Thursday, May 31, 2012

Chili-Cheese-Slaw Dogs with Beer Braised Brats topped with Homemade Mole Chili, Pimento Cheese, Creamy Jalapeno Coleslaw, Fried Onion Strings, & Srirancha Sauce

Here's the next recipe from our Memorial Day meal. I have been itchin' to make chili-cheese-slaw dogs for a while. It brings up a lot of childhood memories from when we would go eat at the Varsity before Atlanta Falcons games, Braves games, and UGA Football games. And I would always get a chili cheese dog with slaw added with a side of fries and a frosted orange. If you have never been to the Varsity, then you are missing out, and I urge you to go. Did you know it's actually the largest drive-in restaurant in the world? That's pretty awesome. Anyway, I decided to take a stab at this all-American classic, but of course, by adding my own signature twist. It was a requirement that I make every component from scratch and my friends, there are a lot of components. So, feel free to use store-bought ingredients to make it a little easier on you. First, I started off by braising from brats in some dark beer and caramelized onions. I have never really been a huge fan of hot dogs, but we love brats braised in beer, so we just had to do it. After they braised, we charred them off on the grill until they were nice & crispy. Then, I whipped up a batch of my homemade mole chili that has a couple crazy ingredients such as cocoa powder, peanut butter, and pumpkin pie spice. It's deliciously sweet, but still hearty & spicy like a traditional chili. I also made my favorite pimento cheese recipe because I mean honestly, what is better than pimento cheese? Nothin' bro. I topped the dogs with my favorite coleslaw recipe, crispy onion strings, and a special, special sauce. I call this sauce, "Srirancha Sauce", because it is a combination of a homemade ranch dressing and my new favorite spice, homemade sriracha powder (that was used in my Pickled Deviled Egg recipe on Tuesday). This sauce is creamy & spicy, but still has that amazing herby flavor that I love. Well, that's it... not too bad eh? Haha, I know it's a lot, however, if you have the time, then definitely make these gourmet dog. You won't regret it!! Enjoy :)
Gourmet Chili-Cheese-Slaw Dogs
Look at all them layers...
The crispy onions are the best, yum-o!
Don't forget a drizzle of the homemade Srirancha sauce :) 
My Mountain Man chowin' downnn. 
For the Beer Braised Brats:
4 Brats
Your Favorite Beer, To Cover
1 Medium Vidalia Onion, Cut into Slices
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Homemade Chili:
2T Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1T Garlic, Chopped
1lb Ground Beef Chuck (80/20)
2-28oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes
1C Water
1 4oz Can of Chopped Green Chiles
2 Jalapenos, Seeded & Diced
3T Chili Powder
1t Paprika
½t Dried Oregano
½t Cayenne Pepper
1t Cumin
¼t Pumpkin Pie Spice
½t Salt
1t Onion Powder
1t Garlic Salt
2t Brown Sugar
¼C Creamy Peanut Butter
2T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1-2T Hot Sauce
1t Worcestershire
Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Pimento Cheese:
4oz Cream Cheese, Softened
½C Mayo
¼t Garlic Powder, Pepper, & Paprika
2t Hot Sauce
2T Sweet Onion, Grated
8oz Pepper Jack Cheese, Shredded
8oz White Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
8oz Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
2 Roasted Red Peppers, Diced
½C Candied Jalapenos, Diced

For the Creamy Jalapeno Coleslaw:
3C Coleslaw Mix
3-5 Green Onions, Chopped (depending on how much onion you like)
2 Large Jalapenos, Diced
2T Candied Jalapeno, Diced (or you can use pickled jalapenos and add a little more sugar)
¼C Mayo
¼C Sour Cream
1t Yellow Mustard
1t White Vinegar
1t Sugar
1t Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper, To Taste 

For the Fried Onion Strings:
1 Large Vidalia Onion, Sliced Very Thinly
2C Buttermilk
2C AP Flour
Salt & Pepper, To Taste
½t Cayenne
Vegetable Oil, For Frying

For the Srirancha Sauce:
½C Sour Cream
¼C Mayo
Cold Buttermilk (however much to your preferred thickness)
2T Fresh Parsley, Minced
¼C Fresh Chives, Minced
1 Small Clove of Garlic, Minced into a Paste (use a little coarse sea salt to help grind it)
½t Garlic Salt & Garlic Powder
½t-1t Homemade Sriracha Powder
Salt & Pepper, To Taste (I also used a pinch of sugar for a little sweetness, this is optional)

For the Chili-Cheese-Slaw Dogs:
Beer Braised Brats, Grilled
Hot Dog Buns, Toasted
Prepared Chili
Prepared Pimento Cheese
Prepared Creamy Jalapeno Coleslaw
Fried Onion Strings
Prepared Srirancha Sauce
Additional Toppings (raw onion, sauce, etc.)

Directions:
1. For the Beer Braised Brats: Heat some olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the sliced onions along with some salt & pepper, and caramelize until golden brown. Once the onions have caramelized, place the brats into the Dutch oven and cover with the beer and any other seasonings that you want. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until the brats are cooked through. Remove the brats and set aside the beer mixture. Right before you are ready to eat, grill the brats until golden brown and charred. Return the brats the beer mixture until you are ready to serve.
2. For the Chili: Heat the olive oil in a big pot on medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender, then add in the garlic and diced jalapenos and cook for about 2 minutes. Next, add in the ground beef and cook thoroughly through. Add in the water, crushed tomatoes, and green chiles. Let this mixture cook for about 10 minutes, then stir in chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne, cumin, salt, onion powder, garlic salt, and brown sugar. Let this mixture cook covered on low heat for 30 minutes. After it has simmered, stir in the creamy peanut butter, cocoa powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and pumpkin pie spice. Once again, cook on simmer for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Keep the chili warm until you are ready to spoon on top of the dogs.
3. To Make the Pimento Cheese: In a big mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mayo, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, & hot sauce. Separately, shred the three blocks of cheese and put in the bowl with the cream cheese & mayo mixture. (I use the second smallest shredding side because I like it more that way. It does take more time, but I think it's worth it. But you can do the cheese in the bigger shred if that's how you like your pimento cheese. Toss the mixture together until the mayo is covering all of the cheese. Add in the diced red peppers, grated onion, and candied jalapeno. Toss until it’s evenly incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. For the Creamy Jalapeno Coleslaw: In a medium-mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, mustard, sugar, lemon juice, fresh jalapeno, and candied jalapeno. Toss this mixture with the coleslaw and green onions until completely coated. Set it aside until ready to assemble the hot dogs.
5. For the Fried Onion Strings: Slice the onion very thinly. Place in baking dish and cover with buttermilk and hot sauce. Soak for at least an hour. Combine all the dry ingredients and seasonings, and set it aside. Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Grab a handful of onions and toss in the flour mixture, shake off the excess, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown & crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Repeat until all the onions have been fried. Top the brats with the crispy onions.
6. For the Srirancha Sauce: Whisk together the sour cream, mayo, parsley, chives, garlic paste, garlic salt, and garlic powder until smooth and combined. Add in some buttermilk, starting with a small amount and working up to more to the thickness that you want. Whisk in the Sriracha Powder to your desired spiciness, I used 1t of the powder for a fairly spicy sauce. Taste once again and season with salt, pepper, & sugar to your liking. Pour into a container and refrigerate until you are ready to drizzle onto the hot dogs.
7. Assemble the Brats: Lay the brats into the toasted buns and top with the pimento cheese, homemade chili, coleslaw, crispy onion strings, and a drizzle of the Srirancha Sauce.

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