Entries Tagged 'Grilling' ↓

The is the first in a series of posts where I take a good recipe and tweak it (usually with the addition of smoke and fire) to try to make it a great recipe.

Here’s my original take on this recipe from February of last year – a rich and hearty braised dish that I make on a regular basis when it’s cold and nasty out. While this is a fine dish, it takes some time to prepare so it’s hard to make on a weeknight. I wanted to make a lighter, quicker version that could be done on the grill.

Ingredients

2 pounds minute steak (about 4 steaks)
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 (8.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Smoked Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Set your grill up for a direct cook over medium-high (400°F) heat.

In a flame-proof skillet (I use an old Calphalon Commercial pan), add enough of the oil to cover the bottom and set it on the grill. Add the garlic and onion and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and cook until the tomatoes start to break down and the liquid has reduced a bit, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Remove the pan from the grill and set aside.

Season the steaks on both sides with a little salt and pepper. Grill for about 2 minutes a side until done. Serve the steaks smothered with the tomato and mushroom mixture.

Revamp Rating:

Sadly, this dish wasn’t nearly as good as the original. I’d almost call it Grilled Swiss Misteak. Now, there were no complaints – it was tasty, and a perfectly fine meal for a Wednesday night. But in comparison to the slow-cooked original, there was no contest. It missed the melting texture of the meat and the richness of the sauce that only braising can give. Oh well, there’s always the consolation of being able to eat your failures. Better luck next time.

Yeah, more salmon.

The Steaks

I seasoned the t-bones up with a little olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh-ground black pepper, then set the Big Green Egg up for a direct cook at 700+°F.  When everything was good and hot, I tossed the steaks on for 90 seconds of undisturbed searing. Then I rotated the steaks 90 degrees and gave them another 30 seconds on that side. I flipped the meat and repeated the process on the other side.

The folks who were over for dinner liked their steaks a little more medium than rare, so I flipped the steaks again and checked the internal temp. When it hit 135°F internal (about another 30 seconds), I pulled them off the grill and onto a warm plate and covered it with another plate, and let them rest while I grilled the shrimp.

The Shrimp

These are (pretty much) Mark Bittman’s Spicy Grilled Shrimp via AZRP on the Egg Head Forum. They’ve got a great flavor to them and make excellent appetizers as well. I made up the marinade in advance and poured it over the shrimp right before I put the steaks on.

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

I put the salt and garlic in a food processor and pulsed until the garlic was minced. I added the remaining ingredients, except the shrimp, and gave them a whirl until everything was  well-combined.

I put the shrimp in a zip-top bag, covered them with the marinade, then squeezed the air out of the bag and sealed it. I put the bag in the fridge and let them marinate for about 10 minutes – don’t let them go for much more than this as the marinade will start to cook the shrimp.

I grilled them direct at 500°F or so for about 2 minutes a side – just until the shrimp started to curl up and turn pink.

Talk about my carnivorous habits – the only veggie on the plate was a lonely sweet potato, and it was just there to keep the pat of butter warm.

The name is courtesy of The Naked Whiz, and refers to going one step farther than spatchcocking (butterflying) the chicken by cutting the bird completely in half. Cutting the chicken like this shortens the cooking time and makes it easier to get 2 birds on the grate.

• 2  3-5 pound roasting chickens
• 1  cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Put the salt and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the garlic is minced. Add the remaining ingredients, except the chicken, and give them a whirl until they are well-combined. This makes just under 2 cups of marinade.

Clean and rinse the birds, then pat them dry. Place a bird in front of you, breast side down. Spatchcock the bird by cutting up through the backbone with either a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp chef’s knife. Spread the bird open like a book and flip it over. Cut down through the keel bone right between the breasts, cutting the bird completely in half. Repeat with the second bird.

Put the chicken in a freezer bag and cover with the marinade. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, overnight is best, 48 hours rocks.

Set your grill up for a indirect cook over medium-high (400°F) heat. On the Big Green Egg this means filling the firebox about half way up with lump and using a platesetter and drip pan to diffuse the heat.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and put on the grill skin side up. Close the lid and cook for 45 minutes. Check the chicken and continue to cook  until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink in the center, or until you reach 170°F in the breast and 180°F in the thickest part of the thigh. These birds went 90 minutes total.

Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes. Cut between the thighs and body to quarter the bird for serving.

Sometimes it’s not about the hottest new ingredient or the coolest technique. Sometimes it’s just about putting dinner on the plate. That doesn’t mean it has to be boring, sub-par fare. These chicken breasts were a quick, easy, and tasty way to get us fed on a Sunday night without going to a lot of effort or compromising on the quality of the food.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Barbecue rub (I used Dizzy Pig’s Swamp Venom for this batch)
Barbecue sauce (used up the last of my Blues Hog Original)

Season the breasts all over with a generous dusting of rub. Store in the fridge while you set up your grill for a direct cook over medium (350°F) heat.

Grill the breasts 10 minutes on one side,  flip and grill another 5 minutes on the second side. Brush with barbecue sauce and grill for 5 more minutes. Flip, brush, and grill until the the juices just start to run clear or the internal temperature of the chicken hits 160°F.

I served these with a baked potato and some steamed broccoli. Is it haute cuisine? No, but it’s real food that’s hot and ready to eat in about 30 minutes.

Planking is one of my favorite ways to cook salmon. The smoke from the plank adds to the rich, nutty flavor of the fish. The prosciutto adds a layer of salty sweet porkiness of while keeping the salmon from drying out.

Use a food-grade plank that’s been soaked in water for at least an hour. Cedar or alder are traditional, but maple is nice too. Set your grill up for direct cooking at medium-high heat (about 450°F).

Oil the skin side of the salmon and season both sides with a little kosher salt and a grind or two of black pepper. Brush the salmon with a tablespoon or so of pure maple syrup. Apply 3 or 4 pieces of  prosciutto, covering the fillet in a single layer. Brush the prosciutto with more maple syrup.

Put the plank on the grill by itself for about 5 minutes, or until you see the first wisps of smoke coming from the board. Flip the plank over and put the salmon on skin side down on the hot side of the plank.

I try to use the planks more than once, but this one was overdue for replacement.

Close the lid on the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes. I like salmon when it’s a juicy medium rare, so take the fillet off when it starts to flake, but is still a little translucent red inside – about 130°F internal. Remember that the fish will continue to cook a little once it’s off the heat, so you want it to be slightly underdone when you take it off.

I served it hot off the grill with a side of broccoli and delicata squash.

Grilled shrimp are one of my favorite appetizers. I marinated these in Tiger Sauce – a sweet and spicy cayenne pepper sauce.

The Cook

1 1/2 pounds large (21/25 count) prawns or shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cup TryMe Original Tiger Sauce
6-8 bamboo skewers

Place skewers in water to soak.

Toss shrimp in sauce to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Set your grill up for a direct cook over high heat (about 500°F).

Skewer the shrimp – run one skewer through the head end and then another through the tail.

Grill 2-3 minutes per side, or until shrimp turn pink. Don’t over cook.

Serve with more sauce on the side.

These were very tasty,with a good combination of sweet and spicy. If you can’t find Tiger Sauce,  try a  50/50 mix of  Mae Ploy Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce and Sriracha.

Beef tri-tip is one of my favorite roasts. It’s inexpensive, and because it comes from the bottom of the sirloin, it’s got great beefy flavor while still being lean and tender. I usually just season it with salt, pepper, and a little garlic; but this time I wanted to spice things up and go with a West Indian theme.

Pickapeppa Tri-tip

1/2 cup Classic Pickapeppa Sauce
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Habanero-based hot sauce (I used Marie Sharp’s)

Combine all of the ingredients, except the beef, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Put the beef in a Ziploc bag and cover with the marinade. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Set the grill up for an indirect cook over medium-high heat (about 400°F). This cut is so lean that you really don’t want to cook it much beyond medium-rare. Cook the roast for 30 minutes. Flip, and continue to cook until the internal temperature hits 125°F, about another 20 minutes.

Remove the roast to a carving board and tent loosely with foil. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice across the grain and serve with more Pickapeppa sauce on the side.

Spring here means that asparagus makes an appearance on the dinner plate about as often as I can get it. Here I paired it with a simple sirloin and a baked potato for the perfect Sunday dinner.

The Cook

I trimmed the asparagus and started it marinating in one glug of olive oil, 2 glugs of balsamic vinegar, a squirt of dark mustard, and a dash of kosher salt.

I fired up the Big Green Egg and set it up for a hot (600°F+) direct cook.

This dry-aged sirloin just needed a light coating of olive oil and a bit of kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper and it was ready for the grill.

I grilled it over the hottest part of the grill for 90 seconds of undisturbed searing. I rotated it 90 degrees and gave it another 30 seconds. I flipped the meat and repeated the process on the other side.

I shoot for medium-rare with steak. So after I flipped the steak I checked the internal temp. When it hit 125°F internal (about another 30 seconds), I pulled it off the grill and onto a warm plate and covered it with another plate, and let it rest while I grilled the asparagus.

I left the lid open and grilled the asparagus for about 5 minutes, turning frequently, until the spears started to brown and caramelize.

It was still a little too cold to dine al fresco, but Spring’s longer days meant I could actually see what I was grilling .