Fajitas with Cleo Carrot Hot Sauce

We were given some hot sauces from WMD Hot Sauce and thought a marinated flank steak would highlight the flavor so we decided Fajitas would do the trick. We used the Cleo Carrot which has a lightly sweet, crisp carrot flavor which is made with the Bhut Jolokia pepper.

Cleo_Carrot

We used 2 of the 5 levels of hotness - 1st degree, 2nd degree, 3rd degree, Chemical Burn and Nuclear Burn. While the levels change the great carrot taste stays the same. If you are looking for a great tasting hot sauce that still has heat check out WMD Hot Sauce.

Recipe: Fajitas with Cleo Carrot Hot Sauce

Spicy BBQ Fajitas

Fajitas

Spicy BBQ Fajitas
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ lbs. lean flank steak
  • cup barbecue sauce
  • cup Hot Sauce
  • 2 large bell peppers, cut into wide strips
  • 1 large onion, cut into thick slices
  • 6 large flour tortillas, heated
Instructions
  1. Place flank steak, hot sauce and barbecue sauce in a resealable plastic bag.
  2. Marinate in refrigerator 30 min. up to 3 hours.
  3. GRILL steak and vegetables 10 to 15 min. until meat is medium rare and vegetables are charred, but tender.
  4. Slice steak and server with warm tortillas and vegetables.
  5. Add more BBQ sauce or hot sauce if desired.

Season Two Starts with Asian Orange Chicken Wings!

While football season starts tomorrow, the second season of Pigskin Gourmet starts NOW! One of our most talked about episodes from last season was the Wings and Dip episode with the Strawberry-Jalapeno Chicken Wings. Since it's early in the season (before the season actually), we wanted to give you something easy and just as tasty.

Grilled wings are some of my favorite tailgating food and the perfect way to start the season. The Asian Orange Chicken Wings we made are sweet and spicy with a kick of heat from the sriracha. Yes, we used sriracha! Had to use it for something.

If you want a little more for your tailgate you can make these and the Strawberry-Jalapeno Chicken Wings and be in awesome wing heaven. Anyway, check out our triumphant return!

Recipes: Preseason Rub Asian Orange Chicken Wings

Asian Orange Chicken Wings

Asian_Orange_wings

Asian Orange Chicken Wings
Ingredients
  • Asian Orange Glaze
  • 15 Fresh, Whole Chicken wings
  • 1 Cup orange marmalade
  • 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce
Instructions
  1. Cut the tips off the chicken wings and slice inside each wing joint to help them cook more evenly, but don't cut all the way through. Sprinkle with dry rub coating evenly.
  2. Prepare the grill for cooking over direct medium heat.
  3. In a small saucepan, warm the marmalade and add the hoisin, soy sauce, vinegar, and sriracha. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. Grill the wings turning often for 30 minutes or until they are nicely browned and the juice runs clear.
  5. Transfer the wings to a bowl, if necessary, warm the glaze to loosen it and then pour it over the wings. Toss and coat well.

    Preseason Rub

    Preseason Rub
    Ingredients
    • 1⁄2 cup seasoning salt
    • 2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon mild chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
    Instructions
    1. In a small bowl or sandwich bag, combine all ingredients and mix.
    2. Great anything rub. Chicken, Steak, etc.

    Dirty Grill

    (Set in late May - just to help set the scene) Ahhhhh . . . Spring is in the air, the weather is finally warmer, the NFL draft has been completed, and McNabb is a Redskin. At this point, I get stuck. Being an avid Birds fan since forever, I've been learned to hate the Giants, the Redskins, and (doesn't everyone) the Cowboys. And now - 5 is a Redskin. I'm trying to deal with it - slowly. Although, I am thankful that I have a Trotter jersey and not a McNabb jersey. What do you mean Trotter isn't coming back!

    Alright, enough Bird talk, on with the grilling, right? Wrong. After Season 1 of Pigskin Gourmet and then sitting through that blizzardy winter of ours, the grill is pretty banged up. However, with the sun shining bright today, I felt the strength to peel away the black pollen-covered tarp protecting our treasured outdoor "kitchen" from weather, animals, and the helicopter seedings of the Oak trees. Those annoying things are everywhere! I remember as a kid loving them. I would fill a whole bucket with the helicopter seeds and then once it was full - "dump" it high into the air. Yeah, it's raining helicopters! They are zero fun today. Somehow they managed to flutter up inside the grill - so confusing.

    Nevertheless - here's a picture of the mess that was laid out before us:

    101_1096

    Yum! Thankfully, my wife was up for the challenge as well. In fact, once the party of cleaning began to unfold, she really ran with this one and who am I to stop her pleasure for cleaniness. Thank you, my dear!

    First things first, prior to this sunny day, I had purchased a Professional Strength Stainless Steel Cleaner. The sign at the orange flavored depot store said that every grill needed this product for its spring tune-up of their grill. I felt as if the sign was written specifically for our grill and promptly bought it. Upon further review at home, I read the can and saw how it highlighted the removal of fingerprints. Fingerprints! What about sludge, rust, piles of I don't know what - fingerprints? Before today, that stupid can sat for two weeks in my backroom. In my mind, it was not a miracle can for cleaning and, in turn, I would still have my work cut out for me.

    Back to the cleaning day - I dragged the shop vac up from the basement, gathered up a boat load of clean towels, and hooked up the garden hose. The grill had to be cleaned by day's end, because we just bought a steak to go with our salad. Actually, if you go back to the Pigksin Gourmet episode on 11/13/09, you can watch Cecil and me create "Steak and Salad" magic.

    Okay, on with the cleaning of this dirty grill - really! I first took the shop vac and vacuumed out a whole lot of crap. Gone! Next, we took the hose and fired that grill up. Whoa, whoa, whoa, there was no actual firing up of the grill by lighting it. Nope. We actually unleashed a jet stream of water via the garden hose. The gas was disconnected and safely put away for the time being. We then removed all that we could remove - the drip pan, the grill plates, these little triangle thingies that hold up the grill plates - basically, if it became disconnected, it was removed. Every one of these items was then separately cleaned via the garden hose. This is the part where my wife took over and did a great job of cleaning. I had the difficult time of entertaining our son, Elliott.

    101_1099So difficult! :)

    Once my honey was done with the hose (heh heh), we turned it back on the grill again. Black sludge was trickling everywhere. Our patio would require a hose down at the very end of this grill cleaning day, too. All parts that were removed and drilled clean via the water spray were now returned to their rightful spots within the grill. Did you think I forgot about the miracle can of cleaning? I didn't. I sprayed and wiped the grill clean. I then sprayed some more and wiped the grill clean some more. I was spraying like a mad man and wiping that grill clean! In the end, the can gave us a pile of towels that carried its stench with it to the garbage. We did try to clean the towels once, twice, three times even! They still stunk, so in the garbage they went. The grill was fingerprintless, but it still had some rust marks along with some other banged up areas, but it was ready for 2010!

    I stood there so proud of my grill (North American Outdoors - feel free to send me an updated version. Actually, send me one each year and I won't have to do this cleaning regimen.) With my smile wide, I slowly closed the top down to the grill. I forgot to clean the hooded top. There were fingerprints everywhere. But you know what, I lifted the hood back up and you would never know. However, what you would see is . . . is the miraculous helicopter seed survivor.

    101_1102

    I flicked it aside - it's time to hook up the gas and really fire up the grill this time! We got some steaks to cook!

    101_1107

    Football Season Starts Today!

    Football season starts tonight with the draft in prime-time! With a 7:30 p.m. ET start time, it's the perfect time to fire up the grill for the seasons first prime time tailgate. Hopefully you’ve cleaned your grill from last year, better yet, I hope you’ve already clean it and grilled at some point this year. If not, do it now and then get your favorite tailgating cook book, or check out one of our videos (the Grilled Flatbreads would be a perfect for a quick meal) and enjoy the draft while getting your taste buds ready for a great football and tailgating season.

    Stay tuned for Season 2 of Pigskin Gourmet!

    The Monte Cristo Sandwich

    Deep fried sandwich goodness! The Monte Cristo Sandwich isn't for the healthy tailgater, so set yoru diet aside and indulge in this tasty fried sandwich,

    Monte Cristo Sandwich - Recipe

    Monte Cristo Sandwich - Recipe
    Author: Adapted from allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/recipe/monte-cristo-sandwich---the-real-one/Detail.aspx
    Ingredients
    • 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed
    • 2/3 cup water
    • 1 egg
    • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 8 slices white bread
    • 4 slices Swiss cheese
    • 4 slices turkey
    • 4 slices ham
    • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting
    Instructions
    1. Heat 5 inches of vegetable oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F.
    2. While oil is heating, make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper; whisk into the egg mixture until smooth. Set aside in the refrigerator.
    3. Assemble sandwiches by placing one slice of turkey on one slice of bread, a slice of ham on another, then sandwich them with the Swiss cheese in the middle. Cut sandwiches into quarters, and secure with toothpicks.
    4. Dip each sandwich quarter in the batter so that all sides are coated. Deep fry in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides. Remove toothpicks and arrange on a serving tray. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

    Adapted from allrecipes.com

      Hoagie Dip Recipe

      Hoagie Dip
      Ingredients
      • 1 medium onion
      • 1/2 head iceberg lettuce
      • 1 large tomato, halved and seeded
      • 1/4 pound deli-sliced genoa salami
      • 1/4 pound deli-sliced ham
      • 1/4 pound deli-sliced roast turkey
      • 1/4 pound deli-sliced provolone cheese
      • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
      • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
      • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
      • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
      • 1 10-to-12-inch round loaf Italian bread
      • 8 hoagie rolls, cut into pieces, for dipping
      Instructions
      1. Chop the onion, lettuce and tomato into bite-size pieces. Dice the meats and cheese.
      2. Combine the chopped vegetables, meats and cheese in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, olive oil, oregano, basil and stir until everything is all mixed up.
      3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
      4. Carve out the center of the bread loaf to make a bowl (don't cut through the bottom) and cut the scraps into bite-size pieces. Serve the hoagie dip in the bread bowl, with the extra bread and hoagie rolls to scoop it up.

       

      Hoagie Dip

      OK, so the Eagles got there hind feathers handed to them. Another season full of hope, down the drain. As depressing as that was, we still got to enjoy this great Hoagie Dip. A great dip to when you already have another sandwich at your tailgate.

      Non-Playoff Steak Sandwich

      To celebrate the Eagles making the playoffs we made a Non-Playoff Steak Sandwich in honor of the Giants not making the playoffs! Now let's hope they beat the cowboys!

      Eggnog and Monkey (Ball) Bread

      Since this is our last episode of 2009, and Christmas is around the corner, we thought we'd get festive with out tailgating and make some fun Christmas treats. When the holiday's come around, one thing people can't get enough of is Eggnog. We've given ours a caffeine kick with some ice cream coffee and a cup of fresh brewed coffee. The monkey bread is easy to make and will become a classic Christmas tradition for your holiday meals once you make it.

      Recipes Eggnog Monkey Bread

      Monkey Bread Cake

      Monkey Bread Cake
      Ingredients
      • 4 cans of biscuits
      • 1 2/3 cups sugar
      • 2 tablespoons cinnamon
      • 1 1/2 sticks butter
      Instructions
      1. Cut biscuits into quarters
      2. mix 2/3 cups of sugar & 2 tablspoons of cinnamon together in a plastic bag
      3. Shake quarters of biscuits in mixture.
      4. Put in cake pan.
      5. Bring remainder of sugar and butter to boil and pour over bisucits.
      6. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

      Quick and Easy Stromboli

      Just like our Grilled Flatbreads, we used pre-made dough to make our Stromboli which makes them fast to prepare and easy to cook. The cool thing about Stromboli is you can fill it with what ever you want. Leave us a comment letting us know that you like in your Stomboli.

      Recipe

      Stromboli

      Stromboli
      Ingredients
      • Pre-made pizza dough
      • Pizza sauce
      • Salami
      • Pepperoni
      • Provolone cheese
      • Parmesan cheese
      • Red Pepper Flakes
      • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
      • Seasoning
      Instructions
      1. Roll Dough out
      2. Put sauce in the center of dough
      3. On one side, place Salami, Pepperoni, Provolone cheese and red pepper flakes.
      4. Fold over dough to cover and seal with your finger tips
      5. Brush Extra Virgin Olive Oil on top
      6. Top with your favorite seasoning
      7. Cook in the over for 12 minutes at 450 degrees until dough is brown and crisp.

      Meatball Sandwich and Stuffed jalapeno Wrapped In Bacon

      Sometimes you want something quick and easy to eat while watching the game. You could order out, but then your stuck with the same old stuff. The Meatball Sandwich and Stuffed jalapeno Wrapped In bacon recipes, are easy becasue everything is already prepared for you and you don't have to start from scratch.

      Each recipe calls for food that's already precooked, like the mini meatballs, or sauces that you just have to heat up.

      Recipes: Meatball Sandwich Stuffed jalapeno Wrapped In Bacon

      Stuffed jalapeno Wrapped In Bacon

      Game Plan:

      Stuffed jalapeno Wrapped In Bacon
      Ingredients
      • 8 large to extra large jalapenos
      • 8 mini hot dogs
      • 8 little sticks of cheese about the size of the hot dogs
      • 8 slices of bacon
      Instructions
      1. Prepare grill for indirect medium heat.
      2. Cut tops of jalapenos and clean out seeds.
      3. Stuff each with a hot dog and a stick of cheese.
      4. Wrap jalapenos with bacon making sure to cover the top
      5. Secure with a toothpick
      6. Place jalapenos on the grill away from the heat and cook until bacon is brown/crispy.
      7. Let cool before serving.

      Meatball Sandwich with Asian Chili Sauce

      Meatball Sandwich with Asian Chili Sauce
      Ingredients
      • 2 cups prepared asian chili sauce
      • 2 cups of grape jelly
      • 6 oz of beer
      • Hot sauce to taste
      • 1 tablespoon garlic salt
      • 1 tablespoon onion powder
      • 1 tablespoon black pepper
      • 2 pound bag of prepared mini meatballs defrosted
      Instructions
      1. In large saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients.
      2. Add hot sauce to taste.
      3. Bring to boil. Stirring often.
      4. Add meatballs and mix well.
      5. Return to boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes until sauce thickens.