There are three summertime holidays which just scream for grilling, bbq'ing, and otherwise spending your time around hot coals with friends: Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. We're at the midway point peoples, and its time to make your plans for what to sear, smoke, and grill this coming weekend. I have plans for two pork shoulders and a 10lb rack of beef ribs. But I thought for the casual grilling weekend warrior, I'd suggest a few simple items that might turn an ok bbq into a great one. Here we go:

Bar-B-Q Chicken. This is the classic, sticky, sweet, juicy, and crispy bbq'd chicken you'd dream of. Its incredibly easy, so so so so good, and will hands down earn you BBQ master titles from your friends. Stick with drumsticks, thighs, and wings for this one. no breasts allowed.  

Smokey/Spicy Burger. This is a Bobby Flay recipe, and it totally rocked my world. You definitely want the cheap beef for a burger, so go with 80% lean. I was blown away by how amazing this was. 

BBQ Bills Classic Burger: I learned the base of this recipe from my neighbor when i was 13 in a suburb of boston. He said his dad always added oregano and worcestershire to the meat, and i couldn't agree more that its a killer combination with beef. Try it, you'll love it.  

A few other burger recipe's can be found here, and if you're after a non-meat item this grilled fish sandwich was totally rocking.

If you're after a totally vegetarian grilling option, I'd try to grill up a portobello with olive oil and garlic.... but i'm never after a vegetarian grilling option so what do i know!

Happy 4th everyone... get planning. 

I'm on a crazy burger kick the past month.... and last night was time for another. I was meeting Rob from Pigasso Farms at the Chatham Co-op Farmer's market to pick up a few pork shoulder's for Jack's b-day celebration next weekend, and while chatting with Rob decided to pick up a pound of his ground beef. A quick soak in water for a couple hours and we had thawed meat ready for the grill. I decided to prepare them with my standard oregano and worcestershire combo, and then remembered i had some bacon in the fridge from that mac and cheese. So, i decided to grill up the bacon in a foil "pan" on the grill:

Then I figured a burger with mushrooms and onions would be good, so i grilled up four cremini's and a small red onion for about 10 minutes over the hot fire. After I took the bacon off the foil, i was thinking it's a shame to waste that bacon grease.... so decided to toss the veggies into the grease: I let them steam (closed it up) for 5-10 more minutes, and then chopped 'em up inside and added fresh ground pepper and salt: Sooooooo flavorful. Really great stuff! While all that was going on, i was grilling the burgers. I was lazy and didn't clean or oil the grates. Mistake! Peoples, this is what happens when you don't get that grate all cleaned up: Taste wasn't harmed by my laziness, but i get an insane satisfaction from how my meals look, so this gaffe was definitely a downer. Regardless, I served these plain at the table so we could each make our own burger combo. I went with bacon, mushrooms/onion, tomato, lettuce, ketchup, and mayo. And it was terrific:

The Pigasso ground beef was great. I meant to ask what the fat content was, I'd guess its relatively lean. This was not a super juicy burger, but it was incredibly tasty. We split the third burger for lunch the next day, and even cold this burger packed some great beefy flavor. Really good stuff, and not too pricey at $5 a pound. 

 

 

I finally made it down to the Redhook Lobster Pound for lunch today. Cute little joint... I loved the vibe. Not sure if its just the very few twitter folks i follow, or the fact I'm a "fan" on facebook, but these guys get so much press I've been trying to get there for 2 months to see what all the buzz was about. For whatever reason, today was the day. Here's my take:

Price: $15

Bun: They absolutely nailed the bun. Top-split (seeing that JJ Nissen logo on the bun bags brings back a flood of new england childhood memories), buttered and grilled to perfection.

Lobster solo: Looks like they use meat from the small guys which makes sense... My roll had a great assortment of meat. I think every substantial lobster meat part was in there. It wasn't the most flavorful meat I've had, but it was cooked just about perfectly. Not a single bite had that overcooked lobster-as-pink-eraser taste. Even that tiniest tip of the claw was moist. Not many joints can cook a lobster that well, so I give them props on that for sure. 

Finxins: it should first be said I'm partial to there being essentially nothing on a lobster roll but a tiny bit of mayo.... must be the red sox blood in me. They got the mayo right, but it's piled on top of shredded iceberg lettuce which is just a travesty. Travesty! I never understood lettuce on a lobster roll... It has no place being there. They also tossed a few scallions on top, but I honestly couldn't taste them and they look pretty so I was ok with that. And then they shake a little something on top... Looked like paprika, or maybe a spice blend, but whatever it is, the impact is also very mild so doesn't really factor into the taste. 

Overall: I love a $15 roll in Brooklyn, that's really pretty amazing. The places I usually hit Down East run anywhere from $12-18, so $15 in the boroughs is a very welcomed thing. And they don't skimp on meat. Its a perfectly healthy sized lobster roll. The bun was PERFECT; they really nailed that. And the lobster meat was cooked perfectly as well. So that's all the good news. But the lettuce killed it for me. After my first bite I tried to just remove it, but it gets all clingy. Wondering if they'd make it without lettuce on request, or if they'd stick to their guns. Lobster roll makers get about as nutty as pitmasters with their methods being king. That said, I'd definitely say anyone in the area should check it out. Without a doubt one of the better rolls I've had in NY... it's just not Maine.

Sometimes a meal just gets too insane. This was an absurd meal that i thought was delicious, but should probably be illegal to make: Grilled hot dogs with a bacon mac and cheese on top. I spotted this originally on a "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" episode. It's Nick Suarez's - aka the Brooklyn Hot Dog King - recipe and apparently a competition winner. I have a hard time thinking someone could make a richer dog.... here's the low down: 

The mac is what adds the intensity, check out these pics of the process (thanks to mp for taking better pics than me!):

So you basically start with equal parts butter and flour to make a roux. Then you add in a bunch of milk, and a ton of Gruyere, a smaller amount of Parm, and a pinch of nutmeg and cayenne. Then you add a bunch of bacon chunks, and leeks (cooked in the bacon fat of course). And you finish it off with a lot of macaroni. (Original recipe at the end of the post.)

While all that is going on you grill up some hot dogs. I went with Schaller & Weber all beef dogs in the hope they would have a good beefy flavor and a "snappy" casing. They were perfect, along with some grill-toasted buns: 

I wish i was able to find some top split buns around here.... but no luck. These still worked, but you just can't pile it on like you can in a top split. Though come to think of it, maybe that's a good thing. So the layering process consists of bun, dog, mustard, mac, panko/butter flakes (for crunch), fresh parsley, EAT. Here's the production line served up at the table: And here is the final dog: 

These were pretty killer. The full recipe can be found here. We had J & T over to help consume... in my mind this is the perfect meal for them. Its mac and cheese overload, and a perfectly snappy hot dog. They left by rolling themselves down the street. While all 8 dogs were in our bellies, a good pound of mac and cheese was left over. That stuff was nuts! 

I love a good surprise. In a rare occurrence I found myself meandering outside a strip mall near the junction of I-84 and the Mass Pike, looking for an iced coffee. As I'm rounding the corner of one parking lot and headed into another, i roll past this:

With no kids in tow, and it being Father's Day, I figured I needed to check BT's out: It must be fate. I walk into this hole in the wall on the butt end of a shopping complex otherwise housing a liquor store and redemption center. Interesting location... but I'm filled with anticipation as it's feeling insanely authentic. This place just has to be good. (I later find out the bigger restaurant is just down the street where they smoke the meat, and this is simply the outpost.) I'm welcomed by a lovely woman behind the counter, and an even more lovely blast of smoked, meat-filled air. I quickly order up a pulled pork sandwich. They served it up in a neat paper liner that cradles the pork, kind of along the lines of a frito-pie wrapper... a stroke of genius I have not yet seen. They had a selection of sauces to choose from (i chose mustard), and a bench outside on which I quickly sat to dive in. I was in heaven, in a parking lot.

Onto the review after a few shots of the sandwich: 

 

Price: $7 (i think... It was 8.50 total with a can of root beer)

Appearance: Perfect. I defy any meat-eating individual who could hold back when looking at this thing. 
 

Pork solo: Really, really good stuff. Served up with a great assortment of bark, large chunks, and shreds of pork with an honest, real smoked flavor. I'd guess its applewood smoked, but waiting for confirmation on that front. 

Bun: A sort of Kaiser  or present day "hard-roll" ...basically absent from the equation, but that's not an issue with such an outstanding pork stuffed in the middle.  

Cole Slaw: None! I actually didn't ask if they had it, and only realized it was missing when i was half way done stuffing it into my mouth. So apparently its not needed. 

Sauce: 1 word, options; they had no less than 4 options on the counter. I normally go for a tomato/vinegar type sauce, but the lady behind the counter suggested mustard/vinegar as her favorite and it did not disappoint. Very flavorful, so i was glad i went light with it so as to not kill the flavor of the pork. Solid though, for sure. When i ran out half-way through my sandwich (perhaps the only downside to serving the sandwich in that bag) i went back inside for another few shakes. 

Total package: Really great. One of the more truly smoked pulled sandwiches I've had. Very moist. The bark was maybe a touch salty, and it was a shame there was no slaw, but that's me getting really picky. This was an outstandingly delicious sandwich. You should find them as soon as possible. I don't live anywhere near Sturbridge, but I took a menu because I have to go back. Now thats saying sonething! Come to think of it... BT's is enroute from Boston to NYC which we do at least once a year. Yeah, I'll definitely be back. 

 

Lori bought me a Bobby Flay grilling book last December, and with us finally full swing into grilling season I decided to jump right in. We wanted burgers, and Flay has about 10 in this book. I picked the first one up, Green Chili Burgers. Its just a beef burger and melted provolone, topped with the key flavor burst of a green chili sauce and a cool slice of tomato. This was a hell of a burger. Here's what i did: 

First up was to grill-roast 2 poblano peppers and a red onion:

I coated them in olive oil and fresh black pepper, then grilled those over a hot fire for about 10 minutes. I then wrapped them up in foil so they could steam a bit, removed the skin on the poblanos, cored and seeded them, and then pureed everything with 1/4 cup water, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of honey. 

While that was going on i grilled up some burgers, and melted provolone on top. I grilled these for a total of 9 minutes, and used 80% not-at-all-lean beef. That beef was key to these burger's success... really juicy. It didn't have the killer beef flavor of some of the better beef we've been getting, but the juiciness was outrageous. Here they are just off the grill:

I let the burgers rest for about 5 minutes. And then I simply tossed a burger on a grill-toasted brioche bun, spread about a tablespoon of the green chili sauce on top and added a couple slices of tomato: Our poblano's were very hot... much hotter than a typical one so the sauce was really kickin'. But i LOVED it. The honey is totally key. It added something... but you really couldn't tell what it was. It was amazing paired with this burger. I dipped each bite in the green chili sauce and then ketchup. Amazing.