Brisket BBQ Utopia Off-Season Style

Ok, the weather isn’t optimal for grilling right now and I admit I’ve cheated a bit on this one. So I call it the Brisket BBQ Utopia Off-Season Style. =)

This is another sweet, salty and rich tasting piece of meat. It’s a crazy tender piece of brisket cooked with pears, pink pepper and other good stuff, then glazed in the oven with fine honey, chilli sauce, lemon peel and black pepper.

INGREDIENTS (2 servings)

• 1.2 lb (ca 0.55 kg) Salted Beef Brisket
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 Ripe Pear
• 10 Pink Pepper Grains
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Beef Broth
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar

• 1/2 cup Honey
• 2 tbsp Heinz Chili Sauce
• 1 tsp Grated Lemon Peel
• 2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

PREPARATION - COOKING THE BRISKET

1. Chop onion coarsley.
2. Remove seeds from pear and chop coarsley.
3. Put onion, pear, pink pepper grains, soy sauce, beef broth and brown sugar in a large pot.
4. Place brisket in the pot.
5. Let come to a boil and lower the heat.
6. Simmer on low heat for about 3-4 hours. Make sure that it doesn’t boil.

PREPARATION - GLAZING THE BRISKET

Time to prepare the glaze!

1. Set the oven on 450°F (ca 230°C)
2. Put honey, Heinz Chili Sauce, lemon peel and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Mix well.
3. Put brisket in an ovenproof dish.
4. Rub brisket with the glaze.
5. Roast in oven for about 20 mins.

I love to serve this version of the brisket with potato gratin. Enjoy!

Ginger and mustard rib glaze

Here’s a nice and simple glaze perfect for the christmas ribs. It’s sweet, sour, salty and spicy! I prefer the thick pork ribs for christmas but the glaze works fine with any kind of ribs.

INGREDIENTS (enough for 2 lb/ca 1 kg)

• 1/2 cup (ca 1 dl) Thick Syrup
• 2 tbsp Chinese Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Coleman’s Mustard Powder
• 2 inches (ca 5 cm) Fresh Ginger
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Freshly Ground White Pepper

PREPARATION

1. Peel and grate the ginger.
2. Put ginger, syrup, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, mustard powder, chili powder, black and white pepper in a bowl.
3. Mix well.
4. Brush glaze on ribs for the last 30 minutes of grilling/cooking.

Merry christmas!

Black Caramel Steak Sauce

This is a great sweet, sticky and just enough sour steak sauce perfect for any beef.

INGREDIENTS (about 2-4 servings)

• 1 cup (ca 2,4 dl) Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Chinese Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Concentrated Blackcurrant Juice
• 1 tsp Lime Juice
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 10 Pink Pepper Grains

PREPARATION

1. Put all ingredients in a sauce pan.
2. Let it come to a boil and cook pretty intense for about 5 minutes to reduce the sauce to a nice thick reduction.
3. Remove the crushed garlic and the bay leaf.
4. Drizzle the sauce over meat just before serving.

Tip: Don’t reduce the sauce too much or it might become too sticky. In that case, add some more balsamic vinegar and stir until the sauce gets a good consistency.

Green peppercorn rubbed pulled pork

If you’ve checked out some of my earlier recipes you’ve probably figured out black pepper is one of my favorite spices. Actually, I LOVE all kind of peppercorns. Here’s a nice version of the pulled pork with a dry rub made mostly of green peppercorns as well as some other nice complementary spices.

INGREDIENTS (4-6 servings)

• 2 lb (~900g) Boneless Pork Loin
• 3 tbsp Dried Green Peppercorns
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Paprika powder
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder

PREPARATION

1. Start by making the dry rub. Put all dry ingredients in a mortar, i.e. all ingredients listed above except the pork loin. Grind until you have a nice fine powder.
2. Knead the pork loin thoroughly with the rub.
3. Put meat in an ovenproof pan with lid (a casserole pan with lid is fine).
4. Cook at 260 degrees F (~125 degrees C) for 5-6 hours.
5. Take the meat out of the oven and use two forks to pull the pork apart into thin juicy divine pieces of pulled pork.
6. Take a homemade bun or a hamburger bread and put meat and some coleslaw in between the bread. Enjoy!

Tip! Because the rub is made of only dry ingredients it’s well suited to store for quite a while.

Grilled ham and sweet chili sauce quesadillas

Here’s a really easy-to-make gorgeous recipe for grilled quesadillas with fine cheddar cheese, delicious smoked ham and sweet chili sauce.

INGREDIENTS (~4 servings)

• 10 Medium size soft tortilla bread
• 1 lb. (450 g) Fine Cheddar Cheese
• 0,7 lb. (300 g) Smoked Ham
• 1,5 cup (3,5 dl) Sweet Chili Sauce

PREPARATION

1. Grate the cheddar cheese.
2. Chop the ham coarsely.
3. Take one soft tortilla bread and add a handful of cheese on one half of the bread.
4. Put some ham on the cheese.
5. Pour some sweet chili sauce over the ham.
6. Add a little more cheese before closing the tortilla bread. Press the bread gently with the palm of your hand to get a nice flat and tight quesadilla.
7. Put the quesadillas on the grill. Grill them for about 30 seconds on each side or until they get a nice color before putting them on the side of the grill, away from the heat.
8. Keep grilling the quesadillas on indirect heat with the lid closed for another 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on them so that they don’t get burnt. It may happen that you have to turn them occasionally.

Serve with sour cream and guacamole.

Thanks to Peter Gaudiano for the inspiration on this one!

Bourbon Teriyaki Chicken Wings

Here’s a nice touch on the grilled chicken wings, chicken wings marinated in a rich, sweet and salty sauce grilled to perfection.

INGREDIENTS (2 generous servings)

• 2 lb (ca 0.9 kg) Chicken Wings
• 1/2 cup (ca 1,2 dl) Teriyaki Sauce
• 1/2 cup (ca 1,2 dl) Bourbon (I use Jim Beam)
• 1 tbsp Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp Chipotle Paste
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 tbsp Corn Oil

PREPARATION

1. Put all ingredients for the marinade in a bowl (that’s all ingredients listed above except the chicken wings of course). Mix well with a fork.
2. Put chicken wings in a plastic bag or a bowl. Pour the marinade over the wings. Marinate for at least 2 hours.
3. Put the chicken wings on the grill above the charcoal to get some nice colour. A minute or so on each side would be enough. And keep the marinade!
4. After all wings have a nice colour, put them aside on the grill to continue with some nice indirect barbecuing. Keep brushing the wings with the marinade every 5 minutes or so and keep turning them. Put the lid on the grill between the brushings. Keep doing this for about 1 hour and you’ll have juicy perfect bourbon teriyaki chicken wings!

Perfect as dinner or as a really good snack.

Mint and Garlic Lamb Roast

As some of you might already have figured out lamb is one of my favorite kinds of meat to put on the grill. Yummy! The lamb roast is an excellent piece of meat to grill. Here’s a version of grilled whole lamb roast with a juicy marinade of mint, garlic, lemon and other good stuff.

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

• 2 lb (ca 9 hg) Lamb Roast
• 20 Mint Leaves
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 1/2 Lemon
• 1 cup (ca 2,4 dl) Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 cup (ca 1,2 dl) Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Sea Salt
• 1 tbsp White Sugar
• 1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

PREPARATION

1. Chop mint leaves. Grate the garlic. Put chopped mint, garlic, peel and juice of the lemon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, sugar and black pepper in a bowl and mix well.
2. Put lamb roast in a bowl and add the marinade. Gently rub the marinade into the roast.
3. Put roast on grill directly over the heat to get some nice surface. A minute or two on each side will be good enough. Keep the marinade.
4. Then move the roast to the side. Put a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. Close the lid.
5. Brush the meat with the marinade every once in a while. And keep turning the roast.
6. The roast is perfect when the temperature of the meat is 140 degrees F (or 60 degrees C).

Serve with potatoes, salad and a nice tsatsiki.

Grilled Fish Kebab

Who doesn’t love the smell of grilled fish in the afternoon?! Well, I certainly do. One of my favorite bbq fish dishes is the grilled fish kebab. You can make this with any kind of firm (cause you don’t want the fish to fall apart on the grill) fish fillet. Try for example tuna, monkfish, halibut, salmon or catfish. This time I’ve used fresh salmon and catfish fillets.

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

• 1 lb (ca 4,5 hg) Fresh catfish fillet
• 1 lb (ca 4,5 hg) Fresh salmon fillet
• 1 cup (or 2,4 dl) Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Lemon (juice and peel)
• 1/2 cup (or 1 dl) Fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup (or 1 dl) Fresh tarragon
• 2 tbsp Sea salt
• 1 tbsp Finely ground white pepper

PREPARATION

1. Put olive oil, juice+peel of 1 lemon, sea salt, white pepper and finely chopped parsley and tarragon in a bowl. Mix well.
2. Cut fish fillet in 2 inch (or 5 cm) cubes.
3. Put fish and marinade in a large bowl. Gently rub fish with marinade. Put in fridge for 1-2 hours.
4. Put the marinated fish on skewers (either steel ones or soaked tree skewers). Keep the marinade.
5. Grill the fish until done (5-15 minutes depending on size, heat and how you prefer them). Keep turning them every once in a while and don’t forget to brush them regularly with the marinade.

Serve with your choice of potatoes and vegetables.

Breakfast burritos

This one has become a breakfast favorite. I usually make these with bacon, green and red peppers but I make variations including avocado, feta cheese or spinach from time to time. The basic idea is pretty much to put an omelette inside a tortilla bread. Here’s how I do it.

INGREDIENTS (2 servings)

• 4 Medium size tortilla breads
• 4 Eggs
• 1/4 lb (ca 115g) Bacon
• 1/2 Red pepper
• 1/2 Green pepper
• 1 tbsp Butter
• A pinch of sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

1. Chop bacon, green and red pepper.
2. Put eggs in a bowl and add salt and black pepper. Stir a bit.
3. Put butter in a pan and turn on a pretty high heat. When butter has melted add the chopped pepper and bacon. Fry until bacon and pepper gets a nice brown surface.
4. Lower the heat and add eggs. Keep frying until eggs harden.
5. Slice the omelette in 4 pieces. Put 1/4 of the omelette on a tortilla bread. Fold bread on two sides and roll the bread so that it becomes a nice fully closed burrito. Slice burrito in half.

Supertender Pork Baby Back Ribs

Sometimes you wanna make those perfect pork baby back ribs but you simply don’t have the time to stand in front of the grill the whole day. Don’t get me wrong, I love doing that, but I also love some juicy super tender ribs after a good day at work. Here’s how I make my pre-cooked then grilled ribs.

INGREDIENTS

• Pork Baby Back Ribs, count for about 1 lb (or 4,5 hg) per person
• 2 Cloves garlic
• 2 Bay leaves
• 10 Black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp Corn oil
• 1 tbsp Liquid smoke
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Cube Beef bouillion (or the like)

PREPARATION

1. Put ribs in a large sauce pan and cover with water.
2. Add all ingredients.
3. Let ribs start to cook and immediately turn the heat of. Leave ribs in the hot/warm water in pan on stove for 5-8 hours. 
4. After 5-8 hours, gently pour off the water and put the ribs in a bowl. Brush ribs with glaze of your choice. I use my Chili and maple syrup glaze.
5. Either start grilling the ribs immediately or put them in the fridge until it’s time to grill them.
6. Gently put ribs on the grill directly over the heat to get a nice surface. Then move them to the side and keep grilling them indirectly for a while.

Serve with grilled vegetables and coleslaw.

BBQ Lemon and Orange Turkey Breast

Don’t you just love the smell of citrus and grilled meat from chicken or turkey in the summer! Here’s the perfect BBQ lemon and orange turkey breast.

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

• 2 lb (ca 9 hg) Turkey breast (1 breast would be about 1 lb)
• 1 Orange
• 1/2 Lemon
• 1 inch (ca 1 tbsp) Fresh ginger
• 1 Clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 2 tbsp Corn oil
• 2 tsp Sea salt
• 1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper

1. Put juice and grated peel of the orange and lemon in a bowl. Tear ginger and garlic into the bowl. Add rest of the ingredients and mix well.
2. Put turkey breast(s) and marinade in a plastic bag and let it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours.
3. Grill turkey until well done (cooking time depends on method of course but count for about 40-60 minutes). And be sure to save that marinade and keep brushing the turkey every 5 minutes. I prefer indirect heat on a charcoal grill with the lid closed. And some soaked chips of Texas mesquite to get a nice smoky taste.

Homemade cajun seasoning

Are you eager to try a kind of exotic version of Cajun seasoning? Here’s a really nice one perfect for a pulled pork. Or why not just try it in a stew?

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 tsp Coriander seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika powder
• 1 tsp Carnation
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Dried ginger
• 1 tsp Mustard powder
• 1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp Sea salt
• 2 tsp Oregano
• 1 dried Chili

WET INGREDIENTS

• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 3 tbsp Tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Ketchup
• 1 Lemon (juice and peel)
• 1/2 cup (ca 1 dl) Raisins

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the dry ingredients. Put all dry ingredients in a mortar (or a mixer if you don’t have a mortar). Mix all dry ingredients until you get a fine nice even mix of spices. Make sure all seeds are crushed to get the most out of all delicious flavors.
2. Prepare the wet ingredients. Mince the raisins and cloves of garlic. Grate the peel and press out all the juice from the lemon. Mix raisins, garlic and lemon with the rest of the wet ingredients.
3. Mix the prepared dry and wet ingredients until you get that nice seasoning paste. Exploding with flavors!

Put seasoning on pork and cook as you like. I usually rub the top of a pork tenderloin and cook in an ovenable pot in the oven at 210 °F (100 °C) for 5-7 hours together with big chunks of tomatoes and pears.

Chili and maple syrup glaze

Here’s a simple but really good glaze I use a lot. I mostly use it for pork and chicken but it’s good with most kinds of meat and even grilled salmon.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup (about 2,5 dl) Heinz Chili Sauce
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp oil (I use rapeseed or corn oil)
• 1 Tbsp chinese soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

Simply put all ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Put glaze on meat for the last 15-20 minutes of the grilling.