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BARBECUE WITHOUT BORDERS: METZ CHEFS INSPIRED BY WEST AFRICAN TRADITIONS
IN THE RED, WHITE & TASTE PROMOTION CELEBRATING THE SUMMER GAMES IN FRANCE, METZ CULINARY MANAGEMENT’S SEASONAL FESTIVITIES FOCUS ON WEST AFRICAN BARBECUE PLATES, ALONG WITH FAMILIAR REGIONAL AMERICAN VARIATIONS ON THE SMOKY THEME.
B arbecue is an American legacy, but the smoky science and art of the ‘cue stretches far beyond our borders. Different regions of barbecue in this country can be vastly different as it is—think East- ern Carolina’s sauce vs. the western part—and the chefs of Metz Culinary Management are taking it even further for a summer promotion that will touch on barbecue around the globe, with a big focus on West Africa. The “Red, White & Taste” summer promotion, taking place now until Aug. 11, will bring smoky, succulent bar- becue goodness to all Metz corporate and onsite kitchens with a dozen dif- ferent, internationally inspired, bar- becue-based entrees along with other classic summertime staples. Metz Corporate Chef Xavier Smith sees this as an opportunity to “excite diners who have never encountered these wonderful international flavor profiles, as well as delight those who are familiar with them, but seldom find them,” he says, sharing credit with the team who developed the recipes, Culi- BY TARA FITZPATRICK
BEEF SUYA
nary Director John Selick and Health- care Division Chef Hannah Avarez. Proteins are being provided by Brookwood Farms in Siler City, NC, where Jerry Wood founded the busi- ness in 1978 and has passed it down through four generations of pitmasters dedicated to pit-smoked Southern bar- becue. Their methods, which haven’t changed much in those decades, in- clude stainless steel pit ovens heated by hickory charcoal. Starting with a familiar American barbecue plate, pulled pork and baked beans, the promotion takes off on an international flight from there with barbecue inspiration mainly from West Africa, a bit of Vietnam (lettuce cups with pulled meat inside) and a few re- gional American barbecue dishes for good measure. Barbecue seems like a fitting way to celebrate the international nature of the Summer Games, Smith finds, “bringing people from around the world to share their lives and experiences. We wanted this year’s Red, White and Taste pro- motion to give diners a taste of that.” Here’s a taste of some of the items from the promotion:
This West African dish of spiced beef studded with sweet potatoes and on- ions is set apart from the crowd with suya sauce, made with coconut milk, peanuts and cilantro. Suya, also known as tchintchinga, is traditionally mar- inated meat threaded on skewers to cook, and originated in Northern Ni- geria, spreading over West Africa and Sudan as time went by. It’s current- ly one of the best-known Nigerian street foods. Suya spice, or Yahi, like many spice blends, varies by region. You can find Suya spice in specialty stores, or make an approximation with cayenne pepper, onion powder, ground ginger, white pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, bouillon cubes and peanut powder.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF METZ CULINARY MANAGEMENT AND SHUTTERSTOCK (TOP RIGHT)
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