By Training week three. We have cooked twenty-seven briskets. Twenty-seven briskets in three weeks — a pace that would alarm any reasonable person and which I consider merely adequate for opening preparation. Of the twenty-seven, twenty-one met The Manual's standard. Six did not. Three were undercooked (the stall got us — patience, patience, patience), two were over-trimmed (Chris is learning that fat is flavor and a brisket without fat is a disappointment wrapped in butcher paper), and one was Tomás's deliberate experiment with mesquite instead of post oak, which produced a brisket that was technically excellent and philosophically wrong for Rivera's. "Chef," he said, "the mesquite brisket is good." "It is good," I said. "But it is not us. Post oak is us. Mesquite is for the carne asada. The wood tells the story, and we do not mix our stories." He understood. The man understands everything.
The ribs are dialed in. Maria's ribs are competition-quality — the ancho-cocoa rub, the three-two-one method (three hours smoke, two hours wrapped, one hour sauced), the pull that is clean but not falling off the bone because ribs that fall off the bone are overcooked ribs and I will die on this hill. Chris's ribs are close. Luisa does not cook ribs — Luisa is the queen of sides and prep and she has organized the walk-in cooler with a precision that makes Jessica weep with professional admiration.
The Great Chile Day is coming — the annual Hatch chile roast that Roberto and I have done for six years. This year, for the first time, we are roasting at Rivera's. Not the backyard, not Maryvale — the restaurant. Fifty pounds of Hatch chiles, roasted on the commercial equipment, bagged and frozen for the menu. The green chile stew on the Rivera's menu will use these chiles. The salsa verde will use these chiles. The chile verde will use these chiles. The Hatch chiles from this roast will be the first seasonal ingredient to enter the Rivera's kitchen, and they will carry the smell of August in the desert — the smell of fire and pepper and sweat and everything that Arizona summer means.
Sofia has been at the restaurant every day this week. Jessica drops her off after soccer practice and she sits at the counter and does homework and then migrates to the kitchen and stands at her station and grills corn that nobody ordered because the restaurant is not open but which the training staff eats gratefully. She is the unpaid, unlicensed, nine-year-old corn specialist of Rivera's, and she is better at her job than half the professionals I have met.
The fire teaches. The staff learns. Seven months.
The ancho-cocoa rub that Maria has dialed into competition-quality perfection on those ribs — the depth of that cocoa note, the way it builds with smoke — it gets into your head by hour six of a training shift. Twenty-seven briskets do not cook themselves, and neither does a restaurant team build itself without someone staying fueled and clear-headed through all of it. On the days when we are running long and Sofia is grilling corn at the counter and the post oak smoke has been in my clothes since dawn, this smoothie is the reset: fast, honest, and grounded in the same cocoa that defines what we are building at Rivera’s.
Delicious Chocolate Protein Smoothie
Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 5 min | Servings: 1
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or whole milk)
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (about 30g)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 medium ripe banana, frozen
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter or almond butter
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup ice cubes
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- Prep the blender. Add the milk to the blender first so the blades move freely and the other ingredients blend evenly without clumping.
- Add the dry and creamy ingredients. Add the protein powder, cocoa powder, peanut butter, and vanilla extract directly into the milk.
- Add banana and ice. Break the frozen banana into three or four pieces and drop them in along with the ice cubes. If using honey or maple syrup for added sweetness, add it now.
- Blend until smooth. Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy with no banana chunks remaining. Scrape down the sides once if needed and blend for another 10 seconds.
- Taste and adjust. Taste for sweetness and chocolate intensity. Add a pinch of cocoa or a drizzle of honey if you want more depth or sweetness, then pulse once more to combine.
- Serve immediately. Pour into a tall glass and drink right away for the best texture. The frozen banana will keep it cold and thick without needing extra ice.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 380 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 6g | Sodium: 210mg