Recipes
Time-Tested Recipes for Salazar Meats
Here are a variety of our favorite recipes plus a list of marinades and rubs. Many of our customers have wondered how best to prepare brisket, chuck roast, and short ribs. We have concentrated on recipes that will help with those cuts of meat since they are often considered less desirable. In reality these cuts are among the tastiest and most succulent cuts and can be very tender if they are properly prepared.
LEROY’S BRISKET
“The key to a tender and juicy brisket roast is to cook the roast slowly and with a lot of moisture with the right ingredients. I have cooked brisket in different ways and I will share one of these with you. There are many kinds of “rubs” which you can use to impart flavor, some of which can be found at the end of this recipe list. Of course, the quintessential flavoring for brisket is a good barbeque sauce.”
- Smoke the brisket roast in the grill with Mesquite chips or your favorite smoke flavoring for an hour or two at a smoky heat, but not at a high heat.
- Place your brisket on a large piece of aluminum foil and season both sides. I like to use Grandma Chung’s secret garlic sauce which has garlic, sesame seeds, soy sauce, hot peppers, parsley and green onions. One tablespoon per pound of roast is plenty of sauce. You can also use your favorite barbecue sauce as a seasoning. Leave the fatty side of your brisket on top and close the aluminum foil tightly so moisture cannot escape. Lay out another sheet of aluminum foil and again wrap tightly. This second layer is insurance against escaping moisture.
- Place the brisket either on the grill or in the oven at 225 to 250 degrees F for 4 hours. You will want to put a pan underneath if cooking in the oven. After 4 hours, flip your brisket roast upside down so that the juices will run back through the meat. Let the meat continue to cook for 3 or four more hours depending on the size of the roast.
- Pull the roast out of the grill or oven and cut into thin slices against the grain. Use additional barbecue sauce or other flavor enhancing sauces to suit your tastes.
SHORT RIBS, LUCAS STYLE
“There are several ways to prepare short ribs. Three ways that I’ve experimented with are the 1) boiling/slow roasting/pan frying method, 2) crock pot method, and 3) slow roasting in foil method. These methods are presented in order of slow to fast preparation time. I’ll share #3 as it is typically what I do in a very quick manner just before going to bed. I wake up and my lunch and/or dinner for the day is ready to go.”
- Place short ribs on heavy duty (this is important, as lighter duty foil tends to rip very easily) tin foil at a size to be able to tightly wrap over it three times.
- Before wrapping, include a fair amount of liquid-based seasoning. I recommend 2 ounces of liquid to each pound of ribs. You can use dry spice, but the liquid is helpful in that it will create an environment in which the ribs will actually boil. This makes them incredibly tender. A few good sauces out there are Stubbs and Soy Vay (Hoisin Garlic is my favorite).
- Wrap one time with foil as tightly as possible. It is likely you may have created a rip in the foil (always tricky with bone in cuts like ribs). Even if you didn’t, go ahead and wrap the ribs in another layer to be sure (again using foil labeled as “heavy duty”).
- Place in oven for 8 hours at 225°F. (There is some room to play with time/temperature combinations here and still have a great finished product. I like the 8-hour time frame because it fits so well with doing it over night. If you kicked it up to 300°F, you can achieve similar results in around 5 hours).
- Remove ribs and allow to cool before serving. Enjoy!
PAN FRIED CHUCK ROAST
“We come from a large family and many members have contributed to a lively and varied culinary environment for the holidays. One uncle has provided some of the best chuck roast again and again. He essentially treats it like one would a brisket. You can use the process you see above for brisket and you will achieve satisfactory results. Let’s assume we did the same thing through step 3 above (though, not worrying so much about flipping the roast as one does with a brisket for good reasons). After taking the roast out of the oven, try this:”
- Allow roast to cool enough so that it’s not too hot to work with your hands.
- Pull the meat apart in bite-sized strands and place in a plate or bowl.
- Discard any bone, but keep all of the juices that were at the bottom of the foil.
- Put meat and juices into a large frying pan with lid. Allow to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Allow to cool and serve for incredibly tender and flavorful eating experience.
- *Note: it is possible to put the roast directly into the refrigerator after it cools a bit. When you pull it out, the fats and juices will be white and solid. Don’t let this scare you. Put them in the pan the same way you would the running juices. In no time they will melt and you will be on your way to cooking succulent, flavorful roast beef.
TIPS FOR USING MARINADES AND RUBS
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Marinades are a great way to add extra flavor to your beef before grilling or cooking meat any number of ways. They can even tenderize it in some cases. Tender beef cuts such as T-bone, top loin, tenderloin, ribeye, top sirloin and chuck eye can be marinated for as little as 15 minutes, or up to 2 hours for great results. Less tender cuts should be marinated six hours, or even overnight. The Colorado Beef Council says that if you want the marinade to tenderize your meat, it “must contain an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice, yogurt, wine or vinegar, or a natural tenderizing enzyme found in fresh papaya, ginger, pineapple and figs.”
Use enough marinade to coat the beef you will be cooking. Store the marinating meat in the refrigerator in a covered, non-reactive container, either food-safe plastic or glass. Discard any marinade that was used for the meat. If you want to save some to use as a sauce later, reserve it beforehand.
Rubs are generally dry and only add flavor to your meat. Just like the name indicates, they are rubbed on the surface of the meat before cooking.”
- 2/3 cup prepared Italian dressing
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- Combine all ingredients in small bowl.
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Mix ingredients in small bowl.
- 2/3 cup defrosted orange juice concentrate
- 1/2 cup tequila
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
- Combine ingredients. Add water if too thick.
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 small jalapeño pepper, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Combine ingredients.
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1 tablespoon cracked mixed peppercorns (black, white, green and pink) or cracked black pepper
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Combine all ingredients in small bowl.
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
- Combine all ingredients. Store in airtight container. Shake before using.