Archive for the ‘On the Grill Recipes’ Category

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Italian Sausage Skewers brought to you by GrillGrrrl.

This is a SUPER easy dish. Just collect your favorite vegetables for kabobs and then select your favorite type of sausage. You can serve these with rice or pasta.

Ingredients as used in this recipe (you can do your own variation- get creative!):

• red and green peppers
• zucchini
• onions
• tomatoes
• other great additions: pineapple, mushrooms, cut up eggplant- the sky is the limit!
• EXTRA HOT Italian sausage, cut into bitsized pieces with the casing left in tact to keep the sausage together.

Preheat grill to 350 or medium/medium high. If you are using bamboo skewers soak them in water beforehand for 10 minutes (or more) so they do not burn on the grill. Cook the skewers for about 15 minutes on each side or until meat is slightly charred and vegetables begin to slightly wither. Throw some bread or texas toast (my personal favorite) on the top rack of the grill (bread basket area) so that it can warm and bake while you grill your skewers.

Serve immediately with rice/pasta and bread. Throw in some fresh herbs for a little pizazz if you have any. These are great for an outdoor BBQ as they are more exciting than your average wiener. For a great spin on italian, these are wonderful on top of some pasta tossed in an olive-oil balsalmic dressing.

Enjoy your Italian Sausage as you speak in your best Jersey Shore accent!

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For some, grilling and barbecuing IS an addiction.

As a Southern Girl, I have grown up eating Bar-B-Que. Until I moved out of the South, it never really occurred to me that this food was not something that everyone in the US ate on a regular basis. These days, BBQ has caught on all over the country and you can find decent BBQ joints in places like NYC! When I refer to BBQ, I am referring to the Pork kind, though Spare ribs and brisket fall into the BBQ category as well. Growing up, I was accustomed to “Lexington Style” NC BBQ sauce which is a Vinegar and tomato based tangy sauce. There is an invisible line drawn in the middle of the state that divides the sauces- Western NC and the Piedmont region do the Lexington Style sauce. Eastern style sauce is a purely vinegar based sauce with no tomatos included. This sauce usually consists of cider vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. It is pungent! Local South Floridian’s can find Eastern NC Style sauce at our own Dixie Pig. Go to SC and find a mustard based sauce. Texas does “Brisket”, which is in another category all to itself. Memphis style sauce is a sweet, tangy tomato based sauce. BBQ joints all over are usually a mixture of these type sauces though I believe most fall under the Memphis style category…

Pork Ribs on the Green Egg- true perfection!!

My father is an avid griller and BBQ-er and we are going to “Memphis in May” this year which hosts the truly infamous “World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest” on May 13th-15th. This is the END-ALL-BE-ALL of BBQ competitions. We plan to travel in an entourage of a few of his good ol’ boy friends who are “good eaters”.

The competition is divided into different pork categories: Whole hog, pork shoulder and ribs. There is no gas allowed- only wood and charcoal. For the newbies, there is the “Patio Porkers” category for those wanting to whet there Championship appetite. I see myself competing there in the future, just to get a feeling for the competition. I have not grown up in a BBQ team or with a PitMaster but that should not deter us from trying one day!

Basting your ribs regularly will make them extra juicy!

My father, also known as “Tropical Storm Eddie” for reasons I won’t disclose, have decided that we are going to go this year and see what we can learn. He is a wonderful griller and has his own green egg, the “Cadillac” of Grills/Smokers. He has been working on his own dry rub recipe and wants to get ideas. I believe he has aspirations of one day entering the “Ribs” category. We shall see! I’m coming prepared with my elastic waistband pants, plenty of beer and a good appetite. Looking forward to some good eating and learning some new coleslaw recipes!!

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Slaw, tatertots and texas toast are the perfect complement to ribs.

I like to call this recipe: Attention Deficit Disorder Ribs. It is hard for someone like myself to spend 6 hours on a dish and that is why they are called A.D.D. ribs.

Hardcore BBQ-ers will tell you that real ribs must be cooked over low heat for hours upon end to produce authentic ribs. I, too, enjoy ribs cooked in this fashion, and I usually get these at my favorite BBQ joint or let someone else cook them and have me over for dinner.

For those who like to “push the easy button” on ribs and still get tasty, “bone sucking” results, there are two time saving endeavors: parboiling and using your oven. “Parboiling” quite simply means to boil to make softer. This technique usually means that you will cook the food long enough to make it softer but not totally “done”. In this recipe, you will parboil the ribs to soften them but will finish cooking the ribs on the grill.

This recipe gives you grilled flavor and charring, minus the time. For those with gas grills, this will save you from using an entire can of propane!

Ingredients:

• 2 full rack pork ribs (enough for 4 people) *** I once made the mistake of buying beef spare ribs because everything in my grocery store was in spanish!
• salt, pepper – I prefer freshly ground pepper and sea salt, It does make a difference
• olive oil
• Your favorite BBQ sauce, either homemade or store-bought. I prefer Stubb’s Spicy Chipotle Sauce but they offer mild and medium options as well. ***In my personal facebook poll, Stubbs came in as the favorite store-bought sauce with Sweet Baby Ray’s a close second.

Take ribs and remove the outer membrane.

Bring a large pot of water to boil

Put the ribs in the water and let boil for 40 minutes

Take the ribs and place them in a 9X13 pan that is covered in foil (this will cut down on clean up!). Lightly brush with olive oil, then cover with salt, pepper and sauce on both sides. Let the ribs marinate in sauce for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, heat up your grill to medium/medium high heat.

Place ribs on the grill, baste with additional sauce. Grill on each side for 15-20 minutes, or until there are distinguishable char marks and the sauce begins to carmelize.

Serve with coleslaw, tater tots and **texas toast!

** I buy texas toast from the publix, found in the freezer section, and place the pieces on the top burner of the grill while the ribs cook on the lower burners. This gives the toast nice grill marks and cooks them perfectly. I also put the frozen taters tots on a foil packet and let them cook on the lower burners at the same time. Great served with Chipotle cilantro cole slaw. Essentially, your whole meal has been cooked on the grill and there is no need for the back and forth from the kitchen to the backyard.

Enjoy!

Finishing the ribs on the grill lets the sauce carmelize and gives nice char marks.

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This dry rub is great on beef, chicken and pork. I have not tried this yet on fish but I do believe it would also be good as the flavor complements but does not monopolize the taste of the meat.

The quantities listed below make enough for about 4 – 6 oz. steaks but you can make more/less depending on your needs.

Ingredients:

• 1 tblsp. ground sea salt
• 1 tblsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1 tblsp. garlic powder
• 1 tblsp. onion powder
• 1 tblsp. smoked paprika

The smoked paprika is the key differentiator here that lends a subtle yet smokey flavor. Apply rub generously on both sides of the meat and grill/cook as usual.

Everyone enjoys a nice rub once in a while!!

Grilled smoked paprika rubbed New York strip with grilled onions, arugula and gorgonzola.

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Sirloin Sliders, aka Mini Hamburgers

sirloin sliders- much more fun than your average burger!!

Well, this is not rocket science but it puts a fun spin on your standard hamburger. The mini burger idea is appealing because it is so versatile, depending on the occasion and setting. While one can make sliders as the main course, they are also a fun appetizer for entertaining and are great for tailgating as the burgers cook quickly due to their diminutive size. These are a low commitment burger- you get to satisfy your craving for a burger, but you still have room to sample a hotdog, eat large amounts of dip, and drink large amounts of beer. You may even have room for a guinness float afterwards.

Here’s a fun idea for your next gathering: make a “slider-bar”.

Cook the burgers (I prefer sirloin meat obviously) with various cheeses (cheddar, american, pepper jack) and some without; serve with toasted rolls- the kind that look like mini hamburger buns that you buy in the bakery at the grocery store.

Put out a variety of toppings for Southwest burgers, philly burgers, you name it:

• jalapenos
• guacamole
• salsa
• blue cheese
• bacon
• pepperoni
• various mayos- sriracha mayo, garlic mayo, etc
• arugula
• tomatoes
• grilled red onions
• roasted peppers
• (mustard, ketchup)
• pickles
• banana peppers
• sundried tomatoes

 The opportunities are endless and this puts a fun spin on your traditional cook-out. Happy Grilling and Happy eating!!!

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This is a fun and easy thing to serve when you are having people over as these are universally likeable and easy to make and serve. So far I’ve made these 3 times and everyone has liked both the flavor and the heat level of the sauce. Served with blue cheese sauce, they are the perfect easy dinner or appetizer while hanging outside, entertaining friends, tailgating or watching a game. I make these for an easy dinner all the time and Scott never complains!

Oh the joy of grilling with good friends, good food and many margaritas....

Buy

1) 3lb bag of chicken drummettes. I usually buy the frozen ones and defrost when I am ready to make.

Sauce

One cup Franks Hot sauce (not that hot and is supposedly the first original buffalo wing sauce)

• 1/4 cup sriracha
• 4 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
• 2 HEAPING tablespoons of minced garlic
• seasalt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Throw all ingredients (sans the chicken) into a gallon ziplock bag and mix in bag (you can seal the bag and shake around). Add the chicken wings.

Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Cook chicken on a medium hot grill, about 10 minutes on each side (this will vary on your grill, size of wings, etc) or until done. Baste with sauce while chicken cooks.

Serve with Scott’s blue cheese dip. See recipe below.

• 12 oz. container sour cream
• 4 oz. container blue cheese (the better the cheese, the better the dip)
• 2 tblsp minced garlic
• 1 tbls spoon dry mustard
• lots of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt

Great on your spicy wings!!

No margaritas were harmed during the grilling of this recipe.

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Beer Can Chicken- a fun way to spend an hour drinking beer with your friends outside!

My dad has been making beer can chicken for a while, and this was my first try. This is a great meal to make for 4-6 people and gives you a good hour outside of beer drinking, should you want to check on the chicken every so often.

The beer primarily serves two purposes. 1) It makes the chicken moist. 2) It helps prop the chicken up on the grill, and as a result the liquid gets hot and evaporates into the meat. 

If you have a signature rub you like for poultry, I suggest you use it on the chicken. We did a standard store bought rub consisting of your average stuff, like: salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, mustard, etc. I recommend making your own rub consisting of a variation of the above mentioned ingredients. Even with just salt and pepper, this chicken will still be good. You will need about 1/2 cup ++ of spice rub. If you have extra, you can put it into the beer.

I bought a free range organic chicken (perhaps happy chickens taste better, less tuff! he he) from the specialty meat market and it was slightly larger than a roasting chicken you might buy at the grocery store. You will need to remove the neck and gizzards from the chicken (if you have dogs, they will love you forever if you grill this and give it to them!). Then, take olive oil and coat the entire chicken both inside and out. Yes, you will have to stick your hand inside the chickens “hoo-hoo”. 

Then, rub the chicken all over (in and out) with freshly ground pepper and sea salt. Then repeat with the rub. Stuff the neck of the chicken with fresh herbs, onions, garlic or anything you have in the fridge that might be a good addition (scallions, peppers, etc). 

Drink a little less than half the beer. We used a light beer (bush light, my dad’s favorite, no comments on this please) but I think using different types of beer could alter the flavors slightly in a good way. This time of year, an October Fest or Pumpkin Ale could be a fun option. 

The beer can will assist in holding up the chicken. You will stick the beer can up the chicken’s hoo-hoo. (If you watch SouthPark religiously from the CHEF era, you will know where this word comes from.) You can tuck the legs of the chicken behind and it will assist in holding the chicken up. 

You will want to grill the chicken on indirect heat. Depending on how many burners you have on your gas grill, turn all up on high heat until it gets good and hot, about 230-250 degrees. Then, turn all burners off except one. Place the chicken on the off burner, near the burner that is on. 

Cook chicken for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Adjust cooking times for the size of your chicken (less or more). Cook until internal temp reaches 160-170 degrees.

<a title=”Grilled Poultry on Foodista” href=”http://www.foodista.com/recipe/7S2LSMCN/grilled-poultry”><img alt=”Grilled Poultry on Foodista” src=”http://dyn.foodista.com/content/embed/logo.png?foodista_widget_C2L4FZMP” style=”border:none;width:100px;height:22px;” /></a>

Grilled romaine and roasted pepper salad

Voila- you have great chicken! I served mine with grilled romaine and roasted pepper salad and baked beans, all of which can be cooked on the grill to save trips inside and out. 

Dig in! You'll love how moist this chicken is!

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This dessert doesn’t even require a recipe- just some basic ingredient assemblage.

No campfire needed!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• shredded sweetened coconut- 8++oz.
• Dark chocolate – squares
• Ginger snaps- use these instead of graham crackers unless you prefer the latter
• Marshmallows- large size, 16 oz bag
• skewers- for roasting marshmallows

If the grill has cooled down after dinner, heat it back up- medium should be high enough for roasting the marshmallows.

In a piece of foil folded to create the shape of a small tray, lay a layer of coconut. They will start to brown and you can mix the shredded coconut around to cook evenly. When it browns, take the foil tray and move it over to indirect heat.

Meanwhile, for mass smore creation (for those not roasting their own marshmallows via skewer) put out another foil- tray (sheet of foil folded at the edges to create a “tray”).

awaiting chocoloate marshmallow-ey goodness!

Layer gingersnaps in a layer on the foil and top with marshmallows.
As the marshmallows start to roast, add a piece of dark chocolate and sandwich between another gingersnap!

Happy Smor-ing!

goo-ey goodness

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Ta da!! Grilled jerk cornish game hens- ready to eat and douse with your favorite hotsauce!!

Cornish game hen sounds kind of fancy, like something you might serve at a dinner party, but really they are essentially mini-chickens. They are smaller and have a richer flavor with a higher fat content than chicken, comparable to the dark meat you find in chicken. Because of their slightly higher fat content, the meat is a little juicier and, when cooked correctly (ie: not overcooked so they dry out!) lend themselves to an enjoyable dining experience.

First things first, make your jerk marinade:
Ingredients:

* one large bunch scallions
* one red bell pepper
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup lime juice
* 6 cloves garlic
* 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
* 1 tablespoon ground allspice
* 1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
* t tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
* 1 scotch bonnet pepper or 2 habenero ***
* kosher salt
* 4 cornish game hens (1 1/2 to 2 pounds each), butterflied
* freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Combine ingredients 1-11 (use 1 tablespoon salt) in food processor and make a thick sauce. Reserve 1/4 cup of the sauce in the refrigerator for serving with the hens later.

Remove the backbone from the hens so that you can butterfly them. Season the hens all over with salt and pepper; poke a few holes into the meat so the marinade can penetrate the bird. Rub 1 cup jerk sauce all over the hens in a large bowl or pan. Then, cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.

Safety goggles are recommended when chopping habaneros or scotch bonnet peppers. First off, chopping will make your nose run, you will use your arm to wipe your nose and the next thing you know you have rubbed chili juice into your eyes! No bueno!!

Grilling:
Preheat the grill to medium. **Note that some recipes call to use a brick covered in foil or a metal press on the grill to flatten the hens and make them extra crispy. I did not do this, I only butterflied the hens and after marinating in the fridge for 2 hours they were pretty flat already.
Cook the hens on the grill until browned on each side (this will vary according to grills and meat size), at least 7-8 minutes per side. While grilling, baste the hens with any extra jerk sauce. The hens will be done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 160 degrees.

I served the hens with saffron rice (yellow rice) and grilled vegetables.
Guests went crazy over this dish and went back for seconds. Yours will too!!!

Getting chummy with test subject.

Grill Grrrl.....

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