Patio Daddio BBQ

Beans On Bread

2010-04-26T23:18:00.033-06:00

Did I mention that I love beans? I do, and here is one of my favorite lazy meals that I fancied up a bit last night because the leftover planets were all in alignment.

My normal beans on bread typically amounts to some baked beans dumped on some bread and doused with hot sauce of an appropriate variety. On occasion I'll go the beanie weenie route. This time I'm going top-shelf with some leftover tri-tip from Sunday night, some new beans, and sauteed onions and peppers. Oh, and although we're going into tall cotton, we'll keep things well-grounded with a slather of Cheez Whiz.

Ingredients
4 Good hoagie rolls
1 can (21 oz) Bush's Black Bean Fiesta, undrained
1/2 lb Leftover grilled steak
1 bag (12 oz) Frozen peppers and onions
1/2 cup Cheez Whiz
1/4 cup Molasses
1 tsp Your favorite hot sauce
1 tsp Garlic salt
1 Tbsp Oil

Method
Preheat your oven to 350º.

Combine the beans, molasses and hot sauce in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.

Bring the beans to a simmer, uncovered, then reduce the heat to medium-low.

Slice the steak thin, then chop to approximately 3/4" and set aside.

Defrost the peppers and onions in the microwave and drain the liquid.

Heat the oil in a medium saute pan or on a griddle over medium-high heat.

Put the hoagie rolls on your middle oven rack.

Add the peppers and onions to the pan/griddle.

Season the veggies with the garlic salt and saute until they are just starting to brown around the edges (about five minutes).

Add the steak and the onion/pepper mixture to the beans.

Remove the rolls from the oven.

Smear the inside of each roll with Cheez Whiz and put them back in the oven.

Turn the oven to broil for about a minute.

Remove the cheesy rolls from the oven.

Ladle a good portion of the bean, veggie and steak mixture on the top of each roll.

Serve and enjoy!

Funky Refried Beans

2010-04-23T07:24:00.031-06:00

I love beans! I love all kinds of beans cooked just about any way. I love them steamed, sauteed, baked, fried and refried. Here is a quick recipe for the latter. These are refried beans taken to, dare I say it, another level. I generally hate that expression, but I couldn't resist. Sorry.

I normally try to say something more about the recipe at this point, but I'll be honest and say that I don't know what else to say. They are beans and they are good. There. That's all I've got.

Let's get crackalackin!

Ingredients
1 can (15 oz) Original Ranch Style Beans
1 can (10 oz) Rotel Tomato & Green Chilies, undrained
1/2 Medium red onion, diced
1/4 cup Water
2 tsp New Mexico chile powder
1 Tbsp Oil

Method
Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan.

Add the onions and saute until translucent.

Add the chile powder and saute until the onions just start to brown.

Add the Rotel and bring just to a simmer.

Add the beans and water then bring it back to a simmer.

Simmer covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mash the beans with a potato masher.

Adjust the consistency as needed by cooking uncovered or adding water.

Serve topped with a little grated cheddar or Colby-jack cheese and some sour cream (optional, but highly recommended).

Enjoy!

This would be a great side for my Broiled Tex-Mex Steak or East of Santa Maria Tri-Tip

April Festivities

2010-04-18T23:38:00.026-06:00

April is quite a month for us. We've got Easter, our anniversary, birthdays galore, taxes, and all kinds of other activities. Yesterday we celebrated one of those birthdays. Our youngest daughter, Chloe, is eight today.

She's eight today, but we had the big party yesterday. It all started at the local Build-A-Bear Workshop, and spilled over into lunch at Tucanos Brazilian Grill. If you have a Tucanos in your area, I highly recommend that you fast for three days and go there! It's one of those places where they bring you meat until you tell them to stop. Oh, and their salad bar is like doing nine holes of miniature golf. Suffice it to say that you'll leave very, very satisfied and then some. In fact, you might bring a wheelchair if you have one around the house.

A great time was had by all, and we are now the proud owners of a Zhu Zhu pet ranch/homeless shelter. We've got a whole herd of the little battery-operated rodents. I think I saw one of our cats eying one of them yesterday afternoon.

Tonight we had another hectic evening, so I decided to barbecue some simple chicken halves. I used Dirty Bird rub from my friend at Kosmo's Q, and it was great. If you are looking for a great MSG-free all-purpose barbecue seasoning, try it and thank me later.

Here's the yardbird just as it hit the table.

It was a good weekend, and I thank God for the family, provision, and undeserved mercy and grace that He has blessed us with.

Pulled Barbecue Beef (Chuckie)

2010-04-15T19:26:00.004-06:00

If you love barbecue you no doubt know all about pulled pork. Well, this is the same concept, but it's beef. Because it's made with a chuck roast, it's referred to as a "chuckie" in barbecue enthusiast circles.

As with all of the large cuts common to barbecue, there is a fervent debate between the "low-n-slow" and the "hot-n-fast" cooking advocates. As I mentioned last year in my Hot & Fast BBQ Beef Brisket post, I'm now firmly in the hot-n-fast crowd. I just can't justify tremendously long cooks when I can get the same results in a fraction of the time.

Call it what you want, and cook it however you feel comfortable, but the end result is succulent and flavorful.

Let's get on the bidness end of some steer!

Ingredients
1 large (2-3lb) Beef chuck roast (I recommend a 7-bone)
1/8 cup of your favorite BBQ seasoning, of course I recommend mine
1/2 cup Beer

Method
Season all sides of the roast liberally with the BBQ seasoning and pat it to make sure it adheres.

Put the roast in a large zip-top bag and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Start your fire and prepare for indirect cooking at medium-high heat (350-375º).

Add two small chunks of fruit wood (apple or cherry) and one small chunk of hickory to the fire about 10 minutes before you're ready to cook. Wood chips soaked for 30-60 minutes will work well, too. If you're using a gas grill, make a smoker pouch.

Cook the roast indirect until the internal temperature reaches 170-180º (about two hours).

At this point it should look something like this.

Pull off a five foot long piece of wide (18") heavy-duty foil and fold it in half to form a double layer.

Put the roast in the center of the foil.

Form a boat by folding all the edges up slightly.

Add the beer to the foil.

Bring the two long edges together and roll them toward the roast to form a seal.

Fold the short edges over the top of the rolled edges to close the packet.

Put the packet back on the grill/cooker and continue cooking indirect until the internal temperature reaches 200º.

Remove the packet from the grill and let rest for 15-20 minutes.

Gently open the packet (there's a lot of steam in there).

Pull the beef with forks and accessorize with your barbecue sides of choice.

Optional: Drain and de-fat the packet liquid then mix it with some of your barbecue sauce of choice. I think this sauce would be great here. Drizzle this over the pulled beef, or serve it on the side.

Enjoy!

Review: KCBS 25th Anniversary Cookbook

2010-04-13T22:51:00.021-06:00

The other day I was walking toward the front door of the house when I spied a large package propped up next to the door. Upon closer inspection I saw that it was for me, and it was from Simon & Schuster. Of course, that meant that a review book awaited. I ripped it open, and what you see above was inside -- The Kansas City Barbeque Society Cookbook, 25th Anniversary Edition

I am always happy to review books that are sent to me, but this one was a little more special. Although Ardie A. Davis, Paul Kirk and Carolyn Wells are listed as the authors, this is a collection of recipes from all across the KCBS barbecue world. As the title indicates, this is part of the celebration of 25 years of KCBS history.

Let me start by saying that this is a book that has a very "high school yearbook" feel to it. This is somewhat expected, given its anniversary nature. The design is nice and the layout is clean. Each recipe includes a snippet of information about the author and/or the food. Some contributors, like Paul Kirk, are clearly featured much more than others. This became more and more evident the further into it I went.

When viewed purely as a cookbook there are two glaring areas where it falls flat for me -- photography and creative recipes. Don't get me wrong, there are some bright spots, but many of the recipes are not all that inspiring. The photography is poor, period. I understand that the "high school yearbook" feel that I mentioned lends itself to a scrapbook approach, but pictures of the food are few and very far between. The ones that are there are mediocre at best. People enjoy the story behind the recipe, but they also need to see the end result. This is what makes a recipe compelling. The visual is what makes you want to try the recipe.

In the end it was honestly a letdown. I really appreciate the passion of the contributors, but the overall impression that I was left with was that it seemed thrown together. If you are looking for a book that tells snippets of the KCBS story with some good recipes in the mix, this might be for you. If you are after a serious barbecue cookbook, there are many others that will serve you much better.

Funnel Cakes - Two Ways

2010-04-10T11:17:00.034-06:00

Who can resist those soft and ever so slightly crispy rafts of fried dough? Most folks only get them one or two times a year at a fair or some other outdoor overeating extravaganza. That need not be the case. They are fun and fairly easy to make.

A wild hair emerged last night and I decided ditch the standard powdered sugar for dark chocolate ganache and lemon vanilla glaze.

Ingredients
1 1/3 cup Flour
3/4 cup Milk
1 Egg, beaten
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
Canola oil for frying

For the ganache
3 oz Good dark chocolate, chopped (I used Scharffen Berger Semisweet)
1/3 cup Heavy cream

For the glaze
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tsp Heavy cream
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon (about two tablespoons)
Pinch of salt

Method
Make the ganache by bringing the cream just to a simmer in a small sauce pan over medium heat.

Add the chocolate and remove the pan from the heat.

Let sit for five minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.

Whisk until smooth and completely incorporated.

Set aside and let cool.

Make the glaze by bringing all of the ingredients to a simmer in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat.

Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Adjust the sweetness with more sugar to taste.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

Now, on to the funnel cakes!

Heat two inches of oil to 375º in a large cast iron dutch oven.

Combine all of the batter ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

You want it to be thin enough to pour in a steady stream, but not too thin, so add more milk as needed. It should be about the consistency of a milkshake.

Put the batter in a pitcher for easy and safe pouring.

When the oil is ready, pour about 1/4 of the batter into the oil in a gentle and steady swirling motion.

Let the cake fry for about a minute, then gently flip it over.

Continue frying until the cake is a nice golden brown.

Remove the cake to a rack in a sheet pan.

Fry the remaining batter in batches. You can keep them warm in the oven.

Important: Let the oil temperature recover to 375º between each batch.

Drizzle each cake with the ganache, the glaze, or both.

Enjoy!

Warning! Eat too many of these and your heart will eventually look like this:

Finger Steaks

2010-04-07T22:49:00.028-06:00

Finger steaks were invented right here in my adopted hometown of Boise, Idaho. The story is that Milo Bybee, chef at Milo’s Torch Lounge, created them in 1957 as a means of disposing of leftover tenderloin.

To be completely honest, I really don't care who invented them and when; they are seriously good.

Many of you now have a look on your face that resembles a dog that just heard a strange noise. "What in the world is a finger steak?!", you ask.

It's simply a strip of steak that is battered and deep fried. Deep fried steak... Just sit there and let that marinate in your brain for a minute.

Yeah, it's way good.

I've eaten my fair share of finger steaks and, while the originals were apparently made with tenderloin, most are dry and forgettable. I decided to try to make a version that is true to its roots without breaking the bank.

My recipe calls for flat iron steak. It's a vastly under-appreciated cut that is often referred to as the second most tender steak on the steer. It offers great flavor and outstanding tenderness at a small fraction of the price of tenderloin. As an added bonus, it's long and slender shape and generally uniform thickness is tailor-made for finger steaks.

OK, that's enough history and anatomy. Let's get cookin'!

Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 lb Flat iron steak (or top round)
1 cup flour
1 Egg, beaten
1 1/2 Tbsp Seasoned salt (or a salty BBQ rub)
1 tsp Black pepper
1/4 cup Buttermilk
1/4 cup Dark beer
1 Tbsp Hot sauce (I use Frank's® Red Hot® or Crystal)

Method
Note: If you're using round steak, tenderize it with a meat mallet first.

Season each side of the steak with a teaspoon of the seasoned salt/BBQ rub.

Combine the flour, the remaining seasoned salt/BBQ rub, and pepper in a small bowl and mix well.

Combine the the buttermilk, beer, egg and hot sauce in another bowl and whisk to combine.

Cut the steak into half-inch wide strips that are about three or four inches long.

Dredge the steak strips in the flour mixture, then into the egg batter, then back into the flour.

Put the battered strips in a flat rimmed container pan and freeze. This really helps keep the batter intact when you fry them.

Deep fry the frozen steaks at 350º degrees until golden brown.

Tip: Fry in small batches (5-7 at a time) and keep them warm in a 175º oven on a rack in a sheet pan (as seen in the picture below).

Serve with french fries (of course) and cocktail or BBQ sauce for dipping.

Enjoy!

Peep Kabobs

2010-04-05T21:51:00.011-06:00

Yes folks, this is my contribution to the Peep silliness. Take some Peeps and throw in some bamboo skewers, a few Cadbury Creme Eggs, a box of graham crackers and a butane torch, and you've got yourself some Peep kabobs that quickly become smores.

This isn't so much a recipe as it is an excuse to play. I apologize for the poor pictures, but this was done on-the-fly.

Step 1: Assemble the necessary software.

Step 2: Skewer your yellow blobs of deliciousness.

Step 3: Acquire the fire and roast our little yellow friends until they are nicely caramelized and melting. They will tend to smoke and drip, so do this under a vent hood and over some foil or a sheet pan.

Ain't they purdy?

Put the gooey mass on half a graham cracker, top with a cracked Cadbury egg.

Hit it gently with the torch, top and enjoy!

That hooligan you see there is our middle daughter, Shelby. Her nickname is "Bling Bling", which I think speaks for itself.

Garlic Herb & Honey Butter

2010-04-03T10:22:00.051-06:00

Compound butters are a magical thing. They are brain-dead easy to make, but the results have a huge range of incredible applications.

This particular butter is intended to be served at the table for bread, but it would also be a great base for cheesy garlic bread. Just add some parmesan and cheddar, schmear, broil or grill and voila! Leave out the honey and it would be excellent as a elegant finish for grilled steak or fish.

Ingredients
1 lb Unsalted butter, softened
1 head Garlic, whole
1 handful Italian parsley, chopped fine (about 1/3 cup)
10 sprigs Thyme, stripped from the stem and minced
1 Tbsp Honey
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp White pepper
1/4 tsp Ground cayenne
Olive oil

Method
Preheat your oven to 325º.

Carefully cut off about 1/4" of the root end of the garlic head.

Make a loose foil nest that will hold the garlic cut-end-up (see the picture below).

Set the garlic in the nest and drizzle it with a little olive oil, then sprinkle with a dash of Kosher salt.

Roast on the center oven rack for one hour. Add an extra ten minutes or so if the head is overly large.

It should come out looking like this. Set it aside to cool.

When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze each clove out of the paper onto a cutting board. Remove any crusty bits from the browned ends and make sure none of the paper gets in the garlic.

Mash the garlic into a fine paste using the side of a knife. Again, check for and remove any crusty bits.

Put the butter, garlic, parsley, thyme, honey, pepper, cayenne, and one teaspoon of salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Tip: To get the thyme really fine and to release all of the flavor potential, I grind it with a mortar and pestle with a little Kosher salt added. The salt acts as an abrasive.

Stir until all of the ingredients are very well incorporated.

If the butter is really loose, put the bowl in the fridge for a while to firm up. Stir it occasionally until it's about the consistency of a milkshake.

Lay an 18" long piece of plastic wrap flat on your counter.

Note: You need to use plastic wrap that clings to itself really well. I use Stretch-Tite® from Costco, which is great stuff.

Pour all of the butter lengthwise down the center of the plastic wrap so that it forms a "row" (I don't know what else to call it). You want about four inches of margin on the long sides, and about six inches on the short sides.

I know, I should have take a picture of this step.

Gently fold the long edges of the plastic over the butter so that they overlap as much as possible. Smooth the overlapped edges to seal them, but be careful not to squeeze the butter.

Here's the fun and potentially dangerous part.

Twist each short end as if you are wrapping a candy. Once you get them started, hold each end in each hand, lift the log from the counter and twirl it in front of you (jump rope-style) until the twists meet the butter and the log is tight.

Put the log in the fridge for at least two hours to firm.

That's it! You now have some outstanding compound butter.

Thanks to our eldest daughter, Hailey, for her hand modeling and help in shooting these pictures. She did a fine, fine job. Way to go Hail!

New Recipe Layout

2010-04-02T23:40:00.005-06:00

I finally got tired of the recipe page layout, so I've updated it. It now has two columns of thumbnails with titles only (no descriptions) and better image frames. I think it's cleaner and looks more up-to-date. Tell me what you think.

Roasted Vegetable & Toasted Orzo Soup

2010-03-29T20:16:00.018-06:00

Soup season is all but over for me. I've always seen soup as a decidedly winter dish, so this is probably my last soup hurrah until fall.

The title is self-explanatory. It's a medley of roasted vegetables, toasted orzo and grilled chicken in a light chicken and tomato broth. I was tempted to call it "Roasted, Toasted & Grilled Chicken Soup", but that seemed sort of silly. In any event, it's pretty tasty and good for you.

Ingredients
12 cups Chicken stock
1 lb Orzo
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped medium
3 large Carrots, chopped medium
3 small Zucchini, chopped medium
3 small Yellow squash, chopped medium
2 Grilled boneless/skinless chicken breasts, chopped medium
1 large Yellow onion, chopped medium
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped fine
5 sprigs Thyme, stripped from stems
1 Tbsp Tomato paste
Light olive oil
Garlic salt
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Method
Preheat your oven to 350º.

Arrange all of the vegetables, except the carrots, on a large sheet pan.

Season the vegetables liberally with garlic salt.

And, of course we need a good dose of black pepper.

Drizzle a little olive oil over all of the vegetables.

Roast the vegetables on the middle oven rack for an hour.

While the vegetables are roasting, toast the orzo.

Using a paper towel, wipe the entire inside of a large non-stick skillet with a very small of oil.

Heat the pan over medium-high heat.

Add the orzo to the pan and toast, swirling and tossing often, until it is a very light brown.

Set the orzo aside to cool.

Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat.

Add about a tablespoon of oil and heat for a minute.

Add the carrots to the pot and saute until the edges just start to brown.

Add the stock, tomato paste, parsley and thyme to the pot.

Bring the stock to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Increase the heat and bring the stock just to a boil.

Add the orzo, and cook to al dente per the package directions.

When the pasta is al dente, add the roasted vegetables and chicken to the pot.

Turn the heat off, cover, and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with some nice cheesy garlic bread and enjoy!

You eyeballin' me, boy?!

The M.O.A.B.

2010-03-25T23:30:00.043-06:00

Folks, what you see here is not your average baked potato. Let me introduce The M.O.A.B. -- The Mother Of All Bakers. You see, that plate in the picture is 10 1/2 inches in diameter. We're talking about just under three pounds of loaded bacon-laden baker bliss.

I'm not normally one to jump on the over-the-top food bandwagon. This happened because of friendly visit from one of our neighbors. My wife IM'd me at work the other day and said that our neighbor, Tabatha, stopped by and gave us a bag of potatoes and onions. Of course, I thought that was a very kind of her. What I didn't know is that said potatoes were apparently grown in some field near a nuclear reactor.

Of course Idaho is known for our famous potatoes (it's even printed on our license plates), but these things are huge! I've lived here for 15 years and I have never seen potatoes even close to this large. I met the late billionaire potato magnate J.R. Simplot once and he offered to show me "a potato as big as a football". I thought it was an outlandish claim at the time, but I am a believer now.

After looking them over and chuckling under my breath in amazement, I set them aside. Then, on the way home from work tonight I had a moment of tuber clarity. I decided that these were destined to be baked and enjoyed as any fine Idaho Russet should.

Once I decided to bake them, I quickly realized that I had a problem. How in the world do you bake such a huge potato so that the inside gets done before the outside turns into a dry crusty mess?

Then it hit me. My mother used to stick these thick aluminum skewers through her potatoes when she baked them. I never really understood it until later in life. See, the idea is that the metal conducts heat into the center of the potato and thereby speeds the cooking. Well, it just so happens that I have some metal shish kabob skewers that would work nicely.

To me the skin is the best part of a properly baked potato. I like to oil the skin so that they get nice and almost crunchy. A baker should never see the inside of a piece of foil!

I also like bacon on my baker, but I didn't really want to deal with cooking the bacon. Eureka! I'll cook the bacon on the potatoes! This, I must admit, was a serious moment of kitchen resourcefulness for me. What could be better than bacon-coated baker skin?

Each was skewered and draped with four half-slices of bacon. I then hit them with a liberal dose of fresh-ground black pepper.

I baked them at 375º for 30 minutes, then I turned the heat down to 350º, cooked them for another 45 minutes. By this time the bacon was nicely done, so I removed it.

The potatoes were not even close to being done, so I rolled them around in the bacon fat and returned them to the oven. Forty five minutes later they were done. That's two hours of total cooking time.

It was now time to top this bad boy (only one, the other will be used later). Here are the toppings:

2 tablespoons butter
6 half-slices of bacon, chopped
The tops of an entire bunch of scallions, sliced
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup light sour cream (I felt mildly guilty)

And there, ladies and gentlemen, you have The M.O.A.B. -- The Mother Of All Bakers. Sadly, I could only eat half of it, but I have lunch for tomorrow.

Review: World Spice Merchants

2010-03-24T21:54:00.016-06:00

Quality fresh herbs and spices are a must! This is true in all cooking, but it is especially true in competition. As a competitive BBQ cook, I have one or maybe two bites to get the attention of the judges. Since barbecue is essentially meat, spice, smoke and sauce, you simply can't afford to skimp on spices.

I make my own brines, rubs, and sauces for competition and my go-to company for outstanding herbs and spices is World Spice Merchants in Seattle. I have been using their products for years, and I have always been more than completely satisfied.

What makes World Spice Merchants so good? Their products are always incredibly fresh, and the quality is unmatched in my experience. Additionally, their prices are very reasonable and their shipping is quick. Oh, and get this, they still trust their customers enough to ship your order and bill you. In fact, for the first two years that I ordered from them you literally could not pay for your order online. How cool is that?!

If you want to give your cooking the utmost in flavor, hit up the folks at World Spice Merchants. I promise that you will be more than happy.

Orange-Glazed Pork Cutlets

2010-03-23T23:59:00.028-06:00

Tonight was one of those nights. You know, the kind where you are making up dinner as you frantically roam the isles of the supermarket. Yeah, the ones when the family has a gazillion things going and you need something for dinner. The kind of night where you and your spouse contemplate a quick trip to the drive-thru, but you quickly realize that you've been there far too often lately. It was one of those nights, and here is what became of dinner.

These are quick-n-easy center cut pork cutlets that are sauteed then glazed with some simple orange marmalade. The only thing I did that was even mildly unusual was to season the cutlets with alderwood-smoked salt. I thought it would add an extra something to the flavor.

Ingredients
6 center cut Pork loin chops (about 1/2" thick -- I cut my own from a roast)
6 Tbsp Orange marmalade
1 Tbsp Canola oil
2 tsp Smoked salt (or plain kosher is fine)
Black pepper

Method
Put two chops in a gallon zip-top bag and pound each lightly until they are just over 1/4" thick, then move to a platter or rimmed sheet pan.

Repeat with the remaining chops.

Season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper, cover and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat

When the oil just starts to smoke, add the cutlets.

Cook them for 90 seconds.

Flip the cutlets and immediately top each with a tablespoon of marmalade.

Let them cook about 90 seconds more.

Flip the cutlets again and cook for about 30 seconds. The marmalade will turn itself into a very nice glaze.

Serve each cutlet with a drizzle of the glaze that is remaining in the pan.

Enjoy!

Grilled Malibu Chicken

2010-03-20T20:01:00.020-06:00

Here is a great way to add some much needed pizazz and wow factor to grilled boneless-skinless chicken breasts. As I've said before, they certainly need all the help they can get.

The breasts are marinated in a dry rub, grilled with a pineapple mustard mop sauce, then topped with sliced deli ham, Swiss cheese and a pineapple ring. It's almost like an inside-out cordon bleu that can be served plated, or as a sandwich on a hearty bun.

Ingredients
6 Boneless/skinless chicken breasts
12 slices Deli ham (thin)
6 slices Canned pineapple
6 slices Swiss cheese (I used Boar's Head® Baby Swiss)
1/2 cup Pineapple juice
4 Tbsp Unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp BBQ seasoning (I used Sucklebusters Hoochie Mama)
1 Tbsp Plain yellow mustard
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Molasses
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Chili powder

Method
Put a breast in a gallon zip-top bag and pound the thick end until the entire breast is uniform in thickness, then move to a platter or rimmed sheet pan.

Repeat with the remaining breasts.

Season both sides of each breast with the BBQ seasoning, cover and refrigerate at least an hour.

Combine the butter, pineapple juice, mustard, honey, molasses, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder a medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth, then set aside.

Prepare your grill for two-zone cooking (direct and indirect) at medium-high heat (about 400º).

Quickly grill one side of each breast and each pineapple ring over direct heat until they are seared and have nice grill marks, about two minutes.

Flip each breast and ring, brush with the sauce, and cook another two minutes.

Move the chicken to the indirect part of the grill and brush the top of each with the sauce.

Top each breast with two slices of ham and drizzle the ham with the sauce.

Put a slice of cheese then a pineapple ring on each breast and drizzle yet again with the sauce.

Continue cooking with the grill lid down until the internal temperature reaches 160º, about 10 minutes.

Serve with, yes, you guessed it, a drizzle of sauce.

Enjoy!

Guinness® BBQ Sauce

2010-03-17T23:01:00.014-06:00

I created this sauce for my St. Patty's Day broiled lamb chops, but it turned out to be so good that I think it warrants its own post. It has a good balance of sweet and savory, but maintains the unmistakable flavor of Guinness®. My kids even liked it, which is a great testimony for an on-the-fly recipe.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Guinness® Extra Stout
1/2 cup Chili sauce (I used Heinz)
1/2 cup Brown sugar
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Pickapeppa sauce
1 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp Garlic salt

Method
Add the beer and garlic salt to a medium sauce pan and whisk to combine.

Heat the pan over medium heat, add the remaining ingredients, and whisk to combine.

Simmer until the sauce is reduced by half (about 15-20 minutes) and set aside to cool.

Brush it on your carnage of choice during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

Enjoy!

(makes about 1 1/4 cups)

Broiled Lamb Chops with Guinness® BBQ Sauce

2010-03-17T00:20:00.011-06:00

By the time I post this it will be St. Patty's Day, so I've obviously succumbed to the expectation to have an appropriate Irish-inspired recipe. I've tried to be somewhat creative and I think it has paid off. I hope you agree.

This is a relatively simple dish that is big on flavor. The barbecue sauce is a good balance of sweet and savory, but maintains the unmistakable flavor of Guinness®. What better way to use it than slathered on a nice piece of lamb? The two work very well together.

Note: This recipe calls for a cast iron grill griddle, but a standard broiler pan will certainly suffice.

Ingredients
4 Lamb arm chops (about 3/4" thick)
1 1/2 cups Guinness® Extra Stout
1/2 cup Chili sauce (I used Heinz)
1/2 cup Brown sugar
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Pickapeppa sauce
1 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp Garlic salt
Kosher salt
Pepper
Canola oil

Method
Add the beer and garlic salt to a medium sauce pan and whisk to combine.

Heat the pan over medium heat and add the chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, Pickapeppa, and honey.

Whisk the sauce ingredients together and bring to a simmer.

Simmer until the sauce is reduced by half (about 15-20 minutes) and set aside.

Season both sides of each chop with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

Move your oven rack so that it is about three or four inches from the broiler element (top of your oven).

Put the griddle/pan on the rack and preheat your oven to 550* for about 20 minutes.

Turn the oven to broil.

Brush both sides of each chop with a thin coat of canola oil.

Broil the chops on the griddle/pan for three minutes.

Flip the chops over, brush quickly with the sauce, and broil another three minutes.

Brush the top of each chop quickly with the sauce, broil another 30 seconds.

Note: These cooking times are approximate for medium-rare, so adjust accordingly.

Remove the chops to a platter, tent with foil, and let them rest about five minutes.

Drizzle each chop with sauce, serve and enjoy!

Follow Up: Kiwi Knives

2010-03-15T21:56:00.012-06:00

Back in January I wrote about my discovery of Kiwi knives from Thailand. Well, I've been using them diligently for a little more than two months, so I thought I'd post a follow up.

In the original post I described them as "like razor blades with handles", and they are definitely that. I've found that, with regular maintenance from a steel, they hold an edge amazingly well for such a thin blade.

As I mentioned in my discussion on the BBQ Central Radio podcast, these knives are serious prep machines. The thin, light, and flexible blades make prep work all but effortless. In fact, I often find myself reaching for them rather than my Global or Wusthof knives. They are just a joy to use.

At two months in, I can say that you really can't go wrong with these; especially at such an insanely low price.

Cantaloupe & Prosciutto Salsa Cruda

2010-03-14T13:35:00.022-06:00

Here's a funky sweet and savory salsa that makes use of the well-known flavor marriage of cantaloupe and prosciutto. I served it with some sweet potato and carrot chips, but I think it would be outstanding atop a nice piece of grilled mild fish. It might also be a good accessory to a grilled salad.

Ingredients
1 medium Cantaloupe
1 large Shallot
4 slices Prosciutto (a little thicker than paper-thin)
1 handful Italian parsley
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Ground white pepper

Method
Cut the cantaloupe in half and seed it.

Note: If you don't want to use the rind as bowl, skip the next three steps.

Use an ice cream scoop to remove all but about 1/4" of the flesh from one half of the melon, as shown. Set the flesh aside.

If the hollow rind won't sit upright on its own, cut a small sliver off of the bottom center to make a flat spot.

Put the rind bowl in a large zip-top bag and freeze it.

Cut all of the melon to a medium dice and put it in a large mixing bowl.

Chop the prosciutto to approximately 1/4".

Mince the shallot and chop the parsley (medium - you need about 1/3 cup).

Note: This kind of prep work is where the uber-cheap and scary-sharp Kiwi knives really shine. They are prep machines!

Add the prosciutto, shallot, parsley, salt and pepper to the mixing bowl.

Whisk the vinegar and honey together in a small bowl, then add it to the melon.

Mix the salsa well, cover and refrigerate at least two hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve and enjoy!

Review: Kosmo's Q Chicken Soak

2010-03-11T21:21:00.029-07:00

You might remember that I've recently reviewed both the beef and pork injections from Kosmo's Q. This time out I'll be giving my thoughts on the relatively new Chicken Soak product from Kosmo.

Let me be clear in saying that I am a huge of brining poultry. I won't get into all the science of osmosis and the denaturing of protein here, but suffice it to say that it really works wonders. The bottom line is that it adds a ton of flavor and moisture to what can often otherwise be dry and boring meat.

Not only is brining just an all-around good idea, it's indispensable in competition barbecue. At a contest you have one or maybe two bites to impress the judges. Flavor and moisture are the two main criteria that will separate a competitor from the also-rans.

One of the pains of brining is the cooking that is required to get all of the sugar and salt dissolved into a solution. Then you have to cool it down. My typical process entails making what I call a "brine concentrate". That means that I add just enough water to the sugar and salt to get them dissolved, then I dilute it when I'm ready to use it. For competition, this minimizes the hassle when I get there, but in reality I've just shifted the work. I still have to make the concentrate.

Here is where I think Kosmo's Chicken Soak really shines. It contains very similar ingredients to my usual brine, but it dissolves in cold water. You just add 3/4 cup of the dry mix to a half-gallon of water, stir, and go. Just soak the chicken parts for four hours, then barbecue or grill as you normally would. There's no muss and no fuss.

The labor savings are all well and good, but how good is it? I will say that this product works exceedingly well. It dissolves quickly in cold water with no caking or lumping. As for flavor and added moisture, it's great. I cooked up some boneless/skinless breasts and bone-in thighs and both were outstanding. I'd put this up against my competition brine any day.

Slammin' Salmon

2010-03-07T22:46:00.022-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I planked some salmon tonight for dinner. I used the Asian Barbecue Glaze and it was incredible, if I do say so myself. In fact, it was so good that I've decided to go with the title you see above rather than the "Asian Barbecued Salmon" title that I had originally planned. The old title somehow seems more than a little lacking now.

Of course cedar planks and salmon are made for each other; that's certainly no secret. However, the addition of the glaze takes things to a much higher level. The subtly smokey fish combined with the cherry and hoisin work wonderfully together.

Ingredients
2 Food-safe cedar planks (about 3/8" thick)
1 large Salmon filet (about 3 pounds)
1 cup Asian Barbecue Glaze
Kosher salt
Pepper
Canola oil

Method
Soak the cedar planks in warm water for about two hours. Make sure they stay submerged.

About 30 minutes before you are ready to start cooking, start your grill and prepare for direct cooking over a medium-hot fire (375-400º)

Cut the salmon filet in half width-wise.

Season both sides of each half lightly with salt and pepper and brush with a light coat of oil.

Place each half of the filet on a cedar plank with the skin-side down.

Note: If the filet has a thin tapered belly edge, fold it under as you see in the picture below (bottom edge of the lower filet).

Put the planks directly over the coals/flame and close the lid.

Cook until you start to see a milky white edge form near the thick end of the filets (about 20 minutes at 375º).

Brush the top of each filet with a liberal coating of the glaze.

Continue cooking for another five minutes.

Brush the top of each filet with another liberal coating of the glaze.

Continue cooking for another five minutes.

Remove the planks to a sheet pan.

Portion the filets and drizzle each with a little of the glaze.

Serve and enjoy!

Asian Barbecue Glaze

2010-03-06T16:47:00.015-07:00

I made this glaze today for some salmon that will be cedar-planked on the grill for dinner tomorrow, so I thought I'd post it.

As the name implies, it's an Asian-inspired glaze that is great on anything grilled where a little sweet-and-sour eastern influence is welcome. The cherry preserves and hoisin sauce work magically together, and the white pepper adds a bit of a spicy finish. It's simple, but it does incredible things.

Ingredients
3 Scallions (green tops only), washed and sliced thin
1/3 cup Cherry preserves
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
1/4 cup Mirin
1/8 cup Seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/8 cup Water
1/8 tsp Ground ginger
1/8 tsp Ground white pepper
10 drops Sesame oil

Method
Add all of the ingredients, except the water, to a small sauce pan.

Put the pan over medium heat and bring just to a simmer.

Let it simmer for five minutes, then remove from the heat.

Put the sauce in a small bowl or jar and add the water.

Blend with a stick blender for just a few seconds to get rid of any cherry chunks.

Let cool and use as you would any glaze, and enjoy!

(makes one cup)

Grilled Salad

2010-03-02T21:31:00.020-07:00

Grilled salad?! Yes, it may sound odd to some of you, but the ladies here give it rave reviews. This is not a unique idea, lest you think I've completely made this up. A quick search of the internet will reveal many versions.

Let's look at this pragmatically. If you're taking the time to fire up the grill to cook up some carnage, why not get a very simple but impressive side dish out of the deal? It's dirt cheap, incredibly simple, but has enough wow factor to impress your family or guests.

This is clearly on the short list of the simplest recipes that I've posted to-date. My version adds a little bit of a Mediterranean flair, but you finish it how you like. I've done this with bleu cheese dressing and it was a hit. It would even work well with the Idaho state dressing -- ranch.

Ingredients
2 heads Romaine lettuce, washed and dried
1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled (I used garlic and herb)
1/2 cup Balsamic vinaigrette (I added some honey to mine)
Oil (I used Pompeian OlivExtra Plus)
Kosher salt
Pepper

Method
Split each head of lettuce lengthwise.

Drizzle the cut side of each half evenly with a tablespoon or two of oil.

Season the cut side of each half with salt and pepper.

Grill each half, cut-side-down, over a hot direct fire for about 90 seconds.

Remove to a sheet pan, sprinkle evenly with the cheese and let cool.

Drizzle each half with an equal amount of dressing.

Cut each half in half width-wise, serve and enjoy!

Review: Old vs New Kingsford® Charcoal

2010-02-28T01:16:00.077-07:00

Let me start by saying that this is probably the longest, most picturesque, most in-depth, and most scientific post that I've written to date. Kingsford® has changed their "blue bag" formulation yet again, and I think it deserves a fair investigation.

As you can see by the claim on the bag in the image above (left bag), the new formulation is "ready even faster and burns longer". This is clearly good news, if it holds true.

Just for background, the new Kingsford® comes from an apparent "green" initiative by the company. In short, they sought to produce a product that yields the same amount of heat, but in a smaller package. The bag is lighter, which means more bags in a truck, which translates to less trucking miles, and therefore less emissions.

As I mentioned, this is all well and good, so long as I get the same or more bang for the bag. Let's dive in and see how this new stuff stacks up.

I wanted this review to be as fair and impartial as I could make it at home. I don't have a laboratory, but I am an engineer, so I did the best that I could. I ran side-by-side tests of two brand new off-the-shelf bags of the old and the new. As you will see, I've weighed and photographed each product so that you can see exactly what I saw.

Here goes...

As you can see, the new bag is 1.4 pounds lighter than the previous formulation.

Note: From here on the old briquettes are pictured on the left, and the new are on the right.

The new briquettes are about the same size, but they appear to be more tightly compressed and feature larger and deeper grooves. As you can see, the new grooves are diagonal.

I weighed various quantities of the old and the new briquettes and here is how they compared:

Quantity	Old	New
1 briquette	3/4 oz	7/8 oz
5 briquettes	4 1/4 oz	4 3/8 oz
10 briquettes	8 3/8 oz	8 5/8 oz

For the burn test, I punched two aluminum pie pans with an identical pattern of six holes. I wanted to use a method that would contain the ash for a final weight, as you will see later.

I arranged the old and new briquettes in each pan as similarly as I could. I used 12 briquettes in each, in layers of six, four, and two (all with the grooves facing upward). I put a single Weber wax starter cube in each pile.

I lit each cube and took pictures at five-minute intervals. For those interested, the temperature was 48º and the humidity was 52%.

At five minutes.

At 10 minutes.

At 15 minutes.

At 20 minutes.

At 25 minutes. I started taking temperature measurements at this point. I used an infrared thermometer on the bottom of each pan at the 9 o'clock position.

Old	New
459º	334º

At 30 minutes.

Old	New
478º	313º

At 35 minutes.

Old	New
426º	389º

At 60 minutes.

Old	New
431º	557º

At 90 minutes.

Old	New
244º	325º

I stopped taking pictures at 90 minutes, but I continued reading the temperatures out to 180 minutes.

Minutes	Old	New
120	169º	203º
180	136º	168º

Here is a chart that shows the old and new temperatures over time. The horizontal axis is time and the vertical shows the temperatures.

What about ash? Well, as you can see below, they are very close, but the new stuff produces slightly less by weight (3 oz vs. 2 1/2 oz).

OK, so what does all of this really mean? The bottom line for me is that, based on my testing, the new product lives up to its claims. In fact, I think it's better than they claim.

While you could argue that it starts slower, I think the crossover temperature at roughly 500º is a good indication that they really are comparable out of the gate.

As the chart above shows, it does indeed burn longer (and even hotter) over the long haul. Combine that with less ash weight, and I think it's an all-around better product.

Note: The new formula is far less smokey starting up than the old formula. I'd estimate that the old stuff smokes four to five times as much.

Discovery: Emerilware By All-Clad

2010-02-24T22:39:00.013-07:00

As I was shooting the pictures for this post my wife asked, "Why are you shooting pictures of a pan?" I replied, "You know, as I was washing this I was thinking about what a great pan this is." I elaborated further, but the bottom line is that I decided it was time to spread the good news.

About a year ago I bought this 8" Emerilware anodized non-stick skillet, made by All-Clad. Now, I'm not a huge fan of non-stick cookware, but there are applications where it is simply required.

I bought this pan simply because I have been very disappointed with most of the non-stick garbage that is out there. I have other All-Clad cookware and utensils and they have certainly lived up to their reputation for being some of the absolute best cooking products available. They make simply incredible stuff!

Take a close look at the picture above. Note that the pan looks almost brand new. This is a testament to how well-made this cookware is. After a year of consistent use, the inside of the pan has barely any evidence of use. The non-stick coating is almost flawless.

Not only is this cookware very well-made, it cooks like nobody's business. It heats very quickly, evenly and produces great food every single time. My only regret is that it's only an 8-inch pan. I have a 12" anodized Calphalon pan and it seriously pales in comparison. I plan to remedy that situation very soon.

If you need or want some incredible non-stick cookware that will perform consistently without breaking the bank, you can't go wrong with Emerilware from All-Clad.