Chef Robert Fotch
The Chefs at Rex have been doing allot of pickling, brining and smoking lately. We make our own corned beef, pastrami, spicy dill pickles, Giardinere vegetables, Canadian bacon and even our own sauerkraut. During this evolution Chef Robert has been our go- to guy. He prepares the brines and keeps track of all our projects. The result is we make some of the best food out there. Our Pastrami (made from our own in house brined corned beef briskets) is smoked for 1 hour then slow cooked for 6 hours. It is awesome! This is what separates the BHC's from others
A selection of Robert's Recipes
Vegetable Giardinere
Making pickled vegetables is a tradition in many American households. It does not require the work you might expect of a long handed down custom. It takes only an hour or so of preparation and two or three days of waiting and keeps in the refrigerator for weeks. Here is a quick recipe that our Black Hat Chefs make regularly.
BHC Giardiniera vegetables
4 cups cup water
¼ cup salt
2 T sugar
1 lb green Italian olives, crushed
1 large yellow onion sliced (or 1 cup tiny pearl onions, peeled)
1 garlic clove, sliced thin
2 jalpenos sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
1 stalk celery, sliced diagonally
2 cups cauliflower florets cut into small chunks
1 cup broccoli floret
½ red bell pepper, quartered and sliced
½ cup white vinegar or
½ cup dry white wine
1 t red pepper flakes
2 T sugar
Directions: combine water sugar and salt. Bring to a boil remove from heat. Place vegetables in a upright container and pour hot liquid over vegetables. Allow to cool and place in refrigeration for 24 hours. Remove from liquid and rinse well
Add Hot pepper, vinegar, wine and sugar. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks
BHC Giardiniera vegetables
4 cups cup water
¼ cup salt
2 T sugar
1 lb green Italian olives, crushed
1 large yellow onion sliced (or 1 cup tiny pearl onions, peeled)
1 garlic clove, sliced thin
2 jalpenos sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
1 stalk celery, sliced diagonally
2 cups cauliflower florets cut into small chunks
1 cup broccoli floret
½ red bell pepper, quartered and sliced
½ cup white vinegar or
½ cup dry white wine
1 t red pepper flakes
2 T sugar
Directions: combine water sugar and salt. Bring to a boil remove from heat. Place vegetables in a upright container and pour hot liquid over vegetables. Allow to cool and place in refrigeration for 24 hours. Remove from liquid and rinse well
Add Hot pepper, vinegar, wine and sugar. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks
Turkey Pastrami
This turkey pastrami is one of the best we have had. It is a lower fat cousin to beef pastrami. The Black Hat Chefs make both versions but we like to feature this with our healthier options at the Cib/o Grille
6 Pound Boneless Turkey breast (skin removed)
2 T coriander seeds
3T Black peppercorns
2 T Kosher salt
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 T paprika
1T mustard seeds
3 t ground ginger
8 cloves garlic, minced
Place peppercorns and coriander seeds in spice grinder and pulse until it is a coarse grind.
Add remaining spices and mix well.
Rinse turkey and pat dry with towel. Generously rub turkey breasts all over with splice rub. Wrap well with plastic wrap and allow to cure for 24 hours.
When cured, place turkey in smoker and smoke for 2 hours or until an internal temp of 170 is reached. Allow to cool and slice across the grain
The BHC use a hickory smoke for a robust flavor .
6 Pound Boneless Turkey breast (skin removed)
2 T coriander seeds
3T Black peppercorns
2 T Kosher salt
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 T paprika
1T mustard seeds
3 t ground ginger
8 cloves garlic, minced
Place peppercorns and coriander seeds in spice grinder and pulse until it is a coarse grind.
Add remaining spices and mix well.
Rinse turkey and pat dry with towel. Generously rub turkey breasts all over with splice rub. Wrap well with plastic wrap and allow to cure for 24 hours.
When cured, place turkey in smoker and smoke for 2 hours or until an internal temp of 170 is reached. Allow to cool and slice across the grain
The BHC use a hickory smoke for a robust flavor .
Homemade Sauerkraut
Our incredibly simple recipe makes the best sauerkraut. The Black Hat Chefs always have a batch fermenting. It is easy and delicious
5 pounds sliced cabbage
3T kosher salt
Place cabbage in a pan and sprinkle salt all over the cabbage, work the salt in well to make sure all cabbage is covered. Allow to sit at room temp for 2 hours. The salt will begin to pull the moisture out of the cabbage, which makes a natural brine. Place cabbage and liquid in a container with a lid and allow to sit at room temp for 10 days. Keep in a cool dark place. Once it has fermented, place in refrigerator and use as needed. Keeps for 3-4 weeks.
5 pounds sliced cabbage
3T kosher salt
Place cabbage in a pan and sprinkle salt all over the cabbage, work the salt in well to make sure all cabbage is covered. Allow to sit at room temp for 2 hours. The salt will begin to pull the moisture out of the cabbage, which makes a natural brine. Place cabbage and liquid in a container with a lid and allow to sit at room temp for 10 days. Keep in a cool dark place. Once it has fermented, place in refrigerator and use as needed. Keeps for 3-4 weeks.