Smoked trout- like crack rock on a plate!

What is great about being GrillGrrrl is that everyone loves to talk to me about their BBQ and Grilling experiences, regardless of background. Who doesn’t love to eat great food? It’s the common denominator of human experience. So I was totally shocked to find a stove top smoker arrive at my doorstep out of the blue a few weeks ago from a good friend I know from the Miami sailing community. Not only is my friend Oren adept at fixing racing boats, he’s also an avid BBQ-er and we had a lenghty discussion about his stove top smoker he uses for lickity-split smokiness! And then one arrived on my doorstep.

Smoked trout - faster than you can say "stove top smoker"!

Put the box on top of the burner on medium and let it do its magic. Once I could visibly smell smoke, (about 5 minutes) I let the trout smoke for about 15 minutes (I used Alder wood chips by the way- perfect for fish and seafood). I didn’t do anything to the trout other than put salt and pepper on it and it turned out awesome.

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These stuffed tomatoes pair perfectly with a nice steak and a glass of Red wine.

I’m always looking for fun veggie side dishes to put on the grill to compliment whatever main course I am a making. Tomatoes, stuffed with blue cheese, grilled to melted and charred to perfection are the perfect compliment to a nice steak. Throw in some fresh herbs, a dash of balsmic and some fresh grated sea salt and pepper, and you have yourself the perfect grilled side dish that is as colorful on the plate as it is tasty!

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 4 medium sized tomatoes
• 6 oz blue cheese, crumbled
• 1 bunch fresh herbs- oregano and basil work well
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• sea salt- to taste
• fresh ground pepper- to taste

Directions:

Cut out the middle of the tomatoes so there is adequate room to stuff them. Layer cheese, herbs and a splash of balsamic in the middle. Finish with salt and pepper. Grill on a medium heat grill (350 degrees +) until the cheese is melted and the tomatoes have begun to slightly char on the bottom, about 5 minutes. (Keep the grill cover closed while grilling to retain heat). Add additional cheese and herbs if you like before serving. Pair with your favorite main course for a nice colorful presentation!

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Guava, lime, ginger and soy sauce make for a light yet zesty marinade for scallops grilled on a salt plank. These can be grilled on skewers if you don't have a salt plank.

I’ve had this salt plate for a while but it’s always in the back of my “grilling cabinet” so I often forget to use it. When I picked up some scallops for dinner, I knew they would be perfect to grill on the salt plank. The salt plank serves as a hot griddle that can be used on your grill that imparts a light saltiness to anything cooked on it.

Guava jelly, one of my favorite things in the world (second only to guava pastelitos- a popular Cuban Pastry found in Miami) pairs perfectly with fresh squeezed lime juice and ginger for a zesty marinade. While I grilled the scallops on a Himalayan Salt plank, these would be great skewered and grilled directly on the grates as well. I served these on a bed of arugula dressed in equal parts lemon juice and orange blossom honey, but they would be great with any veggie or tossed with rice or pasta. Served on their own they would be a great light appetizer. This marinade is extremely versatile so get creative!

Ingredients: (Serves 2 as main course, 4 as an appetizer)

• 1 lb large scallops
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (juice of 4 limes)
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

The Himalayan salt plank acts as a hot, salty griddle on the grill. You can also use the plank refrigerated for cold apps and as a decorative plate. (of course, after using it on the grill it's not very pretty anymore!)

Directions:

Heat grill to medium high heat. If using the salt plank, place it directly on the heat source (grates/coals) and give the grill time to heat up to about 400 degrees to ensure the plank it hot enough to grill on. If grilling the scallops directly on the grates, place the skewered scallops on the medium heat grill and grill 3 minutes per side, or until the scallops are no longer translucent and look milky white. If grilling on the salt plank, lightly oil it before grilling so the scallops do not stick. Grill for 3-5 minutes per side, or until the scallops go from translucent to opaque (minimum internal temp is 145 degrees).

Got a salt plank? What have you grilled on yours? How are you grilling your scallops this summer?

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This is my new favorite twist on a pulled pork sandwich. This sandwich is going to make an appearance at Memphis in May this year- it will be a standout among heaps of traditional pulled pork sammies.

Everywhere I go these days, I see Bahn Mi sandwiches. I’ve seen them at the Miami Food Truck meetups, at the South Beach Wine and Food Fest BBQ event (Guy Fieri did a rendition) and at the newly opened Vietnamese restaurant down the street. My hubby even asked me to make one so I was chomping at the bit to try my own when I smoked a pork butt earlier this week.

Bahn Mi literally refers to the Vietnamese baguette that they are served on. But these days the term “Bahn Mi” is synonymous with this popular sandwich that is served on a light and airy Vietnamese bread with some kind of meaty filling (or tofu), along with cilantro, cucumbers, pickled daikon and carrots, jalapenos (or sriracha, or both) and mayo.

Below is my Gringa rendition of a Bahn Mi. I’ve had countless pulled pork BBQ sandwiches and I was ready to try something new. Hubby was loving this- I made a chipotle mayo, and in lieu of pickled veggies I added sliced cabbage and radishes, cucumbers and jalapenos. The pulled pork has a good dose of vinegary BBQ sauce. This sammy can be made with your own pulled pork rendition, I’ve included links to 2 of of my pulled pork recipes, made either in the smoker or (gasp! ) in the oven.

Pulled Pork and BBQ Sauce Recipes:

Recipe: (Oven) Pulled Pork Tenderloin (includes a vinegar based sauce recipe)

Recipe: (Smoker/Grill) Smoked Pork Butt (includes a mango BBQ sauce recipe)

Ingredients: (makes 4 sandwiches)

• French Bread Baguette (to be authentic, you could attempt to go to a Vietnamese bakery for their lighter, airier version of French bread)
• 4 cups pulled pork
• 1/2 cup chipotle mayo (take mayo and mix 2 tblsp adobo sauce from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (recipe here if you want to make your own)
• 1-2 jalapeno, sliced
• 4 radishes, thinly slice (use a mandolin if you have one)
• 1 large cucumber- thinly sliced (again, use a mandolin if you have one)
• 1 cup sliced cabbage
• sriracha sauce (optional)

Directions:

Cut the ends off the baguette and slice lengthwise. Next, cut into 4 servings. **NOTE: The bread is going to be very thick, I suggest pulling some of the inside bread out so that their is room for more filling and the bread to meat ratio is more even. Add mayo to the bread, and then begin to assemble the sandwich. Add one cup of meat per sandwich, then add BBQ Sauce, cilantro, radishes, jalapeno, and cabbage. Add sriracha to taste if not using jalapenos.

This is my new favorite way to do pulled pork sandwiches. I’m competing at Memphis in May this year again with the Too Sauced To Pork Team, doing “Peoples Choice” which is pulled pork so I’m going to be serving up Pulled Pork sammies a whole different way this year!

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Tahini dressing- The nuttiness of the tahini paired with citrus and herbs are a perfect compliment to a mixed green salad.

I’m a big fan of tahini- ever since I tried Annie’s Goddess Salad Dressing back in college, I’ve been hooked on it. Years later, I’ve finally gotten around to making my own tahini dressing!

Tahini is roasted sesame puree- think the peanut butter of sesame seeds. It is often a key ingredient in hummus and many mediterranean dishes. This simple dressing is paired with lots of citrus, fresh herbs and garlic to compliment any salad lucky enough to get dressed in its’ yumminess!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup water
• Juice of 3 lemons
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste).
• Handful of fresh herbs (I used basil and oregano and they played off the citrus perfectly!)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients with an immersion blender until they are unified. Add more salt if needed to suit your palate!

NOTE: Until I made this dressing, I’ve never seen my husband have second helpings of salad! He was dipping his bread in the dressing too. I hope you equally enjoy!

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This recipe is going will change brussel sprout haters into brussel sprout LOVERS!

I don’t know why brussel sprouts get a bad reputation. If you cook them the right way, they are delicious! This recipe is made in a cast iron skillet on the grill which infuses the sprouts with a nice smoky flavor. But, these can easily be made on the stove top for those non-grillers out there.

The sage butter adds a nice flavor, while the prosciutto perfectly salts the brussel sprouts. Because the prosciutto is salty on its own, there’s no need to add extra salt. Once you’ve made a batch of sage compound butter, this can be used on other things: Texas Toast, basting meat- wherever you use butter!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb brussel sprouts, stems removed and halved so they cook evenly
• 2 oz chopped prosciutto
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 2 tblsp sage
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

Directions:

Using an emulsion blender, mix the butter with the sage. Set aside.

Prepare your grill for direct and indirect cooking zones. Place your cast iron skillet on indirect heat but very close to the direct cooking zone. If using your stove top, place your skillet on medium/medium high heat. Add 1/2 of the butter (1/4 cup) to the skillet. Add the brussel sprouts and let them get coated in the butter. Stir the sprouts frequently so they don’t stick to the pan, and add the rice wing vinegar. Next, add the chopped up prosciutto. Let the sprouts cook for abour 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has cooked down and the sprouts are cooked all the way through. They will be bright green in color.

Serve with full confidence that your family will LOVE these brussel sprouts. I have full confidence that these will turn brussel sprout HATERS into brussel sprout LOVERS. Prepare to say “I told you so”.

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A quick and easy galette that pairs dark chocolate and cherries that you can bake in the oven or the grill.

I’ve been on a cherry kick lately. They’ve been at the supermarket pretty cheap lately so they have been a mainstay in the refrigerator the past month. What better to make with cherries than a pie! Baked on the grill no less! Cherries and dark chocolate are an irresistible flavor combination so I put them in an easy to make galette (ie, free-form cake/pie) that I baked on the grill but can also be baked in the oven. I used a pre-made pie crust so the most difficult part of this recipe was pitting the cherries. I “whipped up” a bourbon barrel vanilla-brown sugar-whipped cream to cut the richness of this galette. You can easily buy whipped cream but if you want to make your own- it only takes about a minute with the stick blender for home-made whipped cream goodness.

Paired with home made bourbon barrel vanilla whipped cream- this dessert will make you look like a rock star! And its so easy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-made pie crust (found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store)
• 1-2 cups ripe pitted cherries
• 1 sea salted dark chocolate bar, cut into pieces (I prefer Lindt Sea salted dark chocolate)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 pats (about 1 teaspoons or more) butter
• 2 teaspoons lemon juce
• lemon zest
• 1 egg- beat the egg to make an egg wash

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons bourbon barrel brown sugar (or regular brown sugar)
• 1 teaspoon bourbon barrel vanilla (or regular vanilla)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If you are baking on the grill, prepare to bake your galette on indirect heat (one burner off, one burner on) and get your grill to a temp of 350-400 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray the foil with non-stick spray.

In a bowl, combine the cherries with the sugar and lemon juice. Mix and let sit for 5-10 minutes so the sugar/lemon juice macerate the cherries and bring out their juice. Lay out your pie crust on the baking sheet and put the cherry mixture on top, being careful to fold the edges of the pie crust over to form a free-form crust. Make sure that the cherry juice cannot escape. Add the pats of butter to the mixture, and now sprinkle the chocolate pieces evenly over the top. Brush the pie crust with the egg wash which will help to brown the edges.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cherries are bubbly. When you take the galette out, finish it with a shaving of lemon or orange zest (citrus and chocolate compliment each other).

For the whipped creme, you will take the creme, brown sugar and vanilla and whip until it can form a very soft peak. Be careful not to overwhip or you will have to start over.

Enjoy this decadent dessert that makes you look like a baking goddess- even though it is easy-peasy to make! I love recipes that make me look smart! Ha!

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The yolk from the over easy eggs mix with the olive oil and white wine vinegar to form a yummy vinaigrette that can be soaked up with your toast points.

I like eggs over easy. I never make eggs because my husband is super weird about eggs so when he was out of town last week I decided it was time to make some eggs. I’ve been seeing breakfast salads on pinterest so I was inspired to make my own. The name of this recipe is deceiving because it is actually a dinner salad, but because it has eggs over easy in it, it makes sense to call it a breakfast salad. Like you might have breakfast for dinner, this salad fits the bill and is super easy to make when you are in a pinch for time/ingredients! The best part of this salad is that the egg yolks, when broken, form a dressing with the olive oil and white wine vinegar making this a perfect dressing for the arugula. The toast points are there for soaking up dressing/yolk yumminess!

Ingredients: (this recipe makes 2 servings)- the ingredients below are for general guidelines but this is a salad- have fun with it and make it your own!

• 4 cups arugula
• 4 eggs
• 4 oz Parmesan- shaved- enough for a generous amount per person
• 1-2 tblsp olive oil
• 1-2 tblsp white wine vinegar
• sea salt- to taste
• pepper- to taste
• 4 pieces of bread, toasted- cut into toast points

Directions:

Make your eggs over easy in a well oiled pan (so they won’t stick and end up with scrambled eggs.) Serve on top of the bed of arugula. Drizzle olive oil and white wine vinegar onto the arugula. Shave a generous amount of parmesan (or another hard cheese) onto the salad. Finish with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve with toast points to soak up the yolk dressing! Enjoy breakfast for dinner with an elegant yet simple egg/arugula salad. This recipes is different but it’s a winner. Enjoy!

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Grilled romaine hearts- so easy and so flavorful! The grill caramelizes the lettuce with added smoke and char so no need for added dressing.

This is one of those recipes that I’m know for within my family. Grilled romaine makes appearances all the time throughout my site but I haven’t posted this recipe since the blog’s inception, so here it is for easy reference. Why is grilled romaine my go-to side dish? It is quick and easy and yields flavorful results every time. Because the grill caramelizes the lettuce, there’s no need for added dressing which makes it low in fat/calories and high in flavor! Only a few simple ingredients are used in this recipe: sea salt, fresh ground pepper, olive oil and FRESH grated parmesan cheese (no canned stuff!).

Ingredients:

• Romaine Hearts (one per person)- rinse, dried
• 1 tbsp olive oil (give or take) you will drizzle this over the romaine hearts
• Sea Salt- to taste
• Fresh Ground Black pepper
• Parmesan Cheese- (or another hard/aged cheese) grated over the grilled romaine hearts

Directions:

Prepare your grill for direct heat. Rinse/dry the romaine hearts, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Grill the romaine hearts on direct for 3-4 minutes each side, or until char marks form and the lettuce begins to wilt. Remove the hearts from the grill and grate a generous amount of parmesan (or another hard/aged cheese) on the hearts (you can also add a little more olive oil). For a crowd, you can chop the hearts up and put them in a bowl to serve as a large salad. I serve one heart per person on the side of the main course.

This dish is super easy and people always think you are the most creative person on earth when you serve it. Most people don’t think of grilling lettuce which is why this is such a fun dish to serve- it is always a welcome surprise at the dinner table!

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BBQ Sauce + Marinara + Leftover Pulled Pork = Barbecue Spaghetti

My parents have this dish on a regular basis so I finally got around making it and it does not disappoint! It is great for turning leftover pulled pork (or insert your meat of choice here) into an entirely new dish that is a universal crowd pleaser (who doesn’t like spaghetti?). At my dad’s recommendation, I didn’t use only BBQ sauce as the base of the sauce but a half/half combination of BBQ sauce and spaghetti sauce- BBQ sauce on it’s own for this dish is overpowering. The leftover pulled pork sauce is also great as a sloppy joe the next day- how is that for a creative use of leftovers? In reference to the Neely’s – the original idea for this recipe is based on the original recipe by Patrick and Gina Neely- you may have seen them on “Down Home With the Neely’s” on the food network. Patrick and Gina always appear like they are going to break out into a make-out session mid-show. I love me some Neely’s, they are just too funny.

Ingredients: (keep in mind this can be adapted based on how much leftover pork you are using)

Directions:

Prepare your spaghetti as directed. Meanwhile, chop up your pepper, onions and garlic. Now, heat up a sauce pan on medium heat and saute your peppers and onions. Add your garlic last so it doesn’t burn. Next add your BBQ sauce and marinara sauce, then add your chopped up chipotle peppers. Mix together and bring to a slight simmer. Now add your meat and let all the flavors meld together for another 5-10 minutes.

Serve with a nice salad and you have a VERY hearty meal that pairs a love for pasta with a BBQ undertone. Now this is what I call BBQ fusion!

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