grilling – The Spencer Family Web Page

Grilled Herb Shrimp with Mango Salsa (Ina Garten)

lindsay — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 20:15:16 +0000

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium yellow onion, small-diced

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

1 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

Combine the garlic, onion, parsley, basil, mustards, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Heat up grill and brush grill rack with oil to prevent shrimp from sticking. Skewer the shrimp, 5-6 on a 12″ skewer. Grill for 1 1/2 minutes per side.

Mango Salsa

Makes 2 cups

2 T olive oil

1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion (2 onions)

2 tsp peeled, minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 ripe mangoes, peeled, seeded, and small-diced

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1-2 tsp minced fresh jalapeno peper

2 tsp minced mint leaves

Saute the olive oil, onions, and ginger in a large saute pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the mangoes; reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and jalapenos; cook for 10 more minutes, or until the orange juice is reduced, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and add the mint. Serve warm, or room temp or chilled.

Griddle cheeseburgers with onions

dave — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 04:43:28 +0000

We made these on a small griddle we put on our gas grill outside. I think the griddle is key because it allows the fat rendered from the burger to fry the outside, and it is very hot but unlike cooking over flame won’t ignite and char the burger. Very key. Now I want a bigger griddle. Of course one could do this inside as well, but it would make the kitchen smell greasy.

Loosely shape ~1/4 lb of ground beef into balls without over-working the meat. The original recipe says 30% fat, but burgers made with 16 or 20% (?) were good. Season with salt and pepper.
Slice some onions into very thin slices.
Heat a cast iron griddle until very hot (on the stove or the grill outside).
Place balls of meat on the griddle for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Use a stout spatula to smash the balls into patties ~1/3-1/2 inch thick and cook for about 2 minutes.
Gently press a handful of the thinly-sliced onions onto the burgers, then flip over so the onions are on the bottom. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Top with cheddar cheese, cover, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Serve on a tasty bun with your choice of condiments.

Grill-roasted pork loin

dave — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:39:04 +0000

If only “enhanced” pork is available (it will be stated on the label), do not brine the roast. Instead, simply add 2 tablespoons kosher salt to the black pepper seasoning. With minor adjustments, a roast larger than the one called for can be cooked using the same method. For each additional pound of meat over 3 pounds (do not use a roast larger than 6 pounds), increase the salt in the brine by 1/4 cup and the water by 1 quart; also increase the oil and pepper by 1 teaspoon each (if using a spice rub, increase the recipe by one-third). Because the cooking time depends more on the diameter of the loin than its length, the cooking time for a larger roast will not increase significantly. After rotating the roast in step 5, begin checking the internal temperature after 30 minutes of cooking.

Ingredients

3/4	cup table salt
1	boneless pork loin roast (blade-end), 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, tied with kitchen twine at 1 1/2-inch intervals (see illustration below)
2	tablespoons olive oil
1	tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper , or 1 recipe spice rub (see associated recipes)

Instructions

Dissolve salt in 3 quarts water in large container; submerge roast, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until fully seasoned, 3 to 4 hours. Rinse roast under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
Rub roast with oil; sprinkle with pepper or spice rub and press into meat. Let roast stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Soak 2 cups wood chips in water to cover 30 minutes; drain. Place chips in small disposable aluminum pan. About 20 minutes before grilling, place wood chip pan on primary burner (burner that will remain on during cooking); position cooking grate. Ignite grill, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat until very hot, about 15 minutes. (If chips ignite, use water-filled spray bottle to extinguish.) Scrape grate clean with grill brush. (NOTE: If using charcoal ignite, about 5 quarts charcoal, or about 90 individual briquettes, and burn until fully ignited, about 15 minutes. Empty coals into grill; build modified two-level fire by arranging coals to cover one-half of grill, piling them about 3 briquettes high.)
Place pork on hot side of grill without wood chips; cook until well-browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, rotate one-quarter turn and repeat until all sides are well-browned, about 8 minutes total. Turn off all burners except primary burner; position roast parallel with and as close as possible to primary burner (or on cooler/low side of charcoal grill). Cook 20 minutes.
Remove cover; using tongs, rotate roast 180 degrees so side facing fire now faces away. Replace cover and continue cooking until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 140 degrees, 10 to 30 minutes longer, depending on thickness, keeping lid down except as needed to check progress of pork.
Transfer roast to cutting board; tent loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Internal temperature should rise to 150 degrees. Remove twine; cut roast into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve.