The Lane's Guide to Blackening

What is Blackening Food?

In its simplest form, blackening was simply a way to mimic the flavors of food grilled over live fire. In the early 1980s, Chef Paul Prudhomme created a seasoning blend with herbs and spices that are staples in Cajun and Creole cuisine. By combining those flavors with high-heat cooking, he was able to achieve a savory, deeply browned, and charred crust that had previously been difficult to achieve in a commercial kitchen. His blackened redfish took New Orleans by storm, becoming so popular that the State of Louisiana banned commercial fishing for redfish to save the species from extinction. The cooking technique would go on to lend itself to other types of fish, poultry, pork, and even beef. Outside of the spices, the key to blackening is butter. The browning of the milk solids in butter combined with the ground pepper and paprika in a blackening rub is what gives meat its signature crust that some would say is burnt, but I can assure you that when done correctly, it is simply delicious.

Blackening Basics

Here at Lane’s, we’ve taken care of the rub for you. Our Blackening rub will make this super easy, and without the artificial ingredients and fillers found in other pre-bottled spice blends. Once you’ve got your bottle of Lane’s Blackening Rub, the rest is easy! Before we break down the process, here are a few tips to make this easier and achieve better results. 

• Cast iron is king - A properly seasoned cast iron pan is the best tool for the job here due to its ability to handle high temperatures. If you do not have cast iron(link/shout out to Field company?), do not use a non-stick pan, as the high heat can cause the non-stick coating to fail and separate from the pan into your food and can cause the pan to warp. Any thick-bottomed pan or skillet can be used instead of non-stick. We suggest using a Field Company Cast Iron You'll love it.
• There will be smoke - Do this outside, or make sure you can open some windows and crank up your fans. This can be done over a hot grill just as easily as on the stove. There will be some smoke, so plan accordingly.
• Keep it cool - Keep the meat chilled before seasoning, this will help the butter and rub stick before cooking.
• Brine Optional - Brine the meats first. This would be an excellent time to try our Signature Brine with chicken (and pork as well). With fish, you could just season with salt and pepper a few minutes before buttering and adding the rub.

The Method

 

1. Preheat a dry cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke.
2. While the pan is preheating, melt enough butter to coat all sides of the meat, plus an extra few tablespoons.
3. Brush the meat with butter on all sides before coating completely with blackening rub.
4. Cook for 2–3 minutes, then flip and brush with melted butter.
5. Cook for another 2–3 minutes on the other side, then check the internal temperature for doneness. (165 degrees for chicken, 145 for pork, 125-145 for beef, and 125-145 for fish)
6. Once done, remove from pan and brush with more melted butter and, if desired, lemon or lime juice.
7. For thicker cuts (Steak and Pork) - Since steak and pork chops can be thicker cuts of meat, the method above may not get the meat to the target finished temperature by the time the crust is done. Prepare a preheated oven at 350°F or an indirect grill setup for thicker cuts. Once the crust is where you want it to be, place it in the oven or over indirect heat until you’ve reached the desired doneness. 

This would be great for making tacos, sandwiches, or just simply serving with beans and rice. We also love this with our Cilantro Lime slaw.

 

Enjoy the Process

With a little bit of practice and a well ventilated kitchen, you’ll soon add blackening to your repertoire and be taking your taste buds on a trip down to Bourbon Street. For more ways to use our Blackening Rub, check out these recipes. Enjoy!

Blackened Chicken Bowtie Pasta - https://lanesbbq.com/blogs/recipes/blackened-chicken-garlic-bowtie-pasta 

Blackened Shrimp Po-boy - https://lanesbbq.com/blogs/recipes/blackened-shrimp-po-boy

Blackened Mahi Mahi Sandwich - https://lanesbbq.com/blogs/recipes/blackened-mahi-mahi-sandwich

Black Magic Burger - https://lanesbbq.com/blogs/recipes/black-magic-burger

Black n Blue Smash Burger - https://lanesbbq.com/blogs/recipes/black-and-blue-smash-burger