Over The Fire Cooking

If you’re the slightest bit like many people, when you hear the phrase campfire cooking, the first thing you’ll think of is “roughing it” and “living off the land” like the old days. Well, while eating wild berries, fishing for trout with a knife, and eating certain bugs was a true survival method that worked and kept many people alive and fed, we are leaps and bound away from those ancient campfire meals. We’re even beyond the can of baked beans and hot dogs and marshmallows on sticks! As hard as it may be to believe about campfire cooking, you can now eat like royalty cooking with fire from your own backyard! 

The best part about eating like royalty is that it doesn’t require much prep and the meals are easy to make. Depending on what you’re making, some of these meals are packed with way more flavor than cooking traditionally on the stove. If you’re ready to wow guests with different foods cooked over a fire, take a look at these easy-to-make campfire cooking recipes. 

Flaming Tequila Pig Shots 

If you thought pigs in a blanket were good eating, you haven’t experienced the flavor punch of flaming tequila pig shots! For this recipe, you’re taking pre-cooked sausage (kielbasa or andouille), wrapping it in thick-cut bacon, adding cream cheese to the top, and then incorporating the flambé technique with your tequila of choice (flambé is completely optional but makes a pretty cool effect when serving!  

Tip: When wrapping the bacon around the sausage, you can use a toothpick to hold the bacon so it doesn’t come apart when cooking. Once you have your pig shots all prepared, you can throw them on the grill and cook until the bacon is fully cooked 

Here’s the full recipe for Flaming Tequila Pig Shots. 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sticky Ribs 

Who would’ve thought that peanut butter and jelly could go in anything other than bread! Well, now’s the time to brace yourself because this American classic is going rogue; and by a rogue, we mean ribs! 

For this meal, you’re going to be using baby back ribs. You’ll want to pull the membrane from the back and then slice each rib and thoroughly season them with your favorite barbecue seasoning. Once you have your meat seasoned, you can then get started on your PB&J sauce (peanut butter, jelly, black garlic sauce, Thai chili sauce, ketchup, and soy sauce). You’ll mix the ingredients, and cook in a skillet or pot over the fire until warm and thickened. From there, you’ll go through the process of smoking the ribs, and then frying them. Once the ribs are fully cooked, toss in your PB&J sauce and serve! 

Here’s the full recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Sticky Ribs. 

Smoked Nashville Hot Chicken Queso 

Nashville hot chicken is already a flavorful signature meal, but when you combine the spicy red chicken with melty cheeses, topped with jalapenos and pickles, your tongue is in for a real treat! To get started with this recipe, you’ll want to make a brine of pickle juice and hot sauce for the chicken thighs to soak in for a few hours. After the chicken has marinated, season the boneless chicken thighs with a Nashville hot chicken seasoning blend of your choice. 

Before you smoke your chicken, you want to also get a fire-safe skillet and combine Velveeta and cream cheese, and then add Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar to build layers of flavor. Put your chicken and skillet of cheese in the smoker. After 30 minutes, give the queso a quick stir to make sure it’s all melting evenly. Once the chicken is done, shred it and add it to the queso, and mix. Once thoroughly mixed, you can then add the pickles and jalapenos to the top. 

Here’s the full recipe for Smoked Nashville Hot Chicken Queso. 

Let Your Next Meal Be a Campfire Cooking Recipe 

If you find yourself getting tired of eating the same meals and preparing them the same way, then it’s about time you start incorporating some flames into your meals. The recipes listed above can be prepared on the stove or in the oven but they’re so much better when cooked over fire. 

Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends for a seafood spin on one of our favorites. These sweet and salty, bite size pieces of salmon were absolutely delicious! I started these salmon burnt ends by curing them overnight in some brown sugar, salt and spicy honey. The following day, I put them on the smoker and glazed them in a spicy honey butter mixture as they finished cooking. It wasn’t long after that when I was able to enjoy these tasty “burnt ends”. So freaking delicious! 

Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends

We all love classic burnt ends. The tips of a smoked brisket, cut into cubes and sent back to the smoker to continue cooking in some delicious sweet sauce. So, why Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends? Well, for one thing, it’s a good way to switch up our proteins. Secondly, it cooks in a fraction of the time as the traditional burnt ends. If salmon isn’t your style, that’s okay. You can check out my Classic Smoked Maple Sriracha Burnt Ends Recipe here. Alternatively, if you’re pressed for time, I also have a Poor Man’s Burnt Ends recipe and it’s pretty stinkin’ delicious too. 

As I mentioned above, we started these Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends the night before by curing them. Curing is a process similar to marinating. However, curing involves salt and sugar whereas marinating can involve a variety of ingredients. Both are used to add flavor to food. If you want to compare the two processes, you can make this recipe and then try my marinated salmon recipe!

First, mix the brown sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Next, sprinkle that onto the salmon and mix together. Continue this process until all the brown sugar/salt mixture is gone. Then, add the spicy honey. Mix again until each one has an even coating of honey. From here, cover the salmon and place them in the fridge to cure overnight. 

Smoking Salmon and Burnt Ends

The following afternoon (or morning, you can have this for breakfast if you want), start up your smoker and bring it to a temperature of 185-200F. Then, pull your future salmon burnt ends from the fridge and space them across a cooking sheet. Place that cooking sheet into the smoker and close the lid. We will leave them here to smoke for 3-4 hours. 

We will start making the smoked salmon glaze about an hour before the salmon finishes cooking. This go round, our glaze consists of melted butter, sriracha and more honey. I used a basting brush to spread this sweet and spicy glaze across each salmon cube. Now, close the lid and let these Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends finish cooking. 

Let’s Eat!

They are slammed with tons of flavor like normal tacos grilled over hot fire and topped with fresh ingredients like homemade guacamole, fresh pineapples and more. That being said, there are some super simple tips that will help your make these tacos even better below:

Tip #1: Fresh Guacamole

One of the biggest keys to this delicious Epic Chorizo Taco is not the chorizo but actually the fresh guacamole. 

I highly recommend making the guacamole only a couple minutes before you go outside to cook the chorizo. The fresher it is the creamier the avocado will be.

It also helps when you have some super ripe avocados. Try selecting the avocados by gently squeezing the outside layer of skin between your hands. If the avocado is soft to touch, but a little firmer towards the middle, then you have found the right ones.

Try to avoid overly soft avocados too as they will not have the bright green color that you are looking for in these Epic Chorizo Tacos.

Tip #2: Freshly Grated Cheese

For those that love caramelized cheese, then these Epic Chorizo Tacos are right up your alley.

When you add the cheese directly to the skillet/plancha over some hot Cowboy Charcoal, then you end up caramelizing the bottom while still being able to pull it up off the skillet.

This, however, will not happen easily with pre-grated cheese. Most pre-grated cheeses add powders into the cheese so that it does not clump or melt in the bag. This is not what we want on our cheese.

Make sure to grate the cheese yourself as it will help get a ton of flavor and caramelization on these Epic Chorizo Tacos.

Tip #3: Lots of Lime Juice on these Chorizo Tacos

When in doubt, these Epic Chorizo Tacos can use more lime juice.

Lime juice is what gives a citrus bite to the taco that easily cuts through the fattiness of the cheese and meat. It will help elevate the flavor profile out of the normal palate so that you can taste more of the citrus, cilantro and spices.

So just make sure to buy some extra limes as you will use them!

Let’s Eat these Epic Chorizo Tacos

When it comes to any BBQ platter, beef ribs are going to be the center of attention, dressed to impress. You may not realize it but smoked beef ribs are fairly new to the BBQ scene when compared to brisket or sausage. Nonetheless, this massive piece of meat is one of the most sought-after offerings on menus everywhere, and understandably so. When seasoned and cooked properly, these ribs will develop a dark bark-like crust, a beautiful scarlet smoked ring, and become fall-off-the-bone tender. 

An easy and delicious beef rib recipe that’s perfect for the smoker would be Smoked Jack Daniels beef ribs. Just think about it… You’re combining two American favorites: beef and Jack Daniels Whiskey. It truly is the perfect combination in a savory form.

Again, this piece of meat can be so delicious and tender, but only if it’s cooked right, and the best way to cook beef ribs is to smoke them. If you’ve never smoked beef ribs, the key here is low and slow. The reason for this is that not only are beef ribs a rather large piece of meat but they’re also not cheap. So when preparing and cooking these, you want to take your time with it. But not to confuse what you’re looking for when preparing this meat, it’s not about the actual cook time you’re keeping track of; it’s the internal temperature of the meat. So, yes, time is a factor but your best friend when smoking beef ribs is going to be a meat thermometer.

While the process of smoking beef ribs may sound a bit intimidating, the process actually is not. All you’re doing is seasoning the meat, and then setting a timer to make sure you’re not under or overcooking the meat. Here’s a quick overview of the entire smoking process.

Beef Rib Smoking Process: A Quick Overview

To get your ribs that beautiful smoky flavor, you’ll first smoke your ribs at 300°F for three hours. When those first three hours are done, you’ll spray the ribs with a mixture of Jack Daniels Whiskey and white vinegar, then smoke the ribs for another three hours at 300°F. This time, you’ll want to make sure the ribs reach an internal temperature of 205°F. Once the ribs have reached that internal temp, wrap them in foil or butcher paper if you have it, and let them cool for an hour. You can put the ribs in a cooler as well to speed up the cooling time. This ensures the ribs don’t lose all their flavorful juices. Once the ribs have properly cooled, you can then start slicing and serving!

The Best Smoked Ribs: Jack Daniels Edition

Ingredients

1 whole beef rib plate, about 3-4 lbs

¼ cup of Jack Daniels Beef Rub

¼ cup of white vinegar

2 tbsp of Jack Daniels

Smoking Instructions

Use some Cowboy Southern Style Hardwood Lump Charcoal to light the fire and let it burn for 10-15 minutes. Once the charcoal has turned white-hot, push it into two separate piles for 2-zone grilling.

With a beef rib plate, score the top layer of fat and season using Jack Daniels Beef Rub thoroughly.

When the fire hits a consistent 300°F, add the beef rib plate to the grill and additional add some Western BBQ Pecan wood chips. Let it smoke for three hours.

Once it has been smoked for three hours, add some white vinegar and Jack Daniels whiskey to a squirt bottle and spray the beef down every hour on the hour for the next three hours until the internal temperature reaches 205°F.

When the beef hits the right internal temperature, pull off the grill and wrap it in tin foil or parchment paper. Put the beef ribs into a well-insulated cooler for an additional one hour to let them rest.

Pull ribs out, slice, and enjoy!

Steak for breakfast? Yeah, that’s something I can get behind. This Steak and Eggs with Charred Scallion Chimichurri is made with juicy steak, tender chunks of potato, and fluffy scrambled eggs all topped off with homemade charred scallion chimichurri.

Enjoy this delicious meal for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or all three! I wouldn’t blame you!

Prep the Steak and Potatoes for Steak and Eggs with Charred Scallion Chimichurri

We’ll kick this recipe off with 3–4 steaks. I prefer to use either NY strips or ribeyes, but other types will work as well. Just use whatever works best for you!

First, prep the steaks by lathering them thoroughly with a layer of canola oil. Season each generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Next, prep the potatoes, because steak and eggs with charred scallion chimichurri are even better with potatoes. Trust me. Chop the potato of your choice into cubes and then place the cubes into a bowl. Drizzle them with oil, and toss with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

Let’s Get Cooking!

Next, we’ll cook our steaks. Preheat your fire for direct cooking at a medium-high heat of around 375ºF. Add the seasoned steaks onto the grill and cook them over the flames for 3–3.5 minutes per side. Pull them off of the grill when they reach an internal temperature of 120ºF, then allow them to rest for 15 minutes to give the juices time to settle into the meat. Remember, as with any other recipe, we don’t want to slice into them too soon or we’ll lose all that flavor and moisture.

Steak and Eggs with Charred Scallion Chimichurri

Meanwhile, char the scallions on the grill. To do so, simply add them to the grill and let them cook for 2–3 minutes or until they’re cooked to your liking. Next, pull them off and set them aside while you prep the rest of your Steak and Eggs with Charred Scallion Chimichurri.

Now we’ll circle back to our potatoes. First, add a cast-iron skillet to the grill and preheat it with a drizzle of canola oil over the fires. Next, add the potato chunks and cook them for roughly 15 minutes or until softened. Stir frequently so they don’t burn!

Next up, the eggs! You can cook them right in the skillet with the potatoes. Simply push the potatoes off to one side, add butter and oil to the skillet, and heat the eggs until they’re cooked to your liking.

Make Charred Scallion Chimichurri for Your Steak and Eggs

Since you’ve already charred the scallions, this charred scallion chimichurri really just requires you to toss everything together!

Chop the root bulb off of the charred scallions, slice them into thin pieces, then add them to a bowl with cilantro, diced red onions, minced garlic, red wine vinegar, red chili flakes, olive oil, and salt.

Mix together to get it all nice and combined, then set aside.

Serve the Steak and Eggs with Charred Scallion Chimichurri

And now, of course, we serve!

First, slice the steak up, then serve it with the potatoes and eggs topped off with a generous spoonful of the chimichurri.

These Smoked Cheesesteak Sliders are the perfect appetizer or meal! They’re made up of buttery slider buns loaded with juicy shaved steak, caramelized onions, and melty Monterey jack cheese.

Cook the Steak and Onions for Smoked Cheesesteak Sliders

Our first step is to cook both the steak and the onions for the sliders. The good news is that you can cook them in the same skillet, so you have fewer dishes to clean. #Winning!

First, preheat a cast-iron skillet or a plancha over a medium-high heat fire for direct cooking at around 375ºF. Drizzle a little bit of oil into the skillet, then add in the shaved steak. Sprinkle the steak with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then cook until the steak is heated all the way through, stirring and flipping often. This usually takes me anywhere from 7–10 minutes!

When the steak is finished cooking, pull it off of the skillet and set it to the side until you’re ready to serve. Be sure to keep it somewhere warm so it’s nice and fresh for the Smoked Cheesesteak Sliders!

Next, add the onions to the same skillet. Sauté them for 5–6 minutes or until they start to turn translucent. Sprinkle on salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar, because brown sugar is the key to perfect caramelized onions.

Smoked Cheesesteak Sliders

Cook the onions for another 2 minutes, then add in the light beer of your choice. You don’t need much, but beer adds a nice warmth. Allow the onions to simmer for another 7–10 minutes. When they have turned a nice amber/brown color, pull them off the grill and keep them warm.

Assemble the Sliders

Next up we need to prep the rolls so we can assemble our Smoked Cheesesteak Sliders. First, slice the rolls in half so you end up with a top side and a bottom side. Leave the individual rolls on each “side” attached!

Add the bottom side of the rolls into a foil bin or cooking-safe skillet, then top that with a layer of Monterey jack cheese followed by the cooked beef and sautéed onions. Finish the fillings off with another layer of Monterey Jack cheese, because cheesier is always better, then add on the top rolls.

Next, we’re finishing the Smoked Cheesesteak Sliders off with a simple butter glaze. Simply melt a couple tablespoons of butter and spread that over the top of the assembled sliders. I like to sprinkle the tops with Everything Bagel seasoning to add a little extra flavor, but these sliders are delicious without too!

Smoke the Cheesesteak Sliders

We’ve made the cheesesteak sliders, so now it’s time to make them into Smoked Cheesesteak Sliders!

Preheat the smoker (or oven, if you don’t have a smoker) to 350–375ºF for indirect cooking. Place the foil bin/skillet of sliders into the smoker and cook them until the tops are golden-brown and crispy. I usually achieve this in about 10–12 minutes.

If you’re like many grillers or self-proclaimed ‘grill masters,’ then you have to admit that there have been times that you’ve grilled a steak and it’s a little undercooked or a little too overcooked. It’s nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about– how else will you know the exact way to prepare a steak? However, when it comes to Reverse Sear Steak recipes, the grilling technique differs a little.

Typically, when you cook a steak, you’re cooking it from the outside in. With reverse sear steaks, you’re preparing it in the exact opposite way of how we normally cook steaks. With this technique, we’re cooking the steaks from the inside out, low and slow. This allows your meat to be more flavorful since the low temperature allows the meat to retain its juices within.

The method may seem a little odd, but there is a method to the madness. This technique gives you the opportunity to maximize the flavor of your meat, all while creating a delectable seared crust.

Though the title of this recipe seems like it can’t be done anywhere outside of a 5-star restaurant, you can actually master this recipe right from the comforts of your own backyard or on your next camping trip. Check out this step-by-step guide on preparing a Reverse Sear Steak Recipe.

Reverse Sear Steak Recipe: The Process

If you’ve ever gone to a restaurant and had a reverse sear steak, then you know how flavorful and delicious this piece of meat can be. Oddly enough, the process of making this flavorful piece of meat isn’t as daunting as it may seem. The flavor and texture of the meat is all in the technique. 

Ingredients

1 Ribeye steak (12 to 16 ounces)

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp fresh black pepper

Grill that can smoke at a low temperature (preferably with a lid)

Instructions

Step 1: Let your charcoal burn within the grill for 10 to 15 minutes. For added flavor, feel free to add hickory wood chips.

Step 2: Once your charcoal is hot, move it to one side within the grill to make room for more charcoal or wood later. During this step, you’re waiting on the temperature to reach 275F to 300F

Step 3: While you're waiting on the grill to reach the temperature you want, now is a good time to season your meat with the sea salt, black pepper, and cinnamon on both sides. 

Step 4: Once your grill has reached the right temperature, you can then place the steak on the opposite side of the charcoal and let it roast for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the meat’s internal temperature reaches 120F. You can continually add charcoal and wood chunks to help the meat maintain a consistent internal temperature.

Step 5: Take the steak off the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes. While your meat is resting, this is when you want to get your grill ready to reach an extremely high heat. 

Step 6: Once the grill has a good fire going, you’ll want to place the steaks over the fire for one minute per side. Flip the steak and repeat the process.

Step 7: Slice and serve. The seasonings with this piece of meat are flavorful as is, but, of course, you can always brush the meat over with your favorite steak or barbecue sauce.

If you’ve ever been to an American restaurant or a steakhouse, then you’ve probably tried their New York strip steak. After all, it’s an American classic! This piece of meat is so versatile and can be prepared in many different ways, and that’s the very feature that makes it a favorite among many! 

The next time you get a hankering for New York strips, consider skipping the steakhouse and instead, make this American classic meal at home! This time, with bourbon mushrooms! If you have a grill and know how to get a good fire going, you can easily become a master at Campfire Cooking with any meat, and this New York strip recipe will get you headed in the right direction.

If this meal sounds a little beyond your culinary expertise, trust that it’s not. However, it’s understandable to feel that way, especially about steaks. You don’t want to cook the steak too long and it loses its organic flavors, yet, you don’t want to undercook it either. The key here is, everyone has their own preference, of course, but you have to cook your meat to your liking.

Whether you’re preparing a romantic dinner for two or showing everyone how you earned your ‘license to grill and thrill,’ take a look at this ‘easier than you think’ New York Strip Recipe with flavorful bourbon mushrooms.

The New York Strips

Before you get started with anything, you’ll want to go ahead and get your fire started so it can be nice and hot for the skillet.

Seasonings

The beautiful aspect of New York strips is that the meat is naturally flavored on its own, so you only need a simple seasoning spread:

Salt

Pepper

Chipotle

Garlic powder

Whether you have one or three steaks to grill, this seasoning combination will pack your steaks full of flavor. Simply, coat your steaks in olive oil and then cover them in the seasoning blend and set them aside.

The Grilling Process

After you’ve seasoned your steaks, you then want to grab your cast iron skillet and place it on the grill. Once it’s hot, drizzle olive oil in the skillet and add your steaks (on the side first with the fat cap down to cook down some of the fat). Once you’ve rendered some of the fat, you can then lay the steaks flat. Only flip once per side until they reach an internal temp of 120F. Once the steaks are cooked to your liking, remove them from the skillet and set them on a plate to the side.

Grill Tip: Feel free to add more seasoning to the steak if the seasoning didn’t fully adhere while grilling (it’s normal to see bare spots). This will ensure every bite of steak is flavorful.

The Bourbon Mushroom Sauce

Your skillet is now coated in flavorful grease from the steaks, so you can now add your sliced mushrooms and stir and saute them a bit to sweat out the moisture and concentrate the flavor from the steaks.

Once the mushrooms have browned to your liking, you can then add the bourbon (feel free to pour a ‘stiff one’ to keep things interesting!). If you have any remaining seasoning from the steak rub, you can add that to the mushrooms if you like. Let the mushrooms simmer in the bourbon, then reduce. Once the mushrooms have softened, you can pull the skillet from the fire. 

Slice and Serve

At this point, everything is done and you’re more than likely ready to eat! All you need to do now is slice your steaks into bite-size slivers and spoon the bourbon mushrooms over the top, coating every piece of meat. Finally, serve to all who are hungry!

This Peruvian Steak Stir Fry is the ultimate stir fry recipe. It’s made up of crisp-tender bites of flavorful steak and a colorful blend of red onion, red bell pepper, and french fries. Then we’ll finish it off with creamy and flavorful homemade Aji Amarilla mayo!

Prep the Steak for Peruvian Steak Stir Fry

First, marinate the steak! We’re soaking the steak in a salty, tangy, flavorful, and simple marinade that creates the perfect flavor base for the stir fry.

Cut two pounds of either skirt steak or flap steak into cubes, then add it to a bowl along with soy sauce, white vinegar, salt, black pepper, cumin, lime juice, and canola oil.

Set the mixture in the fridge and allow it to marinate for at least two hours, but ideally overnight. We say ideally overnight because the longer it sits, the more flavor the meat will soak up!

Aji Amarillo Mayo

In my opinion, all stir fry recipes should include a jazzed-up mayo, because who doesn’t love meat, veggies, and rice with a dollop of creamy mayo? This Aji Amarillo mayo is the perfect addition to our Peruvian Steak Stir Fry.

To make the mayo, simply mix together mayonnaise, buttermilk, Aji Amarillo paste, chopped cilantro, and lime juice.

That’s it. It is difficult not to to just eat this mayo by the spoonful, but save at least some for your stir fry, because it’s worth the wait!

Time to Grill!

First, pull the marinated steak out of the fridge and discard the excess marinade.

Second, preheat a high heat fire for direct cooking at around 400ºF. Add a wok or cast-iron skillet over the flames so that it can preheat for a minute. Pour in one tablespoon of canola oil and allow that to heat for another minute. Next, add in the steak and cook for 7-8 minutes or until browned and crispy on the outside.

Veggies for Peruvian Steak Stir Fry

The stir fry veggie mixture consists of sliced red onion, sliced red bell peppers, green scallions, Aji Amarillo paste, freshly minced garlic, freshly minced ginger, and French fries! Yes. You read that right. We’re adding French fries, because it really is just that good. Trust me on this one, folks.

Start the veggie mixture by adding red onions, red bell pepper, minced garlic, and ginger to the skillet on the grill. We’ll start these veggies first because they’ll take more time to cook than our other ingredients. Cook the veggies, stirring frequently, until the have softened. Next, add in the green scallions, cooked steak, and French fries.  Stir and simmer for 1-2 minutes, then pull the skillet off of the grill and allow the mixture to cool ever so slightly.

Serve Your Peruvian Steak Stir Fry

Add some cooked white rice to the skillet along with the steak and veggies because it’s time to serve up this Peruvian Steak Stir Fry. Top that off with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, and finish it with a dollop of Aji Amarillo mayo.

Next, eat up!

I have been having fun blending grilled steak and pizza together into recipes. I have always loved making skirt steak pinwheels, and had the idea of topping them each with some pizza sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni. Melty gooey cheese topped onto a savory steak pinwheels just makes me get hungry! Plus when cooked on the Oklahoma Joe’s Blackjack Kettle Grill, these Skirt Steak Pizza Pinwheels might blow your mind.

Prepping your Skirt Steak

The first key to making this epic recipe is getting the skirt steak right. I like to use a wooden mallet over some parchment paper to flatten the steaks until they are under ½ inch. This really helps to even out the surface area of the meat and makes for a tighter pinwheel. Once you have your skirt steak ready, we will season generously with salt and get to prepping the pinwheels.

I use a base of classic basil pesto topped with chopped parsley and shaved parmesan for my filling in the pinwheel. You are welcome to add whatever you like, but I really enjoyed these flavors. The pesto is a nice herbal savoriness on the steak with a fresh parsley finish and gooey cheese to make these Skirt Steak Pizza Pinwheels extra delicious. Once we fill the steaks, we will roll them up, tie them in two different places and slice in between the ties. This will leave us with two large Skirt Steak Pizza Pinwheels that you are welcome to trim and finalize.

When you have finished making all of your Skirt Steak Pizza Pinwheels, it is time to get the Oklahoma Joe Blackjack Kettle Grill hot!

Grilling these Skirt Steak Pizza Pinwheels!

I really love using the Blackjack Kettle Grill because it can hold that high heat for searing while also having ample amounts of room to slowly cook these pinwheels. By using a two zone heat method, I will sear off both sides of the Skirt Steak Pizza Pinwheels on the hot side of the grill and then pull them over to the cool side to finish. I am looking to cook these steaks to about 120F internal. Once they hit about 105–110F internal, I will open up the Oklahoma Joe and start topping them.

We will start with a dollop of classic pizza sauce on each pinwheel. Do not be excessive because the sauce will just simmer off the steak. Next, add a handful of mozzarella cheese and a couple slices of pepperoni. Now that our Skirt Steak Pizza Pinwheels are made we will close the lid. This allows the steak to finish cooking and the cheese melt. When done, pull these guys off and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Slicing & Serving Our Skirt Steak Pizza Pinwheels

Once the Skirt Steak Pizza Pinwheels are fully rested, it is time to serve! Slice these guys up and serve with whatever you like. This is a quick and easy recipe for some backyard grilling fun all thanks to the Oklahoma Joe’s Blackjack Kettle Grill. Crush this recipe below and tag us on social if you make it. Cheers!

You may think that you’ve had meat lover’s pizza before, but I’m here to tell you that you haven’t really had meat lover’s pizza until you’ve tried this Matambre A La Pizza.

This dish is an Italian-influenced Argentinian entree that’s made up of a “crust” of grilled flank steak that’s topped with sauce, cheese, and toppings…just like a traditional pizza!

Here, I’ve included three variations on Matambre A La Pizza: traditional, Alfredo, and pesto. And they’re all delicious!

Cook Your Steak for Matambre A La Pizza

Matambre A La Pizza always starts with a tender and juicy slab of flank steak. First, lather your three flank steaks generously with canola oil to add moisture and help the seasonings stick. Next, season each steak thoroughly with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Don’t be shy. A good steak is what really makes this recipe! Set the steaks aside to allow the seasonings to really soak into the meat, and then get ready for grilling.

To grill your Matambre A La Pizza, preheat the grill to medium-high heat for direct grilling. Place your flank steaks onto the grill and cook for 8–10 minutes on one side or until that side is slightly charred. Flip the steaks over, and begin assembling the pizza!

So, you can choose between traditional, Alfredo, or pesto Matambre A La Pizza. Or don’t choose at all and make one of each, because they’re all just that good! First, add the sauces of your choice. Next, sprinkle on the cheese. Last, layer on whatever toppings your heart desires.

Cover the flank steaks and continue cooking until the internal temperature is 130–135ºF. Then, pull the Matambre A La Pizza off the grill and allow it to rest for 10–12 minutes to give the juices and flavor time to redistribute throughout the meat. The juicier the steak, the better the pizza.

Now, you can eat! Slice into your steaks, sprinkle on parmesan cheese, and dig in!

Traditional Matambre A La Pizza

So, our first variation on Matambre A La Pizza has all of your favorite traditional pizza flavors. Start with marinara sauce, then layer that with fresh mozzarella cheese. And yes, I highly recommend the mozzarella cheese from a ball. It’s rich flavor and creamy texture is unmatched by pre-shredded mozzarella. Trust me on this one.

Finish the pizza off with with fresh basil leaves and a sprinkle of red chili flakes, because who doesn’t love some added spice?!

Matambre A La Alfredo Pizza

Our second Matambre A La Pizza variation is less classic, but just as delicious. First, top the flank steak with a generous layer of Alfredo sauce, then top that off with fresh slices of mozzarella.

Next, add your toppings. I used cooked and crumbled bacon, thinly sliced red onions, halved cherry tomatoes, and a drizzle of buffalo sauce.

This variation is rich, creamy, cheesy, and a little bit spicy!

Matambre A La Pesto Pizza

We all have fallen in love with birria, but what if we made it all on an Idaho Baked Potato? This Birria Baked Potato recipe is straight up fire, and the perfect meal to impress a massive amount of friends. Braised beef short rib simmering in chile paste and beef broth until falling off the bone is married to a campfire baked Idaho Potato. Covered with cheese, red onions and cilantro, you know this is a party!

Braising to make Birria

To start these Birria Baked Potatoes, we’ll make the chili paste! Adding into our heated dutch oven, we will sear off a myriad of chiles along with some garlic cloves. Getting the chiles charred will help release all of their flavors, then we will simmer them in water to rehydrate. After the chiles have rehydrated, add them to a food processor and blend up to get that beautiful dark red chili paste.

Birria Baked Potato

Next, we will season the beef short ribs and sear them off on all sides. This is an important step that you do not want to miss as searing off the beef will really help to give a better texture at the end. Once they are all seared, we will add the beef to the dutch oven along with the chili paste and everything else needed for braising. Close the lid and let the beef simmer over the heat until the meat is falling off the bone and ready to be shredded. This can take anywhere from 3.5–4.5 hours! So, be ready to stoke your fire and keep the heat going. These Birria Baked Potatoes are more than worth it!

As the beef is simmering, we are going to make our Idaho Potatoes. Grab 3–4 russet potatoes and poke holes into them with a fork. Wrap them up tightly in foil and place them on the outer edges of the flames to slowly roast until they become tender. Make sure to rotate them every 7–10 minutes in order to get an even cook on the potatoes. Once the potatoes begin to get soft (about 1–1.5 hours), pull them off and let them stay warm until ready to serve. Once the potatoes and beef are ready, it is time to start making some Birria Baked Potatoes!

When the beef is done, pull it off and discard any bones, cinnamon sticks or bay leaves. Separate the meat from the sauce, then strain the sauce in order to have a consomme. Save this consomme for later. Shredded your beef and begin prepping your potatoes. We are going to drizzle some melted butter over the top of the potatoes and season with salt, pepper and garlic. Break open those perfect Idaho Baked Potatoes and fill it with some shredded cheese, melted butter, birria cheese, drizzle of consomme, chopped red onions and chopped cilantro. Serve your Birria Baked Potatoes with a side of the consomme and enjoy! Cheers!

Let’s cook pork ribs differently, but with a ton of flavor. Adding some pork ribs on the rotisserie glazed with a Buffalo Trace infused BBQ sauce just might be our ticket! These Maple Gochujang Rotisserie Ribs are slam packed with insane deliciousness. Cooked on the rotisserie until tender then glazed with a sweet and spicy Maple Gochujang sauce, you are in for a treat when you make these. Just grab yourself a glass of Buffalo Trace, and let’s get to cooking!

Prepping the Maple Gochujang Rotisserie Ribs

We will start by pulling off the membrane of the ribs and squaring off any small or angled bones. This will leave us with the main 8-9 rib bones without the membrane (which is really chewy). Once that is all done, we can start to lather with yellow mustard and season with your favorite BBQ seasoning. Now, you will not taste the yellow mustard. It is just a binder so that the BBQ seasoning sticks to the meat. You are welcome to use something else if you can’t deal with mustard like oil, hot sauce or even soy sauce. All of these will work! Lastly, I am using my Maple Bourbon Seasoning from Spiceology to compliment the Buffalo Trace; but feel free to use any BBQ seasoning you like!

Getting the ribs onto the rotisserie spit is actually not that difficult. Begin by skewering through the first & second bone’s meat. Then, making an “S” shape, we will skewer between bones until both pork ribs are on the spit. Once those are secure, then go back over with some extra seasoning and set it down until we are ready to cook.

Cooking Maple Gochujang Rotisserie Ribs

We will make a two zone indirect fire around 275-300F for our Maple Gochujang Rotisserie Ribs. I want to create a medium-low temperature for the ribs so that they do not burn, but also so that they cook quickly. We will place the ribs onto the rotisserie and cook for about 3.5-4.5 hours. Make sure to watch out for any flare ups or issues. Try to move the coals as needed to prevent the ribs from burning! Once the ribs are around 180F internal and have ½” pull from the meat and bones, they are ready for glazing.

The Maple Gochujang BBQ Sauce and Serving the Rotisserie Ribs

Make the Maple Gochujang BBQ Sauce in a basting skillet over the heat until it has thickened. This BBQ sauce is sweet, spicy and with a little kick from the Buffalo Trace Bourbon! Glaze the outside of the rotisserie ribs until they are well coated, and then let cook for another 10 minutes. Once the ribs are caramelized, pull them off and let them cool.

Braided Skirt Steak on the coals! A familiar cut with some classic flavors, but braided for an unique, coal cooking flare. Have you tried to cook on the coals yet? It’s easier than you think, and makes for a fun and delicious meal. I started with a crisp, smoky and zesty marinade for these braided skirt steaks. They were then cooked and served along with some salsa verde. Grab your charcoal and let’s get to grilling!

Braided Skirt Steaks

Oh, skirt steaks. This long, thin and lean cut of meat is one of my favorites to cook. While it might not be known for being the most tender cut of meat, it is one of the more flavorful ones. Also, due to how thin it is, it cooks really fast. Today, I decided to have some fun and do braided skirt steaks, so let’s talk about this braid.

Does that braid add anything to these skirt steaks. Well, if you believe in style points then yes! I mean, don’t they say you eat with your eyes first? In reality, the braid is just a fun way to switch up the cook, but it doesn’t really change anything about the flavor.

Braided Skirt Steak

I will say, I like how it makes the cut of meat a bit taller and more narrow. To me, this makes the skirt steak easier to manage while it’s on the coals. Is it a big difference? Not really. But, it’s still fun.

How to Marinade the Braided Skirt Steaks

Well, before cooking and marinating comes the braiding. I started by cutting my skirt steaks into three long strips, braided them and secured both ends with a toothpick. Now set these to the side and let’s make the marinade.

For the marinade, toss all the ingredients and a blender and blend until almost smooth. I say almost because we still want to have some chunks of garlic visible in the marinade. Check the photos for the texture we’re looking for here.

Now, place the Braided Skirt Steaks in a large dish and cover them with the marinade. Make sure to pick the skirt steaks up and allow them to sit on top of some marinade so the bottom of the steaks soak in flavor too. From here we will cover and set them in the fridge to soak. Leave them here for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight.

Coal Cooking

The following day, light up your charcoal and let the coals catch fire. Then, spread the coals across your grill and wait until they are burning white hot. Next, grab your braided skirt steaks and place them directly on the coals. We’ll let them cook about 5-7 minutes per side, flipping as needed.

Even if you love steak, you may not have thought about grilling a tri-tip or two. This cut of meat is much less well-known than ribs, sirloins and so on. This flavorful and underappreciated cut of beef deserves a change if you are into campfire cooking and love beef. To make things easier, we have a recipe for the meat, for a killer marinade, and for an artichoke cream sauce.

A Killer Tri Tip Recipe

Allow a little over five hours to prep and cook this Santa Maria tri-tip dish. You’ll want to marinade the steak for about four hours before throwing on the open fire for an hour and twenty minutes. Aside from the tri tips, you’ll need a variety of ingredients for the marinade, sauce, and spritz. The details of how to prepare and cook this delicious recipe are available on our website, but in short, this is how you do it:

1. Marinade the steak in plastic bags in the fridge overnight or at least for several hours. Make sure the marinade covers the meat completely.

2. Start cutting each tip at the small end and pay attention to the grain. Tri-tip is unusual in that the grain changes so it has to be cut from the tip down the middle the rotate the meat and cut again.

3. Spritz the steaks while they continue to grill, flipping them every five minutes. You’ll be spraying the steak with a mix of beer and hot sauce in a spray bottle.

4. Let the steak rest for 10-15 minutes. If you haven’t done so, you can mix the sauce ingredients and blend them together at this time.

You’ll want a delicious sauce to flavor the steak with, and we have one.

Artichoke Cream Sauce

Our recipe includes a complete ingredient list for this must-have complement to your tri-tips. You’ll need several common ingredients in addition to artichoke hearts and sour cream. Note that you can streamline the prep by getting canned or fresh, roasted hearts from the grocery store. If not, our site tells you how to prepare your own scratch-made sauce. Our tri-tip page also includes the marinade ingredients.

I think I can confidently say that short ribs are good in any recipe, whether that’s smoked beef short rib with Guinness chili, rotisserie smoked short ribs, or grilled Korean BBQ short ribs! We’re back at it again, but this time it’s a Tomahawk Beef Short Ribs recipe. They hit the grill along with some some halved bones, for seasoned bone marrow. Put it all together for a delicious, melt in our mouth kind of dinner.

This recipe uses long bone beef short ribs. I coat them in a simple blend of savory seasonings, smoked until fall-off-the-bone tender and topped with a homemade bone marrow herb sauce. They’re the ultimate balance of tender, crispy, savory, spicy, earthy, and smoky.

This recipe is a quick and easy one that requires ingredients you probably already have around. Keep reading to find out how you can make Tomahawk Beef Short Ribs!

The Tomahawk Beef Short Ribs

I started with 4–6 long bone beef short ribs. Short ribs are perfect for smoking. They’re between the tougher, beefy texture and flavor of chuck roast and the rich, marbled texture of rib steaks. They’re a slightly more expensive cut of beef but, trust me, they’re worth it!

I sliced about ¾ of the meat off the bone, then rolled it back onto itself and tied it to fasten it into the desired shape. Next, season those short ribs with a simple mixture of dijon mustard, coarse sea salt, black pepper, dried minced garlic and a little oil.

After the meat is sufficiently seasoned, we’ll toss them on the smoker. I smoked them at 275ºF until they reach an internal temperature of 205ºF (about 4–5 hours). Smoking short ribs is important because the slow cooking process is what really allows the meat to become melt-in-your-mouth tender. About half way through the cook, I started smoking my bone marrow sauce.

The Bone Marrow Herb Sauce for our Tomahawks Beef Short Ribs

I love this recipe because when I say you’re using a whole English short rib, I mean a whole English short rib — bones and all.

To make this bone marrow herb sauce, I soaked 3–4 center cut bones in water and salt overnight to release any impurities and to bleach the bones.

After the bones have soaked, I seasoned them with more salt and then smoked them until bubbling. After that, I scooped them into a bowl containing a mixture of lemon juice, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, minced garlic, and minced shallots. To thicken it up, I added some panko crumbs and grated parmesan. Placing that mixture back into the scooped out bones, I heated up my grill to 450F.

I placed the bones into a skillet and added it to the grill to create a high heat broiling effect. Once the bones were bubbling and juicy, I pulled them off and let them cool

Serving Tomahawk Beef Short Ribs

These Tomahawk beef short ribs are super flavorful. They’re also versatile enough to be paired with any of your favorite sides. You can round out your meal with a pile of mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, pasta salad, you name it!

Better than any child’s candy, today we’re bringing you a Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops recipe! A mouthful to say, but packed with flavor in every bite! Bacon, bourbon and barbecue create the perfect trifecta for this recipe! Seasoned with some of Spiceology’s Honey Habanero rub and sweetened with some personalized BBQ sauce, this recipe is one you don’t want to miss!

Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops are an Adult’s Playground

Drumsticks and lollipops. I can’t help but think of a small child going HAM on a drumset or getting a lollipop after a visit to the bank with mom or dad. BUT who says these things aren’t for adults to enjoy as well?! We’ll be the ones playing with our food a bit as we transform these regular chicken drumsticks into something worth talking about.

Our recipe begins by prepping the chicken. You’ll take a chicken drumstick and cut the meat from the lower fourth of the bone. It might take you a bit to get the first one cleaned, especially if it’s your first time doing this. Don’t worry, you’ll get in the groove and move faster once you get a couple under your belt.

Once the lollipops are ready, dip and cover the meat in your favorite dry BBQ seasoning. I used some of Spiceology’s Honey Habanero rub, it’s the perfect ratio of spicy and sweet. Then, I wrapped a half slice of bacon around the seasoned chicken lollipop. Just like that, our Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops are ready for the smoker.

We all love bacon wrapped anything, but this job calls for foil. Before placing our Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops on the smoker, we need to wrap the bone of the drumsticks in foil. This will prevent charring and discoloration of the bones throughout the cooking process.

I also used a chicken wing/leg rack for these Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops. It’s a stand that can be placed in the smoker and holds the legs while they cook. I found mine on Amazon, but you can find a variety of different types at any grilling store. They’re pretty cheap and help the lollipops keep their circular shape while cooking. Definitely not something you need to cook this recipe, but something I used.

Honey, Can You bring Me Some Honey

I’ve always said cooking with friends and family is the best way to enjoy grilling, so really I’m just practicing what I preach over here! I needed the honey for my personalized BBQ sauce. I made this sauce to dip my lollipops in halfway through their cooking. The sauce consisted of regular BBQ sauce, honey (thanks to my honey), bourbon and habanero sauce. I mixed the ingredients together in a cast iron sauce pan to dip the bacon bbq chicken lollipops. Then I placed it on the smoker to warm the sauce and help it better infuse together.

When the lollipops were almost finished cooking, I dipped each into my BBQ sauce and placed it back on it’s stand in the smoker. Once I had dipped each chicken lollipop, I closed the smoker and let them finish cooking. I loved finishing off the Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops this way! It intensified their coloring and provided a depth of flavor that was incredible!

Serve Up Those Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops

The chicken is done at an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit! Pull each lollipop from the smoker and place on a serving platter. No need to wait, serve them right away! As always, best enjoyed with friends and family. Cheers!