Sunday, May 19, 2013

Tex-Mex Tri Tip

Tri Tip is one of our favorite cuts of beef.  This dish with Orzo Mac & Cheese and corn on the cobb makes for a wonderful Sunday meal.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup white sugar
2 pound tri-tip, well trimmed of fat
3 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoons ground chipotle, or less to taste
1 teaspoons dried oregano
French's mustard

Mix salt, sugar and spices.  Coat tri-tip lightly in mustard, then generously with the rub.  Either wrap and refrigerate for several hours or cook immediately.
 
 

Roast at 270° without a drip pan.  A 2" thick tri-tip will take roughly one hour to reach an internal
temperature of 135°-140° (medium rare): flip the top side toward the coals halfway through.  After
taking it off the fire, let the meat rest 15 minutes before slicing across the grain.
 
 

Chipotle Honey Roasted Peanuts

This is a fantastic snack that everybody absolutely loves and it is very simple to make.  I have people at work always asking to bring these in again.  You might want to make a double batch.  They go quick.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound skinless peanuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Stir together the sugar, chipotle powder, chili powder, and garlic powder in a small bowl; set aside.

Stir together the butter, honey, and kosher salt in a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted, and the mixture is bubbly. Stir in the peanuts until well coated, then pour out into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven until the nuts are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Stir the mixture 2 or 3 times to ensure even cooking. Once done, scrape the peanuts into a large bowl, and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Toss the peanuts to evenly coat with the spice mixture. Allow the peanuts to cool to room temperature, tossing every few minutes so the nuts do not stick together.