State Fair Spiedie Recipes

AUTHENTIC UPSTATE SPIEDIES.

Steps:

• Dice chicken breasts into 1" cubes.
• Blend the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar or wine, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, garlic salt, crushed mint leaf, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Add chicken to the marinade, stirring. I like to bag it in zip lock bags (I always make a double batch so I can freeze some).
• This needs to marinate at least 24 hrs in the refrigerator. The acid content of the marinade tenderizes the chicken by "cooking" it to a degree.
• Skewer the meat on kabob sticks; grill until firm.
• Serve on sliced Italian bread, and God bless you if you can get Romas from upstate NY or Raliegh NC.

SPIEDIES MARINADE

Steps:

• Combine oil, wine, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, tarragon, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Stir in onion and garlic. Add chicken cubes last; coat thoroughly.
• Pour mixture into a resealable freezer bag, making sure there is as little air as possible in the bag. Wrap bag in a paper towel and slide it into another resealable bag so that the zippers are at opposite ends. Refrigerate, flipping over every 12 hours, for 2 to 3 days.
• Soak wooden skewers in water. Thread the chicken cubes through the skewers, discarding marinade.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Grill the chicken skewers, flipping halfway, until juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes.

SPIEDIES

Steps:

• Make the marinade: Whisk together all the ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add the meat to the marinade and cover tightly, or place into large, re-sealable plastic bags and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours (or 10 to 12 hours for chicken).
• Build a fire in your grill, leaving about 1/3 of grill free of coals, or set a gas grill to high.
• Remove the meat from its marinade and thread onto metal skewers, or wooden ones that you have soaked in water for 30 minutes or so. The chunks can be placed quite close together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• When coals are covered with gray ash and fire is still quite high (you can hold your hand 5 inches above coals for only a couple of seconds), place the skewers of meat directly over the flames. Allow the meat to cook, undisturbed, for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, then use kitchen tongs to turn them over and repeat on the other side. Continue turning the skewers every couple of minutes until the meat is deeply crisp at its edges, and cooked entirely through, approximately another 5 to 7 minutes. (Remove them to the cool side of the grill if they begin to burn, and cover the grill to allow them to smoke-roast until finished; this is much less likely to happen on a gas grill.)
• Allow the spiedies to rest on a cutting board for a few minutes, then remove the meat from the skewers onto cut hero rolls or a plate. Serve with hot sauce on the side.

SPIEDIES

Steps:

• Place the cubed chicken into a large resealable plastic bag or container, add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, garlic, garlic salt, oregano, garlic salt, mint, basil, and black pepper. Seal the container and shake until combined. Refrigerate for 1 to 3 days, shaking the container to turn the meat every 6 to 8 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil grate. When you are ready to cook, remove meat from the marinade and place on skewers.
• Place the skewers on the preheated grill and cook, turning every three minutes until cooked through and the internal temperature of the meat reaches 170 degrees F (75 degrees C). Be careful not to overcook or the meat will be very dry. Serve the grilled meat on Italian bread or hot dog rolls.

NEW YORK SPIEDIES

Steps:

• In a large resealable bag, combine the canola oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, onion powder, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Place the beef cubes into the marinade, seal and shake to mix and coat the beef. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, or for up to 3 days.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat. Thread the beef cubes onto 8 skewers, dividing evenly. Discard the marinade.
• Cook the meat on the grill for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked to your liking (you can make a test skewer if you want). To serve, place a whole skewer of beef on a slice of French bread. Hold onto the meat using the bread, and pull the skewer out.

CHICKEN SPIEDIES (MARINATED CHICKEN ON A BUN)

Steps:

• In a blender, combine the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, mint, dill, salt, soy sauce, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, and cardamom and puree until smooth and emulsified.
• Put the chicken in a large mixing bowl and pour the marinade over it, reserving about 1⁄2 cup marinade in a small bowl, and covering and refrigerating it. Mix the chicken well with the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24. The acidic marinade will start to break down the chicken, so if a more tender texture bothers you, marinate for 4 to 5 hours. I, however, am a fan of that texture and think an aggressively long, 24-hour marinade gives the chicken that much more flavor.
• Heat a grill until it is so hot you (almost) can't look directly at it. Skewer the chicken; you can make a giant skewer to save space or lots of little ones for easier turning. Cook the skewered chicken, turning three times, until nicely charred, 5 to 7 minutes on each of the four sides. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, then take it off the skewers.
• To serve on the rolls, top with whichever of the following makes you the happiest: lettuce, tomatoes, onion, reserved marinade, pepperoncini, olives. Or don't use any toppings, as it's meant to be eaten, in my book (which this literally is).