Now that the weather is nice enough that I actually want to be outside, it’s nice to throw as much of the meal as I can on the grill. This meal is a great example of how you can do both your meat and veggies on the grill and boost the flavor of both.
12 bratwurst
2 medium onions, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup beer
1 tablespoon olive oil
A couple of grinds of back pepper
Set your grill up for a direct cook over medium heat (350°F).
Toss the veggies, oil, and pepper together in a flame-safe pan (I used a foil 9×13 drip pan). Put the pan in the grill and cook, turning often, until the peppers have softened and the onions are getting nice and brown (about 10 minutes). Add the beer and let the veggies simmer in it for about 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the grill and keep warm nearby.
Bump the heat up to about 400°F and toss the brats on. Grill, flipping often, until brats are firm with a just a little char on the ends (about 15-20 minutes).
Remove the brats from the grill and load them into the veggie pan. Arrange so that the brats are partially submerged in the beer and veggie goodness.
Put the pan with the brats and veggies back on the grill and let simmer for a couple of minutes until everything is heat through. Serve with sauerkraut, brown mustard, and some baked beans or potato salad.
The Verdict: How can you go wrong with brats? Just by themselves they are little porky wonders, but add the beer and roasted veggies and you’ve got a real winner. But the biggest plus was enjoying that for once the weather wasn’t trying to do me in.
I’ve been looking for a new veggie pan for a while. The first one I bought was one of those fry pans with holes in the side and a removable handle. It was okay, but the veggies would more stew in their own juices than they would roast. Then I got the Weber grill pan (which need a little “reforming” to fit on the Big Green Egg). It’s great for getting a quick char on flat rounds of bread or slices of onion, or to hold a bunch of , but it doesn’t let the heat get around the food so one side tends to burn before the other side is done.
Enter the steel grill roaster from Williams-Sonoma, a gift from my dear wife. It’s perforated stainless steel, so the food gets directly exposed to the flame, but it’s raised up a bit (via a grid under the pan) so it cooks more evenly.
To try it out I tossed a couple of sliced onions, some halved mushrooms, some sliced yellow and green peppers in a bowl and hit them with a glug of balsamic vinegar, a couple of glugs of olive oil, and a few grinds of sea salt. I gave them a shake and let them marinate while I got the grill ready.
I got the grill up to 400°F and put the grill roaster on by itself for about 5 minutes to heat it up. Using a slotted spoon, I moved the veggies to the pan, reserving the marinade.
I roasted the veggies for about 10 minutes, stirring them often, until the peppers had softened and everything had a little char on it. I took the roaster off the heat and dumped the veggies back into the bowl with the marinade and gave them a shake to coat them.
The Verdict:
The steak was great, but for once the meat isn’t the hero of this story. The grill roaster did an excellent job and I plan on giving it a real workout this summer. The perforations let the juices drain off so the veggies roasted instead of stewed. At 12×14 it’s plenty big – I could have done twice the amount of veggies and still had room to move things around. The raised design and slopping sides keep everything cook evenly.
Clean up went pretty well. It’s dishwasher safe, but the label (yes, I did read it) says to hand wash. I just let it soak overnight and wiped it off the next day. Since it’s solid metal with holes in it, not mesh, there weren’t a lot of surfaces that food could stick to.
It was warm enough over the weekend that we could finally sit out on our deck. To celebrate, I made up these Mediterranean-ish kabobs. Marinating the meat overnight not only added a ton of flavor, but helped to keep it moist and tender despite the high grill temps and short cooking times.
Step 1 – Get Everything Marinating
Beef Kabobs
1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into large cubes
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Turkish if you can get it)
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Put the garlic and salt in a food processor and give it a spin until the garlic is minced. Add the parsley, rosemary, oregano, oil, and lemon juice. Process until well-mixed.
Put the steak in a zip-top bag and cover with the marinade. Toss to coat. Squeeze the air out of the bag, seal it, and put it in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours, overnight is better.
Chicken Kabobs
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into large cubes
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full fat)
1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper (or 2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper plus 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Turkish if you can get it)
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, Aleppo pepper, salt, black pepper, and oregano. Put the chicken in a zip-top bag and cover with the yogurt mixture. Toss to coat. Squeeze the air out of the bag, seal it, and put it in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours, overnight is better.
Step 2 – Make the Tzatziki
Tzatziki
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full fat)
2 tablespoons feta cheese (crumbled)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano (again, Turkish if you can get it)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons mint, finely chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled and grated
Combine every thing in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 3 – The Cook
Veggies (and Fruit)
3 bell peppers (red, yellow, and green), chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
8 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried plums
1/2 dried cherries
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
When you are ready to grill, toss the veggies and dried fruit together with the oil, vinegar, salt, and garam masala in a large bowl. Let sit while you bring the grill up to temperature.
You’ll need 8 to 10 bamboo skewers. Soak them in water for at least an hour.
Set the grill up for a direct cook over very hot (500°F +) heat.
Using a veggie basket, grill the veggies and fruit (stirring often) until the peppers soften and everything gets a little char on them, about 10 minutes. Remove the veggies to a bowl and keep warm.
Remove the meat from their respective marinades and thread onto skewers (the flat ones work great as they keep the meat from spinning around). Grill the chicken about 6 minutes per side. Grill the beef for about 3 minutes per side. In both cases you’re looking for some crispy bits on the outside without overcooking the meat.
When the meat is done, remove from the grill and let rest for about 5 minutes. Then remove the meat from the skewers, toss with the veggies, and serve over a rice pilaf with a dollop of the tzatziki.
The Verdict: I really liked the way the flavors of these individual dishes complimented each other – juicy bites of charred-yet-succulent meat, sweet and savory veggies, tangy and refreshing tzatziki, and the rich blend of herbs and spices bringing it all together. It was a little United Nations on a stick.
This putzy, Cook’s Illustrated recipe still makes the best French onion soup, hands down. To break up the time commitment a bit, I caramelize the onions in the oven the first night and then finish the soup in about 2 hours on the stove top the next night.
3 tablespoons butter
6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds)
2 – 3 cups water
1/2 cup dry sherry or red wine
4 cups chicken broth (Pacific Natural)
2 cups beef broth (Pacific Natural)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Heat oven to 400°F and adjust the rack to the lower-middle position.
Halve the onions and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Try to stick with yellow onions as this dish needs their lower sugar and stronger, more complex flavor.
Grease a large Dutch oven and add the butter, onions, and salt. Put in the oven and cook, covered, for 1 hour. Remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions, making sure to scape the bottom and sides. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and cook for another hour. Again, remove the pot and give everything a good stir. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown (about 30 to 45 minutes).
Remove the pot from the oven. At this point you can let the onions cool in the pot and refrigerate for a day or so before continuing with the recipe.
Move the pot to the stove top over medium-high heat. Continue cooking the onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until all the liquid evaporates and the onions brown (about 15 to 20 minutes).
Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with a dark crust of fond (about 6 to 8 minutes). Scrape the tasty brown goodness back into onions.
Deglaze the pot with 1/4 cup water, scraping the pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until the water evaporates and pot bottom has formed yet another dark crust (another 6 to 8 minutes).
Add another 1/4 cup of water and deglaze the pot again, cooking until the water evaporates and pot bottom has formed yet another dark crust (another 6 to 8 minutes).
One more time – add another 1/4 cup of water and deglaze yet again, cooking until the water has evaporated and the onions are very dark brown.
Now (big change of pace here) stir in the sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sherry evaporates (about 5 minutes).
Stir in all the the broths, 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any remaining bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.
Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
I served this steaming hot with a sprinkling of Gruyère cheese and lots of bread for dipping.
The Verdict:
Excellent soup – nice clean onion flavor, but with a a lot of depth and richness to it. It was a real winner both as a dinner served along with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, and as a warming lunch after a round of shoveling snow.
I came down with the crud over the weekend while my dear wife was out of town. When she got back the first thing she did was to whip up a big batch of this oh-poor-baby-this’ll-make-you-feel-better-soup. No exotic ingredients, no food styling, no tricky cooking techniques – just chicken, veggies, and love.
This is one of the best ways to cook chicken. Stacking the chicken on top of the pan of veggies means the veggies soak up all those lovely chicken drippings and the chicken stays nice and juicy.
Crispy Thighs 8-10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue rub (Dizzy Pig’s Shaking the Tree in this case)
1-2 tablespoons kosher salt
Olive oil
Lay the thighs out in a baking pan. Coat both sides with olive oil. Dust both sides with the rub, working it in with your hands. Dust each side with a little kosher salt. Set in the fridge uncovered while you prep the veggies.
Mixed Veggies
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Fresh ground back pepper to taste
Combine all of the ingredients in a disposable foil pan. Mix well.
The Cook
Set up your grill for an indirect cook over medium-high (400°F) heat. On the Big Green Egg I use about half a fire box full of lump charcoal, an inverted plate setter to diffuse the heat, and a trivet for the roasting pan.
Set the pan full of veggies on the trivet. Place a small wire rack or grill grate on top of the pan. Lay the chicken thighs skin side down on the grate above the veggies.
Close the lid and cook for 20 minutes. Lift the grate with the chicken on it off of the pan and give the veggies a stir. Add more oil if they are starting to stick. Put the grate back on the pan and flip the chicken. Close the lid and cook for another 20 minutes. Check the veggies again. If they are done, take them off the grill and set them someplace warm while the chicken finishes. Flip the thighs and cook for another 20 minutes. Flip and cook the thighs until the skin is crisp and the internal temp is about 200°F (about another 20 minutes).
The Verdict:
200°F chicken thighs? Seriously? After I heard that some competition cooks are taking theirs that high I decided to give it a try. The results where amazing – very crispy on the outside, but still juicy and tender on the inside. The skin was so crispy it tasted like chicken bacon. Outstanding. Now to do a batch of wings like this.
The veggies? Oh yeah, those – they were so good that I even ate zucchini without complaining.
My dear wife rounded up these astonishingly fresh veggies at out local farmers market and put together this stunning appetizer tray. The taste was pure summer goodness.
Blanched Beans and Baby Carrots
2 pounds baby carrots (The real thing, right from the ground. Get the colorful heirloom varieties if you can find them.)
2 pounds fresh green beans
Fit a pasta strainer into a large (8-12 quart) pot. Fill with lightly salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Place 6 cups of ice in a large bowl and fill with just enough water to float the ice.
Wash the carrots and trim the ends. DO NOT PEEL. Wash and trim the beans.
Blanch the carrots in the boiling water for about 2-3 minutes, depending on size of carrots and how crunchy you like them. Remove the carrots from the heat (This is where the strainer comes in handy. If you don’t have one use a big slotted spoon to remove the carrots). Drain and put the carrots into the ice water.
Return the strainer to the pot and add the grean beans. Blanch for about 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the heat, drain, and add the beans to the ice water.
The cold water stops the cooking and keeps the veggies tender-crisp. Pour the beans and carrots into a colander. Drain well, then stash in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Then just toss them on a simple platter and let the beautiful colors shout “SUMMER!!!”
We served these with store-bought hummus and homemade green goddess dressing on the side.
Ah, carnitas – those melty, tender, bits of pig cooked in its own juices. I do love them and continue to refine my recipe. This version uses slightly larger chunks of pork shoulder than I normally use, then simmered in citrus juice until the fat renders and the meat starts to get all brown and crispy. The pickled onions are a common Mexican garnish and really add a tangy compliment to the meat.
Carnitas
2 boneless pork shoulder roasts (aka Boston Butt), about 14 pounds
Juice of 3 oranges (about 1 cup)
Juice of 2 limes (about 4 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
I set my Big Green Egg up for an 8 hour cook over indirect heat at 300°F. I used the plate setter with a trivet on it to diffuse the heat and keep the bottom from burning.
While the BGE was heating up, I cut the pork into big (4-inch) chunks, discarding any nasty pieces of connective tissue, but keeping all of the fat.
I combined all of the ingredients into a 12-quart Dutch oven, put the oven on the grill and let it simmer for an hour. I gave it a stir and then let it go for another hour. I kept checking and stirring once an hour until most of the liquid had evaporated and the pork had started to fry in its own fat (about 5 hours). Then I checked it every 15 minutes to make sure it was getting crispy, but not becoming dry or burned. Total cook time was just over 6 hours.
Pickled Onions
1 red onion, halved lengthwise, ends removed, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Salt and pepper to taste
I put the onions in a saucepan, added just enough water to cover, and boiled until tender (about 1 minute). I remove them from heat, rinsed with cold water, and drained.
I put the onions in a plastic container, added the lime juice and vinegar, and seasoned to taste with a couple of grinds of black pepper and about a teaspoon of kosher salt. I sealed the container and stored it in the fridge for about an hour before serving.
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 ;).
I finally got a chance to try the award-winning Suck Creek’s Original Hot Wing Sauce. I was (of course) going to try it on a batch of wings, but dinner plans for the weekend called for something a little more substantial. So I matched the sauce with chicken thighs and my version of the corn pudding from The Grand Central Baking Book via Caroline Russock at Serious Eats.
Suck Creek Thighs
8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
1-2 tablespoon of your favorite barbecue rub (I used John Henry’s Texas Chicken Tickler)
1/2 cup Suck Creek’s Original Hot Wing Sauce
About 2 hours before cooking, dust the thighs with the rub, lay them out in a single layer on a sheet pan, and let them sit uncovered in the fridge. This step not only to seasons the thighs but also dries the skin out a bit to keep it crispy.
Set the grill up for an indirect cook over medium-high (400°F) heat. On the Big Green Egg I used the plate setter to diffuse the heat and added a raised grid to get the thighs crispier still by moving them up into the the hotter part of the dome.
Put the thighs on the grill skin side down, close the lid, and let them cook for 30 minutes. Flip them and let them go another 20 minutes.
Check for doneness – when the juices run clear and the internal temperature in the largest thigh hits 160°F , brush the thighs on both sides with the wing sauce. Let them cook 10 minutes more and brush them again. Let them cook 5 more minutes, brush one last time, remove them to a warm plate, and let sit 10 minutes before serving.
Corn Pudding
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix to make it gluten-free.)
2/3 cup (3 ounces) cornmeal
2 tablespoons finely chopped dried chives
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of your favorite barbecue rub (Dizzy Pig’s Dizzy Dust this time)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preheated the oven to 350°F and greased a 2 1/2 quart casserole. The original recipes calls for a 8×8 cake pan, but the casserole gives it a more pudding-like consistency.
The drys – combine the flour, cornmeal, chives, sugar, salt, baking powder, rub, pepper flakes, and baking soda into a large bowl and mix well.
The wets – melt the butter (or bacon grease, which I used) in a medium bowl. Add the corn, milk, eggs, cheese, and vinegar and beat until smooth.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the casserole, then (I love this part!) pour the cream right into the center without stirring.
Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes (I put the casserole in the oven right before I put the thighs on the grill). It’s done when it still quivers slightly in the middle when shaken. Let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.
The Verdict:
Suck Creek makes some serious wing sauce – great flavor with plenty of heat. Thick and not too vinegary, with lots of herbaliciousness going on. The heat is right up front, but it’s not overwhelming and it doesn’t build or linger. I was afraid it would be a little too much on the thighs without some kind of creamy dip to cool it down, but it really perked up the chicken without covering it up. This is one of the best wing sauces I have ever tried.
