Artichoke-Stuffed Chicken Breasts (Recipe from Weber Big Book of Grilling)

Another GORGEOUS Saturday for an epic lunch made on the grill.  When I woke up this morning I decided that I felt like having chicken for lunch, so I made myself some coffee and flipped to the poultry section of the Weber Big Book of Grilling.  Normally I would do something with a spicy dry rub or barbecue of some kind - but I thought I'd mix it up today with a stuffed chicken breast recipe, and the Artichoke-Stuffed recipe sounded too delicious not to try.

After getting most of the ingredients at my local grocery store I made my weekly pilgrimage to my own personal Mecca - Von Hanson's.  Having frequented several locations around the twin cities, Van Hanson's consistently has excellent quality in both the meats that they sell and service.  I purchased two full chicken breasts figuring I could just halve and butterfly them myself, and also a stuffed pepper to make as an appetizer.

I wrapped the pepper in foil and used indirect heat - keeping the temp around 375 degrees for 45 minutes to cook the pepper through - this gave me plenty of time to get started on the stuffing for the chicken breasts.  After dicing and sautéing the artichoke hearts in olive oil, red pepper flakes and thyme, I added the goat cheese and minced sun-dried tomatoes and was ready to stuff the chicken breasts.

Using toothpicks to hold the butterflied breasts together - I tossed them on the grill and after roughly 12 minutes per side they were ready to eat.  Delicious.  A little pasta salad and wine made this one of the best lunches I've had to date.  

As you can see - they turned out very well - I strongly recommend trying them yourself...  Here's the recipe:


For the Stuffing:

• 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 7oz Artichoke Hearts (1 jar)
• 2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
• 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 3oz Goat Cheese (crumbled)
• 3 Tablespoons Minced Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• 4 Half Chicken Breasts

Directions:

Sauté the artichoke hearts with the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, salt, and pepper in a medium sauce pan.  After cooking for 3-4 minutes remove from heat and add the goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.  Stir it well together and then divide into 4 equal portions and place each portion inside one of the chicken breasts.  Use toothpicks to close the chicken breasts, then brush the outside of the chicken with a little extra olive oil (to prevent sticking on your grill).  Grill until the chicken is cooked through and you're ready to eat!  Enjoy. 

STEAKHOUSE REVIEW: The Capital Grille: Midtown Manhattan

Walk into this establishment at 7:30pm any night of the week and you'll know you're in the right place.  Capital Grille gets a solid "A" in my grade book and I'll tell you why: decor, service, quality food, and delicious drinks - it has it all.

We were running a little late for our reservation, but when we called to let the hostess know she assured us that we'd be taken care of when we arrive, and we were.  A new table was being cleared for us but the hostess encouraged us to have a drink at the bar while we waited - a great suggestion after a long day of travel and work.  We barely had time to get our drinks before the table was ready, and the hostess volunteered to coordinate putting our drinks from the bar on our tab at the table so we could get out of the bar, have a seat, and settle in for a delicious meal.

On our way to the table I found myself straggling a bit while walking through the main dining room. The decor was beautiful and the atmosphere truly reflected what I imagine a classic steakhouse to be.  The room was filled with a great mixture of ornately framed works of art (scenic countrysides and farms - nothing out of the ordinary) and mounts of animals - I saw several mounts of deer and a bighorn sheep above the bar.  It was all a very nice mixture of elegance and masculinity that a good steakhouse needs - not to mention the beautifully kept woodworkings.

The experience only got better at the table - our waiter, Matthew Portrille, was one of the best waiters I have ever had.  If you visit this establishment ask for Matthew - I promise you won't leave disappointed. He had all the background knowledge that I would expect to find in a waiter at a place like the Capital Grille; he knew the cuts, the sides, the wines, and was able to make some great recommendations - but what really separated him from the rest of the waiters that I normally find was his charisma.  Every time he came to the table he brought an energy and spirit that made the entire experience even more enjoyable.  Thank you, Matthew... It was a job well done.

Finally, let's talk about the food for a moment.  I started with the crab and lobster cakes which were phenomenal.  For my entree I chose on of my favorite cuts: the Delmonico.  While I was tempted by the filet - which a local had told me they could eat everyday - Matthew did a great job convincing me that the Delmonico was the steak for me, and boy was he right.    Cooked to perfection and served with mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, and creamed corn... It was a meal fit for a king.

Capital Grille (155 E 42nd St) was a great experience for me, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who happens to find themselves in midtown Manhattan.

Inaugural run of my new Brinkmann smoker

Well it's a little delayed but my first ever smoked brisket has been completed, and was both a success and a failure - a learning experience from which I gleaned more lessons than delicious meat.  But regardless of the outcome, it was fun, it was relaxing, and it was great practice for the upcoming holiday meals.

I started off by setting up the smoker, filling the water pan, and soaking the hickory chips while my brisket rested.  Once everything was ready I went to put the brisket in the warming smoker and realized that - in my zealous attempt to try out my smoker with an enormous brisket - I had purchased a cut of meat that was too big to fit.

LESSON 1: Make sure your equipment can handle the task at hand, or at least think ahead with a plan.

After cutting the brisket in half I finally got it to fit into the smoker... And away we go!  I was checking it every 15 minutes or so and after about the first hour I noticed that the fat had started oozing through the rack - which lead to my second lesson of the day...

LESSON 2: Place the meat fat-side up to allow it to congeal in the smoker and get the best flavor (this will also help with clean up).

About 90 minutes in I was becoming famished.  I decided it couldn't hurt to have a snack, but it turns out that when you're famished like I was you can't just stop snacking  - so I ended up stuffing myself full (thinking it would be at least another four hours before dinner was ready anyway...).

It was about that time that I decided to check the internal temperature of the brisket.  Expecting it to be 95-100 degrees I found that by cutting the brisket into two smaller pieces, it cooks much faster.  The internal temperature of my brisket was already 140 degrees!  Which leads me to lesson #3:

LESSON 3: Use your brain, you idiot... smaller pieces will cook faster than larger ones (of course in this case I'm referring to myself as the idiot - not you).

Panic began to set in as I realized that the brisket would be done far sooner than my appetite would return, so I turned the heat down as low as possible to prolong it's completion as much as I could.  During my waiting time I began considering what wine I should have with this (hopefully delicious) brisket, and knowing nothing about wine I decided to turn to the expert.

George Miliotes (@TheWineExpert on Twitter) is one of only 170 Master  Sommeliers in the world.  Usually working on finding new wine selections for the Capital Grille steakhouse (which I'm excited to dine at later this week) he was my first choice for some great wine advice - and he did not let me down!  He recommended not one, not two, but THREE vintages of Zinfandel that would hold up well against the hickory flavor of the beef.  Thank you, George!

After about three more hours of low and slow smoking the internal temp of the brisket was 160 degrees and I could not let it cook any further.

LESSON 4: Never cook your beef that well done (in my opinion it just has better flavor cooked to a nice medium-rare).

As always, I gave it a few minutes to rest before cutting into it.  The internal temperature of beef will continue to rise even after you take it off the grill.  The outside was deliciously glazed and flavorful... the inside however was quite dry.

LESSON 5: Baste or brush your meat with a marinade or sauce periodically to help it retain it's juices while smoking.

Like when I ran my first (and only) triathlon - I made a few rookie mistakes when I smoked my first brisket.  Unlike the triathlon, however, I'm extremely excited to smoke more meals very soon.

Temperature’s dropping all around, except inside my grill!

The nice Minnesota weather is quickly fading and winter is knocking at the door – but that’s not going to stop me from enjoying some quality home-cooked meals!  I cooked up some nice, juicy bacon-wrapped filets yesterday on my skillet, but I still need to buy one that’s a smooth surfaces so I can really char the outside and get that contrast that I’ve been seeing at steakhouses. 

This weekend I’m planning on breaking in my new Brinkmann smoker by having a marathon brisket preparing session.  I’m planning on spending 6 hours slow-roasting and smoking a nice 7-pound brisket.  I’m going to follow this blogger’s recipe – which sounds pretty tasty: http://goo.gl/oyl5Y

I just need to make sure I have enough propane…

Yes, it’s a propane smoker.  Yes, I’m embarrassed.  And yes, it makes me less of a man to use propane all the time – but you really can’t beat the convenience and it’s much easier to keep clean.  If I decide that I like the flavor of smoked meat and it’s something that I won’t be able to live without then I’ll buy a much nicer wood-burning grill/smoker combo.  Until that day I’ll manage with what I’ve got (and what I have the budget for).

I can't wait to enjoy this brisket while I watch the Badgers stomp the Spartans on Saturday night. (Not that I'm a huge fan of Wisconsin - I'm a Golden Gopher, after all - just because that's how I see this particular game unfolding...)

STEAKHOUSE REVIEW: Carmichael's Steakhouse in Chicago

Made it to Chicago last night for a quick business trip and had the opportunity to dine at a steakhouse I had never been to before -  Carmichael’s.   

I was excited for Gibson’s but certainly not disappointed by my experience at Carmichael’s, although I admit that I was a little thrown off by the cheese-whiz-esque beer cheese spread that they had on the table for the bread.  While tasty, I have never seen anything quite like that in a steakhouse before.  When I asked the waiter what it was he told me, and then offered to replace it with butter or something else more to my liking – I declined, because the cheese spread was great, but I liked that he offered a solution right away in case I didn't like it.  Even before the food came out Carmichael’s was making a great impression with the service. 

I ordered the gentlemen’s cut of filet mignon, partially because I had a light appetite and knew it would be a safe (and delicious) bet.  This 12oz cut was exactly as satisfying as you’d expect from a nice steakhouse, but did not go particularly well with the smashed sweet potato side that I ordered (my own fault – should have gone with the garlic mashed potatoes). 

During the meal I decided to get a glass of red wine.  After finding Alamos (a malbec that I particularly enjoy) I flagged the waiter down.  He eyes immediately lit up and he made a passionate case for another malbec, Dona Paula (from the Mendoza region of Argentina).  He called it his sexy wine because as soon as you pop the cork and let it start breathing it gets such a flavor that every sip you take feels sexy. Maybe it was his Spanish accent, but I immediately agreed to go with his recommendation and try this “sexy” wine.  It was DELICIOUS, I plan to look for it immediately when I get home to Minneapolis (Surdyk’s is my favorite Minneapolis wine shop because of the HUGE selection, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed that they have it).

After dinner I grabbed my book of matches to keep as a souvenir (a new tradition of mine) and headed out.  Overall it was a great experience and I’d certainly recommend it to anyone in the vicinity of W. Monroe Street in Chicago. 

"Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that’s bad for you!" ~Tommy Smothers

Tonight's feast - I prepared some ribeye steaks for myself and my lovely girlfriend.  She's getting much better at eating steaks prepared properly (and not insisting on all the flavor and juices to be grilled out of it i.e. "well done"), which I'm very appreciative of.  Almost as appreciative as I am toward Hilltop Pastures Family Farm for providing such tasty beef.  They're a local Minnesota farm who delivers to farmer's markets around the twin cities.  They have fantastic meat (every cut you can imagine) and farm raised eggs.  You can visit them at www.hilltoppasturesfamilyfarm.com or contact them directly to get added to their e-mail list (which I highly recommend - once a month or so frequency, always great content) - just e-mail hpff@myclearwave.net.

Seasoned with salt and fresh ground pepper, I was ready to get started - I tried out a new cast-iron skillet on my grill to see if I could get a nice sear around the steak.  Turned out alright, although I might have to look into a smooth-surfaced skillet next to get a nice sear across the entire steak.  

I love the idea of having a steakhouse quality steak at home - but I think it's a quest that may take a long time.  Until that day, I can always count on my home away from home in Minneapolis (Manny's), Chicago (Gibson's), and New York (Abe & Arthur's). 

For tonight - the steaks turned out delicious.  A little too much pepper, and not quite as much as the seared outside as I was looking for - but all in all cooked to a nice medium rare (5 minutes on each side at 550* - enjoyed with a nice Cabernet. 


Thinking about buying a smoker this weekend and spending some quality time with a brisket.  Any suggestions?  Post a comment and let me know which are the best smoker brands to try!

“Did you ever see the customers in health-food stores? They are pale, skinny people who look half dead. In a steak house, you see robust, ruddy people. They're dying, of course, but they look terrific.” - Bill Cosby

My inaugural post!  How fun! 

I suppose I should start of by telling you a little more about myself - I'm a 25 year old guy from Minneapolis, MN (although I lived a great deal of my life in Iowa and originally came from Pennsylvania).  One of my favorite things about being from Pittsburgh (besides rooting for the Steelers!) is learning about cooking a steak Pittsburgh rare - but we can cover that another time. 

I think what's most appropriate for my first blog post is a 'tip-of-the-hat' to a fantastic book for amateur grillers like myself:

This book has been a trusted resource as I've expanded my grilling repertoire (and spice rack)!  For those of you who aren't familiar - it's separated into beautifully written sections (poultry recipes, beef recipes, fish recipes, etc) and has a lot of great content that's fun to read through!  I strongly recommend that if you're interested in learning how to grill new things, or looking for ways to spice up the things that you normally grill - give this book a try.  Here's a link to buy it on amazon.com (which I've found to be most affordable): http://goo.gl/Hta9M

Some of my personal favorites are the recipes for the:

• Porterhouse dry rub
• Simple Salmon
• Diablo Pollo
• Spicy Ribeye

Please let me know what you think!  Send feedback to midwestgrilling@gmail.com or comment below!