Smoked BBQ Chicken Pita Pizza

Ok so who doesn't like BBQ and Pizza? BBQ is an American tradition, while pizza has become the most popular food in America. I've been craving a BBQ pizza for a while now and decided I'd smoke up some chicken thighs and make a BBQ chicken pizza. Of course, I wanted to throw a twist on it... so I decided to pick up some pita bread instead of a traditional style crust.

Ok so here's what you'll need:

• Smoked/Grilled Chicken (Here's my smoked chicken thigh recipe)
• BBQ Sauce
• Red Onion (Rough Chop)
• Roasted Red Pepper (Rough Chop)
• Pickled Jalapeno (Fine Dice)
• Italian Cheese Blend (Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan and Fontina, plus Romano and aged Asiago)
• Scallions (Green Tops Only)

Ok, so this recipe is really simple... First you need to grill the pita bread. I use my panini press to grill flatbreads. We won't need to bust out the grill on this one, since most flatbreads already have that nice char from the very high temp ovens they are cooked in. Just toast them in a toaster oven or panini press with a little olive oil brushed on both sides.

 

 

Once the pita bread has firmed up, you are ready to spread on some of your favorite BBQ sauce. I like Sweet Baby Ray's thick and rich BBQ sauces for this kind of dish.

 

 

Next, throw down some smoked chicken right on top of the BBQ sauce. Who wouldn't want to take a bath in BBQ sauce?

 

Next, add some red onions. Red onions add a nice crunch factor.

 



Roasted red peppers follow the red onions. You can pick these up in the store next to the pickles and olives. I find they add a nice smokey sweet flavor.



 

 

Now for some spice. Add some minced pickled jalapenos to give this pizza a little kick.

 

Now I know you're thinking... why the Italian cheese blend? Why not smoked cheddar or mozzarella? With this pizza, you've already got the smokey chicken, the sweet smokey BBQ sauce, and the roasted red peppers. Cheeses like Parmesan, Fontina, Romano and aged Asiago give a salty nutty flavor that balances really well with all of the other sweet smokey flavors going on.

 

Now it's time to toast this pizza! I just toss it in the toaster oven to melt the cheese and warm up the toppings. Once the cheese is melted, pull it out of the oven and garnish with some chopped scallions and a pinch of Italian seasoning.

 









Taco Pizza on Naan (Flatbread)

I think taco pizza needs a comeback. One of my favorites is from gambinos pizza. They use refried beans for the sauce of the pizza. I did a taco pizza from scratch on my kamado ceramic grill a while back and it turned out absolutely amazing. It's a little extra work to do the dough from scratch, but it's worth the extra effort!

I recently grilled up some carne asada flank steak and I was pondering what to do with the leftovers. Enchiladas? Burritos? I couldn't decide. I remembered we still had some naan bread in the pantry along with a can of refried beans. *Lightbulb Moment* Then it hit me... TACO FLATBREAD PIZZA!

Here's what you'll need:

The Bread
Naan bread (recommended but any flatbread will work)

The "Sauce"
Half a can of refried beans
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup of Taco seasoning (I use my own recipe)

Toppings
Taco meat (I use my carne asada flank steak recipe)
Shredded Cheese
Lettuce
Taco sauce
Roasted chili corn salsa (optional)

Ok so I started with a flatbread called naan. This type of flatbread from the North of India is juxtaposition at its most beautiful: pillowy and elastic, with dark charred bubbles and a crispy bottom. It's usually made in a tandoor oven, a clay oven that can reach up to 900 degrees F. I can come close with my kamado ceramic grill - but not close enough. The good news is that you can pick it up in most grocery stores. I think even walmart carries it in their bakery department.

Ok so first things first. You'll need to grill the naan to firm it up a little bit. Since the bread itself has already been charred in a 900 degree oven, we can get away with using a panini press or even a toaster oven to crisp it up and still get that smokey grilled flavor. Just brush a little olive oil on both sides of the bread and crisp it up.


























While you've got the naan crisping up, you can work on the refried bean mixture. In a medium size bowl mix a half can of refried beans, a half cup of sour cream, and a half cup of taco seasoning. I use my own blend, but you can use any packet seasoning. I recommend warming, not cooking, the beans in the microwave first. This will make them easier to mix and spread onto the naan bread. Once you've got the refried bean sauce put together, your naan bread should be about finished up on the grill. Spread the "sauce" onto the naan bread just like you would any traditional pizza.


























Next add your carne asada (or other taco meat).

Add the red onion

 

Add the cheese next. This is when I like to throw the pizza into the toaster oven. Just so I don't have to fire up the full size oven. Keep in mind you're just warming up the pizza enough to melt the cheese on top.

Add some roasted chili corn salsa (optional) 

 

Add the lettuce

Don't forget the green onions!

 

A few chopped tomatoes

And finally drizzle some taco sauce over top

Smoked Pulled Chicken Sandwich

So I had smoked some chicken a few days ago and I had plenty of left-overs. Not because it wasn't good, but because I always do a lot of whatever meat I'm smoking. Since smoking meat is generally a low and slow process, it works in your favor to do it in large quantities.

Anyways, so I have this left over chicken in the fridge and I decide to work up a BBQ chicken sandwich with a few items out of the fridge. This is actually a piece of cake to make if you've already done the work making the chicken. You can also use any store bought rotisserie style chicken if you're feelin lazy. But if you want the best smoked chicken... check out my video on smoking chicken thighs on the grill:

Ok so here's what you'll need:

• Smoked or Rotisserie Chicken (Pulled from the bone)
• Your favorite BBQ sauce (I love Sweet Baby Rays)
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Red Onion
• Pickles
• Ciabatta Bread or Onion Bun

Pile your ingredients onto the bun and enjoy!



Grilled Carne Asada Flank Steak

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak

Marinade:





Beef Cuts


• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, finely chopped (great flavor in the stems)
• 1/2 cup taco seasoning
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Flank steak is one of my favorite cuts, because it delivers great beef flavor and texture. However, it can be a little tricky to grill, because it is easy to overcook. Due to its low fat content and prominent grain, it becomes tough and unpleasant if cooked past medium rare. 

 

Here's how I grill my flank steak!

First we need to put together the marinade. Combine the marinade ingredients. Place steak and marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Coat the steak well with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl. Chill in the fridge and marinate for at least 12 to 24 hours.

Take the steak out of the marinade bag. Make sure the meat is at room temperature before hitting the grill. Throwing cold meat on a hot grill will make it seize up, toughening it. Also, it'll be more difficult to get the steak to cook evenly if the meat is cold in the center. Also, make sure the grill is hot - like 600+ degrees hot. The key to keeping flank steak tender is to sear it quickly over high heat, so you must start with a very hot fire!

Place the meat on the grill and do not touch it for 3 minutes. If you disturb the meat at all, it will not form the delicious grill marks we're looking for. After 3 minutes are up, turn the meat over and cook for an additional 3 minutes on the other side, again without moving the meat. This should give you medium rare on the outside edges and rare in the middle. If you prefer it a little more done, increase the cooking time on each side to 4 minutes. Try not to cook it past medium rare, or it'll be tough.

How do you know if it's done? The best way to tell is to poke it with your finger tips. As the steak cooks the muscles contract and firm up. Open the palm of your hand. Relax the hand. Gently press the tip of your middle finger to the tip of your thumb. Take the index finger of your other hand and push on the fleshy area between the thumb and the base of the palm. Make sure your hand is relaxed. This is medium rare. Here's a visual guide.

When the steak has cooked to your preferred level of doneness, remove it from the grill and place on your cutting board for at least 10 minutes. If you cut into the meat when it's hot off the grill, the juices will all flow out and you'll be left with a very dry and bland piece of meat. Allowing the meat to rest enables the juices to redistribute themselves through the meat, resulting in a juicy and succulent steak. When the meat has rested, determine the direction of the grain - in flank steak, the fibers run along the length of the steak, and you will want to cut across the grain, in thin slices. Cutting very thinly across the grain gives you short fibers in each slice, resulting in more tender meat.