Happy….

Afternoon everyone…..

Today is not just a normal Fourth of July day. We are celebrating 250 years of the United States of America. This is kinda of a big deal to live through. I’m old enough to remember the 200 year celebration as well. They are making a much bigger production of this 250 year celebration then they did for the 200 year anniversary.

Let me recap yesterday’s events. As I stated yesterday, I was the grill master at a barbecue hosted by my girlfriend’s uncle Marty. We did hit a record high yesterday that was held since 1966. We didn’t just beat it, we smashed it by six degrees. The real feel temperature was one hundred and twenty nine at three o’clock the one and only time that I checked it.

Being by the grill made that heat not matter at all. With a huge Weber grill burning at 550 degrees it’s irrelevant on what the temperature is outside. Normally I’d cook in stages and keep the food flowing for the first couple hours. Not yesterday though. I had quite a spread to cook and it was going to be a one time event.

The menu was the following:

Pre grilling, I had made a fresh batch of guacamole because it got destroyed at the last one. I also made a fresh black bean and fire roasted corn salsa. I soak my beans for two days in a bottle of beer (Stella) to be exact. I have a charcoal/smoker grill that I used for the corn. I soak the corn overnight, put it directly on the grill and rotate it for about fifteen minutes. I let it cool, then cut off the end and pull off the husk and straw in one shot. Chef trick. Then I throw a few small pieces of wood over the coals and put the corn back on bare to give it a slight char and smokie flavor. Forgot to mention that I put two full jalapeño peppers on with the corn. I seed a couple of plum tomatoes and dice them along with red onion and cilantro. Hit it with a little lime and it’s done. I also made a caramelized onion dip. The dip and salsa were made on Thursday night, they taste better after sitting. The guacamole was made fresh yesterday morning.

The main menu was two kinds of chicken, both were marinated. The first is say is a Mediterranean style or Greek style. Olive oil, lemon, garlic, fresh rosemary and thyme, shallots and a little balsamic vinegar. Of course sea salt and pepper. The second was one is a go to of mine for chicken on the grill. It’s olive oil, sun dried tomatoes minced up, roasted peppers diced up, lots of minced garlic, some fresh basil, an equal amount of both balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar, sea salt and pepper. Each batch consisted of five pounds of chicken.

I also marinated ten pounds of flap meat steak. I cut them in half first, perfect for barbecues because no cutting involved and easy to grab. Half of it was marinated in a homemade carna asada that I made. The other half was done in a special marinade that I make which unfortunately for you reading will not be shared.

I also hand pressed a dozen hamburgers as well. There was also two packages of natural casing grass fed beef hot dogs. Both were served on toast fresh from the bakery brioche buns.

But that’s not all…..

I also made a fresh antipasto. Romaine lettuce, mixed greens, red onion, tomatoes, some grated carrot, black and green olives, roasted peppers, fresh mozzarella, cappicola, and salami. I made a garlic balsamic dressing for it with fresh oregano.

There were twenty adults and three children at the barbecue. Most brought desserts, but my girlfriend and her mom made deviled eggs and red skin potato salad.

After it was all said and done there were only four pieces of chicken left over. Yes!!! Out of all things listed that’s all that remained. No dip, salsa, guacamole, hotdog, burger, salad, or flap meat remained. They killed it all.

I guess they liked it, because the room was silent for nearly half an hour while they all ate. I went and took a quick shower, changed into clothes that weren’t drenched in sweat and ate from what remained.

It was held inside the house due to the extreme heat outside. My girlfriend’s uncle has a pretty big house which made it much easier.

I am currently trying to recuperate from all the work and heat from yesterday. Today will be a mandated day off. It’s currently ninety seven degrees outside with a real feel of one hundred and fifteen, so it’s my decision to do as little as humanly possible.

Enjoy your 4th of July everyone!!!!🍺