Recipes

Email recipes to mattlokay@californiagrillin.com to be featured. Recipe credit will be given in the underlined section along with instagram handle if provided. We hope you enjoy some of our favorites!!

 California Grillin Competition Steak

One scoop of Wicked Pig Tenderizing Marinade into a blender along with 1 can of beef consummate, 1 TBSP California Grillin Gold Rush Dust, 1 TBSP California Grillin Bull vs Bear Steak & Beef Seasoning and 2 TBSP Dales Steak Marinade. Blend on lowest setting until well mixed.

Add steaks (we recommend ribeye) and marinade into a zip lock bag. Marinate for 12 to 15 minutes max on the counter. Flip it over once halfway through. Do not do longer than 15 minutes or you risk the steak breaking down to much.

Remove steaks and pat steaks dry with paper towel. Season steak with Gold Rush dust on both sides including the edges. Then season a layer of Route One BBQ on both sides including the edges. Then season steaks with Bull vs Bear Steak & Beef on both sides and on the edges. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes while your grill comes up to temperature.

Take grillgrates temperature to 550F to 575F. Spray grillgrates with Duck Fat Spray prior to placing steak down at an angle 10 o’clock and 4 o’clock. Sear for 1 minute, we use a steak weight to achieve pronounced marks.. Do a quarter turn at an angle of 2 o’clock and 7 o’clock and sear for one minute. We recommend cleaning the grillgrates between all turns. Flip steak and repeat quarter turns above. Spray grillgrates with Duck Fat Spray between all turns.

Place steaks in an elevated position and allow to reach 130F in the center for medium rare, for medium allow steaks to hit 140F. Drizzle melted unsalted butter over both sides as you come to temperature. Then lightly season both sides with Gold Rush Dust.  

California Grillin Fajitas

Combine 2 tbsp California Grillin Mission Trail Mexican Seasoning (available in our online store), 1 tbsp California Grillin Golden Gate Grind (available in our online store), 1 tbsp California Grillin Gold Rush Dust into a 3 cup measuring cup. Add: 2 Tbsp clear tequila and 2 tbsp white vinegar. Mix the ingredients well. Let stand for a few minutes and then add 1/4 cup of olive oil and a 1/4 cup Mexican beer of your choice, mixing well. Pour over meat (Beef or Chicken) for 24 hours in fridge. Flip meat at halfway mark. Pour marinade over meat as you grill. We like to make extra marinade to season green/red pepper, onions and then fry them up on the grill in cast iron.

California Grillin Poor Man's Burnt Ends

Marinate Chuck Roast with Smoke on Wheels BBQ Marinade (available in our store). Season all sides of chuck roast with California Grillin Gold Rush Dust. Season all sides of chuck roast with California Grillin Route One BBQ. Season all sides of chuck roast with California Grillin Bull vs Bear. Smoke chuck roast between 225F an 250F over indirect heat until roast hits 165F. Wrap roast in butchers paper and place back on the smoker. Pull roast once it hits 195F and cube the chuck roast. Place the cubes in a pan. Pour 1 cup of beef broth into the pan along with a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Season burnt ends again with Bull vs Bear, Route One BBQ and Gold Rush Dust and drizzle Blues Hog BBQ Champions Blend all over the burnt ends. Squeeze parkay or place slices of butter on top and return to the smoker at 300F for an hour stirring every 20 minutes. 

California Grillin Pulled Pork

Inject or marinate Pork Shoulder with Smoke on Wheels Pork marinade and injection (available in our online store). Season all sides of pork shoulder with a layer California Grillin Gold Rush Dust. Come back over the top with a layer of California Grillin Route One BBQ. Place pork shoulder on smoker at 225F to 300F depending if you want to go low and slow or hot and fast. We like to place fat cap down to protect the bark from burning when going hot and fast.

When pork shoulder hits 165F, wrap it tightly in foil If you want to accelerate the cook, we put butter, apple juice, Route one BBQ and brown sugar in the wrap. Double wrap in foil to make sure none of the juice leaks out. Place back on the smoker until the pork shoulder hits 205F.

Keep the pork shoulder wrapped in the foil. Place pork shoulder in a cooler wrapped in old beach towels to rest. We like to rest a minimum of 2 to 4 hours to help all remaining fat to render off. After a solid rest, take the pork shoulder out and pull it apart, discarding fat. If you want to serve the pork shoulder over an extended time you can pour apple juice into a crock pot and season liberally with Route One BBQ and fill with pulled pork and keep the crockpot on lowest setting, make sure to stir often.

California Grillin Hot Wings

Spray wings with Duck Fat Spray (available in our online store) for a binder. Season both sides with a layer of California Grillin Gold Rush Dust. Come back over the top with a layer of California Grillin Desert Heat on both sides.

Smoke wings at 300F for one hour. 45 minutes in, flip the wings. Check exterior and temperature at one hour. We are shooting for internal temperatures above 175F and we are looking for crispy skin.

Once you hit internal temperature and crispy skin that you want, place wings in a large mixing bowl. We then pour a 1/4 cup of classic Franks Red Hot Classic Buffalo hot sauce into the bowl, 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter and a 2 small dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Give the wings a good spin, coating wings evenly on both sides. We then add more Gold Rush Dust and Desert Heat and spin again. For extra "dirty" add more Desert Heat!!

California Grillin Queso

Cube 1 bar Valveeta. Fry 1 pack Jimmy Dean hot sausage draining the grease.

1/2 white onion minced. Equal amount pickled jalapeño drained minced. 1 garlic clove minced. 2 cans rotel (we do one hot and one regular). Sauté garlic, onion and jalapeño over medium heat with butter. 

Combine, cubed Valveeta,1.5 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 TBSP California Grillin Mission Trail Mexican Seasoning, 1 TBSP Golden Gate Grind available in our online store), drained sausage and sauted veggies. Combine everything and melt. We like melting the mixture on our smoker for some extra flavor at 300F, stirring every 15 minutes. You can sub ground beef or turkey for the sausage or omit sausage altogether if you want more traditional queso.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich’s or Slider’s

We like to purchase Shabu Shabu steak from Costco because it is sliced so thin. We cut it horizontally as well so it crumbles as it cooks. We heat our griddle up to 350F and use canola oil. We season both sides of the steak and veggies with California Grillin Gold Rush Dust, Bull vs Bear and Golden Gate Grind. We caramelize the veggies first and then start cooking the steak. As the steak finishes we mix the veggies and steak together and place white American cheese all over the meat mixture and cook until melted. We do like to use hoagie buns for sandwiches and heat them up on the griddle.

We like to use King’s Hawaiian rolls for sliders and place additional white American cheese on the bottom and top of the meat mixture. We baste the tops with melted butter and season the top with Gold Rush Dust and then heat at 350F on the smoker or in the oven until the cheese is melted. We also enjoy pouring our Queso recipe on these! Recipe is above this one. ENJOY!

Asian Style Pork Spare Ribs

Remove membrane from ribs. Rub both sides of rack of ribs with soy sauce for a binder. Season both sides with Gold Rush Dust. Come back over the top of that with Bull vs Bear and season liberally. Come back over the top with Golden Gate Grind and season liberally. Smoke ribs indirect at 275°F for 3 hours. Check for tenderness and pullback. Go another hour if not done yet. 

California Grillin Jalapeño Poppers

Take 20 good sized jalapeños, half and core them all. Soften 3 packs cream cheese. Fry a pack of Jimmy Deans hot breakfast sausage and drain the grease.Combine drained sausage and cream cheese. Add a handful of grated Parmesan cheese and grated Colby Jack cheese, mixing well. Add 2 stalks minced green onion. Season mixture with 1 TBSP of California Grillin Gold Rush Dust, 1 TBSP California Grillin Desert Heat and 1 TBSP California Grillin Mission Trail Mexican Seasoning (available in our online store). Mix mixture well and fill poppers. Add more parmesan cheese over the top. Place poppers in a greased pan. Bake on the smoker or grill at 425F. We prefer to use our pellet grill for this. For a fun surprise, load one random popper with a bunch of the seeds!! 

California Grillin Ground Beef Tacos

1 lb. ground beef 80/20
3 TB Mission Trail Mexican Seasoning 
3/4 Cup beef broth 
1 TB Gold Rush Dust 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, cook for about 8 minutes until nice and browned, breaking it up into chunks and stirring it to brown all sides. If there is more than a tablespoon or so of oil in the pan at this point, drain it off. Add Mission Trail Mexican Seasoning and Gold Rush Dust, cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add beef broth stir to combine, reduce heat to medium and cook 8-10 minutes until most of the water has cooked away and the meat is deliciously saucy. For extra flavor sauté salsa and add at the same time as the beef broth. If you prefer chunks of meat in the taco sauce, don’t stir the beef too much while cooking  

California Grillin BBQ Spare Ribs

Square ribs up and pull the membrane. Marinate ribs with Smoke on Wheels Pork marinade (available in our online store). Season both sides with California Grillin Gold Rush Dust. Come back with a layer of California Grillin Route One BBQ rub on both sides. Smoke ribs at 250F for 3 hours. If you want them fall off the bone, wrap tightly with foil and return to the grill. We like to use Blues Hog BBQ Champions Blend Original BBQ Sauce. We add more Route One BBQ Seasoning, butter and brown sugar to the wrap. Return to the smoker for 1 hour in the wrap. Unwrap the ribs and return to the smoker and allow them to finish up, typically 30 minutes to an hour. Sauce with more Blues Hog BBQ sauce as they finish. Check tenderness with a toothpick, it should glide in and out like a baked potato when finished.

California Grillin Hardcore Carnivore Steaks

We love Hardcore Carnivore Black Seasoning! We like to olive oil steaks all over first as a binder. Season both sides with California Grillin Gold Rush Dust. Follow up with Hardcore Carnivore Black over both sides. You can Reverse Sear your steaks at this point or sear. Whatever way you like your steaks, this seasoning combination is incredible!!

California Grillin Smoked Beans

4 cans Bush's Baked Beans. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup Blues Hog Champions Blend BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 TBSP mustard, 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce and 3 TBSP California Grillin Route One BBQ rub. Place beans on your favorite smoker over indirect heat at 250F to 300F. Smoke for 2 to 3 hours.

California Grillin Smashburgers

Finley slice white onion into a bowl. Coat onions in olive (we like canola as it has a higher flash point). Season liberally with California Grillin Gold Rush Dust. Using 80/20 ground beef, pack beef into small round balls (think smaller than a racquetball but larger than a golf ball). Fry up the onion on a griddle or flattop grill. When caramelized, portion out the onions for each burger across the flattop. Individually place the hamburger balls onto the onions, smash the burger down with a steak weight using wax paper so it won't stick (our favorite is made by Hasty Bake!). Sprinkle California Grillin Gold Rush Dust and Bull vs Bear onto the patty. Allow the burger to grill on the onions for a sold 2 to 3 minutes. Using a very rigid spatula, scrape under the onions and patty and give it a flip. We then immediately place American cheese on the side that has just been cooked. When it's melted you are ready to pull the burgers off. We place brioche buns on the griddle for these last 2 to 3 mins to make sure they are hot and ready to go. Enjoy!

California Grillin Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

Pound 4 chicken breasts in between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise to make 2 small pieces of chicken about the same size as the bun being used. Fill bowl with 2 cups of buttermilk, add 1 tbsp California Grillin Gold Rush Dust and 1 tbsp California Grillin Desert Heat to the buttermilk. Add the chicken to the mix and place in fridge to marinate up to 24 hours for best results.

Heat oil in large cast iron skillet to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup corn starch, 1 tbsp California Grill Desert Heat and 1 tbsp California Grillin Gold Rush Dust. Drizzle 2 to 3 tbsp of the buttermilk batter into the flour mixture and mix it through with a fork.

Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken in the flour mixture and press flour on the top of the chicken to form a crust. Transfer chicken to hot oil and fry for 3 to 5 minutes per side or until the outside is crispy and golden and the internal temperature exceeds 165F. We enjoy using brioche buns

2 lbs 80/20 ground chuck and 1 package Jimmy Dean Hot Breakfast Sausage. Season meat with chili powder (we always use Williams) heavy all over while frying along with Mission Trail Mexican Seasoning & Gold Rush Dust. Drain grease. Put fried meat in crockpot or dutch oven. Sauté can of hot rotel, diced onion, for extra heat add diced jalapeño and season with Williams chili powder and Gold Rush Dust and Mission Trail Mexican while simmering. Stir often until soft. Add to crockpot or dutch oven with the fried meat. Stir in large can Campbells tomato soup, 1 8oz can tomato sauce, 5 cups beef broth (I keep beef bones from cooks in the freezer to make the broth). Stir well then add 4 tbsp Williams chili powder. 2 TBSP Mission Trail Mexican Seasoning (available in our online store), 2 TBSP California Grillin Bull vs Bear, 1 TBSP California Grillin Gold Rush Dust, and 1 TBSP Golden Gate Grind Add 1:4 cup brown sugar. I like putting in a splash of Dale’s steak seasoning and A1 as well. Stir well and simmer all day. Last hour or two uncover the pot to thicken it up as broth makes it very soupy but provides the bold flavor and color. You can also do this on the smoker at 250F all day.

California Grillin Chicken Tortilla Soup

Sauté a can of hot rotel along with a small can diced green chilies and small can diced jalapeños. Put 3 16oz packs of Philly cream cheese on top of the sautéed veggies and stir until completely melted and combined.

Shred a chicken discarding all bones, fat and skin. Combine meat into the  mixture. We typically do the chicken on our rotisserie or do beer can chicken.

Add 3 TBSP Mission Trail Mexican Seasoning (available in our online store). Add 1 TBSP California Grillin Gold Rush Dust and 1 TBSP Golden Gate Grind.

Add 6 to 8 cups chicken broth and stir well. Crank the heat stirring often bringing to a simmer. Turn to low and cook for a few hours (we like to go 4 to 5 hours on the smoker at 225F). We typically top ours with shredded cheese and sour cream in the bowl.

California Grillin Smoked Chicken Enchiladas

Combine the following in a large bowl and mix well. Rotisserie or beer can chicken. Debone and shred chicken, discard skin, fat and bones. 2 tbsp Mission Trail Mexican Seasoning, 1 TBSP California Grillin Gold Rush Dust, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 16oz container of sour cream (Daisy) and 2 cups shredded Colby jack cheese. 

Take the above filling and fill tortillas until mixture is gone.Don’t overfill tortillas. Wrap the tortillas up and place in a greased 9x12 baking pan. You can use Reynolds disposable pans too. Take 1 more cup of Colby jack cheese and put over the top of the enchiladas in the pan. Smoke on the pellet grill at 350°F for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Enjoy!!

Blackened Pork Chops

Rub pork chops with olive oil. Season with Gold Rush Dust, Golden Gate Grind and then Desert Heat all over. For thick chops we like to smoke at 250F for one hour and then sear at the end. For thinner chops, direct grill over high heat. Take the chops to 140F and pull off and enjoy.

California Grillin BBQ Wings

Spray wings with Duck Fat spray (available in our online store) for a binder. Season both sides with California Grillin Gold Rush Dust and California Grillin Route One BBQ. Smoke wings at 300F for an hour or until done, flipping once 45 minutes in. Place finished wings in a large mixing bowl, toss in mixture of Blues Hog Original BBQ sauce and Blues Hog Tennessee Red (both available in our online store).

California Grillin Brisket

Prepare smoker for indirect heat of 225°F. We like to buy choice or prime packer briskets which includes the point and the flat. Trim hard and excess fat off the meat side of the brisket. Also, remove any of the hard pieces of fat as they will not render off during the cooking process. Trim the fat off the fat side of the brisket only leaving ¼ in fat. Rub olive oil all over the brisket as a binder. Season both sides with Gold Rush Dust and then Bull vs Bear and Route One BBQ at a 2:1 ratio. Smoke brisket over night which will give you more rest time the next day. When the brisket hits 165°F wrap it in pink butchers paper and continue on the smoker until it hits 200°F to 205°F. Each brisket is different and you’ll want it to be probe tender. Once you achieve the desired tenderness, remove the brisket wrapped in butchers paper and wrap it in old towels and place in a cooler for 2 to 4 hours of rest. The longer rest will allow the brisket to reabsorb juices lost and fat to fully render off. Slice against the grain and enjoy!! You can always make burnt ends of of the point following the steps in our Poor Mans Burnt End Recipie. 

California Grillin Spatchcock Chicken

Cut the spine out of the back of the chicken. Olive oil both sides of the chicken. We like to remove the thighs and drums from their skin jacket and olive oil those as well. Season the legs and thigh meat with Gold Rush Dust & Desert Heat first (you can use any combo of our seasonings for this). Return to their skin jacket. Season the chicken all over with the Gold Rush Dust, Golden Gate Grind & Desert Heat. Cook the chicken indirect at 350°F until the breast reaches 165°F 

Birria Tacos

6 Guajillo dried chilies

4 Padilla dried chilies

2Tbl minced garlic

1Tbl dried oregano

1tsp cumin

2tsp coriander

2 Chipotle chilies in Adobo sauce (add more for spicy)

15oz can of fire roasted tomatoes

1 yellow onion

2 - 16 oz beef broth

2.5-4lbs of Chuck Roast, beef ribs or stew meats. Fattier the better

Mission Trail Mexican

Gold Rush Dust

Garnish

1 white onion

Cilantro

Corn tortillas

Cut and de seed the dried chilies, place in blender with garlic, coriander, cumin, chipotle chilies and 2 Tbl Mission Trail Mexican Seasoning or to taste.

Boil beef broth and pour into blender, let chilies re hydrate and soften

Dice 1 yellow onion, and sauté 1/2 in large cast iron, season meat with CA grillin Gold Rush Dust and Mission trail Mexican seasoning to taste, Sear the meat on both sides.

In large Dutch oven, add Olive oil and 1/2 yellow onion and seared meat. Carmelize onions.

Blend up chilies to a fine consistency pour over meats in Dutch oven. Add remainder of beef stock to cover meat and simmer for 3 hours.

After meat is fork tender, remove meat from Dutch oven and shred, putting heavy fat back into the consommé mixture in the Dutch oven.

When ready to make Birria tacos, dip corn into consommé mixture fats should have rendered down to liquid, place on flat top, flip until desired doneness, add Monterey Jack cheese, Birria, onions and Cilantro to taste.

Ladle Birria Consommé into a container to dip the taco into. Thx Rory for the recipe!

Mac & Cheese

 

2lbs cellentani pasta cooked Al dente. In a pot on just below medium heat put 1 stick of unsalted butter in pan. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of garlic, add 16 oz of heavy cream, add 8oz of smoked gouda, add 1lbs of velveeta (cubed), add 1lbs of tillamook triple cheddar, add 1 tablespoon of California Grillin Gold Rush Dust and Bull vs Bear. Cook until everything is melted and incorporated together. Add cooked noodles to Mac. Put in aluminum pan. Add freshly cheddar and mozzarella to the top to your liking Bake at 275° for 35 minutes. Mix well and add to the smoker at 275° for 25 minutes. Mix and serve that deliciousness. Recipe from Sam @good_friends_bbq

California Grillin Thai Dunken Noodles

1/2 white onion minced

Red bell pepper cored and seeded. Cut into strips.

6 Thai chilis minced. More or less depending on heat.

Season veggies with Gold Rush Dust & Golden Gate Grind and sauté

Add meat to sautéed veggies. Season with Gold Rush Dust and Bull vs Bear put a nice sear on the meat. We’ve added bbq meats in which case they don’t need seared and just add. The bbq flavors play really nicely!!

Add extra wide rice noodles and 3 cooked scrambled eggs

Add sauce over medium heat and mix well. Add Thai basil leaves at the end and mix well over medium heat.

Sauce recipe

1/4 cup oyster sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp Sriracha

4 tbsp bourbon

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp mirran

1 tbsp minced garlic

California Grillin Chicken Stir Fry

Add oil to wok or skillet and turn heat to medium. Cube 6 chicken breasts and season both sides with California Grillin Gold Rush Dust and Bull vs Bear. Cook chicken in oil over medium heat. Prepare 3 cups chicken broth, add 4 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp Sriracha, 1 tbsp Gold Rush Dust and 1 tbsp Bull vs Bear stirring well. Add sauce mixture and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add 4 tbsp corn starch to 1/4 cup very cold water stirring well. Slowly add to the wok and increase heat to high stirring slowly. Allow to thicken and then serve! Great with rice, potstickers and egg rolls.