There is no bigger grilling day then the 4th of July. Get your grill ready, the day is almost here. This is STEAKNIGHT’s 4th of July menu. Don’t forget to start preparing your menu today, your food will need time to marinate.
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Starters:
Served with tortilla chips for everyone to enjoy
Ingredients:
- 1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Red Onion
- 1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Red Sweet Peppers
- 1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Red Sweet Pepper
- 2 Jalapenos Finely Chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Grated Fresh Ginger
- 2 Teaspoons Cooking Oil
- 1 Cup Grilled Pineapple Slices Finely Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Apple Jelly
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
- Kosher Salt
Cook onion, jalapenos, Sweet red peppers, and ginger in hot oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add pineapple, apple jelly, lime juice, add dash of salt. Cook for 2 minutes more or until jelly melts. Remove from heat, cover and chill until ready to serve.
Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Panini
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Vidalia Onions (sliced thin)
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Thyme Leaves
- 8 Center Slices 1/2 Inch Thick Country Style Bread
- 4 Ounces Soft Fresh Goat Cheese
In a nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium one minute. Stir in onions, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until very soft., stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook 15 – 25 minutes longer or until onions are golden brown, stirring frequently. Stir in thyme and remove pan from heat.
Prepare outdoor grill for direct griling on medium.
Meanwhile, assemble panini. Place 4 slices of bread on work surface. Spread one-fourth of goat cheese on each slice and top with one-fourth of onion mixture. Top with remaining bread slices.
Place 2 panini on hot grill grate. Place a heavy skillet on top of panini, press down, and cook 7 to 8 minutes or until bread is toasted and browned on both sides, turning once. Repeat with remaining 2 panini. Cut into halves or quarters to serve.
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Side Dishes:
Grilled Corn With Hoisin-Orange Butter
Ingredients:
- 4 Tablespoons Of Butter, Room Tempertaure
- 1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce (available in the Asian food section of the supermarket)
- 2 1/2 Teaspoons Finley Grated Orange Peel
- 3/4 Teaspoon Chili-Garlic (available in the Asian food section of the supermarket)
- 6 Ears Of White Corn, Husked, Rinsed
- Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Mix first 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
Grill corn until beginning to soften, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Brush all over with hoisin butter; continue to grill until corn is tender, brushing occasionally with more hoisin butter, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to platter; brush with more hoisin butter. Sprinkle with cilantro; serve.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. vodka (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
- 3 pts. grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 4 stalks celery, cut into 3/4-inch thick diagonal slices
- Celery leaves for garnish
In large bowl, whisk horseradish, oil, vodka (if using), lemon juice, pepper sauce, Worcestershire , 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper until blended. Add tomatoes and celery; toss to combine. Cover and refridgerate 2 hours. Makes 7 cups. To serve, toss again to coat with dressing, and garnish with celery leaves.
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Main Course:
Spicy Chimichurri Burgers With Grilled Plantains
Yeilds 6 Burgers
Ingredients:
- 2 Pounds Lean Ground Chuck
- 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 Cup Chimichurri
- 6 Ciabatta Hamburger Buns (any hearty bun will do)
- 1 Small Red Onion Sliced Thin
- 1 Tomato Sliced Thin
- 2 Grilled Yellow Plantains Sliced 1/2 Inch Thick
In a large bowl combine ground beef, salt, and cayenne pepper. Shape mixture into twelve 3 1/2-4 inch patties. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of chimichurri into the center of 6 of the 12 patties. Top with the remaining 6 patties, press edges to seal in chimichurri.
Cook burgers on medium high heat, fliping once. Cook to your desired doneness.
Brush rolls, top and bottom with chimichurri. Build your burger adding, the burger, onion, tomato, and grilled plantins. Top with a little more chimichurri. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1- 1 lb. Skirt Steak
- 1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Granulated Garlic
- 3 Cloves Garlic Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Thyme
- 3/4 Cup Fresh Parsley Chopped
- 1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce (Your favorite is fine)
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Pepper
First take your flank steak and season both sides with salt, pepper, and graunulated garlic. In a bowl combine BBQ sauce, chopped garlic, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, thyme, and parsley. Whisk mixture constantly as you slowly add the olive oil, until combined. Place your skirt steak in a sealable ziplock bag, pour your mixture over the steak. Refrigerate a minimum of 3 hours but overnight is best. After your steak has marinated remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature.
Now here is the more important cooking process I was talking about. It’s time to turn up the heat, you will need to get your grill SCREAMING HOT before your ready to cook. Once the grill is ready place your skirt steak on the grill making sure you have plenty of oil on the meat. This will create a flame up which is what you want. Cook for about 60 seconds with the flame, once 60 seconds is up flip the steak and repeat on the other side. If the flame dies down dip steaks back into the marinade then return to heat so that it flares up again. This burning of the marinade is what give the meat its distinct flavor. After your 2 minutes of fire cooking, cook 5 minutes per side on high heat, uncovered. If you like your steak a little more medium, cook for another 2-3 minutes per side.
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Beer:
Leffe Blonde Belgian Ale Tasting
Brewing techniques, unique mineral deposits, and water qualities have all to do with the flavor of the beer. Belgian ales have a really distinct, yeasty, highly carbonated quality that is a taste all unto itself. Leffe Blonde Belgian Ale, you’ll get a hint of orange and cinnamon. As we tried this 6.6 percent brew, I couldn’t help but wonder how much sampling the monks did in those monasteries, if they had enough of these I’m SURE they were feeling NICEEEE. Leffe has a distinct flavor and it may not be for everyone. If your a beer drinker you should try a Belgian ale at least once, you may be pleasently surprised.
This Belgian Ale pairs excellent with just about anything, but seems to work the best with a nice juicy steak.
A wide-mouth or chalice-type glass often is recommended for this type of beer. This is another beer that one 6 pack is enough to get the party going. STEAKNIGHT Magazine recently wrote an article on our top 5 beer picks, even though Leffe didn’t make that list it would however be our number 6 for sure. I love this brew!
You can find Leffe at, high-end markets, major grocery chains and beverage stores.Cost is around $9.99 for a six-pack of 11.2-ounce bottles.
ENJOY THE FOURTH, BE SAFE EVERYONE!
