S2E8: On All Fours

Fire up the engine and take the party to the trails – Spatchcock Funk brings out the big tires and all you need to make a powerful picnic that can travel anywhere you’re brave enough to explore. Roll out a great party to take on the road!

Watch the full episode

Recipes from this episode

The Headlight

Lug Nuts

Smoking Transmission

Fat Tires

The Headlight

Yields: 12 servings
Prep Time: 35 minutes

When you’re gonna tear up some trails, you want something with a little punch, because you might need to punch it out of a mud pit. You might also want something to throw a little punch into the cocktail after the ride, too. A great time to fire up some big tires and tear through some woods or across a beach is summertime - and a drink that really hits puts things into high gear? A great limeade. You need to fire things up and get that engine revvin’, so we’ve got the perfect fuel injector to inject a great flavor for a great time. We love a hint of some jalapeno for a little more firepower, and by creating a simple syrup, you get a chemical solution that won’t settle, and let’s face it, you shouldn’t be settling for anything. This is an easy-to-make adventure in a glass, perfect for some all-wheel drive adventuring.

Ingredients:

6 Cups freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 Cups water
2 Cups jalapeno simple syrup
Ice for shaker
Lime wedges for garnish
Fresh jalapeno wedges for garnish (optional)

Ingredients for Jalapeno Simple Syrup

2 cups of water
2 cups of granulated sugar
2 jalapenos, quartered, seeds and ribs removed
Zest of a lime and an orange

Ingredients for Kiwi-Infused Vodka

1 Qt mason jar
6 kiwis, peeled and sliced into ¼” slices
3 C vodka

Directions for Each Drink:

Mix all the ingredients together in a pitcher or portable carafe
Pour into a plastic cup or glass over ice (or portable plastic container)
Add in 1.5 oz of the kiwi-infused vodka into the glass for those drinkin’ booze
Stir (or shake), and garnish
Turn it up

Directions for Jalapeno Simple Syrup

Heat all ingredients over medium heat until sugar dissolves
Cover and let steep for 30 minutes
Strain with a fine mesh strainer and you’re good to go

Directions for Kiwi-Infused Vodka

Add all ingredients to the mason
Store in a cool, dry place away from sunlight for 3 days
Shake once a
Strain vodka, discard kiwis

Lug Nuts

Yields: 5-6 servings
Prep Time: 80 minutes (not incl. overnight rest period)

When bumpin’ and crawlin’ your way through some gnarly trails, you need something sturdy to snack on and keep ya fueled up for the next big push. You know the type, you tell yourself you’re gonna just have a few, or one handful, and the next thing you know, the whole damn bag is gone. We get it. One of those addictive snacks for our squad? Corn nuts, but these aren’t your average kernels, ya’ll. We go with giant white corn, to get some of that buttery flavor, and roast ‘em to that golden brown, crunchy perfection). We like to add something with a little kick into it, we’ve tried the classic Old Bay seasoning, we’ve used Cajun, ranch and all sorts of dried stuff. Really just fine sea salt brings out the buttery corn flavor the most. These crunchy lil’ babies are great hot out of the oven, but great for a snack when tearin’ up a field, rollin’ into school or getting through a day at work. Crush ‘em.

Ingredients:

1 14-oz bag of dried giant white corn (if you can’t find this, dried hominy corn will do)
24 oz of water or a lager-style beer, wine or chicken stock (we’ve tried ‘em all and think
straight water gives you the best corn/buttery flavor)
2 Tbsp sunflower oil (or palm oil or any neutral oil, sunflower preferred)
1-2 tsp fine sea salt to taste
Cooking Spray

Directions:

Pour the corn into a large bowl
Check to make sure there are not any strings in there
Cover with your chosen liquid and saran wrap, and let them soak overnight
Drain the liquid, pat them as dry as you can
Lay them out and let them dry for an hour
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
In a dry mixing bowl….
Throw in the roasted corn and salt and toss until evenly coated
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, and lay them evenly across the tray
Roast for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through
Grab those nuts and crunch away

Smoking Transmission

Yields: 8 sandwiches
Total time: 4 hours

When you’re tearin’ through the woods (or rippin’ up your garden), you need to fuel your engine, and we’ve got an absolutely beauty of a sammy to get you goin’. When you’re out wreckin’ some havoc (or cleaning some up), you get a hankerin’ for a sandwich that makes it all worth it, and we got one for you. It’s like grandma’s meatloaf that’s been turbo-charged for greatness. We got some locally grown, US lamb, baby! Big ups to our friend John Lemondes and Elly’s Acres Farms. Now imagine the most perfect meatloaf: sweet, tangy, juicy and perfectly cooked, bathed in a maple syrup/bourbon bath, and smoked perfectly. Then, wrapped in a firm-yetchewy roll, some pickled red onions, some bourbon ketchup, a melted, sharp American cheese? Now you’re gettin’ the picture. Now that we got your engine running and mouth watering, we want to throw in a coolness factor - we make these beautiful bundles of joy the day before, and then heat ‘em up on the trail on top of the engine block of our off-roadin’ machines, getting that sandwich warm and tasty.

Ingredients:

8 good, sturdy rolls
¾ lb of pickled red onions (homemade recipe below)
8 oz of bourbon ketchup (homemade recipe below)
¼ lb of shredded or sharp American cheese
Bourbon-soaked wood chips for smoker (we prefer cherry)
1 lb of ground lamb
1 lb of ground veal
1 lb of ground beef (80/20)
6-8 oz can of tomato sauce
2 eggs
½ C whole milk
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ C bourbon
1 ⅓ C chopped white onion
1.5 tsp poultry seasoning
½ tsp fine salt
½ tsp fine pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 ½ C Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 C grated parmesan cheese
½ cup shredded baby portabella mushrooms
½ – 1 stick of butter
1.5 C of Maple bourbon glaze (recipe below)
Tin foil

Ingredients for Pickled Red Onions

1 red onion, sliced into thin rings
½ C water
¼ C distilled white vinegar
¼ C Apple cider vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp maple syrup
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp crushed red pepper

Ingredients for Bourbon Ketchup

16 oz can of tomato sauce
6 oz can of tomato paste
3 Tbsp of a good bourbon (same one used in the maple glaze)
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Dash of hot sauce
¼ C brown sugar
½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke
¼ tsp fine salt
¼ tsp finely ground black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

Ingredients for Maple Bourbon Glaze

½ C Pure maple syrup
¼ C packed brown sugar
¼ C bourbon (we used Maker’s Mark here, too)
2 Tbsp yellow mustard

Directions:

Heat your smoker to 180-200, and apply bourbon to wood chips as it smokes as needed
Set your bourbon ketchup, glaze, rolls, onions and cheese set aside
Mix the meat, 6-8 oz tomato sauce, milk, eggs, 1 Tbsp of maple syrup, ¼ C bourbon,
garlic powder, chopped white onion, shredded mushrooms, breadcrumbs, cheese,
poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
Take tinfoil, and line a 9×5” loaf pan with it, this will fill two of ‘em, and fill ‘em up, pat
them down with your hand to get the loaf shape
Gently lift the foil out, holding the meat, and peel the foil down a bit so it can absorb the
smoke
Place in your smoker, but save those loaf pans
Smoke for 2-2.5 hours, glazing every 30 minutes or so with the maple glaze
Preheat oven to 375
After smoking, place in oven for 45 minutes, basting again after 20 minutes
Remove from oven
Let cool for 10 minute
Heat butter in frying pan
Cut the meatloaf into ½-1 inch slices
Carefully lay each slice into pan and sear each side
Place cheese on top to melt onto meat
Place meat on the bottom of the roll
Top with pickled red onions
Spread bourbon ketchup on top of the roll
You can eat ‘em straight away, or if going the engine block route….
Wrap the sammy in tin foil
Refrigerate overnight as needed
At your off-road site, or tailgate, or parking lot at work, keep the vehicle running and pop
the hood, throw the sandwiches to heat up on top of the engine, this should take a half
or or so
Tear it up!

Directions for Pickled Red Onions

Place the onions in a 1-pint jar or plastic container
In a sauceman, over medium heat, add the all the ingredients and simmer for 3 minutes
(Carefully) pour the mixture over the onions
Let cool for a half hour…
They can be eaten right away, or stay in the fridge for 3 weeks

Directions for Bourbon Ketchup

In a medium saucepan, put all the ingredients
Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes until it starts to bubble
Place in a airtight container, and it will stay in your fridge for 2 weeks

Directions for Maple Bourbon Glaze

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until it all blends evenly
Keep stirring occasionally over medium heat for 10-15 minutes
Good to apply right away, or store for 4 or 5 days

Fat Tires

Yields: 8-10 cookie sandwiches
Prep Time: 30 minutes

A day making all the right moves (and maybe some wrong ones) means you gotta make a sweet dessert to finish things off. We love bringin’ this in the rig when we hit the trails, but it works well for kids after school, or a great little bite on your back deck or by the pool. There’s the usual suspects (all of which we’re guilty of loving), like ice cream, cookies and a good ol’ cake, too. This time though, we go to the way-back machine and dig through the archives to get a real classic, just like an old school 4-wheel drive you always wanted to push around. Remember them big ol’ tires? We got two fluffy chocolate cookie pillows surrounding a creamy, stabilized icing stuffing that makes ya say whoopie! Inspired by the big ol’ super swampers on a late 80’s jeep we used to roll on, our take on the classic whoopie pie is just as heavenly. This one is sturdier so it won’t fall apart in your cooler, and more importantly, in your hands.

Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix (these are usually 19.8 oz)
¼ C all-purpose flour
¼ C vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 Tbsp water
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ingredients for Stabilized Whipped Icing

5 Tbsp flour
1 C whole milk
1 C room temperature butter
1 C sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Use cooking spray to grease a large cookie sheet, but go light on it
Mix dry ingredients evenly first in a large mixing bowl
Add eggs, water and oil and mix again
After mixing evenly, stir in the chocolate chips
Make spoonfuls of 2-3 Tbsp of dough for each cookie
Drop the spoons of dough 2 inches apart on baking sheet
Bake for 9 minutes until just set
Take cookies out of the oven, let rest for 2-3 minutes
Remove to wire rack to cool completely

Directions for Stabilized Whipped Cream Filling

Cook flour and milk until it forms a stiff paste, and make sure it isn’t undercooked
In a metal mixing bowl, using an electric mixer and cream the butter, sugar and vanilla
Add the flour/milk mixture, beating it with the mixers until it looks like whipped cream

Directions Overall