1. Begin by adding your chicken wings to a food safe bowl/container along with all the ingredients for the marinade. Mix thoroughly then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
2. Preheat a grill for medium high heat (around 350) for direct cooking.
3. Pull the wings out of the fridge and discard any excess marinade. Place the wings over the flames about 6-8” away from the heat and cook until they reach 175 internal temp (about 20-25 minutes). Once they are done, pull them off and let them cool for 2-3 minutes.
4. While the wings are cooking, heat up a basting skillet over the fire. Add all your ingredients for the Sweet Pineapple BBQ Sauce. Let simmer over the flames until it thickens and is well incorporated (about 20 minutes). Pull off the heat and set to the side. When the wings are done, pull them off and toss them in the BBQ Sauce. You can also garnish them with sesame seeds, more sriracha and chopped parsley.
5. After the wings are ready, serve ‘em up and enjoy!
1/2 cup near boiling water, (Or at least 120 degrees))
1 cup Frank’s Red-Hot Wing Sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh-grated ginger
Juice from one lime
In a small bowl add peanut butter and hot water. Use a whisk to combine and liquify. After it’s thinned out, add the remaining ingredients and whisk again to combine. It should have the consistency of a thin pancake batter. If the sauce is too thick to your liking, add more water, hot sauce, soy sauce or lime juice.
BBQ’d Oysters with a Cheese Topping and Garlic Finishing Butter
Cheese Topping:
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
Garlic Finishing Butter:
1 stick butter
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup Louisiana hot sauce. I like Crystal
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped garlic
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
24 oysters, shucked on the half shell
1 loaf Italian bread, sliced and charred on the grill, for sopping
For the cheese topping: Mix the Parmesan, mozzarella, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and parsley in a bowl and set aside.
For the finishing butter: Place the butter, lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire, chopped garlic, granulated garlic and 1/2 cup water into a small pot on the stove. Slowly melt and whisk until blended.
Preheat your grill to 400 or build a good hot fire.
Top each oyster with a good amount of the cheese mixture. Place the oysters on the grill. Cook until the cheese is melted and the oysters are starting to get some color and curl up on the edges, 10 minutes or so.
Remove the oysters from the grill with tongs and place them onto a sheet pan or large platter.
Ladle some melted garlic butter over the oysters.
Serve with grilled bread to sop up the juices and butter!
Happy Labor Day Weekend! I hope you enjoy your weekend and eat well!
Roasted Chile Verde Tacos
4-6 lbs. bone in pork shoulder (pork butt)
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
2 poblano Chile peppers seeded, cut in half and roasted
1or 2 jalapenos seeded, cut in half and roasted
1 lb. tomatillos husks removed, quartered and roasted
1 yellow onion quartered and roasted
4 cloves garlic whole or 4 teaspoons jarred
Chili powder. About a palm full
ground cumin. About a palm full
Dried oregano. About a palm full
Fresh cilantro chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Corn or flour tortillas
Toppings:
Red onion finely diced or sliced into half-moons
Cilantro
Sliced radishes (pickled or not)
Thinly sliced red or green cabbage
Queso fresco or cotija cheese, crumbled
Lime wedges, for squeezing
Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
On a baking sheet, rub your vegetables with vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast the vegetables in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.
Season the pork with the salt and pepper and then add to the hot oil. Sear on all sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Place the browned pork into a slow cooker, with the poblano chiles, jalapeno, tomatillos, yellow onion, garlic, ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, cilantro, chicken broth/stock, and bay leaf.
Turn the heat to low and cook 6-7 hours, or until the pork is tender enough to be pulled apart with a fork. You can also cook in a pressure cooker, 60-90 minutes.
Remove the pork and shred using two forks or the bone of the pork butt (wait for it to cool a bit).
In the meantime, remove the bay leaf from the cooker and discard. Either using an immersion blender directly in the cooker bowl or by transferring the contents to a kitchen blender, puree the cooked peppers, onion, and chicken broth mixture until smooth. This is the Chile Verde sauce. If using a blender, let the sauce cool a bit and put a kitchen towel over the top of the blender and hold the lid on with your hand. Otherwise, it could explode on ya. If you Season to taste with salt as needed.
Heat and slightly char your tortillas over a gas flame or on your grill.
Top the tortillas with a mound of the shredded pork, followed by the pureed Chile Verde sauce. Also top with additional chopped cilantro, red onion, radish crumbled queso fresco. Feel free to squeeze some limes as well!
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1/2 cup of olive oil. Stir in the onion, garlic, serrano and jalapeno peppers and cook until soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the pork shoulder in a large heavy bottomed pot, coated with oil, over medium heat and sear until well browned on all sides. Deglaze with the chicken broth, and then add sauteed onions and peppers. Turn heat to low, cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the Anaheim peppers on a sheet pan.
Peel the outer paper skins off the tomatillos, then coat with olive oil and place on another sheet pan. Place both pans in the preheated oven and roast until the peppers are nicely charred and the tomatillos are soft, about 20 minutes.
Remove pans from the oven and place the peppers in a plastic bag to let them steam for 5 minutes.
Peel and seed peppers, and then puree them with the tomatillos in a food processor or blender. Add the puree to the pork mixture, stir, and then let simmer on low heat.
Combine the garlic powder, black pepper, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, ground coriander and salt in a small bowl, then add to pork mixture and stir well.
In a small sauté pan, mix 1/2 cup olive oil with the corn flour, stirring over low heat for 2 minutes to make a masa roux.
Let the chili mixture simmer for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours on medium-low heat, or until pork is nice and tender. Then stir in masa roux and simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve in bowls with tortillas and rice. Garnish with cilantro.
Mexican Rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 white onion, diced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 cups white rice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup (8 oz) tomato sauce
Kosher salt, to taste
Cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Juice of one lime
Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Let the rice drain for 5 minutes.
In a pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and jalapeno for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
Add the rice, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and oregano and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often until the rice is toasted. Add the broth, tomato sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, and salt and stir well. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
After the 20 minutes, turn off the heat, leave the rice covered and let it rest for another 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, add chopped cilantro, and squeeze in lime juice.
Chicken-and-Cheese Enchiladas and Cilantro-Lime Avocado Salsa
Enchiladas:
1 small red onion, halved
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 serrano Chile peppers, stemmed and seeded
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Kosher salt
Pinch of sugar
8 corn tortillas
4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
2 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
Fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese
Preheat the broiler. Slice half of the onion into thin rings and set aside.
Place the other onion half, tomatillos and serranos on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until the vegetables are soft and slightly brown, 7 to 10 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer the vegetables and any liquid to a blender, add the broth and puree. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar.
Meanwhile, stack the tortillas, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave just until warm and soft, 1 minute; keep covered. Toss the chicken with 2 cups shredded cheese in a bowl. Spoon a portion of the chicken mixture down the middle of each tortilla. Add a few cilantro leaves and roll up.
Place the enchiladas side by side in a lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish and brush with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Broil until crisp and golden, 3 minutes.
Pour the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese. Return to the oven and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with the onion rings, queso fresco and any remaining cilantro.
Cilantro-Lime Avocado Salsa:
6 tomatillos
1 jalapeño
2 avocados
A handful of fresh cilantro
1/2 cup crema mexicana
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
Kosher salt, to taste
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 of a white onion
About 1 cup of boiling water from the tomatillos and jalapeño
In a saucepan, boil the tomatillos and jalapeño (if using) for about 10 minutes until softened.
In a blender, combine the avocados, fresh cilantro, crema mexicana, minced garlic, chicken bouillon powder, salt, lime juice, and white onion.
Once the tomatillos and jalapeño are done boiling, add them to the blender along with approximately 1 cup of the boiling water to help blend.
Blend everything until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
Serve this rich, zesty salsa as a topping for tacos, enchiladas, or enjoy it as a delicious dip with tortilla chips!
