That’s right folks- it’s tailgating season again. Time to get your portable grills ready for another season of beer consumption, mardi gras beads matching your favorite team and of course, lots of finger food. I made my infamous (at least to myself) chipotle sriracha wings with Scott’s blue cheese dip and mini caprese pizzas for ESPN/WPTV Channel 5’s Jason Pugh to discuss tailgating and getting women behind the grill this season.

If you have a favorite tailgating recipe on or off the grill, please share with me!

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Really, there isn’t anything you can’t do on a grill. Think about our ancestors before the invention of electricity. What did they do? They cooked using fire. So, that is what we are doing by making grilled pineapple upside down cake.

This cake is made in 2 major steps- grilling the pineapple and then baking the cake batter.

Here’s the ingredient list:

• one pineapple- cored and sliced
• jiffy yellow cake mix
• one egg (for the cake mix)
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup rum (for the cake mix- substitute rum for the water in the cake mix!)
• 1 small can dulce de leche
• 1 jar maraschino cherries
• 2 8″ aluminum pie pan

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Mix batter with egg and rum, then add the nutmeg and ginger. Next, Grill the pineapple slices. Once they have nice grill marks on both sides, take them off the grill. Layer the pineapple slices on the 2 pie pans. Put cherries in the middle of each pineapple slice. Now, pour the batter evenly into the 2 pie pans.

Next, create a direct/indirect environment for baking your cake (charcoal to one side or one burner on/off).

Bake cakes about 12-15 minutes or until golden.

Pull cakes out off the grill and drizzle dulce de leche over the cakes while it is still warm.

You won’t believe you made these cakes on the grill! Your friends will be surprised and impressed!!

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Everything is better on the grill, including pizza!

Pizza is not just for ovens anymore. The grill is a great place to do pizza because you get nice grate marks on the dough that adds a nice touch as the grill actually cooks the pizza dough.

These mini pizzas are easier to do because it is easier to flip multiple pizza dough disks than it is to do one gigantic piece of dough and also allows you to avoid “hot spots” on the grill that might burn the dough.

This recipe is great tailgating as it requires minimal ingredients and everything can be prepped the night before.

Ingredients:

• One package refrigerated pizza dough (or you can make your own)
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced- drizzle slices generously with olive oil, salt and pepper
• Mozzarella cheese- cut into bite size pieces
• basil
• salt, pepper
• olive oil.

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium heat. Then, roll out the pizza dough on a flat surface. Using a small bowl or wide mouthed glass, cut the dough into small circles to make the mini pizzas. Roll leftover dough pieces together, flatten and repeat cutting into small circular cutouts.

Brush both sides of the dough with olive oil. Make sure your grill has been sprayed with non stick spray. Grill the dough until grate marks appear, about 5 minutes. Flip the dough, then, with recently grilled side up, add tomato slices, a piece of basil, and the mozzarella.

Grill for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.

This recipe can easily be adapted for meatlovers with the addition of cappicola or pepperoni.

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Grilling is not just for meat anymore- check out those beautiful peppers!

Shhh! This is Chris from NibbleMeThis. Grill Grrrl (aka Robyn) is out this week and I thought I’d let myself in and mess around in her outdoor kitchen. I heard she’s got some cold Dos Equis in the fridge. Let’s have a few and grill something to eat. Let’s be honest. Sometimes we put so much focus on the main course that we tend to “mail in” the side dishes or condiments. For example, if you are grilling chicken fajitas, it is easy to just pop open a jar of salsa verde as a condiment. But if you really want to boost the flavor of your condiments, let’s fire up the grill! While you are marinating the chicken in the fajita marinade and you’re already preheating the grill anyway, make this smoky salsa!

Fire Roasted Salsa Verde Source: Adapted from Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue!

Ingredients

1 lb tomatillos, husks removed

1 ea Serrano pepper

1 ea jalapeno pepper

1 ea Anaheim pepper

1 large onion, peeled and sliced into thirds

3 cloves garlic, peeled and skewered together with a toothpick

½ cup cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp bacon fat

3 ounces chicken stock

½ teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

This recipe was adapted from Steven Raichlen's original as found in his book Planet BBQ.

Instructions

Get your grill cooking at about 450f. Place the peppers and tomatillos on and sear them until all sides are blackened. This should take a few minutes per side. Remove and place them into a plastic bag for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grill the onion and garlic until browned (about 4 minutes a side for the onion, 1-2 for the garlic) and remove from heat. Skin, seed, and dice the peppers. Skin and quarter the tomatillos. Don’t be super picky about getting all the charred skin off, you want a little in there for flavor. Quarter the grilled onions. Place them all in a food processer and pulse them until you get a salsa like texture. Heat the bacon fat over medium high heat and then add the tomatillo mixture for 3-5 minutes. You’ll get some thick “pops” as the thick liquid heats but keep stirring. Mix in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, letting the flavors get happy together. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. The difference between jarred salsa verde (left) and fire roasted salsa verde (right) is striking. [INSERT PICTURE 429]

Canned salsa verde on the left, from scratch on the right. There's no comparison!

The texture is obviously thicker but the rich smoky flavor it brings is even more impressive. It rocks its way through the fajita, filling out the dish.

It is one of those things that you don’t notice if it wasn’t there, but once it IS there, it is a huge addition to the flavor profile. Now let’s clean up this mess before Robyn gets back.

Fire roasted salsa verde adds flavor depth to fajitas!

Note: Chris is a wonderful cook, griller, photographer and Big Green Egg enthusiast. Check out his blog at www.nibblemethis.com

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Now here are the recipes:

The avocado was an “audible” I called while I was shopping before work and turned out as genius.  When eating I took some of the board dressing and avocado and put it on the sirloin as a past and it was awesome! Note to self: Avocado makes everything better.

Recipes

Sirloin Marinade

• ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tsp Oregano
• 1 tsp fresh pepper
• 1T Soy Sauce
• 3 Cloves of garlic- chopped fine
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Teriyaki Marinade:

• ½ cup of your favorite store bought – lets not get too fancy here

Spicy Chicken Sauce

• Your favorite “wing sauce”.  Marinade you chicken in it and also put some on in the last few minutes of grilling (just make sure it’s fresh from the bottle and not what was used in the marinade)

Tomatoes

• Slice on a cutting board
• Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sprinkle with Sea Salt and fresh pepper
• Flip the tomato slices over to coat on both sides

Board Dressing

• Ahhh I didn’t talk about this before (glad you made it to the end of the article) when you slice the tomatoes for the grill – don’t clean the cutting board! Leave the tomato juices, salt, and pepper on the board!
• Chop up some cilantro (God’s gift to all things tasty)
• More Salt, Pepper, and EVOO (make a big mess!)
• This should be on your cutting board when you put the meat there.  Rub in all around the flavors that are on the board – let the juices from the meet infuse the dressing with fresh-cooked goodness.
• This should all get all over your finished meats.  It’s goodness.  Spread it all around.

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Robyn graciously asked that I do a quick post on Grilling at Work – what I’ve come to realize is that I’ve written a small novel.  So what we’ve decided to do is break the post up into two separate posts.  The first will be on the practical mechanics of grilling at work – the second post will provide the specific recipes that I used in my last adventure.  So without further delay- 

We’ve heard all the greats (of BBQ) pontificate on why we as a species gill and the connection we have of cooking over coals – but at the end of the day we have to answer that question for ourselves – and for me, I grill because its soooo tasty and it’s fun!  But that begs the next question – why would you grill at work?  Well for me it’s because I seem to live by the motto “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing!”  Other reasons: cost effective, generally tastes better than anything you could buy during your lunch hour, and it’s fun!

So first a little preparation… ok maybe a lot of preparation.  You see planning to grill at work is similar to planning for a camping trip.  You can’t just run into the kitchen to grab a spice or utensil because you’re nowhere near your home (unless you work at home.) This means a few things to me:

• Chose a meal that is simple (but tasty)
• Do as much preparation as possible ahead of time
• Write down everything you will need
• Set everything out (or put it together in the fridge) the night before.  If you are like me, you won’t be thinking clearly in the morning.

You will also need to assemble your “traveling rig” (doesn’t that sound cool!) To me, this means:

• Your Grill (I have a son of hibachi 2: http://sonofhihbachionline.com)
• Utensils
• Oils and/or spices
• Paper Towels, foil, zip-top bags

The meal I prepared for myself and 2 other coworkers was:

• Beef, Teriyaki chick, and spicy chicken Satays
• Grilled tomatoes topped with melted mozzarella and balsalmic vinegar and cilantro 
• Served with diced avocado

Let’s start at the end, here is the finished product:

Wow, who knew lunch at the office could be so tasty!??!!

Now I will follow up with the specific recipes in the next post – but I’d rather discuss execution and menu choice.  When I prepare a meal, I try to do as much of it on the grill as possible.  This means I chose foods that lend themselves to grilling.  When grilling at work, I chose food that will cook quickly but will not lack in flavor.  In this case:

The Sirloin

I made the marinade night before.  I bought the beef on my way to work and sliced it at work as soon as I arrived and placed it in the marinade in a zip-top bag in the refrigerator. 

Around noon while I waited for the charcoal to warm up – I went inside and place the meat on the skewers. Done and done

The Chicken

Both the spicy and the Teriyaki satays were from a store bought mixture (aka easy)

I bought 4 chicken thighs on my way to work.  This was cut into strips when I arrived at work.  These were placed in zip-top bags with their respective bags with their marinade to hang out in the fridge until lunchtime.

These were also put on their skewers while the charcoal warmed up.

Chicken and Beef Satay on the Hibachi grill.

What did you learn from the section above? I needed a shopping list for the morning on the way to work and I needed a good knife to cut up the meat.

The tomatoes were easy, easier and easiest.  The shopping list for this included (wait for it) tomatoes – 2, mozzarella. Cilantro, Balsamic Vinegar. You see I didn’t have any of this in my “rig” – now I do – and I don’t have to buy any more for quite a while.

Keep olive oil, salt and pepper at the office for future grilling sessions.

(ps – I bought the olive oil, salt, and pepper lat week – I’ll get months of use out of those guys!)

So the focus of this article as been more about “execution” and I’d like to leave you with 2 things: a bunch of picture from the actual process and the recipes I used.  Please put any question/comment in the “comments section” below or feel free to contact me directly at: jeff@deverter.com.

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Boosting office morale, one grill at a time!

Look around my cubicle and your see your average stuff: laptop bag, cute shoes for meetings, office supplies and a grill. That’s right, you heard me, a GRILL.

Who says you can’t do some impromptu grilling on your lunch hour? By the time you run out to grab something, you could have fired up a little grill and thrown some skewers on! Not to mention saving gas, calories and money in your wallet!

Next week introduces a series I’m doing on grilling at work. The recipes could easily be converted for tailgating season as it is quickly approaching. Guest blogger Jeff Deverter will be showing his latest recipes from his grilling adventures on his hibachi at the office.  Stay tuned!

If you have an office grilling story of recipe you’d like to share, please email me and I will share your photos and recipe!

Here’s a preview of next Jeff’s upcoming blog post:

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I had the opportunity to grill Jerked Cornish Game Hens on Tampa’s own Daytime TV. This was by far one of the most beautiful places I have had the opportunity to grill- I was overlooking the bay from the rooftop of Tampa Tribune building.

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This recipe was developed using McCormick Grillmates applewood rub and I must say, this is one of the most popular recipes I have developed in a long time. When I made this on the grill while filming the video seen above, my film crew and fiance went crazy over it! When there is pure silence when a meal is served because your guests are so consumed with eating, you know it is good!

As a “flavor correspondent” for McCormick’s Grillmates “This Week In Grilling” Campaign, I used GrillMates Applewood Rub to add a sweet, smoky “wow factor” to the dish.

Here’s a recap on how to make this recipe:

Ingredients, etc:

• bamboo skewers- soak in water for 30 minutes beforehand so they don’t burn on the grill
• 1 lb cuban pork chunks – (I find these in the Latin market, use something similar if you can’t find)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt, pepper to taste
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 5 cloves garlic
• 3 limes
• 2 tablespoons McCormick Grillmates Applewood Rub

Directions:

Cut pork chunks into smaller pieces so they will cook more evenly on the grill. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, juice of the limes, garlic and cilantro and let marinate for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

After the meat has marinated, add the applewood rub and stir into the meat mixture.

Put meat on skewers.

Grilling Directions:

Grill on a medium/high heat grill for 10 minutes total, turning halfway through, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degress.

I recommend grilling with tri-color pepper skewers for a colorful and healthy meal.

Salud!

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Scott's cool blue cheese dip is the perfect compliment to spicy buffalo sliders.

For weeknight meals, I’m always searching for something fun and creative to make but without a lot of prep and cook time. Many of you know I spend a lot of time commuting from work so weekday lengthy recipes don’t work for me because we don’t like to eat at 10 o’ clock at night!
This recipe is great for others in the same boat. Many of my grilling clinic attendees have told me that “sliders” are perfect for kids because they are the perfect size and they don’t take a long time to cook on the grill. This tasty dish is appealing to adults and kids alike!

I used GameDay Eats Wing Sauce for this recipe! Tasty!

This recipe makes enough to serve 2 adults.
Ingredients:

• 1 packet chicken cutlets (ie: tenders)
• wing sauce or hot sauce (use mild wing sauce if you don’t like heat)- 1 1/2 cups or more (enough to coat chicken in bowl and reserve some for basting on grill afterwards)
• rolls (buns)
• sandwich dill pickles
• blue cheese dip (see recipe below)

Give the tenders a quick drizzle or olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. Add enough sauce to coat all the tenders in a medium-large size bowl. Let them marinate at least 15 minutes in the fridge.

Turn grill on to heat up while chicken is marinating; meanwhile- make Scott’s Blue Cheese Dip.

Scott’s Blue Cheese Dip:

• 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

Combine all ingredients and store in refrigerator.

Grill tenders on direct heat for 3 minutes per side or until thermometer reaches internal temp. of 165 degrees. Baste with additional wing sauce.

Serve tenders on buns with blue cheese dip, arugula, pickles and extra wing sauce. Serve with additional arugula in the side and blue cheese dip as the dressing.

On the table in less than 30 minutes!

While grilling, I toss coconuts in the pool for Haley and Connor to fetch.

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