No, that�s not a typo. Depending on whom you talk to, this cheese-stuffed burger is either called a �Juicy Lucy,� or a �Jucy Lucy.� That�s because two restaurants in Minneapolis claim to have invented it, and they spell it differently. The 5-8 Club goes with �Juicy,� while Matt's Bar saves a character and spells it, �Jucy.� Unless you end up on some kind of cheeseburger related trivia show, this is probably useless information, but hey, you never know.
By the way, I�m not picking sides, but went with �Juicy,� simply to appease my spell-checker. No matter how you spell it, one thing is for sure; this isn�t just any old cheeseburger.
The cheese stuffing really does keep the meat juicier, and the mouthfeel is noticeably different that what you experience with a burger that has cheese melted over the top. However, for this to work you need to keep the cheese inside, which means making sure you thoroughly and thoughtfully press the edges of the two patties together.
Please note that the times I gave in the video may, or may not, be close to what you�ll need. There are so many variables such as fat content, meat temperature, pan temperature, cheese choice, and portion size, just to name a few. So, doing some testing before the big burger party is recommended. Best homework, ever! Above and beyond that, not much can go wrong, so I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
As the old joke goes, it takes a lot of time and effort to make poutine, but at least when you�re finally done you get to eat soggy fries. And, what incredibly delicious, soggy fries they are.
Once you get past the fact that this is how they�re supposed to be, you can focus on the overall awesomeness of the dish, especially the rich, freshly made beef gravy featured herein.
I realize most you won�t actually use this gravy to make poutine, which is totally fine by me, since this is so good, on so many other things. While I don�t have any problem with you buying the cheese curds, or using frozen fries, I really do hope you make the sauce from scratch, as it is profoundly better than anything from the store.
I should mention that none of the �authentic� poutines I�ve had included chunks of beef in the gravy, but I really enjoy the extra meatiness, and this way everyone knows we made it from scratch. By the way, if you�re of the vegetarian persuasion, some severely caramelized mushrooms, and a decent vegetable stock (which I still need to do a video for), will produce a perfectly fine version. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon�at least the beef gravy. Enjoy!
For the Beef Gravy:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or lard
1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef short rib, chuck, or brisket, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced onions (you can also add some garlic if you want)
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups homemade beef broth, or a low-sodium, all-natural prepared broth
Mastering pan sauces is one the easiest things a home cook can do to raise their culinary game, since it allows one to produce dishes most people only see in restaurants. And not just any restaurants. The really good ones.
By the way, if you�re still looking for a Father�s Day gift, a nice bottle of bourbon, with a little splash going to finish a home-cooked steak, would make quite the one-two punch of manly goodness. And, even if your dad isn�t a sitcom stereotype, who doesn�t enjoy a well-executed pan sauce?
If you�re making this for meat that�s coming off a grill, you can still do the sauce separately, and just keep it warm until the main course is ready. Start with the saut�ing garlic in butter step, and finish as shown. Of course, you�ll have to add some coarsely ground black pepper to the sauce, but that�s about the only adjustment.
Like I said in the video, this sauce�s rich, sweet, peppery flavor profile also works wonderfully with pork chops, and grilled chicken. You can also switch up the Bourbon for another liquor, since this really is just a technique video. Regardless of what you use, or what you serve it with, I really do hope you give this great pan sauce a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for two portions:
1 clove minced garlic, saut�ed in 1 teaspoon butter
1 ounce bourbon
1/2 cup chicken broth or veal stock
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons cold butter
salt and cayenne to taste freshly ground black pepper to taste
I�ve used something very close to this root beer marinade for lamb several times, and had great success, so I�ve been eager to try it with some skewered beef, which didn�t come out quite as well, but could have. Please, let me explain.
Since lamb has a stronger, �gamier� taste, the sweetness of this treatment works perfectly, but I thought it was a little too much for the beef. So, below in the ingredients list, I've made a few adjustments to the honey amount, as well as acidity level.
The beauty of a recipe like this is they�re very easy to adapt, and I�m not just talking about the pre-grill soak, but also the glaze we make with the extra marinade. Once reduced to something thick enough to coat our meat, you�ll want to taste it, and adjust with more heat, sweet, sour, or whatever else you think it needs. One thing mine definitely needed was more salt. I thought the soy was going to be enough, but I should have salted my skewers before they hit the grill, and/or add some salt to the marinade.
Adjustments aside, if you enjoy things like sweet/hot barbecue sauces, bourdon glazes, or even something like teriyaki, you will probably very much enjoy this. Even if you don�t use the marinade, I really loved the technique we used for the flank, which would work beautifully no matter how you flavor this. Either way, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 skewers/portions:
1 whole flank steak (about 1 1/2 pounds)
For the marinade
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
2 tablespoons ketchup
honey, optional (I used 2 tablespoons, but would omit next time)
1/3 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons white or cider vinegar (I didn't add, but it needed it)
Ever since I saw Alton Brown grilling skirt steak on hot coals, I�ve wanted to try this technique for a larger hunk of meat, but it was the realization that no one had yet called a recipe �barbarian beef,� that provided the final push.
By the way, I did no historical research, but I assume your average barbarian was too busy pillaging to lug a grill around, and just cooked their meat right on the coals. So, for the purposes of this post, that's the story we'll be going with.
I used top round for this, and if you�re just going to slice it thin, and make sandwiches it�s fine, but now that I have a little experience, I�d like to try it with a tenderer cut. No matter what you use, you�ll want to take it off a few degrees under whatever your regular internal temp target is, since it definitely continues to cook after you take it off the coals.
It�ll depend on the size/shape of your cut, but use a thermometer to check, as the temp will probably climb by at least 10 degrees. Above and beyond doneness, the flavor of the beef really was great. Very similar to something off a grill, but with a little bit deeper level of smokiness. Even if you don�t cook your steak on the coals, the sauce was quite nice, and comes highly recommended, but officially, I really do hope you give both a try soon. Enjoy!
After too many requests to count, I�m finally posting my recipe for kimchi fried rice, and by �my recipe,� I mean everyone�s recipe, since give or take a handful of meat, they�re all pretty much the same.
Having said that, I�ll give a shout out to the lovely and talented, Maanchi, since I checked her channel to make sure I wasn�t missing any key elements, as well as learn how to say, �gochujang.�
I�m not sure how close I got to the later, but except for the seaweed, I did get all the ingredients right. Of course, the diced corned beef is optional, but if you do have some leftover from your St. Patrick�s Day, I highly recommend you give it a try. Bacon is another fine choice, as is almost any other diced meat I can think of.
The egg is also technically optional, but not for me. The way the runny yolk mixes into, and moistens the rice takes this to a whole other level. The poached egg also paired quite nicely with my �landweed� garnish, as it does with the much more traditional shredded seaweed. But, no matter how you accessorize, I really hope you give this corned beef and kimchi fried rice a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 large portions:
1 generous cup chopped drained kimchi
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups diced corned beef or other meat
3 generous cooked rice, (I find cold works best for crustification)
I�ve always loved St. Patrick�s Day, since apparently that�s the only day of the year I get to eat corned beef and cabbage. Besides the copious amounts of salt, nitrates, and fat, I have no idea way we�re not eating this stuff a couple times a week. Anyway, because this is usually an annual thing, most folks make it the same way, year after year, but that�s never been my M.O. I like to think of ways to creatively tweak the recipe, so that while I�m enjoying my new creation, I can think about how much I�d wished I just boiled it in water, with that little packet.
What I�m trying to say is, not every attempt has been a homerun. Or whatever a homerun in Irish hurling is. This, however, was a success. The spicy, fermented cabbage, added a lot of extra savoriness, and not only to the meat, but even more so to the vegetables.The potatoes especially soaked up a surprising amount of flavor, and may have been my favorite part of the whole dish.
I used a corned beef made from the round, instead of the traditional brisket, which worked out much better than I thought it would. If you do decide to go this lower fat option, be sure not to cook it too long. The fork should pierce the meat without too much force, but we do not want to meat falling apart, as it will become dry and chalky. Chances are you�re going to use a brisket anyway, which is much more forgiving, but something to keep in mind if you do go with the round. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 portions:
1 ready to cook corned beef (mine was about 3 1/2 pounds)
Like most well informed, non-crazy Americans, I�m waiting for Russia to get their just desserts for interfering with our democracy; but, before we get to dessert, we need to have dinner, and that�s where these delicious beef pirozhki come in.
While not necessarily easy to make, the dough and filling are pretty simple, and the results well worth the trouble. Literally any filling will work here, but I was going for a very specific style of pirozhki, which I�ll describe as �mid-eighties, liquor store deli.� Allow me to explain.
I once worked as a bike messenger for like two days. After realizing how grueling it was, especially in hilly San Francisco, I spent my life savings ($120) to buy a friend�s scooter, which extended my career by a full 6 months. The money wasn�t great, and so for lunch I�d get a beef pirozhki from one of those sketchy delis you sometimes see in the back of big city corner stores.
They only cost two bucks, delivered a ridiculously high number of calories, and even though I knew it wasn�t the healthiest thing to eat, I grew to love the taste. So, when I decided to film this, I set out to get as close to that experience as possible. It took a few tries, but I ended up with something very similar. The only major difference is that I know for sure what meat was used.
Since you�re not trying to recapture a taste from your past, feel free to add more cheese to the filling, which will not only taste good, but also make the crumbly filling easier to work with. But, no matter what you stuff these with, I really do hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 15 Pirozhki, depending on the size:
For the beef filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, finely diced
2 pound ground beef 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons dried dill 1/3 cup chicken broth or water to deglaze
I was going to say this Eagles-inspired cheese steak dip would be great to serve at your Super Bowl party, but I just remembered we�re not allowed to use the term �Super Bowl� anymore, since that�s aggressively protected by the National Football League�s lawyers. So, instead of saying, Super Bowl, again, I�ll just say �Big Game.�
Regardless of what�s printed on your invitations, this easy to make hot dip would make a handsome addition to your snack table. Like all great party foods, it�s wonderful hot, warm, room temp, and, I�ve heard from a reliable source, even delicious cold. By the way, never print invitations to your Big Game party.
As I mentioned in the video, there are several approaches for preparing the steak in this. You can chop it up raw, and then brown it, or brown pieces of steak, and then chop it up, as we did here, or, if you really want to save some time, you could brown up some ground beef, which should also work pretty well in this.
For a vegetarian version, you could do this with well-browned mushrooms, which I�m guessing would be very tasty. I�ll never know for sure. Anyway, stay tuned for some kind of party food celebrating the other city in this contest, but in the meantime I really do hope you give this Philly cheese steak dip a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 24 portions of Philly Cheese Steak Dip:
1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into inch thick slices (any beef should work)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 to 2 cups diced peppers (use a mix of sweet, hot, and/or pickled peppers)
Many holiday main course recipes involve expensive ingredients, and/or time consuming, complicated techniques, not to mention the anxiety that comes along with worrying whether all that time and money will have been worth it. I�m looking at you, dry, overcooked beef wellington.
If you want to avoid all that, maybe consider making tourti�re. This French-Canadian meat pie is hearty, satisfying, easy to make, visually impressive, relatively affordable, and since it�s best served at room temperature, doesn�t require any kind of precise timing.
You can also easily tailor this to your own tastes, since other than the ground meat and mashed potato, pretty much anything goes. Or, make it just like this. I�ve only had tourti�re a handful of times, so I�m certainly no expert, but I thought this came out extremely well, and I wouldn�t change anything when I make it again.
Although, I may try it with some beef gravy, as a few of my Canadian friends have suggested. Some even suggest ketchup, which I did try on a cold slice, and not surprisingly it was delicious. But, no matter how you serve this tourti�re, I really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for one 9-inch Tourti�re:
For the crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, sliced, frozen
7 tablespoons ice cold *water
2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
*add a little more if dough isn�t pressing together
1 large russet potato, boiled in enough salted water to cover (reserve water)
1 tablespoon butter
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup potato water, plus more as needed
For the spice blend:
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoonground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
pinch cayenne
For the egg wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
Please note: Once your filling has cooled, taste for salt, and adjust before filling the crust.
Some recipes have amusing, or romantic stories for how they came to be, but this peposo isn�t one of them, unless you consider making bad quality beef taste better by covering it in black pepper, amusing or romantic.
As the story goes, the workers who made terracotta tiles in the city of Impruneta, would place this stew into clay pots, and leave it their still-hot kilns overnight, where it would be ready the next morning. Since they were often stuck using less than fresh meat, copious amounts of black peppercorn was used to make the beef palatable.
Luckily, this recipe adapts quite nicely to fresh meat, and produces one of the more uniquely flavored braised beef dishes I�ve ever had. The amount of black pepper is up to you, but even the ridiculous amount I used wasn�t overpowering. The acidity and sweetness of the reduced wine balances everything beautifully.
I hear that beef shank is the traditional cut of meat to use, but short ribs worked really well. You could even use some beef chuck, cut into two-inch pieces, but you�d have to adjust the cooking time. Having said that, forget the time, and keep cooking until a fork goes in easily. Regardless of which cut you use, or how fresh it is, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 portions:
6 bone-in beef short ribs (about 8 to 10 ounces each)
1 tablespoon kosher salt to coat the beef
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, freshly crushed
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
3-4 sage leaves
3-4 small sprigs rosemary
2 cups red wine, preferably Chianti
2 bay leaves
salt to taste, to adjust sauce
- Simmer on low, covered, about 3 1/2 hours, or until fork tender. Turn occasionally.
I don�t often get requests for Polish food, but when I do, they�re usually for bigos. Which makes perfect sense, since this meaty stew is one of the most delicious dishes you�ll ever taste. It�s also low-carb, highly nutritious, and very simple to make, as long as you don�t consider having to wait a day to eat it, �complicated.�
While you can eat this as soon as it�s made, and I bet most of you do, it�s much better the next day, as all the flavors have time to properly meld together. You can also really customize this to your personal tastes by changing up which meats you use.
Traditionally, this is made with wild game, such as venison, boar, and other shootable animals, but is perfectly acceptable, if not amazing, using easier to find domestic livestock. Regardless of which meats you include, be sure to use a lot of them, as I think this stew should be at least 50% meat.
Since you can, and should make this ahead of time, it�s perfect for feeding large groups, especially when the weather turns cold and dreary. But, no matter what it�s doing outside, I hope you give this a try, and have a pot simmering inside soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 portions:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 packed cups drained sauerkraut
1 small head green cabbage, quartered and sliced (2 pound head before trimming)
4 strips bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 lb pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb polish sausage links, sliced (or any other sausage)
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
3 pitted prunes, diced
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked until soft and chopped
After seeing various versions of this Halloween-themed, zombie meatloaf on social media over the years, I decided it was time to post my very own. I�ve seen many approaches to this; such as covered in �blood,� or mummified in strips of pastry, but the ones wrapped in bacon always looked the most realistic, and the most appetizing.
Ironically, �appetizing� is the last thing you want this to look like, but if we�re going to do some kind of gimmicky, holiday recipe, it might as well taste great, and this most certainly did. It�s been a while since I posted a meatloaf recipe, and I was very happy with how this one came out. You can use a food processor make chopping the mushrooms a bit easier, but don�t leave them out. They add a lot of flavor, as well as help keep the meat moist, and tender.
By the way, if you're trapped in one of these households where certain people don�t eat mushrooms, add them anyway, since they�ll never be able to tell they�re in there. Then, next week, after they�ve eaten this, and loved it, you can come clean. Trick or treat, indeed.
Having said that, this zombification will work with any of your favorite meatloaf recipes, and you won�t be hurting my feelings. Much. Regardless of what you use, I really hope you give this fun-to-make, even funner-to-eat, zombie meatloaf a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 large portions:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup diced celery
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
8 ounces brown mushrooms, chopped fine
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 pounds ground beef
3 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons milk or buttermilk
1 large beaten egg
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 pound strip bacon forzombie �facial muscles�
1 onion for eyes and teeth
- Bake at 325 F. for about 1 hour, or to an internal temp of 155 F.
- I went for a realistic muscular look, but if you�d rather have something that looks like crispy bacon, go ahead and put foil over the eyes and teeth, and pop this under a hot broiler, until it looks just right.
- Serve with �blood sauce,� which is made with equal parts SFQ bbq sauce and ketchup, spiked with hot sauce.
If you�re from Greece, you�re probably pretty confused right now, and wondering why I�m calling this gyros. There, pork and chicken are used, in non-ground form, and as the meat turns slowly over a fire, the cooked, caramelized surface is shaved off into thin slices.
It�s amazing stuff, but believe it or not, I prefer this Americanized �mystery meat� approach, which uses ground lamb and/or beef. The spices are similar, but the texture is totally different, and for me, more interesting. I can eat fresh, identifiable meat anytime, so when I�m in the mood for gyros, I want the stuff you can only get from certain street vendors. Of course, since the meat is ground, you�re taking their word for which specific animals made the ultimate sacrifice, which is why this stuff became affectionately known as �mystery meat.�
This style is perfect for making ahead of time. Once it�s chilled, and sliced, all you need to do is brown it in a pan, and find some flatbread to roll it up in. Preferably, that would be homemade Lebanese mountain bread, which I will attempt to show you in the near future. In the meantime, your favorite pita will do, just as long as you don�t forget to make some tzatziki. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 portions:
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon freshly minced rosemary
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste (you can cook a small piece to test)
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons bread crumb
- Cook at 350 F. for 45 minutes, or until an internal temp of 160 F. -- Note: to make the pickled red onions, simply slice them about 1/8-inch thick, and cover with red wine vinegar for a few hours, or overnight. They will turn into the beautifully colored garnish seen herein.
This great steak is considered something of a butcher shop �secret,� but not because they�re selfish, and can�t stand the thought of you being happy. It�s just an odd looking cut, which requires a specific trimming technique to remove one of the toughest pieces of connective tissue on the entire animal.
Combine that with the fact that there�s only one per cow, and you have something that�s a little tricky to sell, although that seems to be changing a bit. This steak has become popular on restaurant menus, going by the name, �hanger steak,� and that�s led to it being carried in some of your finer butcher shops.
Even though it takes a little bit of time, the trimming is pretty simple, and probably easier than I made it look. Carefully trim away any of the tough-feeling membranes on the surface, and divide in half lengthwise, along the center connective tissue. Once that�s cut away, you�re pretty much done, other than deciding how to cook it.
Butcher�s steak is great in a pan, under the broiler, and of course, on the grill. It takes to marinades wonderfully, and can sub in for any cut of steak in any recipe. It�s not only tender, and affordable, but also extremely beefy.
This is probably the most strongly flavored steak cut, and some even describe it as having a subtle gaminess, although I think that�s a bit much. There�s only one way to know for sure, so I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 portions:
1 whole butcher�s steak aka hanger steak, about 2 pounds
While this grilled hoisin beef features a very similar marinade to the one in our Mongolian pork chop video, I decided against calling it, "Mongolian beef," since I realized I�m not exactly sure what that is. Same goes for the chop, but since Mustard�s Grill coined the name, we're Grandfathered in.
Hoisin sauce is an underrated, and possibly underused ingredient. That's probably due to the fact that people aren�t exactly sure what it is. Far as I can tell, it's a thickened, fermented soy-sauce-like substance, flavored with chilies, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and, of course, exotic spices. That�s really all I feel like I need to know, but if you happen to do some more research, and find out something interesting, please pass it along.
Like I said in the video, besides a decent marinade recipe, I hope this serves as a reminder for just how great a cut of beef skirt steak is. Unless you horribly overcook it, it�s always juicy, and tender, as long as you slice it across the grain. So, whether you serve it with coconut rice or not, I really hope you give this grilled hoisin beef a try soon.Enjoy!
Makes two portions: * as with all marinades, feel free to add more of everything!
