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!

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!

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!

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! 

By House of Goff 

Last week, the good lady wife informed me that she was craving a hearty steak for dinner, so I dutifully journeyed by car to the local supermarket (that normally maintains a balance of quality and value) to see what sort of bargain I could scrounge up. 

Imagine my abject horror upon sighting a tray of thick-cut RUMP steak for $26.99/kg!!! [Ed. This is your first written warning for overuse of exclamation marks… but sheesh, that’s getting up there] It was only a few years ago that I could find whole rumps for $12-16/kg, knowing where to look, but it seems those days are sadly, behind us. Thankfully, I managed to find a tray of lovely looking thick porterhouse steaks on the shelf below for $20.99/kg, a price I could stomach. I'm sure there's many Feasters out there who have also felt the pinch of rising beef prices. 

As a lover of beef myself, it's something that's weighed heavily on my mind of late. After my rump steak price shock, I wandered through the aisles, contemplating a future that - for the sake of fiscal responsibility - might include a noticeable decrease in steak consumption. 

However, as I passed through the Mexican section I was struck by a moment of inspiration. No, it wasn't a new hot sauce coming into stock [Ed. We may need an intervention, your hot sauce addiction is real, man!]. It was a memory of something I had cooked in recent months, and the ingredients with which I could attempt a fresh take on an old favourite. 

Steak. Tacos. 

Hear me out. What is a person to do when they regularly crave the taste and texture of delicious steak, but don't want to break the bank? 

a) Add more vegetables to their plate 
b) Eat a piece of fruit 
c) Salad? 
d) Steak tacos 

If done properly, steak tacos allow the flavour and the texture of the meat to shine through, along with a variety of flavours including salsa and cream to make for a party in your mouth, while stretching your protein dollar further. 

Allow me to introduce you to one of my now favourite go-to beef cuts - the skirt steak. It is traditionally the most popular cut of choice for steak tacos and Chinese stir fry, but, in my experience, it needs to be handled with some care for best results. 

After my beefy epiphany (ebeephany?) [Ed. That is QUITE enough of that – second written warning], I rushed for a can of chipotle chillies in adobo sauce and a can of tomatillos (the little green and slightly sour cousin of the tomato) and hurried back to the meat section. I also managed to find a delightful looking 1kg, vac-sealed bag of skirt steak for $19.99/kg - now we're talking! 

Here’s what’s up, what’s next and what’s delicioso! 

Now to walk you through my process for preparing steak tacos and two different versions of a salsa; one when you're seeking good value, the other for when you're looking to impress a group with some flavours they may be yet to encounter.

Core Ingredients: 

½ to 1kg of Skirt Steak 

Tacos (I prefer soft so as not to mask the texture of the steak) 

1 Medium Brown Onion 

Sour Cream 

Cheese (Grated fresh) 

Coriander (unless it tastes like soap to you) 

Oil/Salt/Pepper/Vinegar 

Salsa Verde (Value): 

2 Green Capsicum 

Handful of Jalapenos (to suit heat level, pickled jalapenos work here too) 

1 Tsp Ground Cumin 

Smoky Tomatillo Salsa (Bougie): 

1 Can of Chipotle Chiles in Adobo 

1 Can of Tomatillos (6 or so fresh ones are better but good luck finding any) 

Garlic 

1A) Salsa Verde Option 

• So to start off, if you're trying the salsa verde, crank your oven to 220°C and line a tray with baking paper. 
• Then just throw your capsicum and jalapenos in there with a drizzle of oil until soft and slightly blackened. 
• Remove and place in a covered bowl to steam for 10-15 minutes. This will allow you to peel the skins off easily (if you're using chopped pickled jalapenos, don't bother for those). 
• When that's done, add your roasted goodies to a food processor with a quarter of your brown onion, a quarter cup (125mL) of water, 1 Tsp of ground cumin, a splash of vinegar (unless you used pickled jalapenos), a small handful of coriander and a generous pinch of salt or two (adjust to taste). If you prefer a lighter, thinner consistency, just add more water. 
• Transfer to a bowl and set aside. 

1B) Smoky Tomatillo Salsa Option 

• Grill your tomatillos in a pan on medium-high with a splash of oil until soft, about 10 minutes 
• Put aside to cool. 
• Add a tsp or two of diced fresh garlic (or a bit more if from a jar) to a food processor, along with 3 chipotle chillies from your can, your cooked tomatillos and a generous pinch of salt 
• Pulse until pureed. You might also like to add 1 Tbsp or so of brown sugar to taste if you'd like to balance the sourness. 
• Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

2) Skirt Steak 

Prep: 

• I find skirt tends to have a lot of silver skin membrane on one or both sides and some hard fat chunks, so I spend five or more minutes removing all that and getting it nice and clean. 
• Give it light oiling and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. 
• Meanwhile, get a pan or BBQ ripping hot with some oil. 
• If you opted for the "Bougie" salsa, blend up your remaining chiles and adobo sauce in a food processor, and give your steaks a generous brushing over with the resulting paste. 
• Fight back the steak-snob in you that fears pasting brown sauce on a steak will make it taste like a sweet BBQ sauce [Ed. You can almost hear Train grinding his teeth!]. The chipotles will add richness and smokiness that actually complements and enhances the umami flavour of the steak, rather than masking it. [Ed. (giggling) Oh, Train, this is glorious!] 

Cook: 

Now, I might get in trouble for this, as the politically correct answer for how one likes their steak done is generally medium-rare... BUT, I suspect because of the thicker-than-average muscle fibres found in skirt, it tends to turn out more tender if you get it more to the medium end of the medium-rare spectrum. [Ed… sorry Train] 

Rest: 

Allow your steak to rest for at least 5 minutes. 

Slicing: 

Now, this part is particularly crucial for skirt steak. I find when most people go to slice a steak (and you imagine a long rectangle), they simply slice across the shortest direction. If you were to do that with skirt however, you will generally be slicing parallel to the muscle fibres, creating an extremely chewy experience. Because it seems silly and difficult to cut slices down the full, long length of the steak, I tend to split it into thirds or halves first, then identify which direction the muscle fibres are running and slice across/perpendicular to that direction. This means the steak should separate and fall apart in your mouth, rather than your teeth having to break down every muscle fibre. 

Serving: 

Give your sliced steaks a nice salting before serving. 

3) The Rest 

Dice and grill your onion with some oil and a pinch of salt until caramelised and grate your cheese. 

Now, I'm not going to tell you what you can and can't put on a taco, but personally, I find it best to opt out of lettuce and tomato on a steak taco. I would rather preserve the taste and texture of the steak, rather than obfuscate and drown it out with a variety of crunchy, watery ingredients. However, this still leaves room for our salsa and coriander, not to mention our delicious, soft and fat-filled ingredients such as sour cream, grated cheese and even avocado if you like. 

If I could impart one favourite tip of mine in closing, it would be to opt out of microwaving your soft taco wraps. Instead, slap them down, one at a time, straight onto your gas burner or BBQ grill, for 5-10 seconds a side. This will cut back on some of the doughy mouth-feel and enhance the flavour and texture slightly. 

I hope you enjoy this as much as me, and that it helps you find ways of stretching your budget to include some of your favourite protein, perhaps in a fresh and interesting way… Feast on!

Creating steak magic with mayonnaise  - don't judge... yet! 

By The Bearded Canadian 

If you’re in a bind as to how to bring your steaks alive without resorting to adding sauce, I want to share my latest discovery with you right now. 

By the way, there’s nothing wrong with creating beautiful aromatic sauces to complement your meaty main, in fact, I believe that that is a wonderful skill, I’m now convinced Train has yet to master [Ed. And it’s on!... Yes!!!]. While reliance on the simple wonders of salt, pepper and oil and perhaps some garlic are deservedly praised, the act of maintaining a culinary curiosity is just as valuable. Also, please keep in mind that “resorting” is the key word. What I don’t want for you is to cook a piece of steak, taste it and realise that it’s bland and disappointing. That’s when you find yourself resorting to sauce. And as Train often says, “if you find yourself on the verge of despair and topping a tired steak with tomato sauce, maybe just flush it down the S-bend and retain at least a pinch of dignity.” Harsh but perhaps fair. [Ed. An olive branch?] 

Okay, back to my discovery. Train quite rightly hammers home the fact that when it comes to grilling steaks, salt, pepper and oil are mandatory, but why does he stop there? [Ed. Soooo, no olive branch?]. One of the reasons for applying olive oil is to help bind the salt and pepper to your gorgeous steak. But surely, we can think of and add other ways. I know our good friends at Cheat Meats will often apply a coating of mustard to help bind a rub to their steak dishes and that’s one of the factors that got me thinking. And if you like steak and eggs… 

Logic is a weird thing, isn’t it? If you follow the logic behind certain flavour combinations you’ll chance upon a whole lot of interesting ideas just waiting to be plated up. Take for instance that breakfast (or lunch) staple of champions, steak and eggs. What a combo. Steak and oil, salt and pepper, mustard and steak – they’re all great combos that work beautifully together. 

So speaking of combinations, here’s one that I trialled to take the place of the olive oil combination to bind the SPG: 

Egg yolk, salt, pepper and dry mustard, a touch of brown sugar, lemon juice and vinegar and yes, Train, olive oil – 100% extra virgin olive oil. And yes, those ingredients will indeed make a very nice mayo. But take a look at the images I’ve put together to see, as I did, the difference that the made-from-scratch mayo makes. 

SPG olive oil bindSPG Mayo bind SPG, coffee rub, mayo bind. And yes, I ate them all and they were delicious all in their own way. Hey Train, variety is he spice of life [Ed: and it’s on again!]. Try it for yourself and… Feast on!