Category: Dave’s Blog

The weather in Redding this weekend is going to be epic! I say we celebrate the beautiful spring weather with surf-n-turf. 

To prep the grill:

2 large handfuls of mesquite wood chips

Small disposable foil pan 

For the butter:

Kosher salt & fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1 shallot, peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 stick unsalted butter, softened1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 teaspoons dry sherry

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest 

For the steak:

Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste

Bone-in or boneless rib-eyes, 1-1 ½ pounds each

Extra-virgin olive oil Soak the wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the grill for direct and indirect cooking over medium-high heat In a small disposable foil pan combine the shallot quarters, oil, and paprika. Drain the chips and add one handful to the charcoal or to the smoker box of a gas grill, and close the lid. When smoke appears, place the foil pan with the shallot over indirect medium-high heat, close the lid, and cook until the shallot is tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool for 10 minutes. Mince the shallot, transfer to a small bowl, and add the remaining butter ingredients, including salt and pepper, mixing thoroughly. Lay the butter on plastic wrap. Roll it up to form a log and twist the ends. Place in the freezer for an hour to solidify.Lightly brush both sides of the steaks with oil and season with the steak seasoning. Allow the steaks to stand at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes before grilling. Drain and add the remaining wood chips to the charcoal or smoker box. When smoke appears, sear the steaks over direct medium-high heat, with the lid closed, for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. Then move the steaks over indirect medium-high heat, close the lid, and continue cooking to your desired doneness, about12 to 14 minutes more for medium rare. Using a digital thermometer, I like to pull mine off the grill at about 135 degrees. About a minute before pulling the steaks, place a generous pat of the butter on each steak. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm, topped with more butter. 

Oysters & Butter:

12 Raw Oysters, shucked

¼ cup Clarified Butter

1 tbsp Chopped Parsley

2 tbsp. Garlic, minced

2 tbsp Grated Parmesan

1 tbsp Chopped Basil

½ medium Lemon juiced 

As the steaks are cooking, add a cast iron basting skillet with clarified butter. Let that melt, then add your minced garlic to brown for about a minute. Finally, add your parsley, Parmesan, basil and lemon juice. Mix and let simmer for 1 minute, then pull off and let cool. Add your shucked oysters to the grill and *carefully* add a spoonful of the butter to each oyster. Be aware of flare-ups as they can occur with this part of the process. Let the oysters simmer for 30-45 seconds, then pull them off to cool for 2 minutes.

Slice up your steaks, serve with the oysters and enjoy!

I love Hawaii. As soon as you step off the plane, you get leid! 

Wings:

4 lbs. Chicken Wings  

Marinade:

4 cups Soy Sauce low sodium

4 tbsp Brown Sugar

2 tbsp Black Garlic Sauce or garlic paste

2 tbsp Ginger Paste

4 tsp Garlic Powder

4 tsp Smoked Paprika Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste  

Sweet Pineapple BBQ Sauce:

2 cup Ketchup

1/4 cup Pineapple Juice

4 tbsp Sriracha

4 tbsp Honey

3 tbsp Dijon Mustard

3 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

4 tsp Black Garlic Sauce  

Garnishes:

Chopped Parsley

Sriracha Sesame Seeds  

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!

Happy Taco Tuesday! Let’s stay on that Hawaiian Chicken jag.  

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Tacos  

• 2 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

• Corn tortillas, warmed or charred on a grill or gas flame

For the marinade:

• 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar

• 1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce

• 1 teaspoon Minced Fresh Ginger

• 1 teaspoon Minced Fresh Garlic

• 1/2 cup Pineapple Juice

• 2 tablespoons Ketchup

• 2 teaspoons Sriracha Sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

• Lime wedges, for squeezing  

For the Pineapple Pico de Gallo:

• 1 cup Pineapple, chopped (fresh or canned)

• 2 tablespoons Chopped Red Onion

• 1/2 cup red, yellow or orange Bell Pepper, diced

• 1 tablespoon Chopped Cilantro

• Juice from one lime  

Mix all Pico ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until using.

• Prepare the marinade by combining the sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, pineapple juice, ketchup, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce together, add ingredients to a large resealable plastic bag and whisk together.

• Add the chicken to the bag, seal, and store in the refrigerator to marinate for 2-4 hours.

• After marinating, preheat a grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill the chicken for about 5-7 minutes. Then flip and cook the other side for another 5-7 minutes. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°

• Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove from grill. Set on a cutting board. Let it rest for a few minutes to cool slightly. Chop the chicken into strips or cubes.

• Make the tacos by filling the corn tortillas with the cut-up chicken, top with the pineapple Pico de Gallo and fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Happy Monday. Five more days of workin’ for the man. Make dinner easy tonight.  

HAWAIIAN STYLE TERIYAKI CHICKEN  

3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

1 cup of soy sauce

1 cup of pineapple juice

1 cup of brown sugar packed

5 cloves of mashed garlic.

1 inch knob of fresh ginger, grated on a micro-plane grater  

In a large bowl, mix the pineapple juice and soy sauce and add in the sugar to be dissolved. Add the desired amount of ginger and garlic then add in the chicken. You can soak the meat in the marinade for up to 3 days, if you are in a hurry, you need to soak it for at least 24 hours. If you can’t wait, boil the chicken in the sauce right after you make it. Bake the chicken in a 425 oven for 50 minutes, brushing with sauce every 10 minutes. When in doubt, pull out your digital thermometer. The chicken is done when the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165.

Hi-O, Hi-O, It’s Off To Work We Go. Another five days of workin’ for the man!  

Roasted Garlic Butter Rib-Eye Steaks 

4 Rib-Eyes

Olive oil

Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste 

Roasted Garlic and Herb Butter

1/2 shallot, diced

1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped

1 tablespoon thyme, chopped

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

2 bulbs garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the tops off the head of the garlic bulbs (enough to expose the top of the garlic cloves) and remove any loose papery outer layers.

Place garlic cut side up on enough foil to wrap the garlic. Drizzle oil on the exposed surface of the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the sides up and place the foil wrapped garlic onto a baking tray.

Roast in the preheated oven until golden and soft, about 45 minutes or up to 60 minutes. Roasting time will vary based on the size and type of garlic.

Set aside to cool, then squeeze out the soft cloves.

While the garlic is roasting, season the steaks with Montreal Steak Seasoning and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Get a stick of softened, unsalted butter in a bowl and begin adding the roasted garlic (8 or so cloves), rosemary, thyme, shallots, and salt & pepper. Mix and set aside.

Grill, BBQ or air-fry the steaks to your preferred doneness. I like mine medium-rare.

On the last flip of the steaks, top them with a teaspoon, or so, of the roasted garlic butter. Remove the steaks when done and top them with more butter. Tent them with foil and let them rest for 10 minutes, enjoy!

Happy Opening Day! The Giants open their season in Cincinnati, the A’s are in Seattle and the Dodgers host the Tigers. Bust out the brats and enjoy! 

Opening Day Beer Brats 

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)

2 pounds of brats

2 onions, halved and sliced into half moons

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 bottles of a good craft beer

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup Stone Ground mustard1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons cider vinegar 

In a large skillet on medium high heat brown the brats on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the other 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the skillet and cook the onions on medium heat until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic, nutmeg and caraway seeds and cook until fragrant, and then add the beer, and mix in the mustard, vinegar and honey.At this point, if you want to do a smoker or grill version, put everything into an aluminum foil pan and set your smoker or grill to 250. Let everything stew and cook for about an hour.Add the brats back into the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes or until brats are done.

Remove the brats to a serving platter and then bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Boil until onion mixture is thickened – stirring frequently.

Serve on brat buns or hoagie rolls topped with the onion mixture.

Pork steaks are on sale at my favorite meat store in Redding. So…

Smothered Pork Chops with Garlic-Mushroom Sauce  

4 boneless pork chops or pork steaks Paprika, to taste

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1/2 cup olive oil, divided

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/2 small yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

2 Tablespoons all-purpose Flour

2 cups chicken broth

Minced parsley or chives, for garnish  

Season both sides of pork chops with paprika, salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter and half of the olive oil. Sear both sides of the pork chops until golden brown and cooked through, about 2-4 minutes per side. Remove pork chops from pan and set aside. In same skillet over medium-high head add remaining the butter and olive oil. Add onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they are golden and browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and mustard and cook for about 1 minute until garlic becomes fragrant. Stir in the flour, cooking stirring to remove lumps. Slowly add the broth, whisking until blended. Season with salt and pepper, to taste Return pork chops to pan and cook for a couple of minutes or until they are heated through. Serve hot. Garnish with parsley or chives.

It looks like it’s gonna be really nice this weekend in Redding. So…fire the grill!

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Thighs 

The Meat and Marinade

4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 C. packed light brown sugar

1 C. soy sauce6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1-2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 onion halved and sliced into half moons

1 stick salted butter Marinade Directions

In a bowl, mix the brown sugar and soy sauce together. Keep mixing until almost all the sugar is dissolved in the soy sauce.Add in the garlic, ginger and onion and mix.

Let the mixture sit for a few minutes.

Put meat into a zip lock bag and pour mixture over it. Depending on how much meat you have you may need to make more marinade and split this into 2 different bags. Let this marinate for at least 4 hours. For the Grill13×9 Pyrex dish1 stick of butter1 bunch green onions sliced small1 bunch coarsely chopped, fresh cilantro Grilling DirectionsFire the grill to medium-high heat.

Place Pyrex dish on the top shelf of the hot grill.

Add the butter to the Pyrex so it starts to melt.

Add the meat to the grill and cook to perfection.

When the pieces of meat are done place them in the Pyrex to let swim in buttery goodness until all are done and add the green onions and/or cilantro.