Feb 03 Ready, Set, EAT!

Apparently, there’s some kind of game happening this weekend that has a few folks pretty darn excited.
Truth be told, if the event wasn’t splattered all over every newspaper, I honestly wouldn’t have had the faintest idea it was happening.
I even had to Google “Superbowl” to find out when it was going to be played.
As you can see, I’m not much of a sports fan.
Most of the competitions I watch usually involve cupcakes or are held in the kitchen stadium.
That said, I am a huge fan of the type of food served at the various parties being held in homes to watch said game.
See–while I will watch a show called cupcake wars, I redeem my manliness but taking part in all manners of guy food.
It’s very hard to choose just one type of guy food to consume when there are just so many worthy options for noshing on while in the midst of men.
Wings are awesome and so are nachos.
Sliders are pretty darn tasty too.
But what I really like are tacos.
And if you think I’m talking about those dinner kits that come crammed in those yellow cardboard boxes, think again.
When I do tacos, I do them up proper.
My two favourite proteins to go inside are chicken and beef (strip-loin to be precise).
I take a whole roasting chicken and spread a silly amount of compound butter under it’s skin (a combination of green onions, diced chipotles, lime zest, ground coriander and fresh oregano) and roast the sucker in the oven until golden brown.
The butter under the skin infuses the chicken with oodles of flavour while keeping the white meat nice and moist.
I add a few quartered onions and a handful or two, yes handfuls, of whole garlic cloves and some chicken stock to the roasting pan as well.
In under two hours, I have a beautiful brown-skinned bird that bursts with flavour.
I let it cool and then shred the meat that then is added to crispy shells and other ingredients.
My other favourite is grilled steak tacos.
If you’re looking to feed a fairly big crowd, tacos are also an excellent way to stretch out your protein as well.
Since most shells can only hold a few pieces plus toppings, a single steak can sever up to eight people.
Yeah, eight.
I’ll be giving you my best steak recipe for tacos in just a second, but before that, let’s talk about what should go on top of it (or under, depending on your stacking preference).
I go with 8 year old shredded white cheddar for starters. Then baby romaine lettuce leaves. They can be found pre-washed and ready to go plus the tiny leaves are perfect to pack a taco with without needing cut up (and browning after a while).
They come in two colours as well adding a nice visual touch too.
Then slices of avocado.
A few shots of Tabasco and then lime juice and lime-spiked sour cream.
I like to finish with a salsa verde but fresh chopped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes sliced in rounds works great too.
And that’s it folks–pack that all in with the steak and you’ve just scored a culinary touchdown.
Now, without further ado, the steak marinade:
Chipotle, Lime & Garlic Marinated Steak
1, 1″ thick (or thicker) 8 oz strip-loin steak
6 peeled garlic cloves
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
3 tbsp canola oil
Juice from 1 lime
Sea salt

DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor, combine garlic and chipotle peppers. Process until finely chopped, add oil and juice and process until emulsified. Season with sea salt. Pour marinade into a glass dish. Place steak on top of marinade and then flip over to completely coat the steak in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 45 minutes in the fridge. Remove from fridge; flip steak and marinade another 45 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat a gas grill over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; rub cooking grates with canola oil. Place steak on the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the steak a 1/4 turn and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Flip steak and repeat. Remove from heat and tent with foil for 5 minutes. Cut into thin strips and serve immediately.
Touchdown!