Grilling

Portabella Mushroom Burgers

Posted by Rex on August 08, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Mushrooms, Recipes / 4 Comments

Last week I read the cookbook Weber’s way to grill. I usually only grill meat, but I have been wanting to expand my grilling repertoire. So I went to the store and found some nice portabella mushrooms. In the Vegetable section of the book there is a nice marinade for portabello mushrooms.

Portabello Mushroom Burger

Portabello Mushroom Burger

Continue reading…

Tags: , , , ,

4th of July Grilling Spectacular

Posted by Rex on July 04, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Burgers, Events, French Fries, Potatoes, Recipes, Vegetables, beef / 3 Comments

Happy Fourth of July!!

For the holiday’s I like to do a big post with great food.  Since this is the summer and the 4th of July is such a big grilling day, I decided to make burgers and fries.  Not just any burgers, firecracker burgers.  Not just any fries, sour cream and chive fries.  This was going to be the best grilling day ever.

Firecracker Burger with Sour Cream and Chive Fries

Firecracker Burger with Sour Cream and Chive Fries

Continue reading…

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Flank Steak Tacos

Posted by Rex on June 27, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Mexican, Recipes, Tacos, beef / 4 Comments

Last week my friend Jeff had me over for a little grilling and drinking.  I brought the Corona and he gave me the workings for a great steak taco.  I must say, having a food website has open doors.  Everyone wants me to come over, but in return I have to do the cooking.  I have absolutely no problem with that.  Jeff had a nice flank steak that we grilled and made tacos with.

The tequila makes these amazing

The tequila makes these amazing

Grilled Steak Tacos with Roasted Peppers

  • 1lb flank steak
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 tequila
  • 2 limes
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbs cumin
  • 1 tbs oregano
  • 1 tbs onion powder
  • 1 tbs chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Roasted Peppers

  • 6 poblano peppers
  • 1 zip top bag for steaming the peppers

Lay the flank steak out on a cutting board and dry it off with a towel.

The flank steak

The flank steak

With a flank steak I usually tenderize it before I use it.  To do that use a hard object or a meat tenderizer and hammer the meat.  This will tenderize it and make it so that it is not too chewy.

Take all of your aggression and use it against the poor helpless piece of meat.

Take all of your aggression and use it against the poor helpless piece of meat.

Mix all of the seasonings above and place in a zip top bag.  You can add as much tequila as you like.  Jeff likes tequila so I think that we added about a 1/2-3/4 cup of tequila.

Add as much tequila as you like.

Add as much tequila as you like.

Then seal the bag and squeeze as much air out as you can.  Then refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.  2-3 hours is preferred.

Jeff was a great hand model.  I think he has a future in the business.

Jeff was a great hand model. I think he has a future in the business.

Just like the shrimp tacos from a couple of days ago, we are going to serve these with roasted peppers.  While the meat marinades, roast the peppers.  Place the peppers on high heat and turn them every minute or so until all of the sides are blackened.

It is alright to let them burn as it will make the skins come off easier.

It is alright to let them burn as it will make the skins come off easier.

Make sure to rotate them so that all of the sides get blackened.

Once all of the sides are blistered and black time to remove them from the grill

Once all of the sides are blistered and black time to remove them from the grill

Remove them from the grill when blistered and place in a plastic bag.   The plastic bag will help to steam the skins off.

Zip top bags make the perfect container for steaming the skins off.

Zip top bags make the perfect container for steaming the skins off.

After about 10 minutes it is time to peel the skins.  As you can see, the skins come off in giant sheets.

It might be a little dirty, but this is a hands on sort of thing.

It might be a little dirty, but this is a hands on sort of thing.

Slice into strips and serve these tender, smokey, and tasty treats with any and everything.

Now that the peppers are done, it is time to grill the meat.  Place the flank steak on the grill over high heat and sear the outside. 

Place the meat on a pre-heated grill

Place the meat on a pre-heated grill

After about 5-7 minutes you should have good grill marks.  When you have good grill marks and the meat looks golden it is time to flip.

Flip when you have good carmelization

Flip when you have good carmelization

Now continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes.  The meat should be about medium-medium well.  Remove and let the meat sit for 5 minutes before carving.  This will let the juices redistribute throughout the meat.  Then carve the meat into thin strips.  Make sure to cut against the grain.  Otherwise, the meat will be chewy.

Make sure to cut against the grain

Make sure to cut against the grain

Serve the steak tacos on a flour tortilla with some cheese, roasted peppers, salsa and some sour cream.  Makes for a perfect summer meal.

The tacos are great with just a little lime juice to add a tad bit more acidity.

The tacos are great with just a little lime juice to add a tad bit more acidity.

These tacos were the best of the night.  The meat was cooked perfectly and the seasoning was awesome.  Now that it is summer time, it is time to grill.  You don’t always have to make burgers and hot dogs.  Next time make grilled steak tacos.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Roasted Peppers

Posted by Rex on June 23, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Mexican, Recipes, Shrimp, Tacos / 5 Comments

I love tacos and I love grilling.  So the combination of the two is basically the perfect meal.  Shrimp tacos are quick and easy and best of all, tasty.  My buddy Jeff called me yesterday asking if I was interesting in grilling out.   The only thing was that he had already purchased shrimp.  So the solution was easy, grilled shrimp tacos.

These tacos were great, especially with the grilled peppers.

These tacos were great, especially with the grilled peppers.

Continue reading…

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Book Review – 25 Essential Techniques for Grilling

Posted by Rex on May 13, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Book Reviews / No Comments


grilling

Every wednesday I review a cookbook to help weed out the good the bad and the ugly. This week I am reviewing 25 essential techniques for grilling by Ardie A. Davis. I love barbecuing and grilling and this book is right up my alley.

Ardie A. Davis

Ardie is an award winning expert with his own barbecue university. Artie founded the Greasehouse University. The degree program at the Greasehouse University is is a doctor of barbecue philosophy and is overseen by the Kasas City Barbecue Society. Artie is now a famed judge on the barbecue circuit. Story short, Ardie knows barbecue.Artie starts the book off like every good barbecue book going over the basics of smoking. He goes over the tools required, the methods needed and basics of starting to smoke. His essentials include the basics of choosing wood. As you know the wood gives the unique flavor of each dish. Ardie suggests wood for each meat and further goes on to suggest woods to stay away from. For instance, mesquite on chicken would be too bitter and alder on beef would be too mild. As a barbecue expert you may already know this and brush it off, but as a newbie, this information is awesome.At first look one would think that this book is a beginner picture book as it has a hard cover and does not have the the thickness of many other cookbooks. But this book is a great reference book for both experts and beginners. Ardie Davis covers everything from starting the grill to glazing the food after you take it off the fire. The recipes that are included in this book are great and are far from beginner.

Ardie start the book by listing the three main ways for flavoring grilled foods. Before grilling, during grilling and after grilling. Before you add seasoning and marinades. During grilling there is the carmelization of the sugars from the food itself. There is also the different flavors from the charcoal and wood. There is also the sweet, sour and spicy flavors from barbecue sauce. Lastly there are the flavors from after grilling from finishing sauces, butters and chutneys.

Ardie lists some of the tastiest recipes that I have read in a cookbook. My favorite is the grilled chickenwing drums with billy’s mumbo rub and sauce. This may be because I am fascinated with wings right now as I am preparing for the wingtacular, but the recipe and pictures look amazing. The sugary glaze produces a carmelized wing that without tasting sounds amazing.

The other recipe that amazes me is the dirty steak recipe. I have never heard of this before reading it in this book but you can grill a steak directly on the coals. Using basic seasoning the steaks are placed directly on the white hot coals and grilled for 2-3 minutes on each side. This method made famous by Ike Eisenhower and told by Ardie Davis is fascinating.

The third recipe that excited me was the lime and chile grilled corn on the cob two ways. Two ways you ask? Well you can grill corn shucked or unshucked. One produced great grill marks and the other gives you a more tender and moist product. Grilled corn is awesome. I have always pondered if you should grill corn with or without shucking it. Ardie solved my questions by saying that it is perfect to do it either way.

This book is awesome and answered many of the questions that I have had about grilling. This book is written excellently and the pictures are awesome. No matter if you are a just beginning to grill or have been grilling for 35 years, this book is for you. The book discusses the basics of grilling and further discusses recipes that even an experienced griller would love. This book is rather inexpensive and would be a great addition to any bookshelf.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Review: 25 Essential Techniques for Smoking

Posted by Rex on April 29, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
BBQ, Book Reviews, Tips and Tricks / No Comments


Every wednesday I review a cookbook to help weed out the good the bad and the ugly. This week I am reviewing 25 essential techniques for smoking by Ardie A. Davis. I love barbecuing and this seemed right up my alley.

Artie A. Davis

Artie is an award winning expert with his own barbecue university. Artie founded the Greasehouse University. The degree program at the Greasehouse University is is a doctor of barbecue philosophy and is overseen by the Kasas City Barbecue Society. Artie is now a famed judge on the barbecue circuit. Story short, Artie knows barbecue.Artie starts the book off like every good barbecue book going over the basics of smoking. He goes over the tools required, the methods needed and basics of starting to smoke. His essentials include the basics of choosing wood. As you know the wood gives the unique flavor of each dish. Artie suggests wood for each meat and further goes on to suggest woods to stay away from. For instance, mesquite on chicken would be too bitter and alder on beef would be too mild. As a barbecue expert you may already know this and brush it off, but as a newbie, this information is awesome.

The 25 techniques for smoking

Artie list many ways to smoke. Low and slow, hot and fast an paper bag smoking. Low and slow is used for thicker cuts of meat, but hot and fast is used for fish and less fatty cuts of meat. The section that I really enjoyed was paper bag smoking. When smoking a pork butt, the meat is so thick that sometimes you get too much smoke flavor. Artie suggests that halfway through smoking you place the pork butt in a paper bag to catch the juices and to limit access to the smoke. He says that the pork that comes out fo the bag is amazing.

Overall

This book is definitely for a novice barbecuer. The recipes are great, the methods are listed in an easy to read fashion, and the pictures are amazing. Artie has recipes for all of the classic barbecue foods, such as ribs, pork butt and brisket. Artie also has methods and recipes for foods that you wouldn’t quite associate with barbecue. Such as, Smoked-baked barbecue chile pie, smoked duck and whole smoked garlic. If you are just starting out I would definitely recommend this book as it goes through everything that you need to start barbecuing.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Chicken Limone with Gnocchi

Update: It was a great time competing in foodie fights.  In the end I ended up in 5th place.  I want to thank everyone that voted.  With your help I ended up receiving the 3rd most popular votes.   Thanks again.

The time has arrived for my entry into the Foodie Fights Battle. After you check out my creation below, be sure to go look at the other competitors concoctions. After looking at the the other sites, vote for your favorite. You can vote using the poll at the end of this post or at any of the other competitors posts. It doesn’t matter what site you vote on, as all of the forms are linked to the same poll.

The ingredients that were picked for this battle are: Potatoes and Lemons. So I decided to make lemon basil chicken with homemade potato gnocchi.

Savory Lemon Chicken Over Homemade Potato Gnocchi

Savory Lemon Chicken Over Homemade Potato Gnocchi

Continue reading…

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pulled Pork

Posted by Rex on April 16, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
BBQ, Cooking, Picnic Classics, pulled pork / 2 Comments

Nothing says summer more than firing up your smoker, sitting in the sun and drinking some beer.  Last sunday it was 65 degrees and sunny so I decided that I wanted to make some pulled pork.  I went to the butcher and of course, he was on vacation.  So I had to choose from the meat in the case.  They had a pretty good selection including full picnic shoulders, 9 pound briskets and boston butts.  I chose a small 6 pound boston butt as I was only feeding myself.   I know 6 pounds is a lot.  But on the other hand it is still better than barbecuing a 14 pound picnic shoulder for myself.  Although, I probably would have eaten it all.  Pork is amazing!

Pulled pork

Above is some freshly shredded pork, you can see the nice pink smoke ring.  Doesn’t it look delicious.

Continue reading…

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,