3 lbs, but can be a bit or less.  It’s generally smoked over red oak, baked in an oven, or roasted on a rotisserie. 

It’s popular for sandwiches, and more recently replacing ground beef on the competitive chili circuit because of its low fat content (when trimmed) and low cost.

So let’s get to cooking.

First things first……take a nice sharp paring or like knife and trim off any excess fat flaps dangling loose.  I also like to trim of some off the uneven extra fat off the fat-cap (generally on one side) so that it is more uniform across the entire surface.  But like a brisket, don’t cut off too much.  You’ll want a decent portion of the fat cap intact to maintain the moisture and to enhance the flavor during a slow cook.

Now that the tri tip is trimmed, I went ahead and prepared a chipotle flavored marinade from an over the counter dry spice packet from the super market, (Lawry’s brand).  It’s made with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup vegetable oil and poured into a large plastic freezer bag which I then placed the tri-tip in and tried to get as much coverage as I could before placing it back in the fridge for at least 2 hours (preferably 4-8 hours if you can manage).

If chipotle is not your bag, go ahead and try another wet marinade, but you’ll want about 1/2 cup for every two pounds.  Otherwise you could do a nice dry rub as well.  Can I suggest something with a bit of rosemary or thyme in it, and go low on the sugar if you you do a dry rub.  Sugar may burn and carmelize a bit early on during the grilling and we’re going to get a nice crust anyway without having to complicate things.

About 1/2 hour prior to grilling, go ahead and take out of the fridge and allow the meat to come up towards room temperature.  During this time, go ahead and pre-heat your gas grill on high and after 10 minutes or so take your wire brush and clean off the grate as best you can so your tri-tip doesn’t stick.

Now that the grill is ready and your meat has been pulled out, there’s a few diffrent options/directions we can take this: 1) high heat sear followed by quick cooking at high temp, 2) smoking your meat, or 3) slow and low.

I’m opting for slow and low, meaning a longer cook time at a much lower heat.  This will help ensure a more evenly cooked product, reserving much of it’s internal juices, and also helping to tenderize the meat my breaking down that otherwise tough connective muscle tissue.  High cooking temperatures can result in fat flare ups from high flames.  I also don’t want to smoke it this time because my chipotle marinade already has a built in smoke component (chipotle is smoke-dried jalepenos afterall).

Now that my grill surface is clean, I turn my burners down to low and try to maintain an external temperature reading of 275-300 degrees F.  I then place my tri-tip on the grill, fat-cap side up initially, in the center of the bbq and walk away for a good 20 minutes (go ahead and have a beer now…you deserve it).  The reason I start with the fat cap on top is in theory, like a brisket, the fat will slowly melt and render downwards back into the meat itself, adding flavor and natural moisture.  If I placed it fat-cap down first, chances are much of it would drip straight into the grill….wasted flavor.

After 20 minutes, I break out my stainless tongs, and flip over once and leave for another 20 minutes.  Don’t worry if you see some crust or bark at this point.  It should be a nice dark brown color and look somewhat moist…all good and full of flavor.  As long as it isn’t charcoal black and flaking off like carbon (burnt), we’re in good shape…

Now that another 20 minutes have passed (40 total so far), go ahead and flip again to the orignal side.  Depending on how large your tri-tip is, you’ll flip it every ten (10) minutes from now on for the remainder of cooking time.  Since mine was just over 3 lbs, my total cooking time was about 1hr. 20 min. before I took it off to rest.  If yours is bigger…add time, if smaller…subtract.  But remember, as soon as you pull it off the grill, the carry over heat will continue to rise and cook from within for at least another 10 minutes….so its very important to let your tri-tip rest.

For those that are really skittish about meat temperatures, use a probe smack in the center.  Rare is considered to be 125-130 degrees internally, whereas ‘medium-rare’ is 130-135….and don’t forget about the carry over heat!

Place your tri-tip on a cutting board, and loosely cover with tin-foil undisturbed for 10-15 minutes.  This allows much of the juice to slowly flow back out from the center and distribute evenly before slicing.  Now’s a good time to get your side dishes out if any and call people to the table.

Go ahead and carve 1/3″ slices with a nice sharp knife.  Anything left-over (if there any leftovers) can be used in sandwiches teh next few days.

Enjoy.

This is a fairly easy recipe and even harder to screw up.  As a matter of fact, there really isn’t any hard measurements here at all, everything I did here was more or less by eye-balling it and made it up as I went along.  I like it because it only has a few key components and the rest is totally up for you to decide. 

You can take a lot of extra veggies, spices, and other extras you may have lying about the fridge or pantry and come up with a satisfying concoction of your own.

Since I’ve been on a diet lately and trying my hardest to drop a few extra pounds I’ve been lugging around, my main component here was ground turkey instead of beef.  Your local grocery store most likely carries Jenny-O brand turkey and they generally come in 1-1.25 lb packages, and that’s what I used here.  Also I’d like to think this is probably healthier that most stuffed peppers because I didn’t use any cheese or processed stuffing, and the peppers and spinach you’re going to use are both full of iron, vitamins, and of course fiber.

You can either finish this in the oven (preheat oven to 425, if you choose this route) or on the grill over indirect heat (more on this later).

So here are the key ingredients that you’ll need:

• 1 package (about a pound or slightly more) of ground turkey.
• 1 package of frozen spinach, thawed.
• 4-6 bell peppers, depending on their size and how much stuffing you make and can fit in them.
• 1/2 – 2/3 cup uncooked rice.  I used Jasmine rice, but if you’re partial to a wild rice blend, or want to mix a little long grain rice in with your white rice, then so be it.
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste.
• Instead of traditional tomato sauce or paste, I actually used fresh salsa, but you want to make sure it’s heavy on the pureed tomato side like Ortega or La Victoria brand, mild to medium.  Other salsa’s may be a bit to chunky, or heavy on spices, or too watery.  You can also do a 50/50 mix such as 50% salsa, 50% arrabiata pasta sauce.  As a matter of fact that’s what I did here.  In the end, you really can’t differentiate between salsa and pasta sauce if they are heavy on the tomato puree.

Finally, you’ll want some extra spices and content to make this yours.  For my southwestern blend, I used the following: 1/2 -2/3 cup diced white onions, 3 cloves diced garlic, white pepper and ground cumin to taste, pinch of ground chili pepper and/or chipotle powder to taste.  Optional ingredients include: black beans, 1/8 – 1/4 cup diced fresh cilantro, maybe some roasted corn kernels, and favorite shredded or crumbled cheese, sour cream, and sliced avocado for garnish.

Preparation:

• In a separate medium sauce pan, prepare cooked rice like you normally would.  Generally 1/2 cup rice to 1 1/4 cup boiling water and let simmer for 20 minutes or so until rice is cooked.
• While rice is cooking, heat some olive oil in large skillet over medium heat  and crumble in turkey to brown.
• Wash, stem (by cutting off the top 1/2“), and hollow out your bell peppers of any excess internal membranes and seeds.  You’ll want to make sure you cut the tops off straight so that peppers will stand up evenly when cooking in oven or grill.
• When turkey looks about 80% done (very little pink left) in skillet, go ahead and add your diced garlic followed by the diced onion.  Go ahead and cook an additional 5-10 minutes to get onions slightly translucent and garlic lightly browned. 
• OPTIONAL:  This is where you can choose to add a little bit of black beans, roasted corn kernels, diced cilantro, finely diced jalapeno, or any other goodies you like.
• Add a dash of your onion, chili, chipotle powders to taste.  Add a ‘few’ dashes of your Cumin powder.  The cumin really comes out here.  My ratios were like 3 parts Cumin to 1 part of the other dry spices. 
• Now reduce heat in skillet and begin to crumble in your entire package of thawed spinach and your cooked rice at this point. 
• Add approx 1-1.5 cups of your salsa/pasta sauce mixture (it was about 2/3 cup of each for me, poured straight from the bottle…remember, I “eye-balled” it).  Mix thoroughly.  We’re looking for the consistency of pre-cooked meatballs or meatloaf (see picture above and examine contents in skillet) so you may need to add a bit more salsa or tomoto sauce if mixture is too ‘dry’.
• Salt and pepper your stuffing mixture to taste.
• Now that your stuffing is thoroughly mixed, spoon into your hollowed peppers up to the top.  If you retained the pepper tops, you can go ahead and place them back on.  This isn’t crucial, but looks cool for presentation purposes (see picture).

Cooking:

The peppers themselves are pretty hearty critters so don’t worry about burning or drying out from the high heat and 1 hour cook time.  The pepper walls are full of water and will steam themselves over time.  If not cooked long enough, they don’t become tender and may be hard to cut through with just a fork and may still seem ‘firm’.  Don’t worry about the insides….you already cooked the turkey on the skillet…your just steaming the peppers at this point and melding the various flavors in your mixture.

Grill – If you choose to grill this on your BBQ, place stuffed peppers on proper grill plate or metal basket and arrange over indirect medium heat (Temp gauge should be between 400-425F) and close kettle to keep heat in and create convection.  Check once at 30 minutes and rotate peppers half turn.  Close kettle and continue to cook at least another 30 minutes.  Check again.  If pepper still seems a ‘little’ tough, give ‘em an extra 10-15 minutes. 

Oven – Arrange peppers in a ceramic or glass dish (or cookie sheet lined with tin foil) and place on middle rack.  Bake at 425F for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until flesh of pepper is malleable.

Serving:  Once removed from heat, let sit 5 minutes to firm up and steam to dissapate.  Careful, steam is hot and dangerous.  Remove tops and placeon side of plate (if you used them) and garnish with slices of fresh avocado, cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and maybe some crumbled feta, cojito Mexican or like cheese.  Enjoy.

This footage was shot at the same time I was filming my series on ‘How to prepare a Beef Brisket for slow smoking.’ and thought it was important content to share as well.  Yeah, I know it’s a little lengthy, clocking in at just over eight minutes in length, however, there’s a lot of information packed into these 8 minutes.  You should think of this as a ‘supplementary’ episode (i.e. episode 2.5).

The content here in “Rubs & Marinades” is broken up into four sub-categories and I spend a few minutes on each one:

1. Marinades: generally liquid based with some sort of acidic base, whether that be a natural juice such as orange juice, or vinegar.  Talk about pre-packaged spice packets, or bottled varieties.  The key thing to remember here is timing.  Most acidic based marinades should not be left on the meat for more than 10-12 hours.  At that time, there is an actual process of the meat breaking down and starting to lose its natural flavor.  Personally, I like to marinade 6-8 hours if possible in the refrigerator, turning over only a few times.  Bring your meat out of the refrigerator about an hour before your ready to cook it help it get up to room temperature.  Also, the more acid the less time you need.
2. Injection – I discuss and show a large gauge needle specifically designed for injection.  A good rule of thumb is .5 oz of liquid for every pound of meet.  Try and evenly disperse injection points throughout the surface and slowly depress plunger and also slowly remove needle.
3. Salt & Pepper – It is very important to take this step seriously.  Avoid at all costs both iodized, granulated table salt and pre-milled pepper.  Try and use fresh peppercorn and either Kosher salt or sea salt crystals.  A little bit can go a long way, and salt & pepper, done right, will improve your flavor and char crusts ten-fold.
4. Dry Rubs – Whether it’s pre-packaged or a homemade concoction there’s a few simple guidelines: A) Try and use fresh herbs and spices.  This ensures natural oils and the strongest flavor.  Spices do in-fact degrade over time and can lose their intensity if exposed to too much air, light, heat, and moisture.  B) A mortar & pestle, or separate coffee grinder is the best way to grind fresh spices. C) Know your side-dishes and audience!  A very spicy southern rub may not be appreciated by those that are used to tamer flavors.  Curry is nice for Mediterranean dishes such as lamb, but not so good for a Texas BBQ with ranch style beans.  The spices and rub you use for your meat should compliment and enhance everything else at the table as well.

*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.

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.

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.

This is more or less a quick entry on the state of affairs over here at my blog.

I’ve got a few things lined up in the coming days and weeks including some additional video’s and a podcast I just recorded with my buddy Brett who visited from Idaho this past week.  I’ll have some new recipes up soon, including Cuban burgers (that were a hit at this Friday’s last BBQ), grilled zucchini boats with a bacon gremolata, a new cocktail recipe dubbed ‘The Camel Toe’ for you vodka and tropical drink lovers, and a refreshing watermelon sangria.

I’ll have a few stories to share that took place with my friend Brett, especially our afternoon visit to Turq’s in Dana Point where we get talked to death by druken senior citizens, some additional video of the San Clemente Pier, a review of the Original Pedro’s tacos, some random shots at Cook’ Corner, Dana Point Harbor, S.C. Pier, and more.

This upcoming weekend, my wife and I are going to the Huck Finn Jubilee up in Victorville, CA with our friends Brian and his fiance Shea as well as my college friend Sam and his wife Alicia.  We’ll be there for the beer, food, and good ‘ole bluegrass music and banjo championships.  I expect to get some good vittles there and hopefully taste some good brews.

On the technical side of things, I just upgraded the NextGen Gallery here to v1.5.3 and I also finally purchased a ‘shoot & share’ video camera in the form of the purple Kodak Playsport along with a 8GB SD card.  I’ve posted a few videos up at YouTube, and I hope to not only use it this weekend at the Jubilee, but also do some grilling recipe and preparation “How-To” videos here in the future.  I also have to finish the Earthbox series that I began a few weeks back.  I already have some great jalepeno peppers and tons of cilantro that we are using.

I did have one bummer issue that happened over the weekend.  This past Saturday my Behringer 502 USB mixing board died on me.  I was actually right in the middle of recording a podcast with Brett and at about the 40 minute mark there was a slight pop in my earphones and when I looked at the screen for status I noticed a flat line on Audacity.  The board is just over a year old (March ’09)  and I purchased it through Amazon.  Of course I don’t have the box anymore, so I’m gonna try and get an RMA straight from Behringer, and looking at their support website it appears that they make you jump through hoops for repair. *Sigh*.  The good news is I picked up my Zoom recorder and was able to finish our podcast, but I’ll have to mash the two files together and do some additional editing before I get the next episode posted….maybe in another week since this weekend is already claimed.

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.