Recent Posts
Smoked Pineapple
Smoked Pineapple
Believe it or not, pineapple turns out great in a smoker. I coated fresh pineapple rings in brown sugar. Using pecan wood, I smoked the rings for about 2 hours. The tops of the pineapple start to caramelize from the brown sugar. Once I pull them out of the smoker, they get drizzled with honey and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- fresh pineapple rings cored; 1” thick
- brown sugar
- honey
- toasted sesame seeds
Wood Chips
- pecan
Instructions
- Pat the pineapple dry with paper towels. Dip one side into a plate of brown sugar.
- Place the pineapple rings on a rack. Let sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Smoke the pineapple for 2 hours.
Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich
Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich
There’s a big debate in this country I was born and raised in on who has the best fried chicken sandwich: Chick-Fil-A, KFC, Popeye’s, or McDonalds? And the answer is: Americans are idiots. The real answer is this spicy Korean fried chicken sandwich. Its twice the size and ultimately less expensive then these abominations to the word “sandwich.” It’s sort of a take on a Tennessee hot and spicy fried chicken, just with ingredients of Korean origin. This recipe takes a decent amount of prep work, all reasonably easy. Only 10 minutes of cooking time. But I can guarantee that this will be hands down the best chicken sandwich that you’ll ever eat.
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 6 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 brioche or onion rolls toasted
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- vegetable oil for frying
Korean Fried Chicken Flour
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp gochugaru pepper flakes or cayenne
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
Korean Hot Sauce
- 4 tbsp gochugaru pepper flakes
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup chili oil
Slaw
- 12 oz purple or green cabbage shredded
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Mix all of the slaw ingredients together. Set in the refrigerator until ready for use.
- Marinate the chicken in the buttermilk for at least 30 minutes; overnight is even better.
- Bring all of the Korean hot sauce ingredients to a boil in a small pot. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Set aside.
- Mix all of the Korean fried chicken flour ingredients together.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour on all sides. Shake off any excess flour. For extra crispy chicken, dip the chicken back in the buttermilk, then back into the flour.
- Heat up 1/2” of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Carefully lay the chicken into the oil, making sure to not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side until crispy.
- Place the fried chicken into a bowl. Pour over the hot sauce to cover the chicken.
Sandwich Assembly
- Place a piece of chicken on the bottom half of a toasted roll. Top with a slice of mozzarella cheese.
- Place a big scoop of the slaw on top of the sandwich.
Tuna Tataki with Ponzu Sauce
Tuna Tataki with Ponzu Sauce
You’ve probably had tuna tataki as an appetizer at whatever sushi restaurant you dine at. You end up paying $10 for a couple of slices of tuna. You can easily make twice the amount of tuna tataki at home for a fraction of the price and still have it be restaurant quality.The most important thing in making tuna tataki is to have the highest sushi grade possible. You can find it fresh at most higher end grocery stores and fish markets. I found a nice piece of sashimi grade yellowfin cut into a rectangular block that was vacuum sealed and frozen at my local Asian for about $13lb. It was better quality than what I expected. With a block that size, I was able to cut 4 equal rectangular bricks out of the loin. The tuna gets seasoned on the 4 long sides with sea salt and cracked pepper. Make sure to let the tuna rest at room temp for 30 minutes before cooking.When ready to cook, heat up some cooking oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Place one of the loins in the pan, searing for no more than 20 seconds. Then cook the other 3 sides for 20 seconds each. I literally count to 20 out loud because the cooking process goes by quick. The goal is to have an 1/8” sear around the entire block. Then let the loin cool completely before slicing. Slice the loin into 1/4” slices. I arranged the tataki on a plate and spooned over some homemade ponzu sauce, which is a Japanese citrus soy sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and you’ll have one of the best and easiest to prepare appetizers that will impress many a dinner guest.
Ingredients
- 8 oz sashimi grade yellowfin tuna
- sea salt
- cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Ponzu Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup lemon or lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 0.2 oz bonito flakes 1 packet
- 2”x3” kombu
Garnish
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix all of the ponzu ingredients together. Let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Strain the ponzu sauce. Set aside.
- Let tuna sit at room temp for 30 minutes before preparing.
- Cut the tuna loin in half, then cut 2 equally sized blocks out of the loin. The piece of tuna I had was 1lb, and I only needed half of it. I vacuum sealed what I wasn’t going to use and froze down.
- Season the tuna with sea salt and cracked pepper on the 4 long sides, leaving the two short square sides unseasoned.
- Heat up vegetable oil in a small nonstick skillet over high heat; almost to the point where the oil begins to smoke. Place one of the tuna blocks in the center of the skillet, searing for no more than 20 seconds.
- Flip over to the next side and sear for 20 seconds.
- Flip to the next side and sear for 20 seconds. Flip onto the 4th side and sear for a final 20 seconds.
- Let the tuna rest for a minute or two. You don’t want to cut the tuna when it is still hot.
- Slice the tuna no more than a 1/4” thick.
