The Black and Blue
2 ounce The Black Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky
½ ounce calvados (apple brandy)
½ ounce amaretto
¼ ounce Hazelnut Liqueur

How does this fit with Grill Maestro? First, I love scotch and second, I love barbecue. The Blue Smoke is a famous barbecue restaurant in NYC and if it’s fit to sit on their menu, it’s certainly worth a try in my own home!

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There are, however, times when I do appreciate a bit of creativity and this list brings it in spades. Here are the ten marinades they share recipes for, along with their principal ingredients:

• Coffee Marinade – cold coffee, Dijon mustard, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and dark brown sugar.
• Greek Marinade – lemon peel, juice, along with olive oil, oregano and garlic.
• Tandoori Marinade – yogurt, lemon, garlic, chillies, cilantro, cumin, masala, red tandoori paste and tomato puree.
• Teriyaki Marinade – soy, cooking wine, garlic, sugar, gingerroot, honey, and wasabi.
• Tequila Mockingbird Marinade – Lime, tequila, triple sec, jalapeno, pime peel, chili and sugar.
• Dr. Pepper Marinade – Dr. Pepper, garlic, red habanero hot sauce, soy, onion and garlic powder, minced Vidalia onion, and lemon juice.
• Jamaican Jerk Marinade – Allspice, thyme, cayenne, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic powder, sugar, OJ, lime, habanero and onions.
• Beer Marinade – Onion, garlic, beer, lemon, browsugar and worcestershire.
• Whiskey Ginger Marinade – bourbon, soy, brown sugar, hoisin, lime rind, lime juice, ginger, sesame oil, red peppers, and garlic.
• Peri-Peri Marinade – Chile peppers, lemon juice, cayenne, garlic, and paprika.

I thought most of these recipes looked incredibly fun to do, especially the more exotic ones like Tandoori and Tequila Mockingbird. I’ll probably give these all a try this summer just to see how they are.

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I pulled this bourbon barbecue sauce recipe off the Food Network website because I thought it looked pretty good! It was submitted by George Stella, who is on Low Carb and Lovin’ It. Whenever I hear Bourbon, I think of those mall food court places that server Bourbon chicken. They always claim to be Cajun but never seem to be run by someone who could actually call Louisiana their home. So… when I saw this, especially a low carb version, I couldn’t wait to give it a try.

No-Cook Low Carb Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

• 29 ounces no sugar added tomato sauce
• 6 ounces no sugar added tomato paste
• 2 ounces bourbon
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon hot sauce
• 3/4 cup sugar substitute
• 1/4 cup brown sugar substitute, optional
• 2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

Mmmmm tasty!

via Food Network.

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Have you ever heard of beer can chicken? I had always known about it but have never prepared it and with a few short weeks left before it starts getting really cold, I think I might give it a try. The idea is that you take a chicken, put it on top of an open can of beer, and then cook it over a grill. The beer can acts as the third leg in a tripod and the beer in the can help keep the chicken moist (you’ll want to keep only half a beer in the can). There are full instructions at The Barbecue Bible but the idea of preparing chicken this way is intriguing.

Beer Can Chicken [The Barbecue Bible]

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A few words of advice:

• Don’t put the heat too high – Wings are super delicate but if the heat it too high then you’ll burn the wings before you cook them, I prefer a medium heat that has just a little of sizzle.
• Use the warming racks – You will probably have a lot of wings and will need to contend with the variable heat zones of your grill so be sure to use your warming racks to let some wings take a break while others are cooking.
• Remember to keep glazing – Set aside some marinade as a glaze (don’t use the stuff you marinaded with, that’s unsafe) and glaze liberally.
• Cook thoroughly – It’s chicken so make sure you cook thoroughly, the last thing you want to do is get someone sick.

Enjoy!

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Preparation
Preparation is key here and you should always start with a nice pack of full wings. You could go with ones that have been separated for you but I like doing things straight from scratch. What you’ll want to do is pull the wing “straight,” such that the segments are pretty much in line. Cut off the third that is the farthest from the bird, the wingtip if you will. Then, separate the remaining two joints with a swift cut into the joint. The two pieces are separate by cartilage so it’ll take a few tries before you get a feel for where that is. It’s okay if you miss a few times, in general people won’t eat that closely to the ends anyway so you won’t have an errant cartilage consumption.

Marinade
I like to use a tried and true tasty bbq chicken marinade I discovered a little while back. Since it does contain sugar, which burns easily, you need to be cognizant of that when you put them on the grill. I let it sit in the marinade for an hour or so prior to cooking. Of the 80 or so wings (really half wings), I prepared 40 of them in the marinade. The remainder I seasoned with a mixture of salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic (they would eventually be hot wings).

Grilling
You don’t want your grill terribly hot because that will sear the skin on the wings onto the grill, just get it nice and hot prior to cooking. When you put them on, you should hear a little bit of sizzle but not too much. Wings are delicate so having them stick could easily rip the skin off. Now, if you used a marinade with sugar in it, you’ll want to check on it regularly. If not, every few minutes is fine. Just grill them as usual and they should come out nice and tasty.

Sauces
If you want your wings to be wet, you’ll want to put them in the sauce mixture afterwards. For hot wings, I use some butter, Frank’s Red Hot, some sugar (to cut the vinegar flavor) and then some Sriracha sauce (we call it cock sauce) to give it more heat (I find Red Hot isn’t hot enough, but it’s too vinegary!). Give that mixture a flip or two in a big bowl and you’re ready to feast!

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GRILLED BANANA SPLIT: When you grill bananas, the heat from the grill caramelizes the fruit’s natural sugars and intensifies the taste. And it’s simple. My technique: Split the banana in two, leaving the skin on, and cook on the cut side for appetizing grill marks. Then turn the pieces over, skin-side down, and cook until the peel pulls away from the flesh—that means it’s done.

Meanwhile, set up four or five different ice creams and homemade chocolate ganache, so guests can build their own sundaes. For adults, you can also have Grand Marnier or Frangelico. In fact, I like mine with a little bit of bourbon and vanilla ice cream.

That sounds mighty tasty, I’ll have to give it a whirl next time. Sizzle sizzle!

(Image by themule)

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If you’d like a good place to start, this site lists ten very popular rub recipes that can become your source for inspiration. I personally like the sweet and hot rubs myself because I like spicy foods and a little bit of brown sugar can really pull out that flavor, also both work very well with the smokey flavor that BBQ’ing brings out in the meat.

Anyone out there have any favorite rub recipes they’d like to share?

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• 1/3 cup mushroom soy sauce
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 10 large garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 pounds hanger steak, cut into 8 (5-ounce) pieces

1. In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in garlic, pepper and oil until well combined.
2. Place hanger steaks and marinade in a resealable gallon plastic bag. Squeezing out the air, seal the bag. Holding on to the ends, shake the bag to coat the pieces evenly with the marinade. Refrigerate for four hours, turning the bag over every 30 minutes or so to redistribute the marinade.
3. Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill, or preheat a gas grill to 500 degrees (high). Grill hanger steaks, turning frequently to prevent burning, until crisp and medium-rare, six to eight minutes.

You’ll notice, if you checked, that I omitted the Pineapple and Onion Chutney from the original (though it’s marked as optional).

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]]> http://www.grillmaestro.com/a-tasty-recipe-garlic-pepper-marinated-hanger-steak.htm/feed 0 http://www.grillmaestro.com/matching-beer-and-barbecue-meats.htm http://www.grillmaestro.com/matching-beer-and-barbecue-meats.htm#comments Thu, 14 Sep 2006 16:04:39 +0000 gm http://www.grillmaestro.com/matching-beer-and-barbecue-meats.htm Chances are when you’re preparing for a barbecue cookout, you’ll probably going to be tapping a keg or buying a few cases to help accentuate the cooking experience. In making that pivotal beer purchasing decision, have you taken into account what you’ll be cooking that day to make the most of it? If you’re like, the answer is probably not. I usually just get some old faithfuls like Yuengling, but just like you can pair wine with a particular meal, you can pair your beer with what you’ll be grilling using similar principles. What you want to do is pair rich flavored beers with rich flavored meats, perhaps offsetting a meat’s sweetness with maltiness or its spiciness with sweetness.

That being said, chicken and pork are light flavored, slightly sweet meats naturally so they work well with a maltier, heartier brew. Fish is also another light flavored meat that you would probably try to match with a drier, crisper wine (similar to the types of wine you’d pair it with, dry and white). Red meat, which most folks associate with an old fashioned BBQ, works best with very rich flavored, darker brews with a bit of kick (hops).

So, using those principles, try to match your favorite beer with your favorite meat and you’re ready to go! (avoid the Pabst Blue Ribbon or Natural Light unless you’re planning a game of pong or flip-cup afterwards)

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