CB's "Local Boy" Grilled Short Ribs

When I purchased these short ribs the butcher said: “Hey you gonna fix those Hawaiian-Style? I gotta great recipe!”  and he forced handed me a 3 x 5 card with the recipe printed on it.  The two main ingredients besides brown sugar were pineapple and teriyaki sauce. I smiled.

Having spent a bit of time over the past 30 years visiting for work and pleasure – I’m not sure that it’s appropriate to call a dish “Hawaiian-style” because it’s made with pineapple and teriyaki sauce; too many recipes and cookbooks I’ve read seem to do that.  Not to say that both of those ingredients don’t show up in a lot of island food – but if you are from Hawai’i or have visited  – then you certainly know that island food is influenced by many cultures and offers more complexity of textures and flavors than just those two ingredients.  I’d say the food I’ve enjoyed in Hawaii has influenced my belief in freshness and local ingredients more than visiting my neighborhood farmer’s markets. Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten has been in island restaurants like Indigo, Roy’s and Sam Choy’s just to name a few.  And absolutely my preferred first stop when I land in Honolulu is to head to Rainbow Drive in for a mixed plate lunch of mahi-mahi, teriyaki beef and chicken with two scoops rice and macaroni salad. (more…)

If you’ve visited the Users Forums you will already know it’s organized into different Boards about grills and styles of cooking.  Many folks who are looking to purchase a new grill will stop by and read posts about the grills they are interested in, perhaps even post messages and get information to help them decide.  Jon went through this process and chose a new Char-Broil grill with the Quantum infrared cooking system.  He added this post about his first cooking experiences over the weekend. Take a look at his report and maybe spend a few minutes on the Users Forums to find answers to your questions about grills, grilling and various outdoor cooking techniques.

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

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Chicken “By the Numbers” on my new Quantum infrared grill.

Hey CB and all: So I had to run my 8 year old daughter to a 2 1/2 hour baseball camp, and while I enjoyed it, I kept thinking about my new and still unused Quantum at home. My daughter must have sensed what I was thinking. At break she came over and said, don’t worry Dad, when we get home I want you to cook lunch on your new grill! Wow what a trooper! When we got home, nobody else was around so I made hamburgers for she and I.  Wow, talk about great burgers! And its amazing how they really don’t shrink as much as on a conventional grill. (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…)

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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The communal ritual of gathering round a fire to share food and comfort is intertwined in the history of man on earth. Whatever creed or philosophy you follow – it will be there some place in the records – a story of elders sharing food and passing along the history of the family and community to the young.

Every culture has some form of this activity and I’ve always felt that our modern society gravitates to the backyard to cook over fire because of something deep inside us that actually requires this ritual. So it doesn’t surprise me that  just about wherever I travel if there are folks grilling or barbequing there is a spirit of friendship and warmth being shared and radiating to the surroundings. Even in the most dire of circumstances the very process of gathering round the fire pit to prepare a meal seems to revitalize those who are drawn to it. ~CB

For several years an organization called BBQ For Our Troops has acted on this belief to provide, gratis, literally hundreds of thousands of meals to soldiers and families as a gesture of support and thanks.  Goodness knows the individuals who volunteer to defend our freedoms so that we enjoy our own backyard cookouts deserve something after the long months of separation from their loved ones.

Friday, December 11 – BBQ For Our Troops will be coordinating in partnership with the USO a barbeque cookout for the troops and families of Ft. Hood, Texas.  To be called “Fort Hood: Community Strong.” the all volunteer organization is gearing up to serve more than 80,000 meals.  Let me say that again. They plan on serving more than 80,000 meals.  Here’s a photo from an earlier event that will give you just some idea of what that might look like.

Soldiers and families line up for tasty BBQ at a previous BBQ For Our Troops event.

Our own Mike ‘Pit Pirate” Hedrick is a national spokesperson for the organization and he sent me this information:

CB:

BBQ for Our Troops is dazed, amazed and humbly grateful to announce that the “Fort Hood: Community Strong” event is fully funded through donations of products, services and cash donations — with a week to spare. An abundance of donated goods and volunteers from around the country have poured in to make this a very meaningful and wonderful day for the entire post community of military personnel, military families and civilian members of the Ft. Hood, TX community. The USO estimates 85,000 people will be attending and more than 185,000 meals will be prepared to ensure everyone who wants, can have seconds!

We extend a grateful “Thank You!” to:

The Fort Hood USO for coordinating the event and Gatesville Fire Department for being a collection point for all donated goods. The following businesses called us to see how they could help and have supplied food, spices and support: Tyson, Texas Beef Association, McCormick & Co., Inc., Texas Rib Rangers, Buccaneer Blends, Pit Crew Barbeque and Knox Spice Company.

We’d like to thank all the good folks in the BBQ community who passed along this information to their members and readers to help us raise awareness of our events and generate support in the form of donations: TheBBQForum.com, Char-Broil & Sizzle on the Grill, Jeff Hammond of Fox/Sports and most of all – the generous and caring American citizens from all walks of life who, from all over the country, have responded with generous donations and wonderful things to say in support of the Ft. Hood community.

While the response to the Ft. Hood event is a success – we have several more events in the next 6 months that could still use some assistance (even after-the-fact donations are helpful) to ensure that we can continue to operate as a primarily all-volunteer charitable effort:

Los Alamitos, CA: 40th Infantry Division – December 5th, 2009
Saturday December 5th, 2009 we provided BBQ and support for 500 of our brothers and sisters in the 40th Infantry Division of the California Army Reserve. The Division calls upon hundreds of citizen-soldiers every year to provide emergency services for the state, from hundreds of soldiers to assist in flood relief activities, to dozens of troops assisting firefighters in forest fire operations, all the way down to a single, solitary enlisted person giving up his or her night so that an Armory can be opened to shelter the homeless from the winter’s cold.

Los Angeles VA Hospital: Los Angels CA – December 6th, 2009
BBQ for Our Troops assisted with the Veteran’s Holiday Celebrations at the Los Angeles Veterans Administration Hospital. The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System exists to serve the veteran through the delivery of timely quality care by staff who demonstrate outstanding customer service, the advancement of health care through research, and the education of tomorrow’s health care providers. Happy Holidays and Thanks for your Service!

Army vs. Navy Football: Wounded Warriors Tailgate Party – December 12th, 2009
This Game Day is the only time folks here at BBQ for Our Troops take different sides but, we’ll be coming together to provide the best Tailgating BBQ these Wounded Warriors ever had. The event this year is at Lincoln Financial Field and we are looking forward to enjoying this great rivalry together with these men and women who have sacrificed so much. Del says “Go Navy!”

Christmas Party at Camp Pendleton – December 18th, 2009 - We will feed tasty BBQ to members of the 5th Battalion 11th Marines. Many of these soldiers will depart almost immediately to serve a tour in Afghanistan.

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center: 29 Palms, CA – May, 2010
We are gearing up for BBQ for Our Troops annual “We Salute You” event where we provide for the entire 29 Palms Marine Corps Base a BBQ Thank You for the job that they have done. We have been going out there since  the beginning of the Afghan war, for nearly 9 years, and have fed many a hungry Marine. Each year we go back to salute them and there are new faces in the chow line right beside those we have seen many times at previous events. We will need a lot of donations and support for this event.

- Peace. Mike Hedrick

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I tip my hat to the people and businesses who volunteer their time, energy  and resources to support BBQ For Our Troops and thank you for taking a moment to read this.  If you’d like more information about BBQ For Our Troops here is a link to their web site.

BBQ For Our Troops.

Happy Grilling!

It always warms my heart when folks share a picture and little story about special meals. Seems that the mister has an allergy to peanuts and they had to stop frying their turkeys…until they found The Big Easy.  Allyson sent me this kind note about their holiday meal...

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Our Big Easy 'fried turkey' and sliced ham.

We loved our Big Easy Fried Turkey again this year.  As you can see it fried up into a beautiful turkey.  It was moist and savory to the last piece.  We did it a little different this year, because of shortness of time, and injected it with Louisiana Creole Butter the evening before.

We needed to carve the turkey next to the sink because it was so juicy!

We have had fried turkey’s before, but since my husband is allergic to peanuts, we could not fry in the peanut oil.  The Big Easy is the perfect solution to our family’s need.

Thank you,  Allyson Browning

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Thank you Allyson for sharing your holiday meal with us.  What’s on your grill this week? Send me a picture and a brief note to CB@sizzleonthegrill.com

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

The folks who participate in conversations on the Users Forums often amaze me with their depth of experience and appreciation for good food. For example – Grillman from Aurora, Colorado. This fellow has a lot of experience cooking with big time BBQ competition teams on some of those very serious looking big ol’cooking rigs. He knows a thing or two about how to make a tender, tasty brisket; a rack of ribs or a  smokey pork butt that falls apart with only a whisper. So a few weeks ago I was kinda surprised to see him post pictures of a mixed grill meal he’d prepared – not the meal, cause I expect tasty food from him! — but how he prepared it.  With all of the equipment he has to choose from he prepared a gourmet extravaganza using…well, let him tell it in his own words:

“Just a regular 3 burner Char-Broil brand propane grill.”

On the plate is Grilled Shrimp, the Lobster Fatty, the Shrimp Flatty, King Crab legs, and a small Lobster tail. I grilled the Shrimp with a coating of Olive Oil, a splash of Worcestershire Sauce, salt & pepper.

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I made a Lobster "Fatty"...and was going to make a Shrimp "Fatty" but didn't think it would turn out good...so...I made it into a Shrimp "Flatty".

Great looking food and I bet it was tasty!

I’m inspired – how about you?

What’s on YOUR grill this week?

Happy Grilling!

There are people who occasionally grill a steak or chop outdoors. There are those who love to grill most meals outdoors, weather permitting.  And then there are a few dedicated enthusiasts who I call “Mailman Grillers” because neither snow nor rain, sleet or hail, darkness of night or — a sudden tornado micro burst –  will keep them from their appointed task of preparing tasty food on the grill for friends and family. This is about two buddies who go by their online screen names of squirtthecat & hal4uk. These fellas love to grill.

Couple of summers ago they were preparing for a backyard party at one of their homes and had set up a cooking area in the backyard. They were meticulous in the organization, menu planning and made contingency plans for the expected hot weather…all in consideration of their guests.

A lovely party set up for a big family party and BBQ.

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Tasty looking oyster - freshly roasted in The Big Easy.

Savannahsmoker posted a tasty looking series of photos that he took earlier today whilst roasting oysters in The Big Easy.  Here’s the post – Users Forums.

I wanna give a big ol’ “Ooh-Rah!” to our own Mike “Pit Pirate” Hedrick -  an original Sizzle on the Grill Guest Chef and all around good guy – who shared this bit o’news with readers of the Users Forums this past weekend:

Mike Hedrick in full NASCAR mode.

“I’m very honored and excited to accept the position of National Spokesman for “BBQ for the Troops”! We provide and serve more than 100,000 meals of BBQ to returning service people of every branch of service.”

“I am proud to serve in this great American grassroots movement. I’ll be helping get the group Facebook page stocked with content: stories, photos and videos of events. An example of the massive undertaking is feeding barbeque to nearly 20,000 troops this coming May at the 29 Palms, CA training ground. How cool is that?!”

For more information: BBQ For Our Troops

NEXT: These Marines deploy to Afghanistan, early January 2010

December 18th [Friday]
Christmas Party for 600 Marines
5th Battalion, 11th Marine Division
Camp Pendleton, California

Mike has dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to this project over the years and will be an enthusiastic spokesperson to promote their efforts. With a son in the service who is deployed overseas…Mike understands well the hardships that these dedicated men and women undertake.  An afternoon of tasty barbeque is just a small way of showing appreciation for all they do.

Thanks Mike.