I’m making an attempt at purging my freezer in the basement so that we can get it cleaned out and thawed. On my way to doing that, I came across some corned beef that I wanted to use up. My initial thoughts are always to make corned beef hash, as I really do like corned beef hash, but then I decided to make an easy pastrami. I love a good pastrami sandwich, so I figured why not take my spin on an easy pastrami recipe. To say the least, it was dynamite!
Now you can go a bunch of different direction with this and make your own spice blends, and brine it if you want to, but the brisket was already brined, so I went with just a lot of cracked black pepper. Again, super simple, and extremely delicious.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
3-4 pound corned beef brisket
Black pepper, enough to generously coat the corned beef
Smoker
Start by rinsing the corned beef with cold water. Pat dry.
Cover the corned beef with black pepper. I used some great pepper I purchased from the Milwaukee Spice House. Once the corned beef is rubbed, cover and place in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Next is the smoke. Prepare your smoker, and get it going to about 225 degrees. You can probably go with your favorite wood, and in this case I used apple wood chunks. Smoke the brisket, fat side up, for about 4 hours, then continue cooking for about another 4 hours. You want the internal temperature to be about 180 degrees.
Remove it from the smoker, and place it into a large pot to let rest, and cool. Once cooled place it in the refrigerator overnight. The following day, place the corned beef onto a steamer rack, adding water to the bottom of the pan, and cover. I used my Chinese steamer for this. If you do not have one, just add it to a wire rack on a large baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil, and steam for about 2 more hours, adding additional water when needed. Just make sure the water does not come in contact with the corned beef.
Remove, and slice.
I cannot tell you how awesome this was, and trust me, it did not last long. My boys loved it, and I was already in heaven. I served it onto a sandwich, slathering a bit of Dijon mustard on it. I wish I would have made about twice as much!
It is a process, but it is well worth the time and effort. Hope you enjoy!
Finally. Yes, finally we are back to a few good months of weather in Wisconsin. Let’s face it, this past winter was brutally long, and finally everything is blooming. The smell of late spring and summer is here, and well, it’s just plain awesome. It’s funny how something so simple that mother nature provides makes us all cheer up a bit. With that said, it is also that time of year where grilling becomes part of the everyday ritual. Whether it is lunch during the weekend, or by default the dinner cooking method during the work week, my little grill is getting it’s workout week, especially during this long holiday weekend.
As I got the ‘house’ ready for the long weekend, meaning, cut the grass, plant the vegetable garden, etc, I was really hungry and I knew I was going to want to fill up on a good meal. So with that said, about 80% through my cutting of the grass, I lit some coals in my charcoal chimney starter, and took a small break to season a New York strip, generously with salt on both sides, and cracked black pepper on the other. Then I thought, after having a recent conversation with a friend regarding morel mushrooms, that I would throw together a bit of blue cheese butter. Yes, blue cheese, and butter are amazing with steak if you have never had it, now then, please try.
After I cut the grass, the coals were finally heated, and so I placed the grate onto the grill, cleaned it, heated it, and got pretty darn excited for lunch. Steak for lunch? Hell yes. It wasn’t that I was so excited as the steak, as it was for the blue cheese butter. Trust me.
Let’s get started.
1 New York Strip, to your liking
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp softened, unsalted butter
2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles
1 tsp chopped chives
That’s it. And TRUST me, the combination is out of this world.
Start by seasoning both sides of your steak with salt. Pat it into the steak. Season one side with the cracked black pepper. Let this sit on the counter, at room temperature for about 30 minutes. During this time, heat you grill. I always prefer charcoal, but do what you want on this step.
Take the butter and add it to a small bowl. Add the blue cheese, and chives. Mix well and set inside the refrigerator to cool.
Once the grill is preheated, clean your grates, then take the steak, and place onto direct heat, cracked pepper side down. Sear the steak for about 4 minutes.
Turn, and cook until your desired tenderness. I go medium, to medium-rare nowadays.
Remove from the grill, and place onto your serving dish. Top with the blue cheese butter, and gently spread onto the top before slicing into it.
Yes, this is what I had for lunch, and after 3 hours of working outdoors, it was well deserved.
The result is a perfect flavor combination. My brother-n-law turned me onto the blue cheese and steak combination years ago, and to this day, it’s one of my favorites. As much as I love cooked mushrooms with my steak, this one tops it. The grilled New York Strip with blue cheese butter has this creaminess, along with that great kick from the blue cheese that will just blow your mind. Trust me, it’s a good one. Hope you enjoy!
I’ll admit that I could probably eat Mexican food every day if I could. Anything from the soups, stews, enchiladas, tacos, and heck, even a plate of rice and beans with some roasted chili toreados. I love everything about Mexican cuisine to be honest, and to me, it has comfort food written all over it. There is yet another item I love off the Mexican restaurant menu, and that is the Mexican torta. It’s a simple sandwich but it is loaded with amazing textures and flavor. There is however, a sibling, if you will, to the classic torta, and that is the Mexican cemita. Very similar, but a bit different in terms of a couple of the ingredients. If you are looking for a great sandwich, look no more, because this sandwich is awesome!
Yes, that is one massive piece of beef milanesa that you see placed between a cemita roll!
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
1 cemita roll, halved
1/2 roma tomato, thinly sliced
Oaxacan cheese, pulled into strands
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup roasted red salsa, or your favorite
1/2 avocado, mashed
1/2 cup refried beans, cooked
1 piece of beef milanesa (thinly pounded breaded beef)
2 cups of cooking oil
Start by adding the oil to a large skillet, and bring up to temperature, about 350 degrees. During this time, begin preparing all of your ingredients.
When the oi comes to temperature, carefully slide in the beef milanesa. Fry for about three minutes on each side, until each is a deep golden brown. Once cooked, remove and place on some paper lined plate to drain any excess oil. Season with a pinch of salt.
Now you can use something other than beef milanesa, such as shredded chicken or heck even carnitas, so you are not limited to beef milanesa, however it is a classic, and I highly recommend it.
To assemble the sandwich, take the bottom cemita roll, and lather on the cooked refried beans. Next, top with the beef milanesa, the shredded Oaxaca cheese, the cilantro, mashed avocado, tomato, and red salsa. Top with the seeded cemita bun, and get in attack mode.
It’s a great sandwich. Now granted you could go with a smaller piece of beef milanesa, but this is what was purchased from my local Mexican grocery store, so it was great biting into it, and getting a bit of the cheese and salsa, and then you get into the awesome cemita itself, and well let’s say it’s hard to put down.
The creaminess of both the beans and avocado are perfectly balanced by the heat from the roasted salsa, and well the saltiness of the cheese goes so well with the crisp and tender beef milanesa. It’s one of my favorite sandwiches, and I know you will love it! Hope you enjoy…
1 piece of beef milanesa (thinly pounded breaded beef)
2 cups of cooking oil
Instructions
Start by adding the oil to a large skillet, and bring up to temperature, about 350 degrees. During this time, begin preparing all of your ingredients.
When the oi comes to temperature, carefully slide in the beef milanesa. Fry for about three minutes on each side, until each is a deep golden brown. Once cooked, remove and place on some paper lined plate to drain any excess oil. Season with a pinch of salt.
Now you can use something other than beef milanesa, such as shredded chicken or heck even carnitas, so you are not limited to beef milanesa, however it is a classic, and I highly recommend it.
To assemble the sandwich, take the bottom cemita roll, and lather on the cooked refried beans. Next, top with the beef milanesa, the shredded Oaxaca cheese, the cilantro, mashed avocado, tomato, and red salsa. Top with the seeded cemita bun, and get in attack mode.
It’s a great sandwich. Now granted you could go with a smaller piece of beef milanesa, but this is what was purchased from my local Mexican grocery store, so it was great biting into it, and getting a bit of the cheese and salsa, and then you get into the awesome cemita itself, and well let’s say it’s hard to put down.
The creaminess of both the beans and avocado are perfectly balanced by the heat from the roasted salsa, and well the saltiness of the cheese goes so well with the crisp and tender beef milanesa. It’s one of my favorite sandwiches, and I know you will love it! Hope you enjoy…
Sometimes you just have a real craving for junk food, and if you are like me, that doesn’t equate to a bowl of potato chips. See, this past weekend I had this idea in my head that I wanted to make a batch of hand cut french fries, while on the other hand I had the idea of grilling out some carne asada and possibly making some tacos, and that’s when it knocked me in the face with the idea of making carne asada fries. Now if you have never had carne asada fries, well, watch out because these things are freaking amazing. Basically fries loaded with awesome carne asada, cheese, guacamole, and other toppings that you would desire. Almost like a nachos gone wild.
You are probably never going to see these on a Mexican restaurant’s menu, and typically will see these on menus throughout San Diego, but this is where you can make it all your own. I prefer using hand cut fries, but you can use frozen if you prefer to make the hand cut fries.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients for the Carne Asada:
1 1/4 pound flank steak
2 limes, juiced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
Ingredients for the Carne Asada Fries:
2 whole russet potatoes, cleaned and cut into match sticks
water
3 cups of canola oil
1 roma tomato, diced
2 green onions, diced
1 cup Monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 serrano chilies, thinly sliced (optional)
1 avocado, diced
2 tbsp sour cream, (optional)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
limes, (optional)
You can get as creative as you desire on your toppings, however I think this was a great balance, and well, they rocked.
Start by combining your ingredients for the carne asada, and rub all over the meat. Place in a sealable bag, and let this marinate over night if you can, but at least 6 hours.
Soak the sliced potatoes in cold water for about 20 minutes, then drain, and place back in cold water again to remove a bunch of the starch. Drain again, then place on a lined baking sheet, and place in a preheated, 300 degree oven for 20 minutes, just to lightly cook them.
Heat your coals, and get that grill piping hot. During this time, take the meat out of the refrigerator, and let it come to room temperature as you are heating the grill. Once the grill is heated, place the meat on the grill, and cook for about 5 minutes per side, or to your desired doneness. Remove and place on a plate to let rest, about 20 minutes prior to slicing.
Heat the oil to about 350 degrees, then carefully add the potatoes, working in batches, and let them cook for about 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place into a paper lined bowl. Repeat with the remaining (batches) of fries.
Once the first cooking of the fries is completed, bring the oil up to about 375 degrees. Add the fries, working in batches, back into the oil, and cook until golden brown. The result will be a crisp exterior with a nice and tender interior. Remove with the slotted spoon, and place back into a paper towel lined bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining fries.
Slice the carne asada across the grain in thin slices, then chop into bite-sized chunks. Add the carne asada to the bowl of fries, along with the serrano chilies, green onions, and cheeses. Give a good toss, then place in a 300 degree oven in a baking dish, and cook until the cheese just begins to melt.
Remove, and top with the tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream.
The end result is nothing short of amazing. The fries were perfect and when paired with the carne asada, and dipped into the sour cream or avocados, man, I’m just hungry thinking about them! Give these a shot. They are perfect game day grub, and will feed about 4, or two very hungry people. Enjoy!
2 whole russet potatoes, cleaned and cut into match sticks
water
3 cups of canola oil
1 roma tomato, diced
2 green onions, diced
1 cup Monterey jack cheese
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 serrano chilies, thinly sliced (optional)
1 avocado, diced
2 tbsp sour cream, (optional)
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
limes, (optional)
Instructions
You can get as creative as you desire on your toppings, however I think this was a great balance, and well, they rocked.
Start by combining your ingredients for the carne asada, and rub all over the meat. Place in a sealable bag, and let this marinate over night if you can, but at least 6 hours.
Soak the sliced potatoes in cold water for about 20 minutes, then drain, and place back in cold water again to remove a bunch of the starch. Drain again, then place on a lined baking sheet, and place in a preheated, 300 degree oven for 20 minutes, just to lightly cook them.
Heat your coals, and get that grill piping hot. During this time, take the meat out of the refrigerator, and let it come to room temperature as you are heating the grill. Once the grill is heated, place the meat on the grill, and cook for about 5 minutes per side, or to your desired doneness. Remove and place on a plate to let rest, about 20 minutes prior to slicing.
Heat the oil to about 350 degrees, then carefully add the potatoes, working in batches, and let them cook for about 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place into a paper lined bowl. Repeat with the remaining (batches) of fries.
Once the first cooking of the fries is completed, bring the oil up to about 375 degrees. Add the fries, working in batches, back into the oil, and cook until golden brown. The result will be a crisp exterior with a nice and tender interior. Remove with the slotted spoon, and place back into a paper towel lined bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining fries.
Slice the carne asada across the grain in thin slices, then chop into bite-sized chunks. Add the carne asada to the bowl of fries, along with the serrano chilies, green onions, and cheeses. Give a good toss, then place in a 300 degree oven in a baking dish, and cook until the cheese just begins to melt.
Remove, and top with the tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream.
The end result is nothing short of amazing. The fries were perfect and when paired with the carne asada, and dipped into the sour cream or avocados, man, I’m just hungry thinking about them! Give these a shot. They are perfect game day grub, and will feed about 4, or two very hungry people. Enjoy!
