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Smoked Beef Brisket – A slightly sweet, smoky version

Posted on May 4, 2014 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 8 comments

I love a good BBQ. It’s rare that I use a dry rub when we BBQ at our house, especially since my daughter makes excellent marinades. However, when it comes to brisket, I prefer using a dry rub.

I like to experiment with different spice combinations when coming up with recipes for dry rubs. This one contains an unusual combination of espresso powder, brown sugar and cumin, among other things. The sweetness of the sugar goes really well with the smokiness of the espresso and cumin.

I also save some of the dry rub mixture to make a mop sauce to baste the brisket as it smokes. All that’s needed to make the mop sauce is to mix a bottle of your favorite beer (ale works well with this recipe) with about 1/2 cup of the dry rub mixture. Don’t worry–the alcohol cooks out by the time the brisket is done.

I own a smoker/grill, which is what I used to smoke my brisket. You don’t need a smoker to make this, however. You can bake this long and slow in your oven. The result will still be finger-licking-good.

Give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Smoked Brisket

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
A nicely marbled brisket, about 7-8 pounds, with a nice layer of fat on one side
1 bottle beer (I used a 12-ounce bottle of Alaskan ale)

Directions:

1. In a small measuring cup, mix together the brown sugar, cumin, espresso powder, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

2. Save 1/2 cup of the dry rub to make the mop sauce. Spread the rest of the rub evenly over both sides of the brisket.

3. Mix the beer with the remaining 1/2 cup of the dry rub mixture. Set this aside.

4. If you own a smoker, place the brisket on the grill, fat-side facing up. Smoke the brisket for one hour, then turn the temperature to 225 degrees to cook for the remaining time. You’ll smoke/cook the brisket for a total of 6 hours. Generously baste the brisket once every hour.

5. Mid-way through the cooking time, after about 3 hours or so, flip the brisket over so that the fat is on the bottom. Continue basting every hour; stop basting one hour prior to the brisket being done.

6. When the brisket is done (after it’s been smoking/cooking for about 6 hours), remove it from the grill or oven. Wrap the brisket in aluminum foil and let the brisket rest for 30 minutes.

7. After 30 minutes of resting, unwrap the brisket.

8. Thinly slice the brisket, ensuring you cut across the grain of the meat.

Serve and ENJOY!

Our mini-poodle is waiting patiently for his share! 🙂

Posted in Beef, Dinner, Lunch, MEALS, MEAT, SAUCES & SEASONINGS, Spice Blends tagged with BBQ

Tomato-Braised Pork Ribs

Posted on April 4, 2014 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 36 comments

One of my family’s favorite ways for me to cook pork ribs (other than Chamorro BBQ) is to braise it in a thick and sweet tomato sauce.

My mom used to make this for us growing up, only she used tomato ketchup (I still make it this way sometimes).

What is braising, you ask? Braising is a form of cooking with liquid so that the moist heat breaks down connective tissues in tough cuts of meat, leaving them quite tender and fall-off-the-bone good.

I usually cook this dish in a large soup pot (I start it a couple of hours before I intend to serve it), but if you’re pressed for time, you can easily prepare this in a pressure cooker.

Give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Tomato-Braised Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

2 slabs baby back pork ribs
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups water
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses

Directions:

Rinse each slab of ribs, then trim off any excess fat. Separate each rib then place into a large pot over medium high heat.

Add the soy sauce, vinegar and garlic to the pot. Stir to evenly coat each rib with the liquid and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning.

Add the onions and water to the pot.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes and molasses. Blackstrap molasses is not too sweet, but adds just the right amount of sweetness for this dish. If you don’t have molasses, you can add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar.

Now it’s time to start the braising process. Cooking the ribs in this delicious tomato sauce, long and over medium-low heat, is the key to creating fall-off-the-bone yumminess. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low. Place a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil over the top of the pot, tightly sealing it. Place a lid over the foil. Simmer the ribs for at least 2 hours.

This is what the ribs looked like before braising.

This is the “after” photo. Notice how the sauce reduced and thickened (it’s so good poured over steamed white rice!).

Serve with hot white rice (don’t forget the sauce, too) and ENJOY!

Posted in Dinner, Lunch, MEALS, MEAT, Pork

Escabeche

Posted on March 20, 2014 by AnniesChamorroKitchen One comment

Escabeche is a dish made with fried fish and vegetables with a ginger-vinegar sauce. It’s usually prepared for special occasions, but since we’re in the middle of the Lenten season, this is a great dish to prepare for meatless Friday meals.

The traditional Chamorro version uses tuba vinegar and orange ginger (mango’, in Chamorro). I prefer using fresh ginger for this dish, but I rarely find it in the Asian stores where I live. Ground tumeric makes a great substitute for fresh ginger.

I remember how my mom would go to the back yard and pull up some orange ginger roots. She’d clean and peel the ginger, place the pieces in heavy duty aluminum foil, then she’d pound the heck out of the ginger with a hammer. 😉

I love fried fish, and this dish is usually made with fried fish. I’m trying to eat healthier these days, so I opted to bake instead of fry my fish. Use any good white fish like tilapia, parrot fish, or one of my favorites–orange roughy.

Give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Escabeche

Ingredients:

1 large broccoli head, cut into little “trees” about 3 inches long
1 medium cabbage, cut into large pieces (I like using Chinese cabbage for this dish)
1 large eggplant or 4 medium long (Japanese or Chinese) eggplants, sliced lengthwise, 1/4 inch thick
3 to 4 cups water
1 to 1 1/3 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (plus more for seasoning the fish)
6 to 8 teaspoons tumeric (plus more for seasoning the fish)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 pounds white fish (tilapia and orange roughy are good for this dish)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Black pepper, about a teaspoon
Optional: Other vegetables of your choosing, like sliced onions or leafy greens

Directions:

Place a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. I have a 14″ skillet that I love to use for making fried rice, stir-fried dishes, or making dishes like escabeche. You want a fairly large pot that is wide across the top so that you can somewhat steam the vegetables, not boil them.

Pour 1 cup of water into the pan and bring it to a boil.

Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the boiling water.

Add the broccoli to the pan.

Pour 1/3 cup of vinegar into the pan.

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of tumeric over the broccoli.

Use a pair of tongs to gently stir the mixture around in the pan, just until the tumeric is mixed into the liquid.

Cook the broccoli just until it is slightly wilted, or cooked to your liking. Place the broccoli into a medium sized mixing bowl, leaving the tumeric sauce in the pan.

If you don’t have much liquid in the pan, add another cup of water and 1/3 cup of vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 more teaspoons of tumeric. Bring the liquid back up to a boil then add the cabbage leaves.

Use the tongs to turn the cabbage, evenly coating each leaf in tumeric sauce. Cook until the leaves begin to wilt.

Place the cooked cabbage into the bowl of broccoli, leaving the liquid in the pan once again.

As with the step before, if you don’t have much liquid in the pan, add another cup of water, 1/3 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 more teaspoons tumeric.

Bring the liquid to a boil then add the sliced eggplant to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium low (the eggplant takes longer to cook and your liquid may dry up completely as the eggplant cooks). Cook the eggplant for about 4 minutes then flip the slices over and cook the other side for another 4 minutes (or cook until the eggplant softens).

When the eggplant is done, remove it from the pan and place it into the bowl with the other cooked vegetables.

Repeat this process (of cooking the vegetables) for any remaining vegetables you are adding to the dish (like onions or kangkun leaves).

If your liquid dries up, add another cup of water, 1/3 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons tumeric. Add the garlic to the pan. Turn the heat back up to medium high. Cook the garlic sauce for a couple of minutes.

Pour the sauce over the cooked vegetables. Set aside until the fish is done.

Prepare the fish.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the fish filets on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Sprinkle salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and tumeric on both sides of the fish. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Use a fork to check for doneness (the fish should flake easily with a fork).

When the fish is done, it’s time to layer the escabeche.

In the bottom of a 9×13 pan, place a even layer of eggplant, half of the cabbage leaves and broccoli.

Carefully place each of the baked fish filets on top of the bottom layer of vegetables.

I don’t have a photo of these next steps (I don’t know how I forgot to take photos!), but layer the remaining vegetables on top of the layer of fish.

Pour any remaining sauce over the vegetables.

While you can eat this immediately, this dish is best if made the day before and allowed to “marinate” overnight. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil then place in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to meld.

The next day, after all the sauce soaked into the fish and vegetables, the escabeche is now perfect and ready to enjoy. Reheat individual portions, or bake the entire pan (covered with foil) at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

Serve with hot steamed rice and fina’denne’. ENJOY!

Posted in CHAMORRO DISHES, Dinner, Guihan (Fish), HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES, Healthy Alternatives ~ Recipes, Lunch, MEALS, SEAFOOD

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and Tangy Coleslaw

Posted on March 5, 2014 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 6 comments

This is not your typical fish taco. It’s even better if you ask me, but then I might be a bit biased. 😉

When I think of fish tacos, I picture battered fried fish, cabbage slaw, and a spicy mayo, all wrapped in a corn tortilla.

I’m trying to eat healthier meals, so I created this version where I bake instead of fry the fish. I also created a tangy coleslaw that uses no mayo, but some surprise HEALTHIER-FOR-YOU ingredients that kick up the flavor as well as the nutrition. You won’t see spicy mayo drizzled over my version either. Instead, I made a mango salsa that pairs so well with the fish and coleslaw. To make this even better for you, I opted for lettuce leaves as my taco wrap. Man-oh-man, are these tacos delicious!

Give my recipes a try. I think you’ll like them. 🙂

Drop me a line to let me know what you think.

Fish Tacos

Coleslaw Ingredients:

1 bag (10-oz) angel hair coleslaw (or 8 cups finely shredded cabbage)
3 tablespoons fresh parsley

Coleslaw Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses (you can use honey, but the molasses is healthier for you…read more about its amazing health benefits here.)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Stevia sweetener (or you can add 2 more tablespoons of honey)

Mango Salsa Ingredients:

2 ripe mangoes
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
the juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon sea salt
Optional: 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped

Fish Ingredients:

4 whole orange roughy filets (about 2 pounds)
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
Extra virgin olive oil, about 3 tablespoons

Other Ingredients:

Lettuce leaves (use Bib lettuce, Red or Green Curly Leaf Lettuce)
Avocado, sliced

Directions:

1. Make the Cole Slaw.

Place the sliced cabbage in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Add the parsley.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage and parsley.

Toss the ingredients together. Refrigerate the coleslaw until you’re ready to assemble the tacos. This will give it time to let the flavors meld.

2. Make the Mango Salsa.

Cut the skin off the mango. Dice the mango into 1/4-inch cubes. Place into a small mixing bowl.

Add the red onions and the optional jalapeño to the bowl.

Add the cilantro.

Stir to combine the ingredients. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble the tacos.

3. Bake the Fish.

Cut the fish filets into halves (if they’re small) or thirds (if they’re large). Place into a rimmed baking dish (I used a 9×13 pan). Sprinkle both sides of the fish with the sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

Drizzle the olive oil all over the fish (top side only).

Bake the fish at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

4. Assemble the tacos.

Slice the avocados. Rinse and dry the lettuce leaves. Set aside.

Place a lettuce leaf on a plate. Add some Tangy Coleslaw on top of the lettuce leaf. Place a piece of baked fish on top of the coleslaw. Add a scoop of mango salsa on top of the fish. Top with avocado slices, serve and ENJOY!

Posted in Dinner, HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES, Healthy Alternatives ~ Recipes, Lunch, MEALS, SEAFOOD

BLT with a Twist

Posted on March 2, 2014 by AnniesChamorroKitchen Leave a comment

This sandwich recipe is our adaptation of a BLT we’ve tried and loved. Enjoy!

BLT with a Twist

Ingredients:

10 slices multigrain bread, toasted
10 slices maple bacon (or your favorite brand/flavor bacon)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Dash of garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
5 small handfuls of arugula, baby spinach, or spring mix lettuce leaves 2 avocados, sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
Optional: 5 slices swiss cheese

Directions:

Cut the slices of bacon in half to make 20 pieces. Cook until browned and crispy. Set aside on a paper towel to drain excess fat.

Mix together the mayonnaise, garlic powder and green onions. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble your sandwich:

Spread about 12 tablespoons of the mayo mixture on one slice of toast. Next, place four pieces of bacon. Add tomato slices on top of the bacon. Place avocado slices on top of the tomato slices.
Top with a handful of arugula, baby spinach, or lettuce of choice.
Place one slice of cheese on top of the arugula (optional).
Place the second slice of bread on top of the arugula. Dig in!

*Makes 5 sandwiches

Posted in Brunch, FAMILY RECIPES, Hannah's Recipes, Lunch, MEALS, SANDWICHES & WRAPS

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