Grilling Season In Full Swing

In case you didn't realize it the grilling season officially kicked off this past weekend. For me it was a sausage fest. Sometimes all you need are a package of Shop Rite spicy italian sausages, peppers and onions and some buns. I just can't buy enough of Shop Rite's italian sausages. If you catch them on the right day you can even get them for $2/lb. I had a bunch of buddies coming over and no better way to feed them than with a dozen of these bad boys. All I did to cook them using indirect heat for about 30 minutes. As for the peppers and onions, I sliced them, and wrapped them up in tin foil with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt. 30 minutes on the grill was all they needed.

Though the above spread would have been enough, I decided to whip up a quick chili as well.

Ingredients:

1) Pound of ground beef

2) Diced onion

3) Powdered Spices (to taste): Garlic, Cumin Powder, Paprika Powder, Chili

4) Can of tomato paste

5) Can of dark red kidney beans

6) Salt to taste

7) 1-2 Teaspoons of sugar. This cuts through the tomato paste taste a bit.

Sautee the beef and onions. Be sure to drain off any excess fat. Add the rest of the ingredients and a spalsh of water. All I did was let that cook for 15 minutes.

Boxed Burgers? No Problem

If you were to look into my freezer you would think that I was planning for a natural disaster. I have more racks of ribs, pork chops, and chickens that I can count. My biggest fear is to not have ribs when I want them. I realize this is nuts...therefore I have started to clean out my freezer for Spring. A couple of days ago I found a box of burgers left over from one of my backyard get-togethers. Though I normally prefer to make my own burgers, I will occasionally buy a box when I have to feed an army.

The key to grilling store bought burgers is the toppings. Here's my "go to" combination. You'll notice that I usually don't use tomatoes.

1) Cheese (Obviously)

2) Homemade pickled jalapenos, carrots, onions

3) Thick slice of white raw onion OR fried onions (I used both)

4) Pickles

Here's another little tip. When grilling for a party, I will put the coals on to one side of the grill. That helps me control the heat a little better. Burgers like these tend to flare up and you will burn them unless you have a cold side of the grill to slow down the cooking process.

Let The Eating Begin!

Pork Pork and More Pork

I must confess that pork shoulder slices were really awesome. So awesome that the other day I saw some bone-in pork chops in my freezer and just had to repeat the recipe.

If you own a mortar and pestle you'll love this recipe because you actually get to use it.

1. Several cloves of garlic
2. Lots of dried oregano
3. Lots of kosher salt
4. Plenty of pepper
5. Splash of olive oil

Smash the above mixture up and lather up your chops. Let sit for a few ours before grilling. When grilling, you'll want to keep the temperature between 200 and 300 degrees and cook the chops away from the hot side of your grill. I left mine on for an hour and that was more than enough. If the chops have any fat on them (and I hope they do) make sure you place the fat closer to the heat towards the end to crispen them up a bit. I garuantee these will be some of the best chops you're ever had.

Served along side some sauteed kale/onions and some fried polenta and the meal was sealed.

Snowed In

"Nick" sent me this picture this week. I think we are all ready for some warmer weather...and it looks like "Nick" is ready to buy a charcoal grill. ...or is that a Weber Kettle Grill off to the right?