Backyard BBQ Battle, Episode 7, Breakfast

This was one of my favorite episodes.  Last year we talked about having a breakfast episode and it never really came together.  We filmed this after a few days of rest so it was our first episode coming back from a shooting break.

I tried to make a sandwich that would make my friends at Radical Gardens proud.  I wanted an epic sandwich that was loaded with meat and that was full of flavor.  I wanted the kind of sandwich you could have for dinner and not feel cheated.  I think I did pretty good.

People are afraid of making hollandaise sauce.  This easy blender version is, in my opinion, super easy and super fast to make.

Enjoy the recipes.

Episode 7 - Breakfast episode

Eggs benedict with easy hollandaise

 

·         4 English muffins

·         4 eggs

·         Cheese

·         Salt and pepper

·         Smoked pork chop from Dabrowski’s

·         Sliced bacon

For the Hollandaise

·         3 egg yoks

·         ¼ tsp Dijon

·         1 tbsp lemon juice

·         1 dash of hot sauce

·         Lemon juice

·         ½ cup of melted Butter

1.      Heat butter till melted. 

2.      In a blender, blend egg yolk, hot sauce, lemon juice, Dijon for about 15 seconds.  Set blender on high and slowly start adding the melted butter in a heavy stream.  It should thicken immediately.  Keep sauce in a pitcher of hot water till serving. 

Drop biscuits

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

·         1 tablespoon baking powder

·         2 teaspoons white sugar

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 cup melted butter
      1/2 tsp cream of tartar

·         1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Stir in butter and milk just until moistened. Drop batter on a lightly greased cookie sheet by the tablespoon.
3. Bake in preheated oven until golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes. Serve warm.

Pierogi Hash browns

·         1 package of Dabrowski's Cheddar and potato pierogis

·         3 strips bacon¹

·         1 large bell pepper, chopped (I used 1/2 of a red and 1/2 of a green)

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

·         1/3 cup shredded smoked gouda cheese³

·         optional: chopped fresh or dried parsley

 

1.      Preheat pan with bacon in it.  Add chopped up pierogis..  Mix a few times but let pierogis develop some crispiness.  Cook at 400 for 25 minutes till crispy and ready to serve.  

Spicy Apricot Glaze

My friend Marc Durocher sold me a ham from the rotary club this week.

He also recommended a spicy Apricot glaze from the Amazing Ribs website.

Well I whipped this glaze together today and glazed my ham with it.  It was excellent.  I normally hate cloves.  I usually omit it out of most recipes when I can.  This called for such a small amount that I left it in.  It made all the difference.  By the way Chris Lily has a few BBQ cookbooks on the market which I recommend. 

Spicy Apricot Glaze - by Chris Lily from Big Bob Gibson BBQ.

Ingredients

1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/8 teaspoon sage flakes
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves

Method

In a medium saucepan, combine the glaze ingredients, heat till boiling and then remove from heat.  Glaze ham multiple times in last hour of cooking. Refrigerate until you need it. It will keep for weeks.

Backyard BBQ Battle, Season 2, Episode 6

Bill won this one, but I really think I had the edge with my tacos al pastor.  I blame the judges.  Marc and Andy are great foodies though so I'm glad they got to eat well.

Episode 6 - Latin episode

Tacos Al Pastor

·         1 white onion

·         1 peeled fresh pineapple, in crosswise ½-inch slices

·         ½ cup fresh orange juice

·         ¼ cup guajillo (Mexican) chili powder

·         ¼ cup distilled white vinegar

·         2 teaspoons salt

·         3 halved garlic cloves

·         2 small canned chipotle chilies

·         1½ teaspoons adobo from canned chipotles in adobo

·         1 teaspoon ground cumin

·         1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano if possible)

·         2½ - to 3 lbs boneless pork loin, in ½-inch slices

·         ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

 

1.      Cut the onion in half and chop one of the halves coarsely.

2.      Set the other half aside.

3.      Chop 2 of the pineapple slices coarsely, then cover and refrigerate the rest.

4.      Put the chopped onion and pineapple in the blender.

5.      Add the orange juice, chili powder, vinegar, salt, garlic, chipotle chilies, adobo, cumin, and oregano.  Puree until smooth.

6.      Put the pork in a large Ziploc bag and pour in the marinade

7.      Seal the bag and squeeze out the air.

8.      Refrigerate for between 4 and 24 hours.

9.      Grill the rest of the pineapple slices for 5 minutes per side or until lightly charred.

10.  Grill the pork for 3-5  minutes per side or until cooked through.

11.  Chop both the pineapple and the pork and toss them together.

12.  Chop the remaining half of the onion and toss it with the cilantro.

13.  Grill the tortillas for a few seconds per side or until warm.

14.  Top the tortillas with the pork mixture and top with the cilantro mixture along with some salsa and lime wedges, if liked.

Cilantro coleslaw

-¼ cup cider vinegar

-¼ cup of sugar

-finely diced Jalapeno

-1/4 cup of Cilantro

-1 tsp Celery seed

-1 bag of coleslaw mix

Mix first 5 ingredients.  Add to coleslaw mix. 

Cowboy caviar

·         15 1/2 ounce(s) (can) pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed

·         4 ears of corn kernels, grilled

·         2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced

·         3 green onions, minced

·         1 large (or 2 small) avocado , diced

·         ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

·         1 or 2 finely minced jalapeno

·         1/2 cup(s) prepared salsa

·         3/4 teaspoon(s) salt

·         1 lime, grilled, juiced

·         1/2 teaspoon(s) pepper

Assemble.  Serve with chips.

Backyard BBQ Battle, Season 2 - Episode 5

I guess life got the best of me last week and I forgot to post my recipes.  Here they are.

Episode 5 - Appetizers episode

Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese

1.       Stuff each date with blue cheese and wrap with sliced Dabrowski’s bacon. 

2.       Grill on indirect side of grill till the bacon is crispy.

3.       Glaze with a sweet and tangy sauce.

Sausage devilled eggs

·         ½ cup cooked, drained and finely crumbled Dabrowski’s Sausage

·         6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

·         ¼ cup softened Herbed Goat Cheese or Boursin Cheese

·         1 tbsp Grey Poupon type mustard

·         1 generous tbsp mayonnaise

·         A splash of pickle juice

·         Salt & Pepper

·         Fresh parsley, chopped

 

1.      Grill sausage over direct heat or in a cast iron pan. 

2.      Halve the hard boiled eggs and remove the yolk. 

3.      To the yolk, add cheese, mustard, mayonnaise, sausage, pickle juice and salt and pepper. 

4.      Stuff each egg half with the devilled sausage mixture. 

5.      Top with fresh parsley and season with paprika and cayenne.

Turtle eggs

·         Medium sausage

·         BBQ rub

·         Shredded cheese

·         Cream cheese

·         Jalepeno peppers

1.      Using a handmixer, mix cream cheese, shredded cheese, BBQ rub.

2.      Stuff a jalepeno with the cream mixture.

3.      Wrap jalepeno with sausage (forming and egg) and smoke or grill indirect till temp hits 160 degrees

4.      Glaze with your favorite BBQ sauce