Ribs in a Time Pinch August 18, 2009

Who doesn’t love baby back ribs?  When cooked properly they totally just fall off the bone bursting with BBQ flavor and goodness.  Traditionally ribs are smoked for most of the day over low heat.  I’ll be totally honest with you – this IS the best method for cooking your ribs.  However, there is a large portion of the population that doesn’t have ALL DAY and I mean ALL DAY to dedicate to the preparation of their ribs.  Here’s an alternate cooking method for you that will still produce tender – soft ribs loaded with plenty of BBQ smoke and flavor.  

In a large pot filled with cold water add:

1 – Small Onion (Quartered)

4 – Cloves Garlic – Rough Chopped

Salt & Pepper to water

However many racks of ribs you plan to cook

Cover ribs with additional water to make sure the ribs are full submerged

Cover pot and bring water to a boil then simmer for 25 minutes

Remove ribs from pot and place on pre-heated grill with the temperature set on medium-low.  At this time you will begin basting your ribs with your favorite BBQ Sauce allowing the ribs to cook for 5 minutes per side before flipping – I like to flip my ribs twice per side to achieve the max BBQ sauce flavor.  If you want to add additional smoky flavor simply create a smoker pouch and incorporate that into the in active side of the grill.  

Please note this time saving cooking method ONLY works with baby back ribs because they have the least amount of fat to start.

The ribs in the photo above were prepared using the above method…Don’t they look delicious!  If you have any rib time saving tips let me know in the comment section below.

Grilled Corn on the Cob August 18, 2009

Piles of fresh local corn scream summer to me.  While husking corn might be a nuisance to some for me its like unwrapping little packages of yumminess.  This time of year I try to incorporate fresh corn into as many recipes as possible.  I love the sweetness and the crunch – not to mention the versatility and price. Although even with all of corn’s versatility my favorite fresh corn recipe is easy and simple. Grilled Corn on the Cob with a special “slather”.  Grilled corn looks amazing and produces a sweetness that just can’t be duplicated!

Here’s how I make it:

Husk the corn making sure to remove all of the silk – brush with olive oil  and place on a preheated grill set to high.  Depending upon your grill rotate the corn for 8-12 minutes or until a slightly charred exterior begins to appear but the cob is still firm (see photo above).  Once the corn comes off of the grill serve immediately with traditional S/P and butter or for a unique Mexican style twist combine sour cream – fresh lime juice and cilantro to taste and “slather” corn with your sour cream blend for a refreshing – creamy bite!

3 Easy Steps to Grilling the Ultimate Steak July 31, 2009

We’ve all been to the backyard BBQs and immediately felt our cave man juices flowing as soon as the steaks hit the grill.  A few drinks later and lot of tinkering at the grill the steaks are removed from the flame looking dry – tough and in desperate need of a dipping sauce.  How can this be prevented you ask- simple!  Follow the three tips below to ensure perfectly juicy and delicious looking steaks every time!

Tip #1: Make Sure The Steak is Room Temperature Before Placing On The Grill: Here’s the deal if you put a refrigerator cold steak on the grill two things are going to happen.  First your steak will be tough and secondly it won’t cook evenly.

Tip#2: Do Not Use a Meat Fork: The worst thing you can do to a steak while cooking is pierce the flesh by slicing it to check for doneness or using a meat fork to flip the steak.  Both allow the natural juices to run out of the steak leaving you with a dry steak.  Instead use tongs to flip your steak and an instant read thermometer to check for doneness.

Tip#3: Crank Up the Heat: It’s important to sear your steak when placing it on the grill.  To ensure this happens crank up the heat to max on your gas grill or wait until the charcoals become ashy white hot – Then cook the steaks for 3-5 minutes per side.

Have a steak grilling tip or question? Let me know in the comments below…

I “Heart” Natural Lump Charcoal July 29, 2009

Looking back on my grilling experience as a child I can’t help but think of the big Weber grill – traditional bags of charcoal briquettes, a pile of newspaper, and plenty of lighter fluid.  We would line up the briquettes just so – stuff the bottom with newspaper and douse the briquettes and paper in lighter fluid – toss a match and watch our mini bonfire take place! At the time I had no idea that we were not only pumping toxins into the environment but also into our food as well. 

Finally a few years back I came across a bag of natural lump charcoal.  I was intrigued to learn more and went home to hit the information superhighway (AKA the Internet).  I learned that natural lump charcoal is made from a variety of hardwoods and has no chemical additives.  What’s great about it is that it actually burns hotter – faster and easier than the traditional briquettes that I was used to.  Here’s the deal – you DO NOT use lighter fluid with this variety of charcoal (that’s right the BBQ gods with sweep down and deem you unfit to operate your grill).  Rather, you simply either use an electric fire ring or natural fire starters.  The charcoal will usually take about 8 minutes to get up to about 400 degrees.  Natural charcoal burns incredibly clean and only leaves a small amount of ash for cleanup. 

There is a boatload of brands out there and natural charcoal can be purchased anywhere from home centers, to grocery stores, to your favorite grilling specialty retailers.  Personally, I enjoy the Natural Lump Charcoal by Big Green Egg that is normally only found in specialty retail stores.   

Do you have experience with natural lump charcoal? Love it – hate it? Let me know in the comments below…

Eggplant Stack Attack September 21, 2008

I know most of you must be thinking what in the world does an Eggplant Stack Attack actually attack…Well I have to be honest you won’t be saving the world from crime or need a cape but they will attack hunger and they are easy as 1-2-3.  This stack makes a great appetizer or it could also double as a side.

Eggplant Stack Attack

1 – Large Eggplant

1 or 2  - Tomatoes similar in width to your eggplant

1 – Ball of Fresh Mozzarella

Bunch of Fresh Basil 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

How to prepare:

Slice your eggplant into rounds and brush both sides with EV Olive Oil and sprinkle with Kosher Salt – Set Aside. Slice the tomato and mozzarella cheese into round.  Place the eggplant rounds on the grill turn once the center beings to become soft or translucent and nice grill marks are formed. Repeat to second side and remove from grill.  Allow eggplant to cool for a few minutes and then begin to create stack.  Start stack with a layer of eggplant – layer of tomato – layer of cheese – Add 10r 2 basil leaves- layer of eggplant. Drizzle with EV olive oil and serve promptly.

I like to leave the skin on the eggplant when making this dish because I feel it helps the eggplant maintain its shape and I really enjoy the flavor of the skin I think it really brings out the eggplant flavor.  This dish can also be made with roasted red peppers and asparagus.  Scrumptious!!

Toma-Cado Topped Grilled Chicken June 26, 2008

I love grilling chicken it’s so quick – easy and really affordable but let’s be realistic how many days a week can you have a grilled chicken breast before you begin to feel like you’re beginning to grow feathers and a beak!! I found a loop hole though…Toppings!!  Yes, you can really spice up your grilling repertoire by incorporating sauces and toppings into your grilled dishes.  I have made it a point this summer to come up with as many toppings and sauces as I can to provide my family with a wide variety of flavors and I plan to do it all with fresh ingredients. This particular topping is simply a version of a deconstructed guacamole and would also be delicious over steak – burgers – and pork chops.  

Ingredients:

1 pound – Chicken Breasts

1 – Avocado

2 – Medium Vine Ripe Tomatoes

1/2 – Small Red Onion

1 – Clove Garlic

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper to taste

 

How to Prepare

Cube tomatoes and avocado, finely dice onion, mince garlic and combine into a large mixing bowl – add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover immediately with plastic wrap directly on top of topping to prevent air from turning avocado brown.  On a separate plate lightly rub chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, and pepper and grill.  Top cooked chicken breasts with Toma-Cado topping and serve immediately.  

What toppings do you enjoy for summer?  I’d love to hear from you!!

 

Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Clouds June 25, 2008

Fruit is one of the most overlooked desserts in my opinion.  I’m not really sure why few things are as refreshing as a fruit salad on a piping hot summer day or as comforting as an apple pie when the temperatures drop.  This summer I plan to grill every fruit that I can get my mitts on that can withstand a little heat!  As part of my 4th of July party planning I have decided on serving grilled peaches as one of my desserts.  Rather than serve just simply grilled peaches I have included a cloud of fresh whipped cream infused with cinnamon sugar.  This gives the recipe a little something more than expected without adding to the time or expense.  The recipe is so simple and it is as easy to prepare them for 2 as it is for 50 (well sort of!).  Below is a recipe for 4 peaches which will easily serve 4 good eaters or 8 dessert samplers.

Ingredients:

4 – Large Ripe Peaches (I like Southern Style)

1/2 cup – Granular Sugar

2 Tablespoons – Cinnamon

1 pint – Heavy Cream

 

How to Prepare

Halve peaches and discard pit – In a small mixing bowl combine sugar and cinnamon – mix well and sprinkle over peach face generously – reserve remaining cinnamon sugar mixture – grill peaches till tender – sugar mixture carmelizes and grill marks are formed – remove from grill – combine heavy cream and 1/2 of remaining sugar mixture and begin whipping with electric mixer (a chilled bowl and beaters help cream whip faster) add remaining cinnamon sugar mixture until desired sweetness is achieved.  Place peaches on a serving dish and add a cloud of whipped cream to each.  Instant enjoyment!!  

 

 

Grilled Sweet Corn Salad June 24, 2008

Summer is here and it is salad time at the Koury house.  With the 4th of July just around the corner I have to get my salad game on to ensure my guests leave full – happy and refreshed!!  Every year we have a huge 4th of July party and most of our guests wait all year to try all of our new recipes so I can’t disappoint them!!  With many local farms here in Upstate NY corn is plentiful and relatively inexpensive plus I always feel it is important to support your local farming community.  I have been mastering a new corn salad and thought I would share it with you.

Ingredients:

5 – Corn on The Cob Ears

1/4 pound – Fresh Mozzarella

1/4 pound – Kalamata Olived (Pitted)

3 – Scallions

1 pint – Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 lb. Baby Green Beans

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tbs. – Balsamic Vinegar

Salt/Pepper to Taste

How to Prepare

Husk corn and grill on high heat till dark grill marks are formed – remove from heat and slice kernels from cob – Remove ends of baby string beans add to boiling water for 2 minutes and strain (after straining add to ice/water bath to preserve color and snap) Dice fresh mozzarella – Halve cherry tomatoes & Kalamata olives – Finely slice scallions – combine above ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  In a smaller mixing bowl whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt/pepper together. Pour over mixture and combine well. Transfer to serving bowl and voila your done!

 

Pasta Bruscetta Salad June 21, 2008

I love quick – easy and fresh salads in the summer.  I think they make the perfect accessory to most backyard meals plus they can usually be made ahead of time leaving me more time to spend with my guests.  Last night I created a Pasta Bruscetta Salad and best of all it was refreshing and so easy that I threw it together in under 10 minutes.  Just follow the recipe below and please let me know what you think!!

Ingredients:

1 pound tri-color pasta

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 good handful fresh basil (if you can get hydroponic go for it)

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

How To:

Cook pasta and cool – Cube fresh mozzarella – Halve cherry tomatoes & Kalamata olives – Slice basil -Dice red onion – Mince garlic – Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl – stir in pasta – add olive oil to coat pasta and salt & pepper to taste. Note: the longer this dish set before eating the more intense the flavor

Beer Can Chicken Perfection April 15, 2008

I’ve been on a quest to create the perfect Beer Can Chicken.  As many of you know grilling and entertaining is a huge part of my life and I just hate being a slave to the grill, stove, oven or any other cooking device you might want to throw in there.  Consequently, I am always on the hunt for meals I can prepare that are easy, cost effective, and don’t require me to have a love affair with my cooking equipment!!  That’s how the Beer Can Chicken comes into the mix I can feed a crowd with very little effort on my part.  I am planning a get together for my family and want to sample several recipes this weekend ranging from “wowie zowie” spicy to simple herb butter chickens.  Since I am a bit of a “Chatty Cathy” I have been talking up my latest endeavor with just about anyone who will listen.  What I have been most amazed by is not the range of recipes BUT the range of cooking methods!! 

Traditional Beer Can Chicken calls for a can of beer to be placed inside of the chicken’s cavity and a drip pan placed below the chicken (this creates a fabulously moist chicken).  Normally a rub is used to season the skin and wood chips are optional.  In my opinion wood chips are like bacon if there’s an opportunity to use them, why would you pass!!

In the past three days I have also learned that by adding water to both the beer can and drip pan the chicken will become even more moist because of the extra vaporization.  Of course I tried this method and found that yes, it was more moist but it wasn’t more flavorful so I decided to take the idea and amp it up a little by adding 2 tablespoons melted butter to the beer and replaced the water in the drip pan with chicken stock.  Now this made a vast improvement!!  

As I mentioned before using a rub is common practice when preparing Beer Can Chicken.  I have several rubs that use varying in spice level depending upon my guest’s preferences.  A great tip I picked up from a family member was to not only incorporate the rub on the skin of the chicken but also add a few pinches to the beer can and this will help to infuse the flavor of the rub into the body of the chicken.  He was right, the chicken took on much more flavor but I knew this too could be enhanced.  I decided to apply the rub to the chicken skin as normal but to also separate the skin from the breast and apply the rub also under the skin directly to the breast meat and of course to the beer can.  This chicken was the winner and will be the method I will use to serve my family this weekend.  The chicken was incredibly moist from the added chicken stock and butter – it was wonderfully flavorful from the additional rubs and the wood chips were the icing on the cake (or should I say the sauce on the ribs, in this case).  The smoky flavor from the chips enhanced the taste of my rub creating Beer Can Chicken Perfection.