Category Archives: recipes

Mom’s BBQ sauce

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More of a savory, tangy sauce than it is sweet or smoky. I’m told this is from a Heinz recipe. Makes 12 oz.

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar or honey
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard powder
  • 1 tbsp dried onion powder
  • 1 tbsp granulated garlic, or 1 clove, minced
  • 1 tsp hot sauce

Directions

Combine ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until desired thickness.

Belgian waffles

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The buttermilk in this recipe helps give the waffle a fluffy structure, while the butter helps to crisp the crust for a crunchy-chewy texture. It’s important not to over work the batter while combining the wet and dry ingredients, which would develop glutens and make the waffle more dense and rubbery.

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1½ cups buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat a waffle iron over medium-high heat until oil just smokes.

Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl, and set aside.

Combine eggs, buttermilk and vanilla in a smaller bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave using low power, taking care not to overheat. The milk solids should not separate.

Pour wet ingredients and melted butter over the dry ingredients, and fold until just combined with small lumps remaining.

Ladle or pour batter onto waffle iron and even out with a silicone spatula before closing. Cook waffles until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes.

Beef Jerky Original #2

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More of a spicy, savory jerky with a touch of sweet. This recipe uses flank steak, cut on a bias across the grain.

Ingredients

Per 2 lb of meat:

  • 2 oz water
  • 2 oz all-purpose soy
  • 1 oz dark soy (Tamari)
  • 1 oz Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 oz honey
  • 2 tbsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Black pepper
  • ½ tsp Cayenne
  • ½ tsp Ground oregano
  • ½ tsp Ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp Turmeric
  • ¼ tsp Prague Powder #1

Instructions

Start with a lean flank steak, approximately 2 lbs net weight. Trim fat and silver skin. Slice into strips about ⅜” thick on a diagonal bias across the grain. Trim longer strips to length, and place strips in a gallon zip lock freezer bag.

Whisk remaining ingredients and pour over the contents in the bag. Distribute marinade throughout the meat strips. Refrigerate 8-10 hours, or overnight, redistributing the marinade several times for an even cure.

Remove strips from bag and arrange on a cooling rack, blotting off excess marinade.

Dry strips at 165°F in a food dehydrator or smoker until the strips are stiff and bend but do not snap, about 8 or 10 hours.

Goulash #1

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Suitable for stuffing bell peppers

Ingredients

  • 1 lb 85% lean ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, dice
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
  • 1 can tomato sauce, 15 oz
  • 1 can tomato paste, 6 oz
  • 1½ cups beef broth
  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • ½ tbsp ground oregano
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp white pepper
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions

Add 2 tsp olive oil to a 5 quart pot and heat until shimmering. Add uncooked rice and coat with oil, toasting rice until fragrant and beginning to brown. Add onions and saute until sweating, but not yet translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute until fragrant, one more minute.

Combine ground beef and cook until just browned.

Combine remaining ingredients, maintaining medium heat until simmering. Cover, reduce heat to low and maintain simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender.

Serve topped with cheese, or use to stuff bell peppers.

Corned Beef Brine (Dry brine)

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Specialty equipment: This process requires a vacuum sealer and Prague Powder #1 curing salt.

The amounts for the salt, sugar and Prague Powder are based on the mass of meat to be cured, and given as ratios per kilogram of meat.

Ingredients

  • Beef brisket flat, about 5lb (2.2kg) after trimming
  • Kosher salt, 4.5% by weight or 45g/kg
  • Brown sugar, 1.5% by weight or 15g/kg
  • Prague Powder #1, 0.5% by weight or 5g/kg
  • 2 tbsp black peppercorn
  • 2 tbsp coriander seed
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard seed
  • 1 tbsp whole allspice
  • 1 tbsp fennel seed
  • 2 cinnamon sticks, broken up
  • 2 tbsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger

Instructions

Select a brisket flat with even thickness and minimal hard fat. Trim brisket, removing hard fat, silver skin and extra fat from the fat cap. Leave approximately ¼ in of fat on the fat cap.

Weigh the trimmed brisket and calculate the measures for salt, sugar and Prague Powder. Combine salt, sugar, Prague Powder, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Working on a rimmed baking sheet coat brisket on all sides, using all of the cure. Brisket may need to rest and “tack up” for all of the cure to adhere. Excess cure will be added to the vacuum bag before sealing.

Measure out spices and blitz several seconds in a spice or blade grinder, or coarsely crush in a mortar. Sprinkle spices over the meat on both sides paying more attention to the underside, opposite of the fat cap.

Place meat in a vacuum bag and collect any loose cure or spices remaining on the baking sheet into the bag. Spread excess cure in the bag, ensuring even coverage. Vacuum then seal the bag, and refrigerate up to 10 days. Flip the package over daily and gently massage the liquid to redistribute.

Remove meat from vacuum bag after 7 or 10 days, and rinse in cold water. Meat may be cooked immediately, or resealed and frozen.

Soaking recommendations

Corned beef will be very salty straight from the brine. When braising or boiling, the meat will seek an equilibrium with the cooking liquid. If the cooking method uses unsalted or low salt liquid, soaking may not be necessary. Refer to the recipe for soaking recommendations.

If roasting, smoking or cooking sous vide, the meat should be soaked in cold fresh water for one hour to reduce the salt. For further salt reduction, soak up to 2 hours changing the water every 20 to 30 minutes.

Adapted from Serious Eats: Corned Beef Brisket, Potatoes, Cabbage, and Carrots for St. Patrick’s Day Recipe