Memorial Day weekend marks the informal start of summer, which means more Americans are opening fires and filling their stomachs with burgers and barbecues.
A competitive barbecue chef who has had fresh success in cooking success in Memphis talks with Fox News Digital about some of his favorite side dishes that are “really simple” and “will make you the grand champion of barbecue near you.” (See the video at the top of this article.)
Josh Cooper is the owner of Cooper's next level barbecue in Tallahassee, Florida, and his team Swinos, who ranked third in the World Championship barbecue cooking competition during Memphis on May International Festival.
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But when he wasn't in the championship, Cooper liked to grill a lot of steaks.
He recommends the following five aspects of cooking any type.
1. Filled with mushrooms
Cooper said he likes to use Parmesan cheese, garlic and panko bread crumbs to stuff mushrooms.
Josh Cooper's stuffed mushrooms are sprinkled with olive oil and cooked on the grill. (Josh Cooper)
He will put it on top with some olive oil and cook it on the grill.
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Cooper said the steak was a great “delicious stuffed mushroom” with the steak. ”
2. Bruschetta
Because “Tomatoes start hitting now” in Florida, Cooper said he likes to find ways to incorporate tomatoes from his garden into his meals.
“I love making fresh pico, but my wife loves these very easy to make Brusseltas,” Cooper said.
Cooper recommends using fresh tomatoes to make the bruce cheta on the side. (Josh Cooper)
He said that only some fresh tomatoes, basil, herbs, spices, salt, pepper and olive oil were needed.
“Mix it together, grab some French bread and toast on the grill, it's a great summer treat,” Cooper said to Fox News digits.
3. Haselba potatoes
“Who doesn't want to bake potatoes with steak?” Cooper said.
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But not just any baked potatoes. Cooper suggests Hasselbuck potatoes – chop roasted potatoes into thin scattered slices.
It may seem complicated, but Cooper says it is “very simple”.
BBQ Witmaster says making these Hasselback potatoes is actually “very easy”. (Josh Cooper)
“You take the Yukon gold, pick up some chopsticks, line them up, cut them in about half, and make a little olive oil with some rosemary, some thyme and paint,” Cooper said.
“If your grill is about 425 degrees Fahrenheit, put it in for about 45 minutes, put it in for about 45 minutes, brush it with olive oil again, put it back for another 15 to 20 minutes, and then bring it with these delicious roasted potatoes that can change the game.”
4. Mexican street corn on the cob
If you’re buying a Mexican-style barbecue with skirt steak, “nothing is better than grilled corn on Cobb,” Cooper told Fox News.
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To give it a street flavor, Cooper said he used “little Katia cheese, some mayonnaise, some jalapeno cream, some lime juice, salt and pepper.” The result, he said, was “the game stopper for side dishes.”
Cooper calls his Mexican street corn a “game of vegetables – a game of it.” (Josh Cooper)
Add some cilantro “a little green there”.
5. Watermelon Salad
“Sometimes, you don't need to grill side dishes,” Cooper said.
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If you want to make one side, “It’s delicious, fresh [and] The barbecue is great,” Cooper recommended the watermelon salad.
Cooper's watermelon salad uses seedless watermelon cubes, chopped red onions, fond cheese, fresh mint and aged balsamic vinegar. (Josh Cooper)
“It may sound a little different, but I promise you [if] You go home and try it, and it will change your life forever,” he said.
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He said just grab some fresh watermelon cubes – preferably seedless – and place it on a plate and add some chopped red onions, fond cheese, fresh mint into small ribbons and aged balsamic vinegar to “mel them all together.”
