Garlic is a great ingredient. However, roasted garlic is an amazing ingredient. Roasting garlic brings out its natural sweetness and takes the bitterness away. One of the most popular questions that I receive is, “How do you roast garlic”? Hopefully today’s post will answer your questions.
So tasty that you can eat it straight from the oven.
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My friend Jeff went to visit his family in Tennesse and when he came back he brought with him some of the biggest zucchini that I have ever seen. They were massive. It almost seemed as if they were some result of a nuclear accident, as they were huge. After I got over the shock of seeing the giant zucchini, we got down to business. Jeff said that zucchini that are huge usually don’t have the best flavor, so we should use them as boats, or serving vessels for other ingredients. I agreed and went to the store to pick up something to fill them with. When I came back we had all of the fixins for chorizo stuffed zucchini boats.
With just a little bit of spice from the chorizo this bite was awesome
I have been doing a series of posts about my buddy Jeff’s barbecue. We made a full day out of grilling and sipping on Coronas. To end the night we made the ultimate smores. The recipe was developed by Jeff’s sister “Spud”. While not too far off from the original, it was tweaked enough to get cult status. By cult status I mean the group of people sitting around the fire. They were amazing.
Last week my friend Jeff had me over for a little grilling and drinking. I brought the Corona and he gave me the workings for a great steak taco. I must say, having a food website has open doors. Everyone wants me to come over, but in return I have to do the cooking. I have absolutely no problem with that. Jeff had a nice flank steak that we grilled and made tacos with.
The tequila makes these amazing
Grilled Steak Tacos with Roasted Peppers
Roasted Peppers
Lay the flank steak out on a cutting board and dry it off with a towel.
The flank steak
With a flank steak I usually tenderize it before I use it. To do that use a hard object or a meat tenderizer and hammer the meat. This will tenderize it and make it so that it is not too chewy.
Take all of your aggression and use it against the poor helpless piece of meat.
Mix all of the seasonings above and place in a zip top bag. You can add as much tequila as you like. Jeff likes tequila so I think that we added about a 1/2-3/4 cup of tequila.
Add as much tequila as you like.
Then seal the bag and squeeze as much air out as you can. Then refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. 2-3 hours is preferred.
Jeff was a great hand model. I think he has a future in the business.
Just like the shrimp tacos from a couple of days ago, we are going to serve these with roasted peppers. While the meat marinades, roast the peppers. Place the peppers on high heat and turn them every minute or so until all of the sides are blackened.
It is alright to let them burn as it will make the skins come off easier.
Make sure to rotate them so that all of the sides get blackened.
Once all of the sides are blistered and black time to remove them from the grill
Remove them from the grill when blistered and place in a plastic bag. The plastic bag will help to steam the skins off.
Zip top bags make the perfect container for steaming the skins off.
After about 10 minutes it is time to peel the skins. As you can see, the skins come off in giant sheets.
It might be a little dirty, but this is a hands on sort of thing.
Slice into strips and serve these tender, smokey, and tasty treats with any and everything.
Now that the peppers are done, it is time to grill the meat. Place the flank steak on the grill over high heat and sear the outside.
Place the meat on a pre-heated grill
After about 5-7 minutes you should have good grill marks. When you have good grill marks and the meat looks golden it is time to flip.
Flip when you have good carmelization
Now continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes. The meat should be about medium-medium well. Remove and let the meat sit for 5 minutes before carving. This will let the juices redistribute throughout the meat. Then carve the meat into thin strips. Make sure to cut against the grain. Otherwise, the meat will be chewy.
Make sure to cut against the grain
Serve the steak tacos on a flour tortilla with some cheese, roasted peppers, salsa and some sour cream. Makes for a perfect summer meal.
The tacos are great with just a little lime juice to add a tad bit more acidity.
These tacos were the best of the night. The meat was cooked perfectly and the seasoning was awesome. Now that it is summer time, it is time to grill. You don’t always have to make burgers and hot dogs. Next time make grilled steak tacos.
Every Friday I pick the best culinary events in the DC area for my readers to enjoy. This weekend there are some great events to attend in and around the DC metro area.
District will reopen the historic Eastern Market at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday June 26 followed by a community celebration on Saturday June 27. The two events will mark the completion of the market’s renovation and recovery from fire damage caused in April 2007. With over 175 exhibitors on the weekend this is going to be one heck of a celebration. Eastern Market is located at 306 7th Street, SE. 1 1/2 Blocks North of Eastern Market Metro on 7th Street.
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A couple of weeks ago I reviewed a cookbook by Ardie Davis on barbecuing. In the book he had a recipe for butt in a bag. Due to the name alone I had to make it. Basically you smoke a pork butt like normal, but halfway through you place it in a paper bag. The bag limits the smoke that can penetrate the meat and also keeps the meat moist without basting. There is nothing worse than barbecue that is dried out and has been over-smoked.
This recipe made some of the best pulled pork sandwiches.
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Every wednesday I review a cookbook to help weed out the good the bad and the ugly. This week I am reviewing America’s Best BBQ, 100 Recipes from America’s Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses and Restaurants. This book is co-written by Ardie A. Davis and Chef Paul Kirk. Both barbecue legends. Even being barbecue legends I don’t know how they pulled this one off. They went into the best barbecue restaurants in America and came out with recipes for some amazing food. |
I love tacos and I love grilling. So the combination of the two is basically the perfect meal. Shrimp tacos are quick and easy and best of all, tasty. My buddy Jeff called me yesterday asking if I was interesting in grilling out. The only thing was that he had already purchased shrimp. So the solution was easy, grilled shrimp tacos.
These tacos were great, especially with the grilled peppers.
