A Fighter's Grill

Fighters need food.  Not just a bite, but a hearty meal.  Nothing says hearty like this grill full of food...

I had grilled some bell and poblano peppers and removed those for steaming off the skins before I remembered to take a picture.  But what you have here are onions caramelizing in a cast iron skillet, some purple potatoes, and some buns staying warm for the burgers.  

I usually eat turkey burgers (blasphemy, I know, Steve, but what can I say?) but these were fun to try as it is a combination of brisket, chuck, and short rib I found.  After watching a couple videos from chef J. Kenzie Lopez-Alt I decided to make them like he does:  

Loosely form the patty, don't bunch it together hard and don't salt it until you are putting it on the grill.  Most important, form it into a type of disc, where the middle is thinner than the outside.  That helps with an even cook and gets rid of the puffy middle burgers can sometimes take on.  Oh, and make the burger slightly bigger than the bun you are going to use.  In this case, they are store bought potato buns, but if you have time, make some sourdough buns.  Last time Mac was up, we made some killer buns for the pork shoulder bbq  (tip: eat homemade buns day of or freeze).

The onions are vidalia, thinly sliced with a touch of salt and baking soda.  Again, no finished pic on them but there were damned good.

The purple potatoes were good, a little less starchy than others and I did start them in the microwave for 3 mins prior to putting on the grill.  

Bonus: The next morning the leftover potatoes and onions made a killer hash to go along with scrambled eggs, which will be in another post down the line.  Mac and I each made our version of perfect scrambled eggs one morning; I need to see if I can find a side by side pic somewhere buried in a phone.

All in all a meal fit for a Fighter!

~ Tim

Taking Stock

Warrior Stock 

When there is little time for a meal, Dwarven Warriors can "stock" up on this nutritious drink or use it as a base for any soup.

Recipe -- In a large stockpot, over an open fire or on a stove top if you have one, start browing:

• 1 quartered onion (skin on is fine)
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 bulb of garlic (sliced horizontally)
• 1 knob of ginger (peeled and rough chopped)
• chicken carcass

Once everything has had a chance to brown some, add at least 20 cups of water.  Then add:

• 3 tablespoons of salt
• 11 peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of allspice
• 1 stalk of fresh rosemary

Bring to a boil, skim off the top if you want a clearer stock, but who has time for that?  You're a warrior!  

Having said that, you will want to simmer it for about 6-8 hours.  Then run it through a fine mesh strainer or preferably a chinois into containers and let cool.  Additionally if you want to skim the fat after cooled you can, but for those long adventures, the fat might be needed. ~ Tim