Leslie was the person I spoke with most often when working with Girls on a Grill.  Mother to Kate and Alison to whom she lovingly referred to as “the girls” (a phrase which I altered in friendship and fun to “da goyles.”) She was the indefatigable champion of family meals and sent me notes about what they cooked when the girls were home for the weekend, she often included pictures, not for publication but just because.   We would talk – by email or phone – and our correspondence and conversations always perked up my day.  This spring she shared photos from the wedding celebration for one of her daughters and, considering the pictures of Kate and Allison you see in their profile – I was not surprised to see that she too, was lovely. And bald. In more than 2 years of working together she never bothered to mention that she was also fighting cancer.

Her last email to me several months back contained an extra helping of grilling recipes with pictures.  I wondered why she would go to such trouble of stocking me up with posts.  Then last week I received a thoughtful note from her husband informing me of her passing. Even today, as I write this, my heart is full and eyes misty – because in this crazy modern world of virtual cyber friendships, Leslie connected with me on a very human level.  We never met in person but it seemed to me I got to know her a little bit. I thank her family for sharing her with me and all of us and look forward to many opportunities to share meals, in person or virtually, with “the goyles” as we all move forward.

Recently I commissioned a poem from my friend Meredith. Nearly every Sunday at the local Ballard Farmer’s Market Meredith perches herself on a wooden crate and balances a manual typewriter on her lap. For nothing more than a kind word (I do recommend a donation!) she’ll engage you in a short conversation and, as you walk about the stalls of freshly harvested vegetables, fruits and food vendors, she composes. When you return she will have written a poem for you.  Sometimes I’ve enjoyed being the patron for little kidlets who happen along with their parents in tow – delighting in their reaction to the experience of hearing a real person read aloud a poem written just for them.

I share the poem Meredith composed for me and dedicate it to Leslie and her family. I think she would like it. I hope you do.

Sizzle on the Grill

Lay out the last days
of late summer find
the perfect hours in them,
heat the grill ’till the flames
burn blue. Brush the cuts
of meat, cook them through
with sweet smoke, slowly.
The season is finishing well,
slowly in the backyard. The light,
the coals, our sticky fingers prove it.

©M. Clark
The Poem Store
All rights reserved.

Before you say anything – please look at this photo I took last evening:

CB's variation on insalata caprese with ... huh? What are those ingredients? (see below)

The classic construction of “insalata caprese” is, essentially, four ingredients:

1. freshly picked and sliced garden tomatoes – still warm from the morning sun.

2. freshly made buffalo mozzarella cheese sliced into rounds nearly identical is size and thickness to the tomatoes

3. freshly pick leaves of basil snuggled between and around the first two ingredients

4. rich extra virgin olive oil drizzled onto the entire plate of tomatoes, cheese and basil.

OK maybe, just maybe add some freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of exceptionally wonderful and, of course, authentic – aged balsamic vinegar.  But only if you are a radical!

In the appetizing picture above I played around with that list of simple ingredients to please my mood and taste buds…

“Grilled haloumi cheese, sliced fresh tomatoes, prosciutto ham, fresh basil all drizzled with Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil and aged balsamic vinegar and a couple of twists of freshly ground black pepper.” (more…)

Beef Chuck Short Ribs

“Beef short ribs are cut from the chuck and plate primals. A full slab of short ribs is typically about 10 inches square, ranges from 3-5 inches thick, and contains three or four ribs, intercostal muscle and tendon, and a layer of boneless meat and fat which is thick on one end of the slab and thins down to almost nothing on the other. There is a variety of ways to butcher short ribs. The ribs can be separated and cut into short lengths (typically about 2 inches long), called an “English cut”, “flanken cut” across the bones (typically about 1/2 inch thick), or cut into boneless steaks (a style recently introduced in the U.S.A. as a cheaper alternative to rib steak).” – Wikipedia

I’ve written several posts over the years about cooking short ribs – all of which have pretty much used the flanken cut.

CB’s Hawaiian-Style Short Ribs

Girls on a Grill Grilled & Braised Short Ribs

Mr. Jig’s Braised & Grilled Short Ribs

Julie Reinhardt’s Kalbi-Style Short Ribs

CB’s Short Ribs on a “Dark & Stormy” Night

This week my local grocery store butcher offered short ribs in the boneless steak style.  It took all of about 2 seconds for me to scoop up a package and take them home and before I got to the check-out stand I decided to marinate to enhance the natural flavor and layer of flavors by grilling and glazing for the final dish. Here’s what I did: (more…)

My friends at Wholly Guacamole sent me a care package with samples of their tasty prepared guacamole. It’s not that I’m lazy – but I gotta tell you having a package of the individual servings in the fridge has now become very important to my preparation of burgers, BLT sandwiches and for a quick appetizer whilst grilling.  But I wanted to explore the use a bit more and, while reading the weather reports of the incredibly high heat index much of the country is experiencing – decided I needed to provide a recipe requiring absolutely no cooking! Checking my extensive archives I combined a couple of recipes into one that should satisfy your hunger and cool you off as well!

Ceviche

Civiche (suh-vee-shay) is a technique practiced in many cultures that uses the acid of citrus or other sources to “cook” seafood such as shrimp, scallops, squid, firm flesh fish, etc. – without the use of fire or heat. There are many variations on this technique and I encourage you to play with the ingredients to come up those that most satisfy your palate and makes your guests smile. The essential elements are fresh boneless firm flesh fish or other seafood, a balance between the heat from peppers and/or onions with the sweetness of tomatoes, fruits, herbs, etc.  Add some surprises like fruit, cucumbers, etc.  I’ll add fresh chunks of pineapple or papaya to this dish to give it a little extra flavor. Or use mint or another herb in place of the tarragon – try the prepared dried seaweed called Nori.  Think of a cuisine style you enjoy and use those flavors!

CB’s EZ “Ceviche”
This only takes a few minutes to prepare and can be ready to serve in under 4 hours. Buy fresh fish and use it the same day to ensure the best taste.

Ingredients
•    2 lbs of firm, fresh firm-fleshed fish
•    2 cups of fresh squeezed lemon juice
•    ¼ cup chopped shallots or scallions – your option
•    1 cup of chopped seeded & drained tomatoes (use canned when fresh not available)
•    1 cup finely chopped celery
•    2 tsp of salt
•    Fresh tarragon leaves – about 3 Tbsp roughly chopped
•    Srirachi chili sauce – a little goes a long way! (optional)

For service
•    Cilantro
•    1/2 fresh lime
•    Shredded cabbage
•    Wholly Guacamole
•    Tortillas or tortilla chips

Preparation
•    Have the fish monger completely de-bone and skin the fish. Cut it into 1/2 inch pieces,

Technique
Place all of the ingredients in the first group in a gallon-size plastic bag or glass bowl.  Seal or cover and place in fridge or cooler for about 3 hours – stirring and/or mixing every 45 minutes to ensure all the fish is exposed to the flavors.

What to look for
The acids will “cook” the fish and it will change color to nearly opaque.  That’s when it’s done..

Serving Suggestion
Place the ceviche into a non-reactive service bowl and top with juice from the lime and cilantro.  Serve in warmed tortillas with freshly chopped cabbage and Wholly Guacamole or use large tortilla chips and dip with Wholly Guacamole on the side.

Enjoy! and…

Welcome to the cook-out!

~~~~

Photo Credit: www.explorecostarica.com

I prefer simple recipes. The 5 ingredient method is perfect for most everything I prepare at home. To be sure – sometimes one of those ingredients is either a prepared or homemade sauce or stock from a previous cook or the protein is from a previous cook. But it’s still a simple approach to cooking.

This last weekend my neighbor had a little get-together in his tropical garden. By tropical – I mean exactly that. Palm Trees, exotic looking foliage, a water fall and plenty of Jimmy Buffet music as background to the conversation of friends.  What makes this so special is it’s in the middle of Seattle, a place mostly associated with moss and rust.

As is the custom these days of belt tightening, we all bring food and beverages to share.  I wanted to make something tasty but didn’t have much time and wheeled into the grocery store on the way home. Walking toward the meat counter I saw the little trays of pink cocktail shrimp – you know the ones at Kroger or Costco – trays of pink cocktail shrimp all neatly arranged in a tight circle with the cocktail sauce in the center. Packaged in a plastic tray and lid, shrink wrapped and frozen into stack-able bricks.  Most people just thaw them and serve cold. I decided to turn up the heat – literally – with some time on the grill to add a touch of flavor and with some bottled sriracha chili sauce.  You’ve seen sriracha sauce in ethnic restaurants, it’s in the bottle with the rooster on it.

It’s an EZ-PZ idea that I wanted to share with you.

Although pre-cooked, the quick grilling added a depth of color and flavor to the shrimp meat. As one-by-one they turned a richer pink, I removed to a bowl. When all were re-heated I tossed with juice squeezed from half a lemon, half a lime, chopped cilantro, 3 cloves of minced garlic, a squirt-to-taste of the sriracha sauce and that's all!

I plated the shrimp, dressed with some lemon rounds and larger pieces of cilantro and served on a tray with toothpicks and the packaged cocktail sauce as a "cooling agent."

Recipe? What recipe?

Thaw the shrimp. Grill it for just a bit to get some flavor marks. Toss it in the lemon & lime juice, add cilantro, garlic and sriracha sauce and serve!  See – I told you. EZ-PZ.

Welcome to the cook-out!

A basket of mini burgers, or sliders, made with ground American Lamb.

Ground lamb has a deep meaty flavor that is almost luxurious.  Spice it up with some garlic powder, ground cumin, black pepper and onion flakes and you have the makings of a perfect burger.  This weekend why not try something tasty and different – I betcha like it!

Ground lamb is mixed with garlic, cumin, ground pepper and onion flakes & chopped parsley - measurements to taste! ♦ Figure about 1/4 tsp of the spice mix per full-size ground lamb patty.

(more…)

Ribs can be prepared "dry" - sans mop, or "wet" style. These are dry.

Are ribs your Mt. Everest?

You’ve almost mastered grilling a perfect steak, chop, burgers and the chicken you prepare on your grill is the talk of the town.  Now. It’s time to conquer slow cooking ribs!

Truth be told – you are not alone in your effort to master the art of slow cooking ribs.  I have some successes and some failures.  So, I guess you could say ,I am still working on that climb too.  That’s right. I have picked up some knowledge and skills but, mostly, I’m a backyard cook just like you. And ribs are my Mt. Everest. (OK and slow cooked Texas-style beef brisket may as well be the moon!)

This past weekend I was ready to spend the time necessary to make baby back ribs using some proven old school methods. I wanted to prepare them “dry” style. No sauce or mop…perhaps inspired by my recent visit to Memphis.  And I planned ahead – because making ribs isn’t necessarily the kind of meal you decide to make on your way home from work. At least not this method.

Here’s what I did:

1. Selected good quality racks at the grocery store and checked to make sure they were meaty and not pre-brined. (Nothing bad about that - just not what I wanted for this cook.) On sale these ribs were about $7 for 2.3 lb rack. A rack this size is probably enough to feed 2 normal folks but is merely an appetizer to my teen age son.

2. Removed the membrane from the underside to ensure maximum flavor penetration of the rubs I was asked to test out by my friends at Char-Broil.* This picture shows the difference when the membrane is removed (top) and left on (bottom.) I use a spoon to scratch the membrane off one of the small bones - then grab hold of it with a paper towel and pull it off pretty easily.

3. Used food safe gloves to rub in the spices and flavors, then let the ribs rest in the cooler overnight to ensure maximum flavor. I always apply rubs onto meat placed on a tray and in the sink. Saves the messy clean-up later.

Rain.

Went outside at about 10 am to start the Silver Smoker and it was a deluge. downpour. dancing raindrops everywhere. monsoon city. Now — ahem — I am from the Northwest and a little rain doesn’t affect me. I’ve been known to put on a coat whilst wearing shorts and flip-flops to walk to the store in the rain. But that’s when it’s a normal misty kinda rain we are best known for. This was something I’ve only experienced in the East or occasionally in Hawaii. Rain like it’s comin’ down from a shower head.  And that, my friends, is not the fun I had imagined for myself – standing outside tending to a charcoal fire in a smoker to maintain constant temps for several hours while the rain cools off the metal and plays havoc with my efforts. So I opted to cheat.

Well, not cheat…exactly. Let’s say that I decided to do a “work around” in the cooker department and prepare them with a device that is a bit more modern than a charcoal off-set smoker. Plenty of smoke for sure, and even control over the heat – certainly. But I would not be cooking them low and slow “Old School” style. I decided to cook them in the Big Easy Smoker, Roaster & Grill.

Coiled each rack and placed in the basket, then into the cooking chamber with the smoker box rolling out a mix of cherry-apple-mesquite smoke.

The ribs cooked for about an hour on the middle setting and I was happy with the progress, took the picture above, went inside to read the paper — and promptly fell asleep watching the race on TV. Yep. That’s what I did. Woke up about 45 minutes later and remembered the ribs. Oh man!

Baby back ribs meat exposed. The surface glazed with fat and rub.

They were a bit crustier than I’d planned but thank goodness for the infrared cooking system. The same process that delivers my turkey or chicken all brown and crispy, while keeping the meat juicy – did the same for my ribs. Whew…..

I promise next time I’ll post a cook with ribs prepared in the smoker…truly “Old School.”  If you’d like some helpful tips and suggestions on preparing ribs on your grill or outdoor cooker – head on over to the Users Forums and don’t be shy – post a question!

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

_________________________________________

Fine rub penetrates the surface of the rib meat.

* Char-Broil is exploring development of some tasty all-natural and low-sodium marinades, brines, rubs and sauces to be branded “Char-Broil Pinch o’Sizzle.” I am not a fan of most store-bought rubs and sauces because they have WAY too much salt and preservatives in them.  And the off-the-shelf rubs are usually too coarsely ground, they don’t penetrate the surface of the meat to enhance flavor – they kinda form a salty crust – reminds me of the texture of corn meal – on the surface.

For this cook I used two different rubs: a finely ground Kansas City style (sweeter) and a Memphis style (more spice) on these baby back ribs.I liked the way it penetrated the surface and combined with the fat as it rendered to make a crust. Of course – these were a bit crustier than I had planned – but they were still moist and flavorful inside. The surface wasn’t burnt at all.

Stay tuned as I’ll have some samples to share later this summer! ~ CB

Preparing a couple of boneless skinless chicken breasts on Sunday can serve up lunches several days next week!

If you are as busy as most folks are these days – when the weekend rolls around and you are lucky to get some time for yourself it’s treasured. Often you get to see your family and friends – sharing a meal you prepared on your grill. When I get the chance to actually plan ahead I try to cook several items at one time – with some to be served for the meal at hand, while other items will be held in the fridge and served as part of another dish.

One of my favorite things to prepare as a “side” protein is boneless-skinless chicken breasts. I’ve come up with a method that really works, gets them all smokey and lovely looking plus they stay nice an moist for slicing and eating in sandwiches or cubing and placing in chicken-salad.

Here’s the secret. Infrared. (psst. If you have a charcoal grill you can do this.)

Just set up the grill for moderate heat and add dry wood chips to get smoke started. I like an even mix of cherry-apple-mesquite wood chunks. Dry the chicken breast off and spritz it with a little canola oil. Set it on the grates above the hot coals and cover. Let it cook for about 7-10 minutes (you have to judge this as you are the chef and know how hot things are!) turn and repeat. Remove and let it rest before slicing to eat, or wrap and seal for storing in the fridge or cooler.

If you have a gas grill it takes a little more effort to get the heat right and you’ll need to sear as best you can, then wrap the chicken in foil to keep it from drying out while it finishes cooking.

Infrared grilling on charcoal can deliver good results. Of course it's easier to cook on a propane fueled infrared grill.

For owners of propane/NG fueled infrared grills – the infrared energy will sear and brown the exterior of the meat and keep the juicy moisture inside while the wood smoke will make it all tasty – and it’s a lot easier to manage the heat on a gas infrared grill than it is on a charcoal fire.

Do you have questions about preparing food on your grill? Check out the Users Forums for tips & tricks posted by owners like you. If you don’t see what you want to know – register (to prevent spam-bots) and post your question.

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

The perfect combination for tasty results: dried & lightly oiled meat grilled on hot (500+F degrees) using the "Sear & Hold" method.

I’ve written many posts here at Sizzle on the Grill and on the Users Forums about the basic directly grilling technique I call “Sear & Hold.” It’s an easy-to-understand and execute technique for grilling steaks, chops, chicken, burgers and fish that will help you produce the crusty seared surface most folks want when they grill – while helping to preserve the integrity and juiciness of the steak by not over grilling and drying the meat out.  I’ve found that I can cook Rare, Medium-Rare and even Medium-Well steaks using the technique and the steaks retain the natural flavors and juiciness.  As for where this technique came from – I have no idea as to it’s origin.  I simply swiped learned it from observing line cooks at steak restaurants as they worked the grill. It’s certainly not the only way to prepare tasty, juicy steaks on the grill – BUT if you are like most folks and are shopping for dinner at the grocery store on the way home from work – taking a little time for learning the basic Sear & Hold technique will help you improve the results of your after-work grilling regardless of the grill you cook with. (more…)

Grilled lamb steak has a mild yet rich meaty flavor profile. Tender too. Simple seasoning. Sear & Hold method.

Tonight I made the perfect steak on the grill. I dried off the surface moisture and seasoned it with a halfa-pinch of coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides about 20 minutes ahead of cooking. It was room temp when I spritzed it with canola oil before placing it on the searing hot (650F degree) grates.

“Where it hits – it Sits.”

After about 4-5 minutes I could tell it was ready because when I lifted the edge of the steak the proteins had released along the sear marks and no sticking. Turned and seared about another 3 minutes on the other side.

Pulled. Rested. Enjoyed.

I prefer lamb about Medium Rare (135F degrees) served with a Dijon style mustard and fried potatoes.  But you could easily glaze this grilled lamb steak with a hoisen sauce, a buttery-garlicky-anchovy sauce, an herb butter sauce, or some good ol’BBQ sauce too.

That’s a variation of what I refer to as the “Sear and Hold” method folks. Works for red meat like steak, lamb and bison. Also works for fish, chicken and pork.

What’s on your menu this weekend?

Happy Grilling!

NOTE: I prepared this dish using American Lamb Top Round steak prepared on the grill of the Big Easy Smoker, Roaster, Grill. You can easily prepare it on your grill too!