Meat – T.W.O.

Grilled Tri-tip Tacos with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers

Published on April 8, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Taco Tuesday! Today, T.W.O. will be featuring a carne taco con batatas. Batatas? Yes – Batatas….Sweet Potatoes! Grab your apron and lets start grilling!!!

Grilled Tri-tip Tacos with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers

Ingredients:
– 1 tri-tip roast, seasoned*
– 3 bell peppers (yellow, red, orange)
– ½ sweet onion, chopped
– 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
– ¼ cup lemon juice
– 3 Tablespoons olive oil
– 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
– 1 teaspoon garlic powder
– Salt
– Pepper
– Corn tortillas
– Sour cream
– Fresh guacamole
* Season tri-tip roast with Montreal Steak seasoning prior to putting on the grill.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Place the cubed sweet potato on a cookie sheet. Season with 1 Tablespoon, olive oil, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place in oven for about 25-30 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, place the tri-tip on a heated barbeque. Cook for 30 minutes or until done.
In a sauté pan, add 2 Tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice. Add the vegetables. Sautee for 10-15 minutes or until done to your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When all the ingredients are done cooking, place the tortillas on the barbeque to heat up.
Final steps – assembly! Create your masterpiece by combining all your ingredients into a freshly grilled tortilla!

Cheers to another T.W.O. Taco Night!

Boneless Short Ribs

Published on March 24, 2014March 23, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Craving ribs, but don’t want to have to deal with the mess of eating them? Well you still can! Solution – boneless short ribs! Short ribs are great because you still have the same great taste as ribs, but you can use a fork and knife! Sounds a little more ideal when you are wearing those white pants! If you haven’t tried cooking boneless short ribs, T.W.O. would highly suggest them for your next dinner, party or even holiday meal!

Ingredients:
-Short ribs, boneless
-Montreal Steak Seasoning
-Cayenne Pepper
-Shallots
-Olive Oil
-BBQ Sauce

First, season the ribs with Montreal Steak seasoning and cayenne pepper. In a large skillet, pour some olive oil and heat to medium to high heat. Add the short ribs and sear each side for about 4 minutes. Once each side is seared, add water to the skillet. The water level shouldn’t cover the meat, but rather be at 1/3 the way up. Turn the heat to low and allow the meat to simmer for a minimum of 2 hours. (T.W.O. suggests cooking them for 2 ½- 3 hours) Make sure to flip the meat at hour 1.

After the meat has simmered, fire up that BBQ! Place the short ribs on the grill and cook for about 4 minutes. Add your BBQ sauce to each side of the short ribs. Allow to cook for another 4 minutes. Now it’s time to eat some ribs…. only one napkin needed too!

Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce

Published on February 11, 2014February 10, 2014 by twinswithoriginality3 Comments

Lamb. It’s so versatile! Lamb chops, leg of lamb, lamb kabobs, ground lamb, and our most recent recipe— Lamb Shanks! It was a perfect Saturday evening to cook this delicious dish. The lamb is braised in a red wine sauce for a few hours and the results are magnificent— tender, flavorful meat, falling off the bone and into your mouth. It is just heaven! The dish went well over creamy polenta. So next time you are thinking lamb, try this recipe out!

Ingredients

-2 Tablespoons olive oil
-4 Lamb Shanks
-1 Sweet Onion, sliced into half crescents
-2 Shallots, chopped
-4 Garlic cloves, chopped
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1 ½ cup Dry red wine
-2/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
-2 cups Beef broth, low sodium
-2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
-Montreal Steak seasoning

Begin by seasoning the lamb shanks with the Montreal Steak seasoning.

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium to high heat. Brown the lamb shanks on both sides until golden brown. Remove the lamb from the pan and keep the remaining “fat” juices.

Reduce the heat to medium and begin sautéing the garlic, onions, and shallots. Add in the sugar. Cook until they are golden brown and caramelized.

Turn up the heat and deglaze the pan with red wine, making sure the mix while cooking. Cook until the red wine has reduced. Next, add in the balsamic vinegar, beef broth and brown sugar and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and allow the lamb to simmer for about 2.5-3 hours. You will know when the lamb is done when the meat begins to fall off the bone and the sauce has reduced into a thin glaze.

T.W.O. decided to throw in some baby carrots about 10 minutes prior to the lamb shanks being done. The carrots had a great flavor after being cooked in the wine sauce.

Polenta

Ingredients

-4 cups vegetable broth, low sodium
-2/3 cup polenta
-1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan

In a sauce pan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Reduce the heat and whisk in the polenta. Mix frequently for about 15-20 minutes until the polenta is soft and thick. At this time add the Pecorino Romano. Mix well.

Plate the lamb shank over polenta, mashed potatoes, or quinoa! Time to eat!

7-Bone Chuck Roast

Published on January 30, 2014January 28, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

T.W.O. has served this dish for many Super Bowl parties, birthday parties and family reunions. It’s an easy, one pot process with minimal ingredients that have a whole lot of flavor. The secret ingredient…dark beer! Let’s start cooking!

Ingredients:
4-6 pound 7-bone chuck roast
1 package Lipton Onion Soup mix
1 bottle dark beer*
1 large Maui sweet onion- cut into wedges
2 cups whole pepperoncini
Montreal Steak seasoning
Water
*Lagers work the best, but if you don’t have one lying around grab a Budweiser! It won’t disappoint!

Directions:

Season the roast with Montreal steak seasoning. Let roast sit at room temperature about 15-20 minutes.

In a large pot, sauté seasoned meat over medium heat. Brown each side about eight minutes. After browning meat, put cut onions onto bottom of pot under meat. Sauté onions until slightly golden. Sprinkle onion soup mix over the meat. Finally, add the pepperoncini to the pot.

Add enough water to the pot half way up the thickness of the roast. Evenly pour the beer over the meat.

Bring the liquid to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook 2 ½ to 3 hours over low heat. The longer the meat cooks, the more tender it becomes. Not to exceed 6 hours…..unless you want beef jerky! The meat will fall off the bone! Of course, you must sample the meat prior to serving!!

Serving suggestions:

Make beef dip sandwiches on French rolls or your favorite roll. Cut meat into chunks. Add mustard, horseradish, or whatever your pallet’s crave. Serve with coleslaw or a side of home made potato salad. Plate the sandwich with a kosher pickle. Enjoy!

Or, serve meat accompanied with your favorite vegetables. Top with the pepperoncini.

First and ten, do it again!

Kale, Pomegranate, Apple and Flank Steak Salad

Published on January 21, 2014January 21, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Need to spice up your salad? Well, T.W.O. has the perfect recipe for you. This salad is filled with nutrients, protein and antioxidants and will be sure to leave you wanting seconds! The baby kale leaves are tossed in a homemade lemon vinaigrette, topped with roasted almonds, pomegranates and sliced apples. Oh and it doesn’t stop there-we need protein right? Yes! How about a lean barbeque flank steak that was marinated in Hawaiian teriyaki sauce? You got it! Check out how to make this salad from scratch.

Ingredients:
– Baby Kale
– 1 cup pomegranate seeds
– ¼ cup roasted almonds, chopped
– 1 Pink Lady apple, sliced and diced
– 2 cups Trader Joes Island Soyaki sauce
– Flank Steak, lean
– 1 Lemon
– 4 Tablespoons spicy mustard
– 1 teaspoon olive oil
– 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
– Salt
– Pepper

Marinate the flank steak for a minimum of 2 hours prior to barbequing. About 20 minutes before you are ready to barbeque, take the meat out to bring to room temperature. While the barbeque is heating up, prepare your salad.

In a bowl, mix together the kale, pomegranate, roasted almonds and apples. Set aside.

Put the meat on the barbeque and cook on medium heat. The meat should take about 15 minutes depending on your barbeque.

While the meat is cooking, prepare your dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, spicy mustard, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix the dressing in the salad. It is okay to let the salad dressing marinate the kale. Kale won’t get soggy like most lettuce.

When the meat is done, take it off the barbeque and transfer to a cutting board. Thinly slice the meat. Plate the salad and top of it with the flank steak. And that’s it…you have yourself a fresh, hearty salad that will satisfy any audience.

Cheers,

Leg of Lamb

Published on December 9, 2013December 8, 2013 by twinswithoriginality3 Comments

With the holidays in full swing, there are parties to attend and parties to host. And with hosting a party, it might mean that you are responsible for the meal. You are in luck-T.W.O. has a fabulous recipe for your main entrée- Leg of Lamb! We absolutely love this dish- it is easy, full of flavor and perfect for a group of people. Plus, it makes for great leftovers!

Ingredients

-4 ½ lb. boneless leg of lamb
-5 garlic cloves, halved
-Montreal Steak Seasoning
-Apricot preserves

Preheat oven to 425°F. Begin by washing the leg of lamb. Place leg of lamb in a roaster pan. Using a knife, poke holes in the leg of lamb for the garlic cloves. Make sure to do this for the bottom of the lamb. Take garlic and stick into each hole.

Next, season both sides with Montreal Steak seasoning.

When the oven has reached its temperature, place the lamb in. Roast for 15 minutes at 425°F. After 20 minutes, turn heat down to 325°F for the remainder of the time. Leg of lamb should be roasted for about 20 minutes per pound or reach an internal temperature of 145°F. A 4 ½ pound lamb takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. About 15 minutes before the lamb is ready, cover spread apricot preserves on the lamb. Make sure to put a good amount on the top and sides.

Once the lamb has reached an internal temperature of 145°F, take it out and cover with foil. Let the lamb sit for about 10 minutes.

After it has had time to sit, you are ready to slice and service!

Bon appetite!

Smoked Ribs

Published on October 9, 2013October 9, 2013 by T.W.O.1 Comment

T.W.O. has a love for barbeque, but recently we have enjoyed smoking meats. Last Christmas, T.W.O. purchased a smoker for their father and boy, do we have fun experimenting with it. This past weekend T.W.O. + dad smoked ribs. Check out this lip smackin’ recipe below.

Ingredients:
Beef Short Ribs
Montreal Steak Seasoning
KC Masterpiece Reserved BBQ Sauce
Apple wood chips
Optional:
Sriracha

Rub the ribs with Montreal Steak seasoning. Note – you want to limit the amount of seasoning, so you don’t overpower the natural flavor of the meat. Let the meat sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature. While the meat is sitting, start the smoker and place a handful of apple wood chips in the bottom of the smoker.

Once ready, place the ribs in the smoker.

Before

After 2.5 hours

After about 2 1/2 – 3 hours take the ribs out and place them on foil. Smother the meat in BBQ sauce and cover with foil. T.W.O. experimented and added sriracha in addition to the BBQ sauce to a couple of the ribs.

Take the covered ribs and place them back in the smoker for about 20-30 minutes. At this time the ribs are ready to eat!

Enjoy the delicious meat!!

Mmm…T.W.O. good!

Libby wanted some Ribs too!

*T.W.O. + dad are continently trying new recipes. There are many different versions that you can follow, so sit back, relax and keep an eye out for more of these smoke’n BBQ recipes! Both these recipes (sriracha/ non-sriracha) turned out great…just depends on your tastebuds!