Meat Me in Memphis: 10 chefs to create dishes, help charities
Bacon, smoked sausage and beef jerky are just a few of the items that will take center stage at the eighth annual Meat Me in Memphis gala.
You may not be familiar with the brand name Monogram Foods, but chances are you have enjoyed some of this Memphis-based company’s products.
Their broad portfolio includes such items as beef jerky, sausage, hot dogs, pre-cooked bacon and other processed food items. Their brands include Circle B, King Cotton and Trail’s Best Meat Snacks.
The gala — set for Oct. 24 at The Columns at One Commerce Square — will feature local chefs preparing dishes with Monogram Foods ingredients.
Erling Jensen is one of the 10 chefs who will participate this year. He has been part of the event since the first year.
Jensen will prepare Beef Tenderloin with Spicy Smoked Sausage, Bacon, Mushrooms and Petit Cantal cheese. It’s a tasty follow-up to the New York Strip with Bologna and Bacon Bearnaise Sauce that he prepared last year.
“This is one of the best events in town and they raise a lot of money,” Jensen said. “I like that each chef gets to pick their own charity. I am having my portion be donated to the Special Olympics again this year.”
The event is hosted annually by The Monogram Loves Kids Foundation. Since the foundation was formed in 2012, more than $2 million in grants
At a glance
The Weekly Dish Jennifer Chandler
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Meat Me in Memphis Gala
When: 5:30 p.m. Oct. 24
Where: The Columns at One Commerce Square, 40 S. Main St. have been given to charities benefiting the Memphis community as well as the six communities around the country where the company has facilities.
“Since Wes Jackson and I started this company in 2004, I have always wanted Monogram to find a way to lift up kids,” said Karl Schledwitz, chairman and CEO of Monogram Foods. “And now that
Tickets: $125; email svaughan@monogramfoods.com to purchase tickets
Monogram has achieved some success we want to pass that on to Memphis and the other towns and cities where we operate.”
In addition to Jensen, the featured chefs are Phillip Ashley of Phillip Ashley Chocolates, Phillip Dewayne of Park + Cherry, Michael Francis of Heart & Soul Catering, Michael Patrick of Rizzo’s, Ernest Dickson of Dickson’s Custom Catering, Jimmy Gentry of Paradox Catering, Josh Steiner of Strano by Chef Josh, Erik Waldkirch of Maximillian’s at The Half Shell, Terry Taylor of The Underground Café and Uncle Bubba’s BBQ & Smokehouse, and Jeremiah Martin of Expodine.
Special Olympics, March of Dimes, Salvation Army, Young Life and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are among the charities that will be featured at this year’s event.
A live and silent auction will also be part of the evening’s festivities. Each attendee will also go home with a complimentary recipe booklet with the chefs’ featured recipes.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
Recipe: NY Strip Steak with Sausage, Potatoes and Squash served with a Bologna and Bacon Bearnaise Sauce
This is the dish Chef Erling Jensen of Erling Jensen restaurant featured at the 2018 Meat Me in Memphis event. 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
6 oz. New York Strip
3⁄4 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 2 thyme sprigs 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 package (40 oz.) King Cotton bacon 1 package (2 lb.) King Cotton chunk bologna
1 package (14 oz.) King Cotton original smoked sausage
1 pound fingerling potatoes, sliced longways 1 yellow squash, diced
Let steak stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over the steak.
Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add oil to the pan; swirl to coat. Add steak to the pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low; add butter, thyme and garlic to the pan. Carefully grasp pan handle using an oven mitt or folded dish towel. Tilt pan toward you so the butter pools; cook 11⁄2 minutes, basting the steak with the butter constantly. Remove steak from the pan; cover loosely with foil.
Let stand 10 minutes. Reserve butter mixture. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Discard thyme and garlic; spoon reserved butter mixture over steak.
Cook 1 package of bacon and 1 package of bologna in cast-iron skillet so that the fat from each is rendered. Set aside cooked bacon and bologna. Pour 1 cup of fat into a glass mason jar and set aside for the bearnaise sauce.
Sauté the smoked sausage, fingerling potatoes and squash in the remaining rendered fat in the cast-iron skillet until cooked through. Serves with Bologna and Bacon Bearnaise Sauce drizzled on top. 1 cup rendered bacon and bologna fat 2 large egg yolks 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
Place rendered fat in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove pan from heat: keep warm. Whisk egg yolks, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon hot water in a medium bowl. Place bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch the water).
Drizzle the melted fat 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking constantly, until all the fat is fully incorporated, and the sauce is thick. Season to taste with cayenne, salt and pepper; add more lemon juice, if desired. Serve immediately.
Recipe courtesy of Monogram Loves Kids Foundation.