Ground pork with garlic, onions and all the spices.

On a recent episode of “The Next Food Network Star” one of the contestants, Aarti Sequeira made a dish called Kofto Kebabs.  Her dish was excellently executed and was popular with the judges and dinner guests.

Every once in awhile I get the urge to recreate a dish from one of the realty TV cooking shows I often find myself watching.  I knew immediately that Aarti’s dish was was one that I needed to adapt to the grill or smoker.

As is often the case, Google was my friend.  I started comparing recipes and soon realized the spices used in making typical Kofto Kebabs was very similar to the spices I might use in making up a BBQ rub.

From my research I learned that Kofto Kebabs are most often made with lamb and/or beef.  Fish can be used, and there are vegetarian versions out there.   I used pork for mine.  I know it’s way out of the box for a middle eastern dish, but because Kofto is also found in South Asia and the Balkans it might not be so bad.

The seasoned ground pork is formed into meatballs and skewered on the smoker.

After a little more than 60 minutes the Kofto Kebabs are almost ready.

Kebabs off the smoker and resting.

Two meatballs, some slaw and pita bread.

Everything all wrapped up with a Cilantro Chipotle Sauce.

This was an amazing bite of food. The pork on the smoker gave this a great flavor.

BBQ Grail’s Pork Kofto Kebabs

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork
• 4 garlic gloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Skewers (if bamboo skewers are used soak them in water for at least 30 minutes)

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Mix with your hands until well blended.  Form the seasoned pork mixture into balls and put them on the skewers.  Place kebabs on a baking dish and cover.  Refrigerate  for at least 30 minutes.

Pre-heat your smoker or grill.  Cook/smoke the kebabs to the desired degree of doneness.

Serve on pita bread with the Cilantro Chipotle Sauce and cole slaw.

BBQ Grail’s Cilantro Chipotle Sauce

• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup mayo
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Art of Chipotle Paste with Adobo)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Note:  You can adjust the chipotle flavor by using more or less of the paste.  You can also use canned chipotles in adobo instead.

© 2010, The BBQ Grail. All rights reserved. On republishing this post you must provide link to original post.

I recently reviewed Ginger People’s Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce on The BBQ Grail and took that opportunity to also glaze up some MOINK Balls. The ginger and chili in the sauce complimented the saltiness of the bacon quite nice. This sauce will be a great addition to my MOINK Ball arsenal.

You can read the entire review of Ginger People’s Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce by clicking here.

© 2010, The BBQ Grail. All rights reserved. On republishing this post you must provide link to original post.

Over the past year or so one of my favorite condiments has become Sweet Thai Chili Sauce.  The combination of sweetness and mild heat compliments a variety of meats.  Not only is it a great glaze for chicken and ribs but is fantastic as a dipping sauce for pulled pork spring rolls and other simple BBQ food items.

As I wondered through the Fancy Food Store I was immediately stopped in my tracks at the Ginger People booth.  They had a fountain of sweet chili sauce flowing.  They had taken one of those ever popular wedding reception appliances and filled it full of sweet chili sauce instead of chocolate.  Anyone with that much love of their product deserved my attention.

A cube of chicken on a toothpick dipped into the fountain immediately told my tongue that this was not just any normal sweet chili sauce.  The Ginger People are serious  about their ginger and it shows in the Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce.  It’s loaded with ginger.  You can see the  floating in this stuff.  And you know what it tastes fantastic.  I’ve never been a huge fan of ginger.  Not because I don’t like ginger, but because other than putting ground ginger in teriyaki sauce or eating a few thin slices  when I eat sushi I had not used it all that much.

(See the end of this post for some details on the history of ginger.)

Tonight I decided to give my sample of Ginger Sweet Chili Sauce a try on some grilled fresh salmon.  Because I wanted to be able to taste how the ginger and chili worked with the salmon I only used sea salt and fresh ground pepper on it.

I used my Weber 26 inch kettle to grill the salmon and some asparagus.

After 7 minutes on each side I glazed the salmon with a healthy dose of the Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce and let it set for a few minutes.  Toss in a small baked potato and you’ve got yourself a great meal.

The glaze was great with the salmon.  The balance between sweet and hot was even handed and neither overpowered the mildness of the fish.  Best of all the sweetness hit the front of the tongue immediately with a little bit of hit on the back of the throat on the way down.

Next up for the Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce will be a spatchcocked chicken.  It’s going to be great, I already know that.

Ginger is native to India and China. It takes its name from the Sanskrit word stringa-vera, which means “with a body like a horn”, as in antlers. Ginger has been important in Chinese medicine for many centuries, and is mentioned in the writings of Confucius. It is also named in the Koran, the sacred book of the Moslems, indicating it was known in Arab countries as far back as 650 A.D. It was one of the earliest spice known in Western Europe, used since the ninth century. It became so popular in Europe that it was included in every table setting, like salt and pepper. A common article of medieval and Renaissance trade, it was one of the spices used against the plague. In English pubs and taverns in the nineteenth century, barkeepers put out small containers of ground ginger, for people to sprinkle into their beer — the origin of ginger ale. In order to ’gee up’ a lazy horse, it is the time honoured practice of Sussex farmers to apply a pinch of ginger to the animal’s backside. (Courtesy of The Encyclopedia of Spices)

Ginger is a tuber and a member of the Zingiberaceae family.  Other members of the this plant family are turmeric and cardamon.

© 2010, The BBQ Grail. All rights reserved. On republishing this post you must provide link to original post.