CB’s EZ Grilled Veal Rib Chop with Grilled Onions, Peppers, Mushrooms & Avocado.

Saturday nights are the ‘company dinner’ nights.  Maybe you have the same type of weekly schedule.  Monday – thru – Thursday are “work & school” nights and that means dinner is pretty simple and easy to fix. Fridays are often ‘date’ night when we’ll order in a pizza and watch a rented movie.  And Sunday Supper is a meal I try to make ‘Family’ for my son and maybe my best gal too. So that leaves just Saturday night for entertaining. (more…)

CB’s EZ Grilled Wild Salmon with Bay Shrimp Bearnaise.

Grilled Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon with Bay Shrimp Bearnaise Sauce

It isn’t too often that I find myself home alone on a Friday evening. In fact, I’ll have several meals alone this weekend as my son is with his mom and my best friend is out of town on business. Although I can’t actually say in print “I’m looking forward to it”…if you catch my drift..the idea of cooking just for me is, how shall I put this? – A real treat!

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This past Monday was the celebration of Chinese Lunar New Year. It’s become our custom to join friends for dinner at a local Chinese restaurant.  We really enjoy the delicious flavors and textures of Asian food. And I think sharing a meal family-style makes for good conversation.

I have to admit that when eating out I often will attempt to make a version of it at home.  With many Asian foods that’s difficult because I don’t have the range of special ingredients sitting in my pantry. Our “New Year” meal began with an appetizer featuring ground duck meat served on small platters that we spooned into lettuce leaves and added a little hoisin sauce before wrapping and enjoying.  I’ve had similar dishes at other Asian restaurants and something closely resembling it at traditional Spanish restaurants using soft flour tortillas in place of lettuce leaves.  So guess what?

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Make it 160° for a Safe and Savory Burger

Our friends at the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association have may tips to help you enjoy your outdoor grilling experience and make the best tasting burgers. You may already know that your burgers should be cooked to a higher temperature than a steak or roast, but did you know that 160F degrees is the optimal temperature for safe and savory ground beef?

Safe and Savory at 160

When it comes to serving a perfect burger, professional grill masters leave nothing to chance. Instead, they reach for an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure ground beef reaches an internal temperature of 160F degrees because it’s the only reliable way to ensure that your ground beef is cooked to a safe and savory 160F degrees.

Choosing a Meat Thermometer

When choosing your meat thermometer, keep a couple simple things in mind: (more…)

Fatty's smoked and cooked - resting before slicing.

If you hang around grilling and barbeque circles you’ll start hearing an entirely different language. This circle has developed a unique terminology to describe different meat and how to prepare it.  One of my favorite terms and certainly one of my favorite tasty things to eat when hanging around these folks is called a “Fatty.”  Within the world of barbeque a ‘Fatty’ is used to describe what is essentially a bacon-wrapped log of (more…)

If you are planning on a party to watch a “big game” on the TV in the next few weeks this may be the perfect recipe for you!  I asked the Girls On A Grill – who are charcoal grilling aficionados – if they would share one of their favorite recipes that folks could use on the buffet table when company is over. They came back with this simple and tasty idea that I think can be “adjusted” to fit just about any appetite for heat, spices and even the meat.  It’s good any time of the year as well so keep this one handy for the upcoming big game on TV and for summer time backyard parties. Thank you ladies!

Happy Grilling!

Grilled Chicken and Roasted Corn Salad
Courtesy of Girls on a Grill
(A link to the complete recipe with list of ingredients is at the bottom of this post.)

Hey CB – This is a great take-anywhere dish with a lot of presence on the table that shows off beautiful colors. We think it has a wonderful taste that the men in our families, especially, seem to love. Like many salads, this one is better when made the day before you plan to serve it, so let it spend the night in the refrigerator, then toss before serving. We think it’s a great way to use chicken leftovers but, if you don’t have any, grill up some boneless, skinless breasts or thighs and make the trimming easy on yourself. – Kate & Alison

Directions

Use leftover grilled or roasted chicken that you've removed from the bone and chopped. Or grill boneless chicken breasts or thighs.

Leaving the husks and silks on, put the corn in water to soak for about 30 mins. Clean and dry the chicken, then dust with Adobo and black pepper.

Build a 2-level fire in your pit, with the typical hot side/cooler side configuration. Start the chicken over the hot side – leave it where it sits for 2 mins or until grill marks form – flip it and do the same on the other side. Then move the chicken to the cooler side of the grill. Keep rotating it so that all sides have an equal time closer to the hot side of the grill. Add the corn to the hot side of the grill and keep rotating it. Eventually, the outside husks will burn and turn black and the silks will burn away. Move the corn to the coolest side of the grill.

Remove the chicken and the corn when the chicken reaches an internal temperature (as recommended by the USDA) of 165F degrees. Cool the chicken and chop it into 1/2 inch cubes. Remove the husks from the corn and shave the kernels off the cobs. Combine all ingredients in a medium serving bowl, ending with the dressing. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours – but overnight is best, tossing occasionally.

Serve cold.

For a printable version of this recipe or to save it to your Free MY FAVORITES account – CLICK HERE

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) offers these suggestions for general grilling safety.*

Following a few basic steps can help ensure safe, reliable operation of your outdoor cooking appliance, regardless of what type you use. The following safety tips are designed to guide you through the grilling process. Remember, anytime you work with fire, there’s a chance of getting burned. So, take precautions. Common sense and planning will prevent injuries.

RECIPE FOR SAFETY: FIRST, BE SMART AND INFORMED
The main ‘ingredient’ for safety in outdoor cooking is common sense. Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for assembling and using your grill or smoker, and call the manufacturer help line numbers if you have a problem or a question. (more…)

I truly enjoy hearing from readers with comments, ideas, suggestions and questions about articles posted here. That’s what we are here for!

Paul Kramer checks the temperature.

My favorite emails are when folks just have to share their latest grilling triumph! Even better when they include pictures.

Here are two of the latest pictures sent to me from fellas who enjoy grilling in just about any weather.

First up on the right is a picture from Paul in Western Wisconsin as he checks the temperature of the holiday turkey cooking in The Big Easy.  The bird cooked perfectly fine despite the fact that the air temperature was hovering at about +10F degrees!

Paul  reports that he’s very pleased with the high temperatures he achieves with the infrared grill, even in the cold Wisconsin winters.  He writes that he sometimes sets his Big Easy cooker or RED infrared grill in the car-port so there is cover from the snow but,  he assures me,  the sides of the car port are open so there is proper ventilation.  Safety First! (more…)

The title of this post is not intended to mislead you or to suggest that I’m grilling  “mystery” meat. What I’ve done is create a basic recipe concept that will work for you to prepare a number of different types of meat and pair the results with different sauces.

No doubt you’re familiar with the menu item customarily identified as “Veal” Scallopini with lemon and caper sauce – available at just about any Italian style restaurant.   The same “veal” might also be paired with different sauces, typically a Marsala sauce, to satisfy different appetites.  The dishes are prepared using nearly identical techniques: The veal is pounded into thin slices, lightly floured, seasoned and sauted in olive oil, browned butter and garlic. The lightly cooked veal is plated and a sauce is finished in the same pan using different ingredients to produce whichever menu item you ordered.

Perhaps you’ve prepared this dish at home with veal, chicken or even pork. But  have you ever tried grilling the meat? Grilling adds a different flavor and the sauce can be made or store-bought, offering the cook a range of menu options for different tastes at the same meal. (more…)

Last summer I came across a recipe that really REALLY caught my eye.  It was posted on the food blog “Salty Sour Spicy Sweet“  and I just had to contact the two food enthusiasts who write about their obsession with food.

Beth & Kristen - Foodies who write about their obsession with food at Salty Sour Spicy Sweet

They are Beth & Kristen and I’m pleased to announce that, from time-to-time, they’ll be sharing some of their recipes for outdoor cooking and grilling here on Sizzle on the Grill. I guarantee they will shake things up around here.  This first recipe for “Steak Candy” is pretty darn tasty – but the ones to follow are, well, how shall I say this?  They are out-of-the-ordinary!

Chili and Brown Sugar “Steak Candy” Skirt Steak with Tangy Yogurt Sauce

This recipe below works great on either skirt or hangar steaks. These are both available in an increasing number of grocery stores these days.  You are likely to find skirt steak on the east coast and hangar steaks on the west. It’s affordable, cooks quickly and, treated correctly, it’s goo-oood. (more…)