Bar BQ Grills

serves two


200 grams udon noodle
2 rashers of bacon
1/2 onion, small
4 florets broccoli
100 grams oyster mushroom
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
bonito flake (optional)

Boil a pan of water and cook udon noodle. Drain, and set aside. Slice onion and garlic. Cut broccoli into small pieces. Cut the stem from the mushroom and separate. Trim bacon, and chop up. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Fry bacon for 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic and mushroom. Saute over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add broccoli, then water to the pan. Turn up the heat to high. Loosen up the udon noodle under running water, drain, and add to the pan. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce. Stir-fry until combined. Mix through the bonito flake, or garnish on top.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Ume, umeboss, Perth, Australia, September 6, 2010

2 tablespoons canola oil
8 ounces shiitake
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons shallots
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 tablespoon amaranth
salt and pepper, to taste
4 eggs
1 cup nightcrawler worms â€" blanched
3 shallots, sliced
1/2 cup Sherry vinegar

Heat pan. Add oil. When hot, add shitake mushrooms, garlic, rosemary and shallots. Roast for 4 minutes than add amaranth and cook for 2 minutes. Blanch the worms and cut. Beat egg with salt and pepper. Add worms and cooked mushrooms. Heat omelet pan and finish in the oven. Heat the sliced shallots and vinegar, cook for 2 minutes. Serve omelet with pickled shallots on top.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Floyd Cardoz, Top Chef Masters, Season 3, Episode 3, Quickfire Challenge, Bravo TV

1. It is served hot and fresh.  Not luke warm, crammed into aluminum foil.
2. It is an entire meal on a bun.  We don't need no stinkin' side dishes.
3. It is based on regional influences and preferences.

yields four servings


2 pounds medium red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 tablespoon table salt
8 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard, German-style preferred
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped

Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill with cold water to 1-inch above the potatoes. Season the water with the table salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until a knife gently plunges through the potatoes, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water, drain the potatoes and put back into the pot (off the heat) to keep warm.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, stirring occasionally. Reserve the bacon and drain all but 1/4 cup bacon fat. Add the onions and saute until slightly golden. Add the vinegar and, with a wooden spoon, scrape up any bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add in the reserved cooking water and reduce until it thickens, about 3 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard and season with salt and pepper. Add in the potatoes, bacon and tarragon and toss to combine. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Jeff Mauro (winner of Season 7 of Food Network Star), for Good Morning America

serves six


3 dried red chiles
1 cup pitted prunes
boiling water
4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
2 pounds ground beef
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can crushed roasted tomatoes

Place red chiles and prunes in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 15 minutes, then reserve 1/3 cup of liquid and drain. Reserve.

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat for about 7 minutes, then remove from pan and add onion, garlic, and paprika to skillet. Cook for another 8 minutes. Then add ground beef to skillet with onions and cook for another 5 minutes, until browned.

In a blender or food processor, process the soaked chiles and prunes. Add chipotle peppers, tomato paste and the 1/3 cup liquid from soaking the chiles, and pulse to combine. Add the mixture to the beef and onions.

Add remaining ingredients, along with the reserved bacon, and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for at least 20 minutes, then serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: "ChefLuigi" of North Carolina, for Man Tested Recipes, Reader's Digest Association Limited, 413 Pine Street, Suite 500, Seattle, Washington 98101, May 11, 2011

When I want to shake off the winter funk, I like to cook what I consider to be beachy or summery foods.

Winter blahs - - - BE GONE!

• 4 ea chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless*
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup vidalia or other sweet onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup green onion, sliced on a thin bias
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 to 2 habanero chile, seeded and finely chopped*
• 2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper, ground
• More green onion for garnish if desired

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
• 1/8 tsp allspice, ground

Instructions

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.  Place it in a non-reactive bowl and pour the lime juice over it.  Let marinate for 15 minutes.*
2. Mix the cooling sauce ingredients together and refrigerate.
3. Pour off and discard the lime juice from the chicken.  Mix the remaining ingredients together and coat the chicken with it.  Marinate this for 2 hours  (Make sure you work the paste into all the "nooks and crannies".  You don't want to bite into a bland cranny, do you?)
4. Preheat a charcoal grill set up for direct heat to 400f (high side of medium).  Once heated, clean and lightly oil your grill grates.
5. Remove and discard any large pieces of onion clinging to the chicken, it will just burn.  
6. Grill the chicken 6-8 minutes per side with the grill lid closed.  For nice cross hatch marks, rotate your chicken a quarter turn half way through each side's cooking time.*
7. When the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160f, remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Don't be worried when your chicken is freakishly orange at first, it's just paprika.

Just after I glossed lightly with oil/lime juice.

The house smelled so good when we brought the chicken in from the grill!

Sliced and served with peas and rice.....crowder peas!

serves two


1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat orzo
2 slices bacon, chopped
1/4 cup whole pecans
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups raw spinach
4 large strawberries, sliced
1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
fresh basil for garnish
salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Fry until golden brown and crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Add pecans and toast for about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally so they do not burn. Remove and drain on a paper towel. In the meantime, boil water for orzo and cook according to directions.

Add sliced red onion to the skillet with a sprinkle of salt and stir to coat with bacon grease. Saute until onions are soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add in garlic and spinach and cook until spinach wilts. Add in strawberries and orzo and mix to coat. Season with salt and pepper, then add in pecans and bacon. Remove from heat and stir in crumbled goat cheese. Top with fresh basil to garnish if you’d like. Serve immediately.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jessica, How Sweet It Is, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 31, 2011

yields two servings


4 eggs
1/2 cup bacon, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter
12 fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped
2 ounces hot pepper cheese, sliced or crumbled
sea salt and black pepper to taste, fresh ground
dash of garlic powder

Cook bacon in a non-stick skillet. Add half the onions when the bacon is about 3/4 done. Continue cooking until onions are translucent. Drain by putting bacon and onions on paper towels in a plate. In a bowl, beat eggs, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and tarragon together. Wipe the non-stick skillet clean of the bacon drippings. Add the tablespoon of butter to the skillet and melt. Return the cooked bacon and onions to the skillet set at medium-low heat. Add the rest of the chopped onion to the skillet and cook for a minute or two. Add the egg mixture to the skillet. Cook the eggs until they are almost set. Add the hot pepper cheese to half the omelet and fold over. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese is melted and omelet is golden brown. Serve with toasted homemade bread and lots of apple butter.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Yankee Magazine, Yankee Publishing Inc., PO Box 520, Dublin, New Hampshire 03444

serves six


For the ox cheeks
3 pairs of ox cheeks
1 medium onion
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 head garlic
5 sprigs of thyme
1 pint red wine
1/4 pint port
5 pints beef or veal stock
flour

For the bacon and mushrooms
2 shallots
5oz (150g) button mushrooms
5oz (150g) baby onions
5oz (150g) snails
3 rashers of streaky bacon
handful of parsley, chopped
1oz (25g) butter

For the mashed potato
12.5oz (375g) peeled potatoes
12.5fl oz (375ml) water
1 teaspoon salt
2oz (50g) cream
2oz (50g) butter

Trim all skin and sinew off the ox cheeks

Roughly chop one onion, one carrot, half a head of garlic and one stick of celery. Place this in a heavy roasting pan along with the cheeks, thyme, red wine and port, making sure the beef is covered. Leave this to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours, but the longer you can marinate, the better it will taste.

Remove the ox cheeks from the wine and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly coat in flour and seal in a hot frying pan with a little oil until dark and golden in colour.


bacon recipe courtesy of: The Botanist, No.7 Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8EE England

serves 6-8 as a soup course


1/2 stick butter
4 cups celery root, peeled and diced (about 1 1/4 lb celery root)
3 cups (2 medium) empire apples, peeled, cored and cubed
1 large onion, diced
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup chives, chopped
1/3 cup safflower oil
Kosher salt to taste
Pepper to taste
3 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and finely crumbled

Melt butter in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery root and apples. Stir to combine. Cook until onions are soft and begin to become translucent. Do not brown. Add chicken broth and a pinch of kosher salt. Simmer covered for 45 minutes, or until celery root is soft, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.

In small batches, puree soup in blender being careful to vent the top and allow steam to escape. Pulse the hot soup several times, increase to blend and then to liquify. Return soup to pot and add salt and pepper to taste.

Puree chives and oil in blender until smooth.

To serve: Pour soup into bowl. Drizzle or dot chive oil on top of soup (I use a cheap condiment container from the Dollar Store to place the chive oil on the soup). Add a small mound of bacon crumbles to the top and serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Ramona Padovano, for D.C. Foodies, November 12, 2007

1 lb Brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
2 slices bacon, julienned
1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon togarashi
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup water

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add julienned bacon. Cook until bacon pieces are crisp and remove them onto a paper towel.

Add the ginger and garlic to the skillet, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any cooked on bacon bits. Cook until garlic and ginger are browned but not burnt.

Add Brussel sprouts to the skillet, sprinkle with togarashi, tossing well to coat the sprouts evenly. Cook until they begin to brown, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix fish sauce, sugar and water together and pour over Brussel sprouts. Return bacon bits to the skillet. Cook until sauce reduces by half, about another 6 minutes.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jill & Margo, Saucy Cooks, December 28, 2011

This dish is extremely flexible....and seriously delicious.

A blend of 3 different chiles gives a complex level of "heat" instead of just "one note" flavor.

• Purpose:  It could be served with bagel chips or pita chips as an appetizer or dip. Or it can be a side dish to complement a variety of TexMex or Southwestern main dishes. 
• Adaptable:  Use your favorite cheeses and fire roasted chiles.  
• Serving:  You can serve it in individual ramekins or family style in a casserole. 

The recipe is adapted from Tyler Florence's book - Family Meal.  Back in November I was lucky enough to win an autographed copy from Amir and Chrystal at Duo Dishes courtesy of Alexia Foods (thanks guys!).

Notice all of my "try this" tab markers.

But before I could make it, I had to trudge through knee deep snow drifts on my deck to get to my grills.

Ok, that might not really be me.  It MIGHT be a toy soldier BUT it IS knee deep on him.  Sorry...we haven't had much snow this year.  This is only the second "dusting", humor me.

The main differences between the book version and what I did are

• I fire roasted mine on my Big Green Egg (Best grill/smoker/wood fired oven....just saying) instead of baking in an oven.
• I used a blend of three chiles (poblano, cherry, and habanero) instead of using canned green chiles.
• I added a little panko bread crumbs and smoked paprika.

Served family style ala Tyler Hamilton's book.

Fire Roasted Chile Relleno Rice
adapted from Family Meal by Tyler Florence

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 8 oz monterey jack cheese, shredded*
• 1 cup fire roasted chiles*
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup*
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

1. Preheat a charcoal grill set up for indirect heat to 375f. 
2. Mix rice, cheese, chiles, sour cream, condensed soup, salt and pepper together.  
3. Spoon mixture into a greased casserole dish (or greased ramekins) and top with the bread crumbs and paprika.
4. Bake on the grill until the top crust is browned and the cheese is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Notes

• That is not a cup of shredded cheese.  It is an 8 oz block of cheese shredded which was almost 3 cups of shredded cheese.
• I used 2 poblano, 4 cherry, and 2 habanero peppers.  [How to fire roast chile peppers]
• Yeah, I know.  But if Tyler can use a can of cream of chicken soup, then I can too!

Fire roasting adds smokiness and tames heat just a little.

Switch to indirect heat for roasting the chile relleno rice.

It's done when the top browns and the cheese bubbles up.

chicken breast
2 slices of bacon
1 packet Sazon Goya con culantro y achiote
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
assorted veggies

Place your chicken breast in a sandwich ziplock bag. Add the water. Add the Sazon packet to the water and the chicken. Swirl around till you get a rich red. Add the olive oil to a pan, where you carefully place the chicken. Cook about 5 minutes. Place bacon in the pan. Cook till it isn't floppy anymore. Strategically wrap the bacon around the chicken. Add cooked veggies.


bacon recipe courtesy of: mad tasty, February 18, 2010

makes 4 to 6 servings


All-purpose flour (for dusting)
1 1-pound store-bought pizza dough
1 10-ounce can whole baby clams
2 slices thick-cut bacon (2 ounces), cut into 1"-wide pieces
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 1-pound bunch Swiss chard, center stalks removed, leaves torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 500°F. Fill a large bowl with boiling water. Place a baking sheet over; dust with flour. Place dough on baking sheet; cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes to soften. Flip dough; cover and let sit 10 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, drain clams, reserving liquid. Cook bacon in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4â€"5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towelâ€"lined plate. Add garlic and shallot to drippings in skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in chard and 1/2 cup reserved clam liquid and cook, stirring, until chard is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in butter, vinegar, and as many clams as you'd like. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl.

Wipe out skillet and heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12" round. Sprinkle skillet with cornmeal and transfer dough to skillet. Brush top of dough with oil. Cook, shaking pan occasionally and turning pan to avoid hot spots, until bottom of dough is golden and crispy, 6â€"8 minutes.

Spread chard mixture over dough. Bake until crust is golden and cooked through, 6â€"8 minutes. Scatter bacon and cheese over; cook just until cheese is melted, 2â€"3 minutes longer.


bacon recipe courtesy of: The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen, Bon Appétit, February 2012

serves 4-6


3 pounds evenly cut swordfish
1/2 pound smoked slab bacon, cut into matchstick-size pieces
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped, mixed fresh herbs (thyme, basil, chervil, tarragon)
peanut oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
5 garlic cloves, finely minced

Sauce
4 shallots, peeled and chopped tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
bay leaf
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound butter, cut into small pieces and kept cold

Have the fishmonger cut an even-sized section of boneless, skinless swordfish. Naturally, it must be spanking fresh. Divide it in half.

Cook the smoked bacon in its own fat until medium-rare. Remove the bacon from the fat. (The fat may be reserved for another use.)

With a larding needle or knife, insert the bacon pieces into the swordfish, spacing evenly over the two sections of fish. (This is the same procedure often used with game meats, such as venison.) Now, rub olive oil over the swordfish and rub about 1/3 of the herbs on the fish.

Bring a large, heavy skillet to a moderately hot temperature, add the peanut oil to the pan, and sear the fish well on all sides. Remove the fish from the heat and allow it to rest.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the fish with a little sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Then top the entire length of the fish with the remaining herbs and the minced fresh garlic. Put the fish in a small roasting pan and place it in the oven. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes.

While the fish is roasting, make the sauce: In a medium-sized saucepan, gently stew the chopped shallots in the olive oil. Add the red wine vinegar, black pepper, and bay leaf and reduce to 3 tablespoons. Add the red wine and reduce to 1/4 cup. Add the heavy cream and reduce the entire mixture till it thickens.

Beat in the butter, bit by bit, until it is all incorporated, and then strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and keep warm.

Remove swordfish from the oven and allow to rest in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes.

Slice the swordfish into portions. If the fish is too rare in the center for your taste, just lay it out in the pan and warm it in the oven for a few more minutes.

Ladle a few ounces of the warm butter sauce onto each plate and top with the fish. Serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Feast of Sunlight by Norman Van Aken. Harvard Common Press, 1997

Remember that sauce I made for the Asian Mini Tacos the other day?



Not to say I told you so, but I was right (wait....I guess I AM telling you so! ha ha)