With much of the nation having unseasonable cold and snow  this week – hello Florida? – it seems like I’m rubbing it in to say that most of my local markets were featuring fresh asparagus on special this week.

Sorry.

It’s the early season variety that’s kinda thin but so-so-so very tasty. Especially when it has a little grilling char on it: DEE-LISH-US!

I did the basic cooking method:

1. Snap or cut off the woody ends, rinse under water, dry with a paper towel and spread out on a large sheet pan to air dry thoroughly.

2. Drizzle with pomace olive oil and season with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper then toss and mix by hand. (more…)

For several years I’ve referred to a technique I call, for want of anything better – “Sear & Hold.” This uses the grill to sear steaks, chops, burgers, fish and even chicken over direct high heat – and then finish on low indirect heat to produce a tasty and perfectly cooked meal for your guests. Using this technique on just about any grill, pair of tongs, a thermometer and a little practice you will consistently serve food your guests enjoy and of which you are proud.

Because there are so many questions about how to do this I thought it might be helpful to show the technique on several different grills over the course of the spring and summer in hopes that I’ll inspire you to try it and, if you like it, adapt it to suit your own style of cooking. Each grill design has specific features that require you to understand as the head chef at your house. This month I’ve been using the Big Easy Smoker-Roaster-Grill for various cooks and for this post it’s set up for grilling.

Trim away the excessive fat from the lip. It's not needed for flavor "in" the meat and it will only add to smoke & fat fire flare-ups. Note the RED cutting board? Color code for raw meat.

If you happen to read the post from February 16th called “Some tips on grilling great steaks.” – one of the first steps I recommend is to trim away excess fat from the individual steaks as it only adds to the fat dripping into your fire and doesn’t add to flavor in the meat. Yes, of course you can eat the cooked fat with bites of meat – but I’m trying to be more conscientious in my eating habits these days!  Cutting away excess fat will reduce the amount of smoke when searing steak at the high heat range of 450F – 650F degrees and your doctor will appreciate the effort as well.

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I truly enjoy the flavor of slow cooked pork ribs, grilled whole pork tenderloin sliced into medallions, pork loin roasted and smoked a bit, a smokey pulled pork  sandwich with lotsa ‘bark’ on the surface to kinda chew on and taste the smoke. When it comes to beef – well gimmie a sirloin, a ribeye beef steak, porterhouse, tenderloin, standing rib, flat iron, hanger steak, slow cooked brisket (Texas style if you please) and just about anything else grilled, slow cooked or roasted and barbequed with some smoke. And do I even have to mention chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, quail, goat, wild boar, veal and a couple other sublime tasty meats that are oh-so-DEE-LISH-US when grilled, roasted, smoked or barbequed?.

Yep – I love it all!

But maybe, just maybe. At least for today maybe – a lightly seasoned and grilled-roasted rack of lamb is one of my top favorite meats to enjoy. Tonight I prepared a smallish 1 lb rack of New Zealand lamb on the Big Easy Smoker-Roaster-Grill as part of my shake-down experience with this new product from Char-Broil.  I gotta tell you I  just couldn’t be happier with the result.

Individual chops sliced from a rack of lamb grilled-roasted to RARE please! Lightly seasoned to compliment the natural flavor of the meat.

The methods to prepare many different cuts of meat on the grill are nearly identical. Once you get the method or technique mastered – you can feel confident approaching the variety of meat available to you and expand your meal time enjoyment. (more…)

This cooking tip from Bob in New Hampshire is useful for preparing just about any large fillet of fish and especially useful for thinner, softer and somewhat easily torn fish species.  Perhaps you already use this method and, while it’s not technically direct heat grilling, it’s a very safe way to prepare fish on the grill to ensure tasty results.  And here’s a challenge for the more “adventurous” -  try using parchment paper in place of the aluminum foil to create individual envelopes for the fish and flavorings like compound butter, herbs and even some firm veggies – then cook these individual servings in a closed grill at about 350F degrees using indirect heat.

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

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How Ya Doing CB?  I would like to share this recipe with you. Our grandson Travis gave me the recipe a while back and we have been cooking our fish this way since.

• 1- Fillet of Haddock
• 1/2 Lemon sliced thin
• 1 Hand full of Ritz crackers crumbled
• 2 Tablespoons of melted butter or spray butter
• A little salt for seasoning
• A sheet of foil to put fillet on cooking spray

Spray the sheet of foil with cooking spray, put sliced lemons on foil,

Slices of lemons placed on "lightly sprayed" aluminum foil.

put fish fillet on top of lemons, (more…)

Grilled ribeye steak served medium-rare with side of grilled gulf prawns.

Depending upon your level of overall confidence and outdoor cooking skills – you may aspire to preparing steaks that rival those served in expensive steak houses. There are really only a couple of secrets to grilling great steaks.

1. Good quality meat cut thick enough to sear without overcooking

2. High heat & clean grates

OK – there is definitely a third…

3. Patience & Experience

Here’s a pictorial I made of a mixed grill cook I did just this past weekend on the Big Easy Smoker-Roaster-Grill set up for grilling.

After reading the post please leave a comment or question in the Comment section (first time users will experience a delay in the comment being posted while it is reviewed and approved to prevent spammers) or sign up on the Users Forums to post questions about cooking steaks on your specific type of grill.

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

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1. Choose the cut of meat that’s right for flavor and best for grilling – based upon your taste buds and your budget! Here’s some information about USDA Grades of Beef and here’s a Beef Chart to help you select meat best suited to preparation techniques. For this cook I happened upon a special deal on USDA Prime Ribeye steaks.

Here’s what the ribeyes I purchased looked like when I brought them home: (more…)

A very tasty grilled to Medium Rare ribeye steak and prawns for lunch.

Talking by phone to business associates on the east coast and southeast who are marveling or grouching about snow. Watching cable news videos of a foot or more of snow in Dallas, TX and a bit less than that in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Raining like crazy in southern California.

Gee. It’s a sunny spring afternoon in Seattle.

Ahem – clears throat and says out loud:

“Boy, it sure is nice to grill lunch on the Big Easy Smoker-Roaster-Grill.“

I seem to be on a mushroom kick of late. Each Sunday I visit the Ballard Farmer’s Market and head straight for the Foraged Edibles booth to scope out the offerings. From the big, firm lobster mushrooms to the delicate chanterelle mushroom – I’ve tasted and learned about flavor, texture and techniques for using these found fungi. Mushrooms come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, textures and flavors and have many uses in outdoor cooking recipes.  The ubiquitous  ‘white cap’ is most often found in your neighborhood grocery store and is widely used in prepared salads, pizzas, and soups. It’s mainly white with a firm texture and has a very mild flavor.  Even people who proclaim their dislike of mushrooms seem to eat this variety with nary a complaint. ..but I’m not so sure that’s a good thing to say about it!

The medium-size 3- or 4-inch portobello mushrooms are often packaged and ready to use. (Photo credit: Dole)

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The soup is prepared cold and super hot river rocks are added to each bowl to "cook" the soup.

I’ve written before about our two friends Linda & Gary  who were my watery neighbors in the floating home community where I moored my 100+ year-old fishing shack here in Seattle.  As they are both retired school teachers and have taken to spending the gray and drizzly  Northwest winters in sunny Mexico – I  look forward to their periodic emails with photos and reports of their adventures.  Today I received an email with assurances they were “A-OK” after experiencing the effects of an earthquake centered about 100 miles south of their location in Oaxaca city.  Gary made sure to include photos from a recent outing for an interesting lunch: Stone Soup.

Not sure that I’ll be trying this dish at home – but it sure does intrigue me – perhaps this spring when we go crabbing and clamming we can prepare a pot and cook it with hot beach rocks from our fire. It does remind me that just one of the ‘connections’ we experience when cooking outdoors is to the millions of people who have prepared food in this or similar basic methods throughout history. I hope you enjoy this postcard and, please, share your stories of outdoor cooking via email so I can post them too!

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Our friends at the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association want all consumers to be informed about how to make appropriate choices when buying beef. All beef sold for human consumption is inspected but not all beef is graded. There are specific U.S.D.A. rules governing how beef is graded and they have asked me to pass along this basic outline of beef grading information to you.

Making the Grade

Meat Inspection = Safe and Wholesome Beef

The wholesomeness of the U.S. meat supply is ensured by meat inspection. All meat that is sold must, by law, pass inspection. Meat products are among the most highly regulated and supervised products in the food supply. Everyone pays for meat inspection through taxes.

Meat Grading = Taste and Tenderness

Meat grading is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Beef quality grades indicate palatability characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness and flavor. There are eight quality grades for beef which reflect the amount of marbling (fat within the lean), firmness, color and texture of the beef, and the maturity of the animal.

Grading is optional and paid for by meat processors. More than half of the beef available is graded. Generally, only three grades are identified and sold to restaurants and at retail. They are Prime, Choice and Select.

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Prime has the most marbling.
It usually is sold to restaurants, although some specialty meat markets and supermarkets may carry it.

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Choice cuts tend to have a little less marbling.
Choice is the most widely available grade in the market.

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Select has the least amount of marbling, making it leaner but often less juicy and flavorful than the other two grades.

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Here are some tips to remember when shopping for beef to prepare for your next cookout.

Three Simple Steps For… Shopping for Beef

1. Make the meat case your last stop to ensure beef stays cool.
2. Choose beef with a bright cherry-red color.
3. Opt for steaks and roasts that are firm to the touch, not soft.

Do you have more questions about beef? Ask the butchers at your favorite grocery store or meat market for information about the source, quality and grades of meat they carry.  Post your comments or questions below and share them in a discussion on the Users Forum – Meat topic board.

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

Smoked lamb shanks plated with slow cooked red potatoes, Crimini mushrooms, cumin-spiced carrots drizzle with broth reduction.

If you enjoy lamb then there is a good chance you like lamb shanks. I prefer shanks from the front legs because there is less bone to mess with – and they are a bit easier to handle. But regardless of which you choose – a light touch of smoke and then slowly braising them with onions, garlic, herbs and tasty spiced stock is, in a word I like to use: DEE-LISH-US! (more…)