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My 5 Best Recipes in Showdown: Comfort Food, Chili & BBQ

I’m asking myself the question that makes me audibly gasp when others ask it. What are my 5 favorite recipes in my own cookbook? In college, I remember learning about positioning—in the sense of regarding a particular kind of person when you consider their background and preferences. The answer to every subjective question in the world can change when you think about someone’s positioning. At the time of publishing Showdown, my favorite recipes were different from the ones I’m choosing now. It’s like I’m on a boat in a sea of my own creations and I’ll pull up different dishes on different days.

Today, I’m writing to you as a 39-year-old who has published, developed, or tested 13 cookbooks. My palate has expanded to include many new cuisines that I had not yet tried when I was 32 years old. I can also tell you the recipes that I revisited in my everyday life and what were successes to people who bought the book. If you don’t have a copy, those in the U.S. can get a signed one here. For worldwide shipping, click here (these copies are not signed).

So, what are my 5 best recipes in Showdown?

As a meat-forward person…

I look to these recipes for fun weekend projects or if folks are coming over. They have sub recipes and may take a day or two of prep, but they’re worth it. Some protein components like chili, meatballs, bacon, chicken, and burgers can be flash-frozen for later.

  • Cocoa Coriander Chili

  • 20K Meatballs Under the Sea (Sub Sandwich)

  • Make Your Own Damn Bacon

  • Chicken Mole Torta

  • Baa-Daas Burger

As a vegetable-forward person…

When you feel like you’ve had enough meat for the week or want to accommodate those with plant-based diets, these are my hearty, savory meals I like to make.

  • Black Bean and Pepita Balls

  • Smoked Vegetables and Fruits

  • Roasted Stuffed Poblano Flatbread

  • Potato Salad with Wasabi Sesame Seeds

  • Mushroom Hoagie

As a person who does not have a grill…

Listen, I live in New York, I know how hard it is to find space to grill. It’s not always easy to camp out for a public grill at the park, too. These recipes are perfectly fine with an oven or toaster oven. In all honesty, it’s much cleaner than breaking out the grill.

  • Dirty South Biscuits and Gravy

  • Cherry Chocolate Meatballs

  • Shumai, Oh My

  • Pulled Chicken Mole

  • Crunchy Elote

  • As a person who has a grill…

My friend, thank you for your trust. These are some of my favorite projects. Finding out that my charcoal grill could also function as a smoker blew my mind. When you’re done grilling, consider smoking some extra veggies and fruits for later.

  • Homemade Tasso (so you can make The Smokemonster chili)

  • Grilled Flakey Flatbread

  • “I Like It Shallot” Burger

  • Adobo Wangs

  • Grilled Stone Fruit

The recipes I made the most…

I haven’t counted the times that I’ve made these dishes, but I have a pretty good idea of what is in rotation. The thing is, the recipes in this book were already some of my greatest hits. It’s nice to develop muscle memory about these five entries and to know their shopping lists without looking them up.

  • Fuzzy Five-Spice Meatballs

  • Carne Asada

  • Bacon Chili Oil

  • Herb Slaw

  • Chocolate Bark

I would love to hear if you cooked any of my recipes and posted them to social media. Make sure to tag me or send them along via email to randwiches at email dot com.