Category: Dave’s Blog

 It’s Round-Up Weekend! Enjoy the Red Bluff Round-Up and a good steak!  

Cowboy Butter:

2 sticks salted butter, softened

¼ cup Gorgonzola crumbles

1/3 cup finely minced fresh parsley, plus more if needed

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

A couple of turns of fresh-ground pepper

2 cloves garlicfinely minced

1 lemon, zested and halved

Kosher salt, to taste  

Steaks:

Garlic salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

4 rib eye steaks, 2 inches thick  

For the cowboy butter:

Well in advance, make the cowboy butter. Place the softened butter in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer. Whip the butter until it’s fluffy. Add the Gorgonzola, parsley, red pepper flakes, black pepper, garlic, lemon zest and the juice of half the lemon. Mix it until it’s totally combined, scraping the sides as needed. Taste and add more ingredients as needed to your liking. After the butter is well combine, lay out some plastic wrap and lay out the butter in the middle of the plastic wrap. Wrap the butter tightly in the form of a log and twist the ends. Put the butter log in the fridge to set up until you cook the steaks.  

For the steaks:

Preheat your grill on high. Sear the steaks on both sides, but do not burn them. There’s a fine line between seared and burnt. Lower the grill to medium and cook the steaks to your desired doneness. Flip the steaks as needed as to not char them too much. I pull mine when the internal temp is about 125 degrees. On the final flip, put a couple of pats of your compound butter on top of the steaks to melt. Pull the steaks and top them with more butter if you like. Loosely cover the steaks with foil and let them rest for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Happy Ex-Spouses Day! Let’s celebrate with a really terrific sandwich.

Marinade:

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 (4 1/2-pound) flank steak, trimmed 

Bacon Horseradish Sauce:

2 teaspoons minced green onion

1 cup mayonnaise

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

12 to 15 onion rolls, split, buttered, and toasted

Arugula, for serving 

For the marinade:

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the soy sauce, oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper. Add the flank steak, seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Preheat a grill to medium heat.

Drain the steak, discarding the marinade. Place the steak on the grill. Grill 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until desired temperature. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

For the bacon horseradish sauce: In a small bowl, combine the green onions, mayonnaise, bacon, horseradish, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cover and chill.

To assemble: Spread desired amount of Bacon Horseradish Sauce over the bottom of the rolls. Top with desired amount of arugula. Top with sliced flank steak. Cover with roll tops. Serve immediately.

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!

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.

Chicken wings for dummies. Couldn’t be easier. Mix all the crap together, get it in the crock pot and walk away. 

SLOW COOKER STICKY CHICKEN WINGS 

3 pounds chicken wings

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Sesame seeds for garnish

Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Scallions, chopped for garnish 

FOR THE SAUCE

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup prepared hoisin sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup honey

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste

1 ½ inch knob of fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic, Sriracha, ginger, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

2. Place wings into a slow cooker. Stir in soy sauce mixture and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or high heat for 1-2 hours.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Stir in mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and bring to a light boil to reduce.

4. Preheat oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with foil.

5. Place wings onto the baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until caramelized and slightly charred. Baste the chicken with the reduced cooking liquid.

6. Serve immediately with remaining sauce, garnished with sesame seeds, scallions and cilantro.

 Our engineer here at Q97, Barry, shared this recipe with me, so I’m sharing it with you. Thanks Bear! 

Cowboy Spaghetti 

16 oz spaghetti or linguine

24 oz. sirloin steak

2 tbsp butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup fresh Parmesan, grated

Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Pinch of red pepper flakes 

Bring the steak to room temperature.

Cook the pasta:

Boil the pasta in heavily salted water (like the ocean) according to package instructions. Drain, but don’t rinse and set aside.

Sear steak:

In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Season the steak with the steak seasoning, then sear for 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove the steak from the skillet, let rest, then slice into thin strips.

Sauté garlic:

In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.

Make sauce:

Add heavy cream, Parmesan, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Stir well and let simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.

Toss noodles:

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to coat the in the creamy sauce.

Serve:

Plate the noodles and top with the sliced steak. Serve immediately while warm.