The Day I Fell In Love With Mesquite

Three weeks ago, we packed the car up and headed south on a road trip. It was a warm winter morning and the wildlife seemed to be everywhere. Our first sighting was a herd of antelope, followed by a couple of white tail bucks, and we weren’t even off the ranch yet.  The bucks jumped the fence in front of us, as I kicked myself for not bringing my camera gear. A recycled cell phone would have to do. The wildlife parade continued with turkeys, a porcupine, coyote’s, a Merlin eating a mouse on a post, and hawks. Dan called the specs in the sky out by name, Ferruginous, Rough-Legged, and so on, as if they were only feet away.  By the time we hit highway 79 and swung south, the sightings became more random, but the scenery remained beautiful. It wasn’t until we crossed over into the northeastern part of Colorado, via highway 385, that my interest was lost.  Years ago we had nicknamed this stretch of road, “feedlot row”.  The irrigated, naked corn and soybean fields that provide feed for the surrounding cattle yards greeted us, along with the unpleasant aroma that overwhelmed us anytime we departed our vehicle. As a result, stops were made only if needed. At one of those needed gas stops, I said aloud to myself,  “geez it stinks”.  To which another man at the pump said, “That’s the smell of money”. I nodded, clicked my cheek with a wink, and said, “right”.

With Dan at the wheel and the windows secured tightly, I fluffed my pillow, closed my eyes, and let the rhythm of the road take over. When not in semi-conscious sleep, our conversation flowed from one topic to the next; family, business, politics, more sleep, food, wars, love, more sleep, endangered species, lost prairie, books, more sleep. My mind unreeled and the cobwebs cleared with every passing mile, slowly unpacking the tensions that I had brought along with me.

South 385 continues through the pistol tip of Oklahoma and on into the panhandle of Texas. Somewhere around Leveland Texas we hang a right onto a county road, and head west to just inside the New Mexico boarder. Our first stop and the main headquarters for most of our trip, was our friends ranch. The Weaver ranch is managed for conservation and wildlife. It is an oasis amongst the fracking rigged, irrigated cotton fields, and CFO dairies.  (The landscape changes to this once inside Texas.) We arrived just as the sun was turning the dried grass to spun gold, and stepped out into the clean air, lightly perfumed with mesquite from their wood-burning stove.  “Wow”, Dan said. “Mm”, I replied.

A few days later we continued on to south Texas to another friends ranch, for some serious quail hunting. On this trip there were many stops, as Dan & I are suckers for any hole in the wall joint that proclaims “Best B.B.Q.”, or “Best Tamales”. At each stop the mesquite filled air intensified. I remained awake for most of the trip down, but on the return trip back to the Weaver ranch, I fell back into my “in and out of sleep pattern”, only this time, I dream of mesquite grilled Buffalo Tenderloins with an earthy mushroom compote.  By the time we got back to the Weaver sanctuary I had a recipe on my mind and was looking forward to trying it out on our friends.  Although I have had mesquite-grilled steaks before, I had never tried it for myself.

When dinner was over, our friend Jim, whose wife is an amazing cook, said, “I’m not sure if I’ve ever had food that good before, and if I have, I don’t remember it”.  The steaks were fabulous, and it was love at first bite. But, memorable food is hard to come by, and have never believed that it is just the food that makes for a memorable meal, but the experience and the company that have something to do with it too.

On that note – a big “Thank You”, to our friends; Jim & Pam, Robert & Sarah, and Jim & Kris. We had a great time. Also, thanks to my valentine Dan, you are a great road tripper companion.  Wishing you all a memorable, happy, healthy Valentines day. jill

Mesquite Grilled Tenderloin Steaks with Mushroom Compote

Life gets busy, and at the end of the day when grilling, I’m a go to, gas grill, kind of a girl. Using mesquite or other hard wood takes a little more time and although not difficult, it is a labor of love. The extra aromatic flavor and elegant smokiness this gives the meat is a special treat, but it’s that – a special treat. Mesquite coals, would work for any steak or burger, adjusting time, based on thickness or size of cut.

Ingredients For Fire:
Weber Grill
10 pounds mesquite wood
Kindling; pine cones and/or wood shavings
Paper

Preparation:
Open the lower vents of the grill located in the bottom of the grill. Bunch the paper, and place on the lower rack of the grill, top with the kindling, and a few smaller pieces of the mesquite, in a sort of teepee fashion. Light the paper and allow the fire to get going. You may need to blow on the fire a bit to get the mesquite to take.  Add 3 to 4 larger pieces to the fire, stacked so air can move in between the wood. When the fire starts to burn down, push the burned wood around and add more wood. Continue repeating this process until you have a nice hot bed of white coals that are still licked with a bit of fire. I added wood four times to achieve this and it took about two hours.  Your grill is now ready.  Place the top rack of the grill as low and as close to the coals as possible.

Ingredients For Steaks:                                                       
4 – 8oz. Tenderloin Steaks
2 – tablespoons olive oil
2 – teaspoons black pepper
1 – teaspoon sea salt
1 – teaspoon garlic powder
1 – teaspoon onion powder

Preparation:
1)   Remove the thawed steaks form package, rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
2)   In a small glass dish or backing pan, mix the olive oil and seasonings.
3)   Add steaks to the pan and roll around into the seasoned olive oil. Cover the steaks and allow them to rest at room temperature while you establish your fire. About 2 hours.
4)   When your mesquite fire is just right, place the steaks on top of the grill and close grill lid. Grill for 3 minutes then rotate the same side to create a nice grill marking. Cover again and grill for two minutes on the same side, before turning over. Turn steaks, cover and grill for 3 more minutes.
5)   Remove steaks from the grill and place them on a plate. Sprinkle a little finishing salt over the steaks and then cover them with a lid or foil and allow them to rest for 3 to 5 minutes.

Mushroom Compote

Ingredients:
½ – cup sweet yellow onion, finally diced
5 – ounces cremmini mushrooms, finely diced
1 – green onion, green part only, finely minced
1 – tablespoon olive oil
4 – salted tablespoon butter
4 – teaspoon salt
½ – teaspoon black pepper
1 – teaspoon sugar
1 – teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation:
1)   In a sauté pan over medium high heat, heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter.
2)   Add the diced onions to the pan and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir occasionally, until the onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 6 minutes.
3)   Add the diced mushrooms to the caramelized onions and stir in. Sauté until mushrooms are just tender, but have not yet released their moisture.
4)   Add the balsamic vinegar and stir in.
5)   Immediately following, stir in remaining butter. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and stir in minced green onion.
6)   Season to taste and serve immediately with mesquite grilled steaks.

*We enjoyed this delicious steak with lightly sautéed green beans, a cauliflower & potato mash, and short glasses of Heradura Blanco Tequila on ice with fresh squeezed lime. It was fabulous.  A nice earthy Zinfandel would be great too.