We do what the Colonel couldn’t and you’ll love it!

By the Bearded Canadian

Nothing gets me more excited than being able to produce a premium quality experience with little to no effort. Well, maybe not nothing, but I thrive off elevating the mundane and ordinary to the extraordinary. After all, who doesn't love watching faces light up with joy? One simple way to achieve this is by maximising texture along with taste. 

Here is the first of two techniques to help you lift your texture game (I'm sure there is a pun in there somewhere) [Ed. Nope!].

Double-Dredging, Double-Frying Fried Chicken

Double Frying your chicken is a secret that is rapidly becoming well known. It is basically frying food at a lower temperature, removing it, then finishing it off at a higher oil temp to maximise crunch. What doesn't seem to be well known is what people are coating their chicken with. 

Instead of just using plain flour, up your textual fa… [Ed. Nope, that’s two strikes!]. (Yeah. Too much) by using potato starch instead. Or better yet a blend of potato, rice and cornstarch. And before you get nervous about where to find these ingredients, the rise of gluten-free food has made this easier than ever. Just look for a bag of gluten-free flour at your local grocery store. These starches will absolutely change your fried chicken game. Not only do they adhere better to the chicken itself, but they also produce a crunchier coating that can handle more robust sauces like a Korean fried chicken gochujang sauce (see pic below) as well as pockets of addictive, hard-to-explain pleasant, chewiness. 

Tell me, Bearded Canadian, how do I achieve this? 

Okay, in two simple steps:

1. Use two cups of your GF blend. Season well with your preferred spices and salt.
2. Using the double dredging technique scrunch your chicken into your flour mixture, dip it into a milk/egg or milk/pickle juice brine and then back into the flour.

PRO TIP: For added texture, mix some of the brine into the flour itself to help create a rougher mix which will help create deeper nooks and crannies in your fried chicken shell.  

1. Once all your pieces are coated, fry at 165-170c until the internal temp hits 70c and you see a light golden colour. 
2. Take your pieces out and let rest on a wire rack while you heat the oil to 190c.
3. Finally, plunge them back in for about 2-3 mins until you see a deep golden colour. 

Perfection and… Feast on!

The Burger Baron serves up another pre-lunch smash hit!

By The Burger Baron

Love a bit of spice in your life to wake you up first thing in the morning? Consider treating yourself to some loaded, decadent, yet surprisingly simple and easy smashburgers tacos!

Here’s the cheat sheet…

Smash a patty onto your pan or grill with a soft tortilla on top, once golden brown, flip, add your melty cheese and fold, briefly grilling the back of the tortilla on both sides to melt the cheese. 

Feeling like you deserve a little more for breakfast – of course you do! Perhaps grill some bacon and/or egg at the same time. 

Remove, peel it open (witness an amazing cheese pull beyond any grilled cheese you've ever seen), add your fillings. 

Above are the components for one of my typical breakfast burgers but here’s what I pack into each taco:

• 1 rasher streaky Bacon
• 1 small egg
• 1/2 a hash brown (extra crunch!)
• Pickled jalapenos
• Spicy salsa
• Burger sauce

This little masterpiece is whipped up in a matter of minutes, but alas, the process of consuming sadly also only lasts a matter of minutes. Zero regrets though, this is truly a transformative breakfast experience!

With all the lashings (that you may already have in your fridge), this dish ticks every flavour box: salty, sweet, savoury, umami, sour, with added creamy unctuousness from the cheese and burger sauce and a spicy kick from the salsa and the jalapenos to really elevate the endorphins. It's a wild ride that must be tried. 

What a way to start the day!

Big cooks for huge appetites

By The Steak Whisperer

It’s fairly common knowledge that this past NBL1 (National Basketball League 1) season, the FoB Squad took on the challenge of providing courtside meals for sponsors of the Warwick Senators. What the male and female players around that league found out was that with the FoB Squad onboard, the postgame player meals at Warwick Stadium had therefore taken a massive step forward.

Game after game, week after week, home and visiting teams, men and women, were being treated to protein rich, carb light-ish main meals featuring:

• The Burger Baron’s Smashburgers featuring his otherworldly Baron’s Burger sauce
• FoB steak rolls with the Burger Baron’s chimichurri
• The Steak Whisperer’s “Silly” Cheesesteaks (essentially a very unique angus pure picanha steak roll)
• FoB Steak Nachos and Tacos

By the way, shout out to our good friends at Torre & Mordini Gourmet Meats and new pals at Trigg Pizza (just sayin’, great pizza).

Courtside sponsors love it because the burgers for instance, were created under the excruciatingly exacting measures and processes, penned by The Burger Baron. Little wonder then that heartwarming feedback such as, “Absolutely the best burger I’ve ever had” and “I’m literally thinking about what FoB are cooking days ahead of the game…” has become the norm around the stadium foyer, training facility and warm-up courts. It feels great. But there is a challenge for the FoB Squad to overcome every week as well.

Large humans, enormous appetites and tight windows

It’s not unusual for the FoB Squad to plate up 200 serves of main menu items per game. And because the games are run on a tight schedule, the cook and service timelines are even tighter. The women’s match-up ends and within 5-10 minutes we’re serving up to 30 mains. Ten minutes later, we need to produce between 75 and 95 mains for sponsors; then mains for 25 volunteers, then 13 officials and by the time the men’s game has drawn to a close, we’re ready to do a live prep and serve for 30-40 very big men, most with massive appetites.

It’s a challenge but we love it. Oh, and because quality assurance is something I take personal responsibility for, that means the FoB Squad probably needs to test 5 serves along the way [Ed. I could come and help… seriously, I’m available!].

Athletes also love a side of anticipation & entertainment with their meal but a big “no” to fries

A number of the meals we dish up to athletes are made to order and tailored for individual preferences:

• A triple patty for an energiser bunny point guard
• No chimi or fries for a wet-behind-the-ears, carb-conscious forward
• All the burgers and steak rolls you can pile onto this tray for the high energy power forward/centre from a faraway land (again, hold the fries, give me more protein!).

In all honesty, I’m horrendous with names, especially in the middle (or at the end) of a hectic service, up to my elbows in steak butter, burger mince and extra-virgin olive oil, but I never forget a player’s special request. Especially, if they’re polite, good humoured and can pull-off a passable President Trump impersonation (extra steak roll for you!)

The thing I’ve learned in terms of customer service/retail theatre is that customers will forgive a short wait if they’re invited into: 

• a brief conversation
• a chance to see their roll, burger feast or steak sliced/assembled/presented before their eyes
• impromptu Q&As on grilling, BBQing and life in general.

As some of the home and visiting point guards and coaches tell us, winning is about controlling the tempo, focus and quality. Agreed. That’s also the key to keeping these talented players from all over the league (and the world) lining up for more postgame platters from the FoB Squad.

Hey, if you have a hungry team of athletes, administrators, salespeople, executives or staff that you want to feed and/or entertain, make an enquiry at feaston@feastonbeasts.com and… Feast on!

The Steak butter odyssey is the perfect finish to the start of a feast

By the Burger Baron and The Steak Whisperer

Happily, the dark days are behind us where someone can carelessly douse the quality steak in supermarket tomato or BBQ sauce without being whisked away and thrown in prison to face a life of indentured servitude. I remember as if it was yesterday, my dear departed father looking on in disbelief as barbecue loving Aussies would nonchalantly pour beer on their steaks gleefully watching them bubble and moan on the hot plate before whipping them onto a paper plate and immediately drowning any hopes of a flavoursome piece of beef in a deluge of Heinz or Rosella's finest.

It was hard to watch as a youngster and even harder as a full-grown man to fight back angry tears of resentment when I hear that this practise, that no one really talks about in polite society, still persists. But I do empathise with those that feel embarrassed and driven to avert their eyes at the sight of a naked steak in elegant repose, displayed on a vacant plate – sans sauce to cover its char-less shame. [Ed. Hey man, is everything okay?] Sometimes we simply must consider the “sauce”.

My esteemed colleagues, The Bearded Canadian and The Burger Baron, have distinguished themselves again and again by creating all manner of steak spices, chimichurri varietals and even fruit-based companions to enhance the robust, ketonic, character of the cut. However, these are not gents that rest easy on their culinary laurels. Far from it. Known for both a lively imagination and an almost maniacal inquisitiveness, it's come as no surprise that butter and it's complex and utterly delightful relationship with steak has fallen under the intense gaze of the FoB squad. Let's have a look.

Compounding the issue of steak plus butter

The creation, presentation and ultimately the taste and texture of FoB’s new favourite compound butter was recently rigorously assessed at two of our “tastings” at FoB Central. Here’s The Burger Baron with more:

“So, our mate from Melt Espresso Bar gave us some nduja which is “well spicy” [Ed. A frightening harbinger from our heat-seeking Burger Baron!!!!]. And on their recommendation, we incorporated it into a compound butter. Now this nduja was so-o-o-o-o spicy, and I am the kind of freak that puts Carolina hot sauce on every meal, be warned, I had to dilute it with double the amount of butter to avoid the possibility of panic attacks. However, with some additional ingredients and flavour colours (Ed. What?] some elements of sweetness were brought to the fore and we finished with a delightful accoutrement. And I think you’ll agree that the finished product looks fantastic!”

Consider the source sauce – another amazing recipe, kinda…

Here at FoB, we’re known to keep pushing the possibilities and flavour profiles until it becomes clear we’ve gone too far… and then pull it back. It’s the only way to discover and develop some of our wonderful, otherworldly classics like The Bearded Canadian’s flayed BBQ duck breast in a chilli jam glaze rice-paper roll [Ed. Still recovering!]. So, let’s let The Burger Baron tell us about his latest sauce odyssey.

“…but just when I'm thinking that perhaps I've taken it too far, I realise that I haven't taken it further enough.

Turning our attention to steak frites, I found myself working on a medium rare porterhouse on a bed of shoestring fries. The occasion called for a sauce, so I went with an au poivre sauce and garnished the steak with garlic chives.

The “AP” sauce is hard to describe. It's kind of a compound butter on steroids [Ed. Hungry ASADA officials enter the chat…], that is to say it has about 17 different ingredients brought together via a number of quite complex processes. It's like a party in your mouth, but not like a street party with BBQ sausages. Rather, it’s the kind of high-end aristocratic soiree complete with elegantly prepared canapes that Train gets invited to. The sort of soiree I'm rarely invited to. [Ed. Given your hardline rules on burger regulations I'm not surprised that liberal-minded, low-end burger providers would rather you left your feasting judgements at home.]

Anyway, here’s a basic recipe.

A basic AP recipe 

I was slaving for hours over the weekend over this peppery AP sauce, but it worked and if you give it a go, I think you’ll love it too. Now variety is the spice of life, so this is just a basic guide with more than enough wriggle room baked in for you to get creative and make it your own. 

So, we start with a steak butter base. 

• We take a bunch of steak trimmings grill it in the pan to render out a whole lot of fat 
• We add a very generous serve of butter (again, this Marco Pierre White) 
• Toss in rosemary and thyme and let that sit in there for at least an hour 
• Now add garlic (to taste) and strain into a container. That’s your steak butter and that's… step one 

Let’s continue:

• Take a whole bunch of shallots, chop them up and throw them in a pot
• Add a little bit of olive oil and maybe a bit of chicken stock if you’re feeling adventurous
• Then add cream with a little rosemary and thyme 
• And now for the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce 
• Now it’s time to grind and add some toasted red Szechuan peppercorns, green szechuan peppercorns.
• Mix in with you steak butter, patiently, carefully, lovingly and voila!

From here you can apply to your rested steak or indeed, finish your steak by gently spooning your AP sauce over your steak as it completes its final lap of your pan.

It’s fragrant, flavoursome and ready for you to…

Feast on!

Train and The Burger Baron strike BBQ gold in Inglewood, WA

By Train, The Steak Whisperer with The Burger Baron

Saturday night at Blackiron Barbecue. Sounds like a classic western reminiscent of Tombstone, True Grit or more recently the Yellowstone series. – Taylor Sheridan take note!

In reality though, it was a fact-finding mission embarked upon by The Burger Baron and I because we had heard that the (near?) legendary Jason Linto, KCBS luminary, had returned to town. [Ed. Still sounds like a Western, just sayin’… partner] Not only that, he’d returned with a mission in mind: to bring authentic Texas-style BBQ back to Perth. More specifically, Inglewood.

Now right off the bat, the Blackiron Barbecue joint was very heavy on the family-friendly, bunkhouse vibe. White walls, black-frames and font, but not in Chanel way. As I say, classic bunkhouse décor. Functional furniture that offers a place to park your caboose more so than to recline for hours. After all, you’re here to eat great BBQ and chew the fat if you’ve a notion to spin a yarn. But what about the man (Jason) and more particularly the food. Well let’s get to it.

The Menu – a basic BBQ bounty that’ll have you whoopin’ and a-hollerin’

[Ed. You’ll have to excuse Train, he’s been obsessed with Westerns since he was a kid, so this article was always going to be… like this.]

Walk in through the front door, turn left and you’ll see the brown paper menu board with the day’s offer scrawled across it. Brisket and Burnt Ends, along with pork ribs are priced by the 100g, sides include mac ‘n’ cheese. They also have sausage for those that enjoy the snap and chew of the beef, cheese and jalapeno variety. There are other items including a dessert, but the salad type stuff was lost on me. No one seemed much bothered by that because everyone seemed to know that you visit the Blackiron for the meats.

Okay pricing. Some may try to argue that the asking is a little on the high side. I disagree. This is a “get what you pay for” world and I’m here to tell you [Ed. Spoiler alert] that I paid for quality and I got just that. Let’s get to the specifics though and I’ll let The Burger Baron italicise his way through his assessment of the offerings and I’ll chime in with normal font to avoid too much confusion.

-  Pork Ribs or ‘Dry Ribs'? No, they aren't dry, they're moist and perfectly cooked, BUT they aren't covered in BBQ sauce like many Aussies would expect, and I wouldn't change a thing! A punchy pepper-heavy salt and pepper rub is all that's needed to make these ribs shine. Enjoy these for what they are and save your sweet tooth instead for the chopped brisket!

I’ve got to say these were simply delicious. They’re a bit of a honey trap because you could end up buying (and consuming) way more than you originally intended. Personally, I could’ve spent the evening devouring these by the kilogram but I’m a professional and realise that balance is the key. [Ed. I have no words]

- Chopped Brisket, did somebody say burnt ends? Coated in a nice, tacky BBQ sauce, that rather than being sickly sweet, is balanced out beautifully with a healthy dash of vinegar, creating a sweet and tangy experience that leaves you wanting more, more, more!

Agreed. This was a standout for me. I had to get Jason to explain to me twice why this extraordinary item was listed as chopped meat (or chopped brisket) rather than burnt ends. Something about people thinking Burnt ends means the portions were burnt. Dunno. They’re delicious though.

- Sausage Link - Beef, Cheese & Jalapeno, my favourite snag. Perfectly emulsified consistency inside, contrasted with a decently snappy exterior and the odd crunchy piece of jalapeno inside. Just enough cheese to give a velvety mouthfeel, without overdoing it, and an aftertaste that rides with you for a bit.

I love it when the jalapeno turns up late to the party but works hard to catch-up. A fine sausage that aggressively proclaims its beefy birthright. 

- Wagyu Brisket. Jiggly, perfectly cooked, passes every classic BBQ test (fold/pull) with flying colours. Great bark, just a little light on the salt inside.

Enjoyed this but… needed a little more salt. Not a massive issue but if I’m picking nits, that’s the only thing I could pick and you could successfully argue that that’s just a personal preference, and you’d be right. But there it is. Hey, any more of those ribs?

- Complimentary Pickles - Featuring Southwest legend Rickles Pickles from Donnybrook, these sweet and sour dill pickles contrast the fatty cuts, break up a rich meal and give a very welcome, very FORWARD dill sucker punch. Like a herbaceous chimichurri complementing a savoury steak, these dill pickles hit different to anything you'll get at a supermarket.

Pickles were good. Flavoursome, complex without being weird about it but best of all, they did their job without trying to do too much. Well played.

I should give an honourable mention to the dessert, A delightful Key Lime Pie. Try it, trust me and thank everyone later.

So, tell us about Jason…

He’s a bit like a cowboy but nothing like one. He told me that his inspiration was born from his time in Texas being around great people making unbelievable food and he’s committed himself to bringing the techniques and dedication that comes with BBQ in Texas, all the way to Inglewood for people from Perth and further afield to enjoy.

I could tell that he’s the type of guy that will shoehorn a giant smoker that handles hundreds of kilos of beef into a sea container from Texas just to serve BBQ to the community. I love it, it’s laudable and it was great to spend a little time with the man, share a few tales and stagger out of the Blackiron, full as a boot.

Verdict: Highly recommended, FoB approved!

Lamb: not just for nursery rhymes, they make great entrees too!

By Train, The Steak Whisperer

I love chance encounters that lead to conversations about food, social settings and inevitably, dismembered, seasoned, cooked and beautifully presented beasts on platters at feasts. It’s a whole thing for me. Now, what feels like a couple of years ago at a corporate Christmas party, I found myself enjoying a chat with a gentleman with a tale to tell. A known and unabashed lover of BBQ, I also knew this person to be a lively raconteur and quite knowledgeable being the son a of a butcher.

Imagine my delight when leaning over an entrée plate of… something (tragic when a platter barely makes a dent in one’s recollections… or was it that this story was just so immersive?), the gent in question said in hushed, conspiratorial tones coloured in hues of nostalgia (Ed. What in the world is going on?], “I have a breathtaking recipe for lamb… and it’s simple and foolproof.”

Now I’ve always been a fool for foolproof recipes and so a few months later I gave it a go by subjecting it to the time-honoured tradition of the FoB A-B Test at one of our fabled “tastings”. So, are you intrigued? Would you like to know the how’s behind what admittedly was an incredible, durable and delicious tip? Okay then…

…here’s what the butcher’s son told me about lamb. Yumb!

Alright so as many of you know, I like to keep my lamb appetisers and entrees simple, simple, simple. Oil, salt, pepper (garlic and or rosemary if you must) and then a cleansing flame licking at the soon-to-be-rendered fat cap (modest though it may be).

Oyster sauce! Now, I’m a stickler for creating sauces from scratch. While not as talented in the sauce department as my esteemed colleagues, I flatter myself that my own Freight Train’s burnt butter sauce, has contributed heavily to the advancement of humanity – at my house. So I went ahead and created an approximation of the store-bought version to go with some lamb rump portions and lamb lolli-chops. Still, to me oyster sauce, that staple of many Asian and Asian fusion dishes that I’ve devoured over the years, would need help.

It didn’t. I’ll spare you the details but the results of extensive kitchen testing by me (and for me) [Ed. SELFISH!!!] were conclusive.

• Lamb with salt, pepper and oil – classic flavours, delicious and comforting
• Lamb with oyster sauce only – surprisingly good. Sweet, smoky, sticky with a decent salt punch!
• Lamb with an oyster sauce, burnt butter sauce (including a touch of brown sugar) and a pinch of finishing salt and pepper. Wow. Try it NOW!

As always, cook your lamb rump as you would a rump steak (don’t worry, it’ll never know the difference, but you will) and do allow to rest. This will give you a chance to mentally prepare for what will truly be a revelatory dish that you’ll be dying to tell people about at corporate Christmas parties everywhere.

Feast on!

Or how to derail Train’s Great Steak Fundamentals!

By Johnno

It takes a man with a particular set of skills and a lot of time on their hands to successfully argue a point about steak with Train. He’s literally built a reputation and a brand on knowing how best to prep and cook a steak, simply. 

Nonetheless, as Train puts it, 

“Feast on Beasts is a community built on the foundations of mutual respect and trust for all those that believe that feasting on beasts is the bone marrow butter that binds our society and separates us from the animals.” 

Yup, slightly insane but makes perfect sense the second time round. Alrighty, let me whip you through the theory of the “reverse, reverse” sear method of creating large quantities of juicy, beautifully presented steaks while saving time and anxiety. 

5 steps to reversing the reverse sear for a great result… consistently!

Okay, so if we can agree that a great steak, after being rested, will present with a beautiful char or bark that’s dark, offers a little more than token resistance to the knife’s edge before giving way to a consistent, edge-to-edge pink hue, here’s what to do.

1. Set your oven to 180 degrees
2. Get your pan (cast iron is probably best) on the stove and set it to “jet afterburner hot” as Train might say, or do the same on the hotplate of your BBQ.
3. Season appropriately (i.e. generously) after applying your choice of binder (e.g. olive oil).
4. Sear: Rule of Thumb here is to go 1 (one) minute per side, just to get some colour happening.
5. Slide into the oven for 10 minutes if you’re dealing with a tiny 200g steak (i.e. entrée size). Please note though, that I actually like to go ever slightly longer but at 150 degrees to get to an internal temp of 52 degrees (medium rare) or 54 degrees (medium).

In perhaps a vain attempt to appear open-minded, Train actually did an A-B test of sorts back at FoB Central to see for himself – and the pics speaks for themselves. 

Let’s hear it from the man himself:

“Yeah, they were okay… no seriously, a great call but you really need to be on top of temp and time and this is where a food thermometer may help you out tremendously. Unless you’re me (Ed. Ridiculous).”

Okay, that’s the beginning, middle and end of the story. Go forth and cook kilos and kilos of steak. You don’t have to try this method, but you’ll be glad you did.

Feast on!

How the Bearded Canadian created another entrée keeper 

By The Bearded Canadian

“He (The Bearded Canadian) is a rare culinary talent… and a bit mad. Even I had no idea what was happening, but I knew it was something I wanted to be around… and feast on.” Train recollecting the birth of another pre-mains Canadian classic

So, a FoB “tasting” is an exciting and challenging situation. Each of us on the FoB Squad are charged with the responsibility of creating a dish that either asks serious questions or enchants us with enlightening answers. Or both. And maybe, in the wash-up, we create a dish that becomes a permanent or enduring feature of future FoB feasts.

My thought was to come up with something on the heavier side of light, but charming and sweet. Something that would adequately signpost the path to a truly sumptuous feast.

Here’s what I put together…

I felt I could meet that brief with pork loin, maple syrup, butter, brown sugar, patience, impetuousness and of course, blind ambition and a touch of crazy.  I could not have been happier with the result. The result being…

… The Bearded Canadian’s Pork Loin Cinnamon Scroll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I went ahead and thought to myself:

• I love maple syrup
• Everybody that likes pork, loves pork loin
• I do enjoy some cinnamon, especially on a donut or wait… a scroll!
• Butter is great [Ed. Check out some truly dizzying and perhaps unhinged YouTube clips of Michelin star magnet Marco Pierre White, espousing an enduring love for butter].
• Brown sugar? Well…

So, those are the basic ingredients. Play with them. Use patience – a very hard-to-come-by ingredient – because you don’t want to incinerate the sauce, you want to warm it, heat it gently and coax out the flavours and consistency to form that glaze.

Finally, be bold with your application of cinnamon and of course the maple. Use salt to balance out the sweetness.

Okay, go ahead and create something uniquely you that pays homage to me (stole that line from Train during one of his ego moments) [Ed. Which is more often than you’d thing] [Train: Agreed!]

And as always… Feast on!

The evolution of the enhanced FoB entrée continues

By The Burger Baron

The more things change, the more things stay the same, as the saying goes. These days, people love change but certainly in the world of food and more particularly BBQ, a lot of people love what they like and always will. Doesn’t mean we can’t experiment, adapt and evolve certain traditional and much-loved ideas into awesome new dishes.

Enter the Smashburger Tacos. The nexus of two established favourites.

When two favs become one!

As the Burger Baron, I’ve toiled for years to understand and refine Burger Science and at times I’ve been told (by Train) that some of my opinions have been presented as if they were laws as opposed to thoughts. So be it! Burgers make up at least two delicious pillars of not only the food matrix but also that of society (Ed. You’re doing it again!). Not to make too fine a point (Ed. Better). 

Tacos are a worthy inhabitant of the Mount Rushmore of Food Truck classics and so I’ve delved deeply into their origins, mining for tips on authenticity, method and optimising flavours. Both culinary phenoms are close to my heart, so combining the two is a labour of love. Best as I can tell, you can break the instructions into 5 easy-to-digest tips.

5 easy-to-digest tips for smashing the taco paradigm: a how-to guide

Okay, knowing simplicity is key, let’s not mince words, brevity is best so here we go:

1. use fatty beef mince as you would a normal smashburger
2. rather than seasoning with salt alone, spice it up with some Mexican seasoning
3. forget using a square of baking proof paper between the mince and your smasher when you smash, throw the tortilla straight onto the meat and smash away!
4. once the meat patty is dark brown/nicely caramelised:
5. once cooled a bit, pull it back open and apply your favourite toppings, such as coriander, sour cream, pickled red onion (or even just pickles if you aren’t ready to go the full-Mexican experience).

These are great. I love them and so do most people I know, and as we often say here at Feast on Beasts… Feast on!

Try this – Duck breast, the steak you have when you’re [Ed. That’s enough]

By The Bearded Canadian

Recently, I’ve been wading out into the back waters of the feasting kingdom and my back catalogue of sports movies, to expand my culinary repertoire, and (re-)stumbled upon the mighty duck!

Though it is quite popular, at least in in French or Chinese cuisine, it’s not a dish often served when you gather together with your mates for some barbeque – but perhaps it should be! You see, in a world where so many things taste like chicken… duck breast surprisingly tastes like steak (It’s even red like steak too)!

With that in mind, here are some simple tips to cook up the breast portion of the echo-less beast [Ed. might have to google that one]: 

*PREP IT LIKE A STEAK*

You can go as fancy as you want with duck breast, but it actually shines wonderfully with just salt, pepper and garlic powder! [Ed. Didn’t you recently adorn one of your offerings with a juniper berry sauce? Hmmmm?!] Just like a steak, remove as much moisture as you can from the meat, and hit it liberally with that SPG. Be sure to score the skin and to get all the flavour in there! 

COOK IT LIKE A STEAK… Sort of! 

With steak you want a ripping hot bbq to sear in the juices right away, but because of the high fat content in the skin, duck breast is best cooked starting with a cold bbq and then turning the heat up once the fat has rendered. However, just like steak you can eat duck breast medium rare!  Again, score the skin to help render the fat, and place it on a cold hot plate, turn the gas to low and let the fat render out for 10-15 mins. Don’t rush this part, you want the fat rendered and the skin nice and crispy!

So, walk away, grab a drink, tend to those ribeyes [Ed. Train enters the chat]… Once the skin is rendered transfer it to your grill and cook skin side up till your desired temp.

Med. Rare 54degrees C. Medium 60degrees C. Well Done… ? You know better than that. 

REST IT LIKE A STEAK

Again, just like a steak, the meat needs to rest for at least 10 mins. You’ve come this far and you don’t want to lose all that flavour and juice! I wouldn’t cover it up though as you want to keep the skin crisp! Finally, slice it up, serve and have fun watching your guests try to figure out what part of the cow they are currently enjoying! 

As always, “try this” and …Feast on!