A Good BBQ For Food Americana

 

Our most recent Cook the Books Club selection is Food Americana  -The Remarkable People and Incredible Stories behind America's Favorite Dishes, by David Page. This round hosted by Simona, of Bricole.  

Not my usual sort of reading material.  This is a lovely club/ reading group, which gets us all out of ruts! :). .. My usual sort of rut being escapism, light mystery fiction, or non-fiction totally based on what project I'm involved in or researching.  At the moment, improving my chocolate making.  Just finished making a fermentation box, and it's cooking away at the moment. So much for that.  This book, on the other hand, is about food in America.  In case you weren't aware of it all, and with background on the various types: Hamburgers, BBQ, bagels, spaghetti, ice cream, etc. etc. including those not so American, i.e. Mexican, sushi and Chinese food.  According to the publishers:

"David Page changed the world of food television by creating, developing, and executive-producing the groundbreaking show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Now from this two-time Emmy winner comes Food Americana, an entertaining mix of food culture, pop culture, nostalgia, and everything new on the American plate.

The remarkable history of American food. What is American cuisine, what national menu do we share, what dishes have we chosen, how did they become “American,” and how are they likely to evolve from here? David Page answers all these questions and more.

Engaging, insightful, and often humorous. The inside story of how Americans have formed a national cuisine from a world of flavors. Sushi, pizza, tacos, bagels, barbecue, dim sum―even fried chicken, burgers, ice cream, and many more―were born elsewhere and transformed into a unique American cuisine."  I would beg to differ.  These items may be what we or some of us eat, but they are not our National cuisine.  We obviously don't have one.  

In any case, moving forward, I decided to go with BBQ as my inspired dish from the book, or from life anyway.  Bob was asked to do the grilling honors on Father's Day and I made the barbecue sauce.  This sauce has a double purpose, getting grass-fed steaks tender and tasty.  We had opened a ripe (we thought) pineapple, which as it turned out was on the tart side.  Perfect I thought for helping to tenderize the meat. Pineapple has an enzyme in it called bromelain, found in the flesh of the pineapple and in the juice as well. Bromelain is a fast-working meat tenderizer that is great for tough cuts of steak. But you don't want to leave it too long, as the meat could end up on the mushy side.  Good thing the coals didn't take any longer to get ready!

It's a very simple sort of marinade, nothing too exact: 1 small, slightly tart pineapple, VitaMixed with 1/2 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 jalapeño pepper, 1 cup or so of BBQ sauce, couple shots of catsup.  Then I stirred in some shoyu, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and avocado oil.

My daughter said "Best steak I ever had!!"  We all thought they came out great, especially served with a bowl of mixed slaw on the side and steamed potatoes.  So, there it is, the great American BBQ,  and my contribution for our current Cook the Books selection.  

We have time left, so if you'd like to join in, read the book and then post your thoughts and recipe, linking here.  The deadline is July 31st.  There will be a Roundup after that. Thank you Simona!  I'm also linking up with Marge, The Intrepid Reader and Baker, who hosts the Weekend Cooking spot, and with Heather for her Foodies Read Challenge.