As usual, Homeland provided all the ingredients for the big event, and the grocer's in-house dietitian Alyson Fendrick started off the event with a heart-smart penne pasta salad.
Since the first buccaneer hoisted meat upon stakes over a pit fire, barbecue has never gone out of fashion. Nevertheless, barbecue is experiencing a bit of a renaissance thanks to cable television competition coverage that's made minor celebrities of pit masters.
The James Beard Foundation recently honored Austin's Aaron Franklin with a Best Chef Southwest designation. Franklin's new book, "Franklin Barbecue: A Meat Smoking Manifesto" has sold at a rate akin to his brisket.
With that inspiration, we descended upon Jim Grigsby's American Propane, 7401 N Broadway Extension, along with about 50 guests to celebrate smoke-kissed meats with all the trimmings.
After Fendrick's salad was cleared, out came chef Mathis' Smoked Salmon with Okie Succotash, a lovely light dish that packed plenty of flavor and one I can't wait to make myself.
Next up was veteran ceramic kamado-style cooker jockey Sears, who drove from Dallas to show off his pulled pork recipe, meanwhile sharing some smoked cheeses and salsa to the crowd's delight.
Inspired by Franklin's brisket prowess, but not ready to share my own version, I served Dwarf Brisket Sliders, which is a combination of smoked skirt steak, mini kosher pickle slices and sliced red cocktail onions.
Skirt steak, like brisket, comes from the underside of the steer - brisket from the chest, skirt from the belly. The fat and muscle are organized similarly enough that if cooked and sliced in the same manner, skirt steak gives the appearance of miniature brisket slices. The difference is a whole brisket cooks for 10 to 12 hours with another one to two hours of rest while a whole skirt steak cooks in about an hour and a half, and 2-pound slices in about 45 minutes.
I also prepared Patio Chicken, which came by its name honestly. My first test batch of smoked chicken thighs was ready to pull from the smoker. They were nestled in a small tin with braising liquid. I carefully lifted the things out but the pan folded, and my precious chicken was splayed on the patio floor. My first impulse was to walk away and have a loud chat with the sky. My wife moved to keep the dogs away from the chicken, which turned out to be a good thing. The five-second rule extended close to five minutes before I calmed down enough to make a decision: I was at least going to try a bite.
So, I found a section of chicken rising furthest from the ground, pinched it off and ate it. Then I scooped up the remaining chicken, which hadn't melded with the ground as fully as I feared, and gobbled down the rest over the course of dinner. Fantastic.
The next time I made the dish, it was better than the first, and Patio Chicken went from a sarcastic suggestion from my quick-witted betrothed to a thing I served for 50 people. The final product uses bone-in, skin-on thighs that are braised then finished briefly over hot flame to ensure a crispy skin.
The idea came from a dish I in the past made routinely for my children, in which chicken thighs are fried long enough to crisp the skin, then flipped over in the same pan before chicken stock or broth, onions, carrots and celery are added. The thighs are half-submerged in the stock and vegetables and finished in the oven. The result is an ultra-juicy roasted thigh with a crispy skin. The resulting stock is turned into gravy while the chicken rests.
I thought I could replicate the technique in the smoker but with a barbecue-friendly braising liquid. Try it, and I think you'll agree it was time well-spent. Since the chicken is finished naked on the grill, I thought the remaining braising liquid would make a great base for baked beans. My guess was correct, so I served those with the chicken.
Sears capped Open Flame by taking apple cobbler made at Homeland and bringing it up to temperature in his Primo cooker for a sweet and smoky dessert.
To learn more
Open Flame will return in September. I will have details on the chefs, menu and ticket information this summer. Follow my blog at http://newsok.com/blogs/food-dude.
