Basting

Well, the winter is over here in the Arctic and the weather is warming up, which means a lot of my neighbors are joining me on the back deck to fire up the grill.

One of the things that is easy to do on the grill is dry out the meat, so I am always looking for good basting sauce recipes to help retain the moisture of the meat, without changing a lot of the robust flavor I love. The other afternoon I was rumaging through the pantry looking for ingredients to make up a sauce when my lovely bride suggested, "Why not just use olive oil." I had never used just plain olive oil as a basting sauce, but it sounded like an okay idea so I tried it.

It was fantastic! You have to be careful of a little extra flamage, but the oil helps hold the moisture in the meat and allows you to achieve that perfect level of doneness without drying out the juices.

So, if you are looking for a great basting sauce this summer for those steaks or chops, just try some extra virgin olive oil, and enjoy!

Applebee's Bourbon Street Steak

Okay, so this is not an original recipe, but when you grill it at 10° on a 400° grill, it adds certain flair, so here goes:


½ cup steak sauce                                                  2 tsp yellow mustard

¼ cup bourbon                                                      4 – 10 oz. beef rib steak, round steaks, or chuck steaks

2 tsps Cajun seasoning                                          Sautéed mushrooms and onion, for topping

1 Tbs honey

1. Make a marinade by mixing the steak sauce, bourbon, the 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, the honey and mustard. A.1. is the usual favorite for steak sauce, and you can use whiskey or brandy in place of the bourbon if you prefer. Put the steaks in a resealable plastic bag with the marinade and give them a quick massage, making sure the marinade is evenly distributed. Let the steaks sit for at least 4 hours in the fridge (marinating overnight will enhance the flavors and tenderize the meat).

NOTE: I used petite sirloin, A.1. and Jim Beam.

2. When you are ready to cook the steaks, preheat the broiler or light a charcoal grill. Line the broiler pan with foil or put a drip pan under the grill to catch the juices.

NOTE: I use propane this close to the Arctic Circle, and did not catch the juices.

Okay, the rest of the recipe is about discarding the marinade, seasoning the steaks with Cajun seasoning and making sure to let them rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. U the sautéed mushrooms and onions as steak toppers.

We loved the steak, served it with Blue Cheese Mashed potatoes, and steamed cauliflower. It was a great meal. This one is definitely a keeper, but next time we are going to try a different steak sauce from A.1. Any suggestions?

Until later…

Works Cited

Douglas, R. (2010). More of America's Most Wanted Recipes. New York: Atria.

Basting Sauce

One of the great things about grilling, whether in sub-zero temps or on a more moderate day, is that you get to try all sorts of wonderful basting sauces.  Here is one of mine:

3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup red wine (if you wouldn't drink it, don't use it)
1 T lime juice
1 clove garlic - mashed
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
Black pepper

Mix all this together to use as a sauce as you grill. If your grill is really hot, be careful - the mixture of olive oil and red wine is delicious, but volatile. If you join me in grilling in arctic conditions, it helps to have a small side burner to keep the sauce warm. Otherwise you could actually stop the cooking process by slathering frigid sauce on cooking meat.

Later...

Salmon Chowder

One of the greatest things about living up here is the fishing in the summer. This first photo is me landing a nice sockeye earlier this year.

But the best part about this trip is in this next photo.

Yep, that's the same fish, or at least a part of him, on my grill out back - light snow falling and a balmy 25 degrees makes perfect grilling weather.  The box to your left is Reynolds Pro-Grill Non-stick aluminum foil. If you are grilling something that gets flaky and can fall apart through the grill - this is the stuff to have.

The reasons these nice filets were on the grill tonight was for some of my wife's great Salmon Chowder. For grilling I did not do anything to season these already tasty fish - just threw them on the grill, turned them once, and served them up for my wife's chowder.

Salmon Chowder:

3 T. butter                                            16 oz. cooked (or smoked) salmon

3/4 C. chopped onion                           1 - 1.5 cup mashed potatoes

1/2 C. chopped celery                          1 C shredded cheese

1.5 tsp. chopped garlic (fresh)                  (we use Monterey Jack)

2 - 3 C diced red potatoes (we don't peel them, but you can if you must)

2 C. heavy cream

1 C. chicken broth

1 tsp. salt/ black pepper

Chopped dill to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and garlic. Boil 4 - 6 red potatoes, reserving enough to mash for texture later. Combine sauted vegetables, cream, broth, potatoes, salmon and seasoning. Add mashed potatoes/milk and cheese to adjust texture to your liking. Simmer for 20 minutes and enjoy. Makes six to eight servings.

Hey, I would really like to get some of your recipes for salmon. This snow isn't going to last forever, and my waders are getting mightly lonesome hanging up down in the garage!

Til later.

Happy Holidays

Just wanted to tell everyone, "Happy Holidays" and show you a picture of my "kitchen" -

I took this last night before I dusted it off to do some brats on the grill for my family.  The secret to doing brats on the grill is to keep them high and turn them often. The grease that will shoot out will cause some serious flameage, so be careful.

Again, Happy Holidays to everyone!

Brushing The Snow Away

It is an interesting thing to have to shovel your way out to the grill, and then brush the accumulated snow off the top before you can fire it up. The other evening (-4 F) that is what I had to do to get a few of my favorite steaks on the fire. My wife took a picture because to keep my hands warm I was placing them on top of the grill. I had on some light cloth gloves, but it was still a 400 degree grill and I could put my hands right on the top for several seconds to warm them up.

But true to my observations last winter, a higher flame and a closed lid are the way to go with steak. I do mine about four to five minutes per side at that temp, but they are trimmed a little thin and we like ours a little more than rare.

Still, it was fun to see the porch light smoking in the night as the bulb warmed up and the frost subliminated off the sides.

Hey, if you have some favorites recipes you like to do in the winter on the grill, just let me know. I am happy to post them here and will give you full credit for your work.

Til next time...

Welcome Back!

Welcome back, grilling enthusiasts! I hope you are enjoying the start of winter as I am by keeping your grill warm and your hot plate mitt close at hand. We are up to about 30 inches of snow with temps ranging from the low teens to the single digits below - perfect time for Arctic Grilling!

Here are a couple of tips I want to pass along to you.  Last winter we were living in an apartment with no deck, so the grill had to live in the garage. Wasn't so bad, I just had to roll the beastie out every time I wanted to grill (which was a LOT). Anyway, grilling in that fashion left a couple of things un-discovered.

1. Propane stops flowing as readily as the temperature drops. While I was storing my grill in my garage, which always stayed at 65 degrees or so, it was not a problem. Now that it is outside, it takes a little longer to warm things up.  Once I get one burner lit, I have to wait a few seconds before lighting the next one, and then the next. Gives the propane in the tubes time to expand.
2. That little metal knob on top of the propane valve is just that - metal. Once the temperature drops below zero, that little piece of steel can stick to your hand really fast. It's best to have on a glove or use your hot plate mitt to keep from leaving part of your paw under the grill.  Oh, and don't think it is going to warm up while you are cooking.  The heat goes up, away from the tank, and that little knob stays just as cold as it was.
3. During the summer it is nice to put the grill at the edge of the deck next to the house. That way you can always stand under the eave of the roof for the occassionaly shower. But before you fire that grill up in the winter time, I suggest you move it out from under that eave.  The effect of a hot grill on a twelve to fifteen inch snow-load hanging on the edge of the eave is not one you want to experiece. Trust me on this one!

Well, keep you grills hot and your meat turning. If you have a favorite recipe for the wintertime grill, drop it off here. I would certainly like to try it!

More late...