BEER MARINATED CHICKEN TACOS

For the marinade:
1 cup dark Mexican beer, such as Negra Modelo
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 4 ounces each

For the guacamole:
2 ripe Haas avocados
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

6 flour or corn tortillas, 6 to 7 inches in diameter

To make the marinade: In a small bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients.

Rinse the chicken thighs under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place them in a large, plastic resealable bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, place the bag in a bowl, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

To make the guacamole: Cut the avocados lengthwise around the pits, twist the halves apart, and remove the pits. Scoop the flesh into a medium bowl. Add the lime juice and salt. Using a potato masher or the back of a spoon, mash the ingredients together. Cover with plastic wrap, placing it directly on the surface to prevent browning, and refrigerate until about 1 hour before serving.

Remove the chicken thighs from the bag and discard the marinade. Grill the chicken thighs over Direct Medium heat until the meat is firm and the juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cut the thighs into thin strips.

Warm the tortillas over Direct Medium heat for about 1 minute, turning once halfway through grilling time. Pile the sliced chicken inside the tortillas. Top each taco with a spoonful of guacamole. Serve warm.

Fajitas-On-A-Stick





Ingredients

1-1/4 lbs. top sirloin steak, cut 1-inch thick

1/3 cup bottled Italian dressing

3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 green or red bell peppers, each cut into quarters

2 medium onions, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices

8 medium flour tortillas, warmed

-- prepared salsa

8 bamboo skewers





Directions

Soak 8 (9-inch) bamboo skewers in water for 10 minutes; drain. Trim

fat from steak. Cut steak crosswise into 1/2-inchthick strips.

Thread an equal amount of beef, weaving back and forth onto each

skewer. In a small bowl, combine dressing and lime juice, mixing

well. Brush onto beef, peppers and onions. Place vegetables on grid

over medium ash-covered coals. Grill peppers uncovered 12-15 minutes

and onions 15-20 minutes or until tender, turning both once.

Approximately 10 minutes before vegetables are done, move vegetables

to outer edge of grid. Place beef in center of grid and grill 8-12

minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning once. Season

beef with salt as desired. Remove beef from skewers. Serve beef and

vegetables in tortillas with salsa. Serves 4

Fajita Burgers

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 flour tortillas
1 cup salsa
guacamole

Prepare a hot fire in a grill. In a large skillet, heat oil. Add onion and red pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. In medium bowl, combine cooked vegetables, ground beef, lime juice, chili powder and salt. Using wet hands, form into 4 ovals about 2 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches long. Place patties in center of oiled grill set 4 to 6 inches from coals. Cook, turning once, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer burgers to outside edge of grill and continue grilling, turning once, until burgers are cooked through and meat springs back when pressed lightly with a finger, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and place on sides of grill to heat through. Place warm tortillas and bowls of salsa and guacamole on table. Let each guest place a burger on a tortilla, top with salsa and guacamole, roll up and enjoy.

Fiesta Rib Eye Steaks

4 ribeye steaks, cut 3/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
8 flour tortillas, 6 inch size
1/4 cup colby cheese, shredded
1/4 cup jack cheese, shredded
1 cup salsa

Place steaks in utility dish and sprinkle with half the lime juice. Turn steaks over and sprinkle with the remaining juice. Wrap tortillas securely in heavy duty aluminum foil. Place steaks on grid over medium coals. Grill steaks 7 to 9 minutes for rare to medium, turning once. Place tortilla packet on outer edge of grid and heat 5 minutes, turning once. Top each steak with an equal amount of the cheeses. Serve with salsa and the tortillas.

Southwestern Grilled Ribs

4 to 6 pounds ribs in uncut racks
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 to 3 tablespoons ground chili
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 3/4 cup ketchup
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped

Place ingredients, except ribs in a saucepan and simmer. Brush on ribs while grilling to desired doneness.

Southwest Burgers

3 large poblano chiles
1 1/4 pounds ground beef chuck
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons coarsely
grated onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 pound Monterey Jack cheese, sliced
salsa
4 kaiser rolls, toasted

Heat broiler. Broil chiles on foil lined pan 10 to 14 minutes, turning until lightly charred. Wrap in foil; let stand 5 minutes. Toss beef with cilantro, onion, salt and pepper; shape into four 1/2 inch thick patties. Heat grill pan. Grill patties 5 to 6 minutes per side until an instant read thermometer inserted into side of burger registers 160F. Top burgers with cheese, remove from heat. Cover pan and let stand 1 minute until melted. Remove skins from chiles, seed and cut into strips. Place burgers, chiles and salsa, if desired, on bottom half of rolls; add top half of rolls. Makes 4 servings.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Cactus Relish

juice of 6 limes
3 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 pounds skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 6 serving pieces
2 teaspoons coarse salt

Whisk together the lime juice, chiles, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Generously brush each piece of meat all over with the marinade and roll each piece up into a cylinder. Arrange the rolled steaks in a shallow nonreactive dish and pour on remaining marinade. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator 24 to 48 hours. About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the meat from the refrigerator. Unroll the steaks and sprinkle with salt. Heat the grill to very hot. Cook the steaks just until seared on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer to a cutting board and slice across the grain into diagonal strips. Serve hot with Cactus Relish and warm flour tortillas.

Cactus Relish

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup prepared cactus paddles or nopales, prickly pear cactus, rinsed and diced fine
6 tomatillos, husked, washed and finely diced
1 to 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. SautJ the corn with the salt and pepper, about 5 minutes. Add nopales, tomatillos, and peppers and sautJ briefly to combine and warm slightly. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool. Add cilantro, vinegar and scallions and stir well to combine. Let sit 20 to 30 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve at room temperature. Relish can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Yield: about 3 cups.

Rio Grande Catfish



2 jalapeño peppers - stemmed and minced

3 serrano peppers - stemmed and minute

1/2 medium onion - diced

2 cloves garlic - pressed

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup lime juice - freshly squeezed

1/2 tablespoon cumin powder

2 tablespoons cilantro - minced

4 8 oz catfish fillets - skinless & boneless

1 cup tomatoes - peel, dice, chill



Combine the first eight ingredients in a blender and coarsely blend.

Place the filets in a non-reactive container large enough to hold them

in a single layer.

Pour the marinade over the filets and cover. Turn the filets once after

thirty minutes.

After a total marinating time of no more than one hour (any longer and

they'll start to fall apart),

grill them quickly over very hot mesquite coals, about 2-4 minutes per

side, basting with the marinade.

Place each filet on a plate, and top with 1/4 cup of chilled chopped

tomatoes

Beef and Chicken Fajitas



Ingredients



2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon chipotle seasoning (optional)

1 cup Italian dressing

6 skinned and boned chicken breast halves

4 pounds flank steak

20 (8-inch) flour tortillas, warmed

Toppings: sour cream, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, shredded

Cheddar cheese

Preparation

Combine first 6 ingredients and, if desired, chipotle seasoning.



Stir together chili powder mixture and dressing. Pour half of marinade

in a shallow dish or large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add

chicken. Cover or seal. Pour remaining marinade in a separate shallow

dish or large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add beef. Cover or seal;

chill chicken and beef 2 hours.



Remove chicken and beef from marinade, discarding marinade.



Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium heat (300° to 350°) about

15 minutes on each side or until chicken is done and beef is at

desired degree of doneness. Cut chicken and beef into strips. Serve in

flour tortillas with desired toppings.



Southern Living, MAY 2002

Tejas Smoked Shrimp Enchilada w/Red pepper Cream Barbeque Sauce
 
Ingredients:
1 bag wood chips for smoking -- soaked in water
1 chipotle pepper
2 serrano peppers
2 tomatoes -- seeded
1 red onion
3 red bell peppers -- split and seeded
1 turnip
4 cloves garlic
1 gallon beef stock
2 tablespoons dry mustard
3 carrots -- chopped
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 red bell pepper
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper -- to taste
2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes -- soaked and diced
3 ounces sweet onions -- diced
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1 cup mushrooms -- diced
1/2 cup green onions -- thinly sliced
15 smoked shrimp -- diced
4 flour tortillas
1 pint heavy whipping cream -- reduced by half
2 tablespoons lime juice -- use fresh-squeezed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and pepper -- to taste
Directions:
STEP ONE: Prepare the Barbecue Sauce--
Start a charcoal fire in outdoor grill. When coals are white-hot, cover with soaked wood chips. Place chipotle and serrano chiles, tomatoes, red onion, 3 red bell peppers, turnip, and garlic on grill and cover. Adjust dampers to reduce heat and smoke vegetables for about 20 minutes. (When vegetables are done, smoke shrimp for enchilada filling for about 15 to 20 minutes.)
Add vegetables to beef stock and reduce to 1 quart. Meanwhile, reduce brown sugar and raspberry vinegar to syrup consistency. Strain vegetables from stock and discard. Add carrots, mustard, and vinegar-sugar mixture to stock and simmer until carrots are done. Puree sauce in blender and strain. Return to heat, add ketchup, and reduce until sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste.
CHEF'S NOTE: Adjust amount of chiles for hotter sauce.
STEP TWO: Prepare the Red Peppers-- Over an open flame, roast the red bell pepper until skin is charred black and begins to loosen from the pepper. Immediately immerse pepper in ice water. When cool, peel and seed pepper and place in blender with sour cream. Puree until smooth and add salt and pepper to taste.
STEP THREE: Create Smoked Shrimp Enchiladas-- Sauté sun-dried tomatoes, diced sweet onion, corn kernels, mushrooms, and green onions in butter until slightly soft. Add shrimp,cream and lime juice and reduce. Taste for salt and pepper.
Place equal amounts of fillings in center of tortilla and roll the tortilla in a cylinder.
Garnish each tortilla with a dollop of Red Pepper Cream and pour barbecue sauce around the enchilada.