What's that I hear? It's time to....BBQ?

It's that time of year again...time to grill and bbq!  I am concerned with the high winds that seem...err..constant in Oklahoma what that will do to my cooking temps, so I think I'll spend a couple of days researching before I commit the meats to flames :)


I don't get people who don't like to cook on the bbq.  It keeps the heat out of the kitchen, the food has that lovely smoky flavor, and there are so many treatments you can do with it.  I do urge folks to remember to not cook with high flames...no one likes to taste charcoal, you want smoke flavor, not burnt.  And always remember to apply bbq sauce at the end of a recipe, the last few minutes, otherwise it will burn.  Basting is different, if you have a sauce not based in sugars, honey, molasses, etc.  


Here are a few ways I love to cook on the grill:


Honey Spiced Whole Chicken-
This is great on a rotisserie, but can also be cooked on the grill.  IF you are cooking it on the grill, put all of your coals on one side, or turn only one set of burners on your bbq...and put the chicken on the OTHER side, so it, and the sauce, do not burn.  It is a lovely lovely dish though...

• 1 roasting chicken, about 5 pounds
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup sherry
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• dash ginger

Preparation:

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Arrange on rotisserie skewer and truss to keep legs and wings close to the body. Place chicken about 8 inches above coals. Place a drip pan under chicken to prevent flare-ups. Allow chicken to cook for about 1 hour. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil or heat on grill. Brush sauce over chicken. Continue rotating over hot coals, brushing with the sauce every 10 or 15 minutes. Cook for about 1 hour longer, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. 

Tuscan Grilled Trout

INGREDIENTS

1. 1/4 cup olive oil
2. 1 clove garlic, cut into thin slices
3. 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, thyme or basil
4. 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
5. 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
7. 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
8. 8 trout fillets (about 2 pounds in all)

DIRECTIONS

1. Light the grill or heat the broiler. In a small stainless-steel saucepan, combine the oil, garlic, sage, and rosemary. Cook over moderately low heat until the garlic just starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper.
2. Put the trout fillets in a medium glass dish or stainless-steel pan. Sprinkle the fish with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add half of the oil-and-vinegar mixture and turn to coat. Grill or broil the fish skin-side down for 2 minutes. Turn and cook until just done, about 2 minutes longer for 1/4-inch-thick fillets. To serve,whisk the remaining oil-and-vinegar mixture and pour it over the hot fish.

Grilled Vegetable Platter Recipe

• 6 Servings
• Prep: 20 min. + marinating Grill: 10 min.

201030

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 3 small carrots, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 medium red onion, cut into four wedges
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Dash salt

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the oil, honey, 1 tablespoon vinegar, oregano and garlic powder. Pour 3 tablespoons marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the vegetables. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.
• Place vegetables on a grilling grid. Transfer to grill rack. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender.
• Transfer to a large serving platter. Combine reserved marinade and remaining vinegar; drizzle over vegetables. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Yield: 6 servings. 

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Recipe

• 2-3 Servings
• Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

201030

Ingredients

• 10 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 5 bacon strips, halved lengthwise

Directions

• Place asparagus on a sheet of waxed paper; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with pepper; turn to coat. Wrap a bacon piece around each spear; secure ends with toothpicks.
• Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until bacon is crisp. Discard toothpicks. Yield: 2-3 servings.

Grilled Vegetable Medley Recipe

• 8 Servings
• Prep: 15 min. Grill: 20 min.

152035

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3 large ears fresh corn on the cob, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 medium sweet onion, sliced
• 1 large green pepper, diced
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) whole mushrooms, drained
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the oil, salt, parsley and basil. Add vegetables and toss to coat. Place on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 28 in. x 18 in.). Dot with butter. Fold foil around vegetables and seal tightly.
• Grill, covered, over medium heat for 10-13 minutes on each side or until corn is tender. Yield: 8 servings.

(Note, the above recipes were taken from recipes I have collected from magazines, etc.  I do make the trout one, and improvise it every time with different herbs, leave out this, put in that, etc.  And the chicken...oh so good.  And grilled veggies taste so much better than ones made inside, right?)

Now, I know you're going...Beth, where are the rest of the meat recipes...you and Charles LOVE steak and ribs, where are those recipes???

We do love steak and ribs and brisket, I admit it.  But there is a problem about sharing personal recipes there...I'm not a fanatical griller/bbq'er.  If fact, I'm still researching and testing bbq recipes, learning my techniques.  I make some pretty good stuff, and there are lingering thoughts of attending some competitions in a year or two.  So I cannot share my spice rub mix (no griller or bbq'er will, sorry) or my sauce recipe, which is still being perfected.  I tend to like sweet but not too sweet of sauces, brown sugar or molasses for the sweetener, with a fair amount of tang and heat.  There are lots of good bottled sauces out there...try em out, find out what you like.  

Brisket...when I cook it on the bbq, I put it off to the side, like I said to above with the chicken, so it's getting indirect heat...for hours.  8, 10 hours, till it's tender and just about fall apart good.  I put a spice rub on it, but even just a mixture of salt, pepper (lots of black pepper) and dried garlic powder rubbed in it will do wonders.  I don't put sauce on my brisket, sauce is served on the side, or if I chop up some of the brisket when it's done for brisket sandwiches, I'll add some sauce then.

Ribs: Pork, I don't even mess with beef on the grill.  Actually, the only beef ribs I like are short ribs, but that's another entry, and it's a fall/winter food anyway for me.  Pork ribs, I like most cuts, but they all need to be cooked low and slow again.  Here is one recipe from a family that knows it's ribs: Neeleys;

Trim a 3 to 4 pound spare rib (remove the upper brisket bone and any other excess; this will produce a St. Louis style rib)

Rinse and season rib with your choice of dry rub (you can buy dry rubs), then refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours.

We recommend that ribs are cooked on an indirect barbecue pit to prevent burning. The ideal temperature is 250 degrees for the first three hours, and 300 degrees for the final three hours.

Load ribs curl side up, so the juices will maintain their moisture. After three hours, turn ribs and increase temperature. Baste ribs with Neely's barbecue sauce during the last 30 minutes of cooking so sauce will not burn.

Recipe courtesy of Patrick Neely of Neely's Bar-B-Que Restaurant in Memphis, Tenn. Copyright 2002

Now...steak.  Oh, I love steak.  It's my favorite food.  And bbq'd steak is my favorite way of eating it.

I like a rib eye.  I like the tenderness, and the fact the fat in it bastes the meat as it cooks.  

Seasonings: You can marinade it if you like.  I have a killer marinade recipe that I may share sometime if you ask really nicely :)  You can marinade overnight, but I like 4 hours for a rib eye, you don't want to bury the taste of the steak, and most of the time, I don't even marinade at all.  But once in a while it's a real treat.

Salt, pepper...that's all you really need.  Coffee on one side is a nice treatment for a thick cut steak, you just take the fresh coffee grounds, and dredge one side of the steak....but only do this for a thick steak, it's too overpowering for a thinner cut.  I usually use this spice mix for our steaks: salt, pepper, garlic powder, a touch of onion powder, a touch of cayenne.

Have your grill at medium high heat, and throw the steak down.  You can do the pretty cross marks if you like (you get that by moving the steak at a 45 degree angle every so often.)  I'm not going to tell you how long to cook your steak...as I don't know what kind you have, how thick it is, etc...you can look up suggested cooking times in cookbooks or online.  I prefer my steak medium rare, so it's usually for a 1" to 1 and 1/2" steak, 3 to 5 minutes on each side depending on how hot my grill is.  Serve with a salad, some bread you heated on the grill, and some of those grilled veggies and a cold beverage.  Perfection.

So get out there and bbq....spring and summer are calling!