Pesto Spiraled Steak Pucks

Recently back from a trip to Londonville, or whatever they call it. BBQ is getting HUGE out there. It's like the nation's collective taste for grilled fare has been locked up in a 'char'stity belt. And with that pent up energy let loose, BBQ is meat marketing it up, out on the town, looking for the fight of its life. 

There wasn't time for a tour-de-force grill crawl. However, I was lucky enough to spend a delightful afternoon at Eyre Brothers in Shoreditch. While not strictly a BBQ spot, the menu reassuringly and discerningly proclaims, "we grill over lumpwood charcoal from sustainable resources." Some of their dishes include: Catalan blood sausage, rare-grilled pigeon breast, Porto marinated duck foie gras and Iberico pork cheeks. Presented with all these elegant options, I couldn't help but ponder the going association that BBQ maintains in the popular consciousness with volume of food, gluttony. I've been thinking more and more about how to put the Big Green Egg to use for more nimble offerings, and this London afternoon experience served to strengthen my resolve.

The spark plug fired on this direction when I came upon a recipe for Rolled Flank Steak with Pesto in a great 2012 book, Canal House Cooks. This is very much their recipe, Big Green Egg styles.

Here's what you need:

- 2 Loosely packed cups basil leaves

- 2 Loosely packed cups of parsley leaves

- 1 clove garlic, sliced

- 1/2 cup green pitted olives

- 3 anchovy filets

- 1/4 cup of your best olive oil

- 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano

- One 2-pound flank steak

- S and P

First, the pesto: drop the basil, parsley, garlic, pitted olives, anchovies, and olive oil into a blender, and puree. Next, sprinkle in the parm and pulse a couple times to make sure it's spread throughout. At this point, your pesto is gonna smell like a dream. Get it into a small bowl, wrap and refrigerate. 

For the steak, and this gets a little intricate: unroll, and lay it out flat on a clean surface, with it's grain point directly towards you. With an outstandingly sharp knife, butterfly it along one edge, essentially splitting it's thickness in half. Do this patiently, stopping two inches before you cut the steak in two. At this point, you'll be able to open it like a meat book. 

Get your pesto out and spread it evenly across the entire top surface area of the flank. Leave half-an-inch of space around the circumference. 

Then, rotate the flank so that the grain is traveling from left to right, like a set of marble horizons. Slip 5 to 6 sets of string underneath the slab, at even intervals. Once done, begin rolling from the edge closest to you, ensuring it's as tight as possible. Once you're all rolled up, fasten the strings tightly and knot. Wrap it with plastic and refrigerate until your fire is set.

Get the BGE up to about 275/300 F. Some folks might recommend higher, but I didn't want to sear as much heat carefully to the core, ensuring the pesto had a chance to make it's presence known within the fibers of the flank. Throw it on for about 20 minutes, turning until browned on all sides. After that, shift it to the side for about 12 - 14 minutes, away from the direct heat. 

Lastly, slice the rolled flank at inch-long intervals, ensuring your spirals don't unravel. 

My accomplice in this mission had just had dinner. But after one of these guys, all he could say was, "just one more meat puck, just one more." 

Note: I've eaten three of these while writing this, a day after it all went down. It's quality as a left-over speaks volumes. 

Deeeaammn Lamb Wraps (with Owney's Rum)

I'm all for a cold winter. But it's posing a few unexpected brick walls. Number one on the 'c'mon, really?' list: the Big Green Egg is frozen shut. The fall-out: having to cook using a normal oven, which induces similar feelings to missing the last train out of Anchorage to Miami on a Friday night. My first idea was to create a seasonally-adjusted Meat Hunx sister site called Soup Slutz. But an avalanche-esque craving for lamb made me think otherwise. So I'm defying my BBQ-negating geo-position with some motherfucking lamb wraps. The Meat is On! Let's do this!

First up, the lamb. Here's what ya need:

- 2 lbs of lamb

- 1 small onion

- 3 cloves garlic

- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger

- juice of 1 lemon

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder

- 2 teaspoons cumin powder

- S and P to taste

- And Berbere

EEER, educational moment and command 1! You gotta get Berbere mix in the mix. It's a spice combo made up of chili peppers, garlic, ginger, dried basil, kararima, rue, ajwain, nigelia and fenugreek. It's a West-African fundamental. Get on it!

Next up:

- Blend the onion, garlic, cilantro, oil, lemon and spices

- Rub the marinade all over the lamb then wrap with string

- Throw the lamb in an air-tight whatever and refrigerate for two hours

- Remove and let the meat come to room temp

- Sprinkle with Berbere, salt and pepper

- Then crank the ovs to 450F and pop your roasting-pan borne foil-covered lamb in

- Dial back to 325F and cook for 2.5 hours

- The lamb is ready to party when it's falling off the bone

Lay your party-dudes out on the warmed wraps and garnish with cilantro, parsley, green onions, salsa and sour cream. And as a wise man once said: "BANGO!"

Educational alert moment and command 2: A pal of mine has adorned the already-rich history of Brooklyn Rum-runners with a new gem: Owneys. It's not the same old rum the world is used to, and I strongly urge you to check out their operation here, if only to increase your chances of enjoying the shit out of Meathunx-inspired Deeeaammn Lamb Wraps. 

Unapolgetically,

MH

The Intriguingly Spotty Story of the Jalapeño Popper and a Recipe

Perhaps the result of a Canadian upbringing, but my context for encountering the Jalapeño Popper phenomenon has almost invariably been the greasy laminated pages of generic sports bars. Despite they're uninspired setting, the Jalapeño Popper seems to possess a very tenacious power of memory eradication. You eat, you burn, you sweat, you swear off, then months later, you do it again. This induced amnesia is perhaps a human pain coping mechanism, or maybe it's an adaptive measure taken by the plant and all it's lineage, to ensure continued growth and cultivation.

But that is the Jalapeño proper, I am not Michael Pollan, and we're here  to talk about the Jalapeño Poppers.

It's suspected that Jalapeño Poppers are an Americanized version of the Mexican chile relleno. The name popped up in a big way when Anchor Food Products of Appleton, WI used the term for a brand of cheese-stuffed Jalapeños. The company formally applied for the trademark "Poppers" in 1992, only to be rebuffed by the Poppers Supply Company of Portland, OR (they made popcorn). In 1993, Poppers Supply Co. successfully maintained the "Poppers" trademark for "coated and breaded vegetable pieces," only to transfer it to Anchor Food Products on September 12th, 2001. Not 13 days thereafter, HJ Heinz announced the acquisition of the Poppers brand, while Canadian giant McCain Foods acquired Anchor's production facilities, including plants in Pecos, TX and Cuauhtemoc, Mexico. To this day, McCain encourages you to, "Get Your Party Started" with Anchor Poppers. Whatever.

So why the fuck did did so many people care about the popper?  Simple answer: demand. By 2000, Anchor had annual sales of $503MM USD and production facilities ready to maintain that growth. Complicated answer: there is something deceptively addictive about the heat of a Jalapeño Popper, so powerful, it brought millions shaking, sweating and falling mercifully to their knees, arms outstretched, collective wallet spilling forth cash for just one more taste.

So without further adieu, a recipe!

The Crew
- 10 - 12 Jalapeños
- Cream Cheese
- Fresh Mozzarella
- 1 Shallot, Minced
- Tootkpicks

Ready the ships
Cut the stems of the Jalapeño without interrupting the top surface area. Then, halve the Jalapeños down the middle, length-wise. Be sure you keep each resulting half with it's partner, as you'll be putting them back together again shortly.

Abolish all Mutineers
Take a spoon and remove the entire inside membrane, including all seeds. God help you if you leave seeds in there.

Steady the Men
Fill one side of the split Jalapeño with cream cheese and minced shallots, and the other side with fresh mozzarella. Then close the two sides down on each other and secure with a toothpick. Step and repeat til you've made it through all 12.

Set Sail
Get the grill going at 325 direct heat, and put those poppers on down. Flip after 20 to make sure both sides get a good singe, and keep it going for another 20 - 25. When the cheese starts to ooze out the sides, you know you're done.

Attack
We took the poppers inside and stared at them apprehensively. Then I went for it while the others looked on nervously. It was a disaster. What felt like clear sailing turned into fricking Charybdis and the Sirens together on steroids. First my eyes watered, then I started sweating, then I closed my eyes, and just saw wild swirling patterns. I was indeed tripping on Jalapeño Poppers. And before you call me out, know I lived with an Indian roommate for 1 year, and a Texan for 2; so I ain't no slouch. Nevertheless, the only way I could continue was to put on some traditional Mexican garb and start drinking Mezcal as briskly as possible.

So have fun with your poppers, wear a costume if you have to and know that no matter how bad it gets, you'll keep coming back for more.

Mr. Samuel Kim's Magic Mushrooms

The sad part about buying foods close to nature is that it reminds you how sad the selection and quality of produce is in the city. I had this revelation yet again, after meeting Samuel Kim in Occidental, California. It made me sad for myself, for those moments when I buy mushrooms from the local grocery store: 'Would you like your mushrooms rubbery? or perhaps rubbery…" the saran-wrapped little characters inquire. 

Samuel Kim has been farming mushrooms in Northern, California for 25 years. His stand-offish vibe is explained away quickly by his preoccupation for his product.

We bought four different mushrooms: trumpet, shitake, oyster and some roots, which he insisted were not only edible but delightful.

We brought em home and gave them the following treatment...

Ingredients:
- 1 lb mushrooms
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup mustard
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tbsp of your favorite barbecue sauce (optional)



Next up:
Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth but don't slice them. Only remove the stem if you're planning on making portobello burgers.

Place all ingredients, including mushrooms, in a container and stir together. Let them marinate for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Keep in mind that mushrooms contain a lot of water, and they'll shrink considerably while cooking. Grill them directly on the grate. Cook smaller mushrooms on skewers to avoid losses to the grate.

Grill em for 5 minutes, then flip em over and grill for another 5 minutes. Baste with any leftover marinade while grilling to keep the flavor strong. If you don't have a grill, a skillet will work fine too.

Then sit back with a skirt steak and the love of your life and acknowledge what Samuel and many others have too - that mushrooms of all kinds are kind of the best thing you could possibly eat.

PS - if you're looking for other things to do with our woodland friends, check out this episode we did on some innovative folks turning mushrooms into product packaging.

Meat Hunx Vacay: Lamb Rib Chops Sanctuary

This is going to be a trying post. I've been forced to make use of a Fisher-Price®-esque contraption for grilling. The dig is only because this unnamed household grilling company has come out recently saying that they think Kemado-style BBQs are too complicated for the American public. How bout a show of faith in your country Weber. Oh! Let that one slip.

Nevertheless, what's currently lacking in grill resources, is being more than made up for in the beauty and bounty of the surrounding land of the Russian River region in Northern California. We stopped at the Occidental Farmers Market on the way up from San Fran, and picked up supplies. The first tent we went to was being cheerily run by Victorian Farmstead Meat Company. Their slogan: "Life's too short to eat crappy meat." THAT IS WHAT I'M SCREAMING! Amidst the armful of fare we ended up purchasing from these delightful meat champions was a lamb rib chop. So that night we set about putting together grilled lamb rib chops with a rosemary and sage crust, following a recipe from Grilling Magazine, which great btw.

Arsenal:
- 1/2 cup loosely packed medium-finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3 Tbs. loosely packed medium-finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1.5 Tbs. loosely packed medium-finely chopped fresh sage
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 - 12 bone-in lamb rib chops
- Olive oil for the grill

Marching orders:
First mix the parsley, rosemary, sage, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a shallow baking dish. Next, coat your chops with herbs. While you can grill right away, covering for 4 hours in the fridge will up the ante.

Get the 'grill' up to medium-hot, and then bush oil across your dismount area. Then, cook until the herbs are a deep brown, and the meat is medium rare, 3 - 5 minutes per side. Then let sit for 5 mins.

Now, (and not gonna blame this solely on the device), but I fucked up. The time directions to lamb beastliness resulted in a less than fully-cooked chop. So back from our romantic dinner setting to the grill. I cut the chops individually and seared them for two minutes on either side. The result: outrageous!

We rounded out the meal with a bottle of Argentinian Malbec and a salad consisting of micro greens, cherry tomatoes, serpent cucumber, onion, reen radishes, red leaf lettuce and champagne dressing.

Russian River, I will not soon forget ye.

Salmon & Onion Taste Lasers with Cucumber Space Soup

I've begun to get concerned that if I eat another meat-based dinner, I might collapse in on myself like a neutron star. So, something barbecued, but healthy. Where to look for inspiration…

The other night, I had dinner at Qoo Robata. It's an overlooked Japanese spot in BK. While there, I ordered the BBQ'd salmon belly with green onions on a skewer. It destroyed it so hard, I vowed to re-create it on the Big Green Egg the next night. It's fricking hot out right now. So to complement, I cast about for a chilled soup. I've said this once, and I'll say it again - the weekend Wall Street Journal Off Duty food section is (also) destroying it. They just did a piece on various uses of the cucumber...pause..., and the soup they featured looked weird and awesome.

Cucumber and Buttermilk Space Soup With Sourdough Croutons
Here's how it goes for the soup, which needs to be started 2.5 hours before it's ready.

Ingredients:
- 2 pounds cucumbers
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- 1 tablespoon tarragon leaves
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 cup sourdough croutons, for serving

First - Peel, halve and, if necessary, seed cucumbers. Dice enough to set aside 1 cup for garnish; roughly chop the remaining and place in a blender.

Second, add buttermilk, avocado, herbs, vinegar, sugar and salt to the blender and blend until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain soup through a fine mesh sieve and thin with water, about half a cup.

Third, season with salt and pepper, cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Last, divide soup among bowls, drizzle with oil, garnish with croutons and serve.

Salmon & Green Onion Taste Lasers
Next up, the salmon skewers.

Ingredients
- 2 large salmon cuts, skin on
- Salt and pepper
- 2 bunches of green onions
- Teriyaki sauce
- Olive oil
- Fennel seed powder

First, cut the salmon away from the skin with a really sharp knife. Then cut into strips and slice width-wise to form salmon cubes, for lack of a better description.

Second, cut the green onions into one inch-long segments. Alternate the salmon and green onions on the skewer until you've run out of space.

Third, drizzle both sides with olive oil, paint with teriyaki sauce, then season with salt, pepper and a whisper of fennel seed powder.

Last, place the taste lasers on the grill indirect at 375 for 20 - 25 minutes.  Flip em at 10 mins, and re-paint with T-sauce.

I hate when people describe foods as summery, colorful, or for the hot weather. But if you're looking for a fresh vibe on a muggy evening, this is Meat Hunx commanding you to follow our lead.

Pickle-brined Chicken Thighs à la Langdo

There have been some rumblings around these parts of a fancy new (potentially old) chicken preparation procedure - pickle-brining!

Word has it that a certain religiously-oriented 'quick-service' franchise (Chick-fil-A) puts the technique to use. That did nothing to stem the interminable flow of our enthusiasm.

Meat Hunx honorary and party-rock bassist J Langdo showed up to MHHQ on July 4th having spent the previous 24 hours brining 12 chicken thighs. Here's how it goes:

Ingredients
- Chicken thighs with bone in and skin on
- Large jar of Boar's Head pickles
- Spicy rub (see ingredients here)
- Frank's Hot Sauce
- Half cup apple cider vinegar

Rub the chicken with salt everywhere. Dump all the brine with brown sugar and pepper from your pickle jar into a bag containing the chicken
 
thighs. Store in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning give em another rub with salt and pepper.

This next step is as per the recommendation of a certain somebody at local hero bar/resto joint The Commodore- Bathe them in Frank's Hot Sauce and a half-cup of apple cider vinegar. Let them sit for 10 - 30 minutes.

Meanwhile fire up the bbq to high direct. Sear each side of the thighs for one minute to lock in all the juices. Then, smoke indirect at 270 for 2 hours.

There are moments in time on this earth, when we stumble upon distinctly asymmetrical combinations so non-intuitive, yet so impactful, that they alter the face of our society forever. This was not one of those moments. But putting down a barbecued pickle-brined chicken thigh pushes reset on what can be done with poultry. And while it won't prevent war, or famine, or white collar crime… yet, it's in our system now, and if everything gets a little better Meat Hunx is fully willing to take responsibility.