About a month ago Michael saw an episode of Food Wars on Travel Channel that featured the Juicy Lucy/Jucy Lucy burger, a Minneapolis creation with a devout following, and he knew instantly that he had to make it. I enjoy seeing him get over the moon about trying something new, and it was fun to watch him apply his engineering talents to building the perfect stuffed burger. He likes the mounded look of the Juicy Lucy/Jucy Lucy burger rather than a flat burger, so he piles the fillings high before sealing the edges.

I had the burgers all labeled and neatly arranged on the grill to keep track of the different fillings, then of course got them all out of order after transferring them to the platter. A few of the burgers spilled their cheesy guts onto the platter, making the the guessing game a little easier, but I recommend having some sort of labeling system if you are using a variety of fillings.

Grilling Safety Tips

With the official start of grilling season just around the corner, now is a good time to brush up on grill safety. Make sure your grill as at least 10 feet away from any structure and never use a grill in a garage, carport, under an awning, or anything else with a roof overhead. Don’t use kerosene or gasoline to light a charcoal fire because it can cause an explosion, and don’t spray lighter fluid on a charcoal fire as it can cause a dangerous flare up. Never leave a grill unattended, especially with children and pets around. And finally, always keep a fire extinguisher handy. Have fun and stay safe. (Safety tips from Underwriters Laboratories, but this post is not sponsored by them.)

(Print this recipe)

STUFFED BURGERS (AKA JUICY LUCY/JUCY LUCY)

Makes 6 (1/3 pound) burgers.

Equipment

grill
2 platters, one covered with plastic wrap
cutting board (plastic wrap optional)

Ingredients

2 pounds (908 g) ground chuck, 80 to 85% lean
cheese slices (We like muenster, American, and Swiss.)
whole grain hamburger buns or whatever kind of bread you prefer (or gluten-free alternative)
salt

OTHER FILLINGS
sun-dried tomato pesto
spinach arugula pesto

Preparation

1. Divide the ground chuck into 6 equal pieces, then divide each piece in half. Roll the 12 pieces into tight balls and press flat, until the patty is slightly larger than the bun. (Michael uses an 8 ounce sour cream container lid to measure the patties. He’s such an engineer.) Make sure the meat is compacted, because if the meat is too loose the fillings will seep out and make a mess on the grill. Trust me on this.

2. Cut each slice of cheese into square quarters and place the four quarters on a patty. Place another patty on top and press down around the edges, making a tight seal. Place the shaped patties on a platter and cover with some plastic wrap. Chill the burgers for about 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the grill. Sprinkle a bit of salt on each patty and place them on the grill and cook over high heat for 6 minutes. Flip the burgers and pierce the cooked sides with a sharp knife to let a little steam escape from the molten cheese. Cook another 4 to 6 minutes (or longer) depending on your doneness preference, then remove from the grill. Let the burgers rest and cool a few minutes, then serve with your favorite toppings.

More Recipes for a Memorial Day Cookout

More Burger Recipes From Around the Blogs

Pinch My Salt – Blue Cheese Burger

Ezra Pound Cake – Salmon Burgers

Farmgirl Fare – Lamb Burgers with Garlic, Shallots, and Feta on Focaccia

White on Rice Couple – Ultimate Umami Burger

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While I don’t want to sound trite, I must say the first of May caught me off guard. I can’t believe it’s May, the school year is almost over and the kids will be out for almost three months, it’s time to register Top Gun for kindergarten, and summer is almost here. But that also means it’s grilling time around our house, actually more grilling time since we like to grill year round, we just happen to do it more often in the warm months. Really, I like grilled food in January but I don’t like freezing my fingers while making it!

Burgers are one of Builder Guy’s favorite foods, so we grill up a batch every once in a while. Some times I just want a slice of sharp cheddar and good barbecue sauce on top, but other times I like to play with the toppings: guacamole with caramelized onions, chimichurri, chipotle salsa, roasted red peppers with some kind of gooey cheese. The sloppier the better. And I happen to like tzatziki on my burgers, especially with arugula or an arugula pesto.

I adapted the tzatziki recipe below from Peter who runs the terrific Greek food blog, Kalofagas. I do things just a little different, like add a little grind of fresh black pepper and a touch of lemon juice, so my version isn’t entirely authentic. You should taste his recipe, especially if you like Ouzo. Consider my measurements a guide, as some days I add a touch more garlic or pepper depending on my mood. You can make the tzatziki up to one day in advance, just keep it refrigerated until ready to use.

I make tzatziki with Stonyfield Farm Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt. Be sure to enter the free yogurt giveaway from Stonyfield Farm!

GREEK BURGERS

Adapted from Kalofagas.

Makes 6 to 8 burgers and approximately 20 ounces of tzatziki.

Equipment

grill
box grater
strainer
2 medium bowls

Ingredients

2 pounds ground chuck, ground lamb, or soy burgers
feta cheese, 1 to 2 tablespoons per burger (optional)

TZATZIKI
1/2 cucumber, seeded and grated
1/4 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
16 ounces (454 g) plain Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (or Ouzo as recommend by Peter at Kalofagas)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
pinch fresh ground black pepper

THE EXTRAS
buns (can be gluten-free)
spinach arugula pesto or arugula leaves (rocket)
red onion slices

Preparation

1. TZATZIKI: Put the strainer over a medium bowl, then put the grated cucumber into the strainer and sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let it sit up to 30 minutes, pressing with the back of a spoon occasionally to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

2. In the other medium bowl, stir together the strained cucumber, Greek yogurt, garlic, fresh dill, and lemon juice. Add more salt to taste, then stir in the olive oil and black pepper. Cover and keep chilled.

3. Shape the meat into 6 to 8 burger patties, folding 1 to 2 tablespoons of feta cheese in the middle of each (optional, but good). Grill the burgers to desired doneness.

4. Remove from the grill and cover with foil for a 2 to 3 minutes to seal in the juices. Assemble the burgers in the following order: bun bottom, burger patty, pesto, tzatziki, onion, bun top.

More Recipes With Yogurt

More Burger Recipes From Around the Blogs

Farmgirl Fare – Lamb Burger with Garlic, Shallots, and Feta on Homemade Rosemary Focaccia

A Veggie Venture – Black Bean Burgers

Closet Cooking – Bulgogi Burgers

No Recipes – Hoisin Ginger Burgers with Lime Pickled Onions

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Most of our evening meals are simple, often pulling from the freezer any leftovers from my weekend cooking marathons. We spend our energy taking care of the boys, coaxing them to eat their dinner and use good manners, and conversation centers around the day and what the boys did in school or any new milestones. We try to minimize the chaos, but I’ll tell you we’ve heard it all during dinner.

“Daddy, I peed on the potty all by myself!”

“I don’t want to use my fork!”

“I don’t like this. I can’t eat it.”

“Daddy? Mommy? Have some more [fill in the blank]?” (pause) “Oh. May I have some more [fill in the blank], please?”

“Mommy, I love my vegetables!” (Usually said after being told there will be no dessert for little boys who don’t eat all their dinner.)

“Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” [airplane noises]

“Oh, please don’t put that in your hair.” (pause, sigh) “OK, I guess you need a bath tonight.”

“Ghhhh!” (Said while the toddler throws his food or bowl or cup or spoon on the floor. Usually followed by tears because now he doesn’t have the food/bowl/cup/spoon/whatever.)

By the time we get the boys to bed we’re both exhausted and can easily fall asleep wherever we sit, but sometimes we just need a night out, or at least a night when we put the kids to bed early and enjoy a quiet dinner with good wine and an evening of conversation. On those nights I like to try something new or introduce Michael to one of my favorite meals, like this one.

My first taste of steak au poivre was years ago at the Hotel Pozo Azul on Lago de Tota in Boyaca, Colombia. The thing to eat when visiting Tota is trout (trucha) because the lake is filled with it (introduced, not native), but after having it for a couple meals I wanted something different. The beef in Colombia is good, and I decided to try the steak. It was cooked tender, crusted with peppercorns, covered in a good sauce, and I fell in love with steak all over again.

Traditional accompaniments for steak au poivre include mashed potatoes or pommes frites, though I felt adventurous this time and sauteed some baby porta bella mushrooms then served it all with brown butter green beans. Though I was not brave enough to flame the pan sauce, it still reduced nicely. We swirled pieces of the medium-rare steak in the cognac sauce and crunched on the peppercorns, savoring their the spicy flavor.

Equipment

2 (10 to 12 inch) heavy saute pans, not nonstick
warm platter
aluminum foil

Ingredients

STEAK
1 thick-cut well-marbled strip steak, about 1 pound total weight, and 1 1/2 inches thick
2 tablespoons mixed whole peppercorns
sea salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

PAN SAUCE
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons cognac
1/2 cup beef or veal stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

MUSHROOMS (Prepare while cooking the steaks and the pan sauce so it’s all ready at the same time.)
8 ounces baby porta bella mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

1. STEAK: Trim the steak of all the surrounding fat and cartilage. Cut the meat into 2 pieces and crush the peppercorns using the bottom of a heavy skillet.

2. Sprinkle salt lightly on the top and bottom of the steaks. Press the cracked peppercorns on each side of the steak, coating lightly or heavily to your taste.

3. Heat the oil and the butter in one of the pans over high heat. When the pan is hot, carefully lay the peppered steaks in. Fry for about 2 minutes on one side, until well seared. Turn the meat and cook the other side for about a minute. Press your finger into each steak to test. If the steak feels slightly springy, that means it’s rare. Cook another minute or two for medium rare. Remove the steaks to a warm platter and cover with foil.

4. PAN SAUCE: Add the shallots to the pan and sauté briefly, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up the drippings. Carefully pour in the cognac, leaning away from the burner. Tilt the edge of the pan slightly over the burner flame to ignite the alcohol. The cognac will flame for a few seconds as the alcohol burns off. Cook for another 30 seconds then add the stock. Bring the liquid back to the boil, and cook about 1 minute to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add the soft butter, swirling the pan until it melts and incorporates with the juices. Serve over the steaks.

5. MUSHROOMS: While the steaks cook, melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms soften and glisten. Add the white wine and the balsamic vinegar, stirring and cooking until the sauce reduces by 1/3. Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Variations

If you cook on an electric stove or cooktop, you can skip flaming the pan sauce.

*********************************************************

Source: steak recipe adapted from Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin

Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

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On Super Bowl Sunday I attempted to fulfill one of Michael’s foodie wishes. He has been craving Chicago Italian beef sandwiches, and I decided to do some research and make some for him. He got to relive some good memories, and I learned that making Italian beef is pretty easy and well worth it!

Italian beef is a Chicago institution, and a number of restaurants around town serve up this dripping wet sandwich, which is best eaten over a trough. The meat is roasted to medium rare, sliced thin, then simmered in an au jus made from the meat drippings, stock, lots of oregano, and other seasonings. To eat it, you fill a sub roll full of meat and then dip the whole sandwich into the au jus. No dainty dipping of the ends, you plunge the whole sandwich in! Then you top it with bell peppers and giardineria (pickled vegetables). It is sloppy good!

While researching I came across Roadfood.com, which has an active forum, and I found a thread that discussed making your own Italian beef. After reading the thread, I decided to follow a recipe attributed to Max’s Italian Beef. I cannot verify if indeed this is their recipe, but we thought it tasted pretty darn good. Neither the giardineria nor the dry rub ingredients had any amounts listed in the original, so I made a wild educated guess. I also played around with the giardineria a bit, adding some pepperoncini instead of the serrano peppers, and we liked it.

Cutting the meat properly is crucial to a good Italian beef sandwich. Slice it as thinly as possible using an electric knife. You can see that ours was a little bit thick. We used an electric knife and learned that short strokes produced thinner slices than trying to make large, full slices. Again, not completely authentic, but we made do with what we had. A meat slicer would definitely do a better job, but I’m not sold on their safety, particularly since our 5-year-old likes to play with things he shouldn’t!

Using the right bread is also very important. Bread that is too light will fall apart in the au jus, so use some hefty sub rolls or a good French bread cut into individual portions.

I used some fresh oregano from my kitchen garden for the au jus, so this is my contribution to Grow Your Own for February. If you are growing your own produce or raising your own meats, then join in! The deadline for entries is February 27th.

[Updated January 2, 2010.]

ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

Adapted from a discussion thread at RoadFood.com.

Makes 12 to 16 sandwiches.

Equipment

roasting pan and rack
meat thermometer
small bowl
6 quart pot
electric knife
glass jar with lid
small sauce pan

Ingredients

sub rolls or French bread (hefty texture, otherwise it will fall apart in the au jus)

MEAT
5 pound (2.268 k) outside round roast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon course black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon paprika

AU JUS
64 ounces (~2 liters) low-sodium beef broth or homemade stock
1 tablespoon garlic
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

SWEET PEPPERS
2 large green bell peppers, slice thin
8 ounces (240 ml) beef broth or homemade stock
8 ounces (240 ml) water
4 or 5 stalks fresh or 1 tablespoon dried oregano

GIARDINERIA
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
6 serrano peppers or pepperoncini, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced green olives (optional)
6 Italian hot peppers, thinly sliced or chopped
2 cups olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

1. GIARDINERIA: Several hours to one day before you prepare the meat, put all the vegetables for the giardineria in a jar. Heat the olive oil, vinegar, and salt in the microwave just until warm. Pour over the vegetables, then put a lid on the jar and store in the refrigerator.

2. MEAT: Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C. In the small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the dry rub, then rub the mixture all over the outside of the roast. Stick in the meat thermometer and place the roast on the rack. Roast in the oven until the meat is 140° F/60° C (medium rare). Remove from the oven and allow it to sit for 1 hour before slicing.

3. AU JUS: In the 6 quart pot, add the beef broth, garlic, oregano, and black pepper.

4. Using the electric knife or meat slicer, shave the meat as thinly as possible and put the slices into the au jus. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Do not boil the meat.

5. SWEET PEPPERS: While the meat simmers, put the sliced sweet peppers, broth, water, and oregano in the small sauce pan and heat just to a boil, then drain.

6. To serve, pile some of the meat onto the sliced rolls, then dip the whole thing into the au jus. Then add some sweet peppers and some of the giardineria. Eat with lots of napkins or paper towels.

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I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t like meatloaf and haven’t fixed it in years. We’re just not a meatloaf family, so when I announced one day last week that we would be having meatloaf for dinner I got a very strange look from Michael.

“Meatloaf?”

“Yes, meatloaf.”

“Why?”

“I found a recipe that I think might be pretty good.”

“Hmmm.” He was not convinced, and truthfully I wasn’t sure that I was either, but I was willing to try.

The recipe comes from Cooking Light and the loaf has sun-dried tomatoes and lots of fresh basil. We baked it on a roasting pan so that the fat would drip away, and I was concerned that it might dry out that way, but the loaf was moist and tender and had good flavor. I made some garlic mashed potatoes and Michael and I ate a couple slices and our three-year-old and 15-month-old both ate three helpings each, definitely a signal that this was a good recipe.

The fresh basil was a mix that came from our kitchen garden, grown in an AeroGarden. The basil has grown very well in it and is tall and bushy. The fragrance coming from the basil is wonderful, and we found the leaves to be very flavorful. I had just trimmed the plants back, so I had a combination of several different types of basil for the meatloaf: Genovese, Lemon, Thai, Red Rubin, Glove, and Napolitano. The mix of flavors in the meatloaf was very interesting, and it tasted even better the next day.

The recipe has been lightened by using reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes and egg whites instead of a whole egg, but you can certainly use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and a whole egg instead. We used 90% lean ground chuck, and thought it worked very well. We think with some tweaking the recipe would make some delicious meatballs.

This homey dish is my contribution to December’s Grow Your Own event. The deadline for Grow Your Own entries was yesterday (Ooops, I’m late for my own event!), but because the holidays have been so busy and I’m visiting family in South Carolina, I’m extending the deadline to January 2. If you made something using your own homegrown foods in December, then you can send it to and I’ll add it to the round-up!

Equipment

large mixing bowl
broiler pan coated with cooking spray

Ingredients

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1/2 cup ketchup + 1/3 cup ketchup for spreading on top
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
2 large egg whites
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground round

Preparation

1. Soak the dried tomatoes in 1 cup boiling water for about 30 minutes. Drain the tomatoes and chop finely.

2. Set the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350° F.

3. Put 1/2 cup ketchup, the breadcrumbs, onion, basil, provolone, egg whites, garlic cloves, and ground round in the large mixing bowl. Mix it all together with your hands and shape the mixture into a loaf about 9×5-inches in size.

4. Place the loaf on the prepared broiler pan and spread 1/3 cup of ketchup over the top.

5. Baked for about 1 hour or until a meat thermometer registers 160° F. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

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As I have written in previous posts, I did not grow up with Asian food, and it wasn’t until I moved to Saipan for my first overseas teaching job in 1989 that I had any exposure to the real thing. The island was (and still is) populated with a mix of nationalities and there were a handful of Asian grocery stores around the island. The one closest to my house was in Chalan Piao right on Beach Road, and I remember going shopping there for the first time and feeling utterly bewildered when I looked at the food products. I was looking for a particular kind of Chinese noodles and some Chinese cooking sauces, but I couldn’t seem to figure out what products were Japanese vs Chinese vs Korean, so when I finally stumbled across a shelf that had Lee Kum Kee products with English labels, I was relieved and bought my first jar of Lee Kum Kee Black Bean Sauce.

That experience is how my Asian cooking and condiments love affair got started. I didn’t have a clue about any of the other ingredients in the store, I just knew that I had tasted a delicious beef and black bean sauce with noodles dish at Diamond Chinese Restaurant in Garapan and I wanted to learn how to make it myself. I still enjoy making the dish, and I was able to make it recently with the last of this year’s bell peppers from our garden.

We were lamenting last month about how the peppers were not cooperating and turning red and yellow like they were supposed to. Well with these last three peppers we finally got two that turned a bright red and added some nice color to the stir fry. The outdoor garden is now done for the season as we had a good frost last night, so my winter Grow Your Own posts will all be from my indoor herb garden.

Sirloin steak is my favorite cut of beef for stir fries, and I’ll usually buy a couple when it’s on sale and then keep them in the freezer. Cutting the meat partially frozen is the easiest way to achieve the customary thin slices found in Chinese cooking. If you are using fresh meat, then pop it into the freezer for about 30 minutes before you start slicing and it should harden just enough to make slicing easier.

You can adjust the amount of black bean sauce to suit your taste, or you can substitute fermented black beans if you have some available. Many black bean sauces on the market now include garlic since they are a common pairing in Chinese cooking, and you can omit the extra garlic if you prefer, we just happen to like strong garlic flavors. I always use low sodium soy sauce in all my Asian cooking, but it’s particularly useful in this dish because the black bean sauce tends to be somewhat salty.

We enjoy this with rice or noodles. For a great post on how to make perfect Chinese rice and some terrific insight on her recent trip to China, check out Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen.

[Updated November 2009:  Since this post was originally written, I have learned the cold wok technique from Jaden of Steamy Kitchen. Instead of preheating oil and adding ingredients, you add oil, garlic, and ginger to the cold wok and then heat. The garlic and ginger flavor the oil while it heats, then you remove them. The oil is now infused with the flavor.]

BEEF AND BELL PEPPER WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE

Make 4 servings.

Equipment

wok
wooden spoon or paddle for stirring
medium glass bowl or 8×8 glass baking pan
small bowl
sharp knife
medium bowl (avoid plastic)

Ingredients

12 ounces (340 g) sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain, each piece about 2 inches long
2 medium bell peppers, green and red, sliced into thin strips, about 1/2-inch wide
3 or 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons Chinese black bean sauce or fermented black beans (more or less to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large slices ginger, minced
4 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
1/2 cup (120 ml)  chicken or strong vegetable stock

MARINADE
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon canola oil

Preparation

1. Put the sliced steak into the glass bowl and sprinkle the sugar on top. In the small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, and oil and then pour over the steak. Toss until the steak is coated, and set aside for about 30 minutes.

2. While the steak is marinading, prepare the remaining ingredients. Make sure everything is chopped, minced, and measured, because the process moves pretty quickly once you begin stir frying.

3. Heat the wok over high heat. If you have a gas range or cooktop, use the highest output burner. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the wok, and it should move quickly around the wok if the temperature is correct. Add the meat, stir frying for about 3 minutes, until the meat is cooked about 75% through. Remove the meat to the other medium bowl (do not put back into the marinade bowl).

4. Add 2 more tablespoons oil to the hot wok and add the bell peppers, stirring for about 2 minutes. Add the scallions and the black bean sauce, stirring for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring for just a minute.

5. Return the meat and all it’s juices back to the wok, stirring for 1 minute until it’s heated through. Add the chicken/vegetable stock and cook until it starts to boil.

6. Remove wok from heat. Serve with rice or noodles.

References

Wikipedia – Chinese Cuisine

Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen – Perfect Steamed Rice

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We love steak, but I usually don’t bother to buy it unless it’s a cheap cut that I plan to slice up for stir-fry. I hate paying a lot of money for something that may or may not turn out as well as I envision, so we save steaks as an “eat out” item for us, and we have been content with that. Well, that is until I read a blog post on Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen entitled, “How to Turn Cheap Choice Steaks into Gucci Prime Steaks.” I immediately printed off a copy and read it to Michael that night. He was game to try, so we decided to buy some steaks and grill them over Labor Day weekend while my parents were visiting for The Little Man’s birthday.

Of course all the local grocery stores had some kind of steak on sale for the holiday, and we got lucky and found some nice Choice 1-1/2″ thick porterhouse steaks for only $4.99 a pound. Sold! I prepped them just like Jaden described, which is insanely easy, then grilled them over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes on a side. We like medium-rare to medium, and the cook time was just right.

I’m sorry I don’t have any photos to share as I did have company at the time, but we were also so busy chowing down on those delicious steaks that we couldn’t be bothered with photos! (I do promise to publish some photos the next time we grill steaks, and I can guarantee that will be soon!) My parents enjoy good steak, and they absolutely raved. My mother took home a copy of the instructions and my dad told everyone he knew how good those steaks were and how easy it was to prepare them. Michael and I decided that we no longer needed to go out for steak, we’ll just make our own tender, juicy, flavorful steaks on our very own grill. Thanks, Jaden!

So, if you like good steak, then RUN as fast as you can click the link over to Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen and read her post on how to make a delicious steak at home. You won’t be sorry! Not only is it very informative, it’s also very funny! She created her own graphics to explain the science behind the preparation, but she included a disclaimer on how hard it was to work on a laptop touchpad while holding a glass of bourbon in one hand. I would have chosen wine or beer over bourbon, but she’s definitely a cook after my own heart!

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When I was growing up, baked beans were a delicious part of all our cook outs and potlucks. Cans of pork and beans were mixed with ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and onions, then baked in the oven. Sometimes strips of bacon were laid on top, creating a smoky aroma and flavor that reminds me of many summers spent playing outdoors all day long and outdoor meals enjoyed with family and friends.

I haven’t made baked beans in a long time and this summer I was looking for an excuse to make some. Our neighbors hosted a potluck cookout over the weekend, and I jumped at the chance to try out a slow-cooker variation of my favorite baked beans recipe. This version is made with four kinds of beans, ground beef, and bacon and then slow-cooked for five or six hours. They smelled wonderful as they cooked, and they were a hit at the potluck. The flavor is a little sweet, a little smoky, and a little tangy, a nice combination.

The recipe calls for 8 ounces of bacon, however the brand of bacon I prefer comes in 12 ounce packages, so I used it all because we don’t use bacon very often and keeping it on hand just doesn’t make sense. What’s a little extra bacon in a pot of beans?

[Updated March 9, 2010.]

SLOW COOKER FOUR-BEAN BAKED BEANS

Makes 4 quarts.

Equipment

10-inch cast iron skillet
4-quart slow cooker

Ingredients

8 ounces (226 g) ground beef
8 ounces bacon (226 g), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 (16 ounce/454 g) can pork and beans
1 (16 ounce/454 g) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 ounce/454 g) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 ounce/454 g) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (120 ml) ketchup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2/3 cup (73 g)  packed brown sugar
1 cup (120 ml) mild to medium chunky salsa

Preparation

1. In the frying pan, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat, mincing as you go. Drain on a paper towel, then add to the slow cooker.

2. Wipe out the frying pan with a paper towel and add the bacon. Cook over medium-high heat until the bacon fat is rendered. Remove the bacon, drain on a paper towel, then add to the slow cooker.

3. Drain the bacon fat, reserving 2 tablespoons in the skillet. Saute the diced onions until soft. Drain the onions and add to the slow cooker.

3. Put the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours.

Variations

Oven method: Put the ingredients into a 4-quart glass baking pan and bake in a 350° F/175° C oven for about 45 minutes.

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It’s official—we’re moving. Over the Christmas holiday we learned that Michael has a new job in the DC metro area, and now we’re in the midst of selling a home and looking for another. I’m excited about returning to that area and I think it will be very good for our family, but right now it is a *lot of work* and I don’t see that changing much in the next few months. Frankly cooking is not very high on the priority list at the moment, not when the house has to be kept immaculate for potential buyers to come visit. Oh, and our three little boys need some attention every now and then (every two or three minutes).

I never really gave this much thought until now, but all of this prepping to show the house has made me realize that I often make a real mess in the kitchen. I mean, some days it looks like a kitchen bomb went off. For example, I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast, and it took an hour to get the kitchen and breakfast area back to semi-spotless condition. Any meal requires complete cleanup after so that we aren’t running around at the last minute when we need to show the house. It really puts a damper on my creative cooking spirit! Fortunately, we have some meals put back in the freezer that I can pop into the oven or microwave to warm up, and that way I don’t have to make too much of a mess, but we do not have an endless supply of those prepped meals. I’m going to have to cook sometime, and the kitchen will get messy as usual. So I think it’s time to break out some slow-cooker meals that will help alleviate some of the stress.

My philosophy about slow cooker food is very simple: I think it should taste just as good as when you cook the food on the stove top. This means taking a few extra steps at the beginning, then letting the slow cooker do the rest of the work. I realize that this is contrary to many slow cooker recipes, which often have you dump everything into the pot with almost no prep work. And truthfully you could do the same with this recipe and still have a fairly good tasting meal, but it works best if you saute the meat first and deglaze the pan with a nice wine, then add the meat and reduced wine sauce to the slow cooker. To me, that makes all the difference between a soup that is pretty good and a soup that is memorable (and still relatively easy).

For a weeknight meal, you can actually make this the evening before and let it cook all night, then transfer the soup to the refrigerator in the morning and just reheat it when you get home. Chunks of No-Knead Bread go great with this and soak up the broth nicely.

This recipe is my contribution to January’s installment of Waiter There’s Something In My… (WTSIM), an event sponsored by Andrew of Spittoon Extra. This month’s theme is stew, and although this recipe is called soup, I think it crosses the line into the stew category. Besides, there is a lot of gray area between the definitions of soup and stew in my opinion.

SLOW-COOKER BEEF BARLEY SOUP

Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

Serves 8 to 10.

Equipment

large skillet
6 quart slow cooker

Ingredients

3 pound (1.36 k) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
salt
fresh ground black pepper
vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup (120 ml) dry red wine
1 (28 ounce/794 g) can diced tomatoes with the juice
4 cups (946 ml) low sodium beef broth (or homemade stock)
4 cups (946 ml) low sodium chicken broth (or homemade stock)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
2/3 cup (132 g) pearl barley
1/4 cup (10 g) minced fresh parsley (hold until the end)

Preparation

1. Dry the beef pieces with some paper towels, and then season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in the large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown half of the beef, then add to the slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining beef.

3. Add 2 teaspoons of oil to the large skillet and saute the onions and carrots with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, scraping up the brown bits (fond). Simmer until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Pour it all into the slow cooker.

4. Add the tomatoes and juice, beef and chicken broth, thyme, and pearl barley and cover. Cook until the beef is tender, about 6 to 7 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.

5. Add the fresh parsley and serve.

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Mom and Dad are visiting this week in anticipation of the baby’s arrival, and it’s wonderful to have them here. The boys enjoy playing with them and Mom is treating us to some of our favorite meals, like this pot roast. Of all the meals my mother and grandmothers ever made, this roast ranks as my all-time favorite from childhood. It’s good, old-fashioned, simple comfort food. The meat cooks slowly on the stove for several hours until it starts to fall apart and the aroma fills the house, drawing everyone into the kitchen. The meat melts in your mouth. Mom makes gravy from the drippings and broth, and we pour it over the meat and potatoes. And there are usually enough leftovers for another meal and sandwiches.

Grandma McClure added onions to her pot roasts, but Mom started experimenting with the Lipton Onion Soup instead of onions. Both ways are very good. The cider vinegar and ketchup are optional, but they do help to tenderize a cheaper cut of meat, so add either or both to a bottom round to help tenderize it. The chuck is more marbleized and naturally more tender and generally doesn’t require the acid.

Equipment

6 or 8 quart pot with a lid

Ingredients

4 to 6 pound chuck roast or bottom round roast
canola oil, twice around the pot
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 Lipton Onion Soup packet (optional, if you aren’t going to use fresh onions)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (optional)
1 tablespoon ketchup (optional)
water to cover
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1 pound baby carrots
1 or 2 medium onions, cut into chunks (if you don’t use the Lipton Onion Soup)
3 tablespoons fine-sifted flour, such as Wondra or Pillsbury Shake & Blend
1/2 cup cold water (MUST be cold)

Preparation

1. Trim all the heavy excess fat from roast. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the meat and brown all sides over medium heat. Leave the drippings in the pot.

2. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste, onion soup mix, and water, enough to cover the roast. If you are using a bottom round roast, add the cider vinegar and ketchup as well. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and simmer on medium-low, #3 temperature setting, for several hours. Cook until the meat starts falling apart.

4. Add carrots about one hour before serving, and potatoes and onions thirty minutes before serving. Leave roast in pot with vegetables.

5. When ready to serve, remove the meat and vegetables from the pot and place in servings dishes. Reserve some broth to spoon over carrots and mash potatoes (if desired).

6. Bring remaining broth to just boiling. Cut back to medium heat. Mix flour and cold water in a jar and shake. Slowly whisk into broth. Can add more flour/water mixture as desired. Don’t wait too long to add more, or it will be lumpy.

Notes

You can also cook the roast in a crock pot after browning the meat. Be sure to transfer meat AND drippings to crock pot. Add water and seasonings and cook on High for 2-3 hours, then turn to low. Add carrots 2 hours or so before serving, and potatoes an hour or so. You may need to turn the heat back to High when adding potatoes.

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Source: Germaine McClure, which she learned from both my grandmothers

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