Home made beef jerky is a true labor of love and requires a few days and some careful planning. It's well worth it though, especially for those long road trips where beef jerky is a must have munchie.
What you will need:
1-2 lb hunk of meat
toothpicks
soy sauce
worcestershire sauce
liquid smoke
various spices that I'll discuss later
Start with a 1-2 lb hunk of meat. You need to choose a cut that has very little fat - the fat will not dry and will just get naaaaasty, and no one wants to make naaaaasty beef jerky. I like to use london broil - it's just the right width and has very little fat. Put the meat in the freezer the night before you want to start making your jerky - the frozen meat will be much easier to cut.
If you have a mandolin slicer (and shame on you if you don't), you can use it to thinly slice your frozen meat in the morning. Do this before you mix up the marinade so the meat will have thawed some before it goes in the marinade.
The marinade is the fun part of this. I like spicy jerky, but I also like traditional smoky beef jerky - so I make both. You can adjust the ingredients to your liking, that's the beauty of it all. Marinate the meat for at least a day, preferably two to three, turning occasionally. You really want the meat saturated with this stuff.
On cooking day you will need the full day, so make sure to plan ahead - and get up early in the morning. Move your oven racks so that they are at the very top and bottom of your oven, and place a large cookie sheet on the bottom rack. Remove the meat from the marinade and pierce the end of it with a toothpick. Hang the toothpicks from the top oven rack, being careful to keep your bottom rack cookie sheet underneath it to absorb the inevitable drips.
Pro Tip - I use colored toothpicks, red for the hot jerky and blue for the sweet, so they don't get mixed up.
Once your meat is all hung, turn your oven on to its absolute lowest setting. For me this is about 180. Remember, you do not want to bake your meat, you want to dry it. Prop the door of your oven slightly open (I stick a pair of tongs in there) to give the moisture an escape route. Check on it in about 8 hours, although it should take 12-16 to fully dry.
Spicy Jerky Marinade:
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. liquid smoke
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. tobasco sauce
Sweet Jerky Marinade:
1/3 cup worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. brown sugar
Each of these marinades is enough for 1 lb of meat, so if you only want sweet jerky and have a 2 lb hunk of meat, double the marinade.
For a more in depth guide to making beef jerky, check out my guide on Associated Content.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Diablo Pork
This is an old Portugi family recipe my dad gave me, from his dad, probably from his dad. Despite it's fierce name this is actually a mildly spicy meat.
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 red chili pepper, seeded and minced
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or 2 tsp. if you like hot food like we do)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1.5 - 2 lb boneless pork tenderloin
Trim fat from meat, cut into bite size cubes and place in a shallow dish or plastic bag.
Soak the tomatoes in warm water for 30 minutes, drain and roughly chop. Add tomatoes and all other ingredients except meat to a blender and process for 20-30 seconds. You should have a slightly chunky paste. Add paste to meat and marinade for 2-24 hours, stirring occasionally.
To cook, thread meat onto skewers and grill over medium heat for 7-10 minutes. I like to put pineapple, tomatoes, red onions and bell peppers on my skewers also, and brush a little of the left over marinade over the fruit & veggies.
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 red chili pepper, seeded and minced
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or 2 tsp. if you like hot food like we do)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1.5 - 2 lb boneless pork tenderloin
Trim fat from meat, cut into bite size cubes and place in a shallow dish or plastic bag.
Soak the tomatoes in warm water for 30 minutes, drain and roughly chop. Add tomatoes and all other ingredients except meat to a blender and process for 20-30 seconds. You should have a slightly chunky paste. Add paste to meat and marinade for 2-24 hours, stirring occasionally.
To cook, thread meat onto skewers and grill over medium heat for 7-10 minutes. I like to put pineapple, tomatoes, red onions and bell peppers on my skewers also, and brush a little of the left over marinade over the fruit & veggies.
Hot Dog Manicotti
That's right, hot dog manicotti. I've come to think of this as Chris's hot dog manicotti, because he's the one who introduced me to it. At the time I thought he was as crazy as you probably think I am right now, but it's actually really good.
8 hot dogs
8 manicotti noodles
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. basil
2 cups pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Cook manicotti according to package directions and cool slightly.
Slice the hot dogs open down the middle as if they were a hot dog bun, being careful not to slice entirely through the dog. Mix basil, pepper and cottage cheese and fill sliced dogs with cheese mixture. Slide filled dogs into the cooked noodles and place in a 9x12 baking dish. Cover with sauce and cheese and bake for 30 minutes.
Yum!
8 hot dogs
8 manicotti noodles
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. basil
2 cups pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Cook manicotti according to package directions and cool slightly.
Slice the hot dogs open down the middle as if they were a hot dog bun, being careful not to slice entirely through the dog. Mix basil, pepper and cottage cheese and fill sliced dogs with cheese mixture. Slide filled dogs into the cooked noodles and place in a 9x12 baking dish. Cover with sauce and cheese and bake for 30 minutes.
Yum!
Sweet N Spicy Grilled Chicken
I haven't tried it yet, but I think the glaze for this would also work fantastically on kebobs.
2/3 cup pineapple, mango & passionfruit jam*
2 tbsp. sriracha
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Heat bbq to 350. Lightly coat chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix together jam, sriracha and vinegar.
Turn heat on one side of the bbq off and place chicken on that side. Brush with glaze, flip, and brush other side with glaze. Brush repeatedly as chicken cooks, but do not use all of the glaze. The chicken should take about 45 minutes to cook on the no-flame side of the bbq. Don't try to cook it quicker by turning on the heat, the high sugar content in the jam will cause it to burn.
When the chicken is done, cook each side on the flame side of the bbq for about 30 seconds, to give it a deeper color and grill marks. Serve topped with remaining glaze.
You can also bake the chicken in the sauce rather than grilling it. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, place the chicken on top and cover with sauce. Bake for 45 minutes at 350, or until juices run clear and chicken is done.
Yum!
*The original recipe calls for mango jam, but I used pineapple, mango & passionfruit because I was unable to find plain mango jam. I imagine any variation of sweet tropical fruits would work quite well.
2/3 cup pineapple, mango & passionfruit jam*
2 tbsp. sriracha
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Heat bbq to 350. Lightly coat chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix together jam, sriracha and vinegar.
Turn heat on one side of the bbq off and place chicken on that side. Brush with glaze, flip, and brush other side with glaze. Brush repeatedly as chicken cooks, but do not use all of the glaze. The chicken should take about 45 minutes to cook on the no-flame side of the bbq. Don't try to cook it quicker by turning on the heat, the high sugar content in the jam will cause it to burn.
When the chicken is done, cook each side on the flame side of the bbq for about 30 seconds, to give it a deeper color and grill marks. Serve topped with remaining glaze.
You can also bake the chicken in the sauce rather than grilling it. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, place the chicken on top and cover with sauce. Bake for 45 minutes at 350, or until juices run clear and chicken is done.
Yum!
*The original recipe calls for mango jam, but I used pineapple, mango & passionfruit because I was unable to find plain mango jam. I imagine any variation of sweet tropical fruits would work quite well.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Twice Baked Potatoes
I love potatoes. And you can do so many things with them! If you've got some time on your hands these are a great, hearty Sunday night side dish.
6 russet potatoes
1 cup light sour cream
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon
Preheat oven to 400. Wash potatoes and place on a large cookie sheet. Bake potatoes for one hour or until soft all the way through.
While the potatoes cook, cook your bacon and crumble it.
Don't turn your oven off once the potatoes are baked - these are called "twice" baked potatoes for a reason. Once potatoes are cooked, on a cutting board carefully cut them in half length-wise. Be careful not to burn yourself with the steam that will erupt from the potatoes when you cut into them. Cut all of the potatoes in half and lay them out on your cutting board.
Once you've cut all your potatoes, go back to the first one you cut, which should be slightly cooler now. You may still need to hold it with a hot pad though. Stab the flesh of the potato a few times with a fork to loosen it up, then carefully scoop it out with a spoon. You want to do this without destroying the skin, so be careful! Don't pretend it's your arch-enemy while you're stabbing it with that fork. Scoop the cooked potato flesh into a medium sized bowl and return the empty skins to your work surface.
Once you've scooped all your potatoes, mash them up a bit, then mix the remaining ingredients with the mashed potato. You'll have a wonderfully goopy, slightly chunky mess in your bowl. If the potatoes are too thick for you, you can thin it out with a little milk or more sour cream - just remember that cheese is going to melt and will also thin out the potatoes a teeny bit.
Scoop the potato mixture back into the potato skins, return filled skins to your cookie sheet, and bake for 30 minutes.
6 russet potatoes
1 cup light sour cream
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon
Preheat oven to 400. Wash potatoes and place on a large cookie sheet. Bake potatoes for one hour or until soft all the way through.
While the potatoes cook, cook your bacon and crumble it.
Don't turn your oven off once the potatoes are baked - these are called "twice" baked potatoes for a reason. Once potatoes are cooked, on a cutting board carefully cut them in half length-wise. Be careful not to burn yourself with the steam that will erupt from the potatoes when you cut into them. Cut all of the potatoes in half and lay them out on your cutting board.
Once you've cut all your potatoes, go back to the first one you cut, which should be slightly cooler now. You may still need to hold it with a hot pad though. Stab the flesh of the potato a few times with a fork to loosen it up, then carefully scoop it out with a spoon. You want to do this without destroying the skin, so be careful! Don't pretend it's your arch-enemy while you're stabbing it with that fork. Scoop the cooked potato flesh into a medium sized bowl and return the empty skins to your work surface.
Once you've scooped all your potatoes, mash them up a bit, then mix the remaining ingredients with the mashed potato. You'll have a wonderfully goopy, slightly chunky mess in your bowl. If the potatoes are too thick for you, you can thin it out with a little milk or more sour cream - just remember that cheese is going to melt and will also thin out the potatoes a teeny bit.
Scoop the potato mixture back into the potato skins, return filled skins to your cookie sheet, and bake for 30 minutes.
Brats in Beer
I love summer barbecues. To me, nothing says barbecue better than the best brats ever. I got this recipe from the mother of an attorney I used to work for, a real German lady who knows her brats.
1 package Johnsonville brats (don't get cheap crappy ones!)
6 bottles dark beer, ala Guiness or Newcastle
1/4 cup butter
2 onions, sliced
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Ketchup
Mustard
Hot dog buns
Place beer, butter, onions and Worcestershire sauce in a large stock pot or similar deep pan. Heat over medium-high heat but be very careful not to let it boil.
Meanwhile, cook your brats until they are halfway done on the bbq. You want to get them nicely grilled on the outside, but they should still be pink on the inside. Do not fully cook them or this will not work.
Remove half cooked brats from the bbq and place in the heated beer mixture. Cook until brats are done, about 20 minutes. Serve in hot dog buns with desired toppings. I like a spicy-honey-mustard on mine personally.
Some people like to put the ketchup and mustard in the beer mixture as well. I don't do it that way so that everyone else eating these delectable dogs can have them their way.
Yum!
1 package Johnsonville brats (don't get cheap crappy ones!)
6 bottles dark beer, ala Guiness or Newcastle
1/4 cup butter
2 onions, sliced
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Ketchup
Mustard
Hot dog buns
Place beer, butter, onions and Worcestershire sauce in a large stock pot or similar deep pan. Heat over medium-high heat but be very careful not to let it boil.
Meanwhile, cook your brats until they are halfway done on the bbq. You want to get them nicely grilled on the outside, but they should still be pink on the inside. Do not fully cook them or this will not work.
Remove half cooked brats from the bbq and place in the heated beer mixture. Cook until brats are done, about 20 minutes. Serve in hot dog buns with desired toppings. I like a spicy-honey-mustard on mine personally.
Some people like to put the ketchup and mustard in the beer mixture as well. I don't do it that way so that everyone else eating these delectable dogs can have them their way.
Yum!
Beer and Brown Sugar Steak
1/2 cup dark beer (I prefer Guiness or Newcastle)
4 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
4 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 steaks, your favorite cut
Mix beer, teriyaki sauce and sugar in a bag or shallow dish to make the marinade. Pierce steaks and add to marinade - let sit for at least 30 minutes. I prefer to let it sit for an hour.
Start to get the grill ready a few minutes before your marinade time is up. When the grill is ready and the meat is sufficiently soaked, remove meat from the marinade onto a cutting board - reserve the marinade. Mix together the seasoned salt, garlic powder and pepper and rub equally on both sides of each steak. You should have some spice mixture left over, you don't want to absolutely drown out the flavor of the meat with it.
Grill the meat to your desired level of doneness. Meanwhile, mix the remaining spice mixture and reserved marinade in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Drizzle over cooked steaks just before serving.
Yum!
At first glance I thought this would be a slightly bitter steak because of the beer, but it actually turns out quite sweet thanks to the sugar. Don't worry if you don't like beer, you'll still love this steak!
4 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
4 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 steaks, your favorite cut
Mix beer, teriyaki sauce and sugar in a bag or shallow dish to make the marinade. Pierce steaks and add to marinade - let sit for at least 30 minutes. I prefer to let it sit for an hour.
Start to get the grill ready a few minutes before your marinade time is up. When the grill is ready and the meat is sufficiently soaked, remove meat from the marinade onto a cutting board - reserve the marinade. Mix together the seasoned salt, garlic powder and pepper and rub equally on both sides of each steak. You should have some spice mixture left over, you don't want to absolutely drown out the flavor of the meat with it.
Grill the meat to your desired level of doneness. Meanwhile, mix the remaining spice mixture and reserved marinade in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Drizzle over cooked steaks just before serving.
Yum!
At first glance I thought this would be a slightly bitter steak because of the beer, but it actually turns out quite sweet thanks to the sugar. Don't worry if you don't like beer, you'll still love this steak!
Carnitas
1 3-4 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup water
Cut roast into approximately 2" chunks and trim fat. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to oil and stir quickly so garlic does not burn. Cook for 1-2 minutes until onion begins to soften. Add pork chunks to the pot and cook until meat is browned on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Add remaining ingredients, cover, and cook for about 3 hours, until meat is fork tender and fruit has fallen apart. Shred the meat in the pot with two forks - this should be very easy. If it isn't falling apart easily, you haven't cooked it long enough. Once the meat is shredded, remove the lid and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the liquid has cooked away.
Serve in tortillas. This meat is very versatile and can be used for tacos, burritos, nachos, tortas, or fajitas...pretty much any mexican type of food. The pan drippings will make a good sauce, or you can use a chili verde sauce which is a traditional sauce with carnitas. I like to serve it in crunchy taco shells with shredded pepper-jack cheese and tapatio. The boys here tell me I make "the best damn tacos", so I think I'm doing good on this one!
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup water
Cut roast into approximately 2" chunks and trim fat. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to oil and stir quickly so garlic does not burn. Cook for 1-2 minutes until onion begins to soften. Add pork chunks to the pot and cook until meat is browned on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Add remaining ingredients, cover, and cook for about 3 hours, until meat is fork tender and fruit has fallen apart. Shred the meat in the pot with two forks - this should be very easy. If it isn't falling apart easily, you haven't cooked it long enough. Once the meat is shredded, remove the lid and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the liquid has cooked away.
Serve in tortillas. This meat is very versatile and can be used for tacos, burritos, nachos, tortas, or fajitas...pretty much any mexican type of food. The pan drippings will make a good sauce, or you can use a chili verde sauce which is a traditional sauce with carnitas. I like to serve it in crunchy taco shells with shredded pepper-jack cheese and tapatio. The boys here tell me I make "the best damn tacos", so I think I'm doing good on this one!
Easy Chicken Tacos
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 14.5 oz can S&W Santa Fe Recipe Beans*
1 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese -or- jack cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. dried onion flakes
1 small can diced jalapenos (optional)
Tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Sour Cream
Thinly slice chicken breasts and cook in a skillet over medium heat until done. It doesn't matter which direction you slice the chicken, the point is just to get it to cook quickly. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and finely dice it; drain the juices from the skillet and return diced chicken to the skillet. Add garlic powder and onion flakes and stir until chicken is evenly coated with spices. Add beans, salsa and jalapenos, stir well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cheese and cook for an additional minute or two, until cheese is melted.
Serve in tortillas with shredded lettuce and sour cream.
*If you can't find these, use a small can of corn and a small can of black or pinto beans.
1 14.5 oz can S&W Santa Fe Recipe Beans*
1 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese -or- jack cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. dried onion flakes
1 small can diced jalapenos (optional)
Tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Sour Cream
Thinly slice chicken breasts and cook in a skillet over medium heat until done. It doesn't matter which direction you slice the chicken, the point is just to get it to cook quickly. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and finely dice it; drain the juices from the skillet and return diced chicken to the skillet. Add garlic powder and onion flakes and stir until chicken is evenly coated with spices. Add beans, salsa and jalapenos, stir well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cheese and cook for an additional minute or two, until cheese is melted.
Serve in tortillas with shredded lettuce and sour cream.
*If you can't find these, use a small can of corn and a small can of black or pinto beans.
Deviled Eggs - basic
My youngest sister and I both loooove deviled eggs, so I decided to try my hand at them for a recent trip to the beach. Lucky for her, but not for me, I made two containers worth and let her eat a whole one before I realized I hadn't actually brought the second container to the beach. But hey, cold leftover twice-baked potatoes aren't bad beach food either!
1 dozen eggs
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1/2 tsp salt
Paprika
Prepare a large pot of boiling water and cook eggs for 12-15 minutes, until fully cooked. Place cooked eggs in a strainer or bowl and run cool water over them until they are cool enough to handle.
Peel the eggs, being careful not to puncture them with pieces of the shell. Carefully cut each egg in half lengthwise (hot dog style for those who grew up like me). Use a small spoon to remove the cooked yolk from each egg half and place yolk in a medium size bowl. Lay out the egg whites hole side up on a cutting board or other large, flat surface.
Use a fork to mash the egg yolks, then add remaining ingredients except paprika. Mix well until you have a smooth, creamy mixture of golden goodness. Using your small spoon again (I use the teensy weensy one that came with my silverware set, I think technically it's supposed to be used for sugar or some other foo-foo thing like that) heap the yolk mixture into the holes of your waiting egg whites.
Arrange the eggs on your serving platter and sprinkle with paprika.
Yum!
For a more in-depth guide on making deviled eggs, check out my guide on Associated Content.
1 dozen eggs
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1/2 tsp salt
Paprika
Prepare a large pot of boiling water and cook eggs for 12-15 minutes, until fully cooked. Place cooked eggs in a strainer or bowl and run cool water over them until they are cool enough to handle.
Peel the eggs, being careful not to puncture them with pieces of the shell. Carefully cut each egg in half lengthwise (hot dog style for those who grew up like me). Use a small spoon to remove the cooked yolk from each egg half and place yolk in a medium size bowl. Lay out the egg whites hole side up on a cutting board or other large, flat surface.
Use a fork to mash the egg yolks, then add remaining ingredients except paprika. Mix well until you have a smooth, creamy mixture of golden goodness. Using your small spoon again (I use the teensy weensy one that came with my silverware set, I think technically it's supposed to be used for sugar or some other foo-foo thing like that) heap the yolk mixture into the holes of your waiting egg whites.
Arrange the eggs on your serving platter and sprinkle with paprika.
Yum!
For a more in-depth guide on making deviled eggs, check out my guide on Associated Content.
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