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Mrs. Dog’s Ultimate Turkey Brine Recipe

By JR | November 19, 2010 | certified grilladelic, recipes | No comments

This is one fine brine brought to you by Julie Applegate (aka Mrs. Dog), one of the leading barbecue and grilling authorities in Michigan. A certified Kansas City Barbecue Society judge, competitor, egg-head, gourmet cook and food entrepreneur.

TURKEY BRINE RECIPE

1 turkey, 12-18 pounds, rinsed thoroughly, giblets, tail, and neck removed

Brine:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup coarse salt
3 whole heads garlic, cloves separated, but not peeled, and bruised
6 large bay leaves*
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dog’s Jamaican Jerk Marinade**
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped unpeeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons dried chile flakes, or a couple of chipotles
1-1/2 cups soy sauce
3 quarts water
Handful of fresh thyme sprigs

Combine all the brine ingredients in an enamel or stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let cool completely. Rinse the turkey well, and put it in a large enamel, stainless steel or food-grade plastic pot or bucket. Cover with the cold brine and add more water if the brine doesn’t cover the turkey.

Put a plate on top of the turkey to hold it under the brine.

Refrigerate for at least an hour per pound or overnight, turning the bird twice a day. (When you
turn the turkey be sure to empty the brine out of the body cavity before you turn it or it splashes everywhere.)

Rinse twice and air dry in refrigerator overnight.

* I use allspice leaves as well
** optional

Cook the bird to 161° in the breast.

Butterflied turkey on-the-grill

By JR | November 15, 2010 | certified grilladelic, recipes, tips | No comments

Butterflied Turkey with Fennel, Sausage, and Ricotta Stuffing

The technique: When it comes to poultry, butterflying means removing the backbone and flattening the bird like a book. This is easy enough to do with a chicken, but we suggest asking your butcher to butterfly the turkey.

Use your own seasonings to spice up this “grilled” turkey… really grilled. You can either grill it direct then move indirect -or- you can cook indirect than move to direct for a crisp finish.

From Bon Appetit

The payoff: A flattened turkey cooks more evenly and quickly than a regular bird. Tucking the stuffing under the skin ensures that the meat will be moist and delicious.

Grilled turkey: Prep 1 hour Total 3 hours 30 minutes (includes grilling time)

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Butterflied-Turkey-with-Fennel-Sausage-and-Ricotta-Stuffing-361749?mbid=rss_epinr#ixzz15POmZoBN

Brined turkey on a Weber grill.

By JR | November 6, 2010 | certified grilladelic, recipes | No comments

This video was brought to us by our friends at BBQProShop.

A few Grilladelic comments:

Many folks worry about finding a container big enough to hold a large turkey for brining. A large plastic bag in a cooler, covered with ice does the trick nicely. (I’ve even known folks to use a whole cooler without a plastic bag…but be food-safety smart)
The turkey holder (vertical roaster) is a dandy. In a pinch, I’ve used a Fosters beer can. Turkey on a throne. Presentation is critical
Turkey is done when turkey is done. Use a temperature probe to determine when to serve. Be flexible with dinner, but you should be able to determine a dinner time within a 45-60 minute window. “We’ll eat around 4:00″

Texas Beef Brisket Chili. Thanks Bon Appetit

By JR | October 11, 2010 | education, recipes, tips | No comments

Bon Appetit published this recipe in 2008.

It was fun to make. Unique and delicious. Plus another use for brisket.

Ingredients
CHILI
• 6 large dried ancho chiles* (about 3 ounces), stemmed, seeded, coarsely torn
• 6 ounces bacon, diced
• 1 1/4 pounds onions, chopped (about 4 cups)
• 1 5-pound flat-cut (also called first-cut) beef brisket, cut into 2 1/2- to 3-inch cubes
• Coarse kosher salt
• 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 1/2 10-ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles (1 3/4 cups)
• 1 12-ounce bottle Mexican beer
• 1 7-ounce can diced roasted green chiles
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro stems
• 4 cups 1 1/2- to 2-inch chunks seeded peeled butternut squash (from 3 1/2-pound squash)
GARNISHES
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Chopped red onion
• Diced avocado
• Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Warm corn and/or flour tortillas
Preparation
CHILI
• Place chiles in medium bowl. Pour enough boiling water over to cover. Soak until chiles soften, at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Sauté bacon in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat until beginning to brown. Add onions. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle beef all over with coarse salt and pepper. Add to pot; stir to coat. Set aside.
• Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid. Place chiles in blender. Add 1 cup soaking liquid, garlic, chili powder, cumin seeds, oregano, coriander, and 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt; blend to puree, adding more soaking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if very thick. Pour puree over brisket in pot. Add tomatoes with juices, beer, green chiles, and cilantro stems. Stir to coat evenly.
• Bring chili to simmer. Cover and place in oven. Cook 2 hours. Uncover and cook until beef is almost tender, about 1 hour. Add squash; stir to coat. Roast uncovered until beef and squash are tender, adding more soaking liquid if needed to keep meat covered, about 45 minutes longer. Season chili to taste with salt and pepper. Tilt pot and spoon off any fat from surface of sauce. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.
GARNISHES
• Set out garnishes in separate dishes. Rewarm chili over low heat. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.
• *Available at many supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Latin markets

How Sweet It Is!

By JR | August 15, 2010 | certified grilladelic, profile series, recipes, stories | No comments

Tell everyone a little about yourself and/or your business?

Sweet Life Sauce Company was “officially” started in 2009 by Rob and Holly Willets. Our BBQ Sauces started with fresh picked New England Apples and other ingredients Rob found in the kitchen pantry of Holly’s Mom back in 2006. Since then they have been tested with friends and family at shindigs on the banks of the Saco River From New Hampshire to the Coast of Maine to the sun and sand of Florida. With brewing currently underway in Florida we’re bringing a little Yankee Ingenuity and Southern Hospitality to you in each jar. Enjoy our Apple and Raisin based BBQ Sauces Sweet Life BBQ Sauce and Spice of Life BBQ Sauce; our Peach, Habanero and Cayenne pepper hot sauce called Screamin’ Peaches Hot Sauce and our Habaneroa and Jalapeno Louisiana Style Hot Sauce called BooDreaux’s Cajun Rocket Fuel’ , and our No-Salt Grilling Rub, Symphony of Seasonings.

What’s in your grilling or tailgating arsenal? Are you a charcoal or gas person?

Currently in possession of a Weber Genesis Gas Grill that we use to tinker with our sauces on various chunks of protein from chicken to wild boar to stoned fish. We also have the Brinkmann Bullet Smokers in the shed ready to go at a moments notice…always started with a pile of Kingsford Charcoal in a Weber Charcoal Chimney and some of our favorite Orlando Sentinel Editorial pages from the Sunday paper.

I have an old..and I mean OLD gas gril out back that is now a charcoal grill when we need it. Still works great!

When needed…we have been know to dig a whole in the back yard, fill it with a few bags of charcoal, lay a hammock of chicken wire across some metal poles, and slapping a 75 pound whole split pig on that fire…injected with onion juice, garlic juice, olive oil, salt, peppered, and just left to swinging on that hammock until it is DONE! Talk about some ooohs and ahhhs…

What is your “go-to” recipe for grilling or barbecue?

.A TurduckenOINK! This is a conconction inspired from a Turducken and MOINK balls. It is a bacon wrapped turkey breast stuffed with a duck breast stuffed with boneless chicken thighs, sweet onions, and buttercup squash. Sounds like a big affair to do but is actually quite easy and leads to lots of ooooohs and ahhhhhs and general showmanship whenever you cook one on the grill.

(Check out The Sweet Life Recipes online)

Describe a perfect party: beginning with the music and ending with dessert.

A little bit of chicken fried, cold beer on a Friday night, a pair of jeans that fits just right…and the radio on…

How about a start around 4 pm. We’re on a beach looking across the Ocean. Horseshoe pit is set up ready to go…just had a 50 pound sack of crawfish flown in from Louisiana Crawfish Company. We have a little Zydeco, Bluegrass, and Boston cycling through the iPod in the background.

Boston Butts have been going on the smoker since about 3 am and are falling off the bone…a venison roast is slowly smoking under the drippings of the Boston Butts…

What are some of your favorite, specialty products from near where you live or work? (meats, sauces, seasonings, beer, wine, cheeses, etc)?

Obviously, we’re pretty big fans of Sweet Life Sauce Company BBQ Sauces, Hot Sauces, and Grilling Rubs. Grilling with all the fresh citrus we get here in the winter is something to look forward to. The different types of Citrus impart a wide variety of flavor to meats cooked on the grill. Fresh lemons, oranges, grapefruits, limes, tangerines, and kumquats all add wonderful layers of flavor on the grill.

What are five essential tools you would recommend that should be in every grillmasters arsenal?

A Charcoal Chimney…never use lighter fluid

A great set of tongs with a reach of 18 inches or so…

A really good towel…

Symphony of Seasonings Grilling Rub

Patience…Zen-like patience…

Every city or region has their own signature outdoor cooking specialty (Maine: lobster bakes, Wisconsin: fish boils, KC/St Louis- BBQ)…what do you consider your region’s signature experience?

Being from the Adirondacks and transplanted to Florida for all these years I’ve found Florida to be a melting pot of all types of flavors from around…let’s say East of the Mississippi. We have our seafood in Florida…fresh fish that is awesome on the grill…nothing better than pulling fresh Pompano out of the surf at Canaveral National Seashore in February, getting them to the beach, cleaning them, stuffing them with fresh lemon and garlic, and throwing them on a charcoal hibachi brushed with a thin layer of Sweet life BBQ Sauce to have for an incredible breakfast with your friends. You can’t beat the tailgating experience at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida either!

What has been your most memorable experience, ever, that involves a grill?

This one brings me back to my childhood and all the summer nights with my family in the Adirondacks…it was the small charcoal hibachis that I remember with BBQ chicken grilling on them as we had friends and family visiting us. And I remember the smell and taste of that chicken…the skin slightly charred with the BBQ sauce sticking perfectly…all over our faces…our Springer Spaniel looking for any morsels that hit the gorund…It was the people and the pototo salad and coleslaw and cupcakes that went along with all those warm hibachi nights…

Any local micro-brew you can recommend?

I can…Orlando has a local brewer…Orlando Brewing. They have a incredible line of organic brews with my favorite being the Blackwater Dry Porter…it is delicious and has an incredible finish on your palette…

What is your perspective on the “buy local” movement? Do you promote local farms and the “farm to fork” movement? Why or why not?

I’m becoming more and more like Wendell Berry each day…actively trying to live the Art of the Commonplace. I rent kitchen space from a local farm on their property to brew our sauces and rubs. We participate in one of the oldest Farmers markets in Florida in Sanford each Saturday. We buy most of our ingredients and supplies from local or state of Florida companies…

We also have a very good customer that operates a farm to fork business in Central Florida that has given us great visibility to the benefits of getting back to local businesses and locally grown food. Once you start your own small business you realize how important supporting local people is versus hitting the big box stores and national chains that could care less about you or the community you live in. I don’t think there is enough space for me to go on this soliloquy…so I’ll stop here.

I’m www.sweetlifesaucecompany.blogspot.com. This is our blog and has been used to get my creative writing itch…scratched.

Look up robwillfish on Youtube and you will find a video recipe for the TurduckenOINK I mention above. I also have 15 or so other recipes and a couple out in the community videos of me doing Hot Sauce shots with our two hot sauces.

Step 1. Catch Fish. Step 2. Grill Fish

By JR | August 13, 2010 | recipes | No comments

From Cooks.com

4 trout
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cracked pepper

Melt butter/butter in small saucepan. Add lemon juice, soy sauce, ginger and pepper. Brush inside and outside of fish generously with butter mixture. Place on aluminum foil and put on outside grill. Cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side until fish flakes easily.

To broil in oven, place fish on rack in broiling pan; broil 5 to 6 minutes on each side, basting frequently with butter mixture.

From Ichef.com

Ingredients


	1	1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
	1	1/4 tsp. white pepper
	1	2 tsp. dried tarragon
	1	1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
	1	1/4 c. finely chopped red onion
	1	1/4 c. freshly squeezed lime juice
	1	2 1/2 lb. fresh lake-trout fillets, skinned and de-boned

Instructions


	1.	To make the grilling sauce, combine the olive oil, limejuice, red onion, tarragon, salt, and white pepper in a medium-size bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk.
	2.	Brush the trout fillets with the sauce and place (top side down) on a hot, oiled grill. Turn after about five minutes, or when the fish is halfway cooked. After turning, brush the tops of the fillets with a small amount of additional grilling sauce. Continue cooking for about five more minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked through. Garnish with a sprinkling of fresh chopped tarragon and a slice of lime.
	3.	Salmon or other game fish suitable for grilling may be substituted for the lake-trout fillets.

From LakeMichiganAngler.com

Drunken Trout Recipe

2 Trout Fillets Skin removed

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Bourbon

1 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juiceCut Trout filets into serving size pieces. Mix all other ingredients in a medium non metal bowl. Marinate trout fillets in mixture for 1-2 hours in refrigerator. Broil or grill fillets 5 minutes per side till it flakes easily.

A Grilladelic Flashback! The Sages of Sausage

By JR | August 10, 2010 | certified grilladelic, education, lifestyle, recipes, stories, tips | No comments

Back in the day, right around the turn of the century, The Outdoor Cook in Rockford, MI hosted a monthly sausage making club. A night of festive sausage making!

Recently, one of the original members of the club sent me some recipes they used; triggering a Grilladelic flashback! Here is the blue print for one the tastiest blends of ground meats and spices ever stuffed in an intestine!

Spicy Santa Fe Chicken and Cilantro Sausage (20 lbs)

14lbs boneless chicken thighs (ground)
6lbs ground pork
8 jalapenos- minced
4 poblano peppers- minced
1/3C garlic
2 C Tequila
2 C lime juice
2 bunches cilantro- chopped fine
½ C Kosher Salt
1 T black pepper

(Not everyone has access to grinders, stuffers and casings. Kevin indicated that he has made this without stuffing into links, and then grilled it like a burger. Good. But not the same as using a casing.)

So in honor of the 9-year, three-month and six-day anniversary of the West Michigan Sausage Making Club, the following is part of a feature story that was in the Grand Rapids Press in 2002. Enjoy!

Excerpted from The Grand Rapids Press, March 27, 2002

(this excerpt picks up with a description of the art of sausage making)

Sausage-making also requires the right tools, including a large, deep-sided tub or pan for mixing, a meat grinder and a meat stuffer for stuffing the sausage into casings.

Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Brisket. DIY

By JR | July 21, 2010 | education, recipes, tips | No comments

Ten Commandments of Brisket

I. Brisket is a tough cut of meat. It can’t be grilled.

II. Brisket is considered the most difficult cut of meat to barbecue, especially for beginners and northerners. However if at first you don’t succeed, try again.

III. Essentially three brisket choices: point, flat or whole.

IV. Trimming a brisket “before” and “after” requires practice.

V. Always cook it indirect.

VI. Good butchers lead to good briskets. (Get to know your local butcher)

VII. The little “burnt ends” on a brisket are tasty. Add to beans, dirty rice and other savory sides.

VIII. After barbecued, brisket freezes real well. (In other words, always barbecue more brisket than you need)

IX. A good barbecue cookbook can be helpful. Ask your specialty dealer or Grilladelic for a recommendation.

X. There are many recipes, techniques and opinions on how to cook brisket. If someone corrects or questions you on your method, just politely nod and say. “Thanks. Sounds good” Then continue to do what works for you.

The following are two separate techniques for your consideration:

Traditional Brisket

Prepare your smoker or grill for temperatures between 200-225. Indirect heat only.
Plan on approximately 2 hours/lb (10 lb brisket can take 20 hours) Flats cook quicker. The time is approximate.
Use a dry rub of your choice. Brisket is simple. My seasoning of choice is kosher salt, tellicherry coarse ground black pepper and chile powder.
Experiment with applying rub. Try yellow mustard as a base. Try a light coating of oil. Try just applying directly to the meat.
Use a heavy smoke for the first 30-50% of your cooking time. Mesquite is traditional, but experiment. Blends of pecan and apple are nice.
After about 75% of the cooking time is done, brisket should look like a meteor. Wrap in foil and place back on smoker until internal temperature reaches approximately 190-195 degrees. *in some circles, foil is controversial. See the Tenth Commandment
Remove, let rest for at least 30 minutes, then slice against the grain.

Non-Traditional Brisket (this technique has still been successful in KCBS competitions and family barbecues)

Prepare smoker to 275-325 degrees.
Plan on 1 hour per pound (whole brisket will take longer, maybe add 20 minutes per pound)
Season as you would in a traditional technique.
Heavy smoke for the first 30-50% of cooking time.
After approximately 50-60% of estimated cooking time, wrap brisket in foil and add a 1 C “*special broth”. If you lower the temperature at this point to the 200-225 rangea. *Special broth: 12 oz. of dark beer, 4oz. spicy-style BBQ sauce and 4oz. of beef broth. Warm and mix well. Don’t use it all
After another 30-40% of cooking time, check for internal temperature of brisket (190-195degrees). It might be ready! If not, let cook a little more. If you are doing the math, that is 10% wiggle room.
Remove, let rest, then slice against the grain.

Salmon 2.0

By JR | July 19, 2010 | education, foodie, friends, lifestyle, recipes, stories, tips | No comments

Salmon are a very flavorful fish that is an excellent source of
nutrition. Salmon are low in saturated fat, high protein and omega 3 fatty acids. This fish is also widely available and relatively inexpensive.

There many ways to prepare salmon: raw (sushi), poached, baked, pan fried, deep fried, slow smoked and grilled. My favorite method is grilling/hot smoking. The high fat/oil content of salmon make it an excellent candidate for grilling.

My grilling story starts a few days before I lit the charcoal. I had
the fortune of being invited out to fish up in Ludington, Michigan as few days before the Ludington Salmon Classic. I was fishing with some old friends and some new friends in the boat the “Tail Chaser”. This team was preparing to compete in the amateur division and had placed very well the previous year. The “Tail Chaser” is a 38 ft Fountain center console that has 3 super charged 275 horse outboards. This was one sweet setup: a beautiful boat, it handled rough seas and was capable of doing between 60-70 mph. We spent about 12 hours on the water, found many large fish and had a great time.

When grilling salmon, I like to use filets that still have the skin on them. About an hour before i plan to grill the fish, I pull the filets out of the refrigerator, rinse them down and pat them dry. Laying skin side down, I coat the meat with a heavy coating of non iodized salt.

After being placed back into the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes, I
rinse off the salt and pat the filets dry again. You will notice that
the consistency and color of these filets have changed a bit. The
salmon filets have been dry brined.

Pre-heat your grill to about 400 degrees. While the grill is heating up, sprinkle on brown sugar. You should put on enough so that in a few minutes the brown sugar turns into a sirup. You can also add spices. I like to use a hot cajun spice. When the grill gets up to temperature, I drop pre-soaked alder chip on to the coals.

I place the salmon onto a fish grate skin side down, exposed to direct flame. After grilling for about 8 minutes, I flip the filets over. While I’m flipping the filet, I remove the skin layer and much of the grey fatty flesh. I grill it upside down till the fillet will flake to touch. Usually its an additional 4 minutes. At this point the fish is done. Remove it and let it set at least 5 minutes. I like to serve it with rice and a vegetable.

101 Recipes for the Grill

By JR | June 13, 2010 | recipes | No comments

Bon Appetit. has a nice set of recipes for anyone looking for inspiration.

IMHO, Bon Appetit is always Certified Grilladelic

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/grilling/index/index_20100420

Posted via email from johnrumery’s in search of the secret sauce