The videos are posted on Honeysuckle’s site, and you can vote once a day. Please, please, please (that’s me begging) vote fore my Turkey Roulade, listed under either Livefire or livefireonline.com!  The recipe is also on the site.

What I can win is:

• A trip to Konrad Haskin’s BBQ Institute
• A year’s supply of Honeysuckle turkey, which I will be donating to a local food shelter.

You can vote daily, and, though I don’t really like asking for votes, I do appreciate your help!

Several friends are also in it, like Chris’s entry from Nibble Me This, though he’s threatening a kitten if people don’t vote for him…

My entry may or may not be the best, but I am the only one with flaming letters in the titles and recipe!

We were having friends over, and pitbeef was the request from my wife, until I remembered that we had that the last time the Hesters were over, and I couldn’t serve them the same thing twice in a row… So what to do? I figured that pitpork would work just fine!

What’s pitpork, you may ask? (Go ahead, you can ask)

It’s a simple pork loin, with a bit of a rub on it, smoked to medium (I like my pork not too well done, but not rare!). I tried several sauces with the pitpork, and found that Big Z’s Sweet Gold mustard sauce was great with it. My friend Neil makes Big Z’s, and I love this stuff… I usually don’t like mustard sauces much at all. This is a great sauce for anything from sandwiches and sausage to dipping pretzels.

For a rub on the pitpork, I used a three chile rub that I like… 1 cup ancho chile to 1/4 cup chipotle to 1 tablespoon cayenne, along with 1/4 cup salt and 2 tablespoons of pepper. I smoked the pork using a Frogmat, which is a bendable grid that you can put around or under foods to keep them from sticking in a smoker. I got one a few weeks ago to try, and thought it sounded a bit hokey, until I tried it, and it’s great! The Bubba Keg Convection Grill was simple to clean up after, and there was no problem with anything stuck to the grate at all.

The meat was sliced on my home slicer, and sandwiches were served… and were a bit hit! This is a great alternative to pitbeef, and very simple to make. Leftovers heat up well or work great cold! It’s great to have a couple of smoked meats, pitbeef and pitpork, that can be done in just a couple of hours instead of 12 or so, for when you just don’t have time to plan.

What are your quick, go-to meals for guests, when you didn’t have time to plan much?

The giveaway was run here on Livefire, as well as on Twitter and Facebook. The method used was to give all the people that commented on the blog with steak tips two entries, and the people on Twitter and Facebook each got one entry. Then I used a simple random number generator to determine 9 numbers, and the person with that number won.

Without further ado, the winners are:

Sarah C
Bryan C
Kent Sims
Chris
DB
BBQ Dude
Pat
Schmidty
BeccaCIT

I’ll be contacting each winner to get information so that they can receive their carving sets! If you see this before I get in touch with you, email me your info!

We also got some hardscape pieces from kind of a cool local place called Secret Garden. Ok, I don’t care for the name, but they have a lot of stuff for gardens in general. We got a metal tower topped with an armillary, which I need to set up, and we also got just a pole with a small armillary on it. We planted a deep purple morning glory at the base of the large one, hoping it will just take over the whole thing and look great. I’m going to monitor over the next several days to see how quickly it grows. After just one night, it’s already starting to wrap itself around the base of the structure!

After a long, hot day, I wanted a quick meal, so I fixed a flank steak on the grill, along with grilled red potatoes. With the steak, i wanted something fresh and tasty, so I mixed up a quick batch of chimichurri sauce. This is a green sauce from Argentina, and is basically a parsley base (one cup) with oregano (3/4 cup), jalepano chiles (2, seeded), lime juice (from 2 limes), garlic (4 cloves) and olive oil (as needed, up to a cup). It all goes in a food processor and gets mixed into a bit of a rough paste. I let the flank steak marinate in the sauce for a bit, then I grilled it, along with new potato wedges. The steak was served sliced on the bias and topped with chimicurri sauce.

Sunday rolled around, and the day was going to be hotter and even more humid than Saturday, so I wanted to get an early start on the garden, which needed to be mulched. I spread some Preen around (which prevents new plants from germinating, so weeds are lessened, then put mulch throughout the bed. My wife helped me spread it out nicely, and it looks great, I think. However, it was already really humid, and I was ready to quit by 10:00 am! Here are some photos of our garden…

Our veggie garden:

The herb and heirloom tomato garden:

I took a quick, cool shower after playing in the dirt… the shower felt great (don’t worry, no photos of that!), and found that my wife was fixing a breakfast of ebelskiver pancakes. You may have seen these; it’s kind of a new fad of making pancake balls that can be stuffed with different things. My wife was making blackberry ebelskiver. Once done, they got a sprinkling of powdered sugar, and I ate them! I also put some cinnamon infused maple syrup on a couple, which was really good!

The breakfast was a great surprise, and really great… It’s nice when my wife wants to cook breakfast! It’s been a great weekend so far!

Does your spouse surprise you with a meal that you don’t expect now and then? My wife likes pancakes now and then, and these were a nice, new way of having them. I want to try cornbread that way, stuffed with pulled pork.

To continue the celebration of steak, Beringer also has given me a few recipes by Jamie and Bobby Deen.  To be honest, I’m not usually big on posting others’ recipes all that much, but then I read these, and they’re really great, so I had to share them! Enjoy!

Recipes are from Beringer Vineyards and the Deen Brothers, and all photos are used with permission and copyrighted by Chia & Hon Photography.

The Deen Brothers Fast and Fresh Caprese Steak

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 8 min

Difficulty: Easy

Tip: This is dinner on the table in 8 minutes! 8 minutes, y’all! Perfect for the busy steak lover.

2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds hanger steak (about 4 steaks)
1 (12-ounce) container grape or pear tomatoes in assorted colors, halved
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

Mince the garlic and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. With the tip of a small knife, mash the garlic to a paste. Combine the mashed garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, the herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until a paste forms. Pat the steaks dry, then rub all over with the garlic paste. Place the steaks in a large food storage bag. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Let the steaks stand at room temperature 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, basil, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until blended; set the salad aside.

Spray a grill rack with nonstick spray and preheat the grill to medium-high. Add the steaks and cook, without turning, 4 minutes. Turn the steaks and top with the mozzarella slices. Cook, covered, until the cheese just begins to melt, about 4 minutes longer for medium-rare. Transfer to platter. Let stand 5 minutes.

Cut the steaks diagonally across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Divide the steak slices among 4 plates. Spoon 1/2 cup tomato salad over top and serve at once.

The Deen Brothers Big Apple Steak

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 8 min

Difficulty: Easy

Tip: Substitute any steak in place of the more expensive porter house…the flavor will remain the same.

1 Granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) softened butter
1/4 cup apple butter
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 (1-inch-thick) porterhouse steaks
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine the chopped apple, softened butter, apple butter, thyme, ginger, and vinegar in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Mound the apple mixture into a small bowl.

Spray a grill rack with nonstick spray and preheat the grill to medium-high. Sprinkle the steaks with the salt and pepper. Add the steaks to the grill and cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a platter. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with the apple butter mixture.

The Deen Brothers Spiced Mocha Steak Rub

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Difficulty: Easy

Tip: You can substitute decaf or if coffee is not your cup of tea, eliminate it all together.

2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon canola oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 (2-pound) boneless sirloin steak, about 1-inch thick

Combine the brown sugar, chipotle chili powder, espresso powder, oil, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl until blended. Rub the spice mixture on both sides of the steak.

Spray a grill rack with nonstick spray and preheat the grill to medium-high. Add the steak to the grill to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

The Deen Brothers Blackberry Head of State Steak

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Difficulty: Easy

Tip: If you don’t have fresh blackberries or want to save some money, use blackberry preserves. Save the leftover butter mixture for pancakes the next morning.

4 tablespoons softened butter
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/4 cup blackberries
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 (8-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks about 11/2 inches thick
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine the butter, lemon zest, and tarragon in a medium bowl until creamy. Finely crush the berries and sugar with a fork in a small bowl. Add the berry mixture to the butter mixture, stirring to blend well. Mound the butter mixture into small bowl; set aside.

Spray a grill rack with nonstick spray and preheat the grill to medium-high. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on the grill rack and grill, about 5 minutes per side for rare or until desired doneness. Transfer the steaks to a platter. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve with the butter mixture.

With the Beringer Great Steak Challenge, you can enter an original steak recipe, select a fantastic Beringer wine to pair with it, and win a trip to Napa Valley and $15,000! All this just to show off your love for grilling steak! Recipes will be judged based on the following criteria: 25% Taste Appeal, 25% Wine Pairing, and 50% Simplicity.

Here’s the rub, though… The cut off for entries is fast approaching! In fact, the deadline is already past for people living in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico… Hopefully, you got an entry in by May 31.

For people in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, North or South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia or Tennessee, you have until June 15, and all other states have until June 30. So get your recipes honed and get entered!

Beringer Vineyards is graciously offering a fantastic giveaway prize, exclusively on Livefire! The prize is one of nine Laguiole Carving Sets! These are French made, and Laguiole has a long tradition of fine corkscrews and cutlery. As we’re trying to get this giveaway underway quickly, I don’t have photos of the knife set yet, but will include them as soon as possible.

Rules for the giveaway:

The nine winners will be randomly drawn using a random number generator. To receive a chance to win:

On Livefire:
Add a comment to this entry and receive one chance to win. If you offer a steak recipe or a tip on grilling steak, you will receive two chances to win. That’s an easy 2 entries!

On Twitter and Facebook, tweet or update with the following:

Laguiole Carving Set Giveaway by #BeringerVineyards and #Livefire! http://bit.ly/9iApTf http://bit.ly/a8QciC Thks @BeringerGSC

The rules are that I have to deem the comments acceptable to my readers (meaning it has to be pertinent to the post and not contain language I wouldn’t print). The giveaway will run from June 4 through midnight, June 25, and I’ll post the winners the weekend of June 26. All winners will need to supply their real names and addresses privately (email, direct message or Facebook message) to receive their prize.

Note: Dates are extended!  Keep the tips coming!

That’s it! It’s a simple way to get a fantastic Laguiole carving set, courtesy of Beringer Vineyards (they also make some very, very nice wines!)

A tip I often give is simply to let the meat rest for 5 minutes when removed from the grill to keep more of the juices in the meat instead of on the plate. It’s nothing new, but a lot of people still ignore this one… So let’s hear some of your steak grilling tips and recipes!

(Photos of the Beringer wines and the Deen Brtoerhs in this post are copyrighted by Mary Steinbacher and used with permission.  Steak photo is copyrighted by Chia & Hon Photography and used with permission)

We also finished up Lobstermania. I had planned on doing lobster pizza, then whole lobster, but I didn’t realize I had no flour for the pizza dough, so we sucked it up and just had 2 more lobster rolls for lunch today… Poor us, having to make due with lobster rolls!

For dinner, I boiled a big pot of water, with a handful of salt added, then put the last two lobster in for a bit of a warm bath, resulting in a couple perfectly done lobster that were great when dipped in a bit of melted butter!

I’m already looking forward to 2011’s Lobstermania!

We have a bit stockpot (12 quart, I think) that I filled about 60% full with cold water. I used cold because hot water heaters tend to add some sediment to the water, whether from it sitting in the tank or just hot water having more “stuff” in it. I also added a healthy amount of salt to the water, put the lid on, and turned the heat up on high until it boiled.

I took my first two victims, I mean lobsters, out of the drawer they were calling home, and dropped them headfirst into the water, making sure they were submerged (they swam about a bit, apparently liking my version of a hottub for them). These average about 1 1/4 pounds, so I cooked them about 8 minutes once they water regained a boil… I also turned the heat down a bit, but still maintained a boil.

The seabugs came out of the water a nice red color, and I immediately put them into ice water to stop the lobsters from continuing to cook. I’m not a pro at cleaning lobster, but I did them pretty much like a big crawfish… I twisted off the tail and pulled it off! I also cracked the claws and legs and got all the meat out of them. The tails are easy, though; once removed, I just cut down the membrane on the underside, then popped the meat out in one piece.

For the lobster rolls, I didn’t want to get admonished again by anyone from New England, so I cut the meat into 1/2″ chunks, then added just a bit (maybe 1 1/2 tablespoons at most) Hellman’s mayo and a bit of fresh ground black pepper, and gently stirred everything together.

Fortunately, Kroger in Ohio has New England style hot dob buns, so I was able to get the “right” buns for lobster rolls. I split them open a bit, buttered the inside a tad, then grilled them in a skillet until nicely browned. The lobster meat was divided between the two buns (a lobster roll is supposed to be the meat from one 1 or so pound lobster).

I picked up some Shipyard Summer Ale to go along with the lobster rolls; a Maine brew seemed appropriate. It was actually a very drinkable beer, but nothing that really stood out. I did go fine with the lobster roll, as it didn’t show much in the way of hops (the bitter can be off-putting with lobster, I think).

So meal 1 of 2010’s Lobstermania was a huge hit. Thanks to Dorothy Lane Market for this annual Ohio event! And to those that told me that lettuce, etc. on a lobster roll, like i was served in Maine a couple years ago, I agree… The lettuce just detracts. It was better without it.

Dorothy Lane Market recently beat out the likes of Harrod’s and Dean & Deluca as the Best Gourmet Grocery on Luxist.com. They get products that are just about impossible to find a lot of places. And today brought 2010’s Lobstermania. What does that mean? Basically, it means 1 1/4 lbs lobsters flown in very fresh by the guys that caught them, the Ready brothers, and sole for 9.99 each until they’re all gone.

That also means waiting in line a little bit. I got to the Springboro store about 20 minutes before the event started, and I was a long way from the lobsters, with more people coming in behind me. When I got through the line, by about 9:15 (they started selling at 9:00), there were more people getting in line. I went early this year because I waited until just before noon last year, and the seabugs were all gone… I did not want a repeat!

So I talked with the folks in line around me while store employees handed out samples of breakfast pasties and white wine, deli workers came to the line to see if anyone needed anything from the deli while we stood in line, and Captain Ready walked up the down the line talking while wearing his waders. I’m assuming the waders were for show.

I got 6 lobsters, and will be cooking them this weekend for lobster rolls, lobster pizza and plain old lobster with melted butter! Stay tuned for more!