McBert Chili

(Prep time 20 minutes cook time 6+ hours)

Ingredients 

-veggie stock box or equal Better-than-Boullion 

-1 can embasa chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 

-dried peppers (Anaheim, jalepeno, pasilla, habenero)

-1 white onion

-2 cans of black beans

-2 cans of kidney beans

-2 small cans of green hatch chilis 

-½ T anchovy paste

-steak chunks 

-soy chorizo

In a large sauce pan start heating the stock, add dried chilies. Our preference is 2 pasilla, 3 jalapeno, 1 habanero. 

Open the tin of adobo sauce and chipotle remove stems, and blend the contents. Add to stock.

Let simmer down until you are happy with the density of flavour. Remove the hotter peppers when happy with heat level. Remember it will get a little hotter. 

While it is simmering, coarsely chop the onion. In a large pot or crock pot, put the beans, the green chilis and the onion in the pot. Stir in anchovy paste. Turn on low.  

Remove the last of the dried peppers, and pour stock into the pot. Let cook on low for at least 6 hours.

When satisfied with flavour and thickness, chop steak into 1" cubes, and sear in a hot pan. Remove chorizo from casing, stir in with steak and add to chili. Let cook on low for an hour or until steak is cooked and very tender. 

I love this chili. Really flavorful. Really dense flavors. 

We served it for dinner with a small dollop of sour cream, and I had it for leftovers with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. 

Steak Better Than Barbecue

Start with excellent cuts of meat, more than an inch thick. We used Porterhouse, and we cooked two of them.

Season in advance: we used pink Himalayan salt (freshly ground), smoked salt, and freshly ground pepper. Be a little bit generous.

IMPORTANT: Let the meat warm to room temperature while the seasonings are on it, soaking into it. Allow half an hour or more.

Select a cast iron frying pan that’s large enough for steaks you’re cooking to fit comfortably, with plenty of breathing room between steaks, and between the meat and the sides of the pan.

Preheat the frying pan in the oven. Get it very hot. Either leave the frying pan in the oven as you preheat the oven to 500F, or set the oven to broil on high for ten minutes with the frying pan on the top rack.

When the frying pan is very hot, remove it from the oven and place it on a hot burner on the stove (again: on high). Leave the oven hot (500F). Sear the seasoned steaks for 30 seconds on each side: there will be sizzling. There will also be smoke: take precautions against setting off the fire alarm.

Return the hot frying pan with the steaks to the oven. For rare, bake two minutes on each side. Cook slightly longer for other preferences.

Remove the steaks from the oven and from the frying pan; let them rest on a plate for at least two minutes (up to ten minutes). 

Serve with appropriate side dishes and beverages. Enjoy. 

Stuffed Sirloin Steak

Instructions, one steak per person:

Butterfly fillet a thick-cut (1”+) Angus sirloin steak: cut it in half through the middle, leaving a meat hinge between 2 pieces of ½” steak. Grind a bit of fresh pepper over both sides, and sprinkle on ½ tsp of ground lemon grass.

Layer onto one side of the opened steak:

• 2 or 3 fresh basil leaves.
• 2 strips cooked & drained thick cut bacon. Leave it just a little chewey.
• 3 or 4 rings of freshly grilled onions.
• 1 tsp crumbled bleu cheese.
• A few julienned sun-dried tomatoes

On the other side of the opened steak:

• Drizzle 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar.

Close the steak, enclosing the bacon and other ingredients. Tie the steak shut with a couple of pieces of food-safe twine.

  

Brush both sides of the steak with olive oil. Grind a little fresh pepper on one side, and place the steak, seasoned side down on a hot grille, immediately lowering the flame to medium or medium low.

When it’s ready to turn, re-apply a little olive oil to the top, grind a little fresh pepper onto it, and flip that side down. You should only have to turn the steak once. Depending on how hot your grille is, five minutes a side may be enough.

Serve with a good stout or Belgian beer. Share with good friends. 

Josiah’s Bourbon Marinade

Makes a couple of cups.

½ cup good bourbon
2 TBSP Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce
3 drops green Tabasco sauce
3 drops chipotle Tabasco sauce
½ cup oil
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP sugar
½ tsp brown sugar
2 TBSP basil
1 tsp anise seen
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp celery seed
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour into a Ziploc bag with your meat. Massage into the meat for a few moments, then let it sit for a couple of hours.

Updated in June 2011.

Spicy Stuffed Steaks

Begin with the stuffing:

3 large cloves garlic
2 TBSP sweet onion
2 TBSP red pepper
1 TBSP fresh pineapple sage
1 tsp fresh chives
1½ tsp fresh thyme

Mince all of these ingredients finely. Mix together. Pepper to taste. Microwave on high for 1 minute (to warm them well).

Then prepare the steaks:

2 5-ounce steaks

Slice them open; I cut one side, then from there create a pouch in the center of the steak, closed on three sides by ¼” of uncut meat. Salt inside and outside.

Fill the steaks with 1/3 of the stuffing mixture in each steak. Add a large tablespoon of shredded cheese; I used parmesan, but Monterey Jack might be better. Spread the remaining third of the mixture over the top of the steaks and let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Pre-heat barbecue to high. When it’s hot, add the steaks and immediately turn down to medium. Cook to medium.



In hindsight: flavor is very good. I might add some oil to the stuffing mixture, for moisture. Be careful not to undercook.

Balsamic Basil Blast Steak Marinade

From the quintessentially effervescent Sue McLain

1/4 cup olive oil
1 TBSP dijon mustard. (I used Grey Poupon)
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1-2 TBSP fresh Basil/Cinnamon Basil, chopped
2 Large garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP red onion, minced
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper (I used mixed red, white and black pepper corns)

1 1/2 lbs Sirloin Tip Steak
Mix ingredients and pour over steak
Let marinade 4-5 hours
Barbecue the steak slowly.
Enjoy the steak.

Barbecued Steak Stuffed with Thyme, Ginger & Bacon

Ingredients, per serving:

1 ten-ounce sirlion steak, thick cut. (Actually any boneless steak that is of sufficient quality for barbecue is fine.)
3 strips bacon, mostly cooked (still chewy)
1 TBSP red onion jelly
1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves, washed, chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger, finely shredded
1 ounce Mozarella cheese, sliced
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
While the barbecue is pre-heating at a high heat, slice through the steak, leaving one edge connected ("butterfly fillet"). Season with salt and pepper inside and outside.

Spread Red Onion Jelly thickly on one side of the steak. Layer the shredded ginger and chopped thyme over the jelly; then the bacon and cheese.

Close the steak, and press it firmly with a spatula to keep it closed.

Place on the hot barbecue, and immediately turn the barbecue to medium-low. Cook until done in the center (at least 140 degrees). Serve with fresh veggies, baked potato, and red ale or stout.

Comment: less thyme. More jelly (double it). More ginger, or a better way to capture its flavor. Consider other cheeses: white is right, but needs more zing: Parmesan-Reggiano? Asiago? Romano? Maybe Bleu? Add some garlic. Consider food processing herbs w/ garlic (coarsely) and maybe some lime juice.

Savory Beef Meat Roll

In a large frying pan, sauté until brown:
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced,
1 pound stew beef, cubed,
1 pound hamburger (shredded beef would be better, but it's more expensive).
Season with pepper and
1 tsp beef bouillon base.
Cook until brown.

When the meat is both done and well coated in the bouillon base, add
1 can tomato sauce,
bring back to temperature, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes while the sauce reduces and coats the meat.
Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Assembly:

Make bread dough. (See here for a yummy example.) Use either a one-pound loaf recipe, or half of a 2-pound loaf recipe. Roll out on a well-floured board into a sheet 15” x 20”. Mark a line 3” or so from the far end: don’t add any fillings to the last 3” of the bread: that will be used to close the roll and hold it closed.

Cover the dough (except a 1” border and the last 3” noted above) with the beef mix.
Cover with:
1 can black beans, evenly distributed over the surface of the meat. If there’s any liquid, reserve it.
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

Roll the loaded dough up from the full side towards the empty 3” end. Seal the ends as you’re rolling so that the stuffing doesn’t roll out. Wrap the 3” over the top, using the liquid reserved from the beans (or water) as glue to seal the roll shut. You should have a roll about 4” in diameter and about 16” long.

Lay the roll, sealed side down, on parchment paper on a large baking sheet.
Sprinkle on the top:
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese. Press it into the surface of the roll.

Let it raise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Bake at 350 until done (expect 40 minutes: I cook it until a thermometer in the center has hit 135 - 140 degrees).

Remove from oven and let it cool completely. Then slice into single servings (I cut it into about eight 2” slices). Put each slice in a freezer bag or heavy duty sandwich bag, and freeze until needed. Microwave on a small plate and serve, or eat it while you’re running off to do something exciting.

Serious Meat Rolls

Into the bread machine, in this order:

1½ tsp active dry yeast

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups white flour

2 TBSP white sugar

2 TBSP dry milk powder

2 TBSP butter

1¼ tsp salt

1⅓ cups water, lukewarm.

Set the bread machine on “dough” setting. When it's done, cut it in half, and roll each half out on a flowered surface, until it's less than 1/4" thick. Coat with:

Sliced steak (season and grille a 12 oz steak; refrigerate, slice thinly; half for each roll)
one chicken breast, seasoned and grilled, refrigerated and sliced.
3 oz thinly sliced pepperoni
4 slices of bacon, soft cooked
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup frozen veggies (I like French cut beans)
4 ounces (1/4 pound) of crumbled cooked pork sausage.
Season with a fair bit of freshly ground pepper (the bacon provides enough salt).

Roll up the dough like a cinnamon roll, resulting in a roll that's 12" x maybe 4" diameter. Let it raise for 20 minutes, then bake at 350 for 35 or 40 minutes until the inside is completely cooked. Cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm, sliced thick as a main dish (I like it with fresh corn on the cob), or slice it into appropriate size pieces and freeze separately for re-heating later.

Easter Steak Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Less subtle, more manly nourishment than the Bacon Stuff Chicken Breasts described earlier. These came about as a discovery resulting from Easter. We (aka "I") barbecued steak for thirty people for Easter dinner (why be a slave to tradition?), and it seems that thirty pounds of New York Steak was a bit much. The steak had been cooked to medium rare, having been gently seasoned with salt, pepper, some garlic powder, and a little of a commercial steak rub, then refrigerated for a couple of days. Serves 2 hungry guys. (Is there another kind of guys?)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, defrosted and sliced open (butterflied)
1 leftover Easter New York Steak (see above), cut into 1/4" strips
2 TBSP bacon grease
2 tsp mango papaya jam
4 oz sharp white cheese (we used a sharp cheddar made from raw milk)
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 TBSP shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste (don't be overly shy)
1 tsp brown deli mustard

Butterfly the chicken breasts, salt & pepper the insides. Cover one side with mango papaya jam and Parmesan cheese. Lay the slices of cold steak over the cheese. On the other side, layer chili powder, rosemary, and sharp white cheddar cheese. Close the chicken breast. Stall for time until your wife leaves the kitchen; then coat the outside - top and bottom - with bacon grease. Add pepper or a pepper mix to taste. Grill on a hot grille for long enough that the chicken is cooked and the steak is hot: it was about 7 minutes for me in one of those George Foreman Grilles, and the bacon grease all melted off anyway, except that the taste was still in the chicken, and it held the pepper in place pretty well.

Review: I kind of figure that chicken calls for a light beer (like an amber ale, or a German hefeweizen), and that steak calls for something darker: an oatmeal stout would have been good with this New York steak (except that it was a family gathering at Easter). A Dunkel (dark hefeweizen) would be good here, or a dark Czech lager like Krušovice. The steak stuffed chicken breasts were wonderful: not at all over-the-top for a meat lover, though my sweetheart looked at me oddly when I talked about adding bacon next time.

First Night of Camping Steak

I camp a lot. This is always the first night's meal. Serves one.

Ingredients:

12 - 18 oz sirloin steak (Yeh, I know it's big. that's the point, actually.)
some barbecue spiced pepper.
a small can of green beans. Carrots are an acceptable substitute. Spinach is not. Eww.
An onion bagel.

Implements of cookage:
Campfire with good coals and not a lot of flame.
Grille over the fire.
Tongs for grabbing stuff you drop in the fire.
Gloves to keep you from burning the hair off the back of your hand when you grab stuff from the fire.

Procedure:
Let the grill heat up while you're rubbing in a whole lot of spice into the steak. Use a can opener to open the beans, but leave the lid in place. Slice the bagel.

Plop the steak on the grille and enjoy the sizzle. Nestle the can of beans into the coals.

When the steak is cooked 2/3 of the way through, flip it over (once!) and put the bagel on the grille (sliced side down) to toast. Crack open any beverage you like as long as it comes in a long-necked brown bottle and does not include the word "Lite" on the label. Make sure the beans are beginning to boil. Sharpen your steak knife.

When the steak is done, pull it all off the grille and onto your plate.

Consume with enthusiasm. Skip the veggies if you feel like it.

Option: mix a little butter and bleu cheese (the crumbly, real stuff) together and let it melt on top of the steak for the last couple of minutes on the grille. Gorgonzola works well too. Mmm, mmm.