The Supreme Plate Cajun Dry Rub

As crucial to cooking as heat itself, a good rub can completely change the way your guests look at the proteins they are consuming in mass amounts. No one should be forced to tolerate an unseasoned piece of steak on their plate, it is just uncivilized to say the least. But with a bit of The Supreme Plate Cajun Dry Rub, any good dish can be transformed into “something spectacular,” just take our word for it.

Once blended together this little gem of a mixture can stand in a cool dry place, closed tightly of course, for about 2 months.

The Supreme Plate Cajun Dry Rub:

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 TBS dried oregano

2 TBS dried parsley

2 TBS granulated garlic

2 TBS onion powder

2 TBS sweet paprika

1 TBS dried thyme

1 TBS freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp freshly ground white pepper

¾ tsp cayenne pepper

3 bay leaves, crumbled

Mix brown sugar, oregano, parsley, garlic, onion powder, paprika, thyme, black pepper, salt, celery salt, white pepper, cayenne, and bay leaves in a bowl. 

Pulse in a spice grinder in two batches to a medium-fine grind.

Seal in an airtight container & store in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months.

Makes 1 cup

Know-How: If your spice grinder doubles as your coffee grinder, make sure you clean it well after making this rub.

Place a handful of uncooked rice in the grinder, pulse to a powder, and wipe or brush the grinder clean.

The rice will absorb the flavors from spices left in the grinder so your morning cup of coffee won't taste like the great flavors of the Bayou.

Recipe Of The Day: Long Braise on a Beef Short Rib

Ingredients

Marinade:

5 lbs (3-inch thick cut) bone-in beef short ribs

1 bunch each fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage leaves, chopped

2 TBS ea Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 TBS Smoked Paprika

¼ TBS Garlic Powder

1 tsp Cayenne pepper

2 (750-ml) bottles Cabernet Sauvignon

Olive oil, for searing ribs

1 yellow onion, medium dice

2 carrots, peeled and medium dice

2 ribs celery, medium dice

3 cloves garlic

4 quarts veal stock

3 bay leaves

1-ounce dry porcini mushrooms

Directions:

Season the ribs liberally with herbs, salt and pepper, paprika, garlic powder & cayenne pepper.

Place in a large non-reactive bowl or deep container and cover with wine. 

Marinate for 12 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove ribs from marinade, pour all the wine into a saucepot, and reduce by half.

Meanwhile, heat a layer of olive oil in a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat.

Sear ribs on all sides until well browned. Place browned ribs into a braising or deep roasting pan.

Brown onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the same cast iron pan, adding more oil as needed.

Scatter browned vegetables over the ribs.

Add the reduced wine, the stock, bay leaves, and mushrooms.

Cover the pan with parchment paper and foil and place in the oven for 5 hours. Transfer from the oven and allow the ribs to rest for 1 hour before removing the bones.

Skim any fat from the sauce.

Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside.

While ribs are resting, strain sauce into a saucepot and reduce for 1 hour.

Pour hot sauce over ribs and vegetables and serve.

Recipe Of The Day: Double Cheddar Hamburger w/ Grilled Onions

Nothing beats a hot hamburger loaded with flavor on a sunny day. Try this burger out at your next backyard BBQ and watch as the moistness from the meat and cheeses blends perfectly together, guaranteeing your guests will be asking for seconds.
The smokey flavor of the grilled onions is the perfect topper for this occasion and as such should be enjoyed with an ice cold beer such as a Frambois, Fat Tire or possibly a mint laced Mojito for those looking to lighten it up a bit.
And if that isn't enough to entice you to eat it, this recipe is an adaption to the very one used by Bobby Flay for his Hamburger throwdown, which he won.
Enjoy!

Empanadas Venezuela

Today Ladies & Gents is National Empanada Day. Nothing bad can be said about Empanadas as they encompass so many great things, a flaky crust wrapped around an uncountable amount of possible fillings, from meats, to fruits to even vegetables these are the original on the go treat used to sustain people who had to endure long journeys where food wasn’t always readily available.

Living in Southern California, if you don’t know what they are, or you haven’t had one, first I must say what rock have you been living under and second why the hell haven’t you tried one?

Today’s Recipe of The Day comes from Venezuela, where Empanadas are commonly found just about everywhere you look. The recipe calls for a simple cut of beef that is broken down by slow cooking which results in tender juicy pieces of perfectly seasoned beef wrapped in a warm flaky crust in every bite.

For those that aren’t up on these great treats, an empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries of Latin America and the south of Europe. The name comes from the verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Empanada’s, are made by folding dough around any firm of stuffing you desire and baking or frying them until they are crispy enough to eat.

The stuffing can consist of a variety of meats, vegetables, or even fruits.

Enjoy a few of these today, this weekend or sometime soon, you have no clue what your missing out on.

(Read The Entire Recipe After The Jump)

Recipe Of The Day: Beef & Pineapple Lollipops w/ Spicy Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Once again we got a request for a recipe that called for grilled beef, that also had some spicy sweetness to it. Thanks to our good followers on Twitter we have been getting some pretty interesting requests and questions about what kinds of foods can and can't be grilled together.
To us, nothing says Summer like some great beef skewers that are just loaded with juicy chunks of pineapple, grilled to perfection.

Of course you can mix and match veggies, onions and just about anything you know can take the heat on these skewers as well, but we kept it basic and easy for the starters. These are a great treat for the kids as well, just be careful on how much of the Spicy Cilantro dipping sauce you give them, because it is loaded with our favorite condiment, Sriracha Sauce.
Enjoy these by the dozen, its Summertime you deserve it.