Grilling

Grilling

July-August 2002 and June 2004

A couple of weekends ago, we decided to have a rib cook-off at the Marina and ended up with some world-class results – everyone was a winner. My personal favorites were the Ribs with a cherry cola glaze that Peggy (“Oracle”) made. It’s a bit of work, but every bit worth the effort. You can save a little time by making the sauce at home.

Grilled Cherry Cola Spareribs - Boil cherry cola until reduced to about 1-½ cups (about 45 minutes) – then stir in next five ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes. Cover and chill. Sauce can be made up to one week ahead. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Wrap each rack in foil and bake until tender (about 2 hours at 325 degrees). Ribs can be cooked up to one day ahead. Prepare medium barbeque. Cut ribs into individual sections. Set aside one cup of glaze. Add ribs to bowl with remaining glaze and toss to coat. Grill about 5 minutes

Root Beer Barbeque Sauce - Along similar lines is Root Beer barbeque sauce. I tried it recently on grilled chicken and it was outstanding. Combine all the following ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until reduced to 1-1/2 cups (about 20 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Cool slightly and refrigerate. Brush chicken or ribs with sauce during last 10 minutes of grilling.

Grilled Chicken Pizza - Peggy from “Oracle” first shared this idea with us – it is so easy and good. Use your imagination and your leftovers! Open the dough package and on a lightly floured surface, roll out to roughly form a 10-inch circle. Place the crust on a cookie sheet which has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Using your fingers, pat dough to desired shape and thickness. Transfer pizza to the prepared grill. Grill for about 3 minutes, until the top of the dough puffs and the underside is crisp and lightly browned. Using a large metal spatula, turn the crust over. Brush the cooked top with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano and basil.

In a medium bowl, combine the cooked chicken, marinara sauce, and onion. Spread mixture over the top side of the crust. Arrange mushrooms on top. Top with Parmesan cheese and sprinkle on the mozzarella, covering the top evenly. Continue to grill for another 4 to 5 minutes, until the pizza is cooked through, the dough lightly browned, and the cheese melted. To insure even cooking, use tongs to rotate the pizza two or three times during the cooking period, taking care not to knock off the topping.

Pita Bread Pizza - Pita bread serves as an easy crust for grilled pizza. For a quick appetizer, mix diced tomatoes, chopped olives, chopped red onions, and some crumbled feta cheese. Brush one side of each pita bread with olive oil and place oiled side down on grill about 2 minutes. Turn over and top with tomato mixture – grill until topping is warm.

Tequila and Lime Grilled Pineapple - Mix tequila, lime juice and sugar. Peel pineapple with a large sharp knife keeping the crown of leaves attached. Trim bottom. Remove eyes in spiral channels. Cut lengthwise in quarters through leaves, leaving leaves attached. Cut core out of each wedge. Arrange pineapple wedges, flat side down, in glass baking dish. Spoon tequila mixture over pineapple and allow to marinate until most of liquid is absorbed. Thread wedges onto skewers and grill over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Note: To bake the pineapple, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 50 minutes until tender and caramelized - baste every 10 minutes.

June 2004 - Beer Can and other easy Chicken recipes

I’d almost forgotten about “Beer Can” chicken” until my friend Marilyn (“Holiday”) gave me a nifty little gadget for making it on my grill. For those who haven’t tried it, this easy cooking method results in some of the juiciest, most mouthwatering grilled chicken you'll ever try. I also like the aspect of theater when you cook it, because it looks so weird on the grill, people will wonder what you are up to. The reason it works so well is that the beer (or other liquid) creates steam which keeps the chicken moist, helps it to absorb spices, and provides a rich texture to the meat.

Basic Beer Can Chicken

Remove and discard the fat just inside the body cavities of the chicken. Remove the package of giblets. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, and blot dry. Pop the tab on the beer can. Pour out (or drink) the top inch of beer. Holding the chicken upright, with the opening of the body cavity down, insert the beer can into the cavity. Stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan. Spread out the legs to form a sort of tripod, to support the bird. Cover the grill and cook the chicken over medium to low heat, until fall-off-the-bone tender, 2 hours. Variations: You can use dark beer, wine, broth, lemonade, coke, Dr. Pepper or even plain water in the can. You can also add barbeque sauce, honey, garlic and spices to the beer. Spice Rubs for Chicken: Try rubbing the chicken with a mixture of dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, ground coriander and ground cumin.

Grilled Lemonade Chicken - Combine lemonade, soy sauce, and seasonings. Mix well. Dip chicken pieces in the mixture and grill, basting with lemonade sauce.

6 chicken breast halves

1 can (6oz) frozen lemonade concentrate

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Apple-Honey Grilled Chicken- Combine ingredients. Brush on chicken. Grill over medium heat 15-20 minutes or until chicken is fork tender and juices run clear.

1/3 cup Apple jelly

1 tablespoon Honey

1 tablespoon Mustard -- Dijon style

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Salt

6 Chicken breasts halves, skinless, boneless

Grilled Chicken Roll-ups - There are so many ways to enhance boneless chicken breasts. These grilled chicken roll-ups can be assembled ahead of time and make a main course that's special enough for company. I got the recipe from Joe and Peggy (“Jessica Lourdes”). Marinade chicken breasts at least two hours in: minced onion, lemon juice, wine, soy sauce, honey, mustard, and ginger. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine sherry, shallots, fresh spinach, salt and pepper. Place 2 T. of mixture in center of each chicken breast and roll up. Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each breast and secure with small skewers. Grill chicken about 7-8 minutes on each side, brushing once or twice with marinade.