Grilled Smoky Mountain Chicken "Cheeseburger"

I grew up on the beaches of Florida and I have missed surfing for the past 10 years but I love living in East Tennessee.

The area is full of natural and historical attractions and the scenery of the Smoky Mountains still awe this flat-lander. A few weeks ago, Trevor and I got to take a two hour zip line tour above the trees in the Smokies.

Trevor heading away.

Another thing this area is famous for is its illegal bootlegging “home based distilleries and back yard breweries” during the prohibition era (and afterward ala Popcorn Sutton). Fortunately, laws are different now and breweries and distilleries can operate in the open and under regulation. There is a legacy of home brew in these parts.

So when McCormick's Grill Mates and Lawry's Flavor Forecast came out this year...

the flavor pairing that obviously caught my attention was...

Smoke & Craft Brews â€" Regional American beers are gutsy partners for the BBQ inspired smoke notes that can be cleverly infused through a range of smoky ingredients and techniques.

It's no secret, most mass produced American beers are watered down lagers that don't pack a flavor punch. But micro-brews have the freedom and audacity to “bring it”. I used local Downtown Grill & Brewery's White Mule Ale. It's medium body worked well with the bold spices and seasonings in Backyard Brew.

Did they say “smoky ingredients and techniques”?   Since I was grilling this chicken and not smoking it, I used 3 tricks to infuse that smoky flavor into a beer-cheese sauce. The beer-cheese sauce is so good on it's own you'll want to just use it as a dip for bread or sausage.


Grilled Smoky Mountain Chicken “Cheeseburger”
serves: 4

4 ea chicken thighs, boneless skinless
½ cup of your favorite pale ale craft brew
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
8 strips hickory smoked bacon
4 slices tomato (optional)
lettuce (optional)
4 onion rolls
1 cup smoky beer-cheese sauce (see recipe)

Beer Cheese Sauce ingredients
3 Tablespoons reserved bacon fat
¼ cup sweet onion, minced
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
½ cup of your favorite pale ale craft brew
½ teaspoon McCormick's Smoked Paprika
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon McCormick's White Pepper
½ cup chicken stock
1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tablespoon roasted red jalapeno diced (substitute red bell pepper if you must but it's really not that hot)
¼ cup half and half
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Mix the Backyard Brew marinade, beer, vinegar, and olive oil according to package directions and marinate the chicken thighs for 4 hours.

Cook the bacon. Reserve 3 Tablespoons of the bacon fat. (Smoky trick #1)

Sear the red jalapeno until blackened and place in a Glad zip top bag for 5 minutes. Split in half lengthwise so it lays flat. Scrape off and discard most of the charred skin on the outside and the seeds on the inside. Finely dice the roasted pepper. (Smokey trick #2)

In a small sauce pan saute the onion in the bacon fat over medium heat until just starting to turn tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the flour and stir constantly until blended into a blond roux which should only take a few more minutes.

Add the smoked paprika (Smoky trick 3), white pepper, and salt. Whisk in the beer. It will look like your roux fell apart for a second. Don't panic and keep stirring for a minute until the consistency is smooth again.

Add the chicken stock and stir. Bring to a very low simmer. Mix in the cheese in small batches until melted.

Add the red pepper, half and half, and worcestershire sauce. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.

Remove chicken from the marinade and grill directly over medium high heat (400f) for 6 minutes a side or until it reaches an internal temperature of 170.

Toast the insides of your onion rolls.

Build each sandwich with a thigh, two pieces of bacon, ¼ cup of the beer-cheese sauce and lettuce & tomato if desired.

The grilled chicken was great on it's own. But the crisp bacon, rich sauce and the slightly acidic kiss from the tomato put this sandwich over the top.


Serve with your favorite craft brew, of course!

Standard Disclaimer:  I received the pictured Flavor Forecast kit free from McCormicks.  However, I just counted and I have over 30 McCormick's products in my spice cabinet for which I paid full retail price.

Busy Week

It has been a really busy week.

With work, football practice two hours a night, and a special project I have been working on, I have not had much time to cook and even less time to take pictures of it.   Dinners this week have been re-hashes of things I've done before or simple things like the beef burritos I made tonight.


Not really a recipe, just used the taco seasoning from Brian and Marilyn's Hot Sauce Daily blog, some garlic and mince onion for the ground beef.  Then throw in some cheese, lettuce, and some homemade salsa.  The dipping sauce is just ranch dressing souped up with a fire roasted red jalapeno pepper. 

The good news is I am off for the weekend and loaded up for some grilling therapy.  


Ya'll have a great weekend!

Southwick

Really falling behind with my blogging these days. I'll catch up eventually.

Made a last minute decision to cook Grill-n-Daze, a one day grilling event in Southwick, Massachusetts on July 17th. I originally was just going to go up and vend, but when the organizer told me that I wouldn't have to pay the vending fee if I competed, I decided why not just enter the contest as well.

I originally thought the contest was on Saturday. However, a few days before I was informed that the event was actually Sunday. This would not have been a problem if I did not have to work that Sunday, and would never be able to get it off on such short notice. It just meant that I had to cook all day and write all night. Needless to say it was an extremely long night.

Mostly this event is cooked by locals. I arrived Saturday afternoon, just me and Max. At first I was a little confused about the contest location, because there was not a sole there. But I was in the right place. Bob of Smokey O's came down and we went to lunch at one of the local spots, it was a nice afternoon.

I had heard there were huge crowds at this event in years past, but it was extremely hot and that kept some of the people away. But we sold all of our ribs and had a good time there.

The contest had me a little worried. It was one of those deals for an established team that many consider a no win situation. If we do well, people would say that we are just beating up on the backyard teams. If we don't do well, people would say "haha, you lost to a bunch of backyarders." But I decided that I really don't care what people say any more, and I'm just going to do what I want to do and have fun doing it. So we entered three of the four categories, chicken, beef and pork.

I viewed this as a tune up for Harpoon, cooking my competition chicken and pork recipes, and beef short ribs for the beef category. I quickly found out that I would not be able to practice presentation, because the turn in boxes we got were literally half the size of the usual ones we get at KCBS contests. I literally crammed six pieces of each category into the box and turned them in with no garnish.

Awards came, and no call for chicken. Here we go...not a good sign. Then came pork, first place. Beef, first place. Really cool trophies, mini-Weber grills. Overall we had a good time, very different than most contests we cook, and we met some great people. That's what its all about.

I'll try to get the Harpoon post up soon. In the meantime, I am heading up to Saratoga Springs, NY Friday to cook the Taste of BBQ Nationals event at the raceway.

2271. BACON-WRAPPED LARGE MOUTH BASS SANDWICH

2 lb. bacon
2 large onions, sliced
4 large mouth bass fillets
blackening seasoning
roll or bread
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
American cheese

Line bottom of baking pan with bacon. Place layer of onions on top of bacon, then place fillets on top of onions. Lightly sprinkle fillets with blackening seasoning. Bake at 350F for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove fillet from pan and place on roll or bread. Top with salt, pepper and slice of American cheese.


bacon recipe courtesy of: eleminity0277, for MN Fish Finder: Minnesota Fishing Reports, Maps, News & Hotspots

2270. BACON FRIED RICE-STUFFED OMELETTE

8 eggs (two per omelette)
one onion, finely chopped
one carrot, finely chopped
one spring onion, finely chopped
cooked rice, approx 4 small Chinese bowls full
3 strips of bacon
3 hot dogs, firm German ones are good
corn from 1 cob
salt, pepper, cooking oil, sesame oil, ketchup

Collect together and chop your ingredients. Fry the bacon until brown. Add in the Hot Dogs. Then the onions and carrots. After they have softened a little add the sweetcorn. Now make room in the frying pan to add a little oil and a good squirt of ketchup. Mix that up and fry it all together. Now add the rice, be careful not to squash it when you stir, keep it light and fluffy. When it looks mixed well, you can add the chopped spring onions and give it a last stir before setting this fried rice aside in a bowl. Now make an omelette with two eggs. When the omelette is just about ready spoon a serving of fried rice onto it and slide it out of the pan, just as the omelette is nearly out of the pan flip the edge over to make a nice fold, as you can see in the picture, it’s folded in half. Serve with a little garnish, ketchup or brown sauce


bacon recipe courtesy of: Taiwan Duck, May 29, 2011

2269. CREAMY LIMA BEAN SOUP with BACON

makes about 3 cups, serving 2


3 slices of lean bacon
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 cup chicken broth
a 10-ounce package frozen lima beans
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallion green

In a skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning it, until it is crisp, transfer it to paper towels to drain, and crumble it. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the fat to a heavy saucepan and in it cook the onion over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened. Add the broth, 1 cup water, and the lima beans, simmer the mixture for 8 minutes, or until the beans are tender, and season it with salt and pepper. In a food processor purée the soup, return it to the pan, and heat it over moderate heat until it is hot. Ladle the soup into 2 bowls and sprinkle the scallion green and the bacon over it.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Gourmet, September 1991

Creole Roast Beef Wraps

Whether you are at the pool, on the run, or just trying to hide from the heat at home, wraps are a quintessential summer lunch. You can almost feel yourself cooling off as you bite into the chilled crisp veggies and meat. Wraps are convenient for a busy summer lifestyle because they are portable, can be made ahead of time, and can pack a variety of summer time flavors.


Alexis bought a 6 lb beef eye of round roast on sale this week and I slow roasted it on her Big Green Egg. Eye of round can be a little less flavorful than other cuts of beef so I added flavor. I injected it with Cajun Injector'sCreole Butter and gave it a heavy coat of Tony Chachere's CreoleSeasoning.  (For tips on injecting see the previous post.)


The cooking set up was indirect on a roast rack over a dripping pan filled with 2 cups of beef broth. The drippings of rendered fat and seasonings are captured in the broth making an excellent au jus.

There are two things to think about when using a set up like this.
  1. The roasting rack will raise the roast several inches off of the grate. But you always want a roast to cook in the center of your oven or grill for even cooking. So I skipped the grate altogether and had the rack sitting directly on the “plate setter” of the Big Green Egg. For a standard grill if you can't adjust the height of the grates, you will need to flip the roast half way through the cooking time.
  2. For Big Green Egg Users: If the dripping pan sits directly on the hot plate setter, it can get too hot from conductive heat and evaporate a lot of your broth. That will make it too concentrated and salty. I raise the drip pan off the plate setter with some spacers.

I cooked it indirect at 250f until it hit an internal temperature of 135f (about 2 ½ hours) and then pulled it to rest lightly covered for 15 minutes. We could have eaten it then but we wrapped it in foil and put it in the fridge for a few hours before slicing thin. Here's how the time/temps worked out.  I would have liked the roast a bit more on the rare side of medium rare so next time I will pull it earlier, maybe around 130f.  This was twice the size of the normal eye roasts I do so maybe it carried temp longer after it came off the grill.  I normally allow 10 degrees for carry over cooking. 

Time
Grill Temperature (f)
Internal Temperature (f)

250
40
30 min
275
56
1 hour
250
91
1 hour 30 minutes
250
115
2 hours
250
127
2 hours 20ish minutes
260
135


This creole roast beef and a spicy creole sauce add pizazz to these wraps and the spicy au jus finishes it off like a summer dip in the pool. 


Creole Roast Beef Wraps
4 servings or 8 snack portions

4 ten inch wraps (We used MissionSundried Tomato Basil wraps)
½ cup creole sauce (see recipe)
4 leaves green leaf lettuce
1 lb creole roast beef, thin sliced
½ cup roasted red pepper
8 slices French Emmental cheese (or whatever floats your boat)
1 cup au jus

Creole Sauce
2 Tbsp sour cream
3 Tbsp coarse ground creole mustard
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
½ tsp prepared horseradish
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper

Whisk together ingredients for Creole sauce and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors combine.

Spread 2 Tbsp of Creole sauce on ½ side of a wrap. Top with lettuce leaf, ¼ lb of roast beef, 2 slices cheese, and 2 Tbsp of roasted red pepper.

Fold in top and bottom of the wrap and roll up burrito style. Slice in half with a bias cut (at an angle) and serve with ¼ cup of hot au jus.

This has been our lunch for the past two days and I am already looking forward to having them for lunch at work tomorrow too! 

[Standard Disclaimer]  I have no affiliation with the mentioned companies or products and paid full retail costs.

2268. BACON-WRAPPED SCALLOP TOURNEDOS with SUMMER SUCCOTASH

yields four servings


8 slices thick-cut bacon
2 pounds (about 24) extra large sea scallops
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears)
2 cups fresh lima beans, peeled, blanched in boiling salted water for 30 seconds; or thawed frozen lima beans
1 large tomato, cored, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
8 (8-inch) skewers

Build a multi-level fire in the grill: Leave 1/4 of the bottom free of coals, bank the coals in the remaining 3/4 of the grill so that they are 3 times as high on one side as on the other. When the coals are all ignited and the temperature has lowered to medium (hold hand about 5-inches above grill grid, over the area where coals are deepest, for 4 to 5 seconds), the grill is ready to cook.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until it has rendered a good amount of fat, but has not begun color or crinkle up, about 4 minutes (The bacon should be cooked halfway, it should remain pliable). Remove from the heat.

Thread the scallops onto skewers, putting 3 on each skewer, zig-zagging with a piece of bacon around each trio of scallops, securing it at the top and bottom with toothpicks, or secure with a second skewer. Sprinkle the skewers generously with salt and pepper, then place on grill over the side with fewer coals and cook until scallops are opaque all the way through, about 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn, lima beans, tomato, sage, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the ingredients are nice and hot, about 5 minutes.

To serve, place about 1/4 of the succotash on each plate, top with 2 skewers.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chris Schlesinger, "All Fired Up," Sara's Secrets, Food Network

Five Tips: Injecting Meat

Are you trypanophobic?

Trypanophobia is the extreme fear of shots, IV's, and injections. If you are, here is your chance for revenge. Try injecting meat with marinades.


Why would you do such a thing? Injecting a marinade into meat does a few things, depending on the marinade used.
  • Fast flavor â€" Marinades and brines take time to work and penetrate the meat. Injecting gets instant penetration and gets flavor throughout the meat in 5 minutes.
  • Tender texture â€" Some marinades help the heat in breaking down the structure of the meat, making it tender.
  • Adds moisture â€" injecting liquid into a piece of meat obviously increases the moisture in the roast

Today I am playing with three marinades. I'm smoking two pork butts on my Big Green Egg. One has Chris Lilly's world championship pork butt injection doctored with a little Apple Pie Moonshine. The other one has a creation of my own. 

Fat cap down.

On Alexis' Big Green Egg I'm slow roasting a beef eye of round and used a commerical creole butter injection for a creole roast beef. (She's at football practice with Trevor. She won't be happy when she finds I did a low and slow in her Egg but better to beg forgiveness than ask permission!)

Drip pan for collecting the au jus

I don't always inject, but when I do....I do Dos Equis â€" errrr, I mean - here are Five Tips for injecting meat.

Tip 1: Push-me-pull-you
This isn't injecting like a shot in the doctor's office where you hit a vein and inject all the medicine in one spot. Inject the needle all the way in. Then as you push the piston to inject, slowly pull the injector out at the same time still pushing the piston.

Tip 2: Keep it under wraps
If the meat is packaged in cryo-wrap, leave it in the wrap and inject it through the plastic. This helps cut down on the accidental sprays that happen when you pull the needle out of the meat.
Tip 3: Smaller is better
When making your own injections, use finely ground spices or your injection will frequently clog your needle, a total pain in the butt.

Tip 4: What cuts of meat benefit from injecting?
Typically cuts that are large, lean, or bland. I will sometimes inject pork butts (large), pork loin (bland & large), beef eye of round (lean), and whole poultry (bland, lean).

Tip 5: Clean Needles Save Lives
The hollow tip of the needle will get meat caught in it as the needle is pulled out each time. Simply washing the needle when done won't get that out and you'll have icky creatures growing in there for your next use. Use a paper clip or wire to clear this area out.


If you haven't ever tried injections, don't be trypanophobic...give it a shot! (snicker) You can buy a cheap injector with a jar of commercial injection sauce for about $7 at many grocery stores.

2267. BACON, SPINACH and SOY SAUCE PASTA

serves six


500 grams thin spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper, to taste
250 grams bacon rashers, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
6 green spring onions, thickly sliced
1/2 cup kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/4 cup water
120g packet baby spinach leaves

Add spaghetti to a large pot of boiling salted water. Leave pan uncovered, and boil spaghetti for about 12 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Pour in eggs, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Leave eggs, without stirring, until they start to set, then stir until just cooked. Remove eggs, allow them to cool, then chop coarsely. Using same pan, add bacon and cook over a high heat till it starts to brown. Add zucchini, carrot and spring onions, then stir till just combined. Add pasta and combined sauces and water. Don't stir. Leave for 2 minutes until sauces are reduced. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach and egg.


bacon recipe courtesy of: New Idea Magazine, Australia

2266. MIXED SEAFOOD (TUNA, SHRIMP, SCALLOPS, ANCHOVIES) NICOISE SALAD with BACON and POTATOES

Dressing
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/4 cups olive oil
1 medium white onion, sliced paper thin
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups flat leaf parsley, loosely packed and chopped
1 cup mixed herbs, chopped(chives, basil, tarragon)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
freshly ground sea salt, to taste
black pepper
water, enough to make to a good consistency

Salad
fresh parmesan cheese, chunked
1 lb fresh tuna, cut into 6 inch pieces
12 large shrimp, cut lengthwise
12 large sea scallops
1 lb green beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
3 roma tomatoes, quartered
2 yellow tomatoes, quartered
5 eggs, hard-boiled,peeled,and halved
1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
10 anchovy fillets, packed in oil
1/2 lb bacon, fried crisp
1 cup drained nicoise olives
1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
2 lbs tiny new potatoes, scrubbed

Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until combined. Must be done at least 6 hours in advance. Let stand at room temperature.

Salad: Brush seafood with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Marinate red pepper and squash in a little salad dressing. Quarter new potatoes and boil 15 minutes; toss in enough dressing to coat. Steam or boil green beans 5 minutes and toss in a little dressing. Grill seafood and red pepper and squash.

Assembly: On a very large platter, place the potatoes in the center, surrounded by the green beans. Surround this with the shredded lettuce. Place the grilled seafood and vegetables atop the lettuce. Arrange eggs, bacon, olives, cheese, and tomatoes on platter. Place one anchovy fillet atop each half of egg. Salt and pepper the entire dish and drizzle with the remaining dressing.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Qwerty Kitchen

2265. SARDINES PUTTANESCA with BACON

serves eight


400 grams spaghetti, cooked
1 head garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
50 grams bacon, sliced into strips
1 bottle (250 grams) sardines in olive oil, drained (reserve oil)
1 can (400 grams) button mushrooms, sliced
500 grams Italian-style spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup water
26 grams (2 tablespoons) capers
75 grams (1/2 cup) black pitted olives, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons snipped parsley

Sauté garlic, onion, and bacon in sardine oil. Cook while stirring until bacon is brown. Add sardines, mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, water, capers, olives, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add parsley. Pour over or mix with cooked spaghetti. Top with sardines, as desired.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Del Monte Kitchenomics, for Yummy Magazine online (SUMMIT DIGITAL, 6th Floor Robinsons Cybergate Tower 3, Robinsons Pioneer Complex, Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City 1550, Philippines), October 27, 2010

2264. MARINATED SARDINES with CHICKPEAS and BACON

serves six


18 small sardines, cleaned
8 mint leaves, to garnish

For the marinade
4 oranges, juiced
30 ml sherry vinegar
salt

For the stuffing
1 red pepper
1 onion, peeled
1 aubergine
2 tbsp olive oil

For the salad
25 grams lardons of bacon
50 grams croutons
125 grams chickpeas, cooked
2 spring onions, chopped

For the vinaigrette
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
15 grams walnuts, chopped
1 orange, juiced
15 ml sherry vinegar
salt
pepper

First make the marinade. Mix together the orange juice, sherry vinegar and salt. Toss the sardines with the marinade in a large dish and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Toss the red pepper, onion and aubergine in the olive oil in a roasting tray. Roast for 30 minutes until tender. Cut the roasted red pepper, onion and aubergine into short, thin strips and toss together. Fry the bacon in a small, heavy-based frying pan until cooked. In a bowl, mix together the fried bacon, croutons, chick-peas and spring onions. Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, walnuts, orange juice and sherry vinegar. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss the chick-pea mixture with the vinaigrette. Drain the marinated sardines. Stuff each sardine with the roasted vegetables. To serve, spoon the chick-pea salad onto a serving plate. Top with the stuffed sardines, garnish with mint leaves and serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Simon Rimmer, Good Food Bites, Good Food Channel, UK-TV

Rick Browne's Bangkok Satay

Football is messing with my grilling time.

Trevor just started his 2 hours a day, 4 days a week practices yesterday. That means I have to do meals that allow for advance prep before practice and then short cook times after practice ends at 8:30.

This dish from Rick Browne's new book 1,001 Best Grilling Recipes: Delicious, Easy toMake Recipes From Around the World fit the bill tonight. I prepped everything before I left so all I had to to when I got home was fire up the grill and cook it.
 

Bangkok Beef Satay
Yield: 4â€"6 servings
Although recipes and ingredients vary, satay usually consists of chunks or slices of meat on skewers that are grilled over wood or charcoal fires. Satay is usually served with a spicy peanut sauce or peanut gravy and accompanied by slivers of onion and cucumber in vinegar.

6 tablespoons (90 mL) dark soy sauce, divided
6 tablespoons (90 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 3 limes), divided
6 tablespoons (90 mL) smooth or chunky peanut butter
3 tablespoons (45 mL) chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons (30 mL) brown sugar, divided
1 tablespoon (15 mL) sweet rice vinegar
2 teaspoons (10 mL) Sriracha or other Asian hot chili sauce, divided
3 green onions, white and green parts, minced
1 (1-inch [2.5-cm]) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 (11/2-pound [681-g]) beef steak (round, sirloin, rib-eye, or chuck)

1. Soak about 18 wooden or bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour.

2. In a medium bowl, combine 4 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 4 tablespoons of the lime juice, the peanut butter, the cilantro, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the vinegar, and 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of the chili sauce, and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of the sugar, stirring until it reaches a smooth, thick, gravy-like consistency. Cover and set aside.

3. To make the marinade, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the soy sauce, the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the lime juice, the remaining 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the remaining 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of the chili sauce, the onions, ginger, garlic, lime zest, and oil. Process until puréed and set aside.

4. Cut the beef against the grain into pieces 6 inches (15 cm) long and ½ inch (1 cm) wide. Thread the beef lengthwise, piercing it in several places in an accordion fold, on the prepared skewers. Transfer the skewers to a large, shallow pan and pour the marinade over the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

5. Make sure the grill is clean and generously sprayed with nonstick grilling spray. Preheat the barbecue to medium high (350°F [180°C] to 400°F [200°C]).

6. Place a strip of heavy-duty aluminum foil across the front 3 to 4 inches of the grill. The bottom part of the satay skewers can rest on this, protecting the part you handle from burning.

7. Remove the skewers from the marinade and drain, discarding the marinade. Place the skewers on the grill over direct heat for 2 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, warm the peanut sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until it just barely begins to bubble.

8. Serve the satay on the skewers with small bowls of the warmed peanut sauce on the side, for dipping.

Reprinted with permission from 1,001 Best Grilling Recipes, by Rick Browne, Agate Surrey, 2011.

I prepped everything after work. I did it as written except I used cubes of strip steak instead of strips of sirloin steak.

As soon as we got home, I put 4 quarts of lit Kingsford in my SmokeHollow grill.


I grilled the kabobs for 8 minutes total since I wasn't using thin strips.  Then I “stir-fired” some peppers and onions for a side.


We were able to be eating this just about 30 minutes after getting home...

Not McDonalds. Not a frozen pizza. We ate a fresh and kick butt grilled dinner and it completely disappeared into a chorus of “that is soooo good!”.  The dipping sauce is mild, don't worry about the sririacha sauce making it too hot.  If you want hot, use more sriracha.  

I'll be posting more about 1,001 Best Grilling Recipes next week including a review, an interview, and a giveaway, so stay tuned.

2263. OXTAIL with BACON, MUSHROOMS and BABY ONIONS

serves six


500 grams small beef shin pieces
125 grams rindless bacon, cubed
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon butter
1-1,25 kg oxtail, trimmed of excess fat
2 teaspoons garlic & herb seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic pepper seasoning
3 large onions, chopped
3 large carrots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups red wine
2 cups water
2 tablespoons beef stock powder
2 tablespoons tomato pesto
250 grams whole button mushrooms
500 grams pickling onions
2 tablespoons olive oil

Brown the beef shin and bacon in the oil/butter mixture in a big, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Brown the oxtail in batches in the same fat. Keep on one side. Season the meat with garlic & herb seasoning as well as garlic pepper seasoning. Brown the onions in the same pot. When golden-brown, add the carrots, garlic and bay leaf. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the flour and blend in. Add the wine, water, stock powder and tomato pesto. Bring to the boil. Place the browned shin, bacon and oxtail back in the pot, cover and simmer very gently for 2½-3 hours until the meat is fork-tender.

Remove the bay-leaf. Blot off excess fat with a double layer of absorbent kitchen paper. Briefly brown the pickling onions and mushrooms in olive oil in a separate fry pan and add to the meat. Simmer for 15 minutes until onions are just tender. Adjust seasoning to taste.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Ina Paarman, Paarman Foods, Diep River, Cape Town, South Africa

On Our Grills July

Each month, a group of bbq/grill enthusiasts participates in the “On Our Grills Challenge”. The challenge is to make a meal with a list of 4 random ingredients and at least the protein has to be cooked by some form of live fire.

Typically the ingredient list presents a difficult obstacle for us. This month's On Our Grills 4-Ingredient Challenge was mercifully easy:

hot dogs
baked beans
dill pickles
blueberries

We focused our efforts on the blueberries. I thought about doing odd things with the dogs, beans, and pickles but no matter what I did, it was going to distract from the essence of those items â€" their simplicity.  So I let those items be what they are. 

Hot dogs
The only thing creative I did here was that I grilled these beef franks direct over the gaps in the plate setter (Big Green Egg divider) while the beans cooked indirect at the same time.


Baked Beans
I did the basic doctored version of canned beans. I added the usual suspects: red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, bbq sauce, mustard, brown sugar and BBQ rub. Baked on the grill for 1 hour.


Dill Pickles
I thought about frying them, but nah. They are good enough on their own.  I can't wait to see what the others did because I know those guys came up with something whacky.


Blueberries
Alexis made a version of my mom's camp site cobbler. Biting into the crispy crust and sweet filling reminds me of camping in rustic Cades Cove with my parents several years ago, when I first had this dessert.

Dutch Oven Cobbler
½ stick butter, unsalted, melted
1 c sugar
½ c self rising flour
½ c milk
1 can blueberry pie filling

Start one half chimney of coal (about 30 briquettes). 


Mix together the butter, sugar, flour and milk.

Line the bottom of a #12 cast iron dutch oven with parchment paper. (Not a must but helps) Pour in the blueberry pie filling and spread evenly.


Pour the topping over the pie filling, covering as evenly as you can.


Put about 10 briquettes in a circle below your dutch oven.

And about 20 briquettes on the lid.

Bake for about 45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Rotate the bottom ¼ turn clockwise and the top ¼ turn counterclockwise every 15 minutes for even cooking.


Serve with confectioners sugar on top. 

Guaranteed camp site winner!

The On Our Grills group has grown a bit and I don't have the “bios” or “intros” for all the participants so this month, I will just list the links. Please stop by these other sites and see their spin on this month's 4 ingredient challenge. While I think this month is pretty straightforward, these folks always come up with something interesting!






2262. RUSTIC CRANBERRY BACON CHUTNEY with ROSEMARY and PORT

6 slices of bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped coarsely
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of freshly cracked pepper
1/2 cup orange juice
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon tawny port

Cut the bacon up into a fairly small pieces. Add the bacon to a medium-size saucepan. Set on the stove over medium-high heat. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If it starts to burn or smoke, turn your heat down. Your goal is to brown and crisp the bacon. When your bacon is crisp, turn the heat off. Drain off most of the rendered bacon fat, leaving just a teaspoon or two in the pan with the bacon. Save the fat (let it cool, then cover it and stick it in the fridge). Put your pan back on the stove over low heat. Add the brown sugar to the bacon and fat in the pan. Toss in the rosemary, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Stir your pot to combine the ingredients well. Break up any lumps of brown sugar against the side of the pot with the back of your spoon. Don’t fret if anything is sticking to the bottom of your pot. Your heat is on low, so it shouldn’t burn. And you’re going to deglaze the pot next. Pour in the orange juice. Watch your face and hands, as the pot may give off a big poof of steam, depending on how hot it is. Stir well, scraping at the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Raise the heat to medium-high so your mixture can start to come up to a simmer. Add the cranberries to the pot. Cranberries freeze really well and can go straight from freezer to pot for this recipe. Give the pot a good stir to combine everything. Add the port. Stir to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes up to a simmer. When it does, turn the heat down a little and cover the pot tightly. Simmer covered for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on your pot. If it starts to bubble over, turn the heat down a little. After 5 minutes, uncover the pot. Stir the mixture. As you stir, smoosh the cranberries against the side of the pot to pop them. Keep the heat on medium as you do this. It will cook as you stir, evaporating some of the liquid and thickening your chutney. It should be really thick at this point. If you have liquid left in the pot, cook over medium heat for a minute or two more, stirring constantly to evaporate it. Turn the heat off and transfer the chutney to a bowl to cool. When it’s totally cool, cover and stick it in the fridge. The chutney will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jessica B. Konopa, The Hungry Mouse, Salem, Massachusetts, December 11, 2008

Reverse Seared Cowboy Steak Sandwich

This sandwich defies a bit of conventional wisdom. 


Instead of throwing the steaks over rocket hot flames for a few minutes per side, I used the “reverse sear”. The “reverse sear” is a technique championed by Chris Finney where you slow roast the meat first and THEN sear it at the end. Reverse searing gives the most evenly cooked steaks I have had.

I received a free sample of McCormick's Grill Mates Cowboy Rub, one of their new flavors for 2011. It is an audacious rub with ground chilies, garlic, onion and other seasonings. It has a touch of coffee in it which may sound weird but that has been a big trend in beef rubs. I dislike coffee as a drink. However, a hint of ground coffee in a beef rub brings out a rustic edge to your steaks and I like it.

Are you ready for this? I cooked it on the gas grill side of my Smoke Hollow grill combo unit. Yes, I used a gasser. My Big Green Egg friends are laughing at me right now, but 70% of Americans that grill use a gas grill. I just want to show that you can replicate the techniques of what I do on my Big Green Eggs on other types of grills.

Reverse Seared Cowboy Steak Sandwich
serves: 4

4 teaspoons McCormick's Grill Mates Cowboy Rub (divided)
½ cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tablespoons steak sauce
2 ea strip steaks, 1” thick
8 slices French bread, about ½ thick and cut at a sharp angle
8 slices manchego cheese
4 leaves green leaf lettuce

Mix together the mayonnaise, steak sauce and 2 teaspoons of the Cowboy Rub in a small bowl. Let it chill in the refrigerator.

Rub the steaks with the remaining 2 teaspoons of the Cowboy Rub. Use a little more if needed to cover the entire steaks.  Let the steaks rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
Flavor you can see.  I like the coarse texture of this rub.

Set your grill up for an indirect cook at 250f. For a gas grill, this would be turning on one burner at one end and leaving the others off. Adjust the single burner until your cooking temp is 250f. 

Only the burner on the far right is on and it is on low.  The pan & rack rig was not needed after all.

Slow roast the seasoned steaks at the other end of the grill (thus “indirect) with the lid closed until the steaks hit an internal temperature of 125f. This took about 40 minutes for mine but cook according to the internal temperature, not time. Don't worry, the steaks will not look done at this point.

Now sear the steaks for just about a minute per side. For charcoal, you would just move them from the indirect to direct heat. For gas grills, crank up the burner to high for a few minutes with the lid open and then move the steaks over the direct heat.
I used the Smoke Hollow's sear burner.  Worked great!

Remove the steaks from the grill and let them rest for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile toast the bread slices on the grill.

Slice the steaks as thinly as you can. Try not to eat it all while slicing...it's for the sandwiches.
Medium rare all the way through. 

Top one piece of toast with lettuce and two slices of the manchego cheese. Add one fourth of the sliced steak. Top with another piece of toast that has been slathered with the Cowboy mayonnaise. Repeat for the other three sandwiches.

Biting through the crisp toast into the tender steak is Nirvana. The tang of the bold mayo and the hint of saltiness from the manchego cheese balance each other. We've made this three times and it is even better when the steaks are grilled over coals and oak.