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Let’s get started on this simple, and comforting recipe.

Ingredients: [Print this Recipe]

• 2 lbs of Chuck Beef, or a good stewing beef, cut into larger bite sized cubes
• 2 Russet potatoes, skinned, and cut into large bite size pieces
• 4 oz can of yellow curry paste (as seen here)
• 1 stick of cinnamon, approximately 4 inches long
• 1 star anise
• 4 cardamon pods, smashed
• 2 large shallots, quartered
• 1 large onion, cut into large bite size pieces
• 2 14 oz cans of coconut milk
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of roasted, unsalted peanuts
• Cooked Jasmine rice
• 2 tbsp canola oil

You are going to treat this entire dish like a stew. It will cook low and slow for a good couple of hours, but that is OK as you will be gifted with some wonderful and tantalizing aromas during that time.

Begin by adding your cubed beef a large mixing bowl. Add in the curry paste and beging mixing the meat around, making sure the paste adheres to all of the pieces. Once done, set aside, and wash your hands with warm water and soap.

Next, heat a dutch oven if you have one, if not a heavy pot on the stove, on medium heat. Add in the oil and let it come to temperature.

Toss in the cinnamon stick, star anise, and cardamon seeds and pods. Give a good stir.  This is probably your second great smell as the curry paste was probably the first inviting smell. Let this cook for about 3 minutes.

Toss in the shallots and the onions and give another good stir. Let this cook, stirring a few times along the way, for about 5 minutes.

Next, toss in the curried meat mixture, turning up the heat to a medium high. and give a good stir. Cook, untouched for about two minutes. Add in the chicken stock, and the coconut milk. Give another good stir.

Let this come to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours.

Now, add in the fish sauce, brown sugar, peanuts, and the potatoes. Give a good stir, then cover again. Allow this to cook until the potatoes are fork tender. This will take about 30-40 minutes.

Give the broth a taste. Heavenly right?

Once the potatoes are cooked, the beef massaman curry is ready to serve.

To serve, add some cooked jasmine rice to a soup bowl. Using a ladle, ladle in some of the broth, potatoes, and beef over the top of the rice. Top with some more broth.

Not only the smell of this massaman curry is amazing, but I think you will agree that the flavor is also out of this world. Super tender beef, along with the chunky potatoes and onions. Well, what more do I have to say to get you make this one? Hope you enjoy.

When I began thinking about this recipe, I was looking at a beef tenderloin that I thought I would break down and stuff with duxelle, but something threw me a curveball that day and I was left wondering what I was going to do with it, and hence my further curiosity to make this Thai peppered beef.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs beef tenderloin, cut across the grain, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup of sweet soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of water
• 3 Thai chile peppers, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• Cooked Jasmine rice
• Fried Egg, optional

Begin my marinating your beef in the cornstarch, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, and cracked black pepper. Marinade for at least two hours, but no more than four.

When you are ready to cook, and this one goes fast, heat a large wok with some oil. Let it come to temperature, then add the beef. Cook for a minute or two, then toss in the garlic and shallots. Give it a good toss, cooking another minute or so before tossing in the soy sauces, sesame oil, and additional fish sauce.  Sprinkle with sugar, and add in the water. Reduce the heat to a medium, low, and give a good stir. You should see the sauce beginning to form from the cornstarch.

Add in the sliced Thai chile peppers. If you want to keep these out due to your weakness to spicy food, feel free, but trust me, the chilie peppers do give a really great balance and spice.

Cook for a couple more minutes, then serve in a bowl of cooked jasmine rice, and top with a fried egg. Trust me, this one is great. A bit of sweet, salty, and spice and when you cut into the perfectly cooked egg, it adds this creaminess that just balances everything. It is a perfect palette rocker.  I hope you enjoy.

Now you can make your own kimchi if you want, but since it is readily abundant in the store, you pick up a jar and dig right in. In my opinion, kimchi is best served with grilled meats. There is a balance there that is unlike any other, and with that said, I thought I would create a burger and load it with kimchi, hence the kimchi burger.

This past weekend, I was left watching my kids, and when that happens, (this always happens) I ask the question ‘what do you guys want to eat?’. The immediate response from my oldest kid was ‘bacon burger!’. I should probably use about nine exclamation marks when he shouted that with excitement. So burgers it was. One plain cheese, one with loaded bacon, and one kimchi.

Lets get started.

Ingredients: [Print this Recipe]

• 1 1/2 lb ground chuck
• 1 1/4 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• Slices of sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of kimchi, per burger
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 great hamburger buns (I am using Breadsmith’s Buttertop Buns), sliced

Begin by making your patties. Divide the meat mixture into three even sections. Form each section into a nice patty, and generously season each side with salt and pepper. When both sides are seasoned, take your thumb and make a nice indention in the center of each patty. This evens out the burger when cooked on the grill and prevents it from turning into a big lump of meat. Let the patties rest on the counter while you go get your grill heated.

Heat your grill. No preference on using charcoal or gas on this recipe. Use whichever is convenient, but get it nice and hot. I like to heat the grill really hot on one side, while keeping it warm on the opposite side. This allows you to have more control in case the coals get too hot.

Place your patties on the grill and cook them for about five minutes. Just leave them alone. Don’t (and never) smash them with a spatula, just let them be. Flip the patties after about 5 minutes, keeping an eye on them so the grill doesn’t go up in fire, and continue cooking until your desired doneness.

Now is the time to put on the cheese as well. One slice per patty, then slide to the warmer part of the grill, and let it cook until the cheese it melted.

Butter the buns, and add them to the grill, just to get some nice toast marks on them.

Now you are ready to serve.

Take the buns off of the grill, and place the cheese burger, cheese down onto the base of the bun. Top with a half cup of the kimchi, and add the top bun. That’s it.

Biting into this delicious burger results into this garlic, crunchy, and spicy texture, then the juicy burger and balance of the cheese, makes every bite really, really great.

Give it a shot. Kimchi alone is awesome. Now you know.

Many of us who our not from southeastern Europe probably have no idea, nor heard of cevapi. That is one of the reasons I am going to introduce it to you today. Cevapi, in my opinion, are like grilled kebabs that look dense in texture, but are extremely light and airy. Not only that but they are packed with some great flavor. They are found in the southestern parts of Europe. Think Serbia, Kosovo, and Bosnia. To me, this is their kebob, and one similar to kofta. After all, it cannot be just the Italians that make some sort of meatball right?

Let’s get started on this wonderful southeastern Europe style kebab.

Ingredients: (serves eight)

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, minced
• 1/4 cup of Italian leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup warm water mixed with 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper

Serve with:

• Naan bread, warmed
• Ajvar (optional)
• tzatziki (optional)

If you have never added baking soda to any of your meat mixtures, you might be missing out. The baking soda builds that pillow texture, that airiness you get in this kebob. Remember that when you are biting into the final product. Take all of your ingredients, throw them in a bowl, and mix well with your hands. Mix like you are making meatballs, or a meatloaf.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let this sit overnight if you can, if not, at least 4-6 hours.

Next, form the cevapi into thick finger likc shapes, if you will. They do not have to be perfect. They should be about the length of your index finger, an inch or so thick.

Let these rest while you fire up your grill. I highly recommend cooking over charcoal if you have that opportunity as the charcoal give this kebobs that smoky flavor. Well, let’s admit, charcoal or wood should be used when grilling. I will admit that I have not used the gas grill all summer long since my cousin was kind enough to hand down his charcoal grills to me.

Once the coals are hot, add the cevapi to the grill, cooking a few minutes per side. These do not take very long to cook. You should get nice sear marks on the outside of the kebabs, while going for a medium, to medium well on the inside.

Once your cevapi are off the grill, you have some options in plating.

My personal favorite is to plate the cevapi on a nice plate. To another plate, stack the warm naan or pita bread. Then in two separate bowls, add the ajvar and the tzatziki.

Build your cevapi by spreading ajvar on the bottom of the bread, top with the cevapi, and drizzle some tzatziki sauce on top. Wrap and bite into it. The result is something out of this world. Tender bites of the kebab that are so well balanced by the slightly spicy ajvar sauce then cooled by the tzatziki sauce. This southeastern Europe kebab known as the cevapi is hard to be. So if you are looking for something new to try, and get your family or guests questioning at the dinner table, this one might just do that. Enjoy!

Ever since my wife fell in love with the chicken feta sausage that I made, I have been making sausage on a fairly regular basis. The great thing about making your own sausage is that you are the creator. I think of making sausage like making a pizza. It can be very simple like making a cheese and pepperoni pizza, or it can get as creative as you want that pizza to be. So after I began thinking of what type of sausage I would like to serve to my family and friends, I decided to make a craisin and sharp cheddar style sausage.

I am so glad that I made this sausage, for only one reason, well there are probably more reasons, but one reason that I will get to after towards the end.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of pork shoulder, bone out, cut into 2 inch slices
• 1 shallot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of craisins
• 3/4 lb of 3 year old sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt, to taste
• Cracked black pepper, to taste
• Natural casings, cleaned
• Sausage stuffer

A couple of key components when making your sausages. Casings and a sausage stuffer. You can get the casings at nearly any butcher, and the stuffer can be purchased online, or if you have a KitchenAid, you can get the attachment. Once you have these items, you are on your way to making great sausage.

So to get started, begin by getting your meat really cold. I place mine in the freezer for about 30 minutes before grinding. You want the meat to be really cold. If you do not have a grinder, you can use ground pork, but just make sure it has a bit of fat in there. I would recommend talking to your butcher and having them grind the pork shoulder for you.

Once you have the meat ground, take half of it, and grind it again. You will thank me later.

Next, take the shallots, garlic, cheese, and crasins, and run those through the grinder.

Start off by seasoning the meat mixture with about one tablespoon each of the salt and pepper. Mix well.

Form a small patty and cook it on medium heat in a skillet. Once cooked, taste it. The key is to taste the sausage and season with any additional salt and pepper before stuffing three feet of sausage. I know people who have not done this and paid for it later!

Once you have your seasoning right, prepare your sausage stuffer.

Place the casing onto the stuffer, tying a knot at the end.

Begin feeding your sausage, working with both hands. Feel free to use a toothpick at times to poke small holes in the casing, letting out any air, and it will happen. Nothing to worry about though.

Once you are done stuffing the sausage, make into your links, or go old school and use the whole sausage ring, placing it on the grill. Depending on who you are grilling for, this can be pretty fun.

Freeze in plastic freezer storage bags, or if you have a FoodSaver, use that.

The best part of making this particular sausage was that everyone loved it, including my oldest boy who has refused to eat sausage since he was about three years old. Not only is he picky about fruit and having cheese in certain foods, but he had no clue. He loved it! The double grinding of the meat makes these brats really stand out in texture, and flavor.

I served mine sliced, and due to the subtle sweetness, drizzled a bit of Jamaican pickapeppa sauce for a bit of heat. However you serve these, you will enjoy them. Hope you enjoy.

I do want to give credit to my colleague at work. This is one of the guys that if we are not in a meeting, or rushing off to support some technical issue, that he is the one I am talking to, or vice versa, about food, around 9:30 a.m., every morning. He was the one who was talking about charcuterie, the art of preparing meats such as bacon, pancetta, sausages, confit, and more, primarily from pork. The old school way, and now maybe the only way, to craft and preserve meat. It was he who excited me in this path and informed me to pick up the book, Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing.

Lets get started on this simple recipe of making homemade bacon.

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs of pork belly, skin on
• 1/4 cup of basic dry cure
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper (optional)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder (optional)
• large ziplock bag or sealed plastic container large enough to hold the pork

Dry Cure:

• 1 lb of Kosher salt
• 8 oz granulated sugar
• 2 oz of pink salt, approximately 10 tsp

Please note that the dry cure makes a lot, probably enough to keep me making bacon for a year, if not more, and you only need a quarter cup of the cure.

So begin by locating a good pork belly. You might ask, ‘where am I going to find four pounds of pork belly!?’. No worries, locate a good butcher, and stick with that butcher. I have been going to Ray’s for some time now, and I knew that when I would ask if they had pork belly, in that quantity, that I would have to look no further. In all honesty, Ray’s Butcher Shoppe was more than happy to order my pork belly, roughly over nine pounds worth! That was double the bacon, and I am already planning my next savory bacon because after all, this bacon was spot on, and not it is time to experiment with flavor.

So begin by mixing your dry cure, making sure everything is thoroughly mixed.

Take your pork belly and begin sprinkling the 1/4 cup of dry cure all over the belly. Top, bottom, and all sides. Make sure everything is coated, rubbing it into the pork.

Place this into a sealed plastic bag or container, placing in a refrigerator, and wait.

I say wait, but because you are looking at about 7-9 days before the next process.

About every other day, flip the bag or meat making sure to redistribute the cure liquid, a process called overhauling.

In seven days, check the pork for firmness. If it feels firm at the thickest point in the belly, it should be cured. If not, let it go another day before checking again.

Once you have reached the firmness, mine went for about 8 days, remove it from the refrigerator, and container, and rinse it under cold water.

Pat dry with paper towels, and place it back into a clean, sealed container for one more day. At this point the pork builds up a tackiness that I preferred so that I could season the outside the following day.

Now is the day we have been looking for. The day to rub and smoke and slow cook the bacon. This step takes approximately two hours to cook, another hour or so to cool down, then you can begin slicing, and cooking the way you prefer to cook your bacon.

Mix the black pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkle over all sides of the cured bacon.

Your next choice is to place it directly in the oven, or into your smoker if you have one. I have one, so I decided to light some coals, bring it to approximately 200 degrees, and place the pork inside, covered, skin side up, for roughly one hour. About 30 minutes in, I laid in my soaked cherry woodchips onto the coals, and let it smoke for about the additional 30 minutes.

At this time, I preheated my oven to 200 degrees inside the house, and finished the cooking process there, uncovered, on a wired rack.

Once the additional hour is done, check the temperature of the meat. You are looking at 150 degrees. Once you reach that temperature, remove it from the oven, and let it cool to room temperature.

Now is the fun part. Slicing it. If you have a really sharp knife, begin slicing into your desired thickness. I have a meat slicer (which I totally love) and it worked amazingly well on the bacon. I cut my belly in half to fit on the slicer, and began making thin slices, then thick slices. I took the remaining pork and cubed it, making lardons to be used later on in soups, stews, and other recipes.

So now you are left with a lot of bacon. The best thing to do now is to save some thick, some thin, and some lardons to be used in the next several weeks. Take the remaining bacon and seal it the best you can before placing in the freezer, or package it up, and give it away.

The next and final step is to cook it. I made mine later in the night so I needed to try it out. I had the kids waiting in line for fresh cooked bacon, and let me tell you, it was worth the wait.

Remember that giddiness I was referring to? I think I was chuckling to myself while cooking the bacon. Maybe I was tired, but I do not think so. I was excited. Extremely excited that the bacon I just cooked had a texture and flavor like nothing other. It was bacon at its finest. A simple cure, a waiting game, and the ultimate pleasure of making something that almost everyone loves. My kids were even talking about it. Kids in the block came over and asked me if it was true that I made my own bacon. One just showed up this morning asking for some, and as the other kids said, “this is the best bacon I think I have ever had”. Enjoy.

Some say that booyah, in its traditional form, takes several cooks, over several days to make. I could probably agree, especially if we all had that type of time on our hands, but remember, we are cold, and need something today, and this is where you can take a classic, start early, and have that traditional dish late in the day, and into the night.

Booyah after all, is a stew that is typically made by first creating your stock, then adding in your proteins and vegetables, simmering, and bringing all of the flavors together. These flavors just scream comfort, and this hearty Wisconsin booyah recipe is something that can be enjoyed by many.

Lets get started.

• 4 beef bones
• 1 1/2 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 4 medium onions, chopped
• 5 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 5 large carrots, trimmed, chopped
• 2 cups of green cabbage, shredded
• 2 cups of fresh green beans, chopped
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups of corn kernels
• 1 cup of peas
• 10 red potatoes, skin on, chopped
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• 1/2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Water
• Chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)
• Oyster crackers

Enough ingredients right? This is super easy, and just wait, as it is well worth any energy and time spent in making the booyah.

Always begin by having all of your items ready. Begin by getting your stock ready. To a large soup pot, heated on medium to high heat, add in the beef bones, and begin to brown them a bit, only for a few minutes. To this add in about half of the chopped onions. Stir for a minute or two, and then add in your bay leaves. Now is time to add in the water. Add about 12 cups of water. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.

Once your mixture has boiled, add in the stew meat, and the chicken pieces, and simmer for about two hours. Make sure you have enough water to cover all of the meat. If it is not covered, simply add a bit more. As the meat is cooking, skim off any of the junk that floats to the top and discard.

After two hours, remove all of the meat with a large slotted spoon, or spider skimmer and place in a large bowl. Skim of any remaining junk floating at the top, but keep the beef bones in the broth.

Now it is time to begin adding the vegetables, one type at a time.

Begin by adding the potatoes and carrots, cooking for about 15 minutes. Next, the onion and celery, cooking another 15 minutes. Toss in the peas, and cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the corn. After about 5 minutes, toss in the green beans. Add in the chopped tomatoes, give a good mix, and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Continue to simmer the stew for about 10 minutes.

During this time, remove the skin from the cooked chicken, and begin shredding the chicken, as well as the beef stew meat. Once all of the meat has the fat removed, and the bones, and is shredded, add it back into the soup pot.

Give a good stir, bring back to temperature, and continue cooking on low heat for about 30 minutes.

Just before you are ready to serve, add in the juice of the lemon, the soy sauce, and the worchestershire sauce. Give a good stir. Remove the beef bones and discard.

Ladle a good amount into your favorite soup bowls, sprinkle a bit of chopped parsley, and serve the booyah with a nice handful of oyster crackers on the side as well as a lemon wedge.

True comfort, and a really great balance of flavors and textures. Wisconsin does good things, and introducing you to booyah is one only one of them. I hope you enjoy.

My wife had asked what the pasty was, and the waitress came back with this description that I was not buying as a foodie, so I had described it to both of them, relating it to the empanada, or turnover. Basically a flaky dough that is filled with a meat mixture, folded and sealed, and baked until fully cooked. With that said, I had told my wife that I was on the edge of making my version of a pasty called a Jamaican meat pie, or other wise known as the Jamaican patty.

Now I have never been to Jamaica, and trust me, I would love to go, not only to relax on their beaches, but also to try the jerk chicken, and also their saltfish and stews. I do know enough however of the flavors of Jamaica, and decided to offer up my version of a meat mixture to make these Jamaican meat pies. Let’s get started.

Ingredients for the Dough:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 2  tsp turmeric powder
• 8 tbsp Crisco vegetable shortening
• 8 tbsp butter, unsalted, cubed
• Approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cold water
• Additional flour for dusting
• Large cutting board, or pastry board

Ingredients for the Meat Filling:

• 1 lb of good ground beef
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 tbsp garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 large habanero pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
• 15 oz can of tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup of cooked rice
• 1/2 cup of beef stock
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 1/2 tbsp salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper (to taste)

Ingredients to make the pie:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp water

Begin by making your dough. To a large bowl, sift in your flour, salt, and tumeric powder. Sifting your ingredients not only removes any lumps, but it also makes the dough nice and flaky. Add in your shortening and the butter. Take a couple of forks and begin mixing the butter and shortening into the flour. Once everything is incorporated, begin adding in the water. Add enough water until your mixtures turns into a dough, making sure it is not too loose and not too wet. Form into a ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap, placing it in the refrigerator over night, or let it rest for at least four hours.

To make the meat mixture, heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add in the diced onions and cook just until they begin to soften. Next, toss in your ginger and garlic paste, giving it a good stir and cooking for another minute. Next toss in your ground beef, breaking it up and mixing it along the way. Cook the meat until browned. Cover, allowing only a little space so that you can tip over and remove any excess fat.

Return the skillet back to the stove. Add in your tumeric, cumin, and cinnamon powder, as well as the thyme and diced habanero pepper. Give it a good stir, and continue to cook a few more minutes to incorporate those flavors. Next toss in your tomatoes and cooked rice, giving that a good stir, and cook a couple of more minutes. Add in your stock and rum. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. You want to make sure you have all of the right seasoning before filling into your pie.

Remove the mixture from the skillet and place into a medium bowl, letting it come to room temperature.

When you are ready to make the meat pies, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator.

Dust your pastry board with the flour, and take approximately a baseball size piece of the dough, flattening it onto the board. Dust with flour. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into about a six inch circle.

Add a few tablespoons of the meat mixture into the middle of the dough. You want enough dough in there to be able to fold over the dough, allowing for a good seal.  Add the water to the beaten eggs,  an brush along the edge of the dough. Fold and seal the pie. With a fork, crimp the edges of the pie and brush more of the egg wash on the top of the pie. Repeat until you make all of the pies, approximately 6-8 pies.

Place the pies onto a large baking sheet and cook in the oven for approximately 25-35 minutes or until golden. Carefully remove a pie from the sheet and plate.

The first thing you should note is the great color of the pie. It has a nice vibrant yellowish-orange color from the tumeric powder. When slicing into the pie, you are welcomed with a phenomenal smell, and while biting into one, you get this great texture that is just packed with the perfect amount of heat. The sweetness from the dough balances the heat from the habanero, making this pie truly comforting. Enjoy.

As my wife’s cousin says, one of the first things he thinks about when getting off the plane in the Philippines, is sisig, hence why I decided to try out the seasoning package. After all, “Mama Sita” was known for her cooking in the Philippines, and her products must be good right? Well, I had to know, and so I picked up the packet of seasoning mix for sisig.

Sisig is basically a sour and spicy dish in the Philippines that consists of pig parts. To be blunt, much of the pig’s face, including ears, snout, and cheeks, but let’s face it, much of that does not fly if you were to serve it at a table in the states, hence my version of sisig. A simple pork tenderloin, or pork shoulder will work. The end result is a perfect balance of sour and spice, with crispy, yet tender pieces of chopped pork. Enough said, the packet of Mama Sita’s Sisig spice worked, and brought out the sour that you need to have, but hard to find in the states, as the sour comes from the calamansi.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin, minced
• 2 large shallots, diced
• 1 package of Mama Sita’s Sisig seasoning
• 2 tbsp chives, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 Thai bird chili peppers, diced
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup of water

Prepare all of your ingredients in advance. To a large skillet, add the canola oil and bring it to a medium-high heat. Add the minced pork, and give a good stir. The goal while cooking the pork is to get a nice crisp on the pork, but not over cooking it. Keep mixing the pork until you have reached this consistency, as in the Philippines, they serve sisig on a sizzling plate, building that texture you are looking for.

Mix the packet seasoning with the water, and mix well.

To a bowl, add in the remaining ingredients, top with the sauce and the cooked pork, and mix well. Taste. Taste again.

The packet did the sisig justice and I have to say that I was sold on Mama Sita’s seasoning packet. The result is a sour, spice, and texture, that is so addicting that you will come back for more. A perfect snack, and a perfect dish to serve up with some nice cold beer. I brought this to a party where our cousin’s mom just flew in from the Philippines. She said she loved it, and actually had some for breakfast the following day. I guess Mama Sita did it right. Enjoy.

After I was so fortunate to partner with Branch Ranch Natural, I noticed that the ranch offered tri-tip as part of their product line, and it had my mouth watering when I found out. I knew exactly what I was going to do with it, and at first, I thought of using the rotisserie as my parents did, but instead I decided to roast it over meduim heat on the grill/smoker, and hit it with a bit of cherry smoke at the very end.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of tri-tip
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 2 sprigs of rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 handful of cherry wood chips, soaked in water

Ingredients for Cilantro Chimichurri:

• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 head of garlic, rough chop
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2/3 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 4 peppadew peppers
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Begin by rubbing your tri-tip with the olive oil. This will help the salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary stick to the meat. Let this marinate for at least four hours. While the meat marinates, make the chimichurri sauce. Let me stop right here and say if you have never had chimichurri sauce, it is simply a must make. Chimichurri is typically made with parsley with similar ingredients listed above, however I thought I would mix it up a bit and replace parsley with cilantro, and I am glad that I did.

So to make the chimichurri, add everything but the olive oil to a food processor, and pulse it down on the chop dial. You do not want a puree here, but you want it somewhat course. When everything is broken down, remove the blade and whisk in your olive oil. Give a taste, and adjust any salt or pepper as needed. Right off the bat you get a great punch of garlic and cilantro, and some of the sweet and spice of the peppadews. Pour into a bowl and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Take your meat out, and let it come to room temperature as you fire up your grill, or in my case my grill and smoker combination. Get your coals nice and hot. I believe in using charcoal with this type of meat as it gives it that smokey flavor you should be seeking. Your grill should register around 400 degrees before placing your tri-tip.

Once your grill is ready, add the tri-tip, and cover. Cook for about 40-50 minutes, or until the meat registers around 130 to 135 degrees. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the handful of soaked cherry wood chips to the coals, covering, and let the tri-tip get a nice hit of the cherry smoke. Just this little bit of smoke adds some really great flavor to the steak.

Remove the steak, and place in a pan to let rest, tenting it with foil. This rest time will allow all of the juices to remain in the steak, while bringing the temperature of the steak up to a medium heat, which I think is the best temperature to eat good meat.  So after letting the tri-tip rest for about 20 minutes, begin to slice the meat, against the grain, into about one inch slices.

Place a few strips of the tri-tip onto a plate and generously drizzle with the cilantro chimichurri sauce. I am not kidding when I say every bite is packed full of phenomenal flavor. You get a bit of the smoked cherry in the tri-tip with the awesome flavors garlic, rosemary, and cilantro. As my wife and I sat there and ate the slices of meat, we were just blow away by the complexity of really simple ingredients, not only that but the steak itself was just so tender and delicious.

So if you cannot locate a tri-tip, give Branch Ranch Natural a shot, or ask your local butcher for a nice two pound cut of the bottom sirloin. You will be thankful that you did. Enjoy.