Older Bolder Life

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Recipe: Proteins

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Smokey Chipotle Coffee Rub

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As I’ve shared in many of our recipes over the past year, we’re enthusiastic fans of big flavors around our camp, and have rarely come across a spice rub we didn’t enjoy.

For years now we’ve played with a variety of rubs (and sauces & marinades) featuring coffee in one form or another, and this Smokey Chipotle Coffee Rub has come to be our very favorite coffee based rub for most proteins – it’s absolutely wonderful on beef and pork.

As with most spice mixtures, using the freshest spices you can get your hands on yields the best results, as does grinding the coffee beans just before use (if you’re geared to do so). Chipotle peppers bring such a nifty smokey flavor to the flavor game here and it plays incredibly well with the coffee notes; using a good smoked paprika adds another layer of flavor as well.

As we’ve become Primal/Paleo aligned in 99% of our cooking, I’ve taken to leaving the brown sugar out or cutting it down, though both my wife and can taste the difference, and frankly you can count us among the crowd that considers a whisp of sugar in a marinade or rub a reasonable indulgence now and again.

Try this one using the core five spices at least once, and experiment with the optional flavors listed as well, or throw your favorites into the mix next time around. I used this on a couple of grass-fed New York strips last weekend….

2 parts dark roast or espresso coffee, finely ground
2 parts fresh chipotle chile powder
2 parts kosher salt
1 part ground coriander
1 part good paprika (try a smoked paprika here too)

Optional
1 part brown sugar
1/2 part freshly ground black pepper
1/2 part garlic power/granulated garlic
1/2 part powdered ginger

Combine the 5 core ingredients (the first in the list) along with whatever optional ingredients you’d like to throw in the mix. Stir to mix well.

Rub your protein generously with the rub and let rest for at least an hour (in the fridge if longer).

Grill/roast/smoke per your routine; the NY strips I did this past weekend were some of the best steaks we’ve done in a long time – one hour at 129 in the sous vide followed by a quick sear over hardwood charcoal. Hot damn.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Turmeric Mojo Grilled Shrimp

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For a variety of reasons this summer, not the least of which is they just taste great, we’ve pledged to enjoy more fresh Gulf shrimp here at home.

It helps that I’ve stumbled across a vendor who flies fresh shrimp to the DFW metro several days a week from the Texas coast where the shrimp have been caught early that morning, packed, and loaded on the plane before noon. I’m sure this recipe would work with quality frozen shrimp as well, though I haven’t tested that in my kitchen yet…

That said, for years we’ve been big fans of the tropical flavors that a good mojo can bring to the table (figuratively and literally), though you do need to remember that the acids in the fresh juices and vinegar can chemically “cook” seafood fairly quickly. You don’t want to leave your shrimp in the mojo for longer than it takes to get your grill fired (wood or gas), and don’t forget to save half the mojo for dipping or drizzling over the shrimp at service.

And by the way, two quick thoughts on the mojo. While lemongrass isn’t a typical mojo ingredient, it plays very well here with the shrimp (and probably would with any seafood) here. And don’t be intimidated by the habanero peppers; yes, they’re hot (mind your fingers – no eye rubbing after prepping these peppers!), but they bring a fruity, floral heat that can’t be duplicated. (We actually make this with anywhere from 5-7 peppers, though are long time chile-heads.)

We most recently devoured this with a Chile Peanut Cauliflower Rice recipe we’re working on, and hot damn, it was amazing.

3 habanero chiles, stemmed, seeded, chopped
8 medium garlic cloves, crushed
3.5” piece fresh ginger, peeled, sliced
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp lemongrass puree
½-1 tsp. ground turmeric
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil, plus more for grill
Good salt
1.5 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Optional
1 tbsp sugar or sweetener of choice

Prep your shrimp and fresh ingredients.

Combine the chiles, garlic, ginger, both juices, the rice vinegar, lemongrass puree, and turmeric in a blender or food processor and pulse to combine. With the device running, drizzle in the oil of choice until well emulsified.

Immediately divide the mojo, placing half in the fridge (add salt to taste) and pouring half over the shrimp, stirring to make sure all your shrimp are coated.

Immediately fire the grill, and when ready, grill the shrimp until well marked with a bit of char and pink through, 1-2 minutes per side.

Serve as desired (I served over a Chile Peanut Cauliflower Rice we’re refining) with the reserved sauce on the side or drizzled over.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 14 June: Rain Day Spice Dusted Spareribs

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A few years back our family lived, worked, and played hard in Montana; I was involved (more than) full time in a medical practice, and as a family we ran a horse farm, training facility, and equestrian event center.

We were unbelievably busy, and tended by necessity to be very efficient in our food preparation and cooking. Our food prep challenges were compounded during the winter season; winters in Northwestern Montana can be long, dark, snowy, and brutally cold.

Back several years ago we were catering an event at the barn, and the group wanted a Texas-inspired barbecue with brisket, ribs, and all the trimmings. Brisket is another issue, but the ribs were a particular challenge as we were deep in a teeth-chatteringly-cold snowy spell and couldn’t spend a day outside tending ribs in our commercial smoker.

Long story short, we sorted through a pile of recipes and experimented for several weeks to craft the predecessor of this rub. The beauty of this approach was simple: we could rub the ribs and do the majority of the cook in a relatively slow oven, then finish them up over a quick turn on the grill (something we could do no matter how damn cold it was at at time).

The ribs were so easy, and more importantly, so danged good that we’ve ended up making this our default, go-to rib rub recipe, whether we’re cooking in the smoker or in the oven, as I did again a few days ago when a day-long rain make a long cook in the smoker impossible.

I make the rub in fairly large batches and have outlined the proportions used for the ingredients below – you can make as big or small a batch as you desire. You can substitute fresh cilantro and oregano for the dried, add any dried pepper you care to for heat (we like chipotle), and add a bit of brown sugar or cane sugar for a hint of sweetness, though I haven’t done that in years.

3 full racks 3/down pork spareribs

2 parts sweet paprika
1 part chile powder
1 part ground cumin
1 part ground coriander
1 part granulated garlic
1 part freshly ground pepper
1 part good salt
1 part dried cilantro
1 part dried oregano

Optional
Sub 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro for the dried
Sub 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano for the dried
1-2 tsp chipotle powder
Up to 1 part brown sugar

Prep your ribs by removing the membranes, washing off the bone, then patting dry.

Combine the rub ingredients and mix well, paint the ribs with cider vinegar and coat both sides liberally (very liberally) with the rub.

The rain day oven cheat version: Place on a baking sheet (they can be stacked) and place in a 225 to 250 degree oven for at least 4 hours, I typically try to shoot for 6 hours. No need to turn these beauties; your slow-cooking in dry heat and letting those spices work their magic.

Thirty minutes before the end of your planned cook time, fire your trusty grill to a low heat setting (real wood is so much better here). When the ribs are done, throw them over the low heat fire for about 10 minutes, turning once. Your goal here is color them up a bit and add a bit of a crunchy sear.

The low and slow smoker version: Fire the smoker with a gently flavored wood; we favor oak with just a little mesquite for this one (though use your favorites). Smoke for 4-6 hours at a target temp of 200 to 225. These beauties won’t need to be tuned up on the grill like their oven-roasted kin above.

We like to trim these into single ribs right at the table and let everyone ‘grab it and growl’. These are so good, and tender, we most often don’t serve with any sauce; if you insist on one, use your favorite, though we most often reach for a tomatillo-based sauce/salsa like this one, or use a taqueria-style guacamole.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Chile and Sautéed Garlic Shrimp

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We’ve made a pact around our camp to increase our intake of quality seafood this summer, and strolling through my favorite Central Market a few days back I saw to my delight fresh caught Gulf shrimp on sale.

The shrimp were in great shape (always check), and I couldn’t resist picking up a pound and a half, knowing that once shelled we’d be looking a roughy a pound or so.

Our friend Chef Libby sent me this recipe for Chile and Sautéed Garlic Shrimp years ago, and I’d forgotten how wonderful it is, especially when you take care to deeply brown the garlic slices (my wife calls them chips).

This one is incredibly easy, worthy of any company you might care to entertain, and plays well with a host of sides, appetizers, and salads. Don’t forget to share the browned garlic fairly, and drizzle some of that wonderful oil over the shrimp at service.

Oh, and by the way, crushed red pepper flakes of course work if you don’t have the preferred dried red peppers laying around…

2-3 tbsp avocado or EV olive oil
10-12 cloves, thinly sliced
3-4 dried red chiles, crumbled coarsely
2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tbsp brandy

2-4 tbsp chopped parsley or cilantro, optional

Heat the oil of choice in a medium-large saucepan over high heat; add the garlic slices and sauté, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add the chiles, then the shrimp, and cook another 3-4 minutes until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, turning once.

Carefully add the brandy, cook for another minute or so to cook off the alcohol; you’ll notice the pan sauce will thicken a bit.

Add a sprinkle of good salt as desired, top with the parsley or cilantro, and go to it; make sure everyone gets their fair share of that delicious garlic too…

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 10 May: Shawarma Chicken with Tahini Yogurt Sauce

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As a family we’ve gravitated to big, bold flavors in most of the food we prepared at home over the years, embracing enthusiastically the various food cultures we’ve grown up with in Texas and the desert Southwest.

Several years ago our photojournalist daughter spent a week in Jordon on assignment, and she brought back some stunningly good olive oil and spice mixes, along with tall tales and images of meals eaten in the field and at some of the finest restaurants in the country.

She loved the shawarma there, and I’ve been tinkering around the edges with various shawarma recipes for months now, finally settling on this one. We most often reach for chicken thighs here, given their rich flavor and higher fat content, though you can of course substitute any protein you’d care to choose. The spice mix is delightful, though I often cheat the spices up a little, and the yogurt sauce is delicious, and has become one we reach for to serve with other grilled proteins as well as serve as a change-up-the-game salad dressing now and again too.

The chicken can of course be grilled, though the sheet pan, high-heat bake is a genius, quick, and easy prep that is simple enough for even a beginner in the kitchen. Cook extra, this one makes a great lunch (or breakfast) the next day or two.

2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp good salt
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4-5 tbsp olive or avocado oil
2 to 2 and 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

For the sauce
1 and 1/2 cups full-fat yogurt
2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp finely grated garlic
1/2 tsp (or more) finely grated fresh lemon zest
5 tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided
2 tbsp (or more) fresh dill, chopped
2 tbsp (or more) fresh mint, chopped
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

To Serve
Several romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 (or more) English hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced
5-6 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
Kalamata olives

Combine the seven spice ingredients with 3 tbsp of the oil; throw in the chicken and toss to coat. (Add a little more oil if needed). Let rest at room temperature while you heat the oven to 425.

Now bake the chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet for 15-17 minutes until browned with crispy edges (interior temp in the thickest thigh should be 165). Remove and let rest for 5 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, stir together the sauce, folding in the mint and dill last, and seasoning to taste with good salt and pepper. Prep the romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, and onion.

Traditionally this would be served in pitas; it’s even better thinly sliced over the salad, drizzled with the sauce. And the chicken is amazing cold.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 26 April: Hanger Steak Bulgogi Bowl

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Count us among the millions around the world who are fans of a great Bulgogi – the spicy Korean dish which (I’m told) literally means “fire meat”. Bulgogi is typically a composed of thin slices of (traditionally) beef, marinated in a garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) mixture with a bit of grated pear for a hint of sweetness. It’s typically cooked quickly over an open flame on a grill or sautéed / stir fried in a skillet at home.

You can use whatever protein suits you to craft your bulgogi; the pictures here feature one of our favorite cuts, a thick-cut hanger steak. By the way, it’s a cinch to carve perfectly thin slices from any protein if you’ll throw it in the freezer for 3o to 40 minutes before slicing. You want it to just begin to freeze and tighten up; too long and it’ll be rock solid.

There are of course a few adjustments to be made to make this dish primal and paleo compliant, the principal one being using tamari or coconut aminos to replace soy sauce, and while most wouldn’t squawk too loudly about a tablespoon of brown sugar in a marinade, we think this is best with a bit of maple syrup or honey (it doesn’t take much given the grated pear); it’s very well flavored without any additional sweetener in fact.

When making this a few days back I didn’t have time to prepare one of our favorite salads or slaws (like this Asian Inspired Cantaloupe Salad, Thai-Inspired Celery Salad, Quick Chinese Cucumber Salad for example), even a simple spring greens salad looks, and tastes, great in the bowl.

And finally, when putting this together in a bowl, we can’t imagine serving it without a recipe of the Asian Fried Cauliflower Rice I posted last week (perhaps without the bacon for this recipe).

Give this one a spin, you come back to it again and again…

For the Simple Bulgogi
1/2 small pear, grated
3-4 tbsp tamari or coconut aminos
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 and 1/2 tbsp grated fresh ginger (peeled)
1 -2 tbsp gochugaru or 2-3 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 to 1 tbsp maple syrup, honey, or sweetener of choice, optional
Thinly sliced green onions for serving

2 lb protein of choice (boneless short rib, hanger steak, flank, boneless chicken, pork loin)

Avocado, coconut, or olive oil

Good salt

1 recipe Asian Fried Cauliflower Rice

A simple salad or slaw; we like this one with one of these…
Asian Inspired Cantaloupe Salad
Thai-Inspired Celery Salad
Quick Chinese Cucumber Salad

Place your protein of choice in the freezer for 30 minutes prior to slicing; after the time has passed, using a very sharp meat knife, slice the meat into very thin strips.

While the meat is cooling, combine the grated pear, tamari, garlic, ginger, gochugaru, maple syrup, and sesame oil in a medium bowl and whisk to combine, then pour into a large resealable bag.

Place the sliced meat in the bag with the marinade, squish it around to ensure all the meat is coated, and let sit for 30-45 minutes at room temperature, or chill no longer than 12 hours.

When ready to cook, heat roughly a tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; while the oil is heating, drain the meat. Place half the meat in a single layer in the hot skillet and cook without moving it for 1-2 minutes, until a nice sear develops. Now toss for another 1-2 minutes until cooked through and crispy around the edges. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meat.

Now building your bowl, with roughly 1/3 bulgogi, 1/3 Asian Fried Cauliflower Rice, and 1/3 the salad or slaw of choice. Artfully sprinkle sliced green onions over the bulgogi and cauliflower rice, spice it up with a little sriracha, and go to it.
Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Crunchy Oven Nashville Picken (Pork Rind Crusted Chicken)

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Years ago, long before getting our heads around healthy eating, and during the years we were running an equine boarding and training farm up north of Kalispell, Montana (and I was still grinding away in my spine-focused medical practice), a little Japanese place opened up on the north side of Kalispell. For a little town in that part of the far-northern Rockies, they served decent sushi and a pretty damned tasty katsu platter (panko-crusted pork or chicken typically).

Some days after chores were done (if you’ve ever actually run an agricultural or animal oriented operation, you know that chores are truly never really done), we’d pop over to Midori for a quick meal.

Inspired by the katsu at Midori, we played with making katsu at home, almost always breading very traditionally with an egg, flour, egg, and panko coating, then sautéing in (deep sigh followed by an involuntary shudder), whatever franken-oil we had in the pantry back in the day.

Back about four years ago, when my wife and I were beginning our low carb, healthy eating journey, we started making a version of this recipe, browning panko in bit of rendered lard (bacon fat) and breading chicken breasts or boneless thighs that had been pounded thin and dipped in a mayo, grainy mustard, and egg wash, to then be browned further as the chicken cooked in a hot oven.

That was a very tasty, and delightfully crunchy prep, though as we eventually purged all process grains and flours from our diet, the recipe fell by the wayside. There are host of decent recipes that mimic a panko-coated or fried chicken made from various nut flours, but candidly, despite a number of attempts, they simply don’t turn out as crunchy as we remembered, and the recipe fell out of our rotation.

Dining with friends a few months back, we enjoyed a version of this recipe featuring crushed pork rinds that had been browned in a rendered bacon fat before breading the oven-baked chicken. It was delicious, satisfying crunchy, and coated with a mouth-tingling spicy drizzle (or sauce), concocted as a primal or paleo version of the very popular Nashville style chicken you read about these days. Turns out, the wife of the pair we were dining with grew up in Sparta, TN, about an hour from the heart of Nashville.

When I prepare this dish at home, I like to crush the pork rinds (make sure you grab some that have been prepared with acceptable oils) with a rolling pin ‘by hand’ instead of using the food processor to give the coating a bit of texture. And pounding the chicken breasts or boneless thighs is much easier if you slide the pieces into a quart resealable bag first, then pound away with your favorable rolling pin or meat mallet.

You don’t have to brown the pork rind breading first, but it does add crunchiness and color to the end result. And while the Optional Nashville Sauce/Drizzle is spicy, it’s amazingly tasty and very, very close to the best Nashville Chicken eatery we’ve seen in the DFW metro.

2 cups crushed pork rinds (see above)
2-3 tbsp rendered bacon fat, butter, or oil of choice

2 large chicken breasts, each cut into 2 pieces, and pounded to 1/4-inch thickness OR
6-8 boneless thighs, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness

3 tbsp avocado or olive oil mayo
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tsp good salt
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
Fresh ground pepper

Optional Nashville Glaze/Sauce/Drizzle
6 tbsp butter
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1-3 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp good chili powder
1/2 to 1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Good salt to taste

Crush the pork rinds, and sauté over medium in the melted fat of choice until golden brown, remove from heat and set aside.

Heat your trusty oven to 425, foil-line a baking sheet and place a wire rack over the foil.

Combine the mayo, egg yolk, mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne if using in a small bowl, whisk to combine and set aside.

Prep the chicken as per above, it doesn’t have to be perfectly flattened to 1/4-inch; place the pounded chicken in the mayo egg mixture, and stir to coat all the chicken well.

Gather the browned, crushed pork rind into half the skillet, and then take one of the chicken pieces and place it on the breading, pressing lightly to adhere the crushed pork rinds. Turn the chicken to repeat on the other side, gently shake off the excess, and place the chicken on the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces; they’ll look something like this when you’re done with the breading.

Throw it into the oven when you’re done, cooking for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the coating is a deeper, richer brown.

While the chicken is in the oven, consider stirring together the Optional Nashville Glaze/Sauce/Drizzle – go easy on the cayenne at first, you can always add more.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Your Go-To Dozen Easter Lamb and Ham Recipes

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For those among us who for what ever reason are tuned into the ecclesiastical calendar, the Easter holiday is just a week away. For those of raised in the South, that typically meant a fancy ham would grace the Sunday table, or perhaps a leg of lamb (or even gussied-up lamb chops).

Growing up my own family leaned to the ham side of the discussion, though as we’ve raised our own clan, we’ve gravitated to prefer lamb, and in particular the Ancho Grilled Leg of Lamb listed first in the recipe stack below (and yep, I shared that recipe back in July as well). I’ll be setting that up to marinate in about a week, and grilling over oak and a bit of mesquite the next day.

There are dozens and dozens of great options around if you find yourself entertaining for the holiday; invest some well-spent time and effort in creating a tasty protein to anchor your feast next weekend. Here’s a dozen recipes we’ve kept on a “lamb and ham” short list…

Ancho Grilled Leg of Lamb

Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Turkish Lamb Chops with Sumac, Tahini, and Dill

Grilled Marinated Leg of Lamb

Olive-Stuffed Leg of Lamb

Honey Vinegar Leg of Lamb

Lamb Chops with Pistachio Salsa Verde

Mint and Cumin-Spiced Lamb Chops

Lamb Shoulder with Citrus and Fennel Salad

Libby’s Honey Thyme Holiday Ham

Honey and Rye Glazed Ham

Spicy Tamarind and Honey Glazed Ham