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David Bancroft’s Beef Brisket Melt

by David Bancroft

Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and Prime Cuts host David Bancroft is known for his mouthwatering recipes that look as good as they taste. And, for this cook, he’s back to show you how to prep, cook, and plate his delicious beef brisket melt. (And, it comes complete with his signature Alabama white BBQ sauce.) With this brisket sandwich recipe in hand, your next backyard party is bound to be one to remember.

Prepping the Beef Brisket

David starts with a full upper 2/3 choice or prime brisket (with the deckle on)—weighing in at about 12 to 15 lbs. He then trims off all the hard exterior fat, leaving only about ¼ in. left from the meat. Once trimmed, he rubs his brisket down with his homemade brisket rub.

After applying the rub, David smokes the brisket at about 215º to 220º F for about 11 hours (or until the internal temperature reaches 180º F). He then removes the brisket, wraps it up in butcher paper, and places it back on the smoker for another 2 to 3 hours (or until the internal temperature reaches 205º F). Once it hits the desired time or temperature, David removes the brisket and lets it rest for about an hour. To top off this portion of the cook, he separates the point from the flat and cuts across the grain.

Alabama White BBQ Sauce

While his brisket is on the smoker, David assembles his BBQ sauce. He first purees onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and white vinegar in a blender until it reaches a smooth texture. He then drops in the rest of the ingredients and fully blends it until smooth. Afterwards, he places the sauce aside and keeps it chilled in the fridge.

Building The Beef Brisket Sandwich

Once the brisket had been prepped, rubbed down, and smoked—and the BBQ sauce made—it’s time to build a brisket melt! David first slices off fresh, warm brisket from the fatty end and puts it aside for the melt. He then takes a warm skillet and toasts two slices of bread in butter.

After the bread has been toasted, he lays the slices to the side. He then grabs the brisket, and shingles it onto the griddle, laying two slices of cheese on top to melt. After melted and warmed, he transfers the cheesy brisket to the toast, layering it with pickles, jalapeños, and crispy hash browns. Before finishing the sandwich off with the other slice, David drizzles his homemade Alabama white BBQ sauce on top.

David Bancroft’s Beef Brisket Melt
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David Bancroft’s Beef Brisket Melt

Award-winning chef, and restaurateur, David Bancroft is known for his mouthwatering recipes that look as good as they taste. With this delicious beef brisket melt, complete with his signature Alabama white BBQ sauce, your next backyard party is bound to be one to remember.

Ingredients

  • Brisket Rub Ingredients

  • 200 g Ancho chili powder

  • 200 g Paprika

  • 150 g Granulated garlic

  • 500 g Fine kosher salt

  • 200 g Brown sugar

  • 150 g Black pepper

  • Alabama White BBQ Sauce Ingredients

  • 1 qt Duke’s mayonnaise

  • ¾ cup Apple cider vinegar

  • ¼ cup White vinegar

  • 2 Garlic cloves

  • ½ tbsp Creole mustard

  • ½ cup Diced white onion

  • 1 tbsp Black pepper

  • ¾ tbsp Horseradish

  • ½ tbsp Ground white pepper

  • ½ tbsp Sugar

  • ½ tbsp Hot sauce

  • ¾ tbsp Kosher salt

  • 2 tsp Coriander

  • 1 tsp Cayenne

  • Brisket Sandwich Ingredients

  • 2 slices Thick cut buttered toast

  • ¼ lb Sliced fatty brisket

  • 2 slices American cheese

  • 6–8 Thin sliced jalapenos

  • 6–8 Pickle slices

  • 2 oz Crispy hashbrowns (or potato chips)

  • 1–2 oz Alabama white BBQ sauce

Now that you have the know-how to make your own beef brisket sandwich, all there’s left to do is grab the ingredients and fire up the smoker! However, before taking a bite, David recommends having plenty of napkins handy—this cook is not one to leave you clean-handed.

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Greg Mrvich’s BBQ Pig Wings

by Greg Mrvich

Wings are the perfect addition to any backyard party, but did you know that not all wings are from a chicken? Well, technically. In this Backyard Life video, join Ballistic BBQ host and barbeque aficionado Greg Mrvich as he shares his recipe for BBQ pig wings and cherry brandy glaze, and shows you that pigs really can fly (off your plate).

Making the Cherry Brandy Glaze

Every great wing needs an even better glaze, and Greg’s cherry brandy glaze adds the perfect amount of sweet heat. To kick off this part of the cook he first melts pork lard in a sauce pan over medium-high heat, throwing in minced Jalapeño and stirring it until softened. Greg then lowers the temperature, stirring in the red wine vinegar, mustard, ketchup, paprika, clove, allspice, and mustard seed.

After these ingredients are fully mixed, Greg takes the pot off the heat and slowly adds the brandy. He then places the pot back on the heat, stirring in the cherry preserves, bringing it to a boil, and reducing it until the glaze has the consistency of a BBQ sauce. To top off his glaze, Greg simply adds some salt, to taste.

Preparing The Pig Wings 

For this recipe Greg is using pork shanks, the lower leg of the pig, which he says makes for a great eating experience—and allows for a nice presentation. Before the butterflied wings to go grill, however, Greg has some minor cleaning up to do—mainly cutting out the remaining tendons and silverskin.
 
Once cleaned up, Greg heavily seasons both sides of the wings with an all-purpose BBQ rub that is fairly sweet, with plenty of garlic and herbal flavors. He then puts the wings aside for a minute and fires up the grill to about 250º to 275º F. (For this cook Greg is burning lump charcoal and cherry wood, but he emphasizes that you can use any wood of your choice.)
 
After about 1 hour and 45 minutes, Greg removes the wings from the grill and places them in foil, spooning 1 tsp. of pork lard on both sides of the wings. Once complete, he tightly wraps the foil and places the wings back on to cook for at least an hour more. To test if the wings are fully cooked, Greg says to poke them with a thermometer or toothpick. If ready, it should feel like pushing the probe into cool butter—and the temperature should read around 190 to 209º F. Once fully cooked, Greg dips the wings into the glaze and places them back on the grill for about 10 minutes, until the glaze is sticky.

Greg Mrvich’s BBQ Pig Wings
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Greg Mrvich’s BBQ Pig Wings

Cuisine: Barbeque
Servings

25

servings
Total time

2

hours 

30

minutes


In this pig wings recipe Greg is using pork shanks, the lower leg of the pig, which he says makes for a great eating experience—and allows for a nice presentation. Before the butterflied wings to go grill, however, Greg has some minor cleaning up to do—mainly cutting out the remaining tendons and silverskin.
 

Ingredients

  • Cherry Brandy Glaze

  • ½ cup Brandy

  • 26 oz. Cherry preserves

  • 1 Jalapeno pepper (minced)

  • 2 tbsp. Red wine vinegar

  • 1 tbsp. Yellow mustard

  • 1 tbsp. Ketchup

  • ½ tsp. Ground Allspice

  • ½ tsp. Mustard seed

  • ½ tsp. Smoked paprika

  • ¼ tsp. Ground clove

  • ½ tsp. Pork lard

  • Salt to taste

  • Pig Wings

  • 4 Trimmed and butterflied pork shanks

  • ½ cup All-purpose BBQ rub

  • 8 tsp. Pork lard

Now that you have the know-how to make your own pig wings, all there’s left to do is invite some friends and family over, whip out the grill, and chow down!

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The Best Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos

by Greg Mrvich

What better way to kick tacos the next level than with a taste of the ocean? In this Backyard Life video, join Ballistic BBQ host and barbeque aficionado Greg Mrvich as he shares his grilled Mahi Mahi fish tacos recipe, as well as an avocado salsa and spicy crema sauce, that are bound to be the highlight of your next backyard party.

Tacos are the best because you can use them for just about any event! Everyone can personalize their taco to fit their preferred spice-level and taste with fully-customizable topping options. You can have entire parties dedicated to the delicious wonder that is a taco. You’re going to want to have this recipe in your arsenal for your next taco night. And Mahi Mahi? Not only is it delicious, but it, like other fish, is full of nutrients and protein. The B3, B6, and B12 are terrific for your hair and nails, making this dish a great one to make anytime you’re craving a taco.

For a great Mahi Mahi fish tacos topping, Greg suggests making your own spicy crema sauce. All it takes is some Mexican crema, which is a lighter version of sour cream, and chipotle sauce—a great way to add some heat to your tacos, and an amazing addition to any grilled fish recipe. The recipe is so simple and easy that you can quickly whip it up for your guests or family before your next taco night. Add a side of homemade guacamole and tortilla chips for the ultimate family fiesta!

Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
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Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos

Course: MainCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy

The best Mahi Mahi fish tacos!

Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Taco Ingredients

  • 2 Mahi Mahi filets, sliced in ¾ in. strips

  • 3 Corn tortillas

  • 2 Ears of sweet corn

  • Shredded cabbage

  • ½ cup Cilantro, finely chopped

  • ½ White onion, minced

  • Fresh lime juice

  • Adobo seasoning

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • Avocado Salsa Ingredients

  • 1 Avocado halved, pitted, and flesh scooped out

  • 1 Jalapeño stemmed and cut into quarters

  • 2 tbsp. White onion, diced

  • 1 tsp. Fresh lime juice

  • 2 tbsp. Cilantro, minced

  • 1 tbsp. White vinegar

  • 1 cup Water

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • Spicy Crema Sauce Ingredients

  • 1 ½ tsp. chipotle sauce

  • 4 oz. Mexican crema

Tacos and sauces

  • Avocado Salsa Recipe
  • Drop a pitted avocado, white onion, lime juice, minced cilantro and chopped jalapeño in a blender, and blend until they’re evenly mixed
  • Once the ingredients are thoroughly blended, pour in the white vinegar and water.
  • You might need to add more water depending on your mix—you want your blend to have the consistency of a salsa, not a guacamole.
  • Add some salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
  • Turn your grill to medium-high heat.
    Pro tip: Greg likes to grill his fish on a medium-high heat over mesquite wood to add a little earthy flavor.
  • Spread olive oil across the grill.
  • Season the fish with salt, pepper, and adobo seasoning.
  • Slice your fish into roughly 3/4 inch-thick strips.
  • Grill until evenly cooked, flipping halfway through when the color changes.
  • Place the corn on the grill and roast until it’s slightly charred.
  • Slice the kernels from the corn cob.
  • Use the grill to warm up the corn tortillas until just toasted.
  • Assemble the tacos starting with a bed of shredded cabbage, add the fish, the roasted corn. Add the avocado salsa, spicy cream sauce, minced cilantro and onion, and finish with a squeeze of lime.

And there you have it! Now all that’s left to do is collect the ingredients, follow Greg’s prep and grill steps, and enjoy a taste of tropics with your freshly grilled Mahi Mahi tacos.

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Backyard Bacon Cheeseburger Recipe by Ballistic BBQ

by Greg Mrvich

No backyard get-together is complete without one thing: burgers. Burgers are the quintessential American get-together food. There’s not much better than what Ballistic BBQ host Greg Mrvich is sharing; his ultimate bacon cheeseburger recipe. He pairs it with his own ultimate burger sauce. This delicious bacon cheeseburger recipe is easy to make at home and is a crowd-pleaser that’ll go over wonderfully with kids and grown-ups alike. And they’re even better than the average burger because of the delicious ultimate burger sauce and the delectable fried toppings that put it over the top.

A few fun facts about the ultimate American meal; the hamburger really does come from Hamburg, Germany. That’s pretty wild! Hamburg-style meat cuts made their way to America and became what Americans used to craft beef patties they slapped between two buns. The burger made it’s first grand, attention-grabbing appearance at the 1904 World Fair, where so many amazing things begin. From there, gained popularity, spiraling into something Americans eat on the Fourth of July, backyard barbecues, parties, and more. Now, you can find just about anything on a burger, including cheese and bacon (the quintessential bacon cheeseburger we all know and love). You can walk into just about any restaurant nowadays and order a delicious, beefy burger. But nothing beats a homemade patty.

Treat yourself, and those you love to entertain, with this delicious recipe. You’re going to want to keep it on deck for future parties and events. When you make it once, you’ll want to keep making it every chance you get!

Consider pairing it with some Easy Snacks: Homemade Potato Chips for a full and delicious meal. Or maybe make up some jam from this delicious recipe, Stuffed Pork Loin with Cranberry Apple Bacon Jam, to top them with something a little different. And, if one jam isn’t enough for you, try it with this delicious Jalapeño-Bacon Jam Recipe.

Greg Mrvich’s Ultimate Backyard Bacon Cheeseburger Recipe
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Greg Mrvich’s Ultimate Backyard Bacon Cheeseburger Recipe

Ultimate Burger Ingredients

  • 80/20 ground chuck

  • Shredded lettuce

  • Cheddar jack & sharp cheddar cheese slices

  • Brioche hamburger buns

  • Dill pickle chips

  • Kosher salt

  • ULTIMATE BURGER SAUCE INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup Mayo

  • 1/4 tbsp Old-style (seeded) mustard

  • 2 tbsp English-style mustard

  • 1 tsp Cider vinegar

  • 1/4 tsp Liquid Smoke

  • DEEP-FRIED TOPPING INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Anaheim chili peppers (peeled and sliced)

  • 2 Yellow chili peppers (peeled and sliced)

  • 1 Yellow onion (peeled, halved and sliced)

  • 4 strips Bacon (halved and sliced)

  • BREADING MIX INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup Flour

  • 1 cup Corn starch

  • 1.5 tsp Salt

  • 1.5 tsp Pepper

  • 1.5 tsp Paprika

Directions

  • Prep your Sauce
  • It’s just a mix of mayo, old-style mustard, English-style mustard, vinegar, and liquid smoke mixed until combined.
  • Prep Your Breading Mix
  • Mix flour, corn starch, salt, pepper, and paprika in a bowl.
  • Prep Your Toppings
  • Using a glove, peel the skin from your chili peppers.
  • Chop and slice the chilis, julienne-style, removing all the seeds.
  • Half and slice the bacon into small strips.
  • Chop a yellow onion.
  • Toss the chilis, bacon strips, and onions into your breading mix.
  • Pre-heat your peanut oil to 350ºF.
  • Coat all ingredients thoroughly and deep fry them in the peanut oil until golden brown.
  • Prep the Patties
  • Divide the ground chick into 6.5 oz. patties.
  • Sprinkle kosher salt on top.
  • Place them on a flattop griddle.
  • Toss your brioche buns on the griddle to let them toast slightly.
  • When they’re almost done, top them with cheese slices.
  • Pull your patties from the griddle, toss them on your lettuce-covered buns, and top with pickles, fried toppings, and some of Greg’s ultimate burger sauce.

Recipe Video

With your beautiful, freshly manicured backyard, it would be rude not to invite your friends over to enjoy homemade burgers that they can customize any way they’d like.

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Daniel Arms’ Top Venison Backstrap Recipe

by Daniel Arms

With Oklahoma deer season winding down, veteran homesteader Daniel Arms is turning his attention to something else: enjoying the fruits of his hunting labors! With a freezer full of freshly harvested meat at his disposal, Arms is breaking out his Pit Boss pellet grill to show you how he goes about preparing and cooking his favorite venison backstrap recipe. 

Aside from store-bought potatoes, the Arms Family Homestead host’s grilled backstrap venison will be also be accompanied by salad greens, carrots, and onions picked from his high tunnel greenhouse.

If you’re a venison fan, you’ve got to have this venison backstrap recipe on deck. You can share this with your friends and family at your next backyard party. You’ll be the talk of your friends once you’ve made this dish for them.

What Is Venison Backstrap?

So, what exactly is backstrap in this venison backstrap recipe?

If you’re a hunter, I’m sure you already know. But, for those of you out there that don’t yet have experience with venison, we’ve got a brief for you.

Backstraps are the two longest cuts of meat on the deer. They’re the muscles that run along the deer’s spine and lays across the tops of the ribs. Because of where the backstrap is located, it’s a tender muscle that’s not often used by the deer. It’s often mistaken for the tenderloin because it’s so tender, but tenderloins are far smaller and from a different part of the deer.

Grilled Venison Backstrap, Steamed Vegetables and Field Salad
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Grilled Venison Backstrap, Steamed Vegetables and Field Salad

Servings

4

servings
Total time

1

hour 

When Daniel Arms isn’t harvesting deer, he’s thinking about the myriad ways he can prepare them. With a freezer full of meat to show for his fall and winter efforts, the Arms Family Homestead host is throwing a couple of backstraps on his pellet grill to set the table for one of his best venison recipes.

Backstrap Cooking Ingredients

  • Lawry’s Steak & Chop with Garlic and Cracked Pepper Marinade

  • Steak and burger seasoning of your choice

  • FOIL PACKET POTATOES & CARROTS COOKING DIRECTIONS

  • Place small baby potatoes, ½ chopped yellow onion, and baby carrots in a foil packet with extra virgin olive oil and seasonings of your choice. Steam cook in the middle of the grill (where there’s the most heat) until cooked to your desire.

  • FIELD SALAD PREPARATION DIRECTIONS

  • Serve backstrap and steamed veggies with greenhouse salad consisting of romaine hearts, kale, and spinach topped with your favorite dressing.

Directions

  • Marinade backstrap in Lawry’s Steak & Chop with Garlic and Cracked Pepper Marinade (or marinade of your choice) in a Ziploc bag for minimum of 3 hours.
  • Remove backstrap from marinade and apply steak and burger seasoning of your preference.
  • Cook backstrap “low and slow” over indirect grill heat for 1-1 ½ hours at 250 degrees, then flip and cook another 1 hour.

Recipe Video

Now that you’re armed with this delicious venison backstrap recipe, you’re ready to go out and cook for your friends and family. You could even try pairing this with some delicious Smoked Creamed Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes for a full meal.

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How to Cook Wood Duck: With David Bancroft

by David Bancroft

Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and Prime Cuts host David Bancroft is known for reimagining, and redefining, wild-game cooking. When the Iron Chef Showdown contestant is out of the kitchen, however, he’s also known to be deep in the woods hunting up another field-to-table-inspired creation. And, his latest one—this ancho chili honey seared wood duck recipe with a sweet potato hash side—is absolutely to die for. 

Bancroft and his son Walker harvested the protein for this dish at the family’s Union Springs, Alabama hunting camp south of Auburn. “Wood ducks are small birds, and a special species,” Bancroft notes. “It was like shooting dive-bombing birds!”

How to Clean Your Wood Duck

Cleaning a duck isn’t a simple thing, but if you’re a hunter, chances are you’re familiar with the process and can get right into this wood duck recipe. But, if you’re not, we’ll break it down a little bit here.

The first thing you want to do is let your duck rest in a cool place for 12 to 24 hours. This makes it easier to skin or pluck your bird.

After your bird rests you can either pluck or skin, depending on your preference.

Next, you’ll want to gut the duck. This is a multi-step process that involves getting your hands inside the bird and removing the innards. There are some great guides out there on how best to do that effectively.

How to Cook Your Wood Duck

How you cook your wood duck is entirely up to you. However, our favorite way is seared on a cast iron like David Bancroft does it in this wood duck recipe.

This wood duck recipe also pairs well with these sides:

David Bancroft’s Top Seared Wood Duck Recipe
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David Bancroft’s Top Seared Wood Duck Recipe

Servings

4

servings

Here’s the Iron Chef Showdown runner-up’s latest creation: ancho chili honey seared wood duck and sweet potato hash.

ANCHO CHILE HONEY SEARED WOOD DUCK Ingredients

  • 6-8 Wood duck breasts

  • DUCK SPICE RUB

  • 1 tbsp Fine kosher salt

  • 1 tsp Garlic powder

  • 1 tsp Smoked paprika

  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon

  • 1/4 tsp Cumin

  • 1/4 tsp Sugar

  • Rub is good on all birds, backstraps, lamb or pork chops.

  • Add 1/4 tsp cayenne to create a spicy rub.

  • ANCHO CHILE HONEY SAUCE

  • 1 1/2 cups Honey

  • 1/2 cup Sugar

  • 5 Garlic cloves (minced)

  • 1 tbsp Fine kosher salt

  • 1 1/2 tbsp Pepper

  • 1 cup Water

  • 1 tbsp Ancho chile flakes or 1 ancho chili

  • 3 tbsp Sherry vinegar

  • SWEET POTATO HASH

  • 2 Large sweet potatoes (1/4-inch diced)

  • 1 Red onion (diced)

  • 1 Red bell pepper (diced)

  • 1/2 tbsp Rosemary (chopped)

  • 2 tsp Duck rub

  • 1/2 tsp Salt

  • 2 tbsp Olive oil

  • Add a dash of cayenne (for spice)

SWEET POTATO HASH DIRECTIONS

  • Toss all ingredients listed above to season evenly.
  • Place in Pyrex dish and bake in 350° oven until tender or about 15-18 minutes. 
  • Plate alongside seared wood duck.
  • SEARED WOOD DUCK DIRECTIONS
  • Mix the rub spices listed above. 
  • Season each breast evenly with slice rub. 
  • Heat large cast-iron skillet to medium/high heat. 
  • Drizzle a little grape seed or peanut oil in skillet and lay breasts skin-side down.
  • Press each breast down flat with spatula to ensure skin sears evenly.
  • Cook 2-3 minutes (or until crispy), then flip each breast and cook on flesh side for 2 minutes.
  • Remove breasts from skillet and allow to rest before slicing. 
  • Blend all ancho chile honey sauce ingredients listed above until smooth.
  • Place contents in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. 
  • Once at a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sauce slightly thickens and coats the back of a spoon. 
  • Spoon or drizzle the sauce on the duck. Enjoy!

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