Restaurateur Guy Fieri gives us the breakdown for Super Bowl party musts and recipes that'll help bring home a culinary win. (Associated Press)
Oh, Super Bowl parties. A time for trash-talk, friends and great food. But sometimes, there's too many factors to deal with when you host your own party. Is your TV big enough? What food do you serve? How many servings do you need?
While we can't help you with the TV issue, we can definitely lend a hand when it comes to the grub. Celebrity chef, football aficionado and lifelong Oakland Raiders fan Guy Fieri chatted with us about tips for Super Bowl Sunday. He also gave us some tasty recipes for the big game, which you can see below.
You're a big Raiders fan, right?
I am a Raiders fan. Been through the good, the bad and the ugly. If you're a true Raiders fan, you've been through the good times and the bad times. I mean, I'm happy we got our boy Marcel Reece in the Pro Bowl. That's a big deal. We beat some good teams this year ... the three wins we had.
Where does your passion for football come from?
I don't know how you couldn't be a football fan. I just think when you're at that age, a young kid, that was the greatest sporting event in the world. Still is. I feel sorry for the people that don't understand it; other countries that don't quite grasp the complexity and the mental game of football. It's amazing!
What's your favorite part of hosting a Super Bowl party?
Oh, I love the banter, the back and forth. One team scores and the other gets a hard time, and vice versa. I like all the armchair quarterbacks that are sitting there giving their prediction of how things should be handled. Everybody loves to come to my house for the Super Bowl because of the food. I like the commercials. I just like that it celebrates one of the greatest American traditions.The thing I hate is the depression that sets in after the final second ticks (away), and I realize that I have to wait until August. That's horrible. If they could just have year-round football. If I was president, I'd make year-round football.
Any must-haves for Super Bowl parties?
I try to keep the food fun and easy and mobile versus fork and knife kind of stuff. People are moving around. You gotta be ready for every nook and cranny of your house to be utilized because people are walking around, forgetting their drink in the bathroom and leaving their plate of food on the table. So keep it as far away as possible from the fork and knife. Don't spend your entire time cooking for the Super Bowl. Preparations the key. Just keep a good variety. Keep people guessing and let people help out. Let people bring stuff. Everybody needs chips and nuts and dips and sweet things. So when people ask what they can bring, so often we're quick to say, "Nothing, I've got it handled." But have people bring things. The easy things. And have A LOT of ice. Key is a lot of ice and keep your beverages outside.
Any predictions for the game?
Well, my wife's a huge Pats fan. So I gotta say I think that's where she wants it to go. I like Seattle for everything that they've accomplished, and I think they're an amazing team. But there's just something about the mystique, the charisma and the attitude of Brady. I think it's going to be the Pats.
Santa Maria Tri-Tip
Tri-tip is one of the most preferred cuts of meat west of the Mississippi, and is made for the grill. It has incredible texture, is marbled with fat, and only gets better with a little dry rub and smoke. Man cannot survive the holidays on turkey and stuffing alone.
Makes: 6 servings
Time: 8 hours
You'll need: Grill, instant-read thermometer
Prep-Ahead Tip: Achiote Oil can be made weeks in advance. Marinate and wrap the tri-tip at least 1 day before.
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
1/3 cup freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup garlic cloves
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Achiote Oil (recipe follows)
One 3 to 4-pound prime tri-tip roast
1. Combine the granulated garlic and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Mince the garlic and slowly incorporate the salt and sugar, alternating to create a paste. Add the Achiote Oil and mix well. Be careful; this oil will stain.
2. Rinse the roast under cold water and pat it dry. Rub with the garlic-achiote paste, evenly coating the meat. Sprinkle evenly with the granulated garlic and pepper mixture and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
3. Remove the wrap and allow the roast to come up in temperature while you preheat a well-oiled grill to medium-high heat. (If available, cook on grill over an open pit of red oak, which is traditional Santa Maria style).
4. Place the tri-tip on the grill and cook for 9 minutes, flip, cook for 9 minutes more on second side, and check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches 90°F, increase the grill heat to high and sear all sides of the roast, making sure to get a nice crust on it about 3 to 4 minutes each side. Set it aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes, loosely covered with aluminum foil.
5. Slice the tri-tip across the grain into thin (1/8 inch) pieces, drizzle any juices that have accumulated back onto the sliced meat, and serve immediately.
Achiote Oil
Makes: 1/2 cup
1 1/2 tablespoons achiote seeds
1/2 cup canola oil
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, toast the seeds for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the oil, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. The oil will become bright orange. Immediately remove from the heat, cool, and strain. Store the oil in a glass container in the refrigerator. The oil will keep for several months.
Tri-Tip Dip Sandwich with Horseradish Cream Sauce
This is without question one of my favorite sandwiches. I'm a French dip fanatic. The only thing I don't like about the French dip is it's typically made with the leftover prime rib from the night before. Sometimes it's old, dried and worn out. So the way to make the perfect dip is to cook the meat specifically for the sandwich. West of the Mississippi, it's easy to find the tri-tip. It's got great flavor, the right amount of fat, and when it's sliced super-thin on the bias it makes magic. The other key is toasty bread and a lot of jus. Jus means the juice (broth in this case) and au means "with" so au jus means "with juice." So it's funny when you see on a menu that a sandwich is served "with au jus" because it translates to "with with juice".
Makes: 6 sandwiches
Time: 35 minutes
You'll need: Grill, propane burner
Prep-Ahead Tip: Chill the cooked tri-tip so it's easier to slice nice and thin. Make the jus ahead of time, and when you reheat it you can fortify it with any off-cuts from the beef. Garlic butter and horseradish mayo can be made a day or two in advance. Simply store them in the fridge or cooler in an airtight container.
Jus
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup demi-glace
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cups low sodium beef stock
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Horseradish mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup prepared hot horseradish
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Sandwich
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 ciabatta rolls, sliced
2 to 3 pounds thinly sliced Santa Maria Tri-Tip (see above)
6 slices pepper jack cheese (optional)
1. To make the jus, set a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute the shallots and garlic in the olive oil and butter until caramelized lightly, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the flour and mix together to form a loose paste. Deglaze with the brandy and whisk in the demi-glace, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the aroma and flavor of the jus is rich and deep. Remove from the heat. Strain the broth to remove the garlic and shallots and return the liquid to the pot. Add the butter and swirl to melt and distribute it through the sauce. This adds a nice shine and richness. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
2. To prepare the horseradish mayo, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate.
3. Prepare a hot grill. Combine the soft butter with the minced garlic. Brush the cut sides of the ciabatta rolls with the butter and toast them on the grill on both sides until crispy. Smear with horseradish mayo.
4. To assemble each sandwich, dip the slices of tri-tip into the jus to rewarm for 30 to 45 seconds. Pile the meat onto the bottoms of the ciabatta rolls, top with cheese if you like, close the sandwich, cut in half and serve with extra jus on the side for dipping.
Andouille-Stuffed Pork Loin with Creole Mustard
If you want to add great flavor to a pork loin, brine it. If you want to add super flavor to your pork loin, stuff it with your favorite Cajun-country sausage. This recipe is worth all the effort.
Makes: 6 to 8 servings
Time: 3 hours
You'll need: Grill with lid, large freezer bag, honing steel, instant-read meat thermometer.
Prep-Ahead Tip: Prepare and brine the pork loin the morning of. Drain it, pat it dry, and stuff with andouille before you transport it to your tailgate, so all you have to do on-site is unwrap it and grill it.
Brine
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
12 black peppercorns
6 garlic coves, roughly chopped
6 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced into rings
4 cups ice cubes
Pork
One 3-pound boneless pork loin roast with a nice fat cap layer on top
1 large (about 4-ounce) Andouille sausage link
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
Creole mustard (e.g. Zatarain's)
1. To prepare the brine, bring 6 cups water, the salt, sugar, peppercorns, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and onion to a simmer in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and salt have completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice cubes to cool.
2. Place the pork loin in large freezer bag (or large plastic container with a lid). Pour the brine into the freezer bag, submerging the roast completely, seal and set aside for 2 hours.
3. Preheat the grill and set up two zones—one hot for searing and another medium for cooking through.
4. Using the tip of a paring knife, pierce the casing of the sausage all over (this will ensure the flavor of the sausage goes into the pork as it cooks). Remove the pork from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels. Using a clean honing steel, poke a hole into the center of the loin lengthwise and work it all the way through so it creates a cavity. Insert the sausage into the cavity so that it sits neatly within the roast. Season the roast with salt, pepper, granulated garlic, paprika, and cumin.
5. Wipe down the grates of the grill with oil-blotted towels. Place the roast on the hot part of the grill and sear fat side down, 3 to 4 minutes, and then on each of the three other sides. Transfer the roast to the cooler part of the grill (indirect heat) and cook until the internal temperature hits 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 45 to 55 minutes. Set the roast on a platter and tent with foil. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving into thick slices. Served drizzled with juices from the platter and the Creole mustard.
Traditional Oven Cooking Method
Pan-roast the pork by searing the roast on all four sides in a hot cast-iron pan over high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the pan to a preheated 350°F oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through to a temperature of 165°F in the center. Rest the roast in the pan, then slice and serve with the pan juices and mustard.