Beer can chicken

I first heard of this crazy method of grilling a chicken about 12 years ago. It sounded funny and looked even funnier. You shove a beer can up the cavity of a chicken, stand it up on the grill grates and let it cook standing up at attention.

The technique is actually pretty ingenious. Standing it up promotes even cooking and browning while the steam created by the evaporating beer keeps the meat juicy and helps cook a bit faster. If you add aromatics, such as garlic, herbs, citrus to the beer, it will also impart some flavor. I have no idea where this technique originated but kudos to the person that came up with this.

Click to read more ...

Grilled red curry chicken wings

Even though it is still summer, I can't help but notice that fall is beginning stretch its arms a bit as it gets ready to make its yearly debut. The cooler evenings and mornings, the imminent start of the school year, and preseason NFL have got me thinking about wings. Chicken wings. Since it's still summer, I'm going to grill my chicken wings. Eschewing the tried and true Buffalo-style wing in favor of something more adventurous, yet still somewhat kid-friendly, I decided to experiment with a red curry wing that borrows heavily from the Thai kitchen.

Click to read more ...

Grilled salmon, cucumber-avocado relish, roasted carrots & onions

If you asked my 6-year old son what his favorite food is, there's a good possibility that he will reply with "fish!" My soon-to-be 4-year old daughter is not quite as enthusiastic but won't completely turn her nose at it. Well, sometimes. Going to the market together to buy the fish always helps to build the anticipation for a fish dinner. Often, we'll let our son pick out what kind of fish to have. He usually gravitates toward the whole fish. He likes the "fish with the face!" Yes, it's strange, I know. But, I think it's great that he's so excited about eating something so healthy. He will even request that the cooked head be on his plate. Yes, that's even stranger, I know. This time around, we went with Coho salmon. It looked really great at the store and tasted wonderful as well.

Click to read more ...

Grilled steak and grilled corn

The long wait for summer to arrive for good ended this past weekend. It was the first weekend of extended outdoor activities. It was the first weekend of seeking shade from the hot sun. It was the first weekend for grilling. Now, I've already called on the services of my grill this spring and I know many who grill all year-round. But, it's not same as grilling, out in the hot sun, simultaneously battling the fieriness of the flames jumping toward you. 

Click to read more ...

Grilled pork chops, roasted broccoli, Egelhoff potatoes

Egelhoff potatoes, you ask? I'll get to those in a minute. 

This menu isn't an all-in-one weeknight wonder. But we can't always eat a one-pot thing every night. But the great thing about this menu is that there is really nothing to clean up even though you have to make 3 separate things. To me, that's huge! One of the reasons for minimal clean up is due to the technique of roasting vegetables. This menu took longer than the 30 minutes I shoot for but not too much longer. It was more like 45 minutes from start to finish. 

Click to read more ...