Late this fall I flew to sunny Orlando, FL, joined by a dozen of the most talented chefs and awarded home cooks from North America and Australia in effort to collaborate, create and develop new, inspiring recipes together. The secret ingredient – Australian Grassfed Beef and Lamb. The end result – new friendships, countless laughs, memories to last a lifetime, and nearly two dozen 5-star dishes presented for print photography, small screen filming, and broadcast across social media throughout the season ahead.

My centerpiece presentation for this event was inspired the intersection of traditional and modern culinary culture Morocco. These gorgeous free-range lamb shanks were seasoned simply, but liberally, then charred over live fire before slowly braising to tender, fall-from-the-bone perfection. The shanks were then laid atop a bed of orange-scented couscous, toasted Ras el Hanout hazelnuts, spiced and dried fruits, roasted butternut squash and garlic, sweet shallots, and freshly-harvested heirloom tomatoes. This dish was finished with a drizzle of olive oil, a peppering if pomegranate arils and a garden of aromatic herbs.

Simplicity. Perfection. Cheers and long live the adventure!! -David

Print Recipe

Lamb Shank Tagine with Apricots and Moroccan Orange-zested Couscous

Ingredients

• 4-6 Australian grassfed lamb shanks, frenched and trimmed
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorn, to taste
• 3 cups lamb stock
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small piece ginger root, peeled and minced
• 3 tablespoons Ras el Hanout
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 15oz can of peeled and chopped (or diced) tomatoes, drained
• 16 ounces butternut squash, 1/2-3/4” cubed
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup cilantro, loosely packed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks
• Moroccan Orange-zested Couscous, recipe below
• 1 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped, salted and toasted, to garnish
• Pomegranate airls, to garnish
• Fresh leaves of mint, to garnish

Instructions

• Season lamb liberally and refrigerate for 4 hours, up to overnight.
• In a sauce pan over medium-high heat bring lamb stock to a boil, remove from heat, add apricots and raisins. Set aside to cool and steep.
• Remove lamb from refrigeration 1 hour prior to cooking and rest on counter to bring near room temperature. In a Dutch Oven over medium-high heat warm olive oil and work lamb shanks in batches to brown on all sides. Remove lamb from heat and set aside to rest under tin foil tent.
• In same Dutch oven add onion and sauté until just golden and fragrant. Add garlic, seasonings, paste and chopped tomatoes, squash, honey, cilantro, stock and steeped fruits, along with browned lamb shanks. Fold all ingredients together until well-combined. Seal with tin foil, then top with lid before placing inside a 350-400F oven for 2-2 ½ hours, or until the lamb is cooked through and fall-from-the-bone tender.
• Meanwhile, prepare couscous (recipe below) and over a separate burner warm 2 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan with cinnamon stick. Toss in chopped hazelnuts into butter, season to taste with salt and sauté until golden. Set aside to cool.
• To plate, spoon orange-zested couscous onto plate. Top with lamb shank, then spoon aromatics and sauce over the plated shank. Garnish with sautéed hazelnuts and leaves of mint. Serve. 

Print Recipe

Moroccan Orange-zested Couscous

Ingredients

• 2 cups lamb stock (or chicken stock)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups couscous
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

• Over high heat, bring broth, butter and oil to a boil in a heavy bottom pot. Stir in couscous, cover tightly with a lid and remove from heat. Fold in orange zest and season to taste. Fluff with a fork and serve warm.

p.s. Cheers to the brilliantly talented, Chef Aaron Brooks, Miami, and Chef Renee Scharoff, Boston – my very good friends, chef compadres and the two inspirational folks who partnered with me in the kitchen all day creating this dish and near a dozen others! Here’s to a very merry Christmas and best wishes in the New Year.

Live fire leg of lamb chili. Loaded with cumin and garlic-spiced Australian grassfed lamb, smoky hunks of lamb bacon, jalapeno and poblano peppers, a blend of heirloom tomatoes, and an aromatic garden of fresh herbs. Prepared over a slowly smoldering bed of charcoal and hardwoods. Garnished with a dollop of crème fraîche and a dash of sriracha and paired best with an ice cold, craft-brewed winter ale. This dish is the perfect centerpiece for a chilly December weekend in the great white, rustic north of Pure Michigan!! -Cheers, David

Print Recipe

Live Fire Leg of Lamb Chili

Ingredients

• 16oz lamb bacon, diced
• 4-6 large shallots, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups lamb or beef stock
• 8 ounces dark beer
• 3 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and diced
• 2 jalapenos, minced
• 3-4 cups tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2-3 pounds Australian grassfed leg of lamb, boneless and trimmed
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorn, to taste
• 2 cups kidney beans
• 2 cups great northern beans
• 1 cup black beans
• Fresh cilantro, chopped, to garnish
• Dollop of crème fraîche, to garnish
• Sriracha sauce, to garnish

Instructions

• In a heavy-bottom stock pot (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat sauté bacon until just crispy, then add onion and garlic to the pot and cook until fragrant and translucent in color. Pour in stock and beer, tomatoes and paste, peppers, and all seasonings, then stir to thoroughly combine. Cover pot and turn down heat, slowly simmering until liquid reduced by 1/3. Toss in beans and continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes, stirring intermittently.
• Meanwhile, preheat a grill to high heat. Drizzle the leg of lamb with olive oil and season liberally with kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorn. Over direct heat with the grill lid open, sear lamb 5-7 minutes per side until well-charred. Remove from heat and set aside to rest under a tin foil tent for 10 minutes before carving. 
• In final 15 minutes of the chili cooking, slice the lamb meat into small, bite-sized cubes and fold into the chili mix.
• Remove the pot of chili from heat once desired consistency achieved, then season additionally to taste with salt and pepper. To plate, ladle chili into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro, a dollop of crème fraîche and a splash of sriracha. Cheers!

Over the years as our travels have whisked us from sea to shining sea, from one continent, breathtaking mountaintop and smoky backyard barbecue to the next, without question my favorite corner of God’s green earth is still a small, Mayberry-esque farming community in the great white, rustic north of Pure Michigan. Huddled only miles from the near-endless pristine shorelines of Great Lake Michigan our family home rests far off the beaten path of a long and narrow country road – a destination every November for loved ones to gather, break bread and celebrate as we enjoy each other’s company, a homemade meal, and the fleeting moments of fall before the onset of a long, chilly winter season ahead.

On this brisk evening our plane arrived just in time to catch the fading colors of autumn and a golden sunset on horizon – undoubtedly, there is no place like home.

3 hours in the air and another 2 traversing bumpy back roads, we pulled into the familiar, long-winding driveway of my childhood home, only to be greeted on doorsteps by family and friends, a campfire billowing in the backyard and beer chest loaded to the brim with cases of ice cold craft brew. And, it is here that our holidays commence, a 5-day weekend starting annually on the eve of Thanksgiving, with this gathering and feast affectionately known as, “Steaksgiving!”

While the trek was long, I gladly volunteered to take the reigns as “Steaksgiving” chef (again this year). Perfect for the occasion and serving a crowd, my inspiration for this recipe was a throwback to a holiday I spent abroad nearly 10 years ago, traveling for weeks from the cityscapes of Melbourne, over Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, to the farm fields and ever-breathtaking mountainscapes of Tasmania.

These gorgeous cuts of Australian grassfed beef filet mignon were infused overnight in an simple bath of smoked soy, brown sugar, roasted garlic and shallots, then paired with seasonal vegetables from the local farmer’s market and paired together on wooden skewers. The ka-bobw were grilled to medium-rare perfection over the barbie, then dressed with an aromatic garden of fresh herbs and served family-style alongside two handfuls of ice cold, craft-brewed amber ale.

Bright and colorful. Fresh and flavorful. Simple and seasonal. Every last bite and morsel devoured. This is live fire perfection.

Print Recipe

Amber Ale-Marinated Filet Mignon Steak and Wild Mushroom Skewers

Servings: 12 Skewers

Author: Chef David, Live Fire Republic

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds Australian grassfed beef flitet mignon, trimmed and cubed
• 1/2 cup BLiS smoked soy sauce, or regular soy sauce
• 1/2 cup amber-colored ale
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus additional for basting skewers
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 medium-sized shallots, diced
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1/2 head garlic, roasted in oven until golden and tender
• 3-4 cups assorted wild mushrooms, rinsed
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 2 large red onions, chopped
• Kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorn, to taste
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, to garnish
• 2 cups homemade chimichurri recipe, or store-bought
• 1 dozen wooden skewers, soaked in water 30minutes before use

Instructions

• Place cubed steak, soy, beer, oil, sugar, shallots, mustard and roasted garlic into an air-tight resealable plastic bag. Combine and ensure all portions of meat are well-covered. Marinate for 8 hours, up to over night. Remove steak from refrigeration 1 hour prior to grilling, discard marinade and rest on the counter until near room temperature.
• Meanwhile, preheat the barbecue for direct grilling and medium-high heat. 
• While the grill is warming to temperature, arrange the marinated beef cubes, mushroom, onion and peppers on the skewers, careful to not overload the ka-bobs. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste. 
• Grill the skewers with the grill lid open for 3-4 minutes per side, until the beef has reached an internal temperature of at least 125-130F. Remove skewers from the grill, place under a tin foil tent and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. 
• Plate family-style, garnish with parsley and a spoonful of chimichurri per skewer. Serve alongside family, the best of friends and an ice cold craft-brewed amber ale. Cheers!

Now, it’s time for board games, a few dozen rounds of euchre, midnight karaoke, and prepping for a full weekend of family, food, fall fishing and a bit more fun than I deserve at my age. From mine to yours, be blessed, stay hungry and long live the adventure. -David