When I smoke and slow cook a pork shoulder I just about always end up with some leftovers and that means I end up with some vacu-sealed bags of smoky pulled pork in my freezer!  Just the other day I was looking at one of those bags when I remembered a post written by Guest Chef John “Patio Daddio” Dawson using left-over pulled pork and store-bought biscuit dough.  Oh man – get creative with this idea and I know you are going to enjoy something this weekend that is DEE-LISH-US!

Happy Grilling!

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Pulled Pork Pockets |Guest Cheff John “Patio Daddio” Dawson

Hey CB – Here is easy finger food that would be great for entertaining. ~ JD

What could be simpler than canned flaky biscuit dough rolled out to six-inch rounds, filled with pork then brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with a little chili powder?

Don't those look tasty?

There really isn’t a recipe for this cook – just combine the ingredients for the filling and prepare according to the package direction on the biscuits!

One of the “Meatless Monday” challenges I face is coming up with meals that actually appeal to me.  When my copy of the Gordon Ramsey cookbook,  Cooking for Friends, arrived I was glad to find a veggie dish that both sounded good and could be done outdoors on the grill. So here’s my take on Gordon Ramsey’s Grilled Vegetable Lasagna.  The main different between the recipe below and what I did was the vegetables were all cooked on my Weber kettle.  The original recipe also uses the oven, as I did, but it could be done in the smoker or indirect on your gas or charcoal grill.

The original recipe calls for using the broiler to char the bell peppers - I used my charcoal grill.

I also cut the zucchini into long 1/2 inch thick strips instead of rounds so they were easier to grill. (This photo shows both a round - top - and a strip.)

Topped with a little basil. Added some french bread and a salad for a complete meal.

Topped with a little basil. Added some french bread and a salad for a complete meal.

For a printed version of this adaptation by Larry Gaian of the original recipe by Gordon Ramsey – CLICK HERE.

The guest chefs who contribute to Sizzle on the Grill are predominantly backyard cooks who are passionate about cooking outdoors.  I particularly enjoy hearing from The Grillin Fools because one of their favorite cookers is the same one I use.  And it’s old school all the way.  Here’s a photo story they posted and I re-post here for your pleasure and enjoyment. I hope it inspires you!

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

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Comfort Food – Beef Chuck Roast! | The Grillin Fools

Hiya CB – thought you’d like to see a cook we did recently on our “OLD” Char-Broil 940x that was inspired by some cooks you’ve done in the past.

The marinated and smoked chuck roast in a roasting pan on the grates.

It is looking good and the flavors are melding!

Tender, smoky and flavorful comfort food!

Years ago I prepared just the roast on the grill at the urging of my dear departed father-in-law Russ.  He created a whiskey marinate that gave me heartburn for a couple of days so I needed a different, yet simple, approach for this method. (more…)

That headline is kinda misleading. While the picture  at the bottom of this post clearly shows a bacon-wrapped pineapple on what appears to be a rotisserie spit, Tommy actually cooked this tasty looking treat in his Big Easy oil-less infrared fryer – but it will cook just as easily for you on your grill using a standard rotisserie spit, in the event you don’t have a Big Easy.

Tommy "B"

Tommy “B” the creative fella I tapped as the first “Big Easy Oil-less Infrared Turkey Fryer Chef” for the Users Forums has been playing with an idea I had some months back when it seemed just about all the conversations on the Users Forums were about wrapping bacon around this-or-that. meat before smoking or grilling. Bacon-wrapped mushrooms were the favorite food item to experiment with and many different variations were tried … most were successful.  So I posed the question: “What would bacon wrapped pineapple chunks taste like?” My first attempt was a dismal failure but Tommy figured out a way to do it.  Evidently he kept playing with the idea of pairing up bacon and pineapple, behind the scenes, because this past week showcased his efforts on the Users Forum with this post.

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Bacon-Wrapped Whole Pineapple w/Bourbon Glaze

Well after all the talk about pineapple in TBE I just had to try it to see if it would work. Now a few lessons learned on this cook. (more…)

One of my favorite images from the old cookbook collection I have is a circa 1955 graphic illustration featuring a dad in a big ol’floppy chef’s hat and apron flipping a massively over-sized steak on the grill. His ‘Ozzie & Harriet’ family is sitting behind him in anticipation of the tasty meal he’s about to serve.  Of course – that was not a picture of reality for most of America but what-the-heck, it’s a nice image.

Classic 50's image.

When I first heard the name ‘Patio Daddio BBQ’ it was the image that immediately came to mind. I had to find out about the person behind it all.  Turns out that John Dawson lives in Boise, Idaho and is maybe just a bit like that 50’s style dad.  He’s a hard working father and husband by day and an award winning competitive barbeque cook by night!  You can read more about him in the Writers & Chefs section.

I asked him to share a few of his favorite recipes and this is one I particularly enjoyed preparing for my family.  We both hope you do as well.  Please join me and welcome John aka Patio Daddio BBQ!

Happy Grilling!

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Barbecued Sweet Potatoes by Patio Daddio BBQ

Here is a great simple side dish to accompany barbecue or just about any rustic meal. The smokey flavor helps to cut the natural sweetness a little while adding a unique dimension to the flavor.

Although the ingredient is listed as “yams,” they are actually sweet potatoes. I am simply using the grocery store name to avoid any confusion. Why they insist on calling them yams is beyond me, since the two aren’t even distant botanical cousins.

Ingredients
4 med Garnet “yams”, peeled and cut into 2″ pieces
1/4 cup Canola oil
1/4 cup Granulated sugar
2 Tbsp Kosher salt
2 tsp Black pepper, divided
2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice

Glaze
1/4 cup Maple syrup (the real deal, please)
2 Tbsp Orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/8 tsp Ground cayenne pepper

Method

1. Mix the sugar, pumpkin pie spice and half the black pepper in a small bowl.
2. Add the oil, salt and the remaining black pepper to a gallon size zip-top bag, seal, and slosh to combine.
3. Add the yams to the bag, remove the excess air, seal and leave at room temperature for an hour or two.
4. Start your fire and prepare for indirect cooking at 275º.
5. Add one small chunk of fruit wood (apple or cherry) to the fire about 10 minutes before you’re ready to cook. Wood chips soaked for 30-60 minutes will work well, too. If you’re using a gas grill, make a small smoker pouch.
6. Drain as much of the oil from the bag as you can, add the sugar mixture, re-seal and shake the bag to coat the yams as evenly as possible.
7. Arrange the yams in a single layer on your cooking grate and cook indirect for 20 minutes.
8. While the yams are cooking, mix the glaze in a small bowl.
9. Glaze the top of each piece of yam, turn each over and cook another 20 minutes.
10. Glaze and turn each piece again, and cook another 10 minutes.
11. Remove the yams to a serving bowl, drizzle lightly with the glaze and toss very gently.

Serve and enjoy! – Patio Daddio BBQ

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For a printable version of this recipe, click on this link:

Barbecued Sweet Potatoes by Patio Daddio BBQ

When I read the story of how Larry Gaian came up with the first “Moink Ball”  – I had to ask him to be a Guest Chef at Sizzle on the Grill. His creativity and practical approach to outdoor cooking is an inspiration.  It’s the holidays and Larry graciously provides us with his original recipe. ~CB

"Moink Balls" loaded into a cooker - slowly crisping up to DEE-LISH-US!

CB,

The term ‘Moink’ comes from two sources of barbeque cooking and eating pleasure, beef and pork. I first came up with these when I was preparing a catering job and felt I needed something more. I had some frozen meatballs and plenty of bacon – so beef meatballs with bacon. MOO (Beef) + OINK (Pork) = MOINK

Larry Gaian’s Original Moink Balls
Prep time: just a few minutes for a dozen or so
Cook time: until the bacon is crispy
Ingredients
1 dozen frozen pre-cooked beef meat balls
6 strips of your favorite bacon, cut in half to make 12
Your favorite BBQ sauce or glaze

Directions

1. Place meatball in center of bacon pieces and wrap bacon up and around thawed meat balls – secure with a toothpick out of the top – makes a great handle on an appetizer tray
2. Place the Moink Balls on oven safe trays or racks
3. Set racks in cooker, smoker or grill (set for indirect heat) and registering approximately 225F degrees
4. Leave in place – checking about every 30 minutes – turn or adjust individual MOINK Balls as necessary.
5. Cook until bacon is crispy and brush with sauce
   
6. Continue cooking until sauce has set.

The key to this appetizer is the simplicity.  Some people want to make fancy meatballs, but it isn’t necessary.  After smoking, saucing and with the bacon most people can’t tell.  The important part is that it’s beef meatballs and bacon.  That’s what a MOINK Ball is.

Larry Gaian
The BBQ Grail

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Get a printable version of this recipe – CLICK HERE

Read the account of how the Moink Ball got it’s name – CLICK HERE

Have you decided on the menu for your holiday meal(s) yet?  I have and I haven’t.  I’m still figuring out how many meals I will be responsible for preparing and how many I am asked to “bring something tasty to share.”

To inspire my gray matter I sent a note to several of my friends who are professional cooks, food writers or food enthusiasts to inquire as to their holiday menu plans.  Most replied with good natured comments that I can’t reprint here. My friend Mike Stines – founder of Cape Cod Barbecue, a working chef, regular contributor to Sizzle on the Grill and author of Mastering Barbeque (my “2nd favorite book” on outdoor cooking) passed along a complete holiday menu with recipes – which I am pleased to present for your inspiration.

Happy Grilling!

(more…)

Recently I asked our panel of Guest Chefs and writers to share some of their favorite holiday menus. Featured this week is “Creole-Style Holiday Meals” from some of my favorite “Goyles” – Alison & Katie better know as the Girls on a Grill

Happy Grilling!

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Hey CB!

As you know, we were raised on the Gulf Coast, and our Mom and Dad are both natives of New Orleans. Our Creole-style Holiday Meals begin the week of Thanksgiving, and continue through Twelth Night (January 6). For a culture that takes pride in it’s ability to throw a party instantly for absolutely no reason at all, New Orleans REALLY takes the stoppers out for what we call Reveillon. French Creole Catholic New Orleans celebrated Christmas Eve Day by a fast, and then mid-night mass. The Reveillon (“awakening” in French) was the meal following mass, and traditionally was a brunch-style meal with egg dishes, fruit, breads, and sweets. The partying would go on until well into the morning. (more…)

Hiya CB!

Wow – did the summer fly by or what? I remember spring just starting and here it is already fall and kids are back at school. Where did all the days go?

Summer at a college is not a quiet time as you might think. I was knee deep managing renovations at our Shepherd University dining facility during the summer session and running back and forth from conferences to special events to catered luncheons; well – you get the picture. Anyway, at the beginning of the summer my new Char-Broil Heatwave infrared grill arrived and I was itching to get it put together and fired up. Alas, I was outta commission for close to a month so I only got to look at the grill from afar with longing!  Each time it caught my eyes I could envision the loads of fresh veggies, succulent proteins and delicious dessert creations that would be coming forth from the that baby once I was recovered! (more…)

This phrase so aptly describes what I like about Shawn Sawyer and her approach to cooking.

“I generally see recipes as guidelines or suggestions. My measuring cups are used only when making rice. Experimenting with cooking and meshing flavors is the key to as many successes as failures, only I see failures more as trial runs than disasters.”

Shawn goes by the online handle of “smknhotmama” when she posts on one of the barbeque enthusiast web forums I frequent. Her recipes, posts and easy way of writing about the food she makes for her family and friends captivated me – along with her great photos.  You can read more about Shawn, in her own words, by clicking on the link at the top of the page Writers & Chefs

I hope you enjoy this first post she wrote about a recent Sunday supper she prepared for her family.

Happy Grilling!

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Shawn aka "Smknhotmama"

Hiya CB – Thanks for inviting me to share my 2-cents worth of advice and ideas about grilling and outdoor cooking. Cooking soul nourishing food for my family and friends comes naturally and grilling outdoors is one of our favorite past times.  I love Sunday dinner this time of year – watching football all day, kids playing outside in comfy weather and just all-in-all enjoying friends and food. Sunday a week ago, I grilled up a London broil* and made my version of Cowboy Beans.

My version of Cowboy Beans.

Smknhotmamma Cowboy Beans
Ingredients
1 small can Bush’s onion beans
1 small can Bush’s original
1 reg. can Ranch Style beans
1 TBSP mustard
3 TBSP BBQ sauce
1/8 C brown sugar
2 strips bacon cut in half.
Directions
Place bacon in cast iron pan on hot grill to start. In a bowl combine remaining ingredients. Add to pan. cook until thick and bubbly.

We also had slaw, avocado slices….and Jack (my son) insisted we have some corn. My husband and I enjoyed a glass of my new favorite adult beverage…Cupcake Merlot…couldn’t pass up the name and it turned out to be quite good. And the Steelers actually ended up winning!

Yes. Sunday was a good day. - Shawn.

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For a printable version of this recipe, click here:

Smknhotmamma ‘Cowboy Beans’

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* London Broil – what is it?

According to Wikipedia: London broil is a North American beef-based food dish usually made by broiling or grilling marinated flank or round steak and then cutting it against the grain into thin strips. The origin of the name is obscure; the food is unknown in London, England, and the term broil never used in the UK.

Although many American butchers will label a cut of meat “London broil”, the term does not refer to a specific cut. The cut of meat traditionally used is flank steak, but top round roast/steak is also commonly used. Because the muscle fibers run the entire length of these cuts, the meat can be tough if not tenderized via pounding or massaging. Scoring, stabbing, cutting, penetrating, or otherwise mutilating the cut before sending it into the broiler results in a tougher finished product as it allows all the desirable juices to run out of the meat into the pan.

The preparation of London broil typically involves marinating the meat for several hours followed by heating in an oven broiler or outdoor grill. In both heating methods the meat is placed approximately three inches from a direct heat source and turned several times to promote even cooking and avoid burning. It is commonly served in thin slices, cut across the grain.

In Canada a ground meat patty wrapped in flank or round steak is known as a London broil. Some butchers will wrap the flank steak around a concoction of seasoned and ground or tenderized flank steak (Zehrs Grocers in the GTA). Others sell a pork sausage patty wrapped in flank or top round steak labeled as London broil (Goeman’s Lakeshore Meats in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada). The website for Goeman’s differentiates between Canadian London broil (the sausage patties wrapped in Top Round Steak) and American London broil (Top Round Steak). Another variant, popularized in Ontario, is a London broil “loaf”, wherein the tenderized flank steak exterior is wrapped around minced and spiced veal as the filler. In some regions, bacon will be added between the flank steak and the veal grind.

According to CB: London broil is, more or less, a style of serving  larger and generally tougher cuts of beef by tenderizing them with some form of acidic marinade and preparing on the grill over direct heat or in the oven broiler until the surface of the meat is seared and somewhat crusty from the cook and the interior is Rare  (135F) to Medium Rare (145F). London broil is typically served by slicing very thinly across the grain.

Here are several recipes for “London broil” you might enjoy preparing:

London Broil

London Broil with Herb Butter

Reader Recipes: Daddy Gray’s Barbecue London Broil