Chefs Cook-Off at The Taste of the Hawaiian Range - Waikoloa, HI

The 16th Annual Mealani's Taste of the Hawaiian Range and Agricultural Festival had 35 chefs strutting their stuff at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort on September 30th.

 

This event is sponsored in partnership by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), the Hawaii Cattlemen's Association, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Kulana Foods and community volunteers. Sponsorship also includes the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, the Hawai'i County Research and Development, Big Island Resource Conservation & Development, Hawa'ii Community College Food Service & Culinary Program and KTA SuperStores.

 

The annual event showcases the bounty of our island home by allowing participating chefs to vie with each other to prepare culinary "tastes" using every part of 100 percent grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, goat, mutton and wild boar, plus fresh island fruit and vegetables. Attendees get to try as many 'tastes' as they can while grazing from each chef station and also visit vendor booths where they can meet the farmers and ranchers who grow our food, plus other educational booths. 

 

Each chef is alloted 100 pounds of the cut of meat assigned to them, which is selected through a lottery.  The cuts can be anything from tongue to tail and can include tripe, heart, Mountain Oysters (bull testicles) as well as some prime choices such as top sirloin or eye of round.

 

Last year was my turn to taste some (to me) exotic cuts, such as tongue and heart.  This year, I opted for the safer cuts... although I did taste the tasty tongue offerings by Cafe Pesto in Hilo.

 

This year, for the second year in a row, the line in front of the goat meat was so long we never were able to get a taste.  Maybe next time we will have to start with the goat, wherever it is, instead of trying to work our way around 'in order' of stations.

 

Although we enjoyed several offerings; including Chef instructors Alan Okuda and Sandy Barr Rivera and their students at the HCC-Hilo School of Culinary Arts Kalua Pork Sandwiches and Chef Edwin Goto's Village Burgers Sliders and the Beef Shank with Onion on a Crisp, two of my favorites, which I thought outstanding, not only in taste but also in presentation and use of local veggies, were the Kalua Big Island Beef on Fried Wonton by Chef Scott Kealoha Lutey and his team from the Eddie Aikau Restaurant and Museum and the Top Sirloin Steak Street Taco with Hamakua Springs Tomato Pico de Gallo by Chef Joshua Ketner and his team from Hilo Bay Cafe.

 

Kalua Big Island Beef

Chef Scott Kealoha Lutey of Eddie Aikau Restaurant & Museum

5 pounds Big Island beef 'clod' (shoulder)

 

Rub:

1 cup Alae salt
1/2 cup fresh cracked pepper

2 pounds Wow cucumbers sliced 1/4 inch
1/2 pound shredded carrots
1-2 Hawaiian chilies minced
1 cup sushi vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon alae salt

3 each yellow Wow tomatoes sliced
Hirabara greens shredded

20 Wonton squares fried


Pre-heat grill (we used kiawe wood for the smoke flavor)

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees

 

Big Island Beef- Rub with alae salt and pepper. Grill beef letting meat char slightly 8 minutes per side. Place in a 4 inch deep pan and add water so its half way up the pan. Cover with saran wrap and aluminum foil. Cook in oven for 2-3 hours or until meat is tender enough to shred. Check beef for flavor; season as needed.

Cucumbers- combine with carrots and Hawaiian chili, vinegar, sugar and alae salt. Let sit for 1 hour to develop flavors

Plating:
Place wonton on plate top with shredded lettuce, top with Big Island beef, arrange cucumbers and tomato around beef.

 

Top Sirloin Steak Street Taco with Hamakua Springs Tomato Pico de Gallo

Chef Joshua Ketner of Hilo Bay Cafe

  

Top sirloin cut to one inch thick steaks

 

3 inch diameter white corn tortillas (from Emma's Mexican Food at Shipman Business Center in Kea'au)

 

Lime wedges

 

Rub:

Ancho chiles, toasted, seeded and ground

Dark chili powder

Smoked paprika

Black pepper

Oregano

Fresh rosemary, finely minced

Garlic granules

 

Marinade:

Olive oil, garlic cloves, Maui onion, green onions, cilantro - as much as needed to soak all the steaks.

 

Mix the dry ingredients above with olive oil to form a thick rub.  Rub and massage the steaks with the rub and then place in the marinade.  Let soak for 2 days.

 

Grill to desired doneness over high heat to achieve caramelization.  Cut into strips.

 

Pico de Gallo:

Hamakua Sweet 100's tomatoes, quartered

Jalapeño, seeded and diced

Green onions, chopped

Cilantro, rough chopped

Maui onion, diced

Ground cumin

Lime juice

Salt and pepper

 

Mix all ingredients and store covered in refrigerator overnight for flavors to meld.

 

Oil the tortillas and put on grill to toughen a bit. 

 

Plating:

Place thin strips of the grilled top sirloin steak on the hot tortilla then top with Pico de Gallo.  Serve with a lime wedge.

More about the Mealani's Taste of the Hawaiian Range in a couple of days!