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Grilling Class with The Specialty Gas House Crew

For this class we did something a little different, we didn’t bring in guest chefs, we hosted this class ourselves! We don’t have any formal training but when you are around grills enough you learn a thing or two. For this class, we demonstrated how to bake focaccia bread and roast pork belly on the Big Green Egg. We also did a simple grilled corn on the cob and 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies on the Big Green Egg. Give these a try and let us know what you think!

Grilling Class at Specialty Gas House 8/24/23

 

Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (512 g) all-purpose flour or bread flour, see notes above
• 2 teaspoons (10 g) kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast, see notes above if using active dry
• 2 cups (455 g) lukewarm water, made by combining 1/2 cup boiling water with 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• butter for greasing
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• flaky sea salt
• JJ’s Meat Fixin’s Rosemary Roastin Rub (Optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, honey and instant yeast. Add the water. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Rub the surface of the dough lightly with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator immediately for at least 12 hours or for as long as three days.
2.  Line two 8 or 9 inch pie plates or a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper or grease with butter or coat with nonstick cooking spray. Pour a tablespoon of oil into the center of each pan or 2 tablespoons of oil if using the 9×13-inch pan. Using two forks, deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling it toward the center. Rotate the bowl in quarter turns as you deflate, turning the mass into a rough ball.
3. Use the forks to split the dough into two equal pieces (or do not split if using the 9×13-inch pan). Place one piece into one of the prepared pans. Roll the dough ball in the oil to coat it all over, forming a rough ball. Repeat with the remaining piece. Let the dough balls rest for 3 to 4 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen (Note: no need to cover for this room temperature rise).
   
4. Set oven or Big Green Egg with covEGGtor to 425°F. (Here you can add seasoning/herbs to the top of the dough like JJ’s Rosemary Seasoning, fresh rosemary, garlic, tomato slices, etc.) Pour a tablespoon of oil over each round of dough (or two tablespoons if using a 9×13-inch pan).  Rub your hands lightly in the oil to coat, then, using all of your fingers, press straight down to create deep dimples. If necessary, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt all over.
   
5. Transfer your pan to the oven or Big Green Egg and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the underside is golden and crisp. Remove the pan and transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving; let it cool completely if you are halving it with the intention of making a sandwich.

 

Roasted Pork Belly

Ingredients:

• Whole Pork Belly (Approx. 8-10lbs) Costco usually has whole pork belly but you can also find them in smaller portions at Kroger.
• JJ’s Original & JJ’s Smoked Chipotle Seasoning (Use your favorite pork seasoning)

Directions:

1. Score fat cap.
2. Gently caress your belly with oil.
3. Season liberally with seasoning on all sides making sure to evenly coat your meat.
4. Set Big Green Egg with ConvEGGtor or smoker to 250 degrees, once heated, place pork belly on the grid.
5. Cook until an internal temperature of 195-200.
6. Let rest, slice in ¼” slices and enjoy. You can also let cool in fridge, slice and place in pan/griddle to crisp up similar to bacon. 
   

 

Chimichurri Pork Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves Finely Minced Garlic
• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (You can use balsamic or red wine vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon Lime Juice
• 1 tablespoon minced chives
• 1 tablespoon cilantro
• 1 tablespoon mint
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon mango nectar
• 1 tablespoon sweet red peppers or red onions or both!
• 1 tablespoon diced pineapple
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• (This is a very forgiving recipe, feel free to leave something out if you don’t like it or add extra of something if you like it more.)

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

 

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Ingredients:

• Some good ole Ohio Corn in husks (We got ours from The Hoover Farm, which is located at the corner of Vans Valley & Miller Paul roads in Galena. They sell by the honor system. Corn is sitting at the end of the driveway) 

Directions:

1. Grill on low, roughly 350 degrees, in husks for approximately 14 minutes, turning 1-3 times.
2. Remove from husk, add butter and seasoning if you want and enjoy!
3. If having a party and you want to butter each corn easily, check out this hack that we used – https://healthstartsinthekitchen.com/butter-corn-cob-party/

 

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter 
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• Optional: Sea Salt & Dash of Vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven or Big Green Egg with convEGGtor to 350°F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or butter.
2. Using a spatula, mix the peanut butter, sugar, and egg together in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Here you can add a dash of vanilla if you’d like.
3. Using a 1.5 tablespoon-size spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop cookies on the baking sheet pan about 2 inches apart. Flatten each into a smooth round shape and then use the back of a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. You can add a pinch of sea salt on each cookie here if you’d like.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.
5. Let sit for about 2 to 3 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool. 

 

Comments/Questions

We’d love to hear from you! Give us a comment on what you thought or if you have any questions. Check our grilling class calendar to join us at our next one! 

Grilling Classes

 

Grilling Class with Chef Latonya Bolling – Tonya Bees

We had the pleasure of welcoming Chef Latonya Bolling to host our 2023 June Grilling Class! Chef Latonya demonstrated her Southern Mississippi Delta Heritage for this class. This class featured recipes for Salmon Croquettes, Smoked Peach Cobbler & Mississippi Delta Hot Tamales. Latonya knows her way around a grill, these recipes were delicious, take a look at them below and try them for yourself!

Chef Latonya Bolling Grilling Class at Specialty Gas House 6/15/23

 

Salmon Croquettes

Ingredients:

• ½ Pound Salmon
• 1 Egg
• ¼ cup mayo
• 1 tbsp mustard
• ½ cup of Tonya Bee’s Southern Croquette Mix (Substitute with bread crumbs and seasoning to
  taste)
• ¼ cup of chopped onion
• ¼ cup of chopped bell pepper
• ¼ cup of chopped poblano pepper

Directions:

1. Rub your salmon with a mixture of olive oil and liquid crab boil. Smoke your salmon for an hour at 250 degrees or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
2. Flake Salmon in a mixing bowl. Add chopped veggies, mustard, mayo, and egg then stir. Add your Tonya Bee’s Southern Croquette Mix. Your mixture should not stick to your hands and should be moldable.
3. Form your patties and fry them or grill them on medium-high for 5 minutes on each side or until they are cooked to your liking.

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 1 Can of sliced peaches
• 1 tbsp of butter
• 2 tbsp Tonya Bee’s Peach Cobbler Seasoning (Substitute with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a tsp of
  corn starch)
• ¼ cups of Tonya Bee’s Peach Cobbler Topping Mix (Substitute with 2tbsp flour, 2tbsp sugar)
• 1 tbsp hot water

Directions:

1. Drain a can of sliced peaches and season with Tonya Bee’s Peach Cobbler Seasoning and mix well.
2. In a bowl squeeze your butter into your Tonya Bee’s Peach Cobbler Topping Mix until absorbed.
3. Pour hot water into the mixture a little at a time until you have a soft, fluffy, and thick mixture.
4. Place your peaches into a ramekin and top them with your topping mixture.
5. Place on the grill to smoke at 300 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until your topping is at a satisfactory texture.

 

Mississippi Delta Hot Tamales

Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds of pork shoulder
• 1 onion
• 8 cloves of garlic
• ¼ cup of oil
• 4 cups of corn meal
• ¼ cup of lard
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 cup of chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• Corn Husk
• Jute Cord
• 1tsp cayenne

Directions:

1. Flat boil your pork shoulder for 2-3 hours or until you can easily pull it apart.
2. While your pork is cooking place corn husks into a bowl and cover with warm water, let them soak for 2 hours.
3. Retain the liquid from the pork. Once cooled, remove the fat from your pork and ruff chop.
4. Whip your lard with your baking powder and salt until it’s fluffy. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. While your lard is cooling, heat your oil and add your onions and garlic. Let it cook until it is translucent then add your seasonings and remove it from
   heat.
6. Mix 4 cups of cornmeal with the whipped lard. Add ¼ cup of your seasoning mix to the cornmeal mix. Also, add ¼ cup of the pork broth you retained earlier.
7. Mix your chopped meat with the rest of your seasoning mix.
8. Add your cornmeal to your corn husk leaving ¼ inch of space around the edges. Add your meat to the middle of the corn husk, roll, bunch and tie them off in groups of 3.
9. Add a tsp of cumin, cayenne, and paprika to the remaining pork broth. Place the tamales right side up in the liquid. Be sure to place them where they won’t fall. Add water if needed to bring the liquid about an inch away from the top of the shortest tamale. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low heat.
10. Cover and cook for an hour or until the cornmeal pulls easily away from the corn husk.

 

Comments/Questions

We’d love to hear from you! Give us a comment on what you thought or if you have any questions. Check our grilling class calendar to join us at our next one! 

Grilling Classes

 

Chef Dan Varga Grilling Class at Specialty Gas House 5/11/23

 

Armadillo Eggs

Ingredients:

• 2# Ground Pork
• 1 TBS Salt
• ½ TBS Pepper
• 1 TBS Garlic

Put into a bowl and mix until sticky

• 8 Jalapenos Whole & Gutted
• 8- 1oz Sticks Cheddar
• 8 Slices of Bacon

Directions:

1. Mix Sausage & Chill
2. Stuff Jalapenos with Cheese
3. Weigh out Sausage in 8 equal parts
4. Form Sausage around Jalapeno
5. Wrap with Bacon
6. Smoke at 225 degrees for 1 ½ hours until internal temperature of 150 degrees
7. Dip whole Egg in BBQ sauce of choice
8. Place back in smoker for 30 mins

Brussels Sprout Slaw

Ingredients:

• 1# Shredded Brussel Sprouts
• 2 Sliced Radish
• 1 Julienned Shallot
• 1 Shredded Carrot
• 1 cup Shredded Red Cabbage
• 1TBS Whole Grain Mustrard
• 1 TBS Dijon Mustard
• 1 TBS Hungarian Mustard (sold at Hungarian Butcher)
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• ½ cup Olive Oil
• 1 TBS JJ’s Chipotle Carolina Spice
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place Slaw mixture in bowl
2. Mix all ingredients together and chill for 1-2 hours
3. Enjoy!
   

Tacos Campechanos

Ingredients:

• ½ # Carne Asada
• ½ # Longaniza
• ½ cup Guacamole
• Corn Tortillas
• Fresh Limes
• Onions and Cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. Grill Carne Asada and Longaniza
2. Grill or griddle Tortillas
3. Build Tacos
4. Garnish with guacamole, lime and optional cilantro and onions
5. Enjoy!

Smoked Smores Dip

Ingredients:

• 1# Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Bars
• ½ Bag Marshmallows
• Graham Crackers
• Cast Iron Skillet

Directions:

1. Put Chocolate in the bottom of the skillet
2. Put Marshmallows on top of the chocolate
3. Place skillet into smoker until chocolate is melted and marshmallows are golden brown (approx. 30 minutes)
4. Dip Graham Crackers into the dip and enjoy!

 

Comments/Questions

We’d love to hear from you! Give us a comment on what you thought or if you have any questions. Check our grilling class calendar to join us at our next one! 

Grilling Classes