1) Caveman Style Steaks:

To truly impress your guests, grill your steaks Cave- Man style!

This is “caveman style” grilled porterhouse. Steven Raichlen, the famous grill master, coined this term.

2) Coconut Lime Butter Grilled Corn:

Need I say more? Grill the corn directly on the grill grates and slather them with copious amounts of coconut lime butter.

Coconut Lime Butter + Grilled Corn = legal crack.

3) Grilled Romaine:

Who says salad has to be stuck inside. Grill the romain hearts and watch them get sweet and caramelized before your eyes. Finish with sea salt and fresh grated parmesan and your guests will think you are really really smart on the grill.

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

4) Rosemary Lemon Spatchcocked Chicken

Grill a whole butterflied chicken on the grill underneath a brick to get the skin nice and crispy. This is really entertaining for a crowd and yields tasty results!

Rosemary and Lemon- my new favorite flavor combo for 2013! Even if you don’t make a spatchcocked chicken, this marinade will be good on any chicken you make!

5) Grilled Margarita

Yes, you can grill a cocktail. Throw those lemons, limes and citrus on the grill for some smokiness- this adds complexity and an element of fun to your average cocktail.

I love a good margarita, and adding smoke and char to the recipe only makes them better!

6) Cilantro Lime Beef Satay: Everyone loves meat on a stick. The marinade on these sirloin skewers will knock your socks off!

7) Appetizers: Grilled Pineapple and Black Bean Salsa:

Grilled Pineapple paired with grilled jalapenos, coconut, black beans and lime juice. And you don’t have to feel too guilty about this recipe!

Grilled pineapple, jalapenos, cilantro, black beans, limes and coconut = light and refreshing salsa with a kick!

8) Dessert: Grilled Peaches and Pound Cake:

Grilled summer fruit with grilled poundcake- easy-peasy and delish. Need I say more! (scroll to the bottom of this post)

Grilled peaches and and pound cake or angel food cake- quick and easy dessert on the grill

9) Best Ever Banana Pudding:

Okay so this wasn’t made on the grill but I wanted you to have this recipe for Banana Pudding. Banana pudding is a Southern Thing and if you haven’t had it you are missing out!

When life gives you bananas, you make banana pudding.es

10) Last BUT NOT LEAST! West Indies Wings!!:

These have been SUPER popular with my fans and that’s because this recipe is AWESOME! The mixture of coconut milk, ginger, habanero pepper sauce and curry on wings is a moutwatering combination and an unexpected surprise on grilled wings!

The title of this recipe is inspired by my love of the Caribbean. The ingredients include Caribbean hot sauce, coconut milk, ginger, and curry powder.

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Liven up your Memorial Day BBQ with this Red, White and Blue Pina Colada.

Memorial Day unofficially kicks off the summer and grilling season. Celebrate the holiday weekend with a tall refreshing cocktail.

While sweating it out over the grill cool off with this Red, White and Blue Pina Colada. The layered cocktail is sure to impress your guests and let’s be honest, who doesn’t enjoy a frozen concoction?

Makes 3 – 4

Ingredients:

2 cups of your favorite Pina Colada mix

1 cup frozen raspberries

1cup frozen blueberries

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

6 shots of white rum

Directions:

In a blender add your Pina Colada mix, pineapple chunks and 5 shots of rum with about 1/2 a cup of ice. Blend till smooth and place in a large container and store in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. Blend your raspberries with 1/2 shot of rum pour in a glass and set aside. Do the same with the blueberries. In a tall cocktail glass layer your raspberry sauce then Pina Colada and then a layer of the blueberry sauce. Top with fresh blueberries and enjoy!

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In the “Grill Grrrl Take Two” recipe series, Michelle Lara – newest contributor to the blog takes classic GrillGrrrl recipes and gives them a new spin and turns them into a new recipe. This is also a creative use of leftovers!

For this week’s ‘Take Two’ I drew inspiration from Robyn’s Grilled Tandoori Chicken. This super moist chicken is the perfect filler for super flaky samosas.  Instead of kneading a dough from scratch I decided to use philo dough (a huge time saver).

Prepare your Grilled Tandoori Chicken and set aside to allow it to cool once it’s room temperature your going to want to shred it – or in my case I cut it into small cubes because I used chicken cutlets.

Ingredients:

• 1 roll of philo dough thawed
• ½ a red onion thinly choppped
• Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground turmeric (in a pinch you can use a dash of curry seasoning to add color)
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 stick of unsalted butter melted
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 2 – 3 sheets of wax paper

Boil your potatoes in salted water. Once your potatoes are fully boiled warm up the milk and 2 teaspoons of butter, mash your potatoes season with salt as needed and set aside. In a large skillet heat vegetable or canola oil and add the chopped red onions, ginger, minced garlic and tumeric. Once that has cooked down a bit add the frozen peas. Fold in your mashed potatoes and shredded tandoori chicken and set aside.

Roll out your philo dough onto the wax paper keep the dough protected from the air while you’re working with it by covering any unused dough with a damp towel.

Cut 2 inch wide strips the long way  and separate about 3 sheets and brush each layer with melted butter.  Place about a teaspoon of your potato/chicken mixture on the corner of the strip and fold into triangles (like your folding a flag).

Heat some oil in a skillet and once warm fry up your samosas. Since the dough is so thin they fry up every quickly (less than 2 minutes per side) so keep an eye out.

I served mine over rice but if you want something lighter this Herb Tahnini Salad would pair really well.

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Congrats to Sweet Swine O Mine who won Grand Champion at Memphis In May this year.

I’m feeling really proud of my good friend and GrillGrrrl contributor, Blake Marcum, whose team won Grand Champion of Memphis In May World Championship Cooking Competition. FYI, this is the Superbowl of Swine, and being named “Grand Champion” means you are the overall winner, having the highest overall score from the judges.

Another big shoutout to my friends The Shed BBQ and Blues joint who placed first place in Whole Hog this year. I’ve captured a quick video of them walking the stage.

Quick shout out to BigBobGibsons BBQ and good friend Chris Lilly who placed 2nd in Shoulder (to Sweet Swine O Mine) and Melissa Cookston of Yazoo’s Delta Q for placing 2nd in Whole hog.

First place in ribs went to High Life on the Hog.

Congrats all of you! I know it was a lot of hard work!

More recap of the experience to come but thought you all would like to see how it turned out!

For full results, click here: http://www.memphisinmay.org/2013contestresults

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The World BBQ Cooking Contest is held at Memphis’ Tom Lee Park on the banks of the great Mississippi River.

I’m writing this from Memphis as I’m here for my annual Father-Daughter bonding trip as we compete on the “Too Sauced to Pork Team”. Watch for live tweets from my twitter handle @grillgrrl and instagram’s “GrillGrrrl” for all things #Pork, Competition BBQ and life on the river at Tom Lee Park the next few days. I’ll be doing interviews as the “Katie Couric of Que” with the  Pork Board and documenting the team experience so you guys can relive the experience in weeks to come that will be featured on the “Porkbeinspired” site.

To refresh your memory of years’ past at Memphis in May and what the contest entails, here are my blog posts recapping previous competitions:

2012: http://grillgrrrl.com/2012/05/memphis-in-may-2012-recap/

2011: http://grillgrrrl.com/2011/05/memphis-in-may-part-ii-the-superbowl-of-swine-plus-my-really-awesome-coleslaw-trophy/

2011: recap of categories, etc: http://grillgrrrl.com/2011/05/memphis-in-may-ancillary-categories-and-grilled-rattlesnake-wcbbcc11-mim/

2012: http://grillgrrrl.com/2010/05/memphis-in-may-2010-too-sauced-to-pork/

If you happen to be attending, look for us in Tent R018 right on the river! See you there!

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Chicken turn-in box on a nice “putting green” of parsley.

Dillon Black it the newest contributor to GrillGrrrl.com. He competes on the “Bubba and Son” competition BBQ team in NC and knows a thing or two about competition BBQ (read his full bio here). In the article below he breaks down what a BBQ competition entails, so you really know what happens at a BBQ competition (much more than what you can learn from watching BBQ Pitmasters!). For those of you who are curious about the world of competition BBQ, this is the first article in his series about Competition BBQ. 

When you hear competition BBQ, what are the first thoughts that come to mind? Please tell me you didn’t envision guys cooking hamburgers and hotdogs on Weber Grills…Truth is, when I tell people that I participate in BBQ competitions they are unsure of exactly what I am talking about and are usually very inquisitive.

So, what are BBQ competitions? There are many different types of BBQ competitions that are determined by the stationing body. Just like NASCAR, us BBQers have rules that we have to follow during a competition.  Our team (Bubba & Son BBQ) competes in Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS) and South Carolina BBQ Association (SCBA) events. In later posts I will go into detail about what each sanctioning body is all about. To compete each team must enter into a competition, typically, several weeks in advance and must pay an entry fee, determined by the sanctioning body. These fees can range anywhere from $200 to $400 if you are bringing a camper or a hefty cooking rig.

Teams typically arrive early Friday morning to the event location and find out where their spot will be for the weekend. Often times when we arrive, officials will be there to inspect your meat to make sure it’s not been tampered with before the event. At a KCBS competition a team must compete in four categories- chicken, pork ribs, pork butt or shoulder, and beef brisket, to be in the running for grand champion. Once you have made it to your spot you can begin setting up. We have a toy hauler, which is becoming very prevalent on the BBQ circuit. Some teams only have a popup tent and some teams bring in half a million dollar buses.

Generally about four o’clock we have a cooks meeting; this is the time where the contest organizers thank us for coming and give a couple announcements. This is also the time when you will get your turn-in boxes (these are like to-go boxes from a restaurant). After the meeting teams will hang out, prep meat, (possibly consume alcoholic beverages), get ready to start the smokers and interact with the public.

After a long night of cooking, the first turn-in for a KCBS event is chicken at 12 o’clock noon. After chicken, other categories are to be turned-in every 30 minutes (pork ribs- 12:30, pork- 1:00, etc.). Roughly 30 minutes before turn-in teams usually begin prepping their finished product for the box and prepare the box itself. At a KCBS event teams usually create a parsley bed for the meat to lie on in the box. Judges will judge on appearance, taste and tenderness (KCBS), so when that meat goes in the box, it must look PERFECT.

Once all of the meat is turned-in it’s every team’s favorite time, tear down and clean up! By the time we get everything packed up it’s time for the awards ceremony, which is around four o’clock in the afternoon. Most organizers give out trophies and money to the top five teams in each category, reserve, and grand champions. Prize purses can range from $6,000 to $20,000.

Competition BBQ is not for everyone, it’s very time consuming, between preparing weeks before the event and dedicating your whole weekend for the event. Whiles these can be very tiring; getting there Friday morning, set everything up, cooking all night, and then tearing it all down the next day, they can also be very fun!

For serious BBQ cooks, it’s not a hobby, it’s a lifestyle.

Happy Smokin’

-Dillon

For more information about BBQ competitions or blog ideas email me: bubbaandson@gmail.com

Check out our Facebook page www.facebook.com/bubbasonbbq!

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‘Cafe con leche’ Vodka Granita is a refreshing twist on a coffee inspired cocktail.

It’s that time of year again where we all rush to the mall in search of the perfect fragrance for mom. We book reservations for brunch and order the prettiest bouquet of flowers. Take it from me (a mom of two) all of that is fine and dandy, but what I really want on Sunday is a fabulous brunch prepared especially for me and a nice tall drink to toast to.

Here are three cocktails that are sure to impress – cheers!

‘Café Con Leche’ Vodka Granita

I love chocolate inspired cocktails and I love café con leche, so what better way to start your Mother’s Day brunch with a decadent yet refreshing granita.

A granita’s consistency is somewhere between a sorbet and a sno-cone and what’s even better is you don’t need any special tools to make them.

Serves about 4

Ingredients:

2 cups black coffee

3-4 teaspoons of sugar to your preference

2 cups Belle Gabreille Chocolatier (or your favorite coffee or chocolate liqueur)

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Prepare your favorite coffee, dissolve the sugar and vanilla in the coffee and mix in 1 cup of your liqueur.
2. Pour the mixture in a dish that is low and wide and place it in your freezer. After about an hour with a fork, scrape the edges and place back in the freezer.
3. An hour later repeat step 2 and continue the process till you have a sno-cone like consistency.
4. While you’re waiting on your granita to fully freeze you can prepare your ‘leche’ topping. Whip the heavy whipping cream until it forms peaks while slowly adding the remaining chocolate liqueur.
5. Place your martini glasses in the freezer till their nice and frosted. Scoop out the granita and top with your ‘leche’ whip cream.  You can garnish the cream with a dash of chocolate powder.

Kid-friendly Version: Substitute coffee for hot chocolate mix (prepare hot chocolate with water not milk) and omit liqueur. Drizzle chocolate syrup over the whipped cream topping.

This mango bellini adds the perfect amount of bubbly to your Mother’s Day celebration.

Mango Madness Bellini

Its mango season here is South Florida but if you don’t have access to fresh mangos don’t worry frozen will work perfectly too.

Serves about 2

Ingredients:

4 ounces prosecco

4 ounces of  mango puree (or store bought juice works well)

1. Mix the prosecco and mango juice together into champagne flutes or wine glasses. Add mango slices.

Kid-friendly Version:  Substitute prosecco with your favorite lemon-lime soda.

This Orange Cranberry Cosmo adds some sweetness to this classic cocktail.

Orange Cranberry Cosmo

This Cosmopolitan is a tad bit sweeter than the classic cosmo – just like your mom.

Serves about 3

Ingredients:

1 oz. citrus flavored vodka

A splash of grenadine syrup

1 oz. Crandberry juice

A splash of lemon lime soda

1 fresh lime

1. Pour all the ingredients in a cocktail glass, squeeze half of the lime. Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in frosted martini glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

Kid-friendly Version: You have all the ingredients here to make the classic Shirley Temple, omit the vodka and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

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Grilled French toast Mother’s Day- super easy and equally delish!

Mother’s Day is almost here and that means it is time to pull out all the stops to show Mom how awesome she is. And since Spring is here, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of the weather and host the ultimate outdoor brunch for Mom. So what to make?

Grilled French toast, sausage and copious amounts of cocktails of course! Here’s my recipe for outdoor brunch success including grilled French toast, paired with grilled cocktails.

Grilled Coconut Rum French Toast

• One loaf Challah or Brioche, sliced into 1/2” pieces
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp coconut rum
• Dash Cinnamon

Additions:

• Fresh strawberries (optional), chopped up with a bit of powdered sugar
• Maple syrup
• Breakfast sausage patties or links

Combine eggs, mik, coconut rum and cinnamon. Next, preheat your grill for medium direct heat (about 350 degrees). Coat the grill grates well with canola oil so the bread does not stick.

While the grill is heating up, soak your bread pieces in the egg mixture. Once the grill is heated, grill the bread until nice char marks form, about 4 minutes each side.

Meanwhile, you can grill up breakfast sausage patties or links to go with the French toast. Grill the sausage links while grilling the French toast.

Serve the French toast with diced strawberries (or fruit of your preference) and whipped cream (optional) and sausage.

Grilled Cocktails: Grilled Vodka Lemonade and a Grilled Peach Bellini

In the video below I give step by step instructions on how to make grilled peach bellinis and grilled vodka lemonade. Michelle Lara, newest GrillGrrrl contributor, has created a collection of Mother’s Day cocktail recipes for you to try as well including a cafe con leche granita, mango bellini and orange cranberry cosmos. Mother’s Day is going to be REALLY fun this year!

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Mango Ginger Chutney glaze makes for a sweet-spicy finish on this Pork Tenderloin that was cooked in an “Island Spice” Rub.

Pork Tenderloin may just be the most versatile meat I know how to cook. It’s a perfect vehicle for lots of different flavor combinations; it is also lean, and pairs well with a variety of side dishes. Leftover pork tenderloin also goes well with just about anything you put it on: salads, sandwiches, pizzas- the list is endless.

This glaze for this pork tenderloin has me super excited because it includes some of my favorite ingredients: mango, ginger and rum. The glaze is fairly easy to make and can be manipulated with ingredients you have on hand to produce different results. It has a nice sweet kick with a little heat, and pairs well with the “Island Spice” rub I applied to the pork before grilling. This recipe, with its Island Rub paired with a mango-ginger glaze, makes you feel a little Caribbean without having to go anywhere. Like listening to a Jimmy Buffet tune.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork tenderloin (if using 2 pork tenderloins, double the rub and glaze recipes)

Island Spice Rub:

• 2 tsp sea salt (I use smoked sea salt)
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chipotle powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Mango Ginger Glaze:

• ½ cup mango ginger chutney
• ½ tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp dark rum
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or the juice of ½ large lemon
• 1 tsp (or more) lemon zest
• ½ tbsp honey

I created a curried ranch dressing to go on our salad with this pork tenderloin. Hubby had seconds of the pork AND salad! It was delish!

Directions:

Combine rub ingredients. Next, apply a light coating of olive oil to pork tenderloins. Apply the rub generously on the pork using the entire mixture.

Meanwhile, start working on your glaze. In a sauce pan, combine all ingredients and let simmer on low for 10 minutes. Divide the glaze evenly among two bowls- one to use as a glaze for grilling and the other to serve with the pork at dinner.

Preheat your grill to 375 degrees creating a direct and indirect cooking zone. Cook the pork tenderloin on indirect heat for 6 minutes per side, for a total of 12 minutes. Coat with with the glaze on both sides before the final sear. Make sure your “direct” side whether on gas or charcoal is nice and hot – ideally at 400 degrees or slightly higher. Sear the pork on each side for 4 minutes or until an internal thermometer (I suggest the instant read thermapen) registers 145 degrees. Pull off the grill and tent under foil for 10 minutes.

Serve the meat with additional glaze and your favorite veggies. I paired this with an arugula salad with Curried Ranch Dressing. I must warn you, the glaze on this pork is HIGHLY addictive!

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In the “Grill Grrrl Take Two” recipe serices, Michelle Lara, newest contributor to the blog, takes classic GrillGrrrl recipes and gives them a new spin and turns them into a new recipe. This is also know as creative use of leftovers!

Michelle Lara is the newest contributor to GrillGrrrl.com. She’s a curious-about-food-writer and has created the “GrillGrrrl Take Two” Series where she takes an original GrillGrrrl recipe and puts a new spin on it by turning it into something completely different. This is a great way to take a familiar recipe and use the leftovers in creative and innovative ways or even pair it with different items to create a new and different experience! Read Michelle’s full bio on the contributor’s page. 

Cinco de Mayo is closely upon us. Let’s not let this holiday pass us with memories of mediocre guacamole and cheap tequila shots.

Instead, try your hand at a tried and true Grilled Island Pork Tenderloin recipe and kick it up a notch for this festive holiday.

I got the inspiration for this taco recipe from food52.com and slightly modified it. These tacos are sure to please when paired with the Chipotle Cilantro Coleslaw and a Smokey Margarita.

Follow instructions for Grilled Island Pork Tenderloin, once this is cooked and your meat has fully rested cut it into strips and set aside.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock (homemade or low sodium)
• 2 large limes
• Corn tortillas
• Cooked red onions (recipe below)
• A handful of Cilantro, washed and dried

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and poblano peppers to the pot with a generous pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are softened and become beautifully translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for a minute.

Now add your cooked pork tenderloin strips to the pot, with any juices that have accumulated, and add the tomatoes and chicken stock. (The meat should be covered in liquid – if it’s not, add a little water.) Squeeze in the juice of half a lime and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Turn the heat up to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover the pot and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. What we are looking for is a sauce that is reduced and thick the consistency of BBQ sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed, and squeeze in the juice of another half a lime.

While your sauce is thickening prepare the red onions.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium red onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• A handful of chopped cilantro

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saute or frying pan and fully cook the onions in the vinegar and salt and pepper adding your cilantro in only when the onions are fully caramelized. You want the cilantro to maintain its vibrant green and not look wilted.

To serve heat the tortillas on the grill or on a dry pan.

Fill each taco with a few pork strips, cooked red onions and lime wedges for squeezing along with a heaping side of the Chipotle Cilantro Coleslaw and a tall glass of the Smoky Margarita.

After a meal like this you’ll be ready to sway your hips and dance the night away!

There is something strangely fun and addictive about adding nice char marks to citrus! This is the citrus used to make the smoky margaritas

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