Let me begin by saying that I am honored to be a part of Everyday Dude Food. Last year I was 1/3 of the Burly Man Ranch (some would say ½) and I can honestly say that all the stuff Drew makes not only tastes incredible but smells amazing as well. I can’t tell you how many times I would pray for him to say, “Hey Beanie, come try this.”That being said, I have some recipes of my own. I’ve shared these recipes with only my family and a few close friends. If you were lucky enough to have been invited to a Taco Night at the BMR you know how great these flavors match together. But alas, I felt the need to share with you what makes a BMR Taco Night so special.
They key to a BMR Taco Night is fresh ingredients. None of that El Paso taco seasoning, stale hard shells, or jarred salsa. I mean that’s okay…if you want nobody to come back to your next fiesta. Besides that’s what T-Bell is for. I’m telling you, you won’t go wrong with this combination: 1. Fresh Pico de Gallo 2. Fresh Guacamole 3. Chicken and/or Steak Fajitas. 4. Roasted Corn with Chili Lime Butter. The sum of these parts equals a great meal, throw in some tequila and you’re well on your way to a fiesta!
Fresh Pico
This is without a doubt the easiest thing in the world and people will go nuts over it. This is the basis of my philosophy that in order to fool people to think you’re a good cook, just make the simple things that nobody thinks to make homemade. They are easy to make and will always taste better than stuff that comes from a jar. Anyway here is the backbone of a BMR Taco and my fresh Pico recipe…
-6 Large Slicer Tomatoes (Use these b/c they are cheaper)
-1 Medium Red Onion
-2 Jalapenos
-1 bunch of Cilantro
-Juice of 1 Lime
-A clove or two of garlic
-Kosher Salt
-Black Pepper
I’ve found the best way to go about his is to dice the tomatoes and then put them into a strainer. When diced tomatoes sit for a while they can really lose a lot of water and cause your salsa to become drowned. By straining them it helps cut this down. Each time you put a diced tomato into the strainer, add a pinch or two of salt on top of it to help draw out some of the excess tomato juice.
Next chop of the red onion and jalapeno. If you like your pico hot, you can chop the jalapenos with the membrane and the seeds in it. In the words of Emeril, this really kicks it up a notch. Once they are diced, go head and throw these into the straining tomatoes.
Go ahead and transfer this into a medium mixing bowl. You won’t be adding a whole lot more volume to your pico at this point. Chop the leaves of your fresh cilantro. I find it easy to keep the bundle together and just chop down the leaves until the bunch becomes mostly stems. Chop down the leaves to uniform size and stir into your tomato mix. If you got it lying around, stir in some diced garlic as well. It adds a little depth to the flavor of the salsa.
Cut the lime in half and squeeze both sides right in. Give it a stir and a taste. Season with black pepper and some additional salt if you think it needs it. Be aware though it you are eating it with Tortilla chips that these already have salt on them, so I find it best to slightly underseason the Pico to make for a perfect bite!
Fresh Guacamole
I can honestly say that every time I’ve made this, people have said it’s the best Guac they’ve ever had. I just tell them, it took me literally 3 minutes to make. All you need is…
-Ripe Avocados (quantity depends on how much Guac you want)
-Fresh Pico Recipe from Above
The key here is to make sure your avocados are ripe. One trick is to leave your avocados next to you’re ripening bananas. I would get into the science behind it, but that is not necessary. All you need to know is putting them next to the bananas makes them ripe faster. You know they are perfect when they are smooshy to the touch and they smell like avocado.
Just cut them in half, lengthwise. Remove the pit and spoon out the meat into a mixing bowl. Start with a few spoonfuls of your freshly made pico and juice. Fold it in with a fork, making it as chucky or smooth as you would like. Add more pico to your taste. That is really all there is too it, feel free to season with more salt, pepper, or lime juice to make it fit your liking. I’m getting hungry thinking about it.
Roasted Corn with Chili Lime Butter
I think this recipe may only work in the summer, when sweet corn is everywhere (and only about 25 cents for an ear). Roasting the corn in the oven, I think is the easiest way to cook it. Not to mention it makes you look like an amazing chef, it makes the corn taste sweeter, and it makes your house smell like fall. What are you waiting for?
-About a stick of softened butter
-Few Teaspoons of Chili Powder
-Zest of one Lime
Preheat the oven to 350F
Put the corn, in husk, in the oven for about 30-40 minutes…or until it is soft.
Mix in the lime zest and chili powder with the softened butter.
That is really all there is to it. Just remove the corn from the oven, peel back the husks (be careful they steamy) and lather it up with your butter mixture and feel the corn’s natural sweetness explode in your mouth. I promise, if you try it this way you will never consider boiling your corn ever again.
Fajitas
-1 Red Bell and 1 Orange Bell Pepper
-1 or 2 White Onions
Julienne these bad boys and throw them in a large sauté pan with some olive oil. (Hint to julienne an onion cut through it in half through the root. Then remove both the root end and the bulb end of each piece. Then cut down on the onion shortwise, revealing short strips of onion. --- To julienne a pepper, hold the pepper upright and around the stem in four pieces. You should get all the meat of the pepper, and toss the stem, membrane, and seeds. Flatten each piece of pepper and remove and white pieces of membrane. Then cut longwise to make strips of the pepper.
Throw the pan on a heat source and stir occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. That’s about it.
Chicken
For the Chicken, I like to use a “Chili Lime Rub” which you can buy from Kroger. I’ve also seen it called “Savory & Citrus” rub. I usually buy a pack of chicken breasts, and then butterfly them, or make a cut to open them like a book, to make for even cooking and so I can impart more of the flavor of the rub. I just rub down the chicken breasts with the rub and throw them in a Ziploc bag with some olive oil and a bit of lime juice. Let it sit for about an hour.
Toss them on the grill and cook until the juices run clear. They should be pretty firm to the touch, but not too firm. Take them off the girl and let them sit for a couple of minutes. This could be a good time to warm up your tortillas while the grill is still hot.
When the chicken has rested, slice the chicken diagonally to serve.
Steak
For steak I like to use a skirt or flank steak because it is economical and tastes great in combination with all your other flavors.
In a bag, throw about ½ to ¾ cup of brown sugar, some diced scallions, lime juice, salt and pepper. Throw in your cut of steak, and top it with some olive oil. Then rub it around in the bag and throw it in the fridge for about an hour.
Throw it on a hot grill and cook to your liking. The meat should be relatively thin so it won’t take that long. It’s all about feel, but it shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes a side.
Same goes for the steak as the chicken. Let it rest for about 5 minutes. Once it has rested, slice the meat against the grain, or on a diagonal. This makes sure the meat is not chewy.
That’s the key to a BMR Taco Night. Top these off with some lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and you’re well set! But even that is not necessary. Give these recipes a shot, I promise you won’t be disappointed. The only down side is there is never any leftovers!
I’ll be working on my repertoire until I get another blog invite from Drew. Thanks Guys!
Be Easy
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I am definitely trying this this weekend!
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