I had a little pork loin in the freezer leftover from a previous cook and only had just a bit of time to to whip up some dinner.  While thinking about what I was exploring the pantry, thinking about what I was going to cook, I came across a cast iron cooking insert for my Char-Broil RED gasser.  The light bulb went off and stir fry was now on the menu.

Stir fry on the grill is perfect for me.  Taking Asian flavor profiles and fusing them with the grill gives you a unique flavor blend.  The char and caramelization you get from cooking on the grill makes things pretty special.  In this case it wasn’t on the grill but the something that resembles a cast iron skillet.  One of the cooking utensils on my “wish list” is a big cast iron wok.  It’s not going to happen for a while so the next best thing is the cast iron insert on my grill.

The only problem with the insert is it’s to small so I had to cook everything in stages and then combine in a bowl.  Not really that big of a problem, but I’m sure the flavors would have been better if I could have cooked everything together.  But even with the handicap of to small of a “wok” it came out pretty good.

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Take an ordinary, run of the mill cheeseburger and add some chopped braised pork belly and some onions sauted in balsamic vinegar BBQ sauce and you’ve got my creation for National Burger Month.  The @SirPorkaBurger!

The @SirPorkaBurger is named after my good fried @SirPorkalot.  I had to name this after him because he fed me some amazing Pork Confit on New Year’s Eve.  He hasn’t told me exactly how he did it yet, but none the less I’m naming this burger in his honor.

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I stop into my local supermarket this morning to pick up some salmon for dinner and left with steelhead instead.  I guess, based on the paragraph above I did actually get salmon but since I’ve never grilled steelhead I figured I’d try something a little different. It really wasn’t all that different, the taste was slightly different but most people at the table didn’t really know the different.

Mrs. Grail was cleaning out a cupboard the other day and came across a bottle of Salmonberry Syrup we picked up on a cruise to Alaska several years ago.  I thought it would be nice to come up with a glaze using the syrup for the steelhead.  I served the steelhead on a bed of Israeli Couscous mixed with grilled summer squash. (The recipe for the Grilled Squash Couscous will post tomorrow)

One of the reasons I like to grill this type of fish is because it’s just so easy to do.  Brush the fish with a little olive oil, season and toss it on the grill.  This time around I seasoned the steelhead with Todd’s Crabby Dirt.  Dirt adds a nice flavorful kick to the fish that lets you know it’s there without a huge kick.

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Every once in a while I have some leftover steak, tri-tip or brisket.  Often times it just gets eaten, sometimes on a sandwich or just eaten as a snack.  This time around I needed something quick for lunch and some Frito Pie came to mind.  Not sure why, but I did.

Frito Pie is a simple dish.  Take a bag of Fritos and top them with chili and some toppings.  A great easy dish for camping or tailgating.  Nothing to wash, just eat and toss the bag in the trash can.  I like to top mine with avocado, sour cream, cheese and a little cilantro.  But the skies the limit for toppings.  Maybe some chopped tomatoes, onions or jalapenos.

Let me know what you top your Frito Pie with.

And let me know why it’s called a “pie” if you know.

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I recently purchased a copy of  The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook: A Treasury of Timeless, Delicious Recipes and it wasn’t  long before I had picked out a recipe to try.  One of the things I like about cooking with cast iron is that I can use many different outdoor cooking devices as a heat source.  As a Boy Scout Scoutmaster I used traditional dutch oven techniques to teach the Scouts how to cook outdoors.  But now I think you could consider me a little non-traditional in my cast iron cooking.

What do you do when you want to cook a steak outdoors on a cast iron skillet and you don’t have any propane for the sideburner on your gas grill?  You use charcoal, of course.  And there’s no better way, in my book, than my charcoal chimney for heating up a cast iron skillet.  I’ve use this technique once or twice before and for me it is a practical and cost-effective way to cook with my skillet for small cooks.

Cooking with your charcoal chimney as the heat source is that it gets really hot, but it does take a while to get up to temp.  It is vital you get the charcoal in the chimney burning completely before putting the skillet on top.  You need to have lots of air flow to get the charcoal hot so make sure you don’t do anything to restrict the air flow.  Placing the chimney on the top grill grate of my kettle works great.  You get top and bottom air flow and the charcoal will get blazing hot.

Using the rosemary sprig as the brush for the infused olive oil is a great way to impart a subtle flavor into the meat and clean up is much easier too!

This steak was fantastic.  There isn’t much in this world that’s better than a great steak cooked outdoors and then basted with melted butter.  One of the things I liked best about the The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook: A Treasury of Timeless, Delicious Recipes is that many of the recipes can easily be adapted to cooking on the grill with very little effort if you don’t have a cast iron skillet.  And with an entire chapter on Corn Bread this cookbook should be on every outdoor cooks bookshelf.

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I like tacos because each guest can pretty much decide how much meat or veggies they want wrapped in their tortilla. A tortilla with just the pork would be great, better with a little slaw, but still good. For the non-meat eater the black beans and slaw will make a tasty and hearty meal.

Normally, I will cook beans with ham or salt pork to kick up the flavor but this time around I decided to just try seasonings and stock. In this particular case I used chicken stock but substituting vegetable stock would work also if you’ve got vegetarians at the table. Depending on the black beans you’re using you may have to pump up the spices. If you can find and afford heirloom black beans get those, they are much more flavorful and require less seasoning to make the taste pop.

The Avocado Slaw was, simply, one of the best things I’ve come up with. This slaw uses green and red cabbage, red onion, avocado, red bell pepper, radishes, carrots, jalapeno and cilantro. I really enjoy this combination of tastes and color. The red bell pepper adds a nice sweetness that works well with the acid in the slaw vinaigrette.

Don’t be afraid to adjust the veggies in the slaw to suit your needs or produce availability. You can easily use green bell pepper, green onions. Drop the radishes if you want. Maybe use a Serrano chili instead of a jalapeno for more heat. Toss in some Jicama for extra crunch. It’s really up to you. Recipes should only be a guide, take them a make them your own.

We ate the slaw wrapped up inside the tortillas but it’s good enough to stand up as a side dish. One of the keys to keeping this on the healthier side is to keep the dressing to minimum. The vinaigrette is packed with flavor so you don’t need much. If you want more flavor just add more seasonings to the vinaigrette, don’t add more vinaigrette to the slaw. You just want to wet the vegetables not drown them. This will also help to keep you tortilla from getting soggy.

What made this slaw especially tasty was the vinegar I used.  A couple of weeks ago I made a trip to Napa to have lunch with some friends.  When I’m in Napa I always stop at Rancho Gordo for some heirloom beans.  This time I left with my favorite Yellow Eye beans and some banana vinegar.  I was thrilled to find, real banana vinegar.  A couple of years ago I went searching for banana vinegar because I wanted to cook an Elvis Presley inspire pork belly.  So, it was pretty much a given that I would be leaving the store with this stuff.  The flavor is sweet and with a very mild vinegar tang. It’s perfect for a vinaigrette and was perfect for this dish.  And since it’s made in Mexico it was an ideal addition to this Mexican inspired dish.  This vinegar isn’t cheap, actually it’s expensive in my book, but it’s good and if used for special dishes will last a long time.

The beans from Rancho Gordo are so good and thanks to the employees the store is fun to visit.  For that reasons I don’t mind giving them a little plug for the banana vinegar.  Here’s the description from their website:

You don’t come across something as wonderful as this everyday. Our mild, fruity vinegar comes from the Casa Stivalet plantation in the beautiful state of Verazcruz. Unlike some flavored vinegars, this isn’t plain vinegar with banana flavor added; it’s made from fermented plantano machos, a breed of bananas somewhere between a regular banana and a plantain.

Most people flip when they taste the vinegar. Of course it works as a key player in a salad dressing but I’ve been having fun with ceviches, in particular. A local Napa pastry chef mixed two parts banana vinegar with one part piloncillo (kind of like brown sugar) and drizzled it over vanilla ice cream. it may sound odd but if you’re like me, you’ll hit High C.

The flavor is fruity, and while it’s clearly banana, it’s not too sweet or cloying. The acidity is 6%. Mixed in salads, there’s a vague but wonderful tropical quality that trancends cuisines.

This vinegar isn’t cheap, actually it’s expensive in my book, but it’s good and if used for special dishes will last a long time. (And just for the record, I bought this bottle myself)

As wonderful as the banana vinegar is it’s not going to be available for everyone.  In the recipe below feel free to substitute apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or any other vinegar you might normally have around the house.  Or for that matter just use all lime juice.  I really like the combination of vinegar and lime juice so I’d recommend staying with that, but if all you got is limes then just use those.

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I love to cook and I love to eat.  And for the past couple decades eating healthy has not always been a priority.  As I’ve gotten older, and hopefully a little wiser, I’m starting to realize that I need to put more emphasis on healthier eating.

For those of you who have enjoyed all the bacon, sauces, butter and other fun stuff, don’t worry they aren’t going away.  But I will be posting more “healthier” alternatives on the blog than I have in the past.  And pork is going will be a big part of my healthier eating lifestyle change.

Today’s pork makes it easier to eat healthier. Today’s pork cuts, on average, have 16 percent less total fat and 27 percent less saturated fat than they did just 21 years ago.  Compared to many other outdoor cooking alternatives pork is one of the healthier proteins to cook.  And with the USDA agreeing with what many of us already knew, that pork may be served medium rare (145 degrees followed by a three-minute rest) you can get some great tasting, tender and juicy dishes.

Since I diced the pork loin after cooking I and wasn’t going to be able to get that tasty caramelization on each piece from being on the grill I wanted to insure good flavor in every bite I decided to brine the pork loin with a little seasoning.  The brine process helps give the pork additional flavor and will help you keep the juiciness of the pork at it juicy best.

After you’ve removed the pork from the brine make sure you rinse all the salt off of it.  It’s a good idea to soak the brine in clear water for 3o minutes or so after you’ve rinsed it.  Just make sure you get the salt off.  Then season the pork with the same seasoning you used in the brine.  In my opinion it’s a good idea to try to use a seasoning that’s a little lower in salt.

Grill the pork over high direct heat on all sides.  Make sure you get some grill marks.  Grill marks aren’t just for looks, they add flavor, so get some char on that pork.  Once you’ve grilled it all the way around move the pork to indirect heat and cook to 140 degrees internal.  After a three-minute rest you’ll have a perfect 145 degree, medium rare.

Dice, chop or slice the pork into whatever shape and size you want for the tacos  Fill your tortilla with the pork and whatever fixings you want and you’ll have a great meal.

My tacos were served with black beans and avocado slaw and tasted just about as good as can be.

Check back tomorrow for the rest of the recipes to complete this great meal.

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I love Tri-Tip!

Tri-Tip is second only to Ribeye when it comes to picking my favorite cut of beef.  It’s an incredibly flavorful piece of meat that takes smoking and grilling well.  My preferred method for cooking Tri-Tip is on my Weber kettle using indirect heat until 130 degrees internal and then a quick high heat sear.  After resting you should end up with pretty close to a perfect medium rare hunk of juicy beef goodness.

My “secret” technique is basting the Tri-Tip just before and then during the searing process with a basting mixture heaving on melted butter.  My first Tri-Tip basting mixture was a 50/50 mixture of butter and A1 Bold Steak Sauce.  You get a great caramelized crust on the steak from the sugars in the steak sauce and from the butter.  This time around I decided to try a couple new ingredients I received recently to see if I could come up something a little bolder for my Tri-Tip.

I was in the grocery store the other day and came across a limited edition Heinz Ketchup with Balsamic Vinegar.  My friends at All Spice Cafe also recently sent me some Chipotle Garlic Sauce.   I decided to use these two ingredients to come up with a new basting sauce.  And it worked to perfection.   The taste was great with a nice little heat tingle on the tongue along with the sweetness of the balsamic vinegar.

When I’m not doing Tri-Tip Santa Maria style I like to season the Tri-Tip with just salt and pepper (right).  For me it’s all about the beef flavor and besides I’m getting plenty of additional flavor from the basting sauce.  I cooked the Tri-Tip on my 26″ Weber Kettle at about 450 degrees until the internal temp was 130 degrees (left).  At this point I stoke the coals up as hot as I can get them.  While the coals are getting hotter I baste the meat with the sauce.  Then a quick super hot sear and another coat of sauce.  Turn the meat over and baste again.

Let the meat rest for at least five minutes before slicing.

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In actuality this is a Danish Style Hot Dog.  In Denmark the Frankfurter used is known as a Red Polse.  It’s a bright red, pork hot dog.  I searched and searched for a real Red Polse, but they just aren’t available in the United States.  It appears importing meat products from Europe is a difficult task.  Instead I used a good quality beef/pork hot dog.

Making the rest of the hot dog as close to the genuine article was important because I didn’t have the right hot dog.  The highlight of a Danish Hot Dog is the remoulade sauce normally used.   After a couple of emails and some internet searches I was able to come up with a proper Danish Hot Dog Remoulade sauce.  Traditionally this sauce is made with a 50/50 mixture of pickled vegetables and mayonnaise.

If you want to stay traditional cook your Frankfurter on a flat top griddle until it starts to get a nice crispy skin on it.  Since this is the BBQ Grail I had to use something outdoors I used a cast iron grill pan on my Weber Kettle.  Place it in your bun and top with the remoulade sauce and/or mustard and ketchup, pickled cucumber slices AND then topped with fried onion strings.

You’ve got to have the fried onion strings.  The closest we have to them here are the famous French’s fried onions.  You know, the ones you find at Thanksgiving to top your green bean casserole.

Dig in and enjoy…you’ve got a Danish Style Hot Dog!

 Danish Hot Dog Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients:

Pickled vegetables – about 2 cups
3 ounces carrots, finely diced
3 ounces cauliflower, finely diced
1½ ounces shallots, finely diced
1½ ounces bell pepper, finely diced
5 ounces sugar
½ cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon sweet mustard (honey mustard)
1 tablespoon curry
1 tablespoon turmeric
salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in a little water

Directions:

Wash the vegetables and cut into fine dice. Place them in a pot, cover with water and add a little salt. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender but still firm, about 3 minutes. Drain all water from vegetables and set aside.  Add sugar, vinegar, sweet and sharp mustard, as well as spices return to a boil.   Add salt and pepper to taste.   Add dissolved corn starch to thicken.

Add the vegetables, and let them simmer for a couple of minutes.

Place the pickled vegetables in very clean pickle-jars and refrigerate.
To make the Remoulade chop the pickled vegetables and mix with an equal amount of mayonnaise.  Chill before using.

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First!  My apologize to the Bangles…it was just too easy!

Second!  It’s not Monday anymore but what the heck it’s still a good headline!

If you’ve been following the last saga of my trip to the Fancy Food Show you know that I’ve become the owner of a fair amount of Buffalo Style Hot Sauce from Tabasco.  So, it seemed only appropriate that I cook something with the hot sauce.  There will be more, at a later date, about the hot sauce itself, but in the mean time I adapted a recipe from one of my favorite new cookbooks The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow.  I’ve adapted their Mini Buffalo Chicken Balls for the grill and turned this into a salad instead of an appetizer.

The “baking” of the meatballs on the grill, using indirect heat, is because the meatballs are not firm enough to set on grill grates without falling apart.  By cooking them a little first you can then grill them without any problem.

Enjoy!

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