Just writing the title to this post made my mouth water all over again – as I recalled the aroma of the grilling lamb and roasting tomatoes. The Naan bread was the perfect way to serve this dish for my lunch. If you can’t get Naan bread (a traditional soft bread from India) you can use pita bread, tortillas or even toasted baguettes as bruschetta. By the way, if you don’t care for lamb, this recipe will work well with pork, chicken or beef!

I started by cutting lamb sirloin into long strips and giving them a light pounding to tenderize. Then it was an overnight in a marinade that combined delicious aromatic flavors including cumin, lemon, fennel and mint – yum! The next morning I threaded the strips of lamb onto bamboo skewers that had soaked all night in water.

CB’s EZ Grilling TIP
When preparing skewers for kebobs, I make it a habit to soak them in water as long as I marinate the meat. OR – at least 1 hour to ensure they have moisture soaked into them that will inhibit burning.

Placing the lamb skewers on the Quantum infrared grill was a test to see how well it could sear these tasty little skewers…great!

At the same time I placed a small cast iron skillet right on one of the Quantum burners. I know there is a side burner – I wanted to see how this worked and I also wanted to close the lid a bit. The Quantum grill is a combination of infrared and convection heat – so it has a unique way for cooking that combines the searing hot heat of infrared and the traditional roasting that most gas grills provide. Just use different sections of the grates.

After about ten minutes the tomatoes were roasting and bursting and bubbling and just smelling delicious!!! I added a touch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper…that’s all.

I placed the Naan bread on the grates for just a few moments – no grill marks – just to warm it and then spread the roasted tomato relish on the bread and removed the grilled lamb from the skewers…oh man. I forgot to pick up some cucumbers and will next time – they would be great thinly sliced and placed on top of the lamb, or a little plain yogurt!!!

CLICK HERE to get a printable recipe or to add to your Free My Favorites account.

Happy Grilling!

Sizzle on the Grill is celebrating the new grilling season with some changes – all of which are designed to improve your experience. We’ve added new applications that run in the background and improve the performance of the web log. We’ve also added a new & improved recipe search and organization system hosted on the Char-Broil web site. It features more than 300 recipes and is growing daily.

If you’ll look at the green navigation bar just beneath the Sizzle on the Grill banner at the top of this page, you’ll see these three pages:
Main Writers Search Recipes

Click on Search Recipes and you come to this page:

You can search this section by using the scrolling picture menu on the Left-Hand side of the page or by placing your cursor on the Recipes name at the top of the page and use the pull-down menu. Place your cursor on one of the categories in the pull-down menu and click on it…for example Grilling

You will be automatically linked to the Grilling page where all recipes specific to Grilling are presented. Just click on the recipe you’d like to view.

OR – if you are searching for a specific ingredient, say “pork chops” or “cumin” you can use the pull-down menu and click on Search all Recipes – Where you can enter the ingredient

And all recipes with that ingredient will appear…

Click on the recipe you want to view … you can go back to view another recipe, print it out or save it to My Favorites.

Char-Broil provides you a FREE shelf in their library to place all of your favorites recipes – just use the account you opened when you registered the warranty for your grill(s) or open an account any time.

Go on – give it a try right now and…

Happy Grilling!

What a morning! My clothes smell of cherry and apple wood smoke with just a hint of hickory and mesquite! And my nostrils are absolutely filled with flavors and aromas of food being prepared on the grill and in the smoker. The holiday weekend came early for me because I wanted to prepare a classic holiday meal for y’all – allowing for the different methods you may wish to use for preparing it. We’ve covered turkey and ham is pretty much a store-bought item for the majority of folks – so I selected a classic meat dish that is just about everyone’s favorite. And this time of year it seems to be on sale in most markets but you may shy away from preparing it at home because it can be expensive. I’m talkin bout Prime Rib.

Actually, that term ‘prime’ is kinda incorrect. It’s really a standing rib roast and if I could find USDA Prime I would buy it, but usually that grade is reserved for the white table cloth restaurants. Who cares if all I could get was USDA Choice? I say “What the heck – it ain’t cheap so let’s call it Prime Rib!

I prepared my Prime Rib three ways and I hope one (or more) of these intrigue you:

Beef Rib Roast - 'Prime Rib' - Prepared Classic Rotisserie Style

I have the newest Char-Broil RED grill using patented infrared technology – and it’s just perfect for rotisserie cooking. Each of the control knobs has settings for specific cooking tasks: Searing, Grilling, BBQ and Rotisserie. And the “U” infrared emitter provides a very wide coverage area of infrared – far superior to those little strips across the back of other grills that really only brown and don’t cook. Oh, and clean-up was a breeze because all the drippings fall into the “U” and when I was finished I turned the knobs to “clean” and the stuff turns to ash. I just whisked them into the garbage when the grill cooled down.

Beef Rib Roast - "Prime Rib" - Prepared Low & Slow BBQ/Smoke Style

I set up the rotisserie and set about roasting a delicious rib roast. Get the recipe for CB’s EZ Prime Rib on the Rotisserie CLICK HERE

There are few meats that I don’t enjoy with a touch of smoke to them. Cooking with indirect low (225F – 250F degrees) and a good amount of fruit wood smoke prepares meat with sweetness that is not cloying – and I really love it with a hint of mesquite or hickory! I use the Char-Broil Silver Smoker with an easy-to-maintain fire of hardwood charcoal in the off-set fire box. Adding just a touch of my special wood chip mix every so often doesn’t lower the heat in the smoker box. Just for grins I also added some chicken breasts to smoke so we could have sandwiches this week!

Beef Rib Roast - "Prime Rib" - Prepared "Fried" in The Big Easy

Get the recipe for CB’s EZ Prime Rib on the Smoker CLICK HERE

Since folks started buying The Big Easy last fall I have received hundreds of letters and emails with questions about what else you can cook in it besides turkey. Most of these have been documented in The Big Easy Users Forum – (take a peak, there are many good tips) and one of the most popular is Prime Rib. So I thought I’d share a recipe for those of you who have purchased a Big Easy ‘oil-less’ infrared turkey fryer.

Get the recipe for CB’s EZ Prime Rib in The Big Easy CLICK HERE

One important note: I placed sweet potatoes above the roast, and also sliced the ends. Yep – they roasted beautifully and leaked all over the roast. It was a bit crusty to say the least – tasty – but crusty! I’ll reverse the order next time.

I’d enjoy hearing your comments and questions – just use the handy Comment section below this post.

Happy Grilling!

This week I’m spending time catching up on some maintenance that I left undone over the winter. With the advent of day-light in the early evening I find it easier to do a better job on clean-up after grilling. When it’s dark out and I can easily turn off the grill and run in the house – carrying the food and dodging raindrops – I really don’t do the job of clean-up that I should.

Excuses. Excuses. I’m just lazy sometimes. So when I opened up my grills in the light of day I was embarrassed the insides and grates were not as clean as they should be. Ahem – “Physician heal thyself!”

I’ll go into more detail on cleaning the fireboxes etc. a bit later this month. Today I just want to give you a tip that could same time and actually get your grates a lot cleaner. I’m fortunate to have a new Commercial Series Grill with Quantum infrared and the highest setting really burns off the crud from the grates. So I just loaded up grates and racks from several grills, closed the lid and turned it to the highest setting – and let’em cook for about 25 minutes.

When I checked the crud had burnt off, mostly, and with a light scrape from my Brush Hawg – it all came off into the trash. Beautiful!

CB’s Rack Cleaning Tip
Place grill racks and grates in a self-cleaning oven and turn on for full cycle to thoroughly burn off extra gunk. When cooled, scrub with cleaning pad and they should be as good as new! If uncoated cast-iron be sure to re-season with neutral vegetable oil.

Use the Comment section below to post your tips for cleaning!

Happy Grill-clean-ing!

Taking a count this morning I found more than 100 cookbooks in my office – about 30 of which are on the subject of barbecuing, grilling or smoking food. While I have a couple of favorites I refer to time and again – this past week I was sent a copy of my new-very-best-most-favorite on the subject of barbecue.

Mastering Barbecue by Mike Stines.

That’s right, our own guest chef and regular contributor Mike Stines. I always enjoy reading Mike’s emails to me that include his own tasty recipes, tips and ideas – he shares them generously. This week I got an autographed copy of his book and I casually opened it at bed time. When I looked up at the clock I discovered I’d been reading it for several hours. This book is one you want to get. And I suggest you buy at least two back-ups because the first will get worn out and you don’t want to be with out it. And you’re gonna want to give one to your best friend who “thinks” they already know how to grill – but really REALLY needs this book.

Before I’d read the first 10 pages I’d learned something and by the time I’d read all of the pages I lost count of all the information I got from this book. One reviewer on Amazon.com says the book has no frills – just facts. And I agree.

I will be happily using the book as my reference for techniques and tips to improve my results. Mike provides information that cooks of any experience level will appreciate and can incorporate into their own style. Of all the books I’ve read on outdoor cooking this is one that shares the good stuff from someone who is truly a master.

Actually – that’s one of the great attributes of this entire backyard grilling and barbecue world – I’ve found the true masters want others to succeed at this experience and generously share their experiences, tips and recipes so you and I can enjoy cooking great food as much as they do.

I invite you to take a look at this great book and get one of your own! CLICK HERE

Happy Grilling!

For the past couple of Thursday and Fridays I’ve been fortunate to be cooking for folks “in the trade.” Last week I was a guest of Char-Broil at the national convention for the HPBA (Hearth Patio & BBQ Association) and this week at Home Depot training sessions in Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. I really enjoy meeting folks who have an appreciation for outdoor cooking and who can “talk shop” about grilling and barbecue while comparing different equipment that us plain ol’regular folks use.

For both events I have been cooking on the new RED – a definitely very interesting new grill available now only at Home Depot. RED uses less propane (or natural gas with the conversion kit) to produce more heat via a patented ‘U’ shaped infrared emitter. It gets that grate up to more than 550F degrees with 100% infrared energy…and I can drop wood chips into the emitter for smoke flavor on my steaks, chicken or burgers when I’m grilling. Or turn the dial to the bbq setting and place a handful in to get some real smoke effect on the meat.

Here’s a pix of yours truly at the session in Portland…

…I was counting my fingers after cutting steak and chicken into bite-size pieces.

Man that was juicy!

A Flat-Iron steak on the new RED searing at about 500F degrees! on the porcelain coated cast iron grates.

If you’re in the neighborhood of a Home Depot this Spring – stop by and check out RED. Or CLICK HERE for more information right now.

Columbus, GA (March 1, 2008) - Bolstering its promise to safely cook delicious turkey without the expensive hot oil used in traditional turkey fryers, The Big Easy - Oil-less Infrared Turkey Fryer from Char-Broil® was recently awarded Hearth & Home Magazine’s highly coveted 2008 Vesta Award for technology and innovation at the 2008 Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association’s trade show in Atlanta, Georgia.

Using infrared technology instead of oil to deliver the same moist, crispy and flavorful results in the same amount of time – start to finish – as it takes to fry a turkey in hot oil, The Big Easy –  propane-powered infrared turkey fryer is the first on the market to be certified by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), one of the world;s most recognized and trusted names in safety.

“This award reinforces our commitment to develop products like The Big Easy - that bring significant advancements in safety, simplicity, efficiency, and performance to our consumers and retail partners. We are committed to making the benefits of infrared cooking more affordable for a larger number of consumers” said Brad Gillespie, Director of Product Development for Char-Broil.

The Char-Broil Big Easy is available from Char-Broil retailers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $149.

In addition to The Big Easy, Char-Broil® introduced two new patented infrared technologies for full-size, propane-powered grills. Char-Broil RED –  features a patented U infrared emitter that distributes 100 percent infrared heat across the entire cooking surface and Char-Broil Quantum® is an all-stainless steel infrared cooking system. For additional information about Char-Broil’s® Big Easy, RED and Quantum® products, please visit www.charbroil.com.

About HPBA
The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) is an international trade association first established in 1980 to represent and promote the interests of the hearth products industry in North America. In 2002, the Hearth Products Association (HPA) merged with the Barbecue Industry Association (BIA) to form HPBA. The association includes manufacturers, retailers, distributors, manufacturers’ representatives, service and installation firms, and other companies and individuals – all having business interests in and related to the hearth, patio, and barbecue products industries. www.hpba.com

About The Vesta Awards
The Vesta Awards were created by Hearth & Home Magazine to recognize and honor companies for their innovation in product design and/or technology. ThirtyVesta judges are selected from the ranks of retailers, distributors, designers, laboratory scientists, affiliate leaders and other industry members. Awards for 2008 were presented at the HPB Expo on Friday, February 29, 2008 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA. www.hpbexpo.com