Curb Your Grilling Craving with some Winter BBQ ideas with Armstrong Cheese

It’s getting bone-chilling cold across Canada. Even in balmy Vancouver, the temperatures may go down to -10 degrees C. You think about the summer and bbq, but that seems so far away. Armstrong Cheese sent me an email with a few recipes that can grill outside (if you are brave) or inside. They partnered with Food Network celebrity chef Roger Mooking to develop some fun Canadian Winter-inspired recipes to make the cold just a little more enjoyable!

CHEESY JERK PORK SANDWICH

My wine pairing would be a dry, white, fruity BC or Ontario wine, like a Riesling or a Pinot Gris would help tame the heat, plus the acidity in the wine would keep the flavours of the dish bright.

INGREDIENTS
4 (¾”-thick) boneless pork butt steaks
4-8 slices Armstrong Havarti Sliced Cheese
4 large burger buns
¼ cup chives, finely sliced and divided

For the Jerk Marinade*

1 cup green onions, roughly chopped
1 cup white onion, chopped
2 Scotch bonnet peppers, stemmed and roughly chopped <Karl: These peppers are very hot. You may want to pick a milder pepper like jalapeno.>
1 tsp garlic, roughly chopped
¼ cup freshly picked thyme
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp allspice, ground
2 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

For the Coleslaw

1 cup green cabbage, finely sliced
1 cup carrot, julienned
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp honey
½ tsp Kosher salt
Freshly ground black peppercorns, to taste

*Can use a store-bought Jerk marinade of your choice

DIRECTIONS

For the jerk marinade, combine green onions, white onions, Scotch bonnet peppers, garlic, thyme, lime juice, ground allspice, ginger, soy sauce and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth. Place marinade in a resealable bag. Add pork steaks and turn so they are well coated in marinade. Place in fridge to marinate for 24-48 hours.
For the coleslaw, combine white wine vinegar, lime juice, mayonnaise, honey, Kosher salt and freshly ground black peppercorns to taste. Mix to combine. Mix in finely sliced green cabbage and julienned carrot. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Heat BBQ grill to medium-high heat. Butter inside and top of buns. Remove steaks from marinade and place on a plate. Grill pork steaks until they reach an internal temperature of 145ºF-150ºF, about 4-5 minutes per side. Place 1-2 slices of Armstrong Havarti cheese on top of each pork steak, let melt. Toast top, bottom and insides of buttered buns on grill.
Top the bottom of each grilled bun with a pork steak. Shake off excess dressing and evenly divide coleslaw on top of steaks. Sprinkle with chopped chives and top with bun.

BANH MI CHEESEBURGER

My wine pairing would be a sparkling white wine, a little off-dry is ok, like a prosecco would be fun. Going red, I’d suggest a Sangiovese or a Cabernet Franc wine. BC does make some sparkling wines that could work, like a Charme d’isle from Vancouver Island. There are many sparkling wines from the Okanagan as well. Cabernet Franc is also made very well in BC. There is not much Sangiovese from BC; I’ve seen Sandhill and La Stella that I know, so you may want to pick a Chianti Classico if this is your grape of choice.

INGREDIENTS

For the Daikon/Carrot Pickle

1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Kosher salt
¾ cup daikon radish batonettes, about 3-inches long
¾ cup carrot batonettes, about 3-inches long

For the Burgers

1½ lb ground beef
½ tsp garlic, finely grated
½ tsp 5 spice powder
¾ tsp Kosher salt
4 slices Armstrong Medium Sliced Cheddar Cheese
4 buns
½ cup mayonnaise, divided
2 Persian cucumbers, ends trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise with a peeler
1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro and/or basil

DIRECTIONS

Start by making the daikon radish and carrot pickle. Combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling add daikon radish and carrot pieces. Remove from heat. Set aside until daikon radish and carrot pieces soften, become pickled and are room temperature, about 20 minutes.

In a large bowl combine ground beef, grated garlic and 5 spice powder. Mix well to combine. Divide burger mixture into four 6 oz. patties. Make sure the patties are at least 25% larger than the buns as they will shrink during cooking.
Heat BBQ to medium-high heat. Season burgers on both sides with salt. Place burgers on grill and cook 4-5 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reads 145ºF on a thermometer. During the last minute of cooking, place a slice of Armstrong Medium sliced Cheddar cheese on top of each burger, close lid to melt, about 1 minute.

Slice each bun open. Hollow out the top of each bun. Butter buns and toast on grill. Place mayonnaise on the top and bottom of each grilled bun. Place burger on top of each bun. Top with drained daikon radish and carrot pickle pieces, cucumber slices, jalapeño slices, fresh cilantro leaves and/or fresh basil leaves.