Grilled pumpkin

It is October and it is time to do something with a pumpkin. Why not put it on the grill. So this recipe comes from Australia via the world wide web. It is a pumpkin recipe with paprika.

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin, a pie pumpkin.
• paprika
• olive oil
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cut a opening in the top of the pumpkin as if you are making a jack-o-lantern.
2. Remove the seeds and innards of the pumpkin, then chop in 3-4 inch squares.
3. Score the skin of pumpkin and rub with olive oil.
4. Season with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
5. Place on the grill on indirect heat.  Let it cook for 30-45 minutes.

Done:

New York strip.

One of my favorite cuts of meat.  The one I picked up is about 2-3 inches thick.  There is nothing really special in cooking this but damn it tastes good.

Ingredients:

• New York strip steak 2-3 inches thick.
• Montreal steak seasoning, see previous post.
• vegetables, mushrooms and onion in my case.

Directions:

1. Take your steak and rub with olive oil.  Then rub it with Montreal steak seasoning.
2. Start your charcoal and set up the grill for direct and indirect heat.
3. Place your steak on the direct for 2 minutes a side to get a good sear.
4. Once you got a good sear move steak to the indirect side of the grill.
5. Put your onions and mushrooms on the grill on direct.  I used skewers this time to make it, olive oil was liberally put on the veggies.
6. Move veggies to indirect when seared.
7. Place lid on grill and let steak cook about 15 minutes.
8. When steak is about medium rare remove from grill and plate.
9.   It should look like this when cut.

Simple Sweet and Sour Pork kabobs

This is a real down and dirty sweet and sour pork kabobs. This is a basic recipe which can be built upon.

Ingredients:

• Pork.
• canned pineapple
• chopped garlic
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cut pork into one inch cubes.
2. Chop onion also into one inch cubes..
3. Place pork, onion into a bowl and add canned pineapple with juice plus chopped garlic.  Sprinkle in salt and pepper.  Set in fridge for 1-7 hours, overnight if you want.
4. Put onion, pineapple and pork onto skewers.
5. Set up grill for direct heat.
6. Put skewers on direct heat and flip every 2 minutes until fully cooked.
7. Plate over white rice and you have a healthy meal.

Grilled swordfish

This is a nice fish if you can get it fresh.  Properly cooked it flakes apart and does not have a heavy fishy flavor.  Give it a try.

Ingredients:

• Swordfish
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tsp Dijon mustard
• juice half lemon
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped white onion
• pepper

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together.  Add fish to a bowl and pour marinade over.  Cover and place in fridge for an hour or two.
2. Set your grill up for indirect heat.  
3. Place your fish on the grill over medium heat.  You don't want it over direct heat just next to it.  Your fish will take about 8-10 minutes to cook.  Flip it 2-3 times.
4. Grilled asparagus goes well with this fish.  Serve over a bed of rice and with a slide of lemon.

Marinaded lamb

Lamb done right can be a really tasty meal.  Here is a marinade with a bit of a Mediterranean flavor.

Ingredients:

• Lamb, your choice of cut.
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 clove garlic chopped

Directions:

1. Make the marinade.  Use a zester to get about 1 tbsp lemon zest.  Squeeze the lemon for all its juice.  Add the garlic, oregano and a liberal amount of fresh ground pepper to the marinade.  Put the lamb in a bag or bowl and cover.  Let sit for 1-4 hours.
2. Start your charcoal and set up the grill for direct heat.
3. Put lamb on grill over direct heat for about 3 minutes a side.  This will cook it about rare to medium rare.
4. Serve with grilled asparagus and your meal is complete.

Chicken Tikka

Chicken tikka is a Pakistani chicken kabob.  Made with a yogurt basted marinade and typical middle eastern spices.  This blend of spices makes a very nice complement to the chicken flavor without being overpowering.

Ingredients:

• Boneless chicken breast, cubed.
• 1 tbsp ginger, fresh chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, fresh minced
• 2/3 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
• juice 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Take your chicken breast and dice it into about 1" or a little bigger cubes.
2. Mix all the ingredients except the chicken in a bowl to make your marinade.   Once mixed add your chicken and cover all the meat good.  Place cover over bowl and put it in the fridge for 1-4 hours.
3. Start your charcoal and set up the grill for direct heat.  Allow the grate to heat up.
4. Take your chicken and place on skewers close together.  Do not compact the squares just don't leave space between them.
5. Place your skewers on the grill and watch them carefully.  They will cook fast.  Turn them every minute or two.  They are done when fork tender.
6. Plate it with your choice of side dish.  I used some leftover cabbage to make a cabbage salad.  Just cabbage, juice of one lime, olive oil and pepper.  It marinaded at the same time as the chicken.

This real tasty and easy meal to grill.

Pulled pork

Smoked pulled pork is another Southern classic.  Probably one of the best things to try when you are beginning smoking.  It is a very forgiving meat to smoke.  Pulled pork is usually made from the 'picnic' or from a 'Boston butt'.  Either cut can be bone in or bone out.  Many people prefer bone in as it cooks better and some claim it leaves a better taste.

Ingredients:

• Boston butt or picnic pork.
• seasoning rub
• wood chunks not chips.

Directions:

1. Trim any large pieces of fat from the pork.  Smoke will not penetrate the pork.  Rub the pork heavily with the rub.  Cover every inch.
2. Start your smoker up and bring it up to about 225°.  You want some good smoke coming out of it for the first hour of the smoke.  After that it can settle down.
3. Place your piece of pork in the smoker.  You can roughly figure it will take about 1-1.5 hours per pound of meat.   Check the meat every so often but not often.  A digital temp probe is helpful here if you have not done many smokes before.  Keep the temp as close to 225° for the entire cook.  Don't worry if it goes higher for a while, just close the bottom vent a bit to bring it back down.
4. When the temp reaches about 180-190° it is time to pull the pork off the smoker.
5. Put the pork in a large dish and tent with aluminum foil.  Let is sit for at least a half an hour.  It is still cooking at this point.  If you are holding it for later you can wrap it in aluminum foil then a towel and stick it in a cooler.  It will keep warm for several hours this way.
6. Now it is time to pull the pork.  Use either two large forks or a set of bear claws.  You are shredding the meat.  Don't use a knife to cut it.  It should come apart really easy and the bone should slide right out.  Remove any big pieces of fat that you see.
   
7. Mix it with some BBQ sauce and serve plain or on a bun with coleslaw.

If you put in a 5lb Boston butt expect to have less than 2.5lbs of smoked meat when done.  This also keeps well in the freezer if you have any leftovers.