What’s up? Welcome to Wednesday.

I’m working in Wales, but even an ocean of separation and alliteration cannot dull my excitement over the fact that July 4th is just a few days away. Why do I love Independence Day? This probably won’t shock you, but any holiday which involves parties, food, drinks, the outdoors, themed outfits, games, fireworks, parades and carnivals is 100% my jam.

Maybe it’s being out of the country (or maybe it’s just all those pints of Guinness), but something is making me feel strangely sentimental this year. And for that reason I’ve decided this week’s missive should combine two core elements of the 4th. First: What being an American means on this most American of American holidays. (I swear, that sentence was not a paid placement from a particular airline.) Second: Grilling. 

Odds are you’ve made some plans for the 4th already, and those plans likely involve grilled burgers and hot dogs. Delicious, yes. The quintessential Independence Day meal, some say. But wait…. Is it? Why? Burgers and hot dogs were brought to the U.S. by immigrants. What makes them any more American than tacos? Pizza? Empanadas? Biryani? Mofongo? Sushi? Tibs?

My brain hurts thinking about it.

Not my stomach, mind you. Super excited. Just my brain. 

So we have cooked up — in this July 4th issue of Wondercade — a very modern, very 2022 version of the proverbial Special Grilling Issue. Kicking things off in Act 1 is my buddy and America’s King of Open-Flame Cooking (copyright pending), Bobby Flay, and his direct-to-Wondercade recipe for grilled pork chops. In Act 2 and Act 3, two first-generation American chefs share their ancestral countries’ iconic grilling traditions. Chef Gaby Melian brings a primer on Argentine asado, and Chef Samuel Kim schools us in the ways of Korean barbecue. Together this trio — and their 3 dishes — represent a diversity of voices, experiences, cultures and cuisines. And provide a true reflection of modern America. And offer you an alternative look at American cooking. Bonus: They're totally delicious and easy to execute.

USA! USA!

P.S. Today’s issue is a flesh fest (not that kind). A meat medley (again, not referring to…. Is it getting warm in here?). A carnivore’s carnival. But fret not, vegetarians — we have a special issue coming for you later this summer.

GRILLING FOR OUR NATION’S B-DAY WITH A NATIONAL TREASURE

INDEPENDENCE DAY WITH BOBBY FLAY

Do you like food? Have a TV? If you answered yes to these questions, chances are you know my pal Bobby Flay. Already a master on the New York culinary scene by the mid-‘90s (I can still taste those sardines at Bolo), Bobby really hit the gastronomic stratosphere when he started appearing on the Food Network in, well, just about every show they aired. Personally I’m partial to Throwdown! With Bobby Flay where the maestro showed off his talents against would-be challengers. But where Bobby is really untouchable is anywhere near a grill. And as the author of the classic cookbook Boy Meets Grill (in addition to 16 other books, with number 17, Sundays with Sophie, coming this October) you know he and I have at least one thing in common…puns. Now let me stop dishing and serve it up to Bobby so he can get this issue cooking. -NPH

I love making these pork chops all summer long, and always include an iteration of them in my 4th of July spread each year. Pork loin has very little fat which means two things: 1) It will cook quicker than you think and 2) it can take on big flavors from the grill and your pantry. In this case, I'm leaning on my influence from Italy by concentrating everyday balsamic vinegar into a sweet and savory glaze, and pairing it with fruity cherry tomatoes and some summer herbs. The key here is to get a significant, crusty char on the chops before you glaze them. Pour yourself a glass of a delicious Italian rosé and let the afternoon crawl into twilight.

BOBBY FLAY’S GRILLED PORK CHOPS, CHERRY TOMATO RELISH AND BALSAMICO

Yield: Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups balsamic vinegar (not expensive, just good quality)
• 1 ½ tablespoons honey, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 3 garlic cloves, mashed into a paste with the side of a chef’s knife and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon Calabrian chile flakes
• 1 cup red cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
• 1 cup golden cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 lemon cut up for serving
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more whole leaves for serving
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more whole leaves for serving
• 4 pork chops, center cut, bone-in, about 12 ounces each and 1 ½ inches thick
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado oil
• 1 cup baby arugula

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the balsamico reduction: Put the vinegar in a large non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to ½ cup, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in 2 teaspoons of honey, season with salt and pepper, transfer to a small bowl and set aside. It will thicken as it cools. This can be done up to a day in advance.
2. Make the tomato relish: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of honey, the garlic paste and chile flakes until combined. Add the red and golden tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Add the lemon juice, parsley and basil, and toss to coat. Set aside to allow flavors to meld. This can be made up to 3 hours in advance and is best stored covered at room temperature.
3. For the pork, remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling to ensure even cooking.
4. Heat a grill to high and allow to preheat.
5. Brush the pork chops on both sides with the avocado oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill pork on one side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the pork chops and grill on the second side until golden brown, about 4 minutes longer. Flip again and cook another minute or two then flip one more time. Once a crust forms on the pork chops and the meat is cooked through and registers 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 12 minutes in total, transfer the pork chops to a platter and allow meat to rest.
6. To serve, drizzle the balsamico reduction on the platter of pork, spoon some tomato relish over top and scatter arugula leaves around. Garnish with additional parsley and basil leaves, lemon and a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Friends who are nice do nice things for their friends. Like Bobby generously giving his time — and recipe and photos — when David and I asked him if he’d contribute to Wondercade. Do a nice thing for YOUR friends. Share Wondercade with them. Just click the button, enter their emails and get ready to be thanked (our signup process ensures you’ll get the credit). -NPH

TRY ARGENTINE ASADO FOR A YUMMY 4TH

Ooh, you’re all in for a real treat…. Allow me to introduce you to Argentinian-born chef Gaby Melian who has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years. She’s done it all in the kitchen — from private chef to culinary teacher to Bon Appétit test kitchen manager — and continues to share her deep love of food and vast kitchen know-how across multiple media outlets. In fact, she has a new cookbook for kids called Gaby’s Latin American Kitchen coming out later this summer. I hope it’s okay for food-loving-middle-aged kids to pick it up too, because I am all over that. Take it away, Gaby! -NPH

In Argentina, we take our meat grilling very seriously. And if you’ve ever been invited to an Argentine asado, our version of a barbecue, you know what I mean. “Asado” is both the act of gathering for this grilled meal outdoors, but also the name of the dish itself. Each “asador” has his or her special way of preparing the meat before grilling. I like my asado with just a sprinkle of a good kosher salt and served with salsa chimichurri. (In fact, in my opinion, the only absolute requirement for asado is chimichurri, a sauce made of parsley, garlic, some herbs and spices — or at least this is how we make it in Argentina.)

Entraña (skirt steak) is one of my favorite cuts to grill. It is inexpensive, it cooks quickly and you don’t need to futz with it too much. In Argentina, most butchers sell entraña with the fat and membrane that covers it still intact — you put the membrane side straight on the grill first to get it crunchy. In the U.S., most markets sell it completely clean, so it’s a pretty lean cut. Some people love to marinate this as a result. But I say: No! You do not have to marinate entraña. The best way to go with this cut is quick. Just salt and a short time on a ripping hot grill. Plus, of course, chimichurri.

My recipe for chimichurri was developed by my mom. It’s my secret weapon. Chimichurri is served as an accompaniment to meats — you can present your meat drizzled with it, but most commonly it is served in a sauce boat or directly from the jar so that each person can add as much as they like to their plate. (As tempting as it is, don't make the chimichurri in a food processor or blender; this will give you an emulsified sauce — and that, my friends, is not chimichurri!) My chimichurri recipe is also featured in my new book with America’s Test Kitchen Kids. Coming this August, Gaby’s Latin American Kitchen is a great cookbook for those looking to explore new Latin American recipes with their kids.

Buen Provecho!

GABY MELIAN’S ENTRAÑA A LA PARRILLA

Yield: Serves 4-6

CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

INGREDIENTS 

• 3 cups parsley leaves, washed, dried and finely chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ⅛ -¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, red pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Stir with a spoon until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Transfer the chimichurri to a 2-cup glass jar. If all the ingredients are not covered in oil, add extra oil to cover. Cover the jar tightly with a lid. Give it a nice shake and refrigerate until ready to use. (Chimichurri can be refrigerated for up to 4 days — just make sure all the ingredients are covered with plenty of olive oil to prevent the parsley from oxidizing.)

ENTRAÑA (SKIRT STEAK)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds entraña (skirt steak). The inside cut is always the most tender – just ask your butcher.
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the grill to 500 degrees (or higher). Clean and oil the cooking grates. While the grill heats up, pat the steak dry with paper towels. Season the entraña evenly with kosher salt on both sides. You want to do this at least 15 minutes before grilling.
2. Place the entraña on the grill. Cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side if the steak is really thin. If the steak is thicker you can cook it for up to 5 minutes per side, but never longer than 5 minutes!
3. Transfer the entraña to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice the entraña against the grain. Drizzle the sliced entraña with chimichurri or bring it to the table and let your guest decide how much chimichurri they want.

AMERICA’S BEST BBQ MAY BE KOREAN

Wondercade loves jugglers. And talk about juggling…as the senior director of culinary operations at Kijung Hospitality Group, Chef Samuel Kim oversees 6 — count ‘em — 6 Baekjeong Korean Barbecue restaurants across Southern California (with another 2 set to open later this year in Seattle and San Jose). This guy is busy and super talented…and his BBQ is to die for. Remarkably, Chef Kim didn’t even start out in the food biz — he worked in finance for a couple of years after college — but he quickly transitioned to working at several of the top restaurants in the U.S., including: 1789 in Washington, D.C., and New York’s Michelin-starred The Modern. I bet he learned a lot about stocks in both jobs. Sorry, couldn’t help it. -NPH

Over the past several years, we have seen a wave of interest in all things Korean. From the movies and TV shows crossing the Pacific, the wave of K-pop bands gripping the fancy of young teens everywhere, to the surge in interest in Korean food, Korean culture is being embraced widely in the U.S. As we approach peak grilling season around the 4th of July, perhaps you will try grilling Korean marinated short ribs during the holiday.

I love to throw these marinated, grilled short ribs — galbi in Korean — on the grill during the summertime while hosting friends and family. They’re marinated for 36 hours in a sweet, salty soy infusion of flavors and ingredients most people love. Ask your local butcher for the short ribs to be cut L.A.-style — or cut thinly into ¼-inch thick slices across the rib bones. The short rib cut of meat comes from the 6, 7, 8 bones of a cow’s ribs. These three bones produce a subprimal cut of meat that is prized for its tenderness, as well as high marbling of fat running through the muscle.

Traditionally, this dish is served with an array of banchans, or Korean side dishes. We choose sides that are seasonal and appropriate for the meat. Kimchi, assorted lettuces and wild greens (called ssam in Korean), and ssamjang (spicy fermented soybean paste) are common items served alongside short ribs. We use the paste to cut through the sweetness of the meat, add a little kimchi and then wrap the meat inside a lettuce wrap and eat it like a Korean taco.

Enjoy!

SAMUEL KIM’S GALBI

Yield: Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ½ pounds (1 ½ kg) L.A.-style beef short ribs
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Korean pear or 2 Bosc pears, cored and chopped  
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped 
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds 

DIRECTIONS

1. For the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, honey and ground black pepper. In a blender, combine about 2 cups’ worth of pear, the garlic, the onion and the ginger. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes until the ingredients turn into a white creamy liquid. Add it to your soy sauce base, and add the sesame oil and the sesame seeds. Stir to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
2. Thoroughly clean the short ribs under cold running water. There will be a bit of blood and some bone fragments that you want to clean off.
3. Pat dry thoroughly.
4. Fully submerge the short ribs into your marinade. Allow to marinate a minimum of 36 hours.
5. Remove the ribs from the marinade and wipe off any excess.
6. Preheat your grill to 500 degrees. Be sure to oil the grill so the meat doesn’t stick. 
7. Place the short ribs on the grill and leave for 2 minutes.
8. Once you’ve got nice grill marks on the ribs, flip them and grill for another 2 minutes 
9. Allow the short ribs to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Spark Grills

When you think about the prototypical backyard American BBQ, you probably picture some idyllic Norman Rockwell-esque scene where a man stands over a charcoal grill, beer can in hand, maybe teaching his young child how to properly control that precious, magical flame so that they too may one day know the joys of cooking over an open fire. 

Well, allow me to let you in on a little secret: that guy is miserable. It took him forever to get that fire going, and he’s been battling constant flare-ups because that one sausage dared to burst. He’s dreading the cleanup he knows is ahead of him, too. And for what? In hopes that someone tells him they could taste the charcoal flavor on their burger…which they probably won’t be able to because it’s probably burned from all those flare-ups? 

Reader, that guy needs a Spark Grill. What is a Spark Grill, you may be wondering? Well, it’s a charcoal grill that provides the benefit of charcoal cooking (the flavor) without any of the hassle (literally everything else). All you have to do is plug it in (I know, calm down), insert a “briq,” which is a single, flat piece of charcoal that’ll get you through your whole cook. The briqs come in four different varieties: the Quick Briq, which will get you 40-ish minutes of fire; the Everyday Briq, which will burn for closer to 90 minutes; the High Heat Briq for when you’re looking to do some serious searing or Neapolitan pizza; and the Low and Slow Briq, which will burn all day for things like brisket or pulled pork. Adding to the convenience factor, there’s an app for easy temperature control when you step away, and an included “heat spreader” to allow for even heat distribution across the cooking surface. When you’re done cooking, you simply let it cool, open up the drawer and easily dispose of the used briq. Literally no mess. 

And if all that weren’t enough, the Spark Grill also looks really, really good. It might be out of place in that Norman Rockwell scene, but maybe that’s ok. I’ll take progress wherever I can find it. 

Thermacell E55 Mosquito Repeller

Back in April I told you about this new high-tech mosquito repeller. I’ve gotten a few emails from a few readers telling me how much you love it. So I’m telling the rest of you again! This thing is a game-changer. It’s simple to use, with a rechargeable battery and cartridges that last 12 hours, and it really, truly, legit works. Take it not only from me, but your fellow Wondercade readers (who took it from me originally).

Yeti Rambler Colster

My colleague Elisabeth at Wondercade HQ suggested this one. Her parents, Sharon and Todd, live in Florida and “swear by these things” to keep their drinks cold. And if there is ever an expert voice to trust on the matter of keeping your beverage — adult or otherwise — crisp and refreshing, it’s that of retired folks living in a tropical swamp. Bonus: They’re eco-friendly. (The cups. Maybe Elisabeth’s parents too; I’ll ask her.)

As a subscriber and regular reader, you know how things work down here. I share a puzzle. You try to solve it. If you think you have, you email me your answer to be entered to win a giveaway. When I’m truly on my game — which I am today — the giveaway and the puzzle are tied to the theme of the email.

This week, for the July 4th Grilling Issue, I’ve got a trivia question about U.S. presidents. And we’re giving away…meat. Lots of meat – with a $400 gift card from Porter Road. Who, by the way, are offering 15% off for all Wondercade subscribers, if you don’t like your odds of winning a freebie from me but still feel like feasting. Just enter the code Wondercade15 at checkout.

But first, the reveal to last week’s emoji rebus.

🏙👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🚙🐖🌿🚬🍅🚫🍔👵💵👟🐕🚙🏎👩🐕💧🤢🚙⛰⛺🚙🐕💀🚔👮🚙🏥🏎👩🏊😬💔🚙👵💀🚙💥🍺🚶🌵🌞👨🛠💵🚙🚫🎢🍬🔫🚔👮🤷🎢💖

Answer: National Lampoon’s Vacation. 

That was fun! And detailed. So this week, a simple one — provided you’re into U.S. history and know how to spell.

Which U.S. president's name contains the letters DEFGHIJKL?

Again, send me your answer here. And if you want ‘em, the giveaway rules can be found here. Good luck!