Brooklyn firefighters gathered at Fairway Market in Red Hook Wednesday to compete in the third annual Fairway Firefighters Food Face-Off. Four teams of firefighters from various Brooklyn firehouses competed to win the coveted title of best barbecue — the winning recipe is below.
The competition had three categories: burgers, chicken and ribs. And while the basic ingredients were the same, each team used unique ingredients and recipes to make the food their own. Jimmy Carino, head chef from one Brooklyn Heights team, for example, used Asian spices and fresh jalapenos to spice up his ribs.
But it was the juicy burgers, Italian-flavored chicken breasts and classic ribs of the Brooklyn Heights Hicks Street team that won the top prize, which included a $500 gift card from Fairway, a donation to a charity of their choice and, of course, a gleaming trophy.
"It feels very very good," said Rob Scally, a member of the winning team. "We put a lot of hard work into it, and that's the way you get things done. You can't do it by yourself. You have to do it as a team."
Below is the winning team's recipe for barbecue chicken.
Brooklyn Heights Hicks Street Firehouse's Barbecue Chicken
**All quantities are approximate.
Approximately 2 to 3 chicken breasts
Italian marinade:
1 Italian herb packet of seasonings
3 tbs of olive oil
2 tbs of balsamic vinegar
1 dash of water
Sauteed spinach:
2 to 3 cups of baby spinach
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tsp of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Smoked mozzarella
Red pepper sauce:
dried poblano pepper
roasted red pepper
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Marinate chicken breasts in Italian marinade overnight. The next day, prepare red pepper sauce by blending dried poblano pepper, roasted red peppers, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Grill chicken breasts over coals. Saute spinach in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. On top of cooked chicken breasts, place sauteed spinach, smoked mozzarella and top with red pepper sauce.