Orange Marinade for Fowl


Ingredients:



1/2 c Brandy

1 c Fresh orange juice

1 Ts Ginger

1 Ts Tarragon

3 TB Orange liqueur

1 Ts Black pepper

-Salt to taste



First rub fowl, either chicken, duck or game hens, with one fourth of the
brandy.



Mix remaining brandy, orange juice, liqueur, salt, pepper, ginger, and
tarragon. Pour over birds and let marinate. Also use marinade to baste
while grilling.



This is a collection of BBQ recipes from Red Caldwell published in a back
issue of Chile Pepper Magazine.



Red's Barbecued Brisket


10 pounds beef brisket



Most barbecue in Texas revolves around beef, and more specifically, brisket.
When you select your brisket, choose only "packer trimmed" briskets in the
ten to twelve pound category. The smaller briskets don't have enough fat to
tenderize them, and the larger ones could have come off of a tough old range
bull that no amount of cooking will ever tenderize. Avoid closely trimmed or
"value packed" brisket pieces. The fat that was cut off to make 'em pretty
is the very stuff that would have made them tender! All briskets have a fat
cover on one side. Ignore this! Squeeze the thick end with both thumbs. When
you've found the brisket with the smallest fat kernel, that's the one for
you. Take it home and build your fire. While your fire is getting going-I
build mine out of a mixture of mesquite and oak--rub your brisket with a dry
"rub." [See Red's Dry Rub recipe] Make sure that the meat is thoroughly
coated. This helps seal the meat, and adds a flavorful crust.



Thoroughly coat all surfaces of the brisket with lemon juice, and rub in
well. Sprinkle dry rub generously all over the brisket, rubbing in well.
Make sure that the brisket is entirely covered.



When the wood has burned down, move the coals to one side of the pit, place
the meat away from the direct heat, fat side up (let gravity and nature do
the basting), and close the pit. Some people add a pan of water near the
coals to provide added moisture, but I don't. Now, don't touch the meat for
12 hours. Just drink a few beers, cook a pot of beans, and tend your fire.



You'd like to hold the cooking temperature around 210 degrees F. in the
brisket cooking area. Since "helpers" usually show up at the first whiff of
smoke, you probably ought to put some of your leftover rub on a couple of
racks of pork ribs and toss them on the pit, in the hotter end, and baste
and turn 'em for four and five hours, just to keep the animals at bay.
Meanwhile, see Red's Prize Winnin' Pintos recipe to keep you busy.



Back at the pit, after the twelve hours are completed, generously slather
the brisket with a basting sauce (not a barbecue sauce), wrap it tightly in
aluminum foil, and return to the pit. [See Red's Basting Sauce recipe] Close
off all of the air supplies to the fire, and allow the meat to "set" in the
pit for three or four hours. This really tenderizes the meat.



Serve your brisket with beans, cole slaw, Jalepenos, onions, pickles, and
plenty of bread. Cold beer or iced tea are the traditional beverages of
choice.



You'll find that a ten-pound brisket will yield about 8-16 servings,
depending on the individual brisket, and the size of the appetites of the
guests.





Red's BarBQ Chicken


Ingredients:



2 whole chickens -- 4 LB or larger *

2 lemon -- quartered

2 medium onion -- quartered

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

4 cloves garlic -- halved

black pepper

vegetable oil

Tabasco sauce



Probably the most abused food on any barbeque pit is the poor old chicken. I
don't know how many times good manners have been challenged by being served
a blackened fowl that is still raw in the middle. There is no escape, so you
pick around the edges, then beat a hasty retreat, hopefully, unobserved.



Generally, there are two mistakes that lead to this travesty. First, the
bird is cooked over a fire that is much too hot. If you remember that frying
chicken takes about 45 minutes, and that the oil is ideally at 360 to 375
degrees F., then you begin to see that barbecuing, a less efficient cooking
method, should take longer. And longer has to mean at a lower temperature
level, or you wind up with the well-known charcoal effect. Secondly, many
people feel that the clucker just has to be basted, and so they buy a bottle
of commercial tomato-based sauce. Here comes the second layer of charring!!



Just for grins, try out my method and see if the results aren't just a
little more pleasing.



Rinse the chickens thoroughly inside and out, discarding the neck and
giblets. Stuff each chicken with one lemon, one onion, 2 sprigs of rosemary,
and two cloves of garlic. Sprinkle each bird with black pepper. Place the
birds in a covered barbecue pit, away from the direct heat and close the
pit. Hold the temperature in the pit at about 250 degrees F. for 3 1/2 to 4
1/2 hours.



Baste the birds occasionally with the cooking oil that has been seasoned to
your liking with the Tabasco Sauce. When the chickens are a nice rich brown
color, and the drumstick wiggles freely, they're done.



*Whole chickens hold their juices better and come out much more moist.
Larger birds have more fat and are better candidates for this method of
cooking. If you're doing halved cluckers, then baste more frequently, and
watch the cooking time. It should be about an hour less.





Red's Basting Sauce




2 TBS chili powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 pound butter

2 onions -- peeled/thick sliced

5 cloves garlic -- peeled and crushed

1 bunch parsley sprigs -- chopped

1 bottle beer

1 pint vegetable oil

4 lemon -- quartered

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves



Melt the butter, add the onions and garlic, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes to
soften. Add the beer, squeeze in the lemon juice, and add the lemon rinds to
the pot. When the foam subsides, add all of the remaining ingredients and
bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.



Keep baste warm, adding beer and oil as needed.



By the way, you'll notice that there are no tomatoes, ketchup, or sugar in
this recipe. All of these things caramelize and burn quickly, giving the
meat a nasty taste.









Red's Dry Rub




1 11 oz can chili powder -- fine ground, light

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons black pepper

4 tablespoons garlic powder

1/2 cup lemon juice



Thoroughly coat all surfaces of the meat with lemon juice, and rub in well.



Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl, and sprinkle generously all
over the meat, rubbing in well.



Make sure that the meat is entirely covered.



Store leftover rub in a tightly sealed container in the 'fridge.









NOTES : Red Caldwell is a freelance cook and food writer based in San

Marcos, Texas. He is a fifteen-year veteran of competitive cooking--chili

cookoffs, barbecue, and mountain oysters. His cookbook, Pit, Pot, and

Skillet, has just been released by Corona Publishing of San Antonio, Texas.



Entered into MasterCook by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA







Red's Easy Anticuchos






4 canned jalapeno peppers -- chopped

juice from 1 qt. can of jalapenos -- (escabeche)

2 pounds sirloin steak -- 1 1/2" cubes



Very few cities love a party more than San Antonio, Texas. A major part of
San Antonio's annual Fiesta is a celebration called "Night in Old San
Antonio", held in La Villita, the restored original little village of San
Antonio. It's impossible to eat a sample of all of the foods sold, at least
for the normal person, but one of the most popular is anticuchos--chunks of
beef that have been marinated in a secret pepper marinade, skewered, and
grilled over an open fire.



Since nobody has offered a recipe, I made one up. Since you are going to
hand a skewer full of meat to each guest, you really should hand them a cold
beer for the other hand to preserve proper balance.



Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive (not metal) dish and allow to
marinate for one to two hours. Divide meat evenly between four skewers, and
grill over very hot coals for 1-2 minutes per side (4-8 minutes total
cooking time, basting with the remaining marinade at each turning. You may
wish to cook the meat longer if you prefer it beyond medium rare. You can
also reduce the size of the servings and use this recipe for hot hors
d'oeuvres.





NOTES : Red Caldwell is a freelance cook and food writer based in San
Marcos, Texas. He is a fifteen-year veteran of competitive cooking-chili
cookoffs, barbecue, and mountain oysters. His cookbook, Pit, Pot, and
Skillet, has just been released by Corona Publishing of San Antonio, Texas.



Entered into MasterCook by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA





Red's Prize Winnin' Pintos


Ingredients:



6 canned jalapeno peppers -- or suit yourself

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 pounds pinto beans -- dry

½ pound salt pork -- cubed 1x1x1/4"

2 medium onion -- chopped

2 cloves garlic -- minced





Soak the beans overnight. Drain, place in a pot, and refill with water to
cover the beans and add everything else. Cook very slowly for 4 to 6 hours.



When the beans are done, test for salt and adjust to our preference. Don't
salt in advance, because the salt pork will do that for you.





NOTES : Red Caldwell is a freelance cook and food writer based in San
Marcos, Texas. He is a fifteen-year veteran of competitive cooking-chili
cookoffs, barbecue, and mountain oysters. His cookbook, Pit, Pot, and
Skillet, has just been released by Corona Publishing of San Antonio, Texas.







Red's Rio Grande Catfish




Ingredients:



2 jalapeno peppers -- stemmed and minced

3 serrano peppers -- stemed and minced

1/2 medium onion -- diced

2 cloves garlic -- pressed

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup lime juice -- freshly squeezed

1/2 Tbs. cumin powder

2 Tbs. cilantro -- minced

4 8 oz catfish fillets -- skinless & boneless

1 cup tomatoes -- peel, dice, chill





In this part of the country, the table fish of choice is the catfish-at
least it's the most common. You can usually order this fish prepared any way
that you like it, as long as it's fried. Now, I've no complaints with a
well-fried catfish, but there had to be another way.



So a couple of nights ago, a few friends were over and we tried out this
idea. Our "impartial" panel of judges decided that this was a definite
keeper, and we are pleased to pass it on to you, literally, hot off the
grill!



Combine the first eight ingredients in a blender and coarsely blend. Place
the filets in a non-reactive container large enough to hold them in a single
layer. Pour the marinade over the filets and cover.



Turn the filets once after thirty minutes. After a total marinating time of
no more than one hour (any longer and they'll start to fall apart), grill
them quickly over very hot mesquite coals, about 2-4 minutes per side,
basting with the marinade.



Place each filet on a plate, and top with 1/4 cup of chilled chopped
tomatoes.









Red's South Texas Fajitas


Recipe By : Chile Pepper Magazine - Sep/Oct 1990



Amount
Measure
Ingredient
Preparation

4

jalapeno peppers
pierced

3
tablespoon
chili powder


1
teaspoon
cayenne pepper


1
8 oz bottle
herb and garlic oil-based salad dressing


1
can
beer


1 ½
teaspoon
garlic powder


4
small
Mexican limes
juiced

2
teaspoon
cumin powder


1
large
onion
minced

2
tablespoon
cilantro
minced

1
tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce


1

bay leaf


3
pounds
skirt steak





About twelve to fifteen years ago, fajitas were "discovered." since then, an
awful lot of good meat has been wrecked, and skirt steak--once a "grinder"
item--has risen sharply in price. Because skirt doesn't come from a "tender
quadrant" of the carcass, some care is needed to turn it into good food.



First, it needs to be marinated to tenderize and flavor it.



Mix all the ingredients together, except the meat, to make a marinade. Pour
over the skirt steak, in a non-reactive container (not metal), cover, and
stir occasionally for six to eight hours.



Fajitas can be cooked in several ways. If you have the space, smoke the
fajitas for 30 minutes with pure mesquite smoke, and then cook for 4-7
minutes per side over direct heat--mesquite coals being the heat of choice.
Baste with the marinade throughout the cooking process. If you need to cook
completely over direct heat, then use a fairly slow fire, about like you
should use when grilling chicken, and cook, covered if possible, for about
10 - 15 minutes per side, basting with the marinade.



Figure about a half pound of meat and 3 to 4 tortillas per person. When
slicing fajitas, you'll notice that the grain of the skirt steak all runs
the same way. If you'll slice the skirt at a forty-five degree angle to the
grain, and hold your knife on a forty-five degree angle as well, you'll find
that the fajitas are much more tender! Serve the fajitas with flour
tortillas, Pico de gallo salsa, guacamole, and cold beer. You'll notice that
I didn't say anything about chicken fajitas--that's a contradiction in
terms.





NOTES : Red Caldwell is a freelance cook and food writer based in San
Marcos, Texas. He is a fifteen-year veteran of competitive cooking-chili
cookoffs, barbecue, and mountain oysters. His cookbook, Pit, Pot, and
Skillet, has just been released by Corona Publishing of San Antonio, Texas.







Memphis-Style Dry Barbeque Seasoning




Ingredients:



1 TB Garlic powder

1 TB Onion powder

1 TB White pepper

1 TB Black pepper

1 TB Chili powder

1 TB Ground Red Pepper

1 TB Cumin

2 TB Paprika



Mix all ingredients in a bowl.



Pour into a salt shaker. Sprinkle lightly on ribs or chops during grilling
for "dry" barbeque flavor.



Once ribs are ready, shake seasoning over meat to taste and serve.



Use this method along with barbeque sauce for an extra spicy effect.



Source: Mesquite Cookery by John "Boog" Powell (no relation to Colin)







Diddy-Wa-Diddy Mop and Basting Sauce


Ingredients:



1/4 Ts Black pepper

1/4 Ts Salt

1/2 Ts Hot pepper sauce

1/4 c White vinegar

1 c Grape juice







Combine all ingredients in a jar. Tighten lid and shake until blended.



This sauce may also be served at room temperature or heated.







"This is a simple flavor enhancer", Remus tells me. "It's thin enough to
read today's headlines through....but not so thin that a politician can."
Remus Assures me that this authentic sauce can be used as a mop during
cooking and as a dip after your meat has been taken off the grill.







Source: The Great Barbecue Companion, Mops, Sops, Sauces, and Rubs by:
Bruce Bjorkman.





Salsa Cubano Barbecue Sauce



Ingredients:



1 md White onion, chopped

5 clove Garlic, chopped

1/2 c Sour orange juice < OR >

1/3 c Lime juice (see note)

1/2 Ts Oregano

1/2 Ts Cumin seeds

1/4 Ts Salt

1/2 c Water



What to do:



Put onions, garlic, orange juice (or lime juice) and water in a blender. Set
blender on "liquefy" setting and process.



Crush all dry ingredients together and add them to blender.



Process for one minute more.

Marinate meat (chicken, beef, pork or fish) for at least one hour in
mixture. It is better to marinate meats overnight.



Brush meat frequently with the sauce while cooking.....



Makes 2 Cups.







Notes: This is a traditional Cuban meat marinade.

Sour orange juice is available in Hispanic grocery stores.



Nutrition information per Tbs. Calories, 4 FAT, 0 grams

Carbohydrate, 1 gram Cholesterol, 0 milligrams Sodium, 18.5 milligrams



Submitted By............ Enrique W. Perez

Way to go Ed! I read the post with interest after I read that some of
the recipes were from someone that lives in the area. San Marcos
(home of Sr. Caldwell) is about 45 minutes from here.

I don't think I have seen a recipe for authentic, traditional fajitas
anywhere in years. That one is a winner. No pineapples, peaches,
mangoes, or anything else that shouldn't be there. I still remember
when the fajitas were cheap! Local meat markets had a motorized
jacard, and if you bought a few pounds of meat from them they would
tenderized the meat by running it through a couple of times for
free.

Spot on with the mesquite and super hot fire, too. The meat will get
a bit of tang from the mesquite, but since it is on for such a short
time it isn't overpowering.

Fajitas are served with "pico de gallo" as the edible garnish. It is
a chopped up mix of fresh tomato, onion, jalapeño, salt and pepper.
Some put a little lime juice in it. If it is served restaurant
style, it will also have some grilled peppers, green onions, tomatoes
and sometimes bell peppers on the plate cut up in large chunks.

And more surprisingly, the anticucho recipe. That was a pretty good
one, as well. The pepper juice is a main ingredient in a lot of the
anticucho recipes, but a lot is added along the way such as minced
garlic, onion powder, and some put a little ground ancho in the mix,
etc.

I was surprised to see some authentic recipes with the correct methods
of cooking as I never seem to see them anymore. Not even around here.

Most of newer restaurants have put their spin on traditional Mexican
food, and that means two things: less pepper heat and more expensive
ingredients. The recipes in your post are generally found now only in
the more traditional family owned restaurants.

There you will find no whole wheat or multi grain tortillas. You
won't get pineapple, apricots or peaches in your hot sauce, or peppers
from some far away eastern country.. Pico de gallo is made fresh
every day and served in abundance with hand made tortillas. Refried
beans are just that; cooked fresh every day and mashed up before
serving with a little garlic and onion powder, and probably a good
spoonful of bacon grease from the morning's tacos.

Good post.

Robert