'Pig Beach BBQ Cookbook'

It's Memorial Day Weekend, which means it's time to fire up the grills! Here to provide some of the best BBQ tips and tricks are the pair of chefs behind the popular Pig Beach restaurant in Gowanus, Matt Abdoo and Shane McBride. They share some grilling advice, and recipes, in their new cookbook, Pig Beach BBQ Cookbook: Smoked, Grilled, Roasted, and Sauced.     WHERE’S THE MEAT BURGER (SMOKED PECAN, QUINOA, AND CHICKPEA PATTIES) Makes 5   As much as we are meat-centric, we do have to accommodate our customers who choose not to eat animal protein. After much trial and error, we came up with this mix, which has great flavor and takes to the regular Pig Beach fixin’s just like our meat-based burgers do. If you choose not to smoke the pecans, you can either toast them on the stovetop in a heavy-bottomed pan over very low heat or roast, stirring occasionally, in a 300°F oven for about 6 minutes. However, we think that the smoke flavor elevates these meatless burgers in a most delicious way. Serve these as is or just as we do our regular Pig Beach Burger, with sauce and pickles or with a slice of cheese melted over the top while the patties grill. Another tasty mix is sliced tomatoes, butter lettuce, and our NYC White Sauce.   ½ cup pecan pieces 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt ⅓ cup uncooked quinoa 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 large red onion, finely diced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce ¾ teaspoon finely minced fresh thyme 1 cup finely chopped cooked or canned chickpeas 1½ teaspoons Pig Beach All-Purpose Barbecue Seasoning (see below) ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper   Using cherry wood, preheat your smoker to 250°F.  Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the pecans in an even layer over the baking sheet and place the pan in the smoker. Smoke for 30 minutes or until nicely toasted and smoky. Remove from the smoker and set aside to cool.  When cool, using a sharp knife, chop the pecans into small pieces and set aside. Place 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon of the salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or just until the quinoa is tender. Remove from the heat. Pour the quinoa into a strainer and set aside to drain well and cool slightly. You need to remove as much water as possible. Spread the cooked quinoa in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Heat the oil in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. When warm, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until light golden brown and very aromatic. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until well caramelized. Add the tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrape the onion mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and set aside to cool, then transfer to a large bowl. Remove the quinoa from the refrigerator and add it to the onion mixture along with the pecans. Add the chickpeas and rib rub and season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the pepper. Using your hands, blend the mixture well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend and to ensure the mixture will hold together when formed into patties. Using your hands, form the chilled chickpea mixture into five 4-ounce patties. (At this point, if not cooking the patties immediately, you can place them on a parchment-lined plate or pan, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use, or place in the freezer until frozen, then transfer to a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost frozen patties before cooking.) Clean and oil the grill grate and preheat the grill to high. Grill the chickpea patties for 3 minutes, then flip and grill on the second side for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.   PIG BEACH ALL-PURPOSE BARBECUE SEASONING Makes about 1 cup   This is our basic seasoning, which can be used on almost anything. It is terrific on proteins but equally delicious on grilled or roasted vegetables.   ¼ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup sweet paprika 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar 2½ tablespoons coarse salt 1 tablespoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon granulated garlic 1 tablespoon granulated onion 2 teaspoons Hatch red chile powder (see BBQ Bits & Pieces) ½ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon dried thyme ⅛ teaspoon ground fennel seed   Combine the granulated sugar, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, chile powder, oregano, cumin, thyme, and fennel in a medium bowl and stir to combine completely. Transfer to a spice grinder or food processor and process to a coarse blend. Transfer to a glass container, cover, and store in a cool, dark spot for up to 6 weeks. BBQ Bits & Pieces: Hatch chile powder is an earthy, slightly spicy, and deeply flavored seasoning made from chiles grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico. It comes in both red and green varieties and is available at specialty food stores or online. At Pig Beach, we use only the red variety. Worcestershire sauce powder is, just as its name implies, powdered Worcestershire sauce. It is available online.   From Pig Beach BBQ Cookbook by Matt Abdoo and Shane McBride. Copyright © 2022 by Matt Abdoo and Shane McBride. Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.