BBQ sauce isn’t hard to make.  But because of the amount of different ingredients involved, it does take some time and can leave your kitchen a bit messy.  But it is worth it.  It is so satisfying to mix all this stuff together, tweak a bit here and there, and wind up with a sauce that you’re proud of.  In this case, I was inspired by some store bought sauce that I first tasted on some wings, Bronco Bob’s Smoked Bacon Chipotle Sauce.  I took my basic barbecue sauce and substituted bacon drippings for the oil, and replaced some of the chili powder with chipotle chili powder, and bingo, we have a winner.  This is great on pork chops, chicken wings, chicken breasts, ribs, etc.  To store, since it contains meat (bacon drippings), you have to either use it within a few days, or freeze it for near future use.

Ingredients

5 slices of bacon

1/3 cup minced onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 tbsp Wostershier sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp dry ground mustard

2 tsp chipotle powder (more or less based on how much kick you want)

1 tbsp chili powder (ancho)

Directions

1. Fry the bacon to render the fat.
2. Take 2.5 tbsp of the fat that was rendered out of the bacon.  Add to a sauce pan.
3. Saute the minced onions  in the rendered fat in the sauce pan over medium low heat until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or 2 until garlic is soft.
5. Add dry spices and cook for another minute.
6. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
7. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until thick.
8. Let cool and refrigerate.
9. Add to whatever your cooking!

I like to let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours prior to using.  The flavors continue to meld for some reason, and it gets better over time.

Rubbed down with a simple rub or marinated all night in something delicious. Sliced thin for fajitas or enjoyed by itself with a nice baked potato. The tri-tip roast holds its own as one of the most tasty and also under-appreciated cuts of beef.  The term “tri-tip” is derived from the fact that the tri-tip roast is triangular-shaped and it is the tip of the sirloin. So, if you have your cow map handy (who doesn’t?), then you know where this cut come from. Up until the 1950′s, this very lean cut of beef was typically made into ground beef. If not sliced thin and against the grain, it can be quite chewy, so it was just easier to ground it up into burgers.  Our friends out in California are credited for changing all of that when the tri-tip roast itself became a local specialty in Santa Maria. They loved it so much that the tri-tip roast is still occasionally labeled the “Santa Maria Steak”.  Since there are only 2 tri-tips on each cow, it actually is a little harder to come by in some supermarkets these days.  Another sign that the tri-tip has come a long way since its ground meat days.

Although tri-tips soak up marinades like a sponge, I like to keep it simple most of the time and prepare a simple rub. In fact, I usually stick with the same method that made this cut so popular in Santa Maria. Tri-tips are great with a simple rub or salt, garlic powder and fresh ground pepper and then cooked slow over an indirect heat source. This simple rub allows for the taste of the tri-tip roast to shine through. I also love rubs like this because I can actually remember them without looking them up and I usually have the ingredients in the spice cabinet at all times! Lets take a look at how to grill the perfect tri-tip roast.

Ingredients

1 Tri-tip roast

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Mix the rub ingredients together throughly and then rub a generous amount over all of the surfaces of the tri-tip.
2. Leave the rubbed-down roast on the counter at room temperature for about 45 minutes before cooking. As an aside, we are going to test this theory one of these days. Most people recommend letting a large cut of meat warm to room temperature before roasting. I’ve done this for a while now and never questioned it, but I wonder if it really makes a difference? I feel a science experiment coming on…
3. Light your grill and prepare for indirect grilling. This means lighting one side of the grill on high, while leaving the other side unlit. If you are using a charcoal grill, pile the coals to one side of the grill.
4. Once the grill is hot and ready, place the tri-tip roast on the hot side and sear for a few minutes on each side. Our goal during the sear is to create a nice dark crust on the outside of the roast. Not to seal in the juices (doesn’t really seal them in), but rather to create some delicious caramelization out of the rub and surface juices of the tri-tip.
5. After you have seared all sides of the roast and have the color you like on the outside, move the tri-tip over to the cool side of the grill and then close the lid.
6. We are going to now roast the, well, roast on the cooler side of the grill, much like an oven. How long is it going to take?  The real answer is “it depends”, but a total time of 25 – 30 minutes for a smaller tri-tip is usually a good starting guess.  Each tri-tip roast and grill is different though, so you really need to use a meat thermometer to make sure the roast is cooked to perfection. To most, that means medium-rare, or around 140 degrees. We want to remove at 140 degrees, which will allow the temperature to rise about 5 degrees while we rest. If you have a remote probe meat thermometer, this is a perfect use for it, so that you don’t have to open the lid each time.
7. Once the tri-tip roast has reached your desired doneness, remove it from the grill and let it rest on a platter for 10 minutes.
8. Slice the roast thin and against the grain for maximum tenderness.

There you have it, fool-proof tri-tip roast.  I’m sure once you try it for the first time, I’m betting you will wish you discovered this great cut of meat a long time ago.

Barbecue pork chops are a basic grilling recipe that everyone standing over the coals should know how to master.  And while I too am a fan of the thick cut pork chops, sometimes it is hard to pass up the deals on the thinner cut chops when you’ve got a house full of guests to feed.  No reason those can’t be tasty and moist as well.

I know some people argue that you shouldn’t add BBQ sauce until the meat is removed from the grill due to the caramelization of the sugars in the sauce.  But I actually prefer a bit of this as I feel it adds to the flavor of the sauce.  Not burned, but a little bit browned.  Hot enough that the BBQ sauce bubbles, thickens and darkens and the flavors seem to intensify.

Ingredients

6 pork chops, 3/4 inch thick

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup BBQ sauce, you favorite recipe or brand

Directions

1. Prepare the grill for high direct heat, preheating until it is ready.  Oil the grates.
2. Trim off excess fat and pepper both sides of pork chops.
3. Add to grill over direct high heat with lid closed.  Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Turn pork chops over and continue grilling, lid closed, for another 1 minute.
5. Reduce grill to medium low with a gas grill or move chops to a cooler portion of the charcoal grill.
6. Brush a liberal amount of barbecue sauce on the chop and flip.  Brush barbecue sauce on the upward side as well, so that all sides have been sauced.
7. Cook for another 1 minute or until the internal temperature of the chop is 145° F.
8. Remove from grill and let rest for about 5 minutes.

Any recipe that involves pounding chicken flat is a winner for me.  For some reason it makes me think of Monty Python.  I’m not sure if there is actually a skit that involved flattening out a chicken with a large frying pan, but there should have been.

In this very easy recipe, we bring together the great flavors of prosciutto and Fontina cheese in rolled chicken.  This worked great on the grill, giving it another dimension of flavor than if you just baked it.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast halves

4 slices of Fontina cheese

4 slices of Prosciutto

1 tbsp butter

4 sage leaves

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Flatten each chicken breast individually.  On a large cutting board, on a strong, stable surface, place the chicken breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Alton suggests that we put a little water on the chicken and on top of the plastic wrap to keep the chicken from sticking and let the plastic slide around a bit.
2. Using a large, heavy frying pan, or a mallet, or a rolling pin, or a can of soup (or a bowling ball?), pound the chicken breast until it is about an 1/8 of an inch to 1/4 inch thick.
3. Add a slice of prosciutto to the chicken.  Add a slice of Fontina on top of the prosciutto.
4. Roll up the chicken and use a few toothpicks to secure the roll.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Repeat for the rest of the chicken breast.
7. Prepare the grill for direct medium heat grilling.
8. Place the chicken rolls on the grill and cook each side about 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown and they reach an internal temperature of 165° F (use your instant read thermometer)
9. Fry up the sage leaves in the butter, a minute or so on each side ’til a bit crispy.  Top the chicken with the sage leaves for a nice touch.

We grill a LOT during the week.  Sometimes I plan ahead, stop on the way home to get what I need and prepare everything with fresh ingredients.  Other times, we just thaw something from the freezer and work with whatever we have around the house. Our freezer is full of protein bought on sale, so I’m always looking for ways to keep it simple for last minute meals from the freezer.  This rub occupies a shaker container in the cupboard, always ready to go at a moment’s notice.  I even recommend doubling this recipe and making a decent batch, just so you have it next time.

Ingredients

Pork tenderloin

1 teaspoon coriander seed

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon fennel seed

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients (except the tenderloin of course) in a clean coffee grinder and grind into a powder.
2. Rinse the pork tenderloin with clean water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Rub the pork tenderloin with a generous amount of the rub and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes.  For even better penetrating taste, let it sit a few hours in the refrigerator.
4. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
5. Grill the pork tenderloin over medium-high with the lid closed until the internal temperature of the tenderloin reaches 140 degrees.  Rotate the tenderloin every few minutes to grill all sides of the meat.
6. All grills are different, but this should take around 15 minutes.
7. Let rest for a few minutes, carve and serve!

One benefit to living on the coast in Florida, aside from the beaches, the warm weather, fresh citrus and giant flying cockroaches you can saddle up and ride to work…. is the access to fresh fish.  In this recipe I grill up some fresh red snapper and top with a tasty wasabi and avocado sauce.

Red snapper is a great fish for grilling.  Its firm, mild white flesh can be grilled with the skin on, which keeps it from falling apart when cooking.

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh red snapper filet, skin still on one side, about 1 inch thick

salt and fresh ground pepper for fish

1 avocado

1 tsp Wasabi powder (more or less to your taste)

1 tbsp lime juice (I used key limes, cause I had ‘em handy, but they’re more bitter)

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the grill to medium with an indirect grilling area (not directly over the flame or coals)
2. Place the fish on a well oiled disposable grill liner or grill basket.  Place on the grill and close the lid.
3. Cook for about 8 and check to see if it is done.
4. While fish is cooking, puree all other ingredients using a blender or  food processor.
5. Remove snapper from the grill, add sauce to the top of the fish and serve.

I’m fortunate enough to live in Florida, so that means we have access to fresh seafood pretty much all year long.  My family especially loves our Gulf shrimp, so I am always looking for a way to switch things up a bit with a new recipe or technique for grilling shrimp.  This is a great technique, though I have to warn you, it may get a little messy on the grill.  You REALLY need to lube up the grates for this one or you will have some burnt bread crumb fossils to clean up afterward.  This is especially true with scallops, haven’t figured out how to get the crumbs to stick to them very well (let me know if you have any ideas).  The mess is well worth it though.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

zest from 1/2 lemon

Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 lb. US Gulf Shrimp

1/2 lb. Sea Scallops

Directions:

1. Peel and de-vein the shrimp, removing the tail as well (trust me, you don’t want your guests to get a crunchy surprise hidden under those breadcrumbs).
2. Mix the lemon juice, zest, olive oil and garlic together in a glass bowl.
3. Place the shrimp and the scallops in the marinade and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes (no longer or the lemon juice will cook the seafood).
4. Remove the shrimp and scallops from the marinade and place them on skewers.  As you can see in the photo, I like to use 2 skewers to prevent the shrimp and scallops from rotating when you move them around the grill.
5. Cover the bottom of a plate with the breadcrumbs and then push each skewer into the crumbs, covering all sides with the breadcrumbs while pushing them into the seafood to make them stick.
6. Let the breaded shrimp and scallop skewers sit in the refrigerator for about 20 more minutes while we heat up the grill (this aids in the crumbs adhering to the shrimp and scallops).
7. Heat the grill to high heat.
8. Once the grill is ready to go, oil the grates with cooking oil to prevent sticking.  The best way is to use a folded paper towel dipped in oil and then use tongs to rub down the grates.
9. Place the breaded shrimp and scallop skewers on the grill and grill for about 3 – 4 minutes.  Don’t move the skewers once they are on the grill or you will lose a lot of breadcrumbs.
10. Flip the skewers over and continue to grill for another 3 minutes and then remove the breaded and grilled shrimp and scallops from the grill and serve immediately.

Ingredients

1 package of fresh Brussels sprouts (about 20)

1 loosely packed cup of fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 large clove garlic

3/8 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a food processor (mine is a Cuisinart), add the garlic, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.  Pulse until roughly chopped.

2. Roast the pine nuts in a large frying pan, dry with no oil.  Over a medium heat on the stove (this is just prep work, you don’t have to use the grill), constantly shake, jiggle, flip and stir the nuts to keep them from burning.  Do this until the are a nice golden brown on all sides.  Add them to the food processor while they are still warm.  This is a secret step for my pesto sauce.  The pine nuts take on some extra flavor, and the heat partially cooks the garlic, so it doesn’t have a raw flavor if used as traditional pasta sauce.  Chop to a paste in the food processor.

3. While the food processor is running, slowly add the oil through the feeder tube.  This is a bit more oil than I use in a normal sauce, but it works good as a marinade on the grill.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Slice the Brussels sprouts in half  (top to bottom)

6. In a bowl, add the sprouts.  Pour enough pesto sauce to cover the sprouts with a decent coating, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup.  Add more per your preference.  Let marinade for 1 hour in the refrigerator, stirring or, if you have a lid, shaking occasionally.

7. Prepare the grill for medium direct heat.   Add sprouts to your veggie basket or put on skewers.  Place on the grill and cook for 12 to 18 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the sprouts are tender and brown.  Time may vary based on your grill, the basket you use, etc., so just check for tenderness.  Not squishy, but not so firm you can’t cut with a butter knife.

Serve these with a nice grilled fish, a steak, or a stuffed chicken breast and enjoy.

Sriracha sauce is a magically hot and delicious hot sauce from Thailand.  Straight out of the bottle, this stuff will light your day on fire.  Balanced with a little honey, lime juice and butter and you have yourself a spicy, but not painful wing sauce.  I love to grill chicken wings, especially during football season, but I sometimes get tired of the typical Buffalo sauce.  This is a great alternative to switch it up every once in a while.  We get quite a few questions on our grilled chicken wings article about saucing before, during or after cooking the wings.  I have tried all techniques and I personally think the only thing you are doing by applying sauce beforehand is creating a mess in your grill’s drip pan.  When you order your favorite wings at the local Sports bar, do they put the sauce on them before they hit the fryer?  No, that’s crazy talk, they put the sauce on them while that skin is piping hot and ready to soak up the good stuff.  Same principle here.  Ok, enough of that, lets get to my favorite new Asian-inspired chicken wings.

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter

1/3 cup sriracha (add another 1/4 cup if you like it hot)

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 lime juice

chicken wings

fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your grill to medium-high.
2. Combine all of the sauce ingredients into a small pan and heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
3. Simmer for about 5 minutes and then keep the sauce warm while we grill the chicken wings.
4. Trim the wing tips (the part you can’t eat) from the wings if you have limited space on your grill.
5. Sprinkle the chicken wings with some fresh ground black pepper.
6. Grill the chicken wings until cooked through, about 18 to 20 minutes total, turning every few minutes.
7. Remove the chicken wings from the grill and place in a pot or bowl large enough to allow you  to toss them around in the sauce.
8. Add the sauce to the wings and toss to coat thoroughly, allowing them to soak in the sauce for a few minutes.
9. Enjoy with a cool beverage!

This was the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever made.  Hands down.  Everything turned out great and came together perfectly.  The chicken was moist, ’cause I followed the basic instructions for grilling chicken breasts.  And then my first attempt at making a balsamic vinegar reduction turned out great (other than stinking up the whole house).  The reduction melding with the goat cheese and the mild flavor from the sautéed red onions was the perfect combination.  It’s good.  Damn good.   And follow that with a nice cold beer….aaah, heaven.

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 buns
6 tablespoons goat cheese
1 small red onion, sliced in thin rings
handful of spring mix lettuce
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar reduction
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Sauté red onion with olive oil in pan over low heat until translucent and tender.  Remove from heat.
2. Fire up the grill to high for direct heat grilling. Clean and oil your grates.
3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Place the breast on the hottest part of the grill 2 minutes.
5. Using tongs, lift each breast, rotate 45 degrees and then place them back on the grill.
6. After 2 to 4 minutes, lift the chicken breasts with tongs and flip them over.
7. Grill for 2 more minutes and then rotate again 45 degrees to make our grill marks on this side.
8. Continue grilling for another 1 to 2 minutes until juices run clear and then add the cheese.  Cook until cheese is melted, about 1 minute.  Remove from grill and let rest.
9. Toast buns over direct heat until brown.
10. Assemble sandwich with spring mix on the buns, then add chicken and onions.  Add reduced balsamic vinegar as a final touch.

For the balsamic vinegar reduction:

Place three cups balsamic vinegar to a non-reactive,  heavy-bottomed pot, preferably stainless steal.  Heat on low, until it just begins to simmer.  Reduce until it thickens to the consistency of chocolate syrup, or to desired consistency, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  Be careful not to burn near the end of the thickening process.

To test the consistency, drizzle a bit onto a plate and then check how sticky it is.  If  it is too thick, add a little water to the pot, stir it up, and retest.

If you have a side burner on the grill, this is a great item for outdoor cooking.  Otherwise, it will likely stink up the whole house.  But it is worth it.  This stuff is the nectar of the vinegar gods.  Enjoy.

I’ve had a long term love affair with the chickensandwich.  There really isn’t anything fancy or special about it, but sometimes, a basic chicken sandwich is all you need.  This recipe is one of my favorite versions on the classic grilled chicken sandwich.

Ingredients
1 Boneless skinless chicken breast
2 slices of bacon
1 slice Swiss or provolone cheese
1 bun
tomato slices
lettuce
honey mustard
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Fire up the grill to high for direct heat grilling. Clean and oil your grates.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Place the breast on the hottest part of the grill 2 minutes.
4. Using tongs, lift each breast, rotate 45 degrees and then place them back on the grill.
5. After 2 to 4 minutes, lift the chicken breasts with tongs and flip them over.
6. Grill for 2 more minutes and then rotate again 45 degrees to make our grill marks on this side.
7. Continue grilling for another 1 to 2 minutes until juices run clear and then add the cheese.  Cook until cheese is melted, about 1 minute.  Remove from grill and let rest.
8. Toast the buns on the grill.
9. Add the chicken to the buns.
10. Top with bacon cooked with the must-have cast iron skillet. You can follow our directions here for super crispy bacon.
11. Smoother in honey mustard and top with lettuce and tomato. Add bun lid and eat.

Who knew peanut butter and soy sauce would make such an awesome combination?  To be fair, peanut butter was probably not around at the time this sauce was invented in China.  According to Wikipedia (yeah, I research this sort of thing, I am a geek) traditional hoisin sauce is made with soybean paste, garlic and vinegar, but this is a much easier recipe.  Here’s another fact you can use to impress your next cookout guests.  The word “hoisin” is a romanization of the Chinese word for “seafood”.  Maybe I am confusing things since we are talking about pork chops this week, so let’s just say that “hoisin” translates to “delicious pork chop” and get on with the show.  These ingredients and amounts listed below are enough for the marinade, but I suggest making a little extra for dipping while you are at it.

Ingredients

bone-in or boneless pork chops

6 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Directions

1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and combine until smooth.  It may not seem like it at first, but the peanut butter will eventually thin out and mix together with the soy sauce, just keep working it.
2. Place the pork chops in a sealable bag and then pour in the marinade, squeezing out as much air as possible before sealing the bag.
3. Place the pork chops in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 8 hours.  For thicker pork chops (like I prefer), I like to let them marinate over night.
4. Preheat the grill to high heat.  If your pork chops are over an inch thick (yummy!), light one side of the grill to high heat and leave another side at about medium.  For you charcoal grillers, just pile the coals on one side and taper to about 1 coal high on the cooler side.
5. Remove the pork chops from the hoisin marinade, hit them with some fresh ground black pepper if you like and place on the hottest part of the grill.
6. Sear the hoisin pork chops on each side for about 3 – 4 minutes.
7. After 3 – 4 minutes, your thinner pork chops might be done.  Test them with a thermometer to make sure, you want to remove them from the grill when the pork chops get to around 140 degrees.
8. If your pork chops are more than an inch thick, move them at this point to the cooler side of the grill and close the lid.  They will need another 3 – 4 minutes per side to reach 140 degrees on your instant-read thermometer.
9. Let the hoisin pork chops rest on a platter for a few minutes before serving.  Serve with the extra dipping sauce!

The desire to stuff meat comes in a pretty close second place to my manly desire to cook said meat over an open flame.  What’s better than cutting into a nice, juicy piece of meat and have a gooey, cheesy mixture ooze out?  Nothing, that’s what!  This stuffing mixture was inspired by my love for all things Greek, especially feta.  It was also inspired by a desire to find another use for all of the basil growing in my garden.  I’m pretty sure I will use this stuffing again in a recipe, so make sure you act surprised if it crops up inside another protein on our site, ok?

Ingredients:

2 boneless pork chops (thicker cut)

1.5 tablespoons fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 tablespoon cream cheese

Kosher salt

fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.
2. Follow the directions on the sun dried tomato package.  Most require soaking in hot water to rehydrate, others come in oil or liquid and rehydrating is not required.  If you skip this step, just come back later and remind yourself that I warned you…
3. Combine the feta, basil, cream cheese and sun dried tomatoes thoroughly in a bowl.
4. Form a pocket in each pork chop by slicing almost all of the way through.
5. Now it is time to get your hands dirty.   Stuff half of the greek stuffing mixture into each pork chop cavity and then squeeze the opening shut and secure with a toothpick or two.  You can skip the toothpicks if you don’t have any, but just be careful when turning the pork chops so you don’t squeeze out the cheese stuffing.
6. Rub the outsides of the pork chops with some Olive oil and then coat with a sprinkling of Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
7. Grill the stuffed pork chops for about 6 minutes per side with the lid closed, or until the pork chops are cooked all of the way through (145 degrees if you are using an instant read thermometer).
8. Let the grilled pork chops sit for about 5 minutes before cutting into them.

Man cannot live by pork chop alone.  Every now and then you must sauce it up a bit.  This smokey green sauce blends great with a pork chop.  The combination of roasted poblano peppers, tomatillos and garlic make a savory sauce.  This might also make a great base for a roasted corn and black bean salsa, which I might have to try some day soon.  I’ll let you know when I do.

It’s best to cook this recipe on a charcoal grill, so that the smokey flavor gets infused into the peppers and tomatillos.

Ingredients

10 to 12 tomatillos
2 poblano peppers
2 cloves of garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons olive oil

2 4oz boneless pork chops

Directions

1. Peel outer husks (paper like wrapper) off of the tomatillos and wash them.  Slice into quarters.

2. Slice onion into quarters.

3. Remove the stem from the peppers.   Slice in half such that the halves are as flat as possible. Remove the seeds.

4. Add peppers, sliced tomatillos, onion and garlic cloves to a bowl, drizzle with oil and stir to cover.

5. Grill the peppers over direct heat, making sure the skin side is charred.  This will allow the skins to be easily peeled.  Roast for 4 to 6 minutes on each side.

6. Either skewer the tomatillos, onions and garlic on skewers, or use a basket (I recommend the Weber grilling basket).  Cook them over direct heat for 7 to 15 minutes, occasionally stirring or turning, until the tomatillos and onions are tender and slightly charred.  Remove them from the heat and let cool.

7. After peppers have cooled, peel the charred skin from the peppers.  This skin is almost plastic-like and isn’t too appealing (ha!) to have in your sauce.

8. Add tomatillos, onions, garlic and peppers to a blender and blend until smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Optionally you can add a bit of quality olive oil while blending to smooth out the mixture as well, about a teaspoon will work.

9. Salt and pepper the chops and grill over direct medium high heat for 4 to 6 minutes per side.

10. Remove chops from grill, slather in the sauce and enjoy!

In my experience, the most delicious “recipes” are the most simple.  Simple ingredients that don’t mask the taste of the main product and most importantly, focusing on good technique.  This is one of those “recipes”.   This is less of a rib roast recipe and more of a “don’t screw up this expensive and delicious hunk of meat” technique.  Most often called a standing rib roast, this cut of meat comes from the rib (no kidding) primal cut or section of the cow.  ”Prime” may come from the fact that the ribs 9 through 12 are closest to the loin, and is also called the “First Cut”.  The “standing” part comes from the fact that most people cook it “standing” on the ribs.  So basically it is a prime rib, heavy on the ribs.

Now that I have my new Weber Summit, my favorite method for cooking large hunks of meat is on the rotisserie.  The rotisserie is pretty forgiving, due to the slow roasting method.  As long as you keep the meat spinning and check the temperatures closely toward the end, you’ll be fine.  Ovens tend to cook a roast unevenly and also have a tendency to dry out the roast if you aren’t careful.  The high, direct heat of a rotisserie fire also creates this amazing, caramelized crust on the outside of the rib roast that you just don’t get from the oven. Convinced yet?  Can’t you just smell it by now?  I can, so let’s get to roasting!

Ingredients

Standing rib roast

Kosher Salt

Ground black pepper

Fresh rosemary (optional)

Directions

1. It has been debated many times on the Internet, whether to let the meat warm up on the counter prior to cooking or not.  We are dealing with a large cut of meat that I want to cook evenly, so I do let it warm up a little on the counter.  Take the rib out of the refrigerator, unwrap and place on a platter on the kitchen counter about 45 minutes prior to cooking.
2. Rub the rib roast with a generous amount of Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.  I have a ton of fresh rosemary in the garden, so I tend to use that as well, but it is optional.
3. Now for the hardware.  Spear the rib roast in the middle with your rotisserie shaft and run it through to the middle of the shaft and then make sure to secure it with the additional hardware.  Take a look at the picture above, I think it is self-explanatory.
4. Light your rotisserie or grill burners, according to the directions for your specific grill.
5. Place a pan under the rib roast to catch the drippings and get the meat spinning!
6. Now this is where it gets hard to predict.  All grills and rotisserie set ups are different, so it is impossible to predict timing.  Start checking the temperature at the center of the rib roast (don’t touch the bones) with a good, instant-read thermometer about an hour into grilling your standing rib roast.  My favorite thermometer is the Thermapen, instant, waterproof, fool-proof!
7. Once the temperature starts to read around 110 degrees, it will begin to rise pretty quickly after that, so keep checking every 20 minutes just to make sure.
8. Remove the rib roast from the grill 5 degrees shy of your target temperature.  I like ours around medium-rare which is around 135 degrees, so I try to remove it when my thermometer is showing 130 degrees at the center.  Be careful when you are removing the rib roast from the actual rotisserie shaft.  The bones will probably come off pretty easily, which is fine, just make sure you don’t try to use them for leverage.
9. Allow the rib roast to rest for at least 20 minutes so that we don’t lose all of those delicious juices.
10. If you are lucky, the bones should come off with little trouble, making it easier to carve your delicious rotisserie rib roast.  If the bones don’t fall off easily, just cut right along the bones with a long, sharp knife to remove the ribs.
11. Carve your rib roast in about 1/2 inch thick slices and serve!

So, who needs a rib roast recipe when you have such a great piece of meat?  Don’t over-think this, just keep it simple, DON’T OVERCOOK and you will be fine.  Enjoy!

Coconut Custard came about because I wanted to cook something unique on the grill.  Inspired by thinking about fancy looking things that I imagined Martha Stewart might do (WWMD?).  A clever presentation.  I wanted to grill in the edible serving dish.  A coconut came to mind.

Sometimes here at Grilling Companion we go out on a limb and experiment, hopefully to your benefit. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.  This recipe is a second attempt.  My first attempt was a Coconut Brownie that just didn’t work out like I hoped.  I wound up with brownie on top, and uncooked brownie underneath (still tasty, BTW).  The Coconut Custard turned out even better.  Normally you cook custard in a water bath.  The brownie failing suggested to me that the coconut provided too much insulation for normal baking.  But it worked in place of the water bath, added extra flavor to the custard, and smelled wonderful while grilling.  The smell of roasting coconut is fantastic.

Ingredients
3 coconuts
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk (either 2% or whole)

Directions

1. Pre-heat the grill to 325 to 350 degrees.

2. Cut the coconuts in half.  I used a hacksaw to get through the husk, then a sharp pairing knife to cut through the meat.  It is best to draw a line all the way around before beginning sawing and cutting.  Cut it such that there are two even halves.  Drain and discard the coconut water.  Shave off a bit of coconut from each half and set aside for making toasted coconut topping.  You should have enough to create about 1 tablespoon of toasted coconut.

3. Wisk the eggs, sugar and salt until mixed.

4. Heat the milk in a sauce pan until it is steaming.

5. Slowly and carefully add the milk to the egg mixture.  Go slow so not to curdle the eggs.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

6. (Optional) Strain through a fine mesh strainer.  This removes some of the tougher parts of the egg yoke, but they are only small bits that won’t matter much if you don’t have a fine mesh strainer.

7. Wrap the husks of the coconuts halves in aluminum foil to protect them from the open flame.  With another piece of aluminum foil, crumple it to make a ring for each coconut to hold them upright.  Fill each coconut 3/4 full.

8. Add the coconuts to the grill such that they are cooking indirect, i.e. not directly over the open flame.

9. Close the lid and grill for about 50 to 60 minutes until the center has congealed and you can insert a knife and pull it out clean.  As always, it may take longer or shorter, depending on your grill.  Remove from grill and let rest.  The residual heat will cook the custard the rest of the way.

Toasted coconut topping

10. Mince the pieces of coconut that you shaved off earlier.

11. On a piece of  aluminum foil, spread out the minced coconut and put in a 300 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes until a nice brown color.  Stir about every 5 minutes while cooking.

12. Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the custard.

Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes was the one where Kenny Roger’s Roaster moved in next door, complete with a giant neon chicken sign that ends up keeping Kramer up all night.  Kramer proceeds to start a protest, but gets addicted to Kenny’s chicken.  Ok, I’ll get to the point.  In one of the best lines of the show, Jerry busts Newman getting takeout for Kramer.  The inclusion of broccoli in the meal gives Newman away.  Jerry responds with “Broccoli?  Newman, you wouldn’t eat broccoli if it were deep fried in chocolate sauce”.  Well, Newman may not eat even eat broccoli deep fried in chocolate sauce, but I am pretty sure he would eat this grilled broccoli!  Grilling broccoli creates a great flavor when the heads of broccoli start to char during roasting.  There are a few important steps to follow to make sure they are as tender as possible, so let’s take a look at the technique in detail.

Ingredients:

2 heads of fresh broccoli

Olive oil

fresh grated Parmesan cheese

fresh ground black pepper

Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
2. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
3. While the pot is heating up, wash the broccoli and then carefully slice off the outside “bark” of the stalks.  Many people cut the stalks off completely, but they are actually the most fought over piece of the vegetable in my house.  The trick is to slice off the outside to expose the heart of the stalk.
4. Slice each head of broccoli in half, length-wise.
5. Once the water has come to a boil, carefully place the stalks of broccoli in the boiling water and cook (blanch) for 3 minutes and then immediately submerge the broccoli in the cold water to stop the cooking process.
6. Place the blanched broccoli in a strainer and allow to dry for a few minutes.
7. While you wait, fire up that grill for indirect grilling by turning one half of the burners to high and leaving the other burners off.  Obviously, if you are using a charcoal grill pile up the coals to one side.
8. Brush each broccoli stalk with olive oil and then immediately sprinkle with the cheese and a little salt and pepper.  I like to sometimes dip the heads of broccoli in the oil and then dip into the cheese to get “snow in the trees”.
9. Place the broccoli on the “off” side of the grill and close the lid.
10. Let the broccoli roast on the grill for 15 minutes and then test the doneness on one of the heads.  Remember, every time you open the lid, you are letting all of the heat out, so keep it closed.
11. Continue to grill the broccoli with the lid closed until you hit your desired doneness.  It usually takes mine 20 minutes, but some people like it more or less crispy.
12. Serve with the extra cheese.

I recommend you choose your favorite veggies for this.  No sense in making a Brussels sprout sandwich if you hate Brussels sprouts.

The best options include zucchini, summer (yellow) squash, eggplant, onion, button (white) mushrooms, portobello mushroom, red or green bell peppers.

Ingredients

1 Zucchini
1 Summer squash
1 eggplant
1 sweet onion
1 portobello mushroom
1 red bell pepper
3 cloves roasted garlic (see Gourmet Pizza on the Grill for instruction on how to roast)
1 slice provolone cheese
1 loaf of good french bread
Good Seasons Italian dressing made with balsamic vinegar instead of cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Slice the zucchini and squash in long slices a little more than 1/4 inch thick.  For the eggplant, I slice it in a diagonal to make it a little longer, 1/4 inch thick.  For the bell peppers I try to slice so it gives the largest flat pieces for better grilling.   Mushrooms are sliced so they are 1/4 inch thick as well.  Onions are sliced to make rings, but don’t separate the rings of each slice.

2. Marinade the sliced veggies in the Balsamic Italian dressing for at least 1 hour (4 is ideal).  I put the veggies in a large glass container with a tight lid so I can give a shake about every 1/2 hour to make sure the dressing is well distributed.

3. Slice the bread in long diagonals.

4. Over medium direct heat, grill the veggies until they are tender but not soggy, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. For small veggies, such as the mushrooms and red peppers, I use my favorite veggie basket.  I keep a spatula and a pair of tongs handy.  The onion slices respond better to the spatula, while the red peppers do better with tongs.

5. While the veggies are grilling, grill the bread so it is lightly browned.  Spread the roasted garlic on the toasted bread.

6. Add the veggies to the bread in layers, and while still hot, top with the provolone cheese and let it melt a bit before serving.

7. Top with more Italian dressing if you prefer.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

I’m a protein-grilling junkie, but I’ve admitted before that I need more veggies.  Summer is a great time for me to get more veggies on the plate because corn really appeals to my frugal side, when you can start getting 12 ears of corn for $3.  As a result, I tend to spend much of the Summer with corn stuck in my teeth.  So my wife is happy to get more veggies in the kids and my Dentist is happy because I am flossing much more regularly.  Double bonus!  So this week we bring you this really simple and delicious method for grilling corn.  The basil adds to the already sweet taste of the corn and along with the butter makes for some really tasty kernels.  Grilling corn on the cob with this method is low maintenance too, so you can throw it on and forget about it for a bit while you prepare the rest of the meal.  Shall we?

Ingredients:

8 or so ears of corn with husks removed

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup basil leaves, minced

Kosher salt

Heavy duty aluminum foil

Directions:

1. Combine the fresh minced basil with the softened butter.
2. Tear off about a 12 inch strip of aluminum foil for each of the ears of corn.
3. Now it is time to get your hands dirty!  Rub the ear of corn with the butter and basil mixture and then sprinkle the corn with Kosher salt on all sides.  Be generous here and there’s really no better way to do it other than using your hands to rub on the butter.  If you have dry hands, you are welcome for the moisture treatment.
4. Place the corn with butter basil in the middle of a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap on all sides to form a pocket.  Make sure to seal the foil completely so nothing leaks out on the grill.
5. Repeat the butter basil lathering and aluminum foil wrapping process for the remaining ears of corn.
6. Preheat the grill to high heat.
7. Once the grill is heated, place all of your corn foil torpedoes on the grill.
8. Keep the lid closed as much as possible and grill for a total of 20 minutes, turning the ears of corn a quarter of a turn every 5 minutes.
9. After 20 minutes, remove the corn from the grill and place on a platter to cool slightly (caution, the contents are hot! I know that’s about as surprising as finding out coffee is hot, but it bears mentioning).
10. Serve with the remaining basil butter and a side of dental floss.

I think I could make it.  Yep, I don’t really need to leave the Florida Keys, I think I can make it “Old Man and the Sea” style selling a few fish a day and eating the rest.  Especially if I open a roadside stand selling this awesome marinated and grilled Mahi Mahi!  I just spent 3 glorious, yet painfully short, days in the Keys with some great friends and I came back with several bags full of fresh Mahi Mahi filets.  Fresh fish like this doesn’t need a lot of help, but I was ready for something a little different after a few meals of plain fish with a little squeeze of lemon.  Soy sauce is one of the most versatile weapons in my arsenal.  Add in some fresh grated ginger and a few more supporting cast members and we’ve got an awesome coating for our delicious fresh Mahi!

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons Soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 garlic clove minced

1 inch fresh ginger grated

2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Mix the vinegar, soy and honey thoroughly in a glass bowl.
2. For the Ginger, I always freeze my leftover ginger root and I find that actually makes it easier to work with.  To get some great ginger taste, just scrape the peel off of the outside of the frozen ginger root with the edge of a spoon.  Then grate the frozen ginger right into the bowl with a microplane grater.  Add in the remaining marinade ingredients and combine thoroughly.
3. Clean and rinse the Mahi Mahi filets.  I like to cut the blood line completely out of the fish because the kids don’t like the more fishy taste it gives the meat, but that is up to you.
4. Pat the filets dry, place in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the Mahi Mahi filets.
5. Place the dish in the refrigerator and marinade for at least 30 minutes, but no more than an hour (so I guess that makes it 45 minutes!).
6. The key to grilling fish is to cook it quickly over a really hot grill so you don’t dry out the meat.  So heat your grill to high.
7. If you have a fish basket, now is the time to break it out.  Otherwise, make sure you REALLY clean and oil the grates of your grill with some vegetable oil.  Nothing sticks quicker than fish and it’s really kind of heartbreaking when you leave some of that delicious meat back on the grates.
8. Remove the filets from the marinade and place on the grill, reserving the marinade (we are going to use it later).
9. Grill the Mahi Mahi filets for 2 – 3 minutes on the first side and then flip them over and grill for an additional 2 – 3 minutes on the other side.  These times are optional, but it is pretty easy to see when fish is done cooking.  As the fish cooks through, the meat becomes more and more opaque.  Remember though, don’t overdue it!
10. Heat the remaining marinade on the stove and simmer until reduced slightly.
11. Drizzle a little of the sauce on the grilled Mahi Mahi filets and serve over rice.  Amazing!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go figure out how to make this my office every day:

This week we bring you what has become my favorite combination for grilling lately, butter + basil.  This one is really easy and quick.  I have a TON of basil growing in my yard these days and it is a difficult herb for grilling because it burns so easily.  Rosemary is no problem, it holds up to the heat.  Basil though needs some sort of barrier from the flame and butter seems to be the perfect basil protector.  Butter makes everything better, right?  You bet!  Let’s take a look at this really easy and yummy grilled butter basil chicken.

Ingredients:

Boneless, skinless chicken breats

1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted

1/4 – 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the grill to high.
2. Rub the chicken breasts with Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
3. Combine the melted butter with the basil and then brush it on both sides of the chicken breasts.  Make sure you leave some so we can baste the breasts later.
4. Place the chicken breasts on the grill and grill for about 4 – 5 minutes on the first side.
5. Flip the chicken breasts over and baste with the remaining butter and basil mixture and close the lid.
6. Grill the chicken breasts for 5 more minutes or until done (every grill is different!).

Seriously, it doesn’t get any easier to make delicious grilled chicken.  If you haven’t done so already, plant some basil out back this Summer.  It’s easy to grow and a great herb to keep on hand.  You can thank me later…

London broil is one of most confusing names in the world of meat.  First of all, London broil means nothing in London (kind of like asking for French Fries in France).  London broil refers more to a cooking method than an actual cut of meat.  As far as I can tell the “broil” refers to the fact that it should be seared and cooked quickly over high heat, but I have no idea where the “London” part came from.  More accurately, London Broil is the same cut of meat (though sometimes thicker) as the flank steak.  Increasingly, top round steaks are starting to be labeled more and more as “London Broil”.  Whatever the origins, it is a very lean cut of meat with very tough strands of muscle running the length of the steak.  Just the same as flank steak, we are talking about a steak that really benefits from marinades and we need to cook it no more than medium-rare and slice it thin, against the grain, for maximum tenderness.  So you should definitely factor in marinating London broil to your prep time to give the marinade a chance to help break down that tough tissue.  Which brings us to this week’s recipe for a very easy and tasty london broil marinade!  The soy sauce will help break down and tenderize the London broil in as little as 4 hours.  If you have time though, overnight is even better.  Let’s make a nice little bath for that steak!

Ingredients:

1 London Broil steak

1/2 cup Soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, smashed

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a glass bowl and whisk together to combine thoroughly.
2. Place the London broil steak in a large, re-sealable bag.
3. Pour in the marinade and seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible and then place the bag in a refrigerator for 4 – 6 hours or overnight.  Turn the bag at least once during that time to make sure all of the sides of the steak get some soy lovin’.
4. Light your grill to high heat.  We are going to cook this now-somewhat-leaner tough hunk of meat quickly over high, direct heat until around medium-rare.  Remember, the longer you cook an already tough cut of meat, the tougher it will be.  I recommend to err on the side of rare because you can always stick it back on for a few minutes if you really feel the need.  Once it is over-cooked though, you might as well call up the pizza guy while the kids fling around your new leather frisbee in the backyard.
5. Remove the marinated London broil from the bag and place on the hottest part of the grill.
6. Grill with the lid open 5 – 7 minutes per side (we always rotate half way through to get those nice looking grill marks, right?).
7. Once it has grilled for a total of 10 – 14 minutes, remove the grilled London broil from the grill and place on a cutting board and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.
8. Now here is the other key to getting the maximum tenderness out of this cut of meat.  Using a sharp knife, slice the meat thin against the grain.  For more detailed directions on how to do that, check out these instructions, but here are the Cliff notes.  The grain on the London broil should be obvious once you pick it up on one side with some tongs and bend the meat.  Find the direction of the grain (9 times out of 10, the grain runs the long length of the cut) and then start slicing thin, perpendicular to the grain like so:

This one is simple but oh so good.  You can use either shrimp in the shell or peeled, depending on what aspect of the Great Shell Debate you subscribe to.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs uncooked jumbo (16 count) shrimp in the shell

3 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 tablespoons ancho chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Mix the oil, chili and cinnamon in a bowl large enough to fit the shrimp, preferably one that has a good lid.  If you can’t find ancho chili powder, you can use regular chili powder which adds garlic powder, cumin,  oregano and salt to the ancho chili.  But nothing wrong with an extra bit of flavor.

If you go with peeled shrimp, you can just add them to the marinade.

If you go with shrimp in the shell, I recommend a partial butterfly.  Using a sharp knife, or one with a sharp serrated edge, cut through the shell along the top (back?) of the shrimp so that you cut halfway through the shrimp from the head down to the tail.  This will let the marinade get in and flavor the shrimp better.  Add the butterflied shrimp to the marinade.

Put on the lid, or a healthy few layers of plastic wrap and shake to get all the shrimp covered.  Return to the fridge or better, on a bed of ice, for about 15 to 20 minutes.

For best results, put the shrimp on a skewer.  I chose the lazy way and used my Weber Grill Basket.

Prepare the grill for direct medium heat grilling.

Grill for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the meat is no longer translucent.

Serve it up and enjoy.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cup milk

1 bay leaf

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 onion

2 cloves

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 1/4 pound lean ground turkey

1 medium sliced tomato

6 to 8 sliced white button mushrooms

3 hamburger buns

6 slices of bacon

salt and pepper

Directions

The Sauce

There is cheese sauce, and there is cheese sauce.  This is one of the best.  However, that means a bit more work.

1.  Add the milk, bay leaf, onion, clove and nutmeg to a small sauce pan and simmer over low heat, but don’t let come to a boil,  for 15 minutes.

2. In another medium sauce pan, add 2 tablespoons of the butter.  Melt over a low heat.  Once melted, add flour and stir until smooth.  Cook over medium low heat until a light golden brown, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove the onion, bay leaf and clove from the milk.  Slowly integrate the milk into the butter and flour (roux) by adding small amounts of milk and whisking into the roux.  Repeat until all the milk is incorporated.  But go slow or you wind up with lumps.

4. To this (Béchamel sauce), slowly stir in the cheeses.   Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally.

The Shrooms

1. In a saute pan, saute the mushrooms over medium low heat in the remaining butter until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

The Burgers

These are just square patties with salt and pepper to taste.  I made them square to fit on the square buns.  If you have round buns,  round patties.

1. On a prepared grill, over high direct heat, place the patties and grill for 4 to 6 minutes per side (depending on thickness) until cooked through.

2. When you flip, add a tomato slice on each burger to let the tomato cook.

Since this is poultry, if you are unsure of doneness, best to observe the rules of cooking temps for poultry and make sure internal temp is 160º F.

The Buns

1. Slice ‘em.

2. Toast them on the grill.  Watch ‘em closely, they can burn real quick.

The Bacon

Follow the directions for cooking bacon.

The Assembly with optional broil

1. In a baking dish, lay out the toasted bun bottoms.  Add the burger with tomato on top, one on each bun.  Add the mushrooms.  Add two slices of bacon.  Pour a good sized glob of sauce all over each burger.

2. At this point, you can optionally put these in your oven (gasp, and oven on a grilling site?) and broil on the top rack until the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 5 to 10 minutes.  This is the traditional way of making the Hot Brown. And after doing that with the leftovers, I wish I had done so with the original burger.  Watch it closely, it goes from brown to black in a very quick period of time.

Top with the bun, or serve open faced as typical Hot Browns are served.

Enjoy this taste of Kentucky.

I got a new grill about a month ago now.  After years of buying crappy box-store brand grills, I finally sprung for a top of the line grill and have learned so far that you definitely get what you pay for.  During my search, I was back and forth about whether or not I really needed a rotisserie.  I had never had a built-in rotisserie, so I really didn’t know what I was missing.  I finally opted for a model with a built-in rotisserie and dedicated infrared burner built into the back of the grill.  After a month with my new rotisserie, I am now sad for all of the years I have wasted not having a convenient way to roast meat on a spit!  In particular, I think of all of the leftover roast beef sandwiches I coud have been eating at work.  I used to think my grilled roast beef was the best ever, but it doesn’t really hold a candle to this rotisserie roast beef.  Once you try this method, the only purpose your roasting pan will serve will be to catch the drippings under the rotisserie roast for gravy.

Ingredients

4 – 5 lb rump roast

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Mix together the rub ingredients and rub all over the rump roast.  If you have another dry rub that you like for beef, go ahead and substitute, you won’t hurt my feelings.  Truth be told, it doesn’t really need it but it feels funny to me not to rub it with something.
2. Thread the roast beef onto the rotisserie, right down the middle and make sure you secure it with the forks so that the spit is locked into the rump roast.
3. Configure your grill’s rotisserie per the owner’s manual.  Another great thing about my new baby (grill) is that it has a built-in smoker box with a dedicated burner.  I like to add smoke to the chamber while I am cooking the rotisserie roast beef.  If you don’t have a smoke box and want to add some more flavor, throw together a smoke pouch and get it smoldering before you put the rotisserie on the grill.
4. Make sure you place a pan under the roast to catch those drippings!
5. Turn on the rotisserie motor and sit back while your rotisserie roast beef slowly roasts on the grill.  This is so easy, right?
6. After about an hour, check the internal temperature of your roast with a meat thermometer.  I’m not even going to suggest a time because there are so many variables here.  As a reference point, a 4.5 pound rump roast takes about an hour and a half on my rotisserie set up.
7. Roast the rotisserie beef until you hit the desired doneness.  I like mine medium-rare, so I roast the rump roast until 140 degrees.  Remember that the roast will continue to cook for a little while once removed from the heat, so take it off about 5 degrees shy of your desired temperature.
8. Remove the rotisserie roast beef from the grill, place on a platter and cover with aluminum foil to rest for about 15 minutes.
9. While the roast is resting, make a rue using about 2 tablespoons of butter and about a tablespoon of flour (look for directions online if you haven’t made gravy before).  Stir in the roast beef drippings and beef brother as needed to make some awesome gravy!
10. Carefully remove the rotisserie spit from the roast and slice thinly, against the grain, for maximum tenderness.

It is blueberry season down here in the South and it seems like there is a u-pick blueberry field on every corner.  My Kindergartner in the back seat has become quite the reader these days, so he reads said u-pick signs on every corner and we have to constantly have the same conversation about how picking blueberries isn’t something you just squeeze in on the way to T-ball.  After a few days of nagging, the opportunity to finally put the kids to work in the blueberry fields came this weekend when I noticed that there was a blueberry festival at the local winery.  Blueberry wine, blueberry beer and local food vendors? Yeah, let’s go pick some berries.  A few hours later, we were back home with 5 pounds of fresh-picked, delicious fresh blueberries.

This blueberry barbecue sauce is the result of one of my blueberry projects from this past weekend.  You see, 5 pounds of berries is a lot, so I was looking for all kinds of ways to use them in recipes.  I have tinkered with these ingredients quite a bit, but I think the results below are pretty awesome.  Let me know if you have suggestions on how to make it better.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 tablespoons red onion, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons ketchup

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat.
2. Once you hit the boiling point, turn the heat down and simmer for around 15 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken (as the berries break down), stirring occasionally.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Pour the sauce into a blender, food processor or any other liquifying contraption you have sitting around in the cabinets.
5. Blend the ingredients until liquified.
6. Brush the blueberry barbecue sauce over some grilled pork chops, chicken or ribs and serve with some extra sauce on the side!

Again, I think it’s a pretty delicious sauce and something different to serve to your guests at the next cookout.  Let me know if you make it even better and want to share with the rest of our grilling fanatics.  Before we go though, my youngest son wanted to pass along a blueberry picking tip.  If your hands get dirty, no sweat, just use your mouth:

Ok, this is an easy one.  So easy, you can package these delicious red potatoes up, stick ‘em on the grill and concentrate on your protein grilling.  They won’t require any of your attention until you are ready to eat, assuming it takes about 15 or 20 minutes to prepare everything else.  What I’m trying to say is that grilling red potatoes are about as low-maintenance-grilling as you can get.  Side dish anyone?

Ingredients

1 lb red potatoes

3 rosemary sprigs, minced

Kosher salt

ground black pepper

olive oil

heavy duty aluminum foil

Directions

1. Wash and pat the red potatoes dry and then cut into 1 inch by 1 inch cubes.
2. Toss the potato cubes in about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
3. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and rosemary and toss again to coat evenly.
4. Rip off about a 2 foot section of the aluminum foil and pile the red potato cubes in the middle and then fold in the sides to make an air tight pouch.  We want the potatoes to steam, so get it closed tightly.
5. Repeat the process and make as many pouches as needed to house your red potatoes.
6. Heat the grill to medium-low heat.  If you are grilling something else on a higher heat already, no sweat.  Just stick the potatoes on a cooler part of the grill or on an elevated rack.  The worst that can happen is that the bottom layer of potatoes will sacrifice themselves so that the others are cooked perfectly (I like them a little charred anyway).
7. Place the pouches on the grill and close the lid.
8. Allow the potatoes to cook for about 15 minutes and then CAREFULLY peel back the foil on a pouch and fork-test a potato or two.
9. Continue until they are cooked all the way through.

“Put de lime in de coconut….”, my son is singing at the top of his lungs in the car.  ”Put de lime…”. I don’t know who taught him the song, but I am going to find them and hurt them!  ”…in de coconut”, wait a second, limes, coconut, hmm…and CHICKEN!  Yeah!  That sounds delicious, so I whip the car into the supermarket parking lot and make a deal with my son.  ”Forget you learned that song and you can pick out whatever ice cream you want for dessert tonight”.  Done!  Now let’s start thinking about dinner.

This is a great marinade for grilled chicken, especially in the Summer months.  I don’t know about you, but the tastes of coconut and lime (and rum for that matter) make me feel like I am on vacation.  Throw this marinade together, let it soak for a few hours and you have a great Summer cookout.

Ingredient

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

14 ounce can coconut milk

2 limes, juiced

Zest from 1/2 lime

Kosher salt

ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine the coconut milk, lime juice and lime zest in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a glass dish just large enough to hold the chicken breasts and marinade.
3. Pour in the marinade, turn the breasts to coat and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 4 hours.  Relax, enjoy the sun, have a few drinks!
4. Preheat the grill to high heat.
5. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and pat each breast with a paper towel to remove some of the marinade, just so that too much doesn’t create a mess in the grill.
6. Season the marinated chicken breasts with Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
7. Place the chicken breasts on the grill and grill with the lid open for 6 – 8 minutes.  When the chicken breasts start to cook through, you will see the sides getting more and more opaque.
8. Flip the breasts over and grill for an additional 6 – 8 minutes on the other side, until the breasts are done (if you are using a meat thermometer, you are looking for 160 degrees).
9. Remove from the grill and serve with a Rum drink!

“Put de lime in the de coconut and you’ll feel better!”.  I’ll feel better once I have some of the ice cream my son picked out, Moose Tracks!

I added a side of mushroom marsala over penne pasta.  It seemed appropriate since veal is often served as veal marsala.

Ingredients

2 Veal chops – about 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse (Kosher) salt

a few grinds of fresh ground pepper

For the mushroom marsala over Penne:

8 ounces of white button mushrooms

1/4 cup marsala wine

1/4 teaspoon marjoram

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup chicken stock

2 cups penne pasta – prepare according to box instructions

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat the grill on high, or build a good hot zone if you are using charcoal (which I recommend for extra flavor).
2. Take the veal chops out of the fridge and let them come up to room temperature, about 20 minutes should do it.  I trimmed any excess fat off to avoid any flare-ups.
3. Brush both sides of  the chops with olive oil.  Evenly sprinkle the salt over the veal chops.  To do this, get a healthy pinch and hold it about a foot above and sprinkle.  Don’t be shy with the salt.  A few grinds of pepper on both sides, and we’re ready for the grill.
4. This is a high direct heat, with open lid situation.
5. During cooking, just leave the chop alone.  Have a beer, glass of wine or a lemonade if that is more you speed.  Just don’t fiddle with the chop. Let it cook.
6. Cook for about 6 minutes. Then turn over and cook for another 6 minutes.

For the mushroom marsala over penne:

1. Slice the mushrooms and sauté in butter over low heat until mushrooms are tender.  Remove the mushrooms, but leave the juices and remaining butter in the sauté pan.
2. Add the marjoram, the marsala wine and half of the chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer.
3. Mix the flour with the remaining chicken stock. I use a plastic kids cup with a lid, shaking until the lumps are gone and the flour is mixed.  While stirring, slowly pour the stock and flour mixture into the sauté pan until the sauce thickens (not too much!) to your desired thickness.  If it gets too thick, add a bit more wine or chicken stock.
4. Re-add the mushrooms.  Let it simmer while stirring for about a minute.
5. Remove from heat and spoon over penne pasta.
6. Serve alongside your delicious grilled veal chop.