Friday, August 28, 2015
Gander Mountain Sportsman's Seasoning Tex Mex Rub
The wife and I went shopping at Gander Mountain the other day. While she was looking for clothing items, I wandered about the camping and cook-out areas. I found a bean crock on sale. I have always wanted a bean crock and it looked like this was the time to get one. There will be another blog about the bean crock later. While I was strolling through the aisles, I came across a rack of store brand spices. One of them caught my eye; Gander Mountain Sportsman’s Seasoning Specialty Blend Tex Mex Rub. Ever since McCormick stopped making their Fajita Marinade and Seasoning (and went to that junk in the envelopes) I have been looking for a substitute. The label promised a savory garlic and onion with chili for a zesty flavor. I picked up a bottle to try it out.
I
let a couple of large boneless and skinless chicken breasts partially thaw. I butterflied
the breasts and seasoned both sides with a moderate amount of the Tex Mex Rub.
I placed the breasts in the refrigerator to finish thawing. An hour before
grilling, I put the chicken on the kitchen counter and let the chicken warm to
room temperature.
To
go with the chicken I made some Spanish rice and some refried beans. Not
overcooked, the chicken was moist and it was tender. The main spices in the mix
are salt, chili powder (with oregano and a few other things) cumin, black
pepper, paprika, onion and garlic. It makes for a nice balanced flavor, none of
the flavors overpowering the others. The moderate seasoning I did make for a
piece of chicken with a very nice spicy flavor. If I were going to make fajitas,
where the pieces of chicken are mixed with the peppers and onions, the sour
cream and the guacamole, I would probably double up on the Tex Mex spice.
The
wife and I both enjoyed our meal and we agreed that the chicken was very good.
Considering we are having left-overs tomorrow that is a good thing. It wasn’t
as good as the McCormick Fajita Spice I remember form long ago but it has
earned a place on my spice shelf and it is certainly much better that the stuff
McCormick puts in those little envelopes today and calls it fajita spice. 
The wife and I went shopping at Gander Mountain the other day. While she was looking for clothing items, I wandered about the camping and cook-out areas. I found a bean crock on sale. I have always wanted a bean crock and it looked like this was the time to get one. There will be another blog about the bean crock later. While I was strolling through the aisles, I came across a rack of store brand spices. One of them caught my eye; Gander Mountain Sportsman’s Seasoning Specialty Blend Tex Mex Rub. Ever since McCormick stopped making their Fajita Marinade and Seasoning (and went to that junk in the envelopes) I have been looking for a substitute. The label promised a savory garlic and onion with chili for a zesty flavor. I picked up a bottle to try it out.
I
let a couple of large boneless and skinless chicken breasts partially thaw. I butterflied
the breasts and seasoned both sides with a moderate amount of the Tex Mex Rub.
I placed the breasts in the refrigerator to finish thawing. An hour before
grilling, I put the chicken on the kitchen counter and let the chicken warm to
room temperature.
I
preheated the grill, a nice scorching grill plate to make nice grill
marks. I placed the chicken on the
grill, closed the cover and reduced the gas to maintain about a 350˚F. I cooked
for 2 minutes and then turned the chicken pieces. I cooked an additional 2
minutes then turned and rotated the chicken pieces to make crisscross grill
marks. I cooked an additional 2 minutes and then turned the chicken on to the
last side and cooked an additional 2 minutes, a total of 8 minutes. I checked
the temperature and had an internal temp of 150˚. I grilled for an additional 1
minute and pulled them chicken from the grill just as they reached 170˚.
To
go with the chicken I made some Spanish rice and some refried beans. Not
overcooked, the chicken was moist and it was tender. The main spices in the mix
are salt, chili powder (with oregano and a few other things) cumin, black
pepper, paprika, onion and garlic. It makes for a nice balanced flavor, none of
the flavors overpowering the others. The moderate seasoning I did make for a
piece of chicken with a very nice spicy flavor. If I were going to make fajitas,
where the pieces of chicken are mixed with the peppers and onions, the sour
cream and the guacamole, I would probably double up on the Tex Mex spice.
The
wife and I both enjoyed our meal and we agreed that the chicken was very good.
Considering we are having left-overs tomorrow that is a good thing. It wasn’t
as good as the McCormick Fajita Spice I remember form long ago but it has
earned a place on my spice shelf and it is certainly much better that the stuff
McCormick puts in those little envelopes today and calls it fajita spice.
I
did look up this particular spice on the Gander Mountain website. As far as I
can tell, it just isn’t listed. I don’t know if it is s discontinued product (Oh,
great. Here we go again, just like McCormack.), if it is just a limited
circulation product, or perhaps a new product that has yet to be added to the
online catalog. Either way, if you are in the neighborhood of a Gander Mountain
store, stop in and pick up a bottle of the Tex Mex Rub. I think you will enjoy
it. Let me know how you like the spice.
Labels: chili powder, cumin, fajita, garlic, marinade, Mexico, onion, refried beans, Southwest, Spanish rice, Texas
¶ 7:40 PM
