I enjoyed my experience with the George Brown Culinary Arts 1 Class a few years ago. So I came back to do another class in the fall term. Unfortunately, the class I really wanted to take (American Regional Cooking) was cancelled due to low attendance, so instead, I decided to try BBQ-style Cooking.
The class style is rather unique for the Continuing Education program. Instead of everyone individually cooking their dishes for themselves and taking home their own individual trays like in Culinary Arts 1, everyone in the class works together on cooking all of the items in the course outline and everything gets portioned out evenly at the end of the class for students to take home.
Week 1
B.B.Q. Strip Loin Steak with Chimichuri Sauce
General Purpose Grilling Spice
Asian Beef Short Ribs
Balsamic Grilled Green and White Asparagus
Week 2
Cider Glazed Pork Chops with Grilled Spiced Apples
Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Butts
Sweet Chili and Smoked Paprika Rub
Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Blue Cheese Coleslaw
Caramelized Onions
Week 3
Grilled Striped Bass with Lemon Thyme and Ginger
Miso Honey Glazed Salmon Fillet
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Grilled Acorn Squash
Week 4
Roasted BBQ Chicken with Sichuan Peppercorn Rub
Stock Ale BBQ Sauce
Jerk Chicken Legs
Lemon and Herb Fingerling Potatoes
Chili and Lime Rubbed Corn on the Cob
Week 5
Char Siu BBQ Pork and Spit Roasted BBQ Pork Ribs
Ginger and Chili Grilled Flank Steak
Peanut Crusted Grilled Beef Yakitori with Honey Wasabi Glaze
Week 6
Slow Cooked Beef Chuck Ribs
Grilled Back Ribs with Tunnel Style Sweet and Hot Sauce
Grilled Banana Peppers
November 5, 2017
I forgot to take pictures of the food from the first week - but the steaks and short ribs were delicious (and we learned how to make char marks on the grill). I learned some interesting things (like white asparagus is asparagus grown in the dark and had a lot of fun working with my table/team for the first week.
November 12, 2017
So yummy! The apples were delicious and they had such nice grill marks too. The pork was so juicy.
Trays of Caramelized onions...
Smoked BBQ pulled pork (from the pork butt)
The sauce was delicious and the pork was really tender - pulling the pork when it comes out from the oven kinda hurt - but the pulled pork was worth it.
Fries!
Which are surprisingly easy to make with a deep fryer filled with hot oil, salt and pepper. Once you've made them, it gives you a whole new appreciation for thin cut and thick cut fries.
Which are surprisingly easy to make with a deep fryer filled with hot oil, salt and pepper. Once you've made them, it gives you a whole new appreciation for thin cut and thick cut fries.
Striped Bass with lemon
It doesn't look very flattering with the skewers of lemon holding the stomach of the fish closed, but it tastes delicious!
Salmon and our two side dishes - so yummy! And surprisingly easy to make.
December 3, 2017
Definitely an interesting way to eat corn on the cob - but I wasn't a big fan considering the corn was sweet enough to just eat plain. Also, the chili powder was super messy.
Jerk Chicken drumstick - so tender and juicy!
BBQ Chicken and Jerk Chicken in one tray and fingerling potatoes and corn in another.
So much chicken...
December 10, 2017
Chef Ian and some of the students working on the grill.
The world's biggest sauce bowl.
So many ribs and char siu!
The ribs were good, but the char siu sauce was a little overly sweet (lesson learned).
Yakitori Skewers
These were okay - I wasn't a big fan of the honey wasabi glaze.
December 17, 2017
Our last class surprise was: Pig Roast Day!
Yes - we cooked this whole pig and split it into trays to eat!
Surprisingly easy to cook this with an industrial convection oven - spray some brandy and water onto the pig skin to crisp it and push it in. It'll be ready in a few hours.
While we were waiting, we went back to one of our favourite class appliances --> the deep fryer and made some onion rings (without batter) and fries.
Stuffed Banana Peppers - These were delicious! Even if you don't eat spicy food, these were so good!
Yes - we cooked this whole pig and split it into trays to eat!
Surprisingly easy to cook this with an industrial convection oven - spray some brandy and water onto the pig skin to crisp it and push it in. It'll be ready in a few hours.
While we were waiting, we went back to one of our favourite class appliances --> the deep fryer and made some onion rings (without batter) and fries.
With the leftover stuffing (we ran out of banana peppers first), we made little rice balls and then threw those into the deep fryer. (They were a little bland - and needed more salt).
Beef Chuck Ribs
There was so much meat on these ribs and the beef was very tender after being in the oven for so long.
Back ribs with Tunnel Sauce
Interesting Fact: Tunnel Sauce (a type of BBQ sauce) originated in Windsor, Ontario. It has a pretty sharp flavour from the vinegar - and smells super strong when you make it - but it's great on ribs.
The Roast Pig!
It broke in half - but the crackling skin was delicious!
Fantastic Course with Chef Ian! He's so funny, helpful and just a great passionate instructor at George Brown's cooking school. I would love to do another class with him again!
