Road Recipes: BBQ and more
I BBQ every weekend and enjoy using my charcoal BBQ the most. I have a gas one as well but find it dries the food as it seems to cook with hot air as opposed to radiant heat from the charcoal.
Cooking Tip: Removing the skin and |
BBQ
Hot Dogs...hot and fast. Remember they are already dead, you don't have to kill them.
Chicken...A slice of lemon or lime under skin to marinate it while it cooks. This is a must! You will hardly taste the lemon.
Steak...I find everybody has a different and successful way of doing steak. I have include 4 different ways here.
- Hot and fast, but only after braising in a frying pan or charcoal flame.
- On a very hot (as hot as you can get it) grill each side 3 minutes. Remove and let steaks rest approx 20 minutes to four hours -covered with foil- in a marinade if you like. Put back on a hot grill for 2 minutes each side just before serving. This works well because actual cooking time is reduced. Steaks will be cooked evenly as they are cooking while they rest.
- Grill on each side very hot and the reduce heat to low for 15 minutes.
- Place steaks in the smoker for 2 hours and then grill off on high. Or in a gas grill for 1 hour on low 200f and then grill off.
Steak Marinade... Not big on marinades but here is a simple effective one. Sprinkle with Jack Daniels, salt, pepper and a little sugar. Let rest for a couple of hours and then stuff-see below
Surf and turf... Follow marinade above but slice steak open creating a pocket. Stuff with the meat from one king Crab leg, feta cheese, butter and salt/ pepper.
Veggies...Cook these first. Leave large or whole and leave the skin on the onions. Grill hot and fast. Cut up and drizzle with your favorite salad dressing. Marinate and reheat in micro before serving.
Salmon...I prefer fresh steaks but often end up with a fillet. I marinate with a home made teriyaki sauce and grill. Place on a new piece of cedar (1\2 to 3\4") on the grill, no need to flip. Either way cook till soft and flaky. A filet should take 45 min on a cedar plank on high. My wife did the same recipe wrapping in tinfoil was surprisingly tasty! Not big on foil.
Lamb rack...Marinade in oil, white wine and Thyme. does anybody really know what thyme it is?) Braise 2 minutes and 20 minutes hot (375) grill. Suck it through a straw.
Roasted Garlic...wrap a whole head loosely in tin foil and Q or a cold oven @300 for 1 hour.
Turkey...
12-15lb Turkey on the rotisserie. 5 hours at 275-325f First half hour at 350-375f to sear the skin. Salt skin and/or use Montreal chicken spice for a crisp skin. After much discussion we stuffed it with bread stuffing and this turned out very well. Stove top is a poor second choice. Cut the wings off if you need room but they can be tasty using this method. Use bottom burners (offset) only as the vertical burner will be too close to the turkey. Use a pan with water to catch the dripping. Add some wet wood chips in a small tin foil basket. The smoke and steam create an acid that will tenderize the turkey. On a Weber you can use the rear and front burner and this works quite well on low
Pork...Slow as with Chicken and Back "Canadian" Bacon. Remember white meat "slow"
Ribs... Wrap in foil (double so they don't leak) Place on grill for 25 min. each side at 300F Unwrap and grill for 5 min each side with sauce . Alternate. After initial 50 minute slow cook marinade or night and then simply grill to heat up.
Pig Roast.. (This is Portuguese style-so I have been told) The pig is in the wooden box. I lined it with aluminum. I have tested it up to 500F and the wood temperature remained at 120F. I maintained a temperature of 300F while cooking the pig and chickens. The stainless steel rod and angle to keep the chickens from slipping is 18 inches off the coals and they cook very slowly. I may make a combination hood and side shield. The coals lay on a 24 gauge metal tray with a bend at the edges. This sits on fiber rope for a fireplace door. Structure is approx. 2' x 4'
Ingredients
15 LB pig
1 box salt
1 bag pepper
5 heads of garlic
5 chickens
Potatoes
Twine
2 large bags of lump charcoal
Preparation
Place pig in large Rubbermaid container fetal positions
Cover with water and box of salt
Let sit 24 hours
Rinse
Hang to dry 6 hours in washroom morning of roasting
Baste from inside with mix
Mix in blender…
1 lb lard (A small pig is lean)
5 Heads of garlic
1 T Salt
1 Small bag of pepper
Roasting the Pig
Put mix inside and tie up with twine
Insert wooden rod through pig and nail head to rod
Roast for 2-3 hours (approx 2 large bags of LUMP charcoal)
Turn every 15 minutes
Place parboiled potatoes underneath to the side, not underneath
Place 4 chickens on top rotisserie.
Salt them once as they start to cook for a great crisp skin.
Smoking
Smoking meat on Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker (WSM)
This can be done in a few simple but critical steps.
Step 1 is to light your charcoal in a Weber chimney using 3 sheets of newsprint crumpled up in the bottom. I use lump charcoal as I don't like the gritty sand from the briquettes. A large can with both ends cut out might work in a pinch if you don't have a proper chimney.
Step 2 is to add more coal to the burning coals. If you mound up the center area you will end up with a fairly hot 250 F burn for 8 hours. 3/4 full will will get you you a cooler 225F for 6 hours. Wait for these to ignite before adding water and meat. Close bottom vents for the first couple hours. You want to "bank" a hot fire not keep a small fire burning hot. I use the garden hose to top up the water reservoir.
Step 3 would be to repeat step 1 You will probably notice that the coals have extinguished themselves as they have run out of oxygen. I have noticed that when it is raining I have a better burn. I keep the WSM under a shelter if raining. Experience, understanding, patience and flexibility really counts with this type of BBQ.
Notes:
The top area will be the hottest
The water and smoke creates an acid and this is what will make the meat tender.
It is not necessary to actually see a lot of smoke.
Be flexible. If you have built too hot of a fire, delay adding meat or place in lower section.
Know your meat. Turkey being fattier can probably take a little more heat were as pork cannot.
A 12-15 lb turkey would be a great beginner meat.
Start out buy doing at least one complete smoke with no meat. It will reduce tension and you will a learn a lot at little expense.
A simple Weber thermometer will give you an idea of the heat pattern. You should see it hit 350F for approx 1/2 hour then reduce rapidly to $225
If using on a wood deck wet the deck or place a water pan underneath.
Pork Recipe adapted for the WSM
Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Melted Apples
Marinate: Overnight
Active preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 2½ to 3 hours
1 tablespoon fennel seed, toasted and finely ground
2 teaspoons black peppercorns, cracked
2 tablespoons packed, fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, lightly chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, passed through a press
2 tablespoons salt, plus more for seasoning
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium all-purpose apples
1 medium yellow onion
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
Trim sinew and all but ¼-inch of fat from pork shoulder. Put the pork on a sheet pan.
- In a small bowl mix together the ground fennel seed, cracked peppercorns, thyme and rosemary leaves, pressed garlic, 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir until the mixture is uniform. (Rosemary will overpower the fennel so don't worry about a strong licorice taste.)
- Rub the mixture evenly over the pork shoulder inside and out. Wrap the pork shoulder tightly in plastic wrap to hold the marinade against the skin and marinate overnight (or up to two days).
- Preheat the oven to WSM to 225°.
- Peel, halve and core the apples. Cut each half into 4 equal wedges. Place the wedges in a baking dish. Peel and trim the onion. Cut in half and cut each half into 12 thin wedges. Mix with the apples. Toss the apples and onions with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and top up with water to just cover mixture.
- Smoke meat for for 5-6 hours on lower (cooler) rack until the pork shoulder is very tender and pulls apart easily when probed with a fork.
- Place backing dish with apple on top shelf
- Transfer the pork shoulder to a serving plate. Mash apples. If more liquid is desired, add a little water. The apples will be so soft that they will break down.
Serves 4-6 with leftovers.
Source: Napa chef Maria Helm Sinskey, Wall St. Journal 9-24-05
Simply Recipes http://www.elise.com/recipes/Dry aged roast for the WSM
Rinse and dry off roast
Wrap in cheesecloth
Place on wire rack for proper air circulation
Put in fridge for 4-6 days In meat compartment
Before cooking:
Cut fat in a cris-cross pattern
Heavily salt and pepper
I put in fridge Sunday and Smoked on Friday night.
I let it rest and then cut into steaks and BBQ
My fridge is at 40f
I have read many articles on this subject and they all say the same thing:
Fridge must be at max of 38f and they let the meat age much longer.
This worked for me and the meat had a meatier taste than cooking immediately
Tip: This could be smoked or roasted the day before cutting and BBQ
Roasting
Turducken
A one night course set me up for success. We stuffed the birds with three different sausage force meat stuffing. There are a lot of sites on this subject for you to discover. In this case we removed the leg bone up to the first joint and stuffed the leg. We also Frenched the wings. 25 pounds of friggin' meat! Be sure to have a heavy needle and twine for lacing up the meat. More pictures to come once we cut in this mother of all meats. If I made again I would consider removing all bones as they got in the way when carving. I might do it again with just a Duck and Chicken ( Ducken!) Notes on how to cook are below. BTW Half of this fed 30 people!
Stuffing Recipes
All three contained ground sausage (4lbs force meat) 60% lean meat, 30% fat and 10% flavorings.
You can probably buy a sausage meat to the correct fat ratio.
Roughly divide up 2 lbs. of sausage meat
Turkey: to 1.5 lbs add Sage, Thyme and Roasted Garlic
Duck: to 1 lb add Preserved Fruit and White Wine.
Chicken to .5 lbs. add Mushroom and Caramelized onion and (heavily with) salt pepper
Also sprinkle meat with salt before folding in stuffing.
How to cook:
Salt heavily with course salt and sprinkle liberally with Montreal Chicken spice
On rack uncovered in BBQ ( in oven cover to avoid mess) with smoke
1st hour 400f
9.5 hour at 250F-275F
Internal temp 160f
Rest 1 hour
To carve 1/4 and slice across the roast.
Notes on Cook:
Meat was still quite cold but fully defrosted when starting. If cooking partially defrosted meat will be dry.
Salt heavily with course salt and sprinkle liberally with Montreal Chicken spice
I cooked this in the BBQ uncovered in a very large roasting pan that I purchased from a restaurant supply.
I preheated the BBQ until the wood chips started smoking.
I placed the bird seam side up on a rack that had very long grab handles. I tied these at the top and it gave the bird a nice shape.
I set the temp on Weber to Low on the front burner. It took about 1 hour to cool down to 250f It stayed there for about 6 hours until the sun came out strong and then drifted up to 275f. After cooking for about 9 hours I cranked up the heat again near the end as we where getting hungry.
To avoid this plan on a 10.5 hour cook and 1 hour rest. Internal temp should be 160f and we just barely reached it.
Roast was cooked well though and extremely moist and tender. There was very little pan juice so use the recipe below for gravy.
When cooking outside you must beware of outside temp as it will effect the cooking time.
Turkey Gravy
 | 5 cups Turkey stock |
| 1-cup water |
| 1/2-cup flour |
| 1 tsp poultry seasoning |
| 1 tsp salt |
| ½ tsp pepper |
| ¼ tsp celery salt or seed |
| 1/2 tsp instant coffee |
| 2 TBSP oil |
| 2 TBSP butter |
Can be prepared ahead
On medium heat in medium saucepan add oil and butter
Melt butter and add flour
Whisk for 5 minutes until brown
Add water and continue to whisk
Add seasoning and stock and bring to a boil
remove from heat and refrigerate or use immediately
Notes: makes about twice as much as you would need for 15 people. Considering halving.
Gumbo
Gumbo is everything caramel.
Cooked vegetables, flour and meat that are caramelized
½ Cup Grape Seed oil
¾ Cup flour
2 Liters turkey stock (homemade)
2 Medium onions
5 Celery ribs, chopped
1 Green bell pepper, chopped
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Pinch Cayenne or 2 Tsp hot sauce
I Chicken breast
4 Italian sausages
½ Pound scallops
1 Pound shrimp, peeled
6 Green onion, chopped
½ Cup coarsely chopped parsley
2 Bay leaves
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
(1/2 Teaspoon dried basil)
2 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
(1 teaspoon dried thyme)
2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
File powder (thickener)
Prep Time ½ Hour
Cook Time 4 Hours
Step One
In a hot cast iron pan over medium heat add a little oil and butter.
Cook the onions until caramelized
Add minced garlic
Add green pepper and celery
Cover and continue to cook until tender
Approx 30-45 minutes
Step Two
Quickly sear sausage, chicken and scallops in oil
Set aside while preparing other ingredients
Step three (making the Roux)
To a soup pot over medium preheat ½ cup of oil
When hot whisk in ¾ cup flour
Continue to whisk continually, cook until brown
If black specks appear start over
Step Four
Gradually add stock
Cook over low heat for 45 minutes
Do not stir
Remove scum
Step Five
Gradually add vegetables
Bring to a boil and add Bay leaf,
Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning, parsley, thyme and basil and hot sauce.
Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes
Stir occasionally
Step Six
Stir in shrimp, chicken, sausage, green onion
Simmer 10 minutes until shrimp turn pink
Discard bay leaf
Step Seven
Let cool and reheat before serving
Sprinkle with File powder if too thin (do not re-boil after adding)
Serve over rice
Appetizers
Keg Style Escargot From Frank K. Played by Egidio Tari in "72 Hours"
Make 6 or more
| 2 Can of large size escargot (snails) |
| Medium mushroom caps ( do not wet) |
| ½ LB butter or more |
| 1/3 of an egg ? |
| 1 TSBP Mustard powder |
| 1 tsp Anchovy paste |
| 1 TBSP Capers |
| ½ tsp Tarragon |
| ½ tsp Curry |
| ½ tsp Paprika |
| ½ tsp Garlic powder |
| 1 tsp Parsley |
| 2 finely chopped Garlic cloves |
| 2 TBSP finely chopped Gherkin pickles |
| 2 TBSP finely chopped onion |
| 1 TBSP Lemon juice |
| Sliced lemon for each plate |
Remove lid and drain Escargot. Rinse and repeat
Combine all ingredients in food processor
Melt butter and add to mixture
Mix until smooth
Preheat oven to 425
Place dishes on a cookie sheet
Fill escargot dishes with snails
Place caps on top
Spoon mixture overtop until wells are full
Cook for approx 20 minutes or until well browned
Notes:
Using more butter will make a foamier sauce
Reserve sauce makes an excellent dipping sauce uncooked
Dessert
Southern Apple Crumble
Ingredients: 5 Granny smith Apples, 1 cup of Pecans, 1 of Oatmeal, 1/2 cup Sugar, 1/2 stick of Butter, Cinnamon
- Butter pan
- Slice 5 granny smith apples
- Place half of these in pan
- Sprinkle with chopped pecans, oatmeal, sugar, cinnamon and diced cold butter.
- Fill with remaining apples and repeat step 4
- Bake at 350 for one hour
Serve with Maple Walnut Ice Cream
Can also be used as a filling.
Mandarin Orange Cake
| 2 cups flour |
| 2 cups white sugar |
| 2 tsp. baking powder |
| 1 tsp. salt |
| 2 tsp. vanilla |
| 2 eggs |
| 2 cans drained mandarin oranges |
Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Grease and flour 9 x 13 in. pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
Topping: Bring to a boil for 3 minutes Puncture cake all over with a fork. Pour topping over cake.
| 3 tbsp. butter |
| 3 tbsp. milk |
| 3/4 cup brown sugar |
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Extra Stuff
Slow Cooker
Puerco Pibil
Yucatan pulled pork.
From the “Movie Once upon a time in Mexico”
I have made a few changes as noted below. I made this recipe four times before I was completely happy with it.
Achito paste
In a coffee grinder (You can clean out the grinder by grinding some course salt)
5 T Annatto seed
2 t Cumin seed
1 T Pepper
8 Allspice seed
½ t Cloves
1 Habanera peppers (or any hot pepper) scraped clean of seeds and veins and chopped. Or 4 Jalapeno pepper and seeds.
½ Cup Orange juice
½ Cup White vinegar
2 T Course salt
8 cloves Garlic
5 lemons juiced by hand (Using a juicer takes longer and you would only use 3 lemons as it is more efficient)
Splash of Gold Tequila (I find alcohol dries the meat so I use sparingly)
Mix all of above in blender
5-8lbs Pork butt cubed 1” Original recipes says 2” or slightly larger but since I have reduced the temperature I cut the meat smaller. This made a big difference to the taste
Add mixture to meat
Marinate in 2 large Ziploc bags overnight
325 seems too high for pork and I don’t like it stringing and course so
Place meat and sauce in slow cooker on low for 5 hours and then I leave it to rest for 1-2 hours before eating or to eat a few days later. It gets better every day
Serve over a bed of sticky rice
I have also added a sauce as below.
Easy Buns
I like to use Pillsbury crescent rolls
I sprinkle cookie sheet with Cornmeal
I sauté some onions and sprinkle on top.
Shred some Cheddar on top as well
Bake as normal
Scalloped Tomatoes
| 3lb Tomatoes (about 6) |
| ¼ t Garlic powder |
| Salt & Pepper |
| 1 ½ t all purpose Flour |
| 1 lb (450g) Ricotta Cheese |
| ¾ C Parmesan cheese –grated |
| 2 Egg yolks |
| 1 ½ t Oregano |
| 3T fresh Basil chopped |
| 1C fresh white Bread crumbs |
| 2T Butter –melted |
Slice tomatoes ¼ “ thick, drain on paper towel.
Line bottom of lightly greased 9X9 pan with Tomatoes, Cutting small pieces to fill spaces.
Sprinkle with S&P and Garlic and 1/2t Flour
Mix Ricotta With Egg yolks, Parmesan and Oregano
Spread ¾ Cup of mixture over Tomatoes
Top with 1T Basil
Repeat layers twice, finishing with Tomatoes
Top with bread crumb and butter mixed together
Bake @375F for 45-50 minutes
Let rest before serving
Paris Hilton Tangy Pear and (Hilton) Blue Cheese Salad
INGREDIENTS:
| President's Choice Raspberry Vinaigrette |
| 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped, or package of spring mix |
| 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese |
| 2 bartlett pears - peeled, cored and chopped in cubes (get the |
| 1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts |
| 1/2 red onion, chopped |
DIRECTIONS:
In a large serving bowl, toss together lettuce, blue cheese, pears, walnuts, and red onion. Pour dressing over salad, and toss well to coat.
Maple-Glazed Yams with Pecan Topping
Half recipe pictured. This one comes from an old issue (December 1998) of Bon Appétit magazine.
What's the difference between sweet potatoes and yams? See this explanation. This site has some good information about sweet potatoes and yams as well. It looks as if what we buy in our local store is almost always a variety of sweet potato and not a true yam at all.
| 4 lbs of yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes), peeled, cut into 1/4 inch rounds |
| 1/2 cup pure maple syrup |
| 8 Tbsp (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces |
| 1/3 cup all purpose flour |
| 1/3 cup packed brown sugar |
| 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans |
2 Arrange yams in baking dish, overlapping pieces. Sprinkle with salt. Pour maple syrup over yams. Dot with 3 Tbsp of butter. Bake until yams are almost tender, about 25 minutes.
3 Mix flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add remaining 5 Tbsp of butter. Rub in with fingers until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Mix in pecans.
4 Sprinkle pecan mixture over yams. Bake yams until tender, about 20 minutes.
Serves 12.
Note: can be made ahead. Do steps 1-3 the night before. The next day bring the yams to room temperature in the microwave, sprinkle the mixture over the top, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Hot Cranberry Sangria
Adapted from Century home magazine8 Cups Cranberry Juice
2 Cups Orange Juice
1 Liter dry red wine. (Chianti)
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1/2 -1 Teaspoon whole cloves
1 Pinch Nutmeg
2 Oranges cut in wedges
1 Lemon cut on wedges
1 Cup of Cranberries
Heat all ingredients in a crock-pot on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Turn heat down to warm
Filled with fruit and infused with warm spices, this drink is great for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
All this beer and BBQ can jack up your uric acid levels. Drinking lots of water with lemon slices will help prevent and cure Gout. They say water will also increase your metabolism if you drink around a meal. |
Wine
This guide from Early to Rise...
| Drink red wine from large glasses (to ensure proper "breathing"). Straight-lipped stemware - which directs the wine to the center of the tongue - is best for highly tannic reds with moderate acidity. (Think Bordeaux and Cabernet Franc.) Stemware with a slightly flared top lip - which directs the wine to the tip of the tongue - is best for reds with high acidity and moderate tannin. (Think Burgundy and Beaujolais Grand Cru.) |
| Drink white wine from medium-sized glasses. Straight-lipped stemware is best for whites with full body and moderate acidity. (Think Chardonnay, White Burgundy, and Pinot Blanc.) Stemware with a slightly flared top lip is best for light, fruity, acidic whites. (Think Pinot Grigio, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc.) |
Cocktails
As with any recipe it is the quality not the quantity of the ingredients. If you or a friend visit Mexico vanilla is a absolute must have item.
| A simple great Martini is made by filling shaker with ice. Fill almost to the brim with Vodka -I use Stoli brand- Now top up with Vermouth. On the next batch you can adjust the vermouth. If the went down to fast and where a little sweet use less. If don't like the dry taste add a little more. |
| Coffee Martini This is more of a blender drink. This my version of a drink we had at Bonefish. Equal parts -I used 1 cup- of Espresso, Kailua, Crème de cacao, Stoli's Vodka plus a splash of pure vanilla from Mexico. Mix in blender and chill. Remix and serve. It will have a nice foamy head. |
| Rye and Ginger. Rye whisky and Home made ginger ale. 2 Cups each Grated ginger, sugar and water. 8 Cloves. Reduce by half over medium heat. Strain and top up to 2 liters with water. Chill. Optional: Keep as a syrup and add Club Soda. |
