Bar BQ Grills

1. First, you'd probably think "grapefruit and shrimp?" and click on to some cupcake recipe on another blog.  Let's face it, grapefruit doesn't get the love that limes, lemons, and orange do.  But it should.
2. Second, pamplemousse has to be one of the funniest fruit names in another language, especially if you pronounce it incorrectly as pample-moose.  
3. Third and most importantly, it reflects the new global focus of McCormick's 2012 Flavor Forecast.

A new take on lemon pepper.   Grapefruit and red pepper deliver big flavor with purely wholesome ingredients.  With a range of bright offerings - juice, zest, pulp - grapefruit meets a similarly versatile match in the exciting assortment of red pepper forms and varieties.  An added bonus, this bold, sour-spicy duo also boasts promising metabolism-boosting benefits. [McCormick Flavor Forecast 2012]

• 1.5 lbs shrimp, 26-30 count size, peeled and de-veined 

For the marinade

• 1/4 cup grapefruit juice (juice about 1/2 grapefruit)
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 1 Tbsp McCormick Gourmet Collection Crystallized Ginger, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp McCormick Gourmet Collection Crushed Red Pepper

For the dipping sauce

• 1/2 cup sweet soy sauce*
• 1/4 cup grapefruit juice
• 2 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine vinegar)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper paste

For the garnish

• McCormick Toasted Sesame Seeds
• fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Mix the marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Pour over the shrimp in a zip top bag and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  
2. Mix the dipping sauce ingredients together in a blender.
3. Preheat a charcoal grill to 350f.  
4. Remove shrimp from the marinade and place on skewers.
5. Grill the shrimp 2-3 minutes per side.
6. Top with cilantro and sesame seeds and serve with the dipping sauce. 

Notes

• Sweet soy sauce is completely different than regular soy sauce.  If you can't find it at your local store, the closest thing I can think of is a teriyaki sauce.

makes ten servings


1/2 cup bacon, cut into 1/4" strips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 large onions, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups washed oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces
4 cups shucked oysters with their liquor
3 cups peeled salsify or parsnips, cut into 1" pieces, boiled until tender
2â€"3 cups low-salt chicken broth or turkey stock
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup oyster sauce
16 cups stale, plain French baguette, cubed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves
3 tablespoons chopped chives

Butter a 9x13x2" baking dish and set aside. Cook bacon in a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is cooked but not browned. Add 2 Tbsp. butter and the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Transfer bacon mixture to a bowl.

Return skillet to medium heat; add the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter and oil. Add oyster mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add oysters, salsify, broth, heavy cream, and oyster sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer.

Preheat oven to 375°. Put bread in a large bowl. Add reserved bacon mixture and mushroom mixture from skillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper and fold in lemon juice, tarragon, and chives. The bread should be quite wet, but there should be no pooling liquid once it's well mixed. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake until browned and crisp, about 45 minutes.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Anita Lo, Annisa, 13 Barrow Street, New York, New York 10014 | Bon Appetit, November 2011

1 cup maple syrup
1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups blueberries
8 slices of thick-cut bacon
½ cup mascarpone cheese

In a small saucepan, bring maple syrup and cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon to a simmer. Add blueberries and cook on low heat 5 minutes. Let cool, then drain blueberries, reserving maple syrup. Meanwhile, chop bacon and fry over medium-high heat until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Top pizza with blueberries, bacon, and spoonfuls of mascarpone cheese. Bake at 450° until crust is golden brown. Serve with reserved cinnamon-maple syrup on the side.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Mike Isabella, Graffiato, 707 6th St NW, Washington DC 20001 | O, The Oprah Magazine, September 2011

Holy smokes, this was good chicken!


It was smoked with hickory and cherry wood then glazed with a spicy habanero citrus glaze that lights up your mouth with flavor.

My Firebird Chicken - Not as saucy and no fiery habanero rings.

Firebird Chicken (aka The Chicken From Hell)
Source:  slightly adapted from Bryan's Black Mountain Barbecue - Cave Creek, AZ
[ORIGINAL RECIPE]

Ingredients

• 2 chickens, split into halves*
• 1 ounce BBQ rub*

For the Firebird sauce

• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
• 3/4 cup honey (orange blossom if available)
• zest from half an orange
• juice from an orange 
• 2 habanero chiles, seeded and finely diced*
• 1/2 ounce fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced 

For garnish

• 4 green onion, thinly sliced on a sharp bias
• 2 habanero, thinly sliced into rings (Optional...probably not advisable) 
• 8 slices Texas Toast

Instructions

1. Preheat your smoker or charcoal grill to 250f set up for indirect heat.  I used my Big Green Egg with 3 chunks of cherry wood and 2 chunks of hickory buried in coal.  Plate setter in legs up, drip pan on top.
2. Season the bird halves with the rub.  Don't forget to season the backside (formerly it's "inside"), in fact, I season it extra heavy.  People aren't going to eat the rib cage anyway so you can't over season it and it helps impart flavor into the meat as it cooks. 
3. Smoke the chickens skin side up for about 3-4 hours until they hit internal temps of 160-165f in the breast and 175f in the thigh. 
4. Mix all of the sauce ingredients into a small sauce pan, bring to a simmer and then simmer for 10 minutes*.
5. Glaze the chicken halves while they rest for 10 minutes*.  You have to let them rest.  They've been cooking for 3 hours and are tired!    
6. Serve each half on two slices of bread*.  Garnish with green onion and habanero rings (if you dare).  Ladle remaining sauce over chicken.

Notes

• We used 4.5 lb fryers (remember when fryers were 3.5 lbs?).   You can ask your butcher to cut them in half for you, but it's easy enough with a large sharp knife.  Also, I brined my chickens for 2 hours.
• I used Albukirky Seasonings rub and sauce for this one, sticking with the Southwest theme.  (Kirk is a fellow Egger.)
• We have a moderate heat tolerance and two chiles was just the right heat. If you like hotter, toss in another and/or don't deseed them.
• Next time I might saute the ginger for a minute or two first.
• Next time I would glaze the chicken while still in the cooker when the internal breast temps hit 150-155f.  
• A "half chicken" is just way too big of a portion for us.  We do quarter chicken portions and I'm never left hungry.  I also skipped the Texas toast, mainly because we forgot to get some.

Hard to believe that just 5 ingredients can make such a powerful sauce.

It would also work on spatchcocked chickens but halves are what the recipe calls for.  Do whichever you  prefer.

Before the glaze - they smell so good already.

Liberally apply the sauce, don't forget to get up under the wings too.

Glazed and amazed....

We served ours with Robyn "GrillGrrrl" Lindars' Chipotle Cilantro Coleslaw and Texas Ranchero beans for an excellent meal.  The tender smoked chicken is emphasized, not covered up by the bold sauce, it's a nice balance.

serves 2-4


1 cup stone ground grits
5 1/3 cups water
1 ear’s worth of corn
5 stalks of rhubarb, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 lime, zested
2 slices of bacon chopped into strips
1 onion, chopped
A glob of butter
1/2 cup of cheddar, grated
A dozen frozen shrimp, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring 5 cups of the water, salted, to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down low and stir in the grits carefully, making sure to avoid clumps. Cook this way, stirring often, until the mixture is creamy, thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan a bit, about 35-45 minutes.

In the meantime, put the compote on. In a small saucepan, combine the rhubarb, 1/3 cup of water, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let it simmer until the rhubarb is nice and soft and the mixture has thickened a bit.

When the grits look like they’re almost done, get started on the topping. Over medium-high heat, saute the bacon pieces and onion until they both start to brown. Add in the corn, and stir for a couple of minutes until it cooks a bit. At the very, very end, throw in the shrimp, and cook for just a couple of minutes longer, to let them heat through and get a little crispy. Season the mixture.

At the same time, once the grits seem just about done, stir in the cheddar and a generous glob of butter, and season. Remove from the heat.

Serve grits with shrimp mixture on top and a little bit of rhubarb compote.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Anna, Braising Hell, Montreal, Canada, June 22, 2011

1 oz. mezcal
â…" oz. scotch
â…" oz. Campari
â…" oz. pepper vodka
2 dashes orange bitters
A quarter-size piece of crispy bacon
1 jalapeno, halved, de-seeded, de-ribbed, and sliced long-wise

In an ice-filled shaker, pour the mezcal, scotch, Campari, vodka, and bitters and add the bacon. Shake thoroughly until the bacon is pulverized. Strain into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with the jalapeno sliver.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Grant Skokan-Guinn, formerly of Grady's Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas | ElMezcal.org, August 11, 2011

Can you remember the first chicken wing you had?


servings: 4

• 12 chicken wings, cut into drummettes and wingettes, tips reserved for stock

For the dry rub

• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1 tsp turbinado sugar
• 3/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
• 1/2 tsp black pepper 
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

For the sauce

• 5 Tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic, very finely minced
• 1/4 cup lime flavored hot sauce*
• 1/2 tsp of the dry rub

Instructions

1. Preheat a charcoal grill to 350-375f set up for indirect heat*.
2. Season the 24 wing pieces with the dry rub (reserve 1/2 of the rub for the sauce).
3. Roast the wings on a covered grill for 30 minutes.
4. Flip the wing pieces and roast for 20 minutes.  
5. Meanwhile, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat in a saute pan and saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the remaining butter and dry rub, whisking continuously until well blended (another 2-3 minutes).  
7. Once the wings have roasted a total of 50 minutes, remove them to a large bowl, pour the sauce over them, and toss to coat thoroughly.
8. Roast the wings another 7-10 minutes, or until the sauce bakes on and the wings reach an internal temp of at least 170f.  

Notes

• I used Cholula Chile Lime Hot Sauce. 
• You can use your oven for this instead....if you insist.  Just remember, it doesn't taste as good and every time you use an oven instead of a grill, an angel loses it's wings.   Mmmmmmm fire roasted angel wings, heavenly! 

[Standard Disclaimer]  I received no compensation from Hot Sauce Daily for this post but Brian did threaten to boil ribs if I didn't post something wing related this week. 

4 cups cold leftover brown rice
4 slices of bacon
1 small onion
2 spring onions, chopped into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chop the bacon into bite size pieces and fry in a large wok or frying pan until cooked through. Add the vegetable oil, the onion & garlic and saute until soft and a bit golden in color. Add the rice mix well. Then add the soy sauce, salt, black pepper then the spring onions last. Stir fry until all ingredients are mixed well.

Bake your bacon in your conventional oven and then chop into bite size pieces. Heat your wok or frying pan on medium/high heat and coat with vegetable oil. Add the onion and then add garlic and saute until soft. Add the cooked, chopped bacon then the rice and allow to cook. Add the soy sauce, salt, black pepper then the spring onions last. Stir fry until all ingredients are mixed well.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Lisa, Korean American Mommy, July 20, 2010

yields six servings


3 bacon slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds peeled baking potato, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Romano cheese, divided
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°. Cook bacon in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings, and set aside. Add onion, pepper, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add onion mixture to bacon. Add the reserved drippings to pan. Arrange one-third of potato slices in a single layer in pan; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread half of onion mixture over potato slices; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese. Repeat procedure with the remaining potato slices, salt, onion mixture, and cheese, ending with potato slices. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour broth over top. Lightly coat 1 side of foil with cooking spray. Cover pan with foil, coated side down. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Place a heavy ovenproof pan on top of foil. Bake an additional 55 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove pan from oven; cool 20 minutes on a wire rack. Uncover and gently loosen potatoes from pan with a spatula; invert onto a serving plate.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Elizabeth Taliaferro, Cooking Light, March 2001

yields 4 to 6 servings


1 bunch asparagus
7 strips smoked bacon, cut in 1/2
1/4 cup Shiro miso paste (white miso paste)
1/2 cup mirin rice wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch lemon zest
1 tablespoon sugar
bamboo toothpicks, soaked in water

Trim and peel the root end of the asparagus to remove the tough outer skin. Slice asparagus in half keeping the tips and bases separate. Lay half bacon strips out on your cutting board. Lay a base piece and a tip piece on each slice of bacon, then roll it up and secure with a bamboo toothpick through the middle at a 90 degree angle.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

In a small mixing bowl combine miso, mirin, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar. Stir with a whisk and use a pastry brush to baste the skewers as they cook on the grill - about 2 to 3 minutes per side on high.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Tyler Florence, "Ultimate Teriyaki Chicken," Tyler's Ultimate, Food Network

12 okra
4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 small onion, grated
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
thick-cut bacon

Prepare the grill for medium-high indirect grilling. Prepare the stuffing for the okra, by combining the peanut butter, onion, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and salt in a bowl. Make sure to mix thoroughly. Wash and dry the okra, chop off the heads and tail ends and make a slit from the top to the bottom end. Place the stuffing in a piping bag (or Ziploc bag, with a small hole cut on one end). Stuff the peanut butter mixture into the slits of the okra. Wrap each okra with bacon, cut off any excess, and secure with a toothpick. Place the bacon wrapped okra on the grill over indirect heat and grill till the bacon is nice and crisp and the okra has softened up.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jason's BBQ Adventures

I think I saved the best for last for Fungus Among Us week.

1. Freshness.  You'll get the freshest mushrooms you have ever had.  If you think "store fresh" is good, farm fresh or growing your own will blow your mind.  They have a silky taste and a texture that dances in your mouth.  
2. Exotic Variety.  You can get grow mushrooms that you'll NEVER EVER EVER find in your chain grocery store and probably not even local markets.  I've never seen a fresh oyster mushroom in a grocery store but a specialty like the blue oyster mushroom?  Fuhget about it!
3. Micro-farming (or should I say myco-farming...pun fully intended).  There is a big trend towards self sourcing food ingredients.  Gardening, canning, and heck, sourcing your own eggs.  But growing takes land or at least space.  Mushroom kits can be done just about anywhere.

Photo courtesy of Brewers Mushrooms.

Taking a break in the Mushroom series for a quicky post..

Photo courtesy of Kingsford Charcoal

Old-Fashioned Grilled Peach Pie
Pitmaster Note: In the South, mouths drool whenever fried pies are mentioned. Traditionally they are fried in a pan with butter until crisp and brown. To heat things up, I have taken the this traditional dessert to the backyard barbecue. By grilling the peaches prior to making the filling and then crisping the dough pocket over hot charcoal, you can make this Southern dessert a coal-fired masterpiece.
Makes: 8 pies
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
For the Dough

• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup flour for rolling out dough

For the Sugar Rub

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/16 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 pounds ripe peaches (3 large or 4 medium)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon oil

Instructions

1. Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes and refrigerate. Measure the water and refrigerate. In a small mixing bowl add flour and salt and mix well. Add in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Slowly add water, mixing continuously, until a dough ball is formed. Seal the dough ball in GLAD® ClingWrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Sprinkle countertop or cutting board generously with flour. Remove dough from the refrigerator and place onto the floured prep area, roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut the dough into 5- to 6-inch diameter circles. Removing extra dough from the prep area to re-roll and make more pie shells. Immediately peal, lift and flip the dough circles making sure they don’t stick. Yield should be 8 pie shells.
3. Preheat the grill using Kingsford® charcoal, until the internal temperature reaches 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. In a small bowl add the sugar rub ingredients and mix well.
5. Remove the pit from the peaches and cut each peach into 8 wedges and remove skin. Generously coat the peach wedges with the sugar rub mix. Immediately place the peaches on the grill grate for 2 minutes on each side, or until they caramelize. Remove the peaches from the grill and dice them into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the peaches and butter into a medium mixing bowl. When the butter melts, add the brown sugar and flour and mix well. Stir in orange juice.
6. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of peach filling onto the center of each circle of dough. Lightly moisten the edges of the dough with water. Fold the dough in half creating a half moon with peach filling. Gently press the pie edges together and crimp them with a fork.
7. Prep the charcoal grill grate by using a grill brush and to brush on a light coat of oil. Transfer the pies to the grill and cook over direct heat, uncovered, for 3 minutes on each side or until the dough turns a crispy golden brown. 
8. Remove from the grill and serve.

Notes

• Recipe created by world champion pitmaster, Chris Lilly on behalf of Kingsford® charcoal

For more grilling ideas for "pies and otherwise", check out Grilling.com.

serves four


600 grams smoked eel fillet
4 rashers thinly cut smoked streaky bacon
200 grams crème fraiche
1 tablespoon strong horseradish sauce
dill sprigs, to garnish

For the blinis:
75 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
full fat milk
30 grams butter

First make the blinis. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs. With a whisk or wooden spoon, mix gently, drawing in flour from the edges, to make a smooth batter. Add enough milk to make a thick batter, probably between 50ml and 100ml, but dependent on the size of your eggs.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Drop tablespoons of the batter into the hot pan and cook for 2â€"3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through, you may have to do this in batches. Keep the blinis warm in a low oven.

Pan fry or grill the bacon until crisp. together the crème fraiche and horseradish sauce, and season. To serve, place a couple of warm blinis on each plate. Spoon some horseradish crème fraiche on top, and divide the smoked eel between the plates. Top each plate with a rasher of crisp streaky bacon, and garnish with a sprig of dill.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Rachel Green, c/o Kenyon Communications, Beech House, Kingerby, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire LN8 3PF England

I tried to stay away from the totally obvious recipes this week for mushroom week but there is one I can't pass up.

• Keep it cool, fool.  Refrigeration at 40-45f slows the activity of the enzymes and will prolong the life of your mushrooms.  
• Keep it dry, guy.  As mushrooms age, they will give up moisture.  While that does concentrate the flavors, moisture condensing on the surface of the mushrooms invite bacteria which begins spoilage.  If you buy one of those cellophane wrapped pack of mushrooms, take them out, and store them in a closed paper bag.  

• 4 ciabatta rolls
• 4 slices baby Swiss cheese 

For the burger patties

• 1.25 lb ground chuck
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp whatever signature seasoning you want to add

For the mushrooms

• 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced 
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp parsley, finely minced

Cassoulet
200 grams smoked bacon, rashers cut into pieces or 200g smoked lardons
2 onions, peeled and sliced thickly
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 (400 grams) cans butter beans, drained
4 tablespoons creme fraiche
2 tablespoons tomato puree
100ml red wine, or 100ml vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
salt and pepper
olive oil

Topping
4 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried garlic granules or 1 ~ 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced finely
2 tomatoes, sliced thinly
salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400°F. Lightly grease an ovenproof gratin dish with a little olive oil.

Topping: Mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and garlic together. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.

Cassoulet: Fry the bacon pieces in a large frying pan until crisp. Take the bacon pieces out and add the chopped onions - fry them gently in the bacon fat until the onion is soft but not coloured. Add the fresh thyme leaves and mix through.

Add the bacon to the onion and thyme mixture and then gently mix the butter beans through the mixture.

In a large bowl, add the crème fraiche, tomato paste, wine and sugar ~ mix thoroughly. Season with pepper and a little salt, as the bacon is already quite salty.

Add the bacon and butter bean mixture to the crème fraiche and wine sauce ~ mix gently.

Transfer all the butter bean mixture to the greased gratin dish. Sprinkle the topping over evenly and place the sliced tomatoes on top in an attractive pattern.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cassoulet is bubbling and the topping is a golden brown.

Serve immediately with a large bowl of salad and crusty bread, or, as an accompaniment for sausages, roast meat and poultry, casseroles, stews or grilled meat.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Karen Booth, Lavender and Lovage, December 2, 2011

For this recipe, you could buy a jar of marinated mushrooms from the grocery store....


Or you could buy mushrooms and make your own and they will taste infinitely better.


When you buy mushrooms, you not only have to decide what variety (porcini, shitake, etc) to purchase, you have to choose what kind to buy (fresh, dried, jarred).  So what kind is the best?  That's up to you.  Here are my thoughts on each.