Cooking With Jagermeister: BBQ, Tacos, and more…

Summer is coming to a close, with Labor Day weekend usually being celebrated as the end of the season. So that means you’ve got one last weekend to get in as much grilling as possible. Unless of course you’re in the South where we’ll pretty much be grilling strong till December.

In a world of Top Chef and Chopped, where anything and everything can be used in an ingredient basket, it comes to us as no surprise that even a liqueur as notorious as Jagermeister could be used to make some awesome foods on the grill. Most of us have probably only experienced Jager cold and in a shot glass. Liquid cocaines were my weapon of choice before heading out in my younger days,  but if you aren’t in college, or desperately trying to relive those college days, chances are it’s collecting dust in your liquor cabinet, or not in there at all. Enter Chris Santos.

Chris Santos is the owner of The Stanton Social in NY, and world renowned chef who can be seen nightly on the Food Network. He took some Jager, a grill, and some familiar bbq suspects and whipped up 6 awesome meaty courses that would make anyone grillmaster proud. So if you’ve ever had a craving for Jager burgers, tacos, or ribs, now is your chance. Oh and don’t forget the sauce. Check out the recipes below and let us know what you think:

Jägermeister-Caramel Glazed & Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Vidalia Crisps

• 3 lbs. pork tenderloin
• Cilantro
• Sea salt

Pork Tenderloin Brine

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup ancho chili powder
• 2 cups hot water
• 2 cups cold water
• 1 cup ice

Jägermeister-Caramel Sauce

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup ancho powder
• 2/3 cup Jägermeister

Vidalia Crisps

• 2 Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. In a tall-rimmed dish, dissolve sugar and salt in hot water. Add the ancho chili powder, cold water and ice. Pour over the pork and brine, and then cover in refrigerator for 2 hours. Rinse the tenderloin after brining and trim the fat.
2. For the caramel sauce: Put sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and add just enough water for the sugar to dissolve. Caramelize the sugar and then shock with the cream and Jägermeister. Bring to a boil. Take off the heat and season with the ancho powder.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and heat a grill to high. Grill the pork on each side until you have a nicely charred exterior. Brush evenly with the caramel sauce and finish cooking for about 8 minutes in the oven until medium rare or meat thermometer reads an internal temperature of 135 degrees. Allow carry-over heat to bring to 145 degrees. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
4. For the Vidalia crisps: Season the onions with salt and pepper. Dredge the onions in the flour. Heat the vegetable oil until 350 degrees. Deep fry the onion strings until they are golden brown. Remove onto a vented surface and immediately season with salt.
5. Serve sliced pork. Garnish with Vidalia crisps, micro cilantro and sea salt.

Jägermeister bbq’d Pulled Pork Sliders

• 5 lbs. pork butt
• 12 slider buns (brioche or potato)
• 4–6 cups chicken stock

Pork Butt Rub

• 1 cup Jägermeister + 2 cups olive oil
• 2 tbsp. smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp. cumin
• 2 tbsp. celery salt
• 1 tbsp. chili flake
• 4 tbsp. light brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. paprika

BBQ Sauce

• 32 oz. ketchup
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup Jägermeister
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup coffee
• 1 tsp. coffee grinds
• 1/2 cup red onions, sliced
• 1 chipotle pepper
• 1 tsp. adobo sauce (can of chipotles, use sauce they are packed in)

Jicama Avocado Slaw

• 1/2 cup jicama, julienned
• 1/2 cup carrots, julienned
• 1/2 cup red pepper, julienned
• 1/2 cup yellow pepper, julienned
• 1 tbsp. scallions, chopped
• 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups avocado, mashed
• 1/4 cup lime juice

Procedure

1. In a large mixing bowl combine all of the dry rub ingredients and mix well. Score the pork butt. In a separate bowl, pour the olive oil/Jägermeister mix over the butt and rub it to coat. Add the entire dry rub and rub aggressively. Refrigerate covered overnight.
2. For the bbq sauce: Sauté the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add the honey and the brown sugar. Allow the honey, brown sugar and onions to come to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the Jägermeister, ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and cider vinegar. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 2 hours. Add coffee and coffee grinds. Simmer for 4 hours, stirring continuously. Add the chipotle and the adobo sauce. In a blender, blend the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Strain through a china cap and allow to cool.
3. For the jicama slaw: Use the lime juice to first preserve the color of the avocado. Then, combine of all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and heat grill to high. Char the pork on the grill on both sides. Then, slather the pork in 2 cups of the bbq sauce and place in a deep half-hotel pan. Fill the hotel pan with chicken stock until the butt is mostly covered. Bring the liquid to a simmer on the stove-top over medium/high heat. Cover with parchment paper and tinfoil and finish cooking in the oven for 2.5–3 hours or until the pork meat can be loosened with a gentle tug of a fork.
5. Allow the pork to cool in the braising liquid. Pull the pork and place into a separate bowl. Mix with the remaining bbq sauce until the pork is moist and saturated.
6. Portion approximately 4 ounces of pulled pork for each slider bun and top with the jicama slaw.

Black Cherry & Jägermeister Baby Back Ribs

• 4 racks of baby back ribs
• 2 oranges, thinly sliced
• 2 red onions, peeled, thinly sliced
• 4 cups bbq sauce (see pulled pork recipe)
• 1 bunch mint, picked
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup Jägermeister
• 2–4 cups black cherry cola

Rib Rub

• 1/2 cup smoked black pepper
• 1/2 cup onion powder
• 1/2 cup ancho powder
• 1/2 cup smoked paprika
• 1 cup Sriracha (or favorite hot sauce)

Procedure

1. For the rub: Combine all of the ingredients. Rub the ribs thoroughly so that all surfaces are covered.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and heat a grill to high. Grill the ribs on both sides to create a nice char and smoky flavor.
3. In a hotel pan slice the oranges and layer the orange slices and mint leaves on top of the ribs. Stack the ribs on top of one another.
4. Combine the bbq sauce, orange juice and Jägermeister and pour over the ribs.
5. Scatter the sliced onions over the ribs and then fill the hotel pan with black cherry cola until the ribs are nearly covered.
6. Place the hotel pan on the stove over low/medium heat until the liquid comes to a simmer. Cover with parchment paper and tinfoil and simmer in the 300-degree oven for about 2–3 hours. Ribs should be tender and almost fall off of the bone.
7. Remove ribs from the liquid and place on a cooling rack.
8. Serve with additional Jägermeister bbq Sauce.

Jägermeister Grilled Steak

• 2 lbs. boneless ribeye steaks

Marinade

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup mustard
• 1 cup roasted garlic
• 1 cup Jägermeister
• 2 tbsp. ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cup blended oil (store bought)

Jägermeister Butter

• 1 lb. softened butter
• 1/2 cup roasted garlic
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup Jägermeister
• 2 tbsp. black pepper

Mix together and hold at room temperature to brush onto steaks on the grill.

Jägermeister Glaze

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup Jägermeister

Procedure

1. For the marinade: In a food processor, combine all of the marinade ingredients. Slowly add the oil until the marinade is emulsified. Marinate your Ribeye steaks for up to 24 hours.
2. For the glaze: Combine the balsamic vinegar and Jägermeister in a sauce pot. Simmer on low heat until the mixture is reduce by 3/4 (1/2 cup of glaze should be remaining).
3. Heat grill to medium/high, grill your steaks on both sides, brushing often with softened Jägermeister butter, 4–5 minutes total on each side until cooked to desired temperature.
4. When the steaks are cooked, allow them to cool. When cooled, slice the steaks against the grain for serving. There should be about 8 oz. per serving. Drizzle both Jägermeister butter and Jägermeister glaze over the steaks and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Jägermeister Kissed Chicken Skewers

• 4 lbs. chicken thighs
• Flour tortillas

Chicken Brine

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup Jägermeister
• 2 cups hot water
• 2 cups cold water
• 1 cup of ice

Chicken Marinade

• 1/2 cup mustard
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup Jägermeister
• 2 tbsp. parsley (leaves only)
• 2 tbsp. thyme, chopped
• 2 lemons, zest only
• 2 oranges, zest only
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. red pepper flakes

Blood Orange Aioli

• 1 oz. roasted garlic
• 1/2 bottle mayo (34 oz. bottle)
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha
• 1 blood orange (if in season, otherwise use regular orange), zest only
• 1 tbsp. blood orange juice (if in season, otherwise use regular orange)

Procedure

1. Trim the excess fat and skin from the chicken thighs. Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
2. For the brine: In a tall-rimmed dish, dissolve the salt and sugar in the hot water. Combine with the cold water and ice then brine the chicken thighs for 2 hours, covered in refrigerator. Rinse after brining and pat dry.
3. For the marinade: Whisk all of the ingredients together and combine with rinsed chicken cubes. Allow to marinate for up to 24 hours in zip lock bag or covered container.
4. For the aioli: Place roasted garlic in a bowl and mash well with a plastic spatula.  Fold in the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, orange zest, orange juice and Sriracha.  Season with salt and pepper.
5. Soak wooden skewers in water until well-absorbed. Skewer your chicken—about 4 chunks of chicken per skewer. Grill the skewers over medium/high heat turning often until cooked through (about 5 minutes).
6. Use the grill to warm your tortillas. Slather each tortilla with the blood orange aioli and wrap each skewer in a finished tortilla.

Ultimate Charred Jägermeister Burger 

• 6 burger buns
• 6 slices American cheese

Burger Blend

• 2 lbs. premium ground beef
• 4 oz. soft butter
• 2 oz. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 oz. Jägermeister

Burger Rub

• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. brown sugar

Black Pepper­–Jägermeister “Special Sauce”

• 2/3 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup mustard
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 shot Jägermeister
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Jägermeister Caramelized Onions 

• 2 Spanish onions, julienned
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tbsp. Jägermeister
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. bacon bits

Procedure

1. Mix together the ingredients for the burger blend. Form into six 6-ounce patties.
2. Combine the ingredients in the burger rub. Use to sprinkle on both sides of the burgers before grilling.
3. For the “special sauce:” In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well incorporated.
4. For the caramelized onions: Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and cook slowly until soft and golden, stirring often for about 20 minutes. Add the Jägermeister and cook an additional 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and chopped bacon bits.
5. 5.     Grill the burger over a hot flame until desired temperature. Toast your bun and spread the “special sauce” on both sides. Top burger with a slice of American cheese and then the caramelized onions to finish. 

Hope you enjoyed. And don’t forget to bring some drinks over to wash down all this meat.

Cheers!

Photos provided courtesy of representatives of the brand.