Blogger Cook Off Entry

 Our entree is a simple version of a Korean dish called Bulgogi.  There are a lot of fancy ways to make this dish but this is the most simple and it is easy enough to make, throw in a cooler and take to grill on a camping trip which we did many times before The Marines injury.  You can stir fry this in the house but the most wonderful way to enjoy it is to cook straight over a hot charcoal grill.

The roll recipe makes 48 rolls.  You can search the internet to find all kinds of ways to freeze and store them.  This is a great recipe to make for holidays as it serves a large crowd and takes about 3 hours from start to finish and most of that time is letting the dough rise.  The recipe is also a no knead bread which I like.  The dough is great to make Cinnamon rolls as well.  Make half of it into rolls and half into Cinnamon Rolls for a breakfast treat.  I made the rolls a few days ago, bagged them up and put them in the freezer.  We are taking out a few at a time, thawing and heating in the microwave.  They taste just as fresh as the day I made them.

With our Bulgogi and rolls we are having a simple salad with lettuce, tomatoes, green onions and bell peppers to accompany our meal.  

Our wine is a bottle of Moscato by Sutter Home .  We don't necessary go by what red or white goes with what meal.  We drink the wines we like and it is usually in the evening and not really with a meal but for today we are enjoying a glass with our meal.

Make your Bulgogi at least 4 hours ahead of time.  I like to make it in the evening and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight. The marinating sauce will marinate up to 4 or 5 pounds of meat so feel free to use smaller portions of the cooking wine and soy sauce but keep the same amount for the remaining ingredients.

Bulgogi 

2 to 5 pounds of a cheap roast such as a chuck roast.
Have the butcher slice it into strips like a thick sliced bacon.  If you can't get it sliced; place the roast into the freezer just until it begins to freeze.  It will make slicing much easier with a meat slicer or sharp knife.
1 cup of red cooking wine we like Holland House the best if you can find it
1 cup of soy sauce use the lite if you would like to reduce the sodium
6 green onions trimmed and sliced use the white portion and the green
3 or 4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
1/4 cup of sesame seeds toast if desired but not necessary
3/4 cup of sugar white granulated
Black Pepper to taste I used a little under 1 tablespoon. This will make a sweet and spicy meat

Method

 Assemble all the ingredients

In a large bowl or container you are going to marinate in. Mix the soy sauce, cooking wine and sugar. Stir to melt the sugar

 Stir in black pepper

 
add the sesame seed

the chopped green onion

and the crushed garlic...my garlic press broke so I minced mine

 add your meat.  Really get in there with your hands to make sure every slice of meat is getting covered.

 I transferred my mixture to a leak proof container so I could flip it back and forth a few times while it marinated in the refrigerator overnight. 

After marinating your meat 4 hours or overnight.  Start your grill .  Let your coals get good and hot.

Pray that those clouds don't dump any rain until you have finished cooking.  I did not move the grill underneath the pole barn and it did begin to rain.  Papa Bear grabbed the patio umbrella and gallantly held it over me and the grill until I finished!

Lay out the meat over the hot coals.  My meat is usually sliced a bit thinner than shown.  I have to break in a new butcher at our new grocery store!

By the time you get the meat  laid out on the grill,  it is just about time to flip the meat.  It does not take but a couple of minutes on each side if your meat is sliced thin.

This is really good.  I can't wait for you to try it and tell me what you think!






Homemade No-Knead Buttery Rolls for a Crowd

 1 1/2 cups of milk
3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons yeast
2 cups of warm water
about 9-10 cups of all purpose flour
at least 1 cup of butter

Method

 

Scald  1 1/2 cups of milk, 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of butter, in a microwave safe bowl, for about 2 minutes. I cut my butter into small pieces to help melt.  It is OK if there are a few little pieces still floating

While your mixture is heating measure out 10 cups of flour in a separate bowl..  You can omit this step if you are good at remembering how much you add to a recipe!  I suffer from CRS these days and need all the help I can get!

Stir in 1 or 2 cups of flour to you scalded milk mixture(counts as part of the 10 cups) add one egg slightly beaten and 
1 Tablespoon of salt.  Set this aside to cool.

In another small bowl or measuring cup dissolve 2 Tablespoons of yeast and 1 Tablespoon of Sugar in 2 cups of warm water. (110-115 degrees) Let this mixture sit a few minutes until it is bubbly.

 Pour your scalded milk mixture into a large mixing bowl.  Check to see if it is just barely warm and then add your bubbly yeast mixture.  If it is too hot you will kill your yeast.

With a wooden spoon stir in the flour about 2 cups at a time.

When it gets to hard to stir with the spoon, work the remaining flour in with your hands.  the dough will be very dense and sticky.  I ended up using a little bit over 9 cups of flour and not the full 10.

Work the dough together to form a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until double in bulk

This batch took about an hour to rise

Butter 2 large cookie sheets

dump dough out on a floured surface and divide into 4 balls

If you are a little anal....you can measure the balls with a kitchen scale to get them more even.

Roll or pat each ball into a circle.  I found it easy to pat mine out to about 1/4 inch thick

Spread about 2 tablespoons of butter onto each flattened round
of dough

Using a pizza cutter or knife. Slice each flattened ball of dough into quarters and then slice each quarter into 3 pieces for a total of 12 pieces for each ball of dough

Starting at the wide end roll the dough and tuck the small in under and place down on the cookie sheet

Set rolls aside and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes

Just as the rolls begin to touch and look somewhat full  preheat oven to 350 degrees

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and rub butter over the hot rolls.

 This makes a buttery glaze over the rolls that will help them stay nice and soft.

Bread Heaven!