Monthly Archives: March 2012

BBQ Chicken Test

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Texas Style Cuisine

Sunday I figured I would throw a couple for chickens on the UDS. I wanted to try out a couple of new rub recipes. I also wanted to try a mustard slather. I cooked each bird with the same rub but I only slathered one half. I wanted to see how it affected the flavor. The first bird was rubbed with mustard and McCormick’s Grill Mates Cowboy Rub and the other half was coated with EVOO than rubbed with the same rub. The other bird was coated the same way and I used an Ancho chili rubbed that I put together on it. Both birds were a success. After about an hour and fifteen minutes on the grill at 300 degrees they were 165, so I pulled them. The winning flavors with both birds were the one with the mustard slath. I have always been told that you can’t taste the mustard but my judges said they could taste a little mustard on each one. The appearance was good on each half, but the one with the EVOO seemed to be a little darker in color. I don’t think any of the four halves were to light, but the mustard ones were lighter.

Categories: BBQ, Entrees, Texas Style Cuisine | Tags: ancho, Cowboy Rub, EVOO, Grill Mates, McCormick, mustard slath, UDS | 4 Comments

Rattle Snake Round Up

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Texas Style Cuisine

Wild times were had in Sweetwater at the Annual Rattle Snake Round Up. Julie Richards, of Waco and Julie fame, was on the winning team. Midkiff Mafia BBQ had a great day. They place 1st in rattle snake, 2nd in brisket and 10th in chicken. That gave them just enough points for the Grand Champion call in this Lonestar Barbeque Society event. Julie was going to make a snake meatball using my Chipotle Bomber recipe as a guide, but they were thrown a curveball and had to change the recipe at the last-minute. This year the judges decided to make the teams turn in snake on the bone, so they could be sure it was indeed snake. So it’s a little tough serving meatballs with bones, so she changed at the last moment. I will try to get some pics up later of the winning team. Julie had to take off early because her and Waco were singing over in Midland. So she missed the awards. Check out the link from here to Waco and Julie’s site and go see them sometime if they are in the area. Congratulations to Bernie Phillips and the Midkiff Mafia BBQ team.

Categories: Appetizers, BBQ, Competition, Entrees, Texas Style Cuisine | Tags: BBQ, brisket, chicken, chipotle, Grand Champion, Lonestar Barbeque Society, Midkiff Mafia BBQ, snake, Sweetwater Rattle Snake Round Up, Waco and Julie | 2 Comments

Picante Fish and Red Chilie Shrimp

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Texas Style Cuisine

I had some old friends drop by and visit the other night. They showed up hungry and expecting something great. I chose a recipe I got from a friend and one of my own. While I was in the outdoor kitchen taking care of the seafood the wife fixed a couple of sides in the house.

Picante Fish

1 Onion
1 Stick of butter
1 Bunch of cilantro
10 tilapia fillets
Picante Sauce
Fajita seasoning

Start fire
Slice onions into rings
Slice butter into thin slices
Season fillets
Make a foil boat to cook fish in
Place onions on boat over the fire
Spread butter pats around on the onion rings
Place fish on the rings
Pour sauce over the fish
Sprinkle cilantro across fillets.
Cook till the fish heats through and becomes flakey

While the fish was cooking I prepped the shrimp and started cooking it. I had already peeled and deveined the shrimp, I just had to season and cook the shrimp, the shrimp cooks much faster then the shrimp. Remember shrimp is cooked when it curls into a C and is overcooked when it curls into an O.

3 lbs Shrimp (peeled and deveined w/tail)
4-6 Serrano Chilies (red if you can get them) sliced thin
6 Garlic cloves minced
TT Spanish Paprika
TT Sea salt
Olive Oil
White wine or sherry

Heat oil in cast iron skillet
Add chilies and saute
Add garlic
Add shrimp
When shrimp is almost cooked, add paprika and salt
Toss shrimp in the hot oil and seasonings
Add wine till warm

With the shrimp and fish finished we headed to the house. We had a great salad, squash and red potatoes.

Categories: Appetizers, Entrees, Grilling, Texas Style Cuisine | Tags: butter, cilantro, fish, onion, picante, picante sauce, sherry, shrimp, tilapia, wine | 1 Comment

Texican Paella

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Texas Style Cuisine

I spent the day teaching the kids how to make paella. Paella is a dish from Spain, it originates from the Mediterranean Coast. Many people consider it the national dish of Spain. Paella is make up of rice, vegetables, and usually sea food, although rabbit, chicken, pork and chorizo are also found in it. Today we are making a Texican style of the dish. We have included shrimp, oysters, crawfish, and muscles for our seafood. I have used these items because this is the type of seafood immigrants would have found when they came to Texas. I have also chose to use polish sausage instead of chorizo and chicken wings. I also have used some roasted poblano peppers, cilantro and seasoned with cumin to give it the Texas flair.

First we added about a cup of oil and browned the wings in the paella, the pan is called paella also. Then we added the sausage cut into rounds, about 1/4 to 3/8 inches thick. next we sautéed the vegetables. When all the vegetables were translucent we added the rice and cooked it until translucent also. Then we add the stock.

sauteing the chicken, sausage and vegetables.

Adding rice

Adding the seafood stock and seasonings. The yellow color comes from saffron.

Next bring everything to a boil. Let it boil for about 5 minutes then turn down to a simmer. After 5 minutes you can now add the seafood. I will now tent the pan and cook it for about another 10 minutes.