Archive for: October 2007

When I got my new stainless barbecue grill, I decided one afternoon to add a small section to my deck expecially for my grill.

About $80 and 3 hours later, I had a new 6′ x 6′ section where I could do all my grilling. I walk out my sliding glass door, turn left, and walk about 10 steps to the grill. That makes it easy to barbecue right through the winter and, if you are a real man grilling, putting the grill away for the winter moves you into the wimp arena.

When we have guests over for a barbecue, I can easily grill and talk to everyone, yet I am to the side and plenty of people can sit on the deck and not interfere with my grilling, nor I interfere with seating.

I love it. It won’t cost you a whole lot of money or time and it is a huge improvement to the deck area. I plan to build some storage for my tools in the future.

The key to grilling a bratworst or any sausage is to use moderate heat. If you can hold your hands over the fire for 5 to 6 seconds - you got it right!

You want to grill slowly. If you have 3 burners, a technique I like to use is to turn 2 burners to low and keep one on medium. I grill over the low burners with the top closed. I probably grill them for 20 - 25 minutes and turn about every 4 minutes. I like to try to get the entire casing grilled. A trick I use is, when turning them to grill on the side curling up in the middle, I’ll stand them and lean them next to each other. Not necessary - but I do it all the time.

I read of one grilling technique where the guy simmers the brats in beer before grilling. If you do this, you only need to grill them from 4 - 6 minutes per side until they are browned. I’ll try it next time when I have a little extra time. He didn’t say how long, but I would figure a half hour anyway.

Now you don’t want to pierce a brat. The juices will come squirting out. Grill them until you see clear juices and they should be done. If the juices are causing a flare up, you will need to move the brats around on the grill to keep them from burning.

Mow - put the beans on the plate - the brat in a bun - and grab a beer and enjoy!

APPLE NUT STUFFING
1 c soft bread crumbs
1/2 c apple,chopped
2 T pecans,chopped
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t salt

PORK CHOPS
4 pork chops,1 thick
1/4 c margarine (or butter),melt
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 t nutmeg

Mix all ingredients in the apple-nut stuffing. Cut a deep pocket in each pork chop on meatiest side of bone. Press about 1/3 cup stuffing into each pocket and secure with toothpicks.

Mix margarine, orange juice and nutmeg. You will be using this as a baste. Grill pork chops over indirect heat, about 250 degrees or so. They need to cook throughout without burning. Probably about 40-45 minutes.

Brush occasionally with orange juice mix, turning the chops 3-4 times or more, until the pork is no longer pink in center. Remove toothpicks and serve.

Since I got my stainless steel barbecue this year, I’ve been making mention of temperature control using 3 burners. However, many of you are using 2 burners on your barbecue.

When grilling for 2 or 3, this isn’t much of a problem as you can use one side or the other. You can turn the heat up high on the non-grilling side while you put your pork chops or chicken or steak on the other side, keeping this burner at low when using indirect heat. You can turn both burners up when using high heat grilling.

The grilling technique becomes a little more difficult for larger amounts of meat. But not that difficult. You might simply have to have both burners on low and plan on barbecuing slow cooking meats for a longer period. This might be needed for the 3 or 4 burners as well. It’s just a matter of doing a little experimenting.

I used a 2 burner for many years and, although I love the more precise control 3 burners give me, the 2 burner always served it’s purpose.

The thing about Shisk Kabob on the Grill is you can put almost anything you want on the stick. Kids love them and each person can have one especially made for them. This is just a sample and shows you how to make a shisk kabob if you have never done so.

2 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup red wine
1 lemon, juice only
1 tsp garlic, chopped
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp rosemary
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 lb lean lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
24 cherry tomatoes
24 mushrooms
24 small onions

1. Combine oil, broth, wine, lemon juice, garlic, salt, rosemary, and pepper. Pour over the lamb, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions. Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

2. Start putting together skewers of lamb, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Grill on high heat for 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 medium Onion; chopped
2 Cloves garlic; minced
2 Tablespoon(s) Butter or margarine; melted
1 Can(s) tomatoes
1 Can(s) (8-ounce) tomato sauce
1/2 Cup(s) Chopped celery
1/3 Cup(s) White vinegar
1/4 Cup(s) Chopped green pepper
2 Fresh celery leaves
1 Bay leaf
3 Tablespoon(s) Molasses
1 1/2 Teaspoon(s) Salt
2 Teaspoon(s) Dry mustard
2 Teaspoon(s) Hot sauce
1/2 Teaspoon(s) Ground cloves
1/2 Teaspoon(s) Ground allspice
2 Lemon slices

Saute’ onion and garlic in butter in a saucepan until tender. Stir in the
tomatoes and all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and
simmerfor 30 minutes, uncovered.

Stir occasionally. When the sauce is finished simmering, discard the bay
leaf and lemon slices. For an even smoother texture, process mixture through a food processor.