Sunday, 2/27/2011

Our friend Lyle joined us for dinner and the Oscars tonight.  We served grilled chicken drumsticks, green beans, and chili/lime popcorn during the show.  For the chicken, we tried out a new marinade recipe from the book "Weber's Real Grilling" by Jamie Perviance.  Here's the recipe.

BARCELONA CHICKEN

Prep time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 4-6 hours, or as long as 12 hours
Grilling time: 30-40 minutes

Marinade Ingredients:
5 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
3 large garlic cloves
2 serrano chile peppers, roughly chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 whole chicken, 4-5 pounds, cut into 6 pieces

Directions:

1. To make the marinade: In a food processor or blender, combine the marinade ingredients and process to a smooth paste, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Place the chicken pieces in a large, resealable bag and pour in the marinade.  Press the air out of the bag and seal it tightly.  Turn the bag several times to distribute the marinade, place the bag in a bowl, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, or as long as 12 hours, turning the bag occasionally.
3. Remove the chicken pieces from the bag and discard the marinade.  Grill, skin side down, over Indirect Medium heat until fully cooked.  The breast and wing pieces will take about 30 minutes.  The leg-thigh pieces will take about 40 minutes.  During the last 10 minutes of grilling time, move the chicken over Direct Medium heat until well browned all over, turning once.  Serve warm.

Makes 4 servings

Notes: 

1. I didn't get a whole chicken.  Instead, I used 3-4 pounds of drumsticks.    

2. The flavor was really good, but the chicken would have been better if we had let it sit in the marinade longer and then stayed on the grill longer.  The recipe says to marinate the chicken for 4-6 hours or up to 12 hours.  We only gave ourselves 3.5 hours.  The recipe also said to grill for 40 minutes, but the chicken really needed 50 minutes to help the meat fall off the bones.  

Monday, 3/29/2010

GRILLED PORK CHOPS

2 boneless porkchops about 1/2" thick
Liberally coat with Char Crust- Roasted Garlic Peppercorn
Spritz lightly with non-stick spray to keep the crust from burning

Grill on Direct Medium








ASPARAGUS with SHERRY-BACON VINAIGRETTE
from Weber's Real Grilling

1/4 pound bacon
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound asparagus
thinly sliced red onion (optional ingredient that I never add)

In medium skillet over medium heat, lay the bacon in a single layer and cook until crispy, 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally. Drain the bacon on paper towels, reserving the bacon fat in the skillet.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat and return the skillet over medium heat. Add the thyme and garlic to the skillet and let them sizzle for about 10 seconds. Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper, and then remove the skillet from the heat.

Remove and discard the tough bottom of each asparagus spear- cut or snap at natural breaking point. Put asparagus in a dish, pour the vinaigrette over the asparagus, and turn to coat evenly.

Finely chop the drained bacon.

Grill the asparagus over Direct Medium heat until browned in spots but not charred, 6-8 minutes, turning them occasionally. Plate the asparagus on a platter or plates and sprinkle with bacon. This is where you would add the red onions, if you like that kind of thing.

This asparagus dish is really easy to make and tastes delicious! Anytime bacon is added to vegetables I am happy:) I like that it cooks at the same grill settings as the pork chops. We found the Char Crust dry-rub seasoning a couple months ago and LOVE it. It doesn't look very pretty, but it does seal in the juices as it's marketing promotes. We've had it on steak, chicken, and pork. All have been great. And, I am really please with how many meals we have been able to make with just one package. I think this was our 4th time and there is still enough for at least 2 more meals.

Katie started her meal with raspberry pear yogurt. By the time she was done with that the grill work was done. She enjoyed asparagus tips and pork with us and then had to finish off with...cheese:)