Skirt Steak with 4 cheese stuffed peppers & Spanish rice

I’ve been eating skirt steak for years and just learned that there are two types inner & outter.  The inner skirt is used for grilling or griddling & chopped into tiny bits for tacos and the outter skirt you would slice on the bias and serve as a steak.  I always liked the inner until I went to the outter it’s thicker, more tender & very juicy providing you don’t over cook it!!!  Ask you butcher to trim the steak out and give the skirt a couple of slices with a knive on the top & bottom side.   The outter doesn’t  need to be tenderized like the inner (the butcher will run it through a tenderizer machine which puts holes it and makes it more tender.

The prep: I mixed together in a bowl 14 cup olive oil, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, fresh oregano, kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, diced onion, little bit of paprika and chipolte powder to taste and mix well.  Rub over meat and place in fridge for at least 4 hours over night is best.

Set up your grill for the direct method of grilling (meat over the flame) very high grill temp of 450 to 500 degrees and don’t forget to add a nice chunk of oak or hickory wood.  As always get the grill grate hot, clean & well oiled.  When ready place skirt on grill for about 3 minutes or until meat is unstuck to the grill  now give it a quarter turn this will ensure nice grill marks as pictured.  Flip to the other side and do the same.  Steak will cook fast it should read 130 degrees on a thermometer and let it rest.

As for the sides we made 4 cheese stuffed peppers,  spanish rice  roasted tomotillo salsa.  Start by splitting peppers down the side and clean them of seeds place them in a cast iron pan than onto a 350 degree grill for about 30 minutes until soft.  The peppers were filled with a 4 cheese egg souffle  we used queso, blue cheese, sharp cheddar and a  lot of parmesan now place cheese mixture  into peppers and cook in cast iron skillet on an indirect grill at 350 degrees until tender about 20 minutes.

Roasted tomotillo salsa:  Garden picked tomotillos with husk off, 5 garlic cloves skins off, onion and hot peppers roast in hot oven or hot grill for 30 minitues let cool for 15 minutes put in food processsor and whiz with salt, fresh squeezed lime juice and cilantro.

Spanish rice:  Check the back of the package of rice for cooking instructions.  Heat up some oil cook onion, garlic, 2 cups of rice, 3 cups chicken stock tablespoon of tomato paste, oregano & salt to taste let cook.

Brisket & Pork Butts with coffee, cocoa paste

I made a paste with 3 tablespoon instant expresso, 1/2 cup Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon fresh cracked tri-color black pepper, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon cumin seed toasted & ground, 1 tablespoon coriander seed toasted & ground, 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, apple juice or cider or as needed.  Place the paste on a full brisket and place in fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours.  Layer the top of the brisket with bacon and fire up your grill for indirect cooking/smoking.

Try the same paste on pork butts which means you may need to double or triple the paste.

Place the meat in a 250 to 275 degree smoker for 5 hours while it’s smoking baste brisket & pork with this moping sauce which has 1 beer, 12 oz of apple cider, 1 can of beef stock, 1 cup Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce to taste,  kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste.  If you’re cooking this much meat you might need to double or triple the moping sauce as well.

Once the internal temp gets to 170 degrees place the brisket in a foil pan with some moping sauce and the same goes for the pork butts. Cover the both of them with foil and lower the temp of the smoker to 225 to 250 degrees for 3 to 4 more hours or until the internal temp of the meat gets to 190 degrees.

Now, I know some of you are saying that I’m cheating, cooking them this way but  it works great, saves time & fuel and think about it after the first 5 hours how much smoke is really going to penetrate the meat after the burnt ends & bark have been established.

Tips:

If the meat is getting too dark during the 1st 5 hours cover the top of the meat with a layer foil.

Always let your meat rest in this case for at least 20 minutes before cutting.

Apple & pecan works well as well as hickory & oak.

The bacon may start to over cook after the 1st or 2nd hour feel free to remove it and use it in your sauce or beans.

You won’t be sorry you cooked them this way your guests will love it.  Enjoy & keep your grill on!!!

Beef Tenderloin

Seared beef tenderloin

Posted on July 12, 2011 by porkpusher

This all started when a friend of mine asked if I could cater a party for them.  She wanted to serve beef tenderloin to 80 guests.  I must say I was a little nervous but of course I said let’s cook!!!

I purchased 55 lbs of tenderloin, trimmed them be removing the silver skin and added fresh cracked tricolor peppercorns & kosher salt to them.  Set up my grill for direct cooking and once the grill was about 450 degrees cleaned & oiled the cooking grate.  I placed the beef on the grill for about 20 minutes turning a 1/4 turn every 5 minutes until the internal temp reached 135 degrees.  Wrapped  the meat up in a foil pan and let rest for 15 minutes.  They loved it!!!