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Barbacoa

April 24, 2024 • 8 comments • Posted in: barbacoa, bbq, beef, caribbean, chipotle, mexican, tacos

Barbacoa is a Mexican beef dish that's slow cooked til juicy, soft and tender, then coated in a savory red chile sauce that has just a tiny hint of spice and a huge hit of flavor. If you like carnitas, al pastor, adovada, carne asada, or birria tacos, you're going to love barbacoa. But even better, it's one of the easiest taco fillings to make at home.

What is barbacoa?

Barbacoa originated in the Caribbean as an in-ground slow cooked whole animal wrapped in leaves, but these days it's most closely associated with Mexican food. Barbacoa is said to be the original word for barbeque, and it's basically the same thing: slow cooked meat imbued with a lot of flavor. Mexican barbacoa as we know it today is a juicy and flavorful soft shredded beef/lamb/goat seasoned with dried chiles and spices and cooked until it falls apart. It's sweet, tangy, and just a little spicy. You can serve it in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, flautas, and much more. This version is an easy and simplified barbacoa de res, which translates to barbacoa beef, although you could adapt this recipe to lamb or goat if you want.

How to make barbacoa

1. Soak the peppers. Soak the peppers in super hot water to rehydrate them. If you want to be extra, you can toast them over a low flame to coax out some extra flavor before soaking.
2. Season the meat. While the peppers are soaking, season your meat generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. Make the marinade. Grab your blender and blend together the peppers, garlic, oregano, cumin, beef stock, and vinegar.
4. Marinate overnight. Marinate as long as you can, or for at least 2 hours so the beef can absorb the flavors. Don’t forget to season your beef with salt and pepper first.
5. Make the stew. Caramelize the onions to add a little sweetness, add the beef (you can sear it if you want, but we’re aiming for soft and tender meat) along with all the marinade, then top it off with extra beef stock, bay leaves, and cloves.

Barbacoa ingredients

Barbacoa is made of beef, dried chile, garlic, onions, spices, vinegar, and beef broth. It’s amazing how such simple ingredients combine together to create a deeply flavorful, out of this world taste.

• Dried guajillo chiles. These sun dried peppers add an authentic touch of mexican flavor to any stew and you can usually find them in the Mexican aisle of your local grocery store. They are like a mild-medium pepper and don’t add any heat. If you can’t find guajillo, sub any dried mexican/southwestern peppers, such as ancho, new mexico, california, or pasilla. If you really can’t find them, you can sub a can of chipotle peppers in adobo.
• Mexican oregano. Mexican oregano is different than Mediterranean oregano; it's actually a different plant. Mexican oregano is indigenous to Mexico and has a more woodsy, citrus-lime earthy flavor compared to Mediterranean oregano. You can find it in the Mexican aisle at the grocery store.
• Cumin. Cumin gives the barbacoa a nutty, earthy, spicy, almost lemon-y aroma.
• Vinegar. Vinegar tenderizes the beef and balances out the richness of the meat. You can use whatever vinegar you have on hand.

Barbacoa tacos

In my opinion, barbacoa is the best homemade taco filling other than birria. Once you have your barbacoa made, it's easy:

• Shred the meat. When the beef is done cooking, take the beef out of the consomé and use a couple of forks to shred it up. It’ll be so tender that it’ll basically fall apart instantly. Spoon some extra consomé back on so it’s extra juicy.
• Warm the tortillas. You need warm tortillas for the best taco experience. Soft and pliable tacos are where it’s at. We like using a tortilla warmer but you can just wrap your tortillas up in slightly damp paper towels and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds. You can also char them on the stove for some crispy edges or lightly frying them on a nonstick skillet.
• Fill the tacos. Be generous and top up your tacos with beef and a little drizzle of the consomé that the beef cooked in.
• Top it up. Finish off your tacos with some toppings. Classic is chopped cilantro and onions, but you can go with anything you like. We added some pickled onions and sliced jalapeños. Don’t forget the hot sauce!

Beef barbacoa

For barbacoa de res, the meat is traditionally beef brisket, but you can choose any kind you like. Because it's a stew, you want a cheaper cut that has some connective tissue and a little fat. The best cuts of beef that are ideal for stewing are: chuck, brisket, shank, cheek, and short ribs. The recipe specifies just one cut, but I usually do a combination of two or more, usually chuck and short ribs for some richness.

Instant Pot Barbacoa

This recipe is best made in the Instant Pot because it's easy, fast, and it locks in flavor. It's truly a one pot, set and forget kind of affair.

Slow cooker barbacoa

If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can make this in a crockpot or other slow cooker. Saute the onions first on high heat, then add the rest of the ingredients and set to low heat for 4-6 hours, until the beef is tender and shreddable.

Stovetop barbacoa

Saute the onions over med-high in a deep stockpot, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cover slightly ajar and turn down to a bare simmer for 4-6 hours, until the beef is tender and shreddable. Keep an eye on the liquid level by checking back every hour or so, adding more beef broth as necessary.

Oven-braised barbacoa

This is the same as stovetop with the bonus advantage that you don't need to worry about it ever burning. Saute the onions over med-high in an oven proof pot such as a dutch oven, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and place in a 300ºF 4-6 hours, until the beef is tender and shreddable.

What to serve with barbacoa

• Have a taco party with some other taco fillings like carnitas, al pastor, adovada, carne asada, or birria
• Since you'll have tortillas on hand, nothing beats homemade fresh fried tortilla chips
• Finish off with some mexican rice
• And of course, pairing anything guacamole is always the answer.

 

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Buc-ee’s Review: Best Ever Road Trip Stop

April 22, 2024 • 5 comments • Posted in: road trip, shopping, travel

Have you even been to Texas if you haven’t been to Buc-ees? If you've never been, read this Buc-ee's review to learn exactly why you need to make this a stop on your next road trip! For the uninitiated, Buc-ee’s is a beloved Texas institution of gas station slash convenience store slash travel center. It’s hard to explain the hold Buc-ee’s has on Texans, and, even though I’m not Texan, on me. They have a beaver for a logo, every single road trip snack you could ever want, brisket, tacos, souvenirs, and very cutely branded apparel. I am writing this post in advance of visiting my first ever Buc-ee’s, that’s how excited I am. After the visit, I’ll let you know my impressions and if everything lived up to expectation. My main goals are: a Buc-ee’s tee and allllllll the snacks. I’m doing the research and they reconnaissance so you don’t have to. I’m back and it was more glorious than I imagined!!

What to expect during your first visit to Buc-ee’s

First off, Buc-ee’s is no tiny gas station mart - it’s HUGE. It’s truly a 24/7 travel center with endless freshly made foods, aisles and aisles of snacks and drinks, and for some reason, houseware. It’s more a shopping destination than a quick convenience stop. Second, you’ll be bombarded everywhere with Bucky the Beaver: stuffies, branded snacks, tees, inflatables, you imagine it, they’ve got it. It’s like visiting an amusement park, if amusement parks were actually gas stations. Third, Buc-ee’s prides itself on being clean. And it is! Everything, from the restrooms, to the pumps, to the parking lot, to the floors is immaculate.

A review of the famous Buc-ee’s foods and snacks

That's really why we're here, after all!

Beaver Nuggets

I was most excited to try Beaver Nuggets. I wanted to try them ALLLLLLLLL and I’ve boughten every package. The classic is caramel corn, but with a puffed corn nugget without any hull. It’s sweet and crunchy and like caramel kettle corn without any of the annoying bits. Beaver Nuggets also come in sea salt carmel, cinnamon, and chocolate covered.

Buc-ee’s Nugees

Basically the same as the sweet nuggets, a puffed corn that’s savory instead of sweet. So far they have white cheddar, bold-n-spicy, and habanero.

Gummies

Gummy candies galore! All your favorites and probably a few that you haven’t tried before like the chamoy peach rings. They’re sweet, spicy and savory thanks to chamoy, the Mexican salty, sweet-n-sour, sauce that’s served with fruit.

Fudge

Fresh slabs of house-made fudge, in more than 20 flavors are sold by the pound or you can mix and match packages of pre-cut squares.

Beaver Tails

If you’ve been to Canada, you’ve probably had a beaver tail pastry, but the Buc-ee’s version is totally different. Essentially a long, flat cinnamon croissant roll, it’s flaky, buttery, sweet, and cinnamon-y.

Jerky

Buc-ee’s is synonymous with jerky. They have an entire daily counter that serves up fresh jerky you can buy by weight, as well as a wall of jerky packages. They come in a huge amount of flavors and they sample them too! I’m not a huge jerky fan, but I tasted the sweet jerky and the garlic jerky and as far as jerkies go, they were great.

Banana Pudding

Banana pudding is a classic southern treat, but not one you’ll usually see at a gas station. If you haven’t had banana pudding before - essentially a parfait with vanilla wafers, slices of banana, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream - try it here! They come in small and large cups and are house made daily.

Kolaches

Texas has a huge American Czech community and as a result, kolaches, a pillowy hand-held bread filled with sweet or savory stuffings are incredibly popular. Buc-ee’s sells them too, in a variety of sweet and savory flavors and they’re a bread-y, satisfying snack.

Brisket

Walk into Buc-ee’s and you’ll immediately smell the brisket, thanks to the central counter where they’re smoking and chopping up fresh brisket all day long. They serve it up in sandwiches, tacos, or sliced or chopped.

Beaver Chips

Everything is beaver themed, even the chips. But honestly, where have you ever seen freshly fried chips at a gas station? They come in brown bags, hot-n-fresh, to best accompany those beaver brisket sandwiches.

Roasted Nuts

Sugar-y glazed nuts, in both regularl and cinnamon-glazed are a Texan favorite. They’re candy coated right in store and kept warm until you pick up a package for snacking on. It’s kinda like you’re at the state fair, but in a gas station!

Hot Sauce

Apparently Texans like hot sauce. Buc-ee’s has their own branded craft sauces ranging from okay hot to extremely hot. We were definitely tempted to buy all of them to do a hot ones Buc-ee’s hot sauce challenge. That’s it! Buc-ee’s was everything I dreamed and more. I’m wearing my Buc-ee’s hoodie right now and am going to enjoy by cup of banana pudding. I’ll be back, Buc-ee’s! Until then, I’ll be dreaming about you! xoxo steph

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Korean BBQ Guide

April 20, 2024 • 22 comments • Posted in: bulgogi, korean bbq, korean food

A Korean BBQ at home is the best kind of dinner party. This is a little 101 on all things Korean BBQ at home. What it is, what you should buy, how you should set the table, and how you do it.

Why you should throw yourself a Korean BBQ party

Korean barbecue is all about balance and contrast between flavors and textures. It’s completely customizable so that everyone at the table can eat exactly what they want. Here’s what happens when you go out for KBBQ: You sit down and a bunch of tiny plates that you haven’t ordered come out. These are banchan: little side dishes that go with Korean BBQ. You order your meats and they come to the table, raw. You grill them, wrap them up in lettuce, dip/top them, then eat them up. Everything is smoky, meaty, savory, and delicious. Eat meat, drink copious amounts of alcohol, and repeat! Sounds fun right?! Mike and I LOVE going for Korean barbecue. It’s one of our things – late night grilling and chatting the night away. I like the interactive part of it and Mike likes the meat and alcohol. We both love the food. We’ve eaten at countless Korean barbecue restaurants and earlier this year, when everyone was in lockdown, we were really, really missing Korean barbecue. It was an itch we just had to scratch. So we did the thing: the ultimate way to KBBQ, right at home.

Table of Contents

• What is Korean BBQ
• How to make Korean BBQ
• How to eat KBBQ
• What kind of grill for Korean BBQ?
• Where to buy the best korean bbq meats
• The best cuts of meat for KBBQ
• Banchan/Side dishes
• Korean BBQ Sauces
• Recommended Vegetables
• How much food should I make?
• Drinks for KBBQ

What is Korean BBQ

Korean BBQ is the popular method of grilling meat right at the dining table. Korean BBQ restaurants have gas, charcoal, or portable stove grills built into the tables. Marinated meats like bulgogi and kalbi are grilled and eaten along with various small Korean side dishes called banchan.

This is a really long post, but the gist of it is: grill meat at the table, pop it into a leafy vegetable, top it off with sauce and enjoy.

At the very minimum you’ll need:

1. A grill/hot plate.
2. Marinated meats.
3. Vegetables + sauce.
4. Banchan or side dishes. This is optional, I guess, but it’s not really Korean BBQ with out it.
5. Drinks. A key part of KBBQ.

How to make Korean BBQ

1. A few hours before you want to eat, or the day before, marinate the meats, prep the vegetables, buy the banchan, and make the sauces in this post. Buy the liquor you need and refrigerate because no one should drink warm soju if they can avoid it.
2. When you are ready to eat, make the rice and the noodles and set the table up with banchan, dipping sauces, rice, and noodles.
3. Heat up your grill or hot plate. Make sure the windows are open if you’re inside.
4. Brush some oil on the grill.
5. When it’s hot, add some slices of meat. Flip as needed.
6. As the pieces are cooked, take them off the grill, wrap it up, top it, sauce it, and eat it. See below for details. You can also take the cooked pieces off the grill and place them on a plate. Cook, eat, and repeat.

How to eat KBBQ

Korean BBQ is traditionally eaten in ssam form. Ssam just means wrap, but the implication is a one-bite-sized wrap of fresh cold lettuce with a small piece of grilled meat and topped with sauce (ssamjang).

1. Grill some meat (above). If it is too large to eat as one bite (as in the case of short ribs) use a pair of kitchen shears to cut it down. This is traditional.
2. Wrap it up in lettuce and perilla.
3. Top or dip it in sauce.
4. One bite it.
5. Savor and repeat!

What should I buy for Korean BBQ at home

To be honest, you can probably buy everything you need at H-Mart or a local Korean grocery store. They’ll even have marinated meats for you. If you don’t live near a Korean grocery store, you can buy meat and marinate it yourself. Don’t sweat it if you don’t have any banchan. At its core, Korean barbecue is about wrapping delicious meat in lettuce and dipping it in ssamjang.

What kind of grill do you need?

The most important thing you’ll need for Korean BBQ is a grill or hot plate. A korean BBQ grill is specifically designed to let the fat safely run off without flaring up so that you can cook indoors, and also not let any thinly sliced or tiny pieces of meat fall through. They sell a bunch of different ones online and they also sell them at Asian grocery stores. Besides the grill, you need a heat source. Your options are:

• Charcoal - best tasting but you can't use charcoal indoors or on balconies and it's the biggest pain to get charcoal lit, let it cool down after, and dispose of properly. If you have a backyard and want to take things to the next level, you should give it a try though!
• Induction - induction is nice because it's safe and easy to clean, but it doesn't get as hot as Korean BBQ should get, and you have to use induction specific metal that can be hard to find in Korean BBQ grill pan shapes. We have an induction cooktop but we don't use it because the next option is the best.
• Portable Butane Stove - these can be used indoors (with proper ventilation) and get plenty hot. They have combo grills too where the grill is attached to the element. The best thing to do though is to buy a separate stove and grill from the same company so that its a tight fit but you can just throw the grill pan into the sink or dishwasher later. We have this Iwatani butune stove and this Iwatani Korean BBQ grill pan and we love them. If you mix and match, sometimes the grill and the stove won't be a good fit and the grill can slide right off. The difference between a $20 grill and a $50 grill is immense, by the way.

Pro tip

You’ll want to keep a window open during your KBBQ party no matter what grill you use because it will get smoky. If you have a backyard, you can do a backyard KBBQ party but if you don’t, you can do it at home too, just keep your hood fan on and know that you’ll need ventilation. Maybe keep a stick around to press the hush button on your smoke detector if you have crazy tall ceilings. Read more in the smoke section below. Aside from the grill/hot plate, you’ll need a bunch of tiny dishes for your banchan, small individual dipping dishes for sauces, tongs, scissors (for cutting the meat into smaller pieces) and plates and bowls for eating. And the food, of course!

Where to buy the best korean bbq meats?

If you have access to H-Mart, a nation-wide Korean grocery store, it’s going to be the absolute best place to buy the best KBBQ meats. They will have all the right cuts and they even sell the meats marinated, if you want a super easy chill vibes BBQ night: After H-Mart, most Asian grocery stores will have a selection of pre-sliced meats in the frozen section that are probably meant for hot pot but will work great for KBBQ. And, finally, you can hit up the regular grocery store or a butcher. You can buy a rib-eye, pop it in the freezer and thinly slice it. Instead of Korean flanken-cut short ribs, get some boneless short ribs and slice those thin as well. Most grocery stores carry pork belly slices (sometimes called side pork) and chicken is always a good choice too, especially when you marinate it in the spicy bulgogi marinade.

The best cuts of meat for KBBQ

Beef

• Kalbi/Short Ribs: These ribs are cut specifically for KBBQ, which are flanken cut short ribs, where the ribs are cut thin across the bone. You can also do boneless short ribs too, which are usually cut a bit thicker.
• Bulgogi: Bulgogi actually refers to the sweet and savory marinade/sauce, not the cut of meat, but most commonly used are thinly cut slices of sirloin, ribeye, or brisket.

Bulgogi vs Kalbi

Even though they’re both beef, they’re not the same. The biggest difference is the cut of meat used. Bulgogi is made with thinly sliced meat and kalbi are short ribs. The marinade is essentially the same.

Pork

• Samgyeopsal/Pork Belly: Samgyeopsal is probably the most popular pork item because pork belly. It comes either marinated or plain and can be thick cut or thin.
• Hanjungsal/Pork Jowl: This might be my favorite cut of pork ever. Pork jowl is chewy, juicy, and perfectly marbled. It doesn’t flare up on the grill up as much as pork belly because the fat is more marbled throughout the meat. If you see it at the store, buy some, you won’t regret it! I recommend keeping hanjungsal unmarinated/plain.

Chicken

• Cheese Buldak: Chicken is not as popular at KBBQ, but they do have it, usually prepared cheese buldak style: chicken thighs marinated in a spicy gochujang fiery sauce. The thighs are grilled then, smothered in melty mozzarella cheese. I love this dish! It’s usually brought to the table in it’s own little skillet, already cooked.
• Chicken Bulgogi: If you do want to grill chicken at the table, it’s usually thighs marinated in bulgogi sauce.

Banchan for Korean Barbecue

If you've ever been to a Korean restaurant you know Banchan. They are absolutely a key part of Korean barbecue. Banchan, or side dishes, are placed around the grill for everyone to share. I always judge Korean barbecue restaurants for their banchan because you know if they’re taking care with their banchan, they’re taking care with everything else. You can make your own banchan (please check out Maangchi for some great recipes!), but if you’re lucky enough to have an H-Mart in your town or close by, it’s worth it to go there because they have a whole HUGE refrigerated section of prepared banchan. Plus you can get some Melona ice cream bars and roasted seaweed snacks that are 10 times cheaper than the seaweed snacks at Whole Foods.

Some common banchan are:

• Kimchi: This comes in several varieties and most Korean bbq places will give you more than one kind. Buy a couple of different kimchi varieties at a local Korean grocery store. Otherwise, most large supermarkets have the standard baechu kimchi (napa cabbage). Kkakdugi, or cubed radish/daikon is super popular and oi sobagi, or cucumber is always a good choice.
• Kongnamul: These are soy bean sprouts that are seasoned with sesame oil, soy, scallions and garlic.
• Danmuji: These iconic picked yellow daikon are the kind that you find in kimbap! Crunchy, sweet and sour, and so addictive.
• Gim/Seaweed: There are a bunch of different seaweed banchan you can get: seasoned seaweed salads made with roasted seaweed (doljaban muchim), seaweed stems (miyeok julgi bokkeum), wakame (miyeok muchim).
• Gamja/Potatoes: This is my FAVORITE banchan umbrella - all the potato side dishes. There’s potato salad (gamja saelleodeu), sweet and savory braised potatoes (gamja jorim), and sticky soy glazed potatoes (gamja bokkeum). Give me ALL the gamja!
• Eggs: Gyeran jangjorim, or soy marinated eggs (either regular or quail) make for a cute and tasty side dish. Rolled omelette (gyeran mari) is what I consider a premium banchan because who doesn’t love a rolled omelette studded with vegetable confetti?! I also love gyeranjjim, which are steamed eggs that come in a little stoneware pot.
• Jeon/Pancakes: Again, this is a premium banchan! If you want to go ALL out, break out the jeon, which are savory pancakes/battered pan-fried deliciousness. The classic is pajeon (green onion pancake) or kimchijeon (kimchi pancake), but there are haemuljeon (seafood), and even gamjajeon (potato ?)

My favorite banchan to make at home: gyeran mari

Rolled omelette/gyeran mari is the best banchan because they’re pretty and taste amazing too! How could you not love rolled eggs with tiny vegetable confetti?! Here’s how you make it:

1. Finely chop some scallions and carrots, you want about 1 and a half tablespoons of each.
2. Lightly whisk together 4 eggs and season with salt, making sure they’re evenly mixed.
3. Stir in the finely chopped vegetables.
4. Use a small nonstick frying pan and heat up a bit of oil over medium low heat.
5. Add about 1/3 of the egg mix and swirl to coat the pan.
6. Cook until the egg just starts to set then use a spatula to fold the egg over about 2 inches. Continue to fold and roll it, then push it to one side of the pan.
7. In the empty spot in the pan, add some more of the egg mix, letting it cook until it is just about set but still runny on top. Roll the egg up and push it to one side of the pan.
8. Repeat until you finish the egg mix.
9. Remove from the pan, let cool slightly, and slice into thick slices.
10. Enjoy along with your KBBQ!

Korean BBQ Sauces

It isn’t a KBBQ party without sauces! The table needs sauces and seasoning so everyone can customize to their hearts content.

• Ssamjang: This translates to wrap sauce and that’s exactly what it is, sauce to put on your ssam/wrap. It’s made up of soybean paste/doenjang, hot pepper paste/gochujang, sugar, green onions, garlic, toasted sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. Every one has their own recipe so don’t be afraid to riff and adjust to what you like. Ssamjang is savory and sweet and touch spicy and really, really good.
• Toasted sesame oil: A little dipping bowl of toasted sesame oil is a pro-move. Use this, with a bit of salt sprinkled on top when you want to really taste the pure flavors of the meat. I love it with pork, especially pork that hasn’t been marinated.
• Salt: Just a little dish of salt for sprinkling onto the un-marinated meats to bring out their meaty flavors. Flakey sea salt is extra luxe.
• Toasted sesame seeds: A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds can add an extra hit of savory nuttiness to your ssam.

Here are three KBBQ dipping sauce recipes to get you started

Sesame oil, salt, and pepper

A super savory sauce that lets the flavors of the ingredient that you’re grilling shine through. 2 tsp toasted sesame oil plus 1 small pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Ssamjang

This is a thick sauce that works best when you scoop it in your ssam! 1 teaspoon each doenjang, gochujang, toasted sesame oil, honey, toasted sesame seeds and 1 clove garlic, minced.

Sweet and spicy gochujang

This is a basic sweet and spicy sauce that goes well with everything. 1 tablespoon each of gochujang, sugar or honey, and rice vinegar, plus a squeeze of fresh lemon and thinly sliced green onions or toasted sesame seeds.

Vegetables

• Lettuce: You’ll need lots of lettuce and perilla to wrap up your grilled meats in little bites. I like providing a bunch of different lettuces. Lettuces for for Korean barbecue to try: red leaf, green leaf, butter, romaine, iceberg, really, any lettuce you enjoy can be used as a wrap.
• Perilla: Pick up some perilla when you’re at the Korean market. It's a flat wide leaf that is sometimes labeled as sesame leaves. Perilla are in the mint family but they don’t quite taste like mint, more like Japanese shiso (if you’ve had that) or a fresh herby flavor with a hint of anise.
• Chili: It wouldn’t be Korean food without a bit of spice. Most Korean restaurants will have sliced Korean green chilis, but you can sub sliced jalapeños or serranos.
• Green onions: A huge pile of slivered or shredded green onions adds freshness and flavor. Usually the green onions are tossed in a bit of soy, toasted sesame oil, sugar, and sesame seeds for a quick green onion slaw that tastes amazing with pork.
• Crunchy vegetables: You can also add some vegetable sticks or slices like cucumbers and carrots.
• Garlic: Raw garlic slices for those garlic lovers out there - just pop a slice on top of the meat in your ssam

Rice or noodles

You’ll probably be full after all the meat, but most KBBQ places offer rice and noodles at the end, just as an ending to the meal. Mike actually loves putting rice into his ssam, so if you like, serve up some bowls of rice with your KBBQ. As for noodles, well, who doesn’t love noodles? Super popular is naengmyeon, or cold noodles, because after all the heat, you’ll want to cool down with a bowl of slippery, savory icy cold noodles.

How much food/meat do you need?

• Meat Plan on 1/2 to 3/4 pound of meat per person. If you have big meat eaters, plan on 1 pound of meat per person. If you’re having bone-in short ribs, double the amount of short ribs, because of bones.
• Vegetables Get at least 1 head of lettuce and 1 pack/bunch of perilla leaves between two people.
• Banchan Plan on 1-2 ounces of each kind of banchan and aim for 4 (or many more) varieties.
• Rice Make 1/2 cup of uncooked rice per person, which will give you about 1.5 cups cooked.

Do you need the marinade?

You don’t have to! Lots of times Korean BBQ actually comes naked so you can appreciate the pure flavors of the meats. This is actually how Japanese people like to do Korean BBQ at yakiniku. We kept some of the meats plain so we could enjoy them with salt and sauce.

What about smoke?

Not going to lie, if you’re grilling meat, there is going to be smoke, especially if your meat is marinated. KBBQ restaurants have very powerful hood fans that suck up the smoke so you don’t notice it when you’re eating there. To keep smoke at a healthy level at home, make sure your windows are open and your hood fan is on. Better yet, now that it is summer, have your KBBQ feast outside! Heck, even in the winter it’s fun to grill outside, underneath blankets. In Seoul, they have outdoor places where there are heaters and blankets for a cozy experience. To minimize smoke, always cook unmarinated meats first, then move on to marinated meats. If it starts to get extremely smoky, take a break and change or clean the grill plate. If your smoke detector goes off, there's often a button you can use to tell it that everything is fine. It's all part of the experience!

How to set the table

Aside from the grill and the ingredients, there are a couple of things that will make your KBBQ night go smoothly.

Table

• This is pretty obvious, but it goes without saying that KBBQ takes up a lot of room so a big table is optimal. If you have a smaller table, keep some of the meats and banchan near by on the countertop and replenish as needed. The table will get oily due to some splatter so you might way to lay down something to protect the surface.

Utensils

• Tongs - These are for both grabbing meats to put on the grill and using them to grill the meats on the grill. Usually you’ll only get one or two sets of tongs at the restaurant and someone will take care of the grilling while everyone else relaxes and eats. Two pairs ensures that you use one for raw meat and one for meat that is cooked.
• Chopsticks - Metal chopsticks are traditionally Korean but a lot of people have a hard time using them because they’re flat instead of round or squared off. I recommend wooden chopsticks!
• Scissors - These are for cutting pieces of meat into smaller pieces either for them to cook faster or to cut cooked pieces of meat into more manageable pieces. Use them copiously!

Dishes

• Small bowls - small round bowls are perfect for rice and banchan and don’t take up too much premium table space.
• Small plates - mini plates mean you can fit more banchan on the table.
• Dipping bowls - you’ll need dipping bowls for the sauces, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt.

What to drink with KBBQ

Most people like drinking beer and soju. Of course makgeolli, a sweet milky rice wine, is super popular too. You can also do mixed drinks like Yakut and soju, Melona and soju, or soda and soju. If you’re going non-alcoholic, iced teas are perfect. I hope this post has inspired you to do Korean barbecue at home. Really, it’s a ton of fun and SO delicious.

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Chicken Tinga Recipe

April 18, 2024 • 32 comments • Posted in: chicken tinga, mexican food, tinga

Tinga is life. Juicy chunks of chicken in a tangy slightly spicy tomato and chipotle sauce is so, so good and I am addicted. Recently Mike found a new-to-us super authentic Mexican place and since he was feeling like burritos we planned to spend the afternoon with some food to go and a little late-summer picnic. He had already decided on a chicken tinga burrito but I was kind of unsure. I have this thing where I’m super indecisive when it comes to food. I always want to make the best decision possible. Anyway, Mike ordered his burrito while I waffled between ALL the other choices. His burrito was ready in a flash and I insisted that he eat it right away - because I wanted to taste it too so I could make an informed decision. One bite and I was sold. It was SO delicious. Huge chunks of juicy chicken in a tomatoey chipotle sauce. The plentiful caramelized onions were sweet and smoky and some diced potatoes added a bit of creaminess. I was dead. I had to recreate it the moment we got home.

What is tinga?

Tinga is a Mexican dish made with chicken, called tinga de pollo in Spanish. It’s made with shredded chicken and onions simmered in a tomato and chipotle in adobo sauce. Tinga is super popular in tacos or on a tostada with refried beans, lettuce, cheese, crema, and salsa. It’s smoky, with just a hint of heat. It’s SO GOOD I sometimes just eat it as a stew without rice or tortillas or anything. The best part is that it comes together super quickly but tastes like you’ve been simmering for hours.

How to make tinga

Making tinga is super easy:

1. 1. Blend the sauce. This part is easy, just pop the chipotle in adobo, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and cumin into a blender and blend until smooth.
   2. Caramelize the onions. Take your time and caramelize the onions until they are golden, soft, and drive you wild with how good they smell.
   3. Simmer the stew. Add the sauce to the pan, along with the chicken, bay leaves, and chicken stock and simmer until all the flavors meld and everything is delicious.

Chicken tinga ingredients

1. 1. • Chicken. Tinga usually uses chicken that’s already been cooked which makes it come together amazingly fast. You can use leftover shredded rotisserie chicken, or just cook some chicken and shred it especially for tinga. Or you can just shred whatever leftover roast chicken you have in your fridge. I like chicken thighs because they’re super juicy but usually I see tinga made with breast, so it’s up to you whichever you like best.
      • Chipotle in adobo. This is what adds such a huge amount of flavor to your tinga! Chipotle in adobo come in little cans and are ruby red salty-sweet-spicy-tangy-smoky deliciousness. They are the base of so many Mexican stews and marinades. You can pretty much find them in all grocery stores.
      • Tomatoes. Tomatoes add a bit of tang and sweetness to your tinga. We used fire roasted tomatoes for an extra bit of smokiness but you can use regular canned tomatoes or even just sub 4 fresh tomatoes, chopped.
      • Onions. Tinga needs onions. They add caramelized sweetness and so much flavor. Take your time where you’re cooking the onions, you want them to brown but not turn black. Caramelizing onions always takes a long time but the flavor payoff is so worth it.
      • Spices. Tinga is pretty light on the spices, but absolutely necessary is Mexican oregano and cumin. The cumin adds a warm earthy aroma and the oregano adds lemon-y citrus flavors. But only if you use Mexican oregano, which is different than the usual oregano you find in the spice aisle. Mexican oregano can be found near the Mexican food stuffs in the grocery store and it’s pretty cheap to get a bag. If you don’t have any, you can always sub regular oregano, but try and find some when you have a chance.

What are chipotles in adobo?

Chipotles in adobo are key to so many Mexican stews and marinades. Essentially, chipotle in adobo are smoked and dried jalapeños rehydrated and canned in tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, and spices. Keep a couple of cans in your pantry, it’s what we do because we use them all the time. They are super versatile and add so much flavor. You can use them in sauces, glazes, marinades, braises, soups, salsas, almost anything. We usually end up using the can in one go, but you can easily just use one or two and save the rest in a container in your fridge (or freeze them) and use them to add extra umami to anything.

Instant Pot chicken tinga

1. Blend the sauce and set aside.
2. Caramelize the onions on sauté high then add the sauce, raw chicken, and chicken stock to the pot.
3. Set to 5 minutes at high pressure. Quick release when done.
4. Open the lid carefully then remove and shred the chicken.
5. Add the chicken back to the sauce and simmer on sauté high for a couple more minutes until the sauce is reduced.

Crockpot chicken tinga

1. Blend the sauce and set aside.
2. Sauté some onions in a pan on the stove and when caramelized, add them to the slow cooker, along with the raw chicken, sauce, and chicken stock.
3. Set the slow cooker to 2-3 hours on low or 1-2 hours on high. When the time is up, remove the chicken and shred, then add back into the sauce.

Chicken tinga FAQ

The key to making the BEST chicken tinga

The onions:

Caramelized onions are key. They add sweetness, depth, and umami to the dish. Lots of people want to rush this step, but caramelizing onions takes time. Pro tip: use low heat and don’t move the onions around too much.

The chicken:

How the chicken is cooked is also super important. Most tinga recipes (including this one) start with precooked chicken so it’s important that your chicken isn’t overcooked. My favorite way to cook chicken is to do it in the air fryer. You can also just poach your chicken right in the sauce, especially if you’re making Instant Pot or Crockpot chicken tinga.

The oregano:

Mexican oregano is a different plant than the usual oregano you see in the spice aisle. It’s indigenous to Mexico and has a more woodsy, citrus-lime earthy flavor compared to your typical oregano, which is from the Mediterranean. You can find Mexican oregano in the Mexican aisle at the grocery store and if you can’t, you can sub regular oregano, but try and find some, it makes a difference.

How to serve chicken tinga

• as tacos tucked into warm tortillas
• on a crispy tostada with refined beans, lettuce, cheese, crema, and salsa
• In a burrito
• on a giant leafy salad
• on top of nachos topped with a ton of cheese
• as a stew with some Mexican rice
• in taquitos!

What to serve with chicken tinga

Make a plate and serve it up with Mexican rice, beans, pico de gallo, warm tortillas, shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole, and tortilla chips

If you have some extra chipotle in adobo, try these recipes:

• chipotle chicken wings
• oven baked chipotle chicken tacos
• smoky, sweet, crispy roast al pastor pork

I feel like I can talk about chicken tinga forever but you probably are drooling, so I’m going to let you go so you can get started on dinner! xoxo steph

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