2009.03.13
It's that time
www.amazon.com
I'm going to the beach for a long weekend soon and can hardly wait to see the ocean. I know it probably won't be warm yet, but summer is close enough to put on jeans and a t-shirt and make the most of some time away.
This particular group of friends is a special one. We try to meet up annually on the shores of North Carolina, and my husband always makes his specialty, filet oscar. Howard is just about the finest griller of steaks I've ever known. On top of the filet, he piles lump crab meat, freshly steamed asparagus and hollandaise sauce.
I've made dessert in the past, but usually the gut just can't take anymore.
Filet oscar season is almost upon us. I must give away a cookbook honoring the beauty of a rich chunk of meat on the grate of a roaring grill. How about "Grill It! Recipes. Techniques. Tools" by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby?
If you're interested in winning this cookbook, send in a comment describing your favorite meal off the grill. Deadline is Tuesday at 9 a.m. The winner will be randomly drawn.
Have a VERY LUCKY St. Patrick's Day weekend!
Favorite thing off the grill? Well, that's sort of a tough question since anything off the grill is good! Ok, well, maybe not if it's burned...but that's the only exception really. For me, my favorite thing is my homemade burgers. I get the highest quality ground beef that I can, usually a ground sirloin 90/10 mix. I find that it’s got just enough fat to cook up really juicy, but not so much that its low quality like the 70/30. I take the beef, and add several spices like garlic, onion, parsley, a touch of salt, paprika, and some chili pepper, a healthy splash of Worcestershire sauce, and sometimes a dash of liquid smoke (if I am not already using hickory, mesquite, or apple wood chips). I press out the burgers in a burger press and toss them on the grill at a medium/low heat so they don’t get overdone outside before the inside is cooked. When they get nearly done, I toss on a slice of cheddar, and throw some sliced onions and the burger buns on the grill. Once the buns get toasted, I pull the burger & onions off, assemble with homegrown tomatoes & lettuce, and a touch of mayo…and that is a heck of a good burger. On a simpler side, I do a bbq chicken recipe that uses only cider vinegar, salt, ground black pepper, garlic, and oil. I splash/spoon the sauce on the chicken after putting it on the grill. The oil burns off leaving the vinegar & spices in the chicken, and they get a nice smoky flavor with the tang of the vinegar and spices. It’s simple, but very good. As for steaks, any good cut of steak (I like ribeye, porterhouse, and filets) cooked over a low flame with wood chips for smoke flavor, simply salted with no other spices or flavors, and it’ll beat any steakhouse steak I’ve ever had.
Comment by Other John — March 13, 2009 @ 2:34 pm
I have to say my very fave concoction from the grill is my ven-veg shish-kebobs. I use large, non-stick skewers and alternate with whatever is fresh from the garden (squash, mushrooms, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, potatoes, onions, garlic cloves, whatever!) with marinated chunks of venison. I brine the venison first for about 12 hrs., then marinate the venison for 24 hrs. or so in a mix of 1/2 C. Italian dressing, 2 cloves crushed fresh garlic, 1/4 C. rough-chopped fresh herbs (chives, basil, cilantro, rosemary), a few splashes (1/8 C??) of soy sauce, 1 T. crushed fresh ginger, juice of 1 lime, and 1/2 C. red wine or 6 oz. strong beer. You can also use stew beef or chunks of round or flank steak, and I have occasionally used large (12-18 ct.) shrimp or scallops instead of red meat. If you don't have skewers, you can put the veggies in a foil pouch with a sprinkling of the marinade and grill them that way. And I have to agree - just a good, ol' lean tasty steak is mighty hard to beat, as well! My grill 'died' this winter - I've had it for more than 11 yrs. - I will have to get a new one, and soon!! And Lindsey, you gotta invoke the battle here - gas grill vs. charcoal?? I vote for charcoal hands down - no flavor like it anywhere!!
Comment by Julie — March 13, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
My favorite is Boston Butt hicory smoked for at least an hour a pound at low heat. I use a Smokey Joe electric smoker. I have a very accurate Taylor thermometer and maintain 180-190 deg. I make my own rub and sauce, and you know how we guard the recipies for those. I will say this, my sauce uses Apple butter instead of catsup,I get my apple butter from friends who make it at home in the Blue Ridge Mtn's, and my pulled pork is never leftover. I think people stuff it in their pockets to take home when I'm not looking.
Comment by Charles Thigpen — March 13, 2009 @ 3:17 pm
There's just nothing better than a good ole hamburger off the grill. My husband uses some steak seasoning and yum yum! That's a toss up with Grilled Chicken marianated in Italian dressing, both weekly suppers!
Comment by Becky — March 13, 2009 @ 3:56 pm
My mouth is watering just reading these comments. Keep 'em coming!!
Comment by Lindsey Nair — March 13, 2009 @ 4:13 pm
Two words...Rib Eye. I cure the steaks with kosher salt, rinse them, pepper them and grille 'em. Amen!
Comment by Jim D — March 13, 2009 @ 4:50 pm
My husband makes the most delicious shrimp and steaks on the grill - he uses a recipe called Beer n' Brown Sugar Marinade from allrecipes.com. He is usually a terrible cook but he is really good at grilling and it's even more delicious because he's so excited about it, and I don't have to do anything but eat!
Comment by Michelle — March 14, 2009 @ 10:16 am
Jim D, Two words for you: oooohh, baby!
Comment by Julie — March 14, 2009 @ 10:19 am
My favorite all-time meal is wonderful grilled veggies...chunks of potatoes, some carrots, corn on the cob, sweet onions, a few multi-colored slices of peppers, some salt and pepper and doused with lemon-pepper olive oil and a few pats of butter.
Wash all veggies and cut up in chunks and place in heavy-duty aluminum foil and close tightly. Place on medium-hot grill and cook until nice and tender.
Serve with a small tenderloin steak or just eat by themselves...absolutely wonderful!
Comment by Anita — March 14, 2009 @ 10:50 am
Something different than the usual fare, ham steaks. And pineapple. Grilled pineapple is the best.
Comment by pmac — March 14, 2009 @ 10:18 pm
First, let me agree w/ Julie: CHARCOAL hands down! No gas grill for me. I have a "chimney" charcoal starter and it does a really good "no fuss" job! Now for the food. My favorite is a bacon wrapped filet, which I marinate for a few hours in Allegro (orig. flavor) straight off of the shelf in the grocery store. No secrets, just cook it to taste over charcoal and serve! I like it w/ a baked potato that is brushed w/ butter, sprinkled w/ kosher salt, and then wrapped and baked in alum. foil. Second favorite is a chicken breast that I marinate in Italian dressing, cook over charcoal, and serve w/ "Carolina Treet" brand BBQ sauce. Again straight off of the shelf, it's a "South Carolina" style sauce, a bit tart, and it goes really well w/ that chicken! I'll stop here, I'm making me want food and it's 12:30 at night! But boy oh boy, we can also do a mean burger or thick boneless pork loin chop....
Comment by (first) Dennis — March 14, 2009 @ 11:23 pm
Ground sirloin mixed with a liberal amount of A-1 Steak Sauce, a touch of brown mustard, a hefty amount of black pepper and a dash heavy cream.
Mix thoroughly and form into burgers.
Grill those babies over some charcoal and serve on a potato bun.
Keep the ketchup away and pair with a zinfandel. Don't forget a decent cheese!
Comment by Jason P — March 15, 2009 @ 9:18 am
just got home today from oak island!!!! i have a great marinade for a steak! these are just estimates it's a recipe that goes on taste. (you can do equal parts of each)... soy sauce (which tenderizes the steak) worcestershire sauce A1 sauce minced onions and a little steak seasoning. mix it all together and marinade! u wont be disappointed!!!!! while in oak island we ate at a wonderful mexican restaurant and they had a california quesadilla... it had shrimp, onions, cheese, refried beans, and scrambled egg (THIS MADE THE DISH) and was grilled in a tortilla shell!!! it all blended so well!!! we have eaten it several times and i never would have thought it would be sooo good and after leaving wish i could figure out how to recreate it and wishing they had some of these dishes here in roanoke!!! (i know some mexican restaurants here have shrimp...but its not the same... it was FRESH for one and made so different) ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!! we went with friends and they were so impressed and couldnt believe that mexican food had shrimp and scrambled egg!
Comment by rsuggs132 — March 15, 2009 @ 7:39 pm
Mine is simple but mouth watering. Ribs of about any kind smeared with BBQ sauce slow cooked on a charcoal grill. Yummm! I wait to cook these when I go camping. About every time I cook ribs at a campground people walking past say how great they smell.
If I'm wanting to go cheap then there is the old stand by burgers. Sprinkle Montreal seasoning on the meat and paddy them up. Cook on the charcoal grill. I have diced up a potato, put Lipton onion soup mix on it with a some water. Wrap them up in foil and cook that over the campfire. I get the most creative when camping and do some of my best cooking out doors. Food always tastes best out doors cooked over some kind of fire.
Comment by Mike D — March 15, 2009 @ 11:32 pm
hard question...but I want the cookbook...so my final answer is slow cooked chicken. Preheat the grill, then turn one side off and the other side to the lowest setting. Take two cut up chickens, liberally rubbed with whatever spice mix happens to appeal, and place on the turned off side of the grill. Close the lid. Come back in two hours for the nicest crispy chicken you ever saw...
Comment by Win — March 16, 2009 @ 6:15 am
WOW I am salivating on my keyboard reading all these comments!
I have two submissions - one is a recipe of our own and the other I have to give credit to our friends.
First, last summer we had a whole rainbow trout in our freezer so we decided to grill it with our friends. We had two basil plants that sprouted up and grew wild in our front flower bed (seriously, we did not plant them & they grew better than the basil we had tried to cultivate in the previous 2 summers!). So, I made some homemade pesto, and my husband stuffed the trout with the pesto, then grilled it in our grill basket. Oh. My. God. It was so wonderful - smoky from the grill, but the inside was so tender and flavorful from the fresh pesto. Our friends are not big fish lovers, other than salmon, and they were won over!
One of our other favorites is flat iron steak with a topping of tomatoes, cilantro, pepper jack cheese and a secret spice blend my friend will not reveal! Her husband grills the steaks first, then during the last few minutes they steaks get the topping and go back on the grill to melt the cheese.
We also love grilled corn and grilled Anaheim peppers. The peppers are especially good with steak.
For dessert, I love pineapple marinated in dark rum & brown sugar, then grilled and topped with whipped cream. I think this method would also be really good with peaches.
Comment by Lori — March 16, 2009 @ 8:35 am
Anything from the grill is good! One of my neighbors was grilling the other day and I could smell the distinct odor of barbeque chicken. It made me want to crash their dinner!!
Comment by Kim — March 16, 2009 @ 10:35 am
Our favorite from the grill is country style pork ribs. We use a dry rub then grill. Then add our favorite BBq sauce.
Comment by Gayle — March 16, 2009 @ 10:37 am
OK, I'm drooling now, too! I'm getting such great ideas from everyone posting here for this summer's versions of grillin' & chillin' - I can't wait to try them all
I don't think that cookbook can have anything on these posts, but I'd take it anyway if I won - who can't use another cookbook?? What a great diversion for such a dreary day...
Comment by Julie — March 16, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
I don't have a grill now. Can folks recommend a decent-quality charcoal grill that isn't super expensive? Specific brand-name and model suggestions that I could shop for in the NRV, and warnings about what to stay away from, would be the most helpful. I'd be grilling mainly chicken in its various forms, and vegetables. Thanks in advance to you expert grillers.
Comment by Molly — March 16, 2009 @ 7:08 pm
I know it's too late to win the cookbook but that's alright. I MUST say CHARCOAL is the ONLY way to grill a good steak.
I usually have 10 or 12 oz. ribeyes. I lightly coat both sides with garlic powder, just a little onion powder, and a "touch" fresh ground black pepper. Wrap one slice of uncooked bacon around the steak. (from botton to top.) Wrap this in plastic wrap and allow it to reach room temp.
Get the charcoal "white" hot. Grill some large slices of red & green peppers, yellow squash, red onion, and maybe some asparagus. Lightly coat the vegetables in cooking oil before placing them on the grill, with a light coating of fresh ground pepper.
Grill for about 3 to five minutes turning often until grill marks appear and they (the veggies) are cooked but still crisp. Remove the veggies from the grill and coat with some balsamic vinaigrette.
Put the steaks (with bacon) on the hot grill for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Be sure bacon is crisp. Only turn once. Remove and serve with the vegetables and a nice glass of Pino Noir.
This is really good stuff!
Thanks,
Jeff
Comment by Jeff — March 17, 2009 @ 11:27 am
My favorite item to grill is lamb chops. You can get great ones from New Zealand at Ukrops and the butcher will cut them for you. They are great as is, but I love to marinate them. I use (and I never measure) a splash of rice wine vinegar, a splash of soy sauce, a healthy pinch of herbs de provence, a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes, a splash of extra virgin olive oil, some peppery steak seasoning, and some minced fresh garlic. Once marinated, grill a few minutes on each side and they are absolutely perfect. I serve them with buttery mashed potatoes or homemade risotto and some grilled mushrooms, and red and yellow bell peppers (marinated same as the lamb chops). My guests always love them!
http://www.newrivergourmet.com
Comment by Melissa — March 17, 2009 @ 11:50 am
Jeff, I used to be a charcoal only person (Kingsford, and I'd add some wood chips), and then switched to hardwood charcoal and found that to work even better because I could control the temperature a little better and it gave a nice smoky flavor with what was grilled, without needing to add wood chips since it was already wood I was using. Since then, I've switched to using propane with a smoker box that I fill with wood chips, and it's very hard for me to notice a difference between the 3 methods. My main reason for moving to propane was for convenience of saving time, since I love to grill but don't always have the time to get a charcoal fire set right to do it. After playing around with the flame height and amount of wood in the smoker box, I've got it to where everyone I cook for can't tell the difference, and are surprised when I tell them it's on a propane grill.
Comment by Other John — March 17, 2009 @ 1:07 pm