dream burger

Ingredients:

24 ounces fatty chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces (makes four 6 oz burgers)
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 slices American cheese from deli
4 soft(not too large) white hamburger buns, lightly coated with softened buter and toasted to a light brown, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat

Sauce Ingredients (combine to make sauce):

1/2 cup mayonnaise (full fat)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/4 cup dill pickle, minced (Mt. Olive)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Place all of the parts to the grinder in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before grinding
2. Put meat pieces on a large plate and put in the freezer 10 minutes before grinding
3. Meanwhile,line a baking sheet with parchment and prepare your grinder
4. Grind meat onto parchment Using smallest grinding plate (if using kitchen aid like me)
5. Slide the meat into four even piles, avoid picking it up, gently(!) press meat into 4 inch wide, 1/2 inch thick patties (patties should have rough edges and be very loosely formed)
6. Season patties with plenty of salt and pepper, carefully flip with spatula and season the other side (push back together any eat that has fallen off), place in fridge until ready to cook
7. Open windows and doors, turn off smoke alarm and turn vent on high (if you don’t want to smoke up your house, I suggest doing this outside on a gas range
8. Heat vegetable oil In a cast iron pan over high heat until smoking
9. Using a spatula, transfer one patty to the pan and cook without moving the meat for 2 minutes
10. Flip patty and cook for one minute, top with cheese and cook for an additional minute (or longer if you want it past medium),repeat with the remaining burgers
11. Reserve burgers on a warm plate until you are ready to serve (this will prevent buns from being soggy)
12. Put sauce on burger buns, top with burger and eat!

leftover brisket and barley soup

We cling to the raft we are missing

By half what we wanted

But we escaped with the bones of an idol

Escaped with the belt and the title

But our land is gone

“The Bones of an Idol” by The New Pornographers

The brisket was the leftover part of the recipe…not the barley (referring to the title of this post). Now that I think about it, under what circumstances would someone have leftover barley? This soup was great with the leftover smoked brisket that I made.  Other hunks of grilled or barbecued beef could be substituted and would work great.

Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 sprig rosemary
3 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup barley
3 tablespoons butter
8 oz. baby portabella mushroom, quartered
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 pound leftover brisket
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup red wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 cups beef broth
4 cups water
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped carrot
Salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste

Directions:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan add rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper, add barley boil for about 20 minutes or until all of the liquid has evaporated
2. Discard the thyme and rosemary sprigs, set barley
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat
4. Add mushrooms and onion cook until most the onions are transluscent
5. Add brisket cook until heated through
6. Add garlic, cook for about 30 seconds
7. Add flour and cook for about 2 minutes
8. Add wine, Worcestershire, and soy sauce, cook for about 2 minutes
9. Add beef broth, water, tomatoes, celery and carrots, cook until the vegetables are tender
10. Add barley and season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce

smoked brisket sandwich

I don’t care about your past

I just want our love to last

I don’t care darlin’ about your faults

I just want to satisfy your pulse

“Cold Sweat” by James Brown

I’ve made quite a few briskets in last couple of years, it took me until about two months ago to achieve perfection. Unlike pork butt, brisket can easily be dried out if cooked too long, nine hours at 250 F seems to be the perfect time and temperature. Don’t be shy with the seasonings, it is a big hunk of meat.  I like putting three or four nice, fatty slabs on a cheap bun with a good dousing of barbecue sauce.

Ingredients:

10 pound whole brisket
Rub: Salt, garlic powder, lots of black pepper
Smoking wood: hickory,oak or pecan is good for brisket
A smoker
A thermometer
Charcoal
Buns
Your favorite barbecue sauce

Directions:

1. At least one hour before cooking, remove brisket from fridge
2. Trim any large chunks of fat to about 1/2 inch
3. Prepare smoker to cook 250 F and insert 3 large chunks of hickory inside unlit coals and four large chunks on top
4. Season brisket liberally (and I mean liberally) with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
5. Place brisket fat side down and flip about every two hours, for a total of about 9 hours
6. Remove from smoker, cover with foil, and let rest for at least 1 hour
7. Cut brisket across the grain in ¼-1/2 inch slices, serve with your favorite barbecue sauce

thai red curry duck pizza

Growing sleepy as the rain falls

As children draped in flowers form a chain

They sing a song with jelly jars and bird calls

As night falls into dust and it’s day again

I’m not afraid of a love parade in my daydream

Old men with kazoos and beating drums

But I awake and I see the streets are ice cream

It’s just you and me and oh dear, our life has just begun

“Everything Is” by Neutral Milk Hotel

I lived in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland for about four years.  I loved that neighborhood, there was a great coffee shop, an awesome butcher, and some great restaurants. One of my favorite restaurants was Soi Four Bangkok Eatery, a thai restaurant that was about 500 feet from my front door.  While the whole menu was solid, I almost always got the same dish, Kang Ped.  Kang Ped, which is duck in a red curry sauce, was served with plenty of curry that I liked to mix with jasmine rice to make a sort of stew.  This is my homage in pizza form.

Pizza Ingredients:

Pineapple, cut into ½ inch chunks
Red Pepper
Cherry tomatoes, halved and squeezed of juice
Duck breast, seasoned with salt and pepper,fat side sliced in ½ intervals about ½ inch deep
Pizza Dough
Red Curry Sauce
Mozarella, pre-shredded is better because it is a little drier
Basil

Red Curry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk
3 tablespoons red curry paste
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Juice of one lime
6 sprigs of cilantro
1 tablespoon of cornstarch, diluted in a little cold water

Directions:

1. In a small pot combine coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, fish sauce, and lime, whisk to combine
2. Bring to a simmer, add cilantro, cook for 5 minutes
3. Remove and discard cilantro, add cornstarch mixture, cook until well thickened, about ten minutes

To Assemble the Pizza

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat, sear duck breast fat side down until dark brown, flip and put in the oven until cooked through
3. Remove duck, let rest for five minutes, and then slice, raise oven temperature to 500 F
4. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add red pepper and pineapple and cook until the red peppers slightly soften, about 2-3 minutes
5. Stretch out dough, add sauce, sprinkle with cheese, top with red pepper and pineapple
6. Cook pizza until dough is fully cooked
7. Add the duck and basil and cook for 1-2 minutes

waffles

I’ve seen the world with a five piece band

Looking at the back side of me

Singing my songs and one of his now and then

But I don’t think Hank done ‘em this a’way

No I don’t think Hank done ‘em this a’way

“Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” by Waylon Jennings

Waffles are my son’s favorite breakfast item, I try to make these for the little dude as much as I can.

Makes 8 (7.5 inch round) waffles

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups milk
1 stick of butter, melted
2 egg whites

Directions:

1. Preheat waffle iron to 4 out 5 setting (you will have to do some practice on your waffle iron)
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl, making a well in the center
3. In a separate medium bowl, beat the egg yolks while stirring in the milk and the butter
4. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mix until just combined
5. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks
6. Fold the egg whites into the batter until combined, but don’t over-mix
7. Spoon the batter onto the hot waffle iron, use an overflowing half cup measure for waffles, spread out slightly with bottom of measure and press waffle maker down firmly, let go and wait for go light on waffle maker then wait ten extra seconds
8. Serve warm

cheese steak

Now it’s just you and me, my blue friend

And you say that it’s you that she’s thinking of

And our affair must end

But if it’s you that she’s thinking of

I think my broken heart might mend

“Blue Chair” by Elvis Costello

Believe it or not, this is the meal that is most requested by my wife.  The weird thing is that she doesn’t normally like beef, I’m assuming it’s the gooey cheese that does it for her (maybe I should just ask her why).

Ingredients:

½ large yellow onion, cut into ¼ inch strips
1 green pepper, cut into ¼ inch strips
1 red pepper, cut into ¼ inch strips
8 slices of provolone
11/2 pounds rib eye steak, frozen for 2-3 hours and cut very thinly with a sharp knife
4 baguettes, split in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Pam canola spray

Direction:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a small sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add onion, green and red pepper with a pinch of salt
3. Cook onion and peppers until soft, set aside
4. In a large non stick pan or on a griddle, brush with a small amount of olive oil and heat on high
5. Once pan comes to heat lay rib eye in a flat, single layer, lightly season with salt, pepper and garlic powder
6. Meanwhile, place baguettes in the oven
7. Once meat has caramelized, flip it over and season again with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, cook for one to two minutes
8. Place onions and peppers on top of meat and layer provolone on top of vegetables, cover pan with foil
9. Cook until cheese has melted 1-2 minutes
10. Place meat, veggies, and cheese in warmed buns

asian coleslaw

Now that you’ve found your paradise

This is your Kingdom to command

You can go outside and polish your car

Or sit by the fire in your Shangri-la

Here is your reward for working so hard

Gone are the lavatories in the back yard

Gone are the days when you dreamed of that car

You just want to sit in your Shangri-la

“Shangri-la” by the Kinks

Its finally warm outside! Now, go forth and have a party.  Serve this at the aforementioned barbecue…

This is one of the rare occurrences that I like to use the crushed ginger and garlic from the jar, it works for this recipe.

Ingredients:

Veggies for slaw:

1 green cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
½ red cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 cups of carrots, shredded
8 green onions, thinly sliced, green part only
½ cup of cilantro, chopped

For dressing:

6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons crushed ginger
11/2 tablespoons crushed garlic
2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the prepared vegetables in a large bowl
2. Whisk ingredients for the dressing together, add to the vegetables
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours

crazy pineapple torte

My baby don’t stand no cheatin’, my babe

Oh yeah she don’t stand no cheatin’, my babe

Oh yeah she don’t stand no cheatin’,

She don’t stand none of that midnight creepin’

My babe, true little baby, my babe

“My Babe” by Little Walter

Its crazy because Elissa’s grandma says so.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
20 oz. can crushed pineapple (undrained)
1 ¼ cups water
1 package plain yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, thinly sliced
½ cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 350 F
2. Put the brown sugar in the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 pan
3. Pour pineapple with juice over brown sugar
4. Top with water
5. Sprinkle dry cake mix on top of water
6. Top with butter and walnuts
7. Bake for 1 hour

If there is anyone out there that reads this blog and has Wisconsin roots, I would love your recipes and suggestions.

Some previous posts on food from my favorite state:

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

Bratwurst, cooking

Bratwurst, making

Cheese curds

Egg roll, Wisconsin style

Potatoes, Escalloped with ham

Potato Salad, German

Sauerkraut

Summer sausage

Torte, Chocolate Eclair

Torte, Crazy Pineapple

Torte, Poppy Seed

pork rinds

Yeah when you call my name

I salivate like a Pavlov dog

Yeah when you lay me out

My heart is bumpin’ louder than a big bass drum, alright

“Bitch” by The Rolling Stones

When getting a whole pork belly from a butcher, usually the skin is still on.  In order to make bacon the skin must be trimmed off.  In the past, I have just tossed the skin but this time I decided to make some pork rinds. No need for seasoning after, the brine was salty enough.

Ingredients:

Pork skin, cut into 2 inch rectangles
1 gallon water plus more
¼ cup salt
½ red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons black pepper corns
3 bay leaves

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring all of the ingredients to a boil, reduce to simmer, cook for two hours, replenish the water about half way through back to its original level
2. Place pork skin on a wire rack and place in the refrigerator over night
3. Heat deep fryer to 375 F
4. Fry pork skin until dark golden brown about 8-10 minutes
5. Let cool on paper towel and eat

i made bacon…again

The love you are blessed with

This worlds waiting for

So let out your heart, please, please

From behind that locked door

“Behind That Locked Door” by George Harrison

I made four pounds of bacon using this recipe, now what should I do with all of it?

BLT? Sure but that’s kind of a no-brainer…I’ll be sharing a few new bacon recipes this week.

Ingredients:

Bacon
Lettuce
Tomato
Toast
Mayo

Directions:

1. Combine