Texas Red And A Long Neck Recipes

RED-NECK TURTLE BURGERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Mix ground beef, chives, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and ground mustard thoroughly in a bowl; divide in fourths and make 4 thick oval-shaped burgers. Top each burger with a slice of sharp Cheddar cheese and about 2 tablespoons of chopped sweet onion.
• Poke 2 holes in the long ends of each burger with your fingers for the heads and tails. Insert half a hot dog into the head and tail holes, letting the rounded ends of the hot dogs poke out about 1 1/2 inches. Press to secure. Poke 2 more holes on each side of the burger and insert 2 more hot dog halves on each side for legs. Cut 2 small slits, about 3/4 inch long, into the ends of the legs to make toes. Repeat with remaining ground beef, hot dogs, cheese slices, and onion to make 4 turtle burgers topped with cheese and onion. If desired, cut tails to small sharp points for more realism.
• Place 3 halved bacon slices onto a work surface, sides touching. Weave 3 more bacon slices into the first ones, facing 90 degrees to the first slices, to make a woven bacon piece; lay the woven bacon onto a burger, arranging bacon between heads, legs, and tails. Secure with toothpicks. Repeat with remaining bacon to make 3 more woven bacon pieces and cover remaining burgers with bacon.
• Place a baking rack into a large roasting pan; lay the bacon-wrapped turtle burgers onto the rack and cover lightly with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the burgers are no longer pink in the middle and hot dog ends are browned, 20 to 30 minutes. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a burger should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

TEXAS BOWL OF RED

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef and cook, stirring, until browned, about 4 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot and brown the remaining beef, then return the first batch to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the garlic.
• Combine the chili powder, cumin and flour in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the meat in the pot and stir until evenly coated. Crumble in the oregano with your fingers, then add 3 cans beef broth, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low; partially cover and simmer until the meat is just tender, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.
• Whisk the remaining 1 can broth with the masa harina in a bowl to make a creamy paste; stir into the chili. Continue simmering over low heat until the meat is almost falling apart, 30 minutes to 1 hour, adding up to 2 cups water if the chili gets too thick. Divide among bowls and top with onion and pickled jalapenos.

TEXAS RED AND A LONG NECK

Steps:

• Brown stewing beef in large skillet until done, I like to use an iron skillet.
• Add chopped onions, green pepper, garlic and cook until tender.
• Stir in tomato paste and water.
• Stir in jalepeno peppers, spices and beans.
• Simmer for 45 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.

BASIC TEXAS RED

Steps:

• Chile Paste - Wearing rubber gloves, stem and seed the chile pods and cover with near-boiling water. Let steep for 30 minutes, then pour off the water and puree the softened pods in a food processor until they form a paste. Pass through a sieve to remove skins and errant seeds. Set aside.
• Chili - Dice the chuck neatly into 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes (partially freeze the meat for easier dicing).
• Heat the bacon fat in a really big skillet, and working in batches, saute the beef and pork until no longer pink. Drain off the fat.
• Place the meat, along with several grinds of pepper, the onions and garlic, in your favorite chili pot and add 1 1/2 cups of the beef or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cover. Keep the lid on, and your hands off, for 90 minutes.
• After 90 minutes, stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, tomato sauce, chocolate and half the chile paste. Cover and cook for another half-hour or so.
• Check for consistency. If it's too thin, scoop out the meat and reduce the sauce by bringing to a boil, and when you're happy with it, return the meat to the pot. Stir in the brown sugar. (If it's too thick, add some more of the broth.) Or, simply add the maize flour and let simmer 5 minutes.
• Cook, uncovered, for 10 more minutes, and check for seasoning. You can add more salt, chili powder and cumin if you like, or more chile paste if you want to amp it up, or more brown sugar if you like it sweet and hot.
• Serve with a squeeze of lime and a dollop of sour cream. Have cheese handy. And serve with a bowl of beans on the side, if you must.

LAMB NECKS BRAISED IN WINE WITH PEPPERS

Steps:

• Place lamb in a heavy sealable plastic bag. Combine wine, 1 tablespoon oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl and add to bag. Seal and refrigerate 3 to 4 hours. (Lamb can be marinated in a bowl, but more wine might be needed.) Remove lamb from marinade. Strain marinade, separately reserving the garlic and rosemary, and the marinade.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy casserole large enough to hold lamb. Add onion, sauté on low until softened, and stir in Aleppo pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Add garlic and rosemary leaves (no stems) from the marinade. Add 1 1/2 cups of the marinade and boil down until nearly evaporated.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place lamb in casserole. Add remaining marinade. Cover and cook 2 hours, until tender. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a skillet. Add pepper strips and cook, stirring, on high heat until soft and lightly seared. Lower heat, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar and the honey. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and set aside.
• When lamb is tender, transfer it to a serving platter. Heat sauce on top of stove, stir in tomato paste and season as needed with salt and pepper. Spoon around meat, scatter pepper strips on top and scatter on parsley.