BIG TEX BRISKET PATTY MELT

My take on the classic patty melt—a burger with cheese on toasted bread rather than a hamburger bun—packs in the flavor with shredded smoked brisket, smoked bacon, ground beef, Kentucky bourbon, pepper jack cheese, and Texas toast.

This dish brings me back to my trips to Kansas City while pitching for the California Angels and Texas Rangers. We used to visit Gates Bar-B-Q, where they would cook brisket low and slow to perfection. Kansas City was always one of my favorite restaurant towns while I was pitching in the American League, and I still enjoy my visits to KC to explore new places for steak or brisket.

Here in Texas, one of the best places to enjoy brisket is Rudy’s Bar-B-Q, where you can order the meat lean or regular. If you get the lean brisket the sauce is probably essential, because the meat does not have much flavor on its own; with the regular brisket, though, you can skip the sauce because the meat has big flavor thanks to the fat content. This patty melt is a unique and intriguing blend of brisket and ground chuck, the ultimate dish to impress your friends and family.

SERVES 8

PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 10 MINUTES

1 pound smoked brisket, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 yellow onions, sliced thin

16 slices smoked bacon

4 pounds ground chuck (80-20 meat-to-fat ratio)

3 tablespoons Nolan Ryan Steak Seasoning (here)

16 slices Texas Toast (here)

8 slices white cheddar cheese

8 slices pepper jack cheese

1 recipe Kentucky Bourbon BBQ Sauce (recipe follows)

1 Preheat the grill to high and the oven to its lowest setting. Lightly oil the grill grates.

2 Warm the brisket in a small roasting pan in the oven.

3 Melt the butter and oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions until golden brown. Transfer the onions to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

4 Cook the bacon in the same skillet until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and tent with foil to keep warm.

5 Form the ground chuck into 16 patties. Season the patties with the steak seasoning and pepper.

6 Grill the patties (in batches, if necessary) for 5 minutes per side and transfer to a platter.

7 Place the Texas toast on the grill. Cover each with a slice of cheese and allow it to melt evenly.

8 To form each patty melt, place 1 beef patty, 2 slices bacon, some brisket, and some onions on a slice of cheddar cheese–covered toast. Spoon on some BBQ sauce and cover the patty with a slice of pepper jack–covered toast.

Kentucky Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Makes 2 cups

Prep time: 10 minutes

½ cup Kentucky bourbon

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)

1 teaspoon honey

1¾ cups barbecue sauce of your choice

1 Pour the bourbon into a deep saucepan and flame it to burn off the alcohol—take care not to get too close to the pan!

2 Let the bourbon simmer over high heat until half of the liquid has evaporated.

3 Stir in the Dijon mustard, pepper, adobo, and honey. Add the barbecue sauce and stir with a whisk.

4 Cook on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

ADOBO & BEER–BRAISED BRISKET

The nutty, toasty, and rich flavors of beer and adobo (the liquid from canned chipotle peppers) are key elements in many Mexican dishes, and in this brisket recipe they combine perfectly with the guajillo peppers, onions, beef broth, and cider vinegar.

Brisket has gotten really popular as a BBQ item here in Texas. When I go to Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que in Llano, they have a pit with lots of great choices: beef ribs, brisket, chopped beef, rib-eye, prime rib, sirloin, and T-bone, as well as cabrito (goat kid) and chicken. I usually get five slices of brisket and two other meats.

SERVES 8 TO 10

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES, PLUS 1 DAY TO MARINATE THE MEAT

COOKING TIME: 4 HOURS

1 whole brisket, trimmed of excess fat

1 recipe Guajillo Pepper Paste (here)

1 cup olive oil

6 large yellow onions, cut into thick rings

1 bay leaf

2 cups beef broth

1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer

¼ cup cider vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 Place the brisket in a large roasting pan and rub it on all sides with the guajillo pepper paste. Cover the pan with foil and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight to infuse the flavor into the meat.

2 Preheat the oven to 375°F.

3 Transfer the brisket to a platter momentarily. Heat ½ cup of the olive oil in the roasting pan over medium heat until the first wisp of smoke rises.

4 Return the brisket to the roasting pan and sear it on all sides until it turns a nice golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes per side.

5 Transfer the brisket to the platter again.

6 Heat the remaining ½ cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and bay leaf and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7 Transfer half of the sautéed onions to a bowl and reserve.

8 Place the brisket on the onions remaining in the pan, and then top with the reserved onions. Pour in the beef broth, beer, and vinegar; the liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the meat.

9 Cover the pan with foil and place it in the oven. Cook, basting every 30 minutes with the beer broth, until the brisket is tender and the internal temperature reaches 155°F, about 3½ hours.

10 Remove the pan from the oven. Turn the brisket upside-down so the juices flow back in, and let it rest in the pan for 15 minutes.

11 Transfer the brisket to a cutting board, right side up.

12 Skim off any fat from the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Pour or ladle the sauce into a bowl.

13 Slice the meat across the grain and serve with the sauce.

BEEF SATAY WITH PINEAPPLE MARINADE

At the end of a long day at work at the ranch, this charred steak cooked with skewers on the grill is the perfect way to finish on a high note. The wonderfully pungent flavors of sherry, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and pineapple juice combine perfectly with the smokiness of the grilled flank steak. Think of this beef satay as an appetizer course before my Summer Grilled Tenderloin of Beef with Spicy Crab and Avocado Salad (here) or Cobb Salad with Sirloin (here).

MAKES 16 TO 20 SKEWERS

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES, PLUS 2 HOURS TO MARINATE THE MEAT

COOKING TIME: 6 MINUTES

½ cup pineapple juice

⅓ cup soy sauce

¼ cup dry sherry

1½ tablespoons hoisin sauce

¼ cup chopped scallions

1 teaspoon grated ginger

2 pounds flank steak, trimmed of all fat

1 In a large glass baking dish, combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, sherry, hoisin sauce, scallions, and ginger. Set aside ¼ cup of the marinade in a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate to use later for basting.

2 Cut the flank steaks across the grain on a diagonal into ¼-inch-thick slices. Place the steak slices in the marinade and turn to coat well. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.

3 Preheat the grill to high and lightly oil the grill grates. Soak 16 to 20 wooden skewers in water for at least 10 minutes.

4 Drain the steak and discard the marinade. Thread the steak slices onto the skewers.

5 Grill the skewers (in batches, if necessary) for 3 minutes per side, brushing periodically with the reserved marinade.

EASY FLANK STEAK SANDWICH ON SOURDOUGH TOAST

I discovered sourdough on my baseball road trips to the Bay Area, while pitching for the Astros against the San Francisco Giants. San Francisco is probably the best restaurant city in the United States, and I really enjoy the Dungeness crab and sourdough bread. I probably consume more than I should, but it is one of the true pleasures of dining out in San Francisco.

For me, sourdough toast is the perfect sandwich bread—just the right texture and flavor to complement the flank steak, sliced avocado, lettuce, and tomato.

MAKES 8 SANDWICHES

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 10 TO 14 MINUTES

2 pounds flank steak, trimmed of all fat

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

4 teaspoons Nolan Ryan Steak Seasoning (here)

16 slices fresh sourdough bread

4 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced thin

1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

2 large tomatoes, sliced thin

2 large red onions, sliced thin

1 recipe Sriracha Aioli (recipe follows)

1 Preheat the grill to medium-high and lightly oil the grill grates.

2 Rub the steaks all over with the oil and steak seasoning.

3 Cook the steaks (in batches, if necessary) for 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes.

4 Place the sourdough slices on the grill and toast until light brown on both sides.

5 Cut the steaks diagonally across the grain into thin strips.

6 Make the steak sandwiches with avocado, lettuce, tomato, and onion, and top with sriracha aioli.