YOU! YOU! I’ll say it again… YOU! I’ve been busy… as my California friends would say, ‘hella’ busy! It all stems from your continued support. I want to thank each and every one of you. This has been the busiest year in Diesel’s short history and as I look to the future it seems to be many more great years to come. Again, I thank YOU!

With that out of the way, let us get to more pressing matters. FALCONS IN THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP!! I’ve put off my proper duties of updating everyone on the amazing experiences I’ve had this season down at the gulch. Now is the time I fess up and explore all the early mornings and hazy afternoons spent down on that gravel field. Enjoy, for this will be a quick trip through the last few weeks. I can truly say it was ‘Good Food, Good Friends, Good Game’!

Rapid fire, dericious (spelled correctly), tailgate fare…

Yum!!

That’s how you tailgate for a Saints game. Shrimp and Lobster boil.

Giants?! We got your pizza on the grill…maybe you shoulda taken a few point(ers) from us!!

Playoff victory…CHECK!!

And now we prepare for a NFC Championship victory and a spot in the Superbowl! What could be better than marching in to your most hated rivals house and winning the Lombardi? Here’s to the Falcons…RISE UP ATLANTA!!

Follow me: @TailgatingChef

I’m enjoying this crazy rollercoaster of a season. Ups, downs, rise ups… it has been one hell of a ride and it’s not over yet. I yearn for that moment in the 4th quarter where I can sit back and relax. Apparently, the Atlanta Falcons aren’t on the same page! But as long as they keep winning, I’m a happy man.

I have also been quite fortunate to enjoy my tailgating experience with some great friends and chefs. This week however, I got to man up on the grill! Even though I planned a very simple meal it came out quite nice. Chimichurri flank steak tacos with grilled corn and green onion. Munchies provided by THE Pauly D with some guac and pico. Beer provided by the one and only Chadavid and he definitely has a knack for adult beverages…with or without ice cubes. Enough chatter, let’s do this…

Chimichurri

• parsley
• cilantro
• garlic
• S&P
• lime juice
• Extra Vigrin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Flank Steak Marinade

• Paprika
• Cumin
• Crushed Red Pepper
• Fresh Ground Peppercorns
• Garlic Salt

These tacos are very simple. I marinated the flank steak overnight. Grilled to a nice med-rare and sliced. The chimichurri is also quite simple. It’s like making pesto. Add all ingredients to a food processor and pour in EVOO while mixing. Once you get that nice green add extra EVOO until the entire mix is submerged. Done and done. I topped the beef w/ pico, queso fresca nad the grilled onions. Simple and delicious.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

• Salt
• Lime
• Butter

Grilled Green Onion

• Salt
• Lime

Both of these are extremely simple and tasty. I sprinkle both while they are on the grill. The corn gets a butter rub just before it gets plated.

Beer choice for the day was delicious Tecate in the can. A great way to serve these is with salt and lime. Before you open the can, squeeze lime juice around the rim then dip the entire can top in salt. Shake off excess, open and push the lime wedge inside. Its simple and tasty. If you are still working off a long night at the bar, take a few sips and add your favorite bloody mary mix to make a nice michelada! Cheers!

I’m sure some of you noticed the grilled jalapenos. I did not mention these since they came out hotter than the seventh layer of hell. I literally watched people turn bright red and sweat continuously for minutes. Someone even dunked their head into the beer cooler to calm the heat. Thus, they were thrown out. Meh, can’t win them all.

Cheers, @TailgatingChef

Sorry for the long delay on the most recent post. The D has been swamped with events. It’s just that time of the year. Between Halloween and The Walking Dead starting back up there has been very little free time. That being said, I would like to share with you my FAVORITE tailgate of recent years. The game was against the Oakland Raiders, and the Falcons were on pace to be 6-0. I invited a long time friend ‘Chef’ Chip English who has spent years in the industry. He decided to share his love of cooking with us down in the Gulch. Now I’ll share that with you…

His idea for this week was, ‘Game Meat for Game Time’.  This is a fantastic concept and a great way to really think outside the box. Chip is a classically trained chef and really knows his way around a kitchen. He chose to really test himself with the limited tools that would typically be at a tailgate party. All I can say is he delivered on all fronts. From the beer pairings to the presentation, everything was top notch!

He prepared a 5 course meal by 1pm with nothing more than a charcoal grill and his moxie. Everyone was highly impressed. I didn’t think the man could pull off such a feat. He proved me wrong. The meal was perfectly executed and thought out. Today’s blog will be a bit different. There is so much to cover I’m just going to post pics of the finished product. I’ll list all ingredients below Enjoy.

Lamb pate gelee, lardo, black river bleu cheese, pickled tomatoes, and crostini

Lamb crepinettes with feta and shallots, served on a pretzel slider bun with

Home made pickled red onion.

Manchester Farms grilled quail, black truffled fingerling potatoes and pork

Belly, with baby field carrots.

Rack of wild boar lollipops, ginger cider apples, grilled polenta rounds with

Sage and cider demi.

Thus concludes an epic tailgate! Make sure you check back and follow me on twitter. @TailgatingChef

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Sorry about that, I had to catch my breath. This blog should have gone up yesterday, however, I was still in shock after Sunday’s game. I’m fairly certain my heart skipped a bit somewhere during the last minute of the 4th quarter. That game was intense to say the least. Yet our beloved Dirty Birds pulled it off! Matt Ryan isn’t the only ‘Matty Ice’ these days.

I titled this post the ‘Heart Attack’ for two reasons. First, Matt Bryants’ game winning field goal. Second, the double stacked pimento cheese burger a’la The Penguin in Charlotte, NC. This seasons second home game versus the Carolina Panthers gave me the opportunity to prep up my favorite burger to date. If you couldn’t make it down to the ‘Gulch’ with us Sunday, here is what you missed.

The Penguin is a drive-in located in Charlotte that has been around the better part of a century. They serve some great diner food and their signature burger is to die for. Consisting of house made pimento cheese, fried pickles and 2 burger patties, this giant is not for the faint of heart. We took it a step farther and added some bacon & jalapeno. Thus it has been dubbed ‘The Heart Attack’.

The Heart Attack

Pimento Cheese

• 1 lb Sharp Cheddar
• 1 lb Monterey Jack
• 4 fresh diced Jalapenos
• 1 jar of diced Pimento
• 1 package of bacon
• Mayo
• S&P

I suggest prepping this up the night before at home. Shred both packages of cheese. If you’ve got a food processor us it! Mix in 2 cups of mayo, the diced pimento and diced jalapeno. I added a bit of fresh ground pepper but you may prefer some salt as well. Lastly, cook up the entire package of bacon reserving the grease. Pour in call grease and finely chop the bacon pieces mix thoroughly. Wrap it and store it. Simple.

Fried Pickles/Jalapenos

• Buttermilk
• Dill pickle chips (32oz.)
• Fresh sliced jalapenos (4-6 jalapenos)
• fry breading- cornmeal, flour, etc… I added some cayenne for a kick

We used a fry daddy out at the game. I stored the pickles in their juice in a large Tupperware container. Once we were set up I dumped the pickle juice and soaked the pickles in buttermilk (approx 30 min.). Drain the buttermilk and toss the pickles in your fry breading. Assuming you have your oil set to 350 the pickles only take about 5-7 min. Repeat. Repeat. Do the same with the jalapenos. Repeat. Repeat. Done!!

Burger Patties

This is all subjective but I use a 75/25 ground chuck. Works great on charcoal and really delivers a nice juicy burger. Another option is to use 75% angus and 25% ground pork. If you decide for this option I suggest you mix in an egg to bind everything together.

Assembly

While the burgers (almost to med-rare temp) are still  on the grill apply a tablespoon of pimento cheese to the top of each. Close the lid on the grill and allow to melt. Once the patties are done and cheesy, make sure to toast the hamburger buns. That step is crucial. Trust me. Ready? Lets build up from the plate:

bun-burger-fried pickle-burger-fried jalapeno-tomato-lettuce-mayo-bun-skewer

This not only looks fantastic, but hell, it’s just fun to try and consume!! You’ll be the envy of those tailgating around you, or just the hit of your next party. BOOM!

Up next, the Oakland Raiders in 2 weeks. Chef Chip English is on the grill. He hasn’t told me much except, “Game meats for Game time!”. We shall see… Follow me @TailgatingChef on the twitters. Good Food. Good Beer. Good Friends. Good Game.

Another fantastic week down in the Gulch. Food was fantastic and went off with only 1 minor issue. Beer was cold. Falcons win!! Can’t ask for much more than that. I’m going to assume that anyone reading this article witnessed in some way the thrashing Peyton Manning took in the first quarter of Monday night’s game. If you missed it, search the interwebz and enjoy. The Falcons secondary was almost as good as the meal prepared, so lets dig into that.

Let me start off by saying how much I love night games. We arrived on site around 11am, just enough time to enjoy a couple meals and a full day with friends. The weather wasn’t quite in our favor. Luckily our good friend and great tailgater Banjo Leonard arrived promptly at 9am to reserve us a nice covered tailgating area. Props to that guy!! I was accompanied by my good friend and colleague Bizzle or Brendan, or just B if you’re into the whole brevity thing. He’s not only a fantastic bartender but the man can cook! He shared with me the secrets to a Denver “Slopper” and now you too can have this knowledge.

A “slopper” is basically a burger patty, topped w/ chili verde. We obviously went above and beyond. B traded out the typical garden found on most burgers for a pickled beet, carrot and jalapeno mix. The patty was a 50/50 pork & beef mix, and the chili verde was slow cooked w/ a Boston butt. He also added some queso fresco to finish. Let’s start, shall we?

Sloppers

Pork Chili Verde

• 2 lb Boston butt
• 2 lb tomatillos
• 2 ripe Avocado
• 1 lb Jalapeno
• 1 lb Cubanelle pepper (substitute Anaheim)
• 1 lb Poblano pepper
• 1/2 lb serrano
• 3 Sweet Onion
• 1 large Shallot
• 1 bunch Cilantro
• 3 Limes
• 2 Boxes of Chicken Broth
• Seasonings: Cumin, Adobo powder, S&P
• Gallon of water
• 3 bottles of beer- we used 1 bottle of Imperial Red & 2 bottles of lager

Whew… I know it looks like a long list, but trust me, it pays off. We used a stock pot over medium heat on a propane burner. Remember all those videos around Xmas time of people burning down their house trying to fry a turkey? Basically the same set up, minus the screaming kids. PREP WORK: We decided to fire roast all of the peppers ahead of time and this worked well. If you plan to do this on site, no problem. Go ahead and fire that grill up to high heat. Once you are done with the peppers, season & brown the Boston butt. While the butt is searing, chop all peppers and onions. Get all that? OK, great, let’s move on.

Grab the stock pot and pour 4 cups of water & 1 box of chicken broth. Dump ALL your peppers & onions in, as well as the Boston Butt. Bring everything to a boil. Once you’re all bubbly, reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally. After an hour go ahead and add the final 2 beers, and the final box of chicken broth. Since you have it handy anyway, add some of your seasonings to the mix. Now you want to slowly add the remaining water. Now you are just waiting for the pork to fall off the bone. This is a great time to go mingle with your neighbors, drink copious amounts of beer, or just stare at the covered pot. It’s your time, do with it as you want. The entire process should take anywhere from 2-3 hours, I prefer slow and low so let’s just plan for 3.

Pickled Mix

• Bag of sliced Carrots
• Bag of sliced Radish
• 6 jalapenos

This one is simple. I suggest doing this the night before. Boil all ingredients in white vinegar & sugar for 5-7 minutes. DONE. Simple. Fast. Delicious.

Burger Patty

• 1 lb ground Pork
• 1 lb ground Beef
• 1 Egg
• 2 Serrano peppers

Finely mince the serrano peppers. Mix ALL ingredients together and make into patties. Your grill should be down in temp now and you should be ready to cook the burgers to desired temp.

We chose to serve with fresh made chips (we cheated and fried them up at the restaurant) with fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and a black bean & corn salsa.

So that’s it crazy kids. A remarkable 27-21 victory for the good guys. A fantastic tailgate with the help of B. Hope you enjoyed this little write up. Make sure you follow me on twitter; @TailgatingChef. See you all in a couple weeks when we face the Carolina Panthers! Cheers.