I have a few must-use items in the fridge that I have to make tomorrow. I made the mistake of grocery shopping on Tuesday for 3 meals knowing we are leaving on Saturday to head to DC. Three meals doesn’t sound like much until you factor in that one dish created enough for us to have two dinners and Sebastian wanted to venture out to lunch today since the snow wasn’t nearly as bad as predicted. Now I have one night and one lunch with which to use the rest of my ingredients that otherwise may be less-than-fresh when we return.

The dish that left us with leftovers was a rehash of the Sausage, Zucchini & Penne Casserole. I haven’t made this dish since that last post, and it was delicious fresh. It was only okay reheated in the microwave. I’m sure I could have warmed it up in the toaster oven, but I wasn’t up for waiting around. Regardless, it was worth it. It’s even more worth it now that I know Wegmans carries hot Italian sausage in patty form so that I don’t have to mess with the casings.

Tomorrow night calls for using up the rest of the Fontina with Grilled Fontina, Mushroom, and Sage Sandwiches. Think grown up grilled cheese. I was thinking of using the grill to make them, but assuming the wind keeps up, I think I’ll stick with the Foreman grill inside.

Of course, I don’t actually have any bread on hand. That means that I need to make my own by mid-afternoon to have it ready for dinner. Warm, freshly baked bread and yummy grilled cheese sandwiches, there’s not much better in life.

I have found plenty of good bbq sauces, so I’ve never thought of making my own before. But Sebastian had other things in mind on his big day with the smoker. So begins the great experiment.

Stillhouse BBQ Sauce
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Source: Jack Daniel’s 2008 World Championship Invitational Barbecue

1/2 cup grated onion
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup ketchup
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce, or to taste

1. Cook onion in oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
3. Keep unused portion refrigerated.

Several notes:

1. We had the sauce simmering for a lot longer than half an hour to get it reduced down to a better consistency.  I’d say we let it simmer about an hour and a half.  Just watch it and get it to the consistency you want.
2. We’re going to make modifications the next time we make this sauce.  The first will be processing the onion down to a much thinner/smaller/finer texture.  Grating the onion gave us fairly thin slices, but they need to be smaller.
3. We’ll probably cut back on the vinegar just a bit. When served warm, the vinegar flavor is a bit strong.  When served cold, the Jack Daniel’s is stronger.
4. The hot sauce will make a difference in this recipe.  If you don’t like a kick to your sauce, then cut it back a bit.
5. While we still have quite a bit of Jack to finish, we did have an empty Wild Turkey bottle.  It’s actually fabulous for serving and storing the leftovers.  It’s novel.

As you may know, tonight we’re going to buy a smoker.  Now I need a recipe for this weekend.  I’ve never had a desire to make much in a smoker, so I don’t have a collection.

Completely by chance, I found this recipe linked on another blog today and I think the “butt in a bag” concept will be enough to intrigue Sebastian so we make it sometime.  (We both love pulled pork, but I require real bbq sauce and not that Carolina Crap.)

I’ll also pull out a grilling cookbook to see if they have any suggestions. But if you guys have any suggestions for a recipe for ribs, I think that’s what Sebastian wants to tackle tomorrow as we “honor” HSUS.

Tonight we finally did it.  We managed to perfect the Fancy Burger with the ever so elusive perfect topping.

Sebastian picked up a couple of condiments for his dad thinking his dad might not be quite as into the gourmet burger without some basics.  One of the potentials was Hidden Valley’s Spicy Ranch dressing.  It was perfect.  It really had just the right flavor to complement and not overpower the burger.

We also made one more change that made a notable improvement.  Instead of using a medium buttery brie, we used an intense earthy brie.  The more intense brie with the sauteed mushrooms was perfect.

Went to the book store today and while there picked up a new cookbook for Bitter, Williams and Sonoma’s Complete Grilling Cookbook.  While looking through it found a recipe I wanted to copy for myself before I ship it up to her.

Bourbon Marinated Chuck Roast

2/3 cup bourbon whiskey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3-31/2 lb)

In a small bowl, whisk together the
bourbon, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt,
and pepper.  Place the beef in a
large lock-top bag and pour in the
bourbon mixture.  Press out the air
and seal the bag tightly.  Refrigerate
for at leat 1 day or for up to 3 days,
turning the bag occasionally.
Prepare a fire for indirect-heat cooking
in a coverd grill.  Remove the meat
from the marinade and pat it dry with
paper towels.  Boil the remaining
marinade and reserve.  Place the
meat on the center of the grill rack,
cover, and opem the vents halfway.
Cook turning 3 or 4 times and
brushing with the reserved marinade,
until the roast is well browned and an
instant read thermometer inserted in
the thickest part registers 130 for
medium rare or 140 for medium
(45-60 minutes). Transfer the roast
to a cutting board and cover loosely
with aluminum foil and let rest for
10 minutes.  To serve, carve into
thin slics across the grain and
arrange on warmed individual plates.

I do believe I have found my new favorite side dish.

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower
Source: Chez Cayenne

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Toss cauliflower with oil in a medium bowl. Add spices and toss again to coat.
2. Spread in a single layer in an oiled, shallow pan. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring twice.

I made these on the grill last night.  I got it up to about 400 and put the pan on the warming rack while I prepped the sandwiches that needed to grill during the last half of the time.

I definitely plan on making this again and mixing up the spices a little more.  I loved the basics, but I might try adding more of different ingredients just to see if it makes a difference and improves it even more.

I’ve made roasted cauliflower before, and it was okay.  This was a great way to flavor them up without adding any extra calories.  I predict that you will find this on our dining table regularly from now on.

So we bought a grill and we’ve been grilling about 3 times a week. Even if we don’t need to grill a dish, we will. It’s still novel, and we’ve had fun experimenting with new dishes.

Since we need some new recipes, I guess I should start paying attention to Food & Wine a little more since they are publishing new grilling guides and recipes every week. In my inbox this week: 20 Tips for Everyday Grilling. In addition, here’s a recipe that jumped out at me:

Rosemary-Grilled Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
Serves 4.
Source: Food & Wine

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (11/4 pounds)
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
Freshly ground pepper
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
3 medium tomatoes—halved, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
Salt

1. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a medium baking dish, brush the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of the oil and rub with the rosemary. Season with pepper and let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 6 minutes. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and cook until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Season the chicken with salt and grill over moderately high heat, turning once, until cooked through, about 8 minutes.
4. Season the mushroom sauce with salt and pepper and spoon onto plates. Slice the grilled chicken breasts on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick. Arrange the chicken over the mushroom sauce and serve.

Since we had another package of hamburger meat and some leftover brie, we decided to take another stab at improving the Fancy Burger knockoffs we had last week. We decided to go with Jake’s suggestion of a red wine sauce, but that didn’t work out well. I can’t tell you exactly what happened because I was out getting buns when we realized the ones we had from last weekend had already gone bad.

We tried to make another reduction and mix it in with other potential sauce ingredients, but they just failed miserably. But more importantly, we found that mixing in even a bit of wine with the mushrooms completely overpowered the mushrooms. So no more of that in the future.

Instead, we pulled out a steak cookbook and looked for a sauce in there. We thought we’d be more likely to find something that wouldn’t overpower the other flavors, but would be a little gourmet. So our first attempt will be a version of a béarnaise sauce.

I don’t know when we will try the burgers again because our next plan is to do steaks. Last night we did strip steaks in a marinade of oil & vinegar, parsley, peppercorns, and steak seasoning. We included a side of portobello mushrooms marinated in a wine mix with garlic & basil that were also cooked on the grill. Finally, we finished it off with grilled asparagus and a salad. It was a perfect meal, even though we’re already plotting changes to the recipes.

Today’s Outdoor Wire features recipes from the winners of the Alabama Wildlife Federation’s Wild Game Cook-Off. I don’t think it’s possible to express how jealous I am of the judges for that contest. I would do just about anything to get a seat on that panel. ANYTHING. (Srlsy, call me, Alabama folks. CALL ME.)

I figured this is the kind of audience that would appreciate the recipes, if for no other reason than to drool over them. Today I’ll feature the overall winner.

Elk Cuban Sandwiches

Cuban Bread:
Starter:
Three-quarter teaspoon of yeast
One-third cup of warm (90-100 deg) water
One-third cup of all purpose flour
Dissolve yeast in water till foamy – 5 minutes, then add flour and store in the fridge for 1 day (or up to 3 days)

Bread:
Four and a half teaspoons yeast (2 packets)
One and a half cups of warm water (90-100 deg)
Four tablespoons of lard – cut up (he used Crisco sticks for the cook off, but lard is better, of course)
One tablespoon sugar
One tablespoon sea salt
One-half batch of the Starter
Four to five cups of all purpose flour

Elk or Venison:

Take hind quarter roast and add dry rub of your preference and marinate overnight. Over hot fire, grill until medium rare or medium at the most. Slice thinly with a deli slicer if available.

Aran’s instructions for the bread follow: Dissolve the yeast in four table spoons of the water and leave for 5 minutes, then add sugar and salt. Add the cut lard, rest of the water and then the half batch of starter.

In his Kitchen Aid mixing bowl, he put on the dough hook attachment and start adding flour 1 cup at a time. On a setting of 4, I mix for 9 minutes. Add the flour until the dough firms up and is more clingy to the dough hook. The sides of the bowl should be clean. It usually takes almost 5 cups of flour.

Dump the dough out, clean the bowl and spray it with Pam. Then return the dough to the bowl, cover it and let it rise for 45 minutes. Lightly dust the clean counter with flour and lay the dough out.

“For the cook-off I made 200 small rolls,” Aran said. “Each batch made 30 rolls. I made a long log (2 foot) and cut 30 rolls out of it. Place 15 rolls on parchment paper, cover with parchment paper and a towel – Let it rise for an hour and fifteen minutes. Heat your oven to 350 degrees and cook for 18 minutes.

“For my family I make Cuban loaves, which you do the same way but divide the same dough into two equal loafs and let it rise for the same time. Before you bake it, soak two pieces of twine in water, lay one lengthwise on each loaf (end to end). After baking remove the twine and you will have a loaf worthy enough to sell on Calle Ocho in Miami.”

If you opt for the larger Cuban loaves, increase the oven time to 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

The elk was taken in Chama, New Mexico, and processed by friend and avid hunter Tim Lawrence.

“We cut the rolls in half, added meat, two small slices of baby Swiss, two pickles and yellow mustard,” Aran said. “Butter the bread on the outside and put it into a press until it is flat, hot and gooey. We used Breville panini presses on a 380-degree setting.”

Our first planned meal on the new grill was an attempt to make a homemade version of the Fancy Burger sold at our regular beer joint.  To round it out, we picked up some Greek salad with feta and potato salad at Wegmen’s. We also picked up some fresh corn on the cob.  Even though I was charged with the prep work and sides, this is the general recipe we followed for the burgers.  Your suggestions are welcome for improvement.

Fancy Burgers
Source: Modified from Isaac Newton’s version which is a little dry for my taste.

Hamburger meat
Salt & Pepper to taste
Brie, medium (though we also may try an intense earthy version in the future)
Shiitaki mushrooms
Butter
Quality hamburger buns

1. Mix the hamburger with salt & pepper to taste. (Keep it simple. This is about the toppings.) Keep the patties to no more than half an inch thick.
2. As you wait for the grill to heat up, prepare the brie & mushrooms. Trim the brie and cut it into small cubes. Set aside for now. Wash the mushrooms and pull off the stems. Saute the mushroom caps in melted butter until soft. (Add in some dried onion pieces if you want to add a little extra flavor here.)
3. Grill the burgers on each side just until the meat begins to brown on the edges. Don’t flip too soon or press down. If the burgers need additional time on the heat, watch them carefully. (But beware that the next step will still have them in the heat, so don’t let them go too long.)
4. Turn the heat down in the grill and place some foil in a cooler spot. Move the burgers over to the foil and place a few cubes of brie on each patty. Close the top of the grill and let the cheese soften for a few minutes. Toss the buns on the grill for a bit to warm them up and add a touch of color.
5. Put the burgers together with the shiitaki mushrooms and enjoy!

Well, I should add that we think this really needs a bit of a sauce to really bring make this a fancy burger. Mayo & mustard won’t cut it, but we haven’t quite figured out what would make this burger an over-the-top upscale burger. Suggestions?