barbecue — The Bite House

I felt like eating a grilled cheese. We had a nice piece of moose and some home-cured, home- smoked bacon. Why not make a roast, slice it, put it in a grilled cheese and top it with barbecue sauce? For the roast I used moose, but grass-fed beef will work just as well. For the cheese, I went with Monterey Jack.

Barbecue Sauce

• 1 cup tomato ketchup • 1/3 cup brown sugar • 1/4 cup water • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar • 2 tablespoons soy sauce • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • pinch hot smoked paprika

In a small saucepan mix all the ingredients together and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Set aside. Your sauce will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

Yields about 2 cups.

Beef Roast with Thyme and Paprika Rub

• 1.5 kg - 2kg beef roast • 8 slices bacon • 1 tablespoon paprika • 3 sprigs of thyme, leaves only • 1 teaspoon black pepper • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix together the paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Put the roast in a pan and lay the bacon slices on top so they cover the roast and add a small glass of water in the pan. Brush the mustard on top of the bacon and then sprinkle on that the paprika/thym/salt/pepper. Rub the spices into the bacon gently with your hands.

Cook in the oven for 15 minutes then bring down the heat to 350°F cook until the center of the roast reaches 125°F (~52°C). For my 1.5 kg roast it took 25 minutes at 350°F.

Remove from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting it. Set the bacon aside.

Putting it all together

Take two slices of bread and butter them. Thinly slice some of the roast beef. Heat up a pan on medium heat. Add one or two slices of bacon from the roast to the pan and one slice of bread. Put the beef and a couple spoonfuls of barbecue sauce on the toasting bread. Once the bacon is crispy, put it on top, add your favorite cheese, and top with the other slice of bread. Flip the sandwich over and let is crisp up on that side for about 3-4 minutes.

With goat cheddar, onion-pepper melt and scallion sauce, this is one of my favorite burgers.

When moose hunting season arrives, my father is always in charge of the cooking duties at Randy's camp. For a couple of years now Dad prefers to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner rather than going out hunting (I would do the same). He's really into planning what's going to be on the table for these couple of days, prepping some recipes in advance, and printing out the menu. I wish he could do it more often because he's a great cook. His hard work earns him a share of the meat and I benefit from it too because I get some whenever I visit. It's a special treat.

Moose has a slightly different taste from beef. Like most wild animals it feeds on the forest floor, which gives it a woody, unique flavor. It has a very low fat content compared to most meats and is quite tender.

Since we are in New-Jersey for the holiday season, I used a mix of local grass-fed beef and bison instead of moose.

Makes 6 burgers

Scallion Mayo

• 1 cup mayonnaise • 1 small bunch chopped scallions • 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard • juice of half a lemon • red pepper flakes to taste

Use homemade mayo or store bought. Mix all the ingredients.

Onion-Pepper Melt

• 2 thinly sliced onions • 2 thinly sliced red bell peppers

Simply cook the onions and peppers in your favorite oil (be generous) on very low heat for about 20-25 minutes.

Meat

• 1 1/2 pound ground moose (or beef, deer, bison) • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 2 tablespoons brown sugar • 1 bunch chopped scallions • salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Form 6 patties and cook as you would your normal burger. Barbecueing is always the best.