Cuisine: BBQ

BBQ Chicken with Balsamic Glaze

BBQ Chicken. It’s a pretty perfect food. The only food more perfect than BBQ chicken may be fried chicken. And I don’t have that perfected yet. But it will be mine. Oh yes. It will be mine.

Where was I? Oh yes, the virtues of BBQ chicken! You can serve it at a dinner, a lunch, a picnic, or anything, and if you do it right, it makes great leftovers. Don’t be that chef who cooks the chicken over a hot grill, ending with the outside burned and the inside raw. You’re better than that! Here’s my version.

Ingredients

Chicken
4 Chicken Thighs with Skin (my favorite, but use the pieces you like)(I put 4 here, but choose your number folks. Leftovers are always good!)
Seasoned Salt
¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic Glaze
½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
⅔ cup Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
½ tsp Salt

Directions

Season chicken liberally on both sides with Seasoned Salt. Sprinkle balsamic vinegar on them and place in plastic bags for 1 to 8 hours.

I use a reverse sear process here. I put them on the Big Green Egg at 300 degrees or so first. I use some apple wood with that. You could use indirect heat on a grill, or you could do this part in the oven. (See note below). Flip over every 10 minutes or so. Cook until they are done – 175 degrees for thighs; 165 for breasts. Cooking the dark meat a little more is fine, but you have to be pretty exact with white meat. Remove the chicken when it hits the right temp and cover tightly with foil until ready to sear. You can hold it here for at least an hour – for safety reasons, don’t let the chicken temperature dip below 140.

Note: Indirect Heat is the key to good BBQ. Big Green Egg people put a “platesetter” over the coals to turn the BGE into an oven. Traeger people flip a switch. If you have a gas grill, you can turn on the burners on one side of the grill, close the lid and let the oven heat up, then use the side of the grill where the burners are off. Real outdoor chefs use indirect heat!

While the chicken is indirect cooking, prepare the glaze. Add all ingredients in a sauce pan, whisk together and simmer for 10 minutes. It will thicken. Do this while the chicken is cooking.

Using direct heat, heat up your grill to a high temperature. Apply oil to the grill grates. You can spray it or wipe it with a paper towel dipped in canola oil and held by tongs. Move the chicken to the hot grill, basting with the glaze and flipping every two minutes until it looks perfect. A little flame is not going to hurt you! You’ll have a nice beautiful charred glaze on there and be ready to serve!

Ham on the Green Egg

Ham on the Green Egg is a perfect brunch food. It’s hard to screw up! The ham is already cooked. You’re just giving it some extra flavor and showing off your smoking passion and skill. This recipe is a perfect Easter Recipe. And if you don’t have a big enough crowd to finish the ham, you can freeze the leftovers in small bags, and use them in omelettes, quiche, and a wide variety of recipes. A little ham (or bacon) never hurts any recipe.

Ingredients

1 9-12 Pound Spiral-Cut Ham
½ cup Maple Syrup
Rub Ingredients
2 tbsp Maple Syrup
2 tbsp Black Pepper
2 tbsp Mustard (Whatever Style You Eat with Ham)
1 tbsp Bourbon
1 tbsp Vegetable/Canola Oil
1 tbsp Paprika
1 tbsp Kosher Salt
Glaze
¼ cup Maple Syrup
¼ cup Honey
½ cup Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsp Instant Coffee
1 tbsp Dry Mustard
¼ cup Orange Juice
2 tbsp Bourbon

Directions

The Night Before . . .

Insert 1/2 cup maple syrup between spiral ham slices. Using a turkey baster works here, but you have to get your clean fingers in there to separate the slices.

Mix all ingredients for the rub together. Spread over entire ham. Tie up the ham with kitchen twine to keep the slices together.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Putting the Ham on the Green Egg

Heat the Egg or your smoker to 250 degrees.

Bring out the ham 30 minutes prior to adding to Egg. Add some soaked apple wood chips just before you add the ham.

Put the ham on the Green Egg! (I love saying that!)

Keep heating until you reach an internal temperature around 120 degrees. This should take a little less than an hour.

Finishing it Up!

Mix all glaze ingredients together. Heat in a sauce pan or microwave to mix.

After the ham reaches 120 degrees. Start basting every 15 minutes with the glaze.

Take it off the egg at 145 degrees. Cover tightly with foil until ready to serve.

Ham on the Green Egg.

Chimichurri Sauce

Pesto sauce is to Italian cuisine what chimichurri sauce is to Argentinian and Uruguayan cuisine. But this sauce is meant to accompany the amazing meats served at South American asados. Want to make almost anything better? Add chimichurri sauce! It’s beautiful on the table, and spectacular on almost anything. It features parsley and garlic, and as much heat as you want to add. And it’s better after it’s been sitting and blending for a few days. Try it out at your next event where meat is a feature of the meal!

Ingredients

2 Bunches Italian Flat Leaf Parsley (1.5 – 2 Cups)
1 Bunch Cilantro (0.5 – 0.75 Cups)
1 tbsp Dried Oregano
10 Cloves Garlic (In a pinch, you can use 1 tsp dried minced garlic in place of each clove – just add it to the water)
1.50 tsp Salt
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
⅓ cup Red Wine Vinegar
¾ cup Olive Oil

Directions

Mix Dried Oregano and Salt with 1/3 Cup Hot Tap Water and let sit for 15 Minutes

Pick leaves off cilantro and parsley, eliminating any large stalks.

Place parley, cilantro, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender, give it about ten pulses, until coarsely chopped.

Pour water/oregano/salt mixture into food processor/blender. Pulse until mixed in.

Pour mixture into a bowl, and stir in olive oil. I’ve seen chimichurri sauce made where it is thick and green, or I’ve seen it where it has much more olive oil, and it looks like an infused olive oil. I prefer the thicker version, but I love both!

Sit at room temperature for one hour. Hold for up to 5 days, but it won’t last that long. Take out of refrigerator 1 to 2 hours prior to serving.

Tomahawk Steaks

I had been eyeing the Tomahawk Steaks at our local grocery store for sometime. They were the showcase feature of the butcher’s display case. A few years ago (when Dawson was just 14), I decided it was time and invited our friends Steve and Karen – great cooks themselves – over to enjoy. Steve, who burns about 17,000 calories a day biking all over the Santa Monica Mountains, thinks that one of these is just about a perfect serving size!

These super big and super thick steaks are quite a show and really fun to cook, serve, and eat! Cooked low and slow, then seared at the end, they are super tender and just amazing.

Ingredients

1 Tomahawk Ribeye Steaks – With the bone, they weigh about 3 pounds. Serves 2 to 3.
Soy Sauce
Montreal Steak Seasoning

Directions

You may need to ask your butcher for these. These were choice grade (fantastic), and I got them from Pavilions. I have heard they can be found sometimes at Costco.

Try to stop your son from playing with the food. Another parenting failure on my part.

I only use two seasonings on steak: soy sauce and Montreal Steak Seasoning. I went heavy on the Montreal. Please let this sit with the spices for at least 30 minutes. You can go up to 12 hours. Letting the salt do its magic is worth the time.

The key with these steaks is that they are almost roasts. They are almost 3″ thick. I think the best way to cook them is to use low, indirect heat (250 degrees) for an hour or so until they reach the desired temp. Then sear them to get a crust and make them look beautiful. My indirect heat source is our course my Big Green Egg, but Traegers are wonderful too. If you are using the cool side of the grill, make sure to rotate the steak every 20 minutes or so.

I am using my new Thermopro probes in there to monitor the temp. I’ll take them off when they hit 128.

I used a small amount of pecan wood for a hint of smoke flavor. Don’t over do it!

Turn them over once during the cook.

Take them out of the Big Green Egg/Oven when they hit your desired temp, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Prepare a high heat grill, and sear each side for 1 to 2 minutes. You’re just looking for a beautiful seared finish here. Turn the steaks 90 degrees halfway through to cross hatch it.

Plate it up!

Serve it up!

“Put Some Mustard On That!” Warm (or cold!) Potato Salad

My friend Michelle is an amazing cook. She’s also a fantastic teacher and principal, but cooking has remained a big part of her life, and she has been a wonderful source of information and inspiration for me over the years. This is based on one of her PUBLISHED RECIPES! The only reason my recipes are published is that I make this website! She’s the real deal and you can find the original recipe here . I love this recipe. It’s a fantastic go-to potato salad for dinner or a picnic/bbq lunch. My friend Maggie, who is both a great artist and fantastic cook, took the picture below when she made this for a lunch she was hosting. Thanks Maggie!

Ingredients

2 lbs Small Red Potatoes
⅔ cup Mayo
⅓ cup Mustard (I use a mix of grain and dijon)
¾ cup Chopped Red Onion
5 Garlic Cloves, Crushed or Chopped
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Course ground black pepper)
½ Lime, freshly juiced
3 tbsp Freshly chopped dill or parsley or some fresh herbThe original recipe calls for dill, but I prefer the parsley.
3 Green Onions (chopped, for garnish)

Directions

Boil potatoes for 25 minutes – test as they get close. Drain and rinse. If you are a food temperature fanatic (Thermapen fans, unite!) – somewhere between 200 and 210 degrees.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the mixture.

Mix all ingredients together except for green onions. This is a mustard heavy version of the recipe. If you’re not a huge mustard fan (I won’t judge), you can replace some of the mustard with Mayo. The original recipe had a 1 cup of mayo and 1/4 cup of mustard.

Cut potatoes into the size you want them. Don’t go too small – the texture is great. I tend to quarter them.

Mix together, add green onions for garnish, and serve warm, or cool down and serve cold. It’s great either way!

Disneyland Turkey Legs (aka Caveman Pops)

Caveman Heaven

My family loves Disneyland. They go several times a year, and if we lived closer, they’d go more. I go once a year and enjoy myself immensely. But . . . I don’t need or want more than that. What I do love about Disneyland, and if I lived closer might be worth the price of an annual passport, is their high quality turkey legs. Caveman Pops. I love a good meal on a stick, and this is the mountaintop of such meals. This is my attempt at reaching the Caveman Pop Summit. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 Turkey Legs – Medium Sized to Large. These are easy to find at Thanksgiving, but you may have to ask your butcher ahead of time other times of the year.
¼ cup Arkibu Rub , or other BBQ Rub
½ cup Honey

Directions

The night before you want to cook these, rub them with Arkibu BBQ Rub.

Fire up the Big Green Egg, or your favorite indirect heat smoker. I put it to 300 degrees. Prepare some apple or pecan wood chips by soaking them in water.

Add chips, lay turkey legs on the grill, and smoke until they are done. Time will depend on the size. 40 minutes to a little over an hour. Use your Thermapen. Take it off when the bottom thinner meat starts to separate from the bone, and when the meat is 180 degrees.

Place in a casserole pan or something and cover with foil until you close to being ready serve. Remember – for food to be safe, don’t let it sit if it’s under 140 degrees.

When you are ready to serve, coat each leg with a lot of honey, brushing it all over the meat.

Fire up a direct heat grill (I use my Weber Genesis Grill), spray some cooking spray on it, and sear the honey-coated goodness in, about five minutes per side.

Caveman Heaven

Wrap each leg in foil, and serve when you are ready!

Pulled Chicken in the Crockpot

I cobbled this recipe together because of a grocery store trip. I found some frozen boneless chicken thighs, and was trying to figure out what to do with them. So I decided to just throw them in the crockpot, still frozen, with some sliced onions and BBQ sauce. It’s such a simple recipe, but you’re left with some nice pulled chicken for some super good sandwiches.

Ingredients

4 lbs Skinless Chicken Thighs, Frozen
12 oz BBQ Sauce
1 Onion, sliced or diced

Directions

Get out the crockpot. Layer with BBQ sauce, onion, then chicken. Do 2 or 3 layers.

Cover. Heat for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. You know your crockpot. Adjust as necessary.

When the chicken is done. Turn off crockpot. Take out chicken and pull apart with two forks. It will fall apart easily!

Empty out all of the juice and sauce from the crockpot and wipe clean. Put the pulled chicken in the cleaned crockpot with about 1/2 cup of bbq sauce. Heat and serve!

Chicken Wings

Wings are something I’ve always enjoyed, but I’ve never made them until recently.   I’m a fried chicken lover, but it’s so much work, and until I get an outdoor fryer, I’m steering clear.   When I do, chickens and catfish beware! These wings are not too hard to make, and the results are fantastic.

 

Ingredients

1.50 lbs Chicken Wings, per person
BBQ Rub or Marinade*
¾ cup Cholula Hot Sauce Or Your Favorite Hot Sauce
8 oz Butter (1 stick)
⅛ cup White Vinegar
½ tsp Garlic Salt

Directions

Sprinkle some Arkibu Rub or Salt and Pepper on the wings at least one hour before cooking. Doing it overnight is even better. You can also marinate it in Hot Sauce or Teriyaki sauce or Korean Marinade. I recommend the rub before and the sauce after.

Preheat oven to 350 and get a grill or your Big Green Egg going at about 400 degrees.

Put seasoned wings on a rimmed baking sheet or in a 9×13 pan and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove and head outside.

Put the wings over direct heat for about 5 minutes, then turn and heat for another 5 minutes. They should be beautifully crisped up by now. You don’t need to sauce them up on the grill.

Make the sauce. Melt the butter, and add hot sauce, vinegar, and garlic salt.

Put wings in a big stainless steel bowl, pour sauce over them, and move the bowl around so that the wings spin around until they are coated and ready to go. (This is what restaurants call the “hand spun” wings. Such a crazy way to describe a simple process.)

Add some green onions or blue cheese sauce if you like. I like having celery too, as it turns this into a health food dish.

Pineapple Salsa

This is a fresh and wonderful addition to fish, turkey, or chicken. It’s great with grilled food. Very simple to do, but it’s better if you make it ahead of time and let it marinate in its own juices.

Ingredients

1 tbsp Rice Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar (Rice Vinegar is much cleaner)
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Pineapple, Cored and Chopped into small pieces.(If you are in a pinch, 2 cans of sliced pineapple will do.)
½ Red Onion, minced
1 cup Cilantro, washed and chopped

Directions

Chop and drain pineapple. Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least one hour.

Korean Marinade

Every year, we go “glamping” (glamour camping) at El Capitan Canyon above Santa Barbara with four other families. Jill’s friend Shari and I love cooking for the group. Shari is an outstanding cook who carries a tackle box of cooking tools on every trip. It’s a good look. I’ve learned a lot from Shari over the years, and I’m happy to share one of her recipes here.

This Korean marinade is so easy, and it’s perfect with any beef, pork, or chicken. And I always reserve one half cup (at least) to spoon over the dishes as I serve them.

Ingredients

1 cup Soy Sauce
4 tsp Sesame Oil
4 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Crushed Hot Red Peppers
2 tbsp Fresh Ginger, gratedI often don't have fresh ginger, so I'll use 2 tsp of ground ginger instead.
2 Bunch Green Onions, Chopped

Directions

Uh . . . Mix it Together!

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

I belonged to a 24 hour fitness gym back in 2007. I had a job where I drove all over Southern California, and I wanted to be able to work out wherever I ended up that day or night. So I was on their mailing list, and they sent out a newsletter with a recipe for a vegetarian black bean burger. I’ve adapted it a little, but it’s now my go to veggie burger. Jill loves them, and I do too. I recommend cooking them on a griddle or in a cast iron skillet. If you want to keep it all outside with the burgers you’re grilling, just throw that cast iron skillet on the grill and you’re good.

Ingredients

1 Can, Black Beans, Drained
¼ cup Onion, chopped
1 cup Salsa, thicker is better
2 Carrots, diced into smaller pieces (1/8″ pieces)
1 cup Bread Crumbs
½ cup Wheat Flour
1 Green Pepper, diced
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp Chili Powder

Directions

Preparing the patties

Steam carrots in the microwave for 90 seconds. Its enough to soften them up.

Mash black beans with a potato masher. Keep a few whole beans out, as they create better color and texture.

Add remaining ingredients (reserve 1/4 cup of salsa). Mix together. If it needs more wetness to hold, add more salsa. If it’s too wet, add bread crumbs or wheat flour.

Form 6 patties – 1/2″ thick is good. Place on wax paper on a baking sheet. Refrigerate until you are ready to grill ’em up.

Cooking!

I think these are best cooked on a griddle. Although you can grill them, it’s safer to cook them 3-4 minutes per side on a griddle. They should get just a little crisp on the outside.

Add cheese at the end of cooking if you want. Cover with a pot lid to help it melt faster.

Put on a bun, add your favorite ingredients, and you are living the vegetarian dream!

Steak!

We love steak in my house.  Except for my lovely vegetarian wife.  But she supports the three boys in the house in our passion for steak. So what cut is best?

According to Dawson, nothing beats a filet. It’s butter soft, not as fatty as ribeyes, and a perfect steak for home or the steakhouse.

Ryan and I both prefer ribeyes – the fat is much higher, and so is the flavor. To me, the bone in ribeye is the steak to order in a steakhouse, and nothing beats it.

If high quality New York steaks are on sale, it’s always a fantastic option. They are tougher than filets, but a little more flavorful.

People love Porterhouses, which are like a T-bone, with a New York on one side of the bone, and a filet on the other. To me, they are too hard too cook. Getting two different cuts to the perfect temperature is super challenging.

Finally, when I’m buying steak in the grocery store, a good grass-fed steak is always a great option, as it creates both great flavor and texture.

Ingredients

1 Steak, per person*
Soy Sauce
Montreal Steak Seasoning

Directions

Take it out of the fridge and let it sit at least 30 minutes. Don’t let it sit for hours – it’s unsafe.

Season with Soy Sauce To me, it’s more interesting that Worcestershire sauce

Season with Montreal Steak Seasoning. It’s the best. I cover mine with it, and sprinkle Dawson’s lightly. It has a Steak-au-poivre feel to it.

Cook it on the grill or on the Big Green Egg (Direct Cooking). No other way to do it. Get it hot – 400 to 500 degrees is great.

3 Minutes on each side, Rotate 90 degrees and cook 3 minutes on each side again (makes nice cross-hatch marks). I cook my steak until it’s 130 degrees. It’s a perfect medium rare.

Now, if you have a super thick steak – over 2″ thick, please see my recipe for Tomahawk Steaks. You are going to need to use some indirect heat.

Let sit for 3-5 minutes, then serve it up!