A crostini is simply toasted bread, but when that bread is grilled to toast it, the crostini becomes almost magical.  I have posted how to do crostinis on the site before but the pictures were so bad that I thought I should revisit the crostini. Here is the original post. Turns out this photography stuff is hard.

Back to crostinis.  They’re simple to do and can be done any number of ways.  This is an overview of how to make them.  Feel free to try your own combos.

Ingredients:

• Baguette of soft sided bread (crusty bed will be get very hard to make sure to go with soft sided bread).  French bread, Italian, even sourdough (my favorite) will do.

• Minced garlic

• Fresh cracked black pepper

• Dried basil

• Havarti cheese

• Olive oil

No amounts here on the ingredients as each ingredients needs to be enough to cover the bread.  You’ll understand in a few moments.

Slice baguette into 1-1.5″ slices:

Pour olive oil into a small dish or bowl to dip the bread into:

Dunk both sides of the bread with the oil:

I had to refill the plate multiple times before I got all of the bread coated on each side:

Now put some fresh cracked black pepper over one side of the slices of bread:

Here’s a close up of about how much pepper:

Now sprinkle some basil over each slice of bread:

And then put about a half teaspoon of minced garlic on each slice of bread.  I know it sounds (and looks) like a ton, but it isn’t once you see the method:

Now take the back of the spoon and grind the garlic into the bread to help it stick because later on we are going to lose a bunch of it:

Here are all the slices with the pepper, basil and garlic:

Slice the havarti and estimate two slices per slice of bread:

The cheese will go on at the end. You can use many different types of cheeses.  Asiago, parm, romano, work really great as well.  Romano is my favorite for crostinis.  Substituting dill for the basil and dill havarti is my wife’s favorite crostini.

Now out to the grill.  Doing two zone grilling.  Coals on one side and none on the other side:

The desired temp is over 500 degrees over the coals so we’re going hot here.

Now put only a few on at one time as these require constant maintenance in that you can’t walk away for more than about 30 seconds before they burn:

It takes only about 60 seconds per side to toast them:

Once the crostinis toast on the bottom, flip them over for another 60 seconds to toast the outer edge of the bread (the center will be insulated by the garlic and basil and not toast before the outside is burnt).  Here is where you will lose a great deal of the toppings which is why we added so much extra.  Here’s some of the garlic stuck to the grill grate with more that fell through:

Once the bread toasts around the outer edges on the top, flip it back over and put on the side with no heat:

Now add two slices of cheese per crostini:

Here you can see all five slices covered with cheese and on the side with no coals:

And now close the lid on the Char-Broil 940 to melt the cheese:

Once the cheese melts, pull from the grill:

Give them a couple minutes before you serve them.  Not to let the juices rest, but because they will be about the temperature of molten lava when they first come of the grill. But once you serve these bad boys your guests are going to be blown away.  This is a true home run.

Also, be sure to follow the order I put forth here on the ingredients or you will lose a lot more when you flip them.  If you put the garlic on first, you will lose a ton of toppings when you flip.  Also, don’t be tempted to put some crostinis on over the coals while the cheese is melting on the others.  I made that mistake once.  I turned the bread of the second batch into charcoal well before the cheese melted on the first.  If serving a crowd, slice them in half so more people can sample per batch.

If you have any questions about the crostinis, feel free to ask them below or shoot me an email.  Also, I would love to hear your own herb/cheese combos with these.  Please share them if you have one you like.

If you are interested in other sides and appetizers, click here.

And you can follow us on our Grillin Fools Facebook page and post your own grillin pictures and join the grillin conversation.

Grilling doesn’t always have to involve fatty meats.  In fact, sometimes no meat needs to be involved at all.  We’ve shown time and time again that you can make all manner of food on the grill other than meat whether grilled romaine, naked corn, or grilled peaches in a butter rum sauce, and many more.  This time the Grillin Fools show their continued love of the crostini, which is Italian for toasted bread.  We have done crostinis many different ways on this site.  Check here for other crostini recipes.  To read more about this recipe, see below as Tom gives you the step by step, picture by picture instructions…

Ingredients:

One loaf french bread
Olive Oil
Goat Cheese or any creamy cheese that melts nicely
One large red onion
1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Agave nectar or simple syrup

Set up grill for direct grilling with a medium fire (275-325 degrees).  Place whole onion, skin and all, in center of grill and close lid.  Cook for three hours, turning onion every 30 to 45 minutes (our grill was approximately 300 degrees):

Remove onion from grill and let cool:

Peel the onion and slice into thin pieces:

Place into bowl and add balsamic vinegar and simple syrup:

Mix well and set aside while allowing the flavors combine.  After approximately 30 minutes transfer to small sauce pan, bring to simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature:

While onions cool, slice bread into thick slices and brush both sides with olive oil:

Place on grill and toast both sides:

Top each slice of bread with cheese and close lid until cheese is melted:

Remove from grill and top with onion mixture:

The grilled onion is sweet and the balsamic vinegar adds a rich depth of flavor that is just delicious!

If you have any questions about the Roasted Onion Crostinis, feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me an email.

If you are interested in other appetizers like this, click here.

Also, you can follow us on the Grillin Fools Facebook page and post your own grillin pictures or join the general BBQ conversation.

Normally when I do corn I put it on the grill in the husk.  Sometimes I soak it in water, sometimes not.  When the husk is blackened all the way around it’s done.  Well, someone suggested I grill it naked – the corn not me!!  So I did.  Rather than put the corn on in the husk, I pealed it and threw it on the grill naked.  I also slathered it with a garlic, tarragon, oregano butter…

Let’s start with the butter to be brushed on the corn.

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter (you can use salted if you like)
2 cloves garlic – minced.
1.5 tsps of dried tarragon
.5 tsp of dried oregano

Put the butter in a small sauce pot on the stove or grill and start the melting process.  Then add the garlic, tarragon, and oregano:

Now shuck the corn and pull off any silks.  This is some beautiful bicolor:

Crank up the grill to high.  The grill needs to be at 500 degrees or hotter.  Because it is so hot, be careful with flare ups from the butter.  I’ve done this twice on consecutive weekends and found brushing the butter on the corn away from the heat first, and then putting the corn over the fire works best as the excess butter will flare in the hot fire:

This is a very short process and one that has to be constantly monitored.  Basically, brush with the butter, and rotate as the corn kernels begin to brown:

I had quite a few flareups and had to keep rotating the corn accordingly.  I wanted the corn over a hot grill, but didn’t want the ears to burn:

Rotated with the stalks away from the heat to keep them from burning either:

After repeated brushings (between 4-5) and frequently turning and repositioning, they are looking like they are ready to come off the grill:

Time to pull the corn.  Once on the platter, brush one more time with the butter:

The corn made an excellent side dish to go along with the best pork tenderloin I have ever eaten, some shrimps and a glass of Pinot Noir:

The blackening of the corn adds a certain sweetness that I don’t find when I do it in the husk or boil.  This is now my go-to method for making corn on the cob.

When I first heard about grilling naked corn, I was told to try it with tarragon alone and I did that the first time, but felt it needed something more.  A little oregano fit the bill perfectly, although you may want to do your own experiments with herbs.  If you come across a good combo please mention it in the comments section below or shoot it to me in an email.  I’ll give it a try and if I like it I’ll add it here as another option.

If you are interested in other veggies or sides, click here and here.

Also, you can follow us on our Grillin Fools Facebook Page and post your own grillin’ pictures.

Pecan-Smoked Beef Brisket has become quite the family favorite when we get together.  This year, on our annual trip to cool Michigan, I’m at it again with a couple of twists.  I also did baked beans, or in this case smoked beans, on the grill.

I purchased a 13 lb. whole beef brisket at a local grocer then cut it in half to fit the foil pans I use in this process.  The brisket portions required some advance preparation.  Each portion was trimmed of excess fat then placed in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag and coated entirely with spicy brown mustard—one whole bottle for each half — then placed in the icebox to allow the mustard to perform its magic for 3 days.  The vinegar in the mustard does amazing things to brisket.  I didn’t get pictures of the prep so I’ll use pictures from this previous post showing how to do brisket to show you the process:

I had never soaked the beef in mustard for 3 days before — usually 1 or 2 days has been the norm — but after this effort I may try 5-7 days next time.  It just seems to get better the more it soaks in the mustard.

Grilling day arrived and the beef was removed from the bags and most of the mustard was wiped off with dry paper towels.  Some mustard remained but would eventually cook off during the grilling process.  No matter what the brisket will not taste like mustard.  Prior to the launch of GrillinFools.com I marinated a brisket in mustard and left it on and indirect grilled it for 6 hours.  No rub, no mop sauce, just slathered in mustard and smoked indirect for 6 hours.  The end result was that the mustard coating became crispy and actually flaked off during the grilling process so don’t be concerned about the mustard left on the beef.

In this episode the first portion is coated with a Texas Brisket Rub:

Rub Ingredients
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp coarse salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 ½ tsp brown sugar
1 ½ tsp garlic salt
1 ½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
½ to 1 tsp cayenne pepper

The other half of the brisket was coated with a commercial rub called Brazilian Beef Rub offered by Spice Islands — a really versatile rub in my opinion:

A product review dedicated to this rub can be found in this link.

Here are both briskets ready for the grill:

On vacation we don’t have our typical grills.  We don’t have any Big Green Eggs, Charbroils, Brinkman’s or grill manufacturer that shall not be named.  We had these pitiful grills furnished by the resort.  This picture was taken a couple years ago during our first rib off:

The grills are stoked using a great gadget called a Looftlighter:

This thing is just too cool.  It can get a pile of charcoal going in minutes without paper or fluid.  You can also use it to light your fireplace. You can find it on Amazon for $80. A product review of this new toy will be along shortly, as well.

Pecan wood is our preferred smoking wood for brisket given past success with this wood and this cut of meat.  One of these days I’ll have to try the traditional mesquite wood or perhaps a blend of cherry and hickory.  Use whatever wood you prefer or have access to but be aware that too much mesquite or hickory can impart bitterness to the meat.  I’ve had great success with pecan so I’m sticking with it.  A complete list of more than 50 different types of smoke woods and their characteristics can be found here.

While the third Grillin Fool, Tom, was lighting the grill I prepped the mop sauce.

Mop Sauce Ingredients:
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup beer
1 tbsp garlic salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp black pepper

The mop sauce, pecan wood, mop and tongs and we’re ready to grill:

Brisket halves are on the grills at 11:30 AM and was shooting for dinner to be served at 6:30 PM:

It doesn’t take 12-14 hours or more to produce a fine smoked beef brisket.  There is no need to begin grilling at 4 AM to have it done at normal dinner time as some would have you believe.  We’re true believers in what’s called the high heat method which is all the craze these days.  Rather than 12 hours at 200, think more like 6-7 hours at 300 until you get to an internal temp of around 190-200.  Several visitors to the site have told me that they have had great results with this method and have become true believers as well. You can catch my son, Scott, discussing the high heat method on a radio show in Houston recently in this link

Here are a couple of photos of both portions one hour into the grilling/smoking process and both halves are browning nicely:

More briquettes are added along with additional pecan wood and the foil pans were rotated to insure even cooking and several dabs of mop sauce were applied as well:

***Editor’s note ~ Always try to do as much as possible each time you open the lid so you don’t have to keep opening it and losing heat thus extending grilling times.  Try to mop, rub, sauce, add fuel or smoke wood, etc. all at once so you don’t have to repeatedly open the grill to perform these tasks***

Notice the inexpensive grills being used.  They are what was provided by the “resort.”  Typically this grill sells for $49 at most big box stores.  I snagged one a few years ago, designated as my traveling grill, for $29 on sale.  This is what is remarkable about this effort — great tasting, tender, juicy beef brisket on the cheapest equipment available.  Take delight in this, especially you backyard grillers on a lean budget.  You don’t need an expensive grill to produce great BBQ.

OK — timing is everything.  Just after I wrote that in my notes I tried to level one of these older models (I was grilling on a slight incline) and the darn thing broke and collapsed with me holding the firebox full of hot coals with a hot pad in each hand!  Did I mention the baked beans shown above were in this grill when it collapsed while I was holding it? No problem!  I had the assistance of Grillin Fool Tom and his friend Brad coming to the rescue.  They’re not just great salmon catchers, they’re also real helpful when holding a fire hot metal box:

The coals and food were carefully transferred to another grill.  Not a bean was lost in the transfer.

Here are a couple of photos of the near-disaster grill—notice the holes in the bottom of the firebox where the supporting legs broke loose!

See those green spots above?  Here’s a close up.  Those aren’t designed vent holes:

Speaking of the beans, here’s the ingredients.

Beans Ingredients:
4—27 oz. cans of baked beans
½ lb. of bacon—chopped and sautéed
¾ cup of brown sugar
½  red onion—chopped and sautéed
1 tbsp of dry mustard (approx.)
Enough molasses to drizzle over the top

These ingredients are poured into a large disposable foil pan, molasses drizzled over the top, and the remaining ½ lb. of bacon strips are cut in half and placed on top as shown:

Set up the grill for indirect cooking (and a temp of around 250) and add some hickory chunks or chips and smoke ‘em for 4-5 hours rotating the pan hourly.  Add briquettes and wood every 45-60 minutes as needed.

The benefit of baked beans on the grill?  There is no need to fire up the indoor oven—this goes over well in the summertime—no sticky dish to clean and best of all is the smoky flavor imparted to the beans that can’t be duplicated inside.

Here’s a photo of the Texas rub brisket at 4 hours of grilling time:

Next the Brazilian rub:

The Texas rub has regular sugar and thus blackens more than the Brazilian Beef Rub that has turbinado sugar that has a much higher burn point.  But don’t worry about the blackness of the first as this is to be expected and not a problem.

Now the baked beans at 3 hours—smokin’ and lookin’ good!

After 6 hours the brisket portions are pulled and foiled and set on top of the warm grills to rest for an hour:

***Editor’s note ~ Resting is vitally important for brisket.  When the meat comes off the grill the juices are in an excited state because of the heat.  Slice into it right away and the juices will run all over the cutting board.  If you let the meat rest, the juices will calm down and remain in the meat.  A steak may only need a couple minutes to rest, but a brisket needs an hour.  If you don’t have a grill with a flat surface, place it in foil, wrap in a towel and put it in an empty cooler, an oven that isn’t on or a microwave***

Here is a photo of the baked beans after 5 hours.  The fire is now low and I’ll simply leave them on till dinner is served:

Here are photos of both brisket portions being sliced.  Both were very, very, tender and juicy and both rubs imparted amazing flavor:

Dinner was served and the baked beans really picked up the hickory smoke flavor with the bacon topping was crispy and caramelized.  I may have actually enjoyed the baked beans more than the brisket.  Was this effort a success with the dinner guests?  Here’s a photo of what remained of a 13 lb. brisket — two thin slices!!

If you’ve been leery of smoking a brisket then please understand this was a superb meal created on inferior equipment.  Don’t hesitate to give this a try. You just may surprise yourself and your dinner guests.

Oops!  Here’s another note—I grilled the beef fat cap up which will be much to the chagrin of The Original Grillin Fool—Scott.  You can now expect to see an “Editor’s Note” appear.

***Editor’s Note ~ Fat cap up or down really doesn’t matter unless you are using a mop sauce.  The sauce won’t penetrate the layer of fat so it’s a bit of a waste***

If you have any questions about the brisket or beans leave a comment below or shoot me an email.

For other beef recipes click here, or to check out a little of what we’ve done in the past in Michigan click here.

And you can follow us on our Grillin Fools Facebook page where you can post your own grillin pictures.

Here’s another installment from Arthur Aguirre.  The guy has some serious BBQ (and photography) skills.  In this post Arthur attacks one of the rising phenomenons of BBQing – The MOINK ball.  Not only does he show you how to do it, but he also explains the origins of the mighty MOINK.  These little nuggets of deliciousness are always a huge hit.  From here, I’ll hand it over to Arthur to show you how they’re done…

If you love Atomic Buffalo Turds (ABT’s), you will love MOINK balls. A simple description of MOINK balls are BBQ bacon wrapped meatballs. Without a doubt these tiny tender treats are the biggest thing to hit the grilling scene since ABT’s. The world wide craze of the MOINK ball is credited to a Larry Gaian author of the BBQ Grail.

***Editor’s Note ~ BBQ Grail is an excellent blog/website very similar to what we do here at GrillinFools.com.  I highly recommend Larry’s site***

Since the MOINK balls introduction into the BBQ world, it has earned positive reviews from people all over the world fortunate enough to taste the mighty morsels of smokiness.

The name MOINK is not an acronym, it is the combination of the two main ingredients: beef and pork. When referencing these ingredients, we know they come respectively from a cow and a pig. Hence, the sounds they make are moo and oink. Therefore, the creation was aptly named MOINK ball.

To understand how the MOINK ball was conceived, we need to understand its purpose. First, it was designed to feed the masses. Second, it utilizes two ingredients used often by families – bacon and frozen meatballs. Third, it must be grilled or smoked outdoors. And finally, MOINK balls are aerodynamically shaped for fast consumption.

End of summary.

So, when the 4^th of July came charging upon us, the parties were a plenty. I made a batch of MOINK balls each for two different parties. Unquestionably, MOINK balls are a tasty and an inexpensive way to impress people.

There are five major items needed for MOINK balls:

1. Pre-made, all-beef meatballs
2. Bacon
3. Rub
4. BBQ sauce
5. Smoke wood

When I made a batch of MOINK balls for the first party, I took a conservative approach. This party always had a ton of food and there are plenty of leftovers. Also, early estimates were close to about 60 people attending the party. With that in mind, I bought just a bag of frozen meatballs because I didn’t want to take leftovers home with me, especially when they sit out too long. When I had an idea on how many MOINK balls I’ll be making, I drew up my game plan.

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen meatballs [approx. 50]
2lb of bacon (2 packages)
John Henry’s Pecan Rub
Blues Hog Tennessee Red Sauce
Hickory wood chunks
Toothpicks

Pre-made, all-beef meatballs are the official meatballs of MOINK balls. BBQ Grail set up guidelines which do not allow fresh meatballs. However, one can definitely make fresh meatballs, just call them meatballs wrapped in bacon. The only exceptions are for international grillers where fresh meatballs are perfectly acceptable.

***Editor’s Note ~ That’s right.  These things are so popular there are purists out there and guidelines that are different for international grillers***

Moving on with our MOINK balls, the first batch is being set up for indirect heat on the grill manufacturer that shall not be named. I’m going with lump charcoal here, so by the time it gets hot enough the MOINK balls will be ready.

First, I have to assemble the meats. The meatballs are thawed but still firm enough to handle without falling apart:

The bacon is a 1lb package of strips, 2 may be needed. Each strip is way too long for one meatball, so cut the bacon in half. It’s easier to cut the bacon when it is semi frozen. The bacon is too much like rubber at room temperature:

I suggest buying the thin cheap bacon rather than the thick cut bacon because it cooks faster and it’s crispier when it’s done.

Use one half piece of bacon and wrap it around the meatball, then stick it with a toothpick to keep it together:

Assembling the bacon and meatballs may take a while. This is a good opportunity to get the kids involved in some BBQ activity:

***Editor’s Note ~ Love the Abita Turbo Dog in the background!!***

Next, I poured the rub all over the meat:

At this point, the grill will be ready to go. I banked the charcoal to one side of the kettle. In addition, I placed the MOINK balls on the grill opposite of the coals so I could indirect grill the MOINKS and keep the temperatures down:

Then, I added some hickory wood chunks. Also, I made sure the lid was placed with the vent over the meat so the smoke would have to travel across the meat before leaving through the vent. I leave the bottom vents open all the way too. The temp range will be somewhere between 350 and 375. Cooking time will be about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

After an hour I check on the MOINK balls:

They look just about done so I brush some BBQ sauce over them. I leave them in a little longer, just enough to crisp up the bacon. As a result, the bacon turned out very dark, almost black:

It isn’t that they are burnt, it’s just the rub and BBQ sauce has lots of sugar in it. It’s almost like bark on a pork shoulder or brisket.

At the time, I thought I really screwed up. I ate a couple of them and they didn’t taste burnt. I put them in a foil pan, brushed more Tennessee Red on them and covered them until they got to the party. Meanwhile, I thought to myself, nobody is going to like these.

So we arrive at the party and I put the MOINK balls on the table and I jump in the pool for a swim. After a while of being in the pool, some brave soul must have tried a MOINK ball because I heard people talking about how others should try these little meatballs. They were a huge hit and the talk of the party. In fact, they were all gone before the main course was served!

The following week, I made a second batch for a family reunion party:

This time, I smoked them for 2 ½ hours at 225 degrees on the smoker with hickory wood:

For me, these were much better than the first batch. Although, the bacon could have been crispier, but I didn’t have time to do it. However, a few people at the reunion who were also at the pool party said they preferred the first batch of MOINK balls.

I used a different rub and sauce for the second batch and I made twice as many for roughly the same amount of people. They too went over really well, but they were not all gone. I love these little succulent samples, I look forward to making more. And so do a bunch of people who loved them at the party.

If you have any questions about the MOINK balls, feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me an email and I will forward it to Arthur.  Although, if he keeps kicking ass like this I might have to give him his own Grillin Fools email address!!

If you are interested in other appetizers and sides click here.

And you can follow the Grillin Fools on our Facebook page and post your own grillin pics just like Arthur did.

With our upcoming event at St. Luke’s called Guys, Grills, and Good Health we decided to document a particularly healthy meal made entirely on the grill.  My dad will take over now and show you how to do it step by step and picture by picture…

This is a rather simple method to grill something that isn’t loaded with fat and all those other things usually associated with grilling beef or pork.  I began with a 10-lb Honeysuckle Bone-n Turkey Breast, rinsed and gravy packet removed—last time I checked gravy wasn’t exactly on the healthy list:

I’ve trimmed the excess skin and plan to spatchcock (butterfly) the breast for easier handling and even cooking.

The backbone is removed with a good pair of poultry shears.  As I proceeded I decided to go ahead and remove all the bones to really make the grilling process simple:

It would’ve been easier to remove the boneless breasts while the rascal was still whole but I was already into it.  I discovered this was more effort than a non-pro meat cutter should handle and created a lot of extra work.  The Turkey Breast could also be cooked whole and then sliced off the bone if desired.

Now I have two boneless halves and will add the healthy mixture below to help flavor the bird and maintain moistness.

1 cup Smart Balance Buttery Spread
2 tbsp. Minced Garlic (or more or less to your taste)
2 tbsp. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
1/4 cup white wine (reserve for later after you stuff the skin)

A really simple mixture and I was originally planning to simply add the Garlic to the Spread but decided to kick it up a notch with the Creole Seasoning.  Feel free to substitute your favorite seasoning.  The Smart Balance was allowed to come to room temperature for ease of combining with the other ingredients.  Smart Balance and garlic:

Then the creole seasoning:

Here’s the process of adding the mixture under the skin which will likely require a few toothpicks to secure the skin in place.  You could also completely remove the skin and simply baste with the mixture if desired for an even healthier meal.  I’m going for healthy here but the golden brown skin is so attractive, holds the mixture in place, and virtually cooks away.

Work your fingers under the skin to separate the area between skin and meat—sort of like trying to put a latex glove on.  Next spoon or push the mixture into the area created and spread around as much as possible.

I’ve opted to forgo the toothpicks this time around and place the Breast halves into a shallow broiler pan to grill:

***Editor’s note ~ Skipping the pan here and putting the breasts straight on the grill will be healthier than this version as the fat will drip down into the fire rather than stay in the pan***

Reserve a bit of the mixture to melt and occasionally baste the bird while grilling.  I added a few splashes of white wine to liquefy the mixture a bit and may need to add more liquid later.

The old CharBroil is set up for the “flank method”—coals on the left and right with Turkey in the center:

This grill may get retired soon or actually transferred to Scott as I have a new CB 940X in the garage awaiting assembly.  This model had been discontinued and was recently re-introduced by the folks at CharBroil.  Bless them for this!  There will be a break-in posting soon.

Apricot (in foreground) and a few pieces of Nectarine retrieved from my wood stash were used to add the smoke flavor.  Oh yeah!  I’ve got a wood stash and perhaps there will be photos of that in an upcoming post.  It’s a huge benefit knowing some friends that are in the tree removal business:

*** Editor’s note ~ if you would like to see the most extensive list of things you can smoke with on the web. I have more than 50 things ranging from all manner of woods to herbs, grape vines, and even onion or garlic cloves click here***

The Turkey goes on the grill and later the coals are refreshed and a chunk of each wood is added. The wine was added to the Smart Balance/garlic/creole seasoning mixture for basting later.  The lid was closed and I went to work on the sides for this meal:

***Editors note ~ While Dad didn’t do it here, I recommend putting the fat part of the breast closest to the fire so you don’t risk drying out the tip of the skinny part.  With the smart balance basting constantly it’s not as big of an issue but I would do it none the less***

I picked up some new crop California Asparagus at the local grocer to grill with a drizzle of olive oil, cracked pepper, and a small amount of coarse salt.  Fresh Sweet Potatoes will be pre-cooked—boiled about 10 minutes—then cooled, thick-sliced, and brushed with olive oil to be finished on the grill to gather that smoky flavor:

Wine pairing for this meal—is this the unhealthy part?—is a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc:

Typically this varietal from that region imparts a hint of citrus which I’m hoping compliments the Creole Seasoning and smoky flavor of the Turkey.  I don’t think you could go wrong with a Chard here either—even a glass of light red—Pinot Noir or Red Burgundy will certainly compliment Turkey as well.

The thermometer indicates 300 degrees in the pan at 30 minutes in.  Liquid?  The mixture under the skin has melted and the natural juices from the Turkey are bubbling in the broiler pan.  I’m occasionally basting the bird with the leftover mixture:

The wine is corked and I’m perched upon my grilling post out back and sampling a few of the nibblers I had placed on the direct heat and basted with the mixture.  The view is beautiful.  My neighbor, Dave R., has over the years planted the edge of the dam with daffodils that are now in full bloom and reflecting off the mirror surface of the water on this calm, peaceful day.  The Pear trees are blooming, the Plum is about to burst forth, and soon the flowering Crabapple trees will bring their splash of color to the scene.  What a beautiful time to be grillin’ and chillin’:

Here’s a pic one hour in with temp reading abut 325.  Another chunk of nectarine wood is added.  Another coating is basted on the bird and I’m probably in trouble with Mimi.  The broiler pan is getting some serious stuff in the bottom that will likely have to be soaked for a week to get it clean.  Here’s the deal – I cook, she cleans up.  I do help though…..sometimes:

The sweet potatoes are sliced and drizzled with the oil and ready to go on the grill.  The same drizzle is applied to the Asparagus with a small amount of coarse salt and cracked pepper added:

After 90 minutes the Turkey is pulled from the grill to rest under some foil.  Always let meat rest after pulling it from the grill.  The juices are in an excited state and will ooze out immediately after cutting into it.  If you let it rest a bit then the juices settle down and stay in the meat when sliced:

If you don’t butterfly the the breast and split it in two cooking time would be longer.  While the Turkey rests is the perfect amount of time to finish the sides.  The coal grate is raised and the Sweet Potatoes go on.  When they finish I’ll move them to the center, off the direct heat, and begin the Asparagus:

Here’s a pic of the finished Sweets and the Asparagus on the heat.  Once the Asparagus is finished it will be time to carve the Turkey Breasts:

The turkey sliced:

Here’s the meal plated:

The asparagus was still crisp and full of smoky flavor, the sweet potatoes were cooked through but still firm and a bit of Smart Balance Spread was added to top them off.  The turkey was cooked thoroughly although moist in most parts and drier in others.  I probably could’ve pulled it 15 minutes sooner at one hour 15 minutes on the grill as it would continue to bake while resting foil-covered.  It was very flavorful and I didn’t miss real butter at all.  I will certainly prepare this again.  The turkey had a mild smoky flavor and the touch of Creole Seasoning was just enough.   The wine was delightful with the meal.

Now for the best part—leftover Turkey sandwiches the next day.  Whole grain Sarah Lee bread with a little honey mustard and you’ve got another healthy meal or two.

As usual if you have any questions or comments leave a comment below or send me an email.

Other turkey recipes can be found here.  Don’t forget about chicken.

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This is a wonderful appetizer but can also be served as dessert with a fruit & cheese tray along with a nice bottle of wine.

1 Loaf French Bread
Olive Oil
Goat Cheese (Chevre is soft & spreadable)
Ripe Pear
Honey

Slice Pear into thin pieces:

Then grill over medium low heat for approx 2 minutes per side until you get some nice grill marks:

Slice bread into 1 inch slices and drizzle with olive oil , grill until crisp with hash marks (approx 2 minutes per side):

Place one slice pear onto the grilled bread:

Then spread cheese over the pear:

Place back onto grill until cheese is warm and melting as they are here on the Big Green Egg:

Drizzle with honey:

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below or email me.  

If you are interested in another crostini recipe click here.

Also if you are interested in other sides and appetizers or other vegetarian dishes check these links.

Often times people think of things like brisket, pulled pork and big fat steaks when they think of food cooked on the grill.  They think of bratwurst and burgers and dogs.  But grilling doesn’t have to revolve around massive cuts of beef and pork or things that require a bun.  Grilling can have a more refined side.  It doesn’t have to be a robust flavor of a jerk rib with lots of zip along with an ample smoke ring.  For a much more sophisticated meal click below to see how my dad made the dish above.  And just because it’s sophisticated doesn’t mean it has to be difficult because this is not difficult…

This is a very simple, quick grilling effort good anytime.  Two dozen Gulf Shrimp, from Skinner’s Seafood in Dauphin Island, Alabama, were peeled and de-veined:

One stick of salted butter (you could use unsalted butter instead if you prefer, but it could be a little bland so throw in a pinch) plus a heaping spoonful of minced garlic added to the saucepan to melt and combine:

Olive oil could work but I’m going for that magic that hot butter creates when married with the shrimp.  Once the butter-garlic mixture has cooled a bit (I don’t want to pre-cook the shrimp!) it’s time to give the shrimp a “butter bath”.  Thoroughly stir the shrimp and butter mixture to coat the now happy shrimp:

I allow the mixture to bathe the shrimp for 30-45 minutes prior to grilling.  For additional flavor you could add lemon-pepper or whatever seasoning you prefer—in case you wanted to kick it up a notch ala Emeril.  In the past I have substituted garlic salt for the minced garlic and will comment on that later after the dish is finished.  Butter and shrimp—there’s something simply wonderful about that combination and now we’re going to add grilled flavor to the mix.

Homegrown yellow squash will be grilled as a delicious side  The squashed is washed, trimmed, sliced and lightly drizzled with olive oil to coat both sides then fresh ground pepper and coarse salt are added and the side dish is ready for the grill:

Mimi is preparing another side dish—leftover risotto pan-fried with Panko bread crumbs with a little egg wash applied.  We were served this at a dining establishment while on vacation in Michigan (we didn’t grill every night) and decided to try a home version:

The Brinkman was fired up and it was time to grill.  I chose the Brinkman because it has an upper grate where the cooked squash can remain while the shrimp are being grilled.

Wine choice was an un-oaked Australian Chardonnay:

I would also suggest a dry Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc or really whatever white wine you prefer.  The Grillin Fools aren’t wine snobs—we just like a good tasting wine with our grilled foods as well as a good cold beer.

The squash was placed directly over a medium hot to hot fire.  The temperature of the fire can fluctuate here as long as you keep an eye on the squash.  You are looking for a good grill mark on them and then flip.  Cooking times will vary depending on how how the fire is.  Here are the squash when first placed on the grill:

Keep peaking at the squash until you see a nice char from the hot fire and flip them over as some were flipped here.  The fire was much hotter in the back and those were done first:

Once a slice of squash has a good char on it place it on the upper grate.  Once all the squash is done put the shrimp in a grill pan and place on the grill:

Be careful here as the butter is very flammable and can cause flareups:

The shrimp were grilled till opaque and pink and a bit firm and then it was time to serve up dinner:

The taste test of what you grill will ultimately be the true judge of your effort.  Here’s the verdict on this creation.  The shrimp really picked up a grilled flavor from the charcoal fire without using any smoking wood.  I’ve decided I prefer the garlic salt method over the minced garlic—strictly a personal preference but the shrimp were still quite delicious this time.

The fried risotto cakes were just super.  We will be working on a lemon-butter-cream sauce for that dish in the future.

The squash was a big disappointment.  I sliced it too thin and it lost texture when grilled.  I should’ve halved or quartered the squash and it would’ve been fine.  The flavor was great but the wimpy texture left a lot to be desired.

The Grillin Fools do screw up—we’re just backyard grillers like most of you and we do make mistakes, except when we do we document it and show the world so they don’t make the same mistakes.  The important thing is to learn from each experience and not repeat mistakes over and over again, or completely sidestep the mistakes because we showed you where we went wrong.  We actually show our mistakes on this site as a matter of integrity and reality as well as to assist you in not making the same error.  We do not always attempt a recipe several times to get it right so we can show perfection.  Many of the posts you see here are first-time efforts by us.

Whether you appreciate this honesty or not, please be assured it will always be there in what we do.  We enjoy grilling as it is our passion and we simply want to pass that along to you so you can experience thrillin’, grillin’ and ok….a little chillin’ as well without repeating the mistakes we have made over the years.

***Editor’s note ~ I actually like my squash done this way.  It is a great, quick, light side dish.  I think Dad prefers it more al dente but if you like your veggies cooked through then this is a great option as it is.  You can cut it thicker if you want al dente, but you don’t have to.  It’s good both ways depending on your personal preference***

As usual, if you have any questions or comments about this dish please feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email.

If you are interested in more seafood dishes on the grill click here.  If you would like to see some more vegetables done on the grill click here.

Also, you can follow the Grillin Fools on Facebook and post your own grillin pictures.

It was delicious, but I wanted to see if I could perfect it.  I didn’t do all that much to expand on what I did before but I did make it considerably better.  Click below and see how I did it…

Instead of buying 5 pounds of bologna like I did the first time I went with just about the last inch and a half of the chub.  I then sliced that into eighths, scored it around the outside and applied a rub.  The rub was:

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp granulated garlic
1tbsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
black and white pepper

No salt needed as there is plenty of sodium in the bologna

Here are the 8 chunks covered in the rub:

The reason I did them in chunks was to maximize the surface area which is also why I scored them around the outside after I chunked them and before I put the rub on.  I just ran a knife around them about a quarter to half inch deep.

Now place the chunks on the grill and smoke for an hour at 250.  I used Apricot for the smoke wood.  Here they are around three different kinds of ribs I was doing at the same time:

After an hour here is what they look like:

And a close up of the scoring:

That’s it.  Very simple but amazing.  I used just standard bologna but you could use beef or specialty bologna as well.

If you have any questions about the Bologna Bites, feel free to email me or simply leave a comment below.

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The Grillin Fools tackled this three different ways.  The first was my take on the classic dish which can be found by clicking here. This is the second installment which was done by my father, Greg – Smokin’ on the Water, Thomas.  He took one of our favorite methods for doing pork loin or brisket of inserting slivers of garlic into the meat as well as a fairly standard brisket mop sauce to make the traditional corned beef into something a little unconventional.  His tribute to Raichlen’s grilled cabbage is truly worth reading about.  Click below to see the process as my dad lines out step by step and pic by pic…

Take a peek at this first photo—it’s a crime scene:

So after a couple months of colder than normal winter St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and it’s time to get the grill fires going.

***Editor’s note ~ I can’t think of a better time to cook than when it looks like that, but I’m a little twisted!?***

This effort will include a Corned Beef Flat, Cabbage, and ‘b’ size Potatoes all done on the grill.

Corned Beef
One 3 lb. Flat
One Garlic Clove-slivered
Seasoning packet (came with beef)
One cup Beer
One cup White Vinegar

An important ingredient for the celebration is beer—for the griller and guests of course!  I chose Smithwick’s (pronounced Smittix I’m told) Irish Ale:

It was quite tasty and not as heavy as some of the stout varieties.

Smoking wood chosen was Pecan—this has worked well with earlier brisket efforts so I thought I’d give it a go here:

Click here to see more than 50 different things you can use to smoke meats.

I soaked the Corned Beef in warm water for approximately 4 hours, changing water every hour making sure to rinse the meat each time, to remove the salt from the brine. Not leaching the salt out will cause the beef to be practically inedible.

Next I cut slits in the beef with a thin sharp knife and inserted slivers of garlic in each slit:

***Editor’s note ~ The process of leaching the salt out of meat with water will make the meat looked washed out and gray but don’t sweat that.  It will look plenty red when you grill it.  Even more so than if you were to boil it***

I decided to grill the beef in a foil pan and apply a mop sauce every half hour.  The mop sauce consisted of one cup of beer, one cup of white vinegar, and the seasoning packet that arrived with the beef:

No rub applied—I figured we I had enough going on with garlic, mop sauce, and smoke flavor—after all, this is an experiment.

Cabbage
One 3 lb. Head
¼ Stick of Butter
One small Onion diced
4 slices of Bacon diced
Coarse Salt and Pepper

One tbsp. of butter was added to a skillet along with the onion and bacon and simmered till it was just beginning to brown:

That mixture was strained and the onion and bacon added to the core of the cabbage along with the remaining butter which had been cubed:

I then painted the outside of the cabbage with the remaining drippings from the straining:

Potatoes
2 lbs. ‘b’ size Red Potatoes
Olive Oil
Coarse Salt
Black Pepper

The potatoes were quartered and drizzled with olive oil and dusted with salt and pepper:

I had a bit of the drippings left from the butter, bacon, onion mixture so that was added also—no sense wasting pork fat!  This was all placed into aluminum foil and a packet created for the grill:

This will go on the grill during the last 45 minutes to an hour of the anticipated grilling time for the beef and cabbage of 3 hours.

The old Charbroil was set up for indirect grilling with coals on the left and the beef and cabbage on the right.  In retrospect, I probably should’ve used the flank method and placed the beef and cabbage in the center.  Either method will work:

The cabbage on a foil ring and the corned beef in an aluminum pan fat side down:

One hour in and the cabbage in getting rather charred on the outside so at Scott’s urging I foiled it for the remaining cooking time:

It was hard to tell how the brisket was doing—the temps ranged from 275 to 350 and fluctuated a bit with the breeze flowing through the drafty old grill.  More briquettes were added and the lid closed and we’ll check it a bit later.

After an hour and a half I’m getting nervous.  I’m considering foiling the beef for the last hour:

Now 2 hours have passed and I’m foiling the beef and adding the remaining mop sauce and pan juices to the foil tent.  The packet containing the potatoes was added to the grill over direct heat:

The 3 hours are up and we are starving by this time.  We’ve decided to serve sandwich style so I purchased some onion buns at the local grocer, buttered the inside, and toasted them on the grill:

Here is the meat after a rest of about 15 minutes ready to carve:

Carved:

The cabbage was very browned on the outside so I’m thankful that I listened to Scott about foiling it:

I peeled the outer leaves off to make it more presentable but I did not try those outer leaves and probably should have:

And here are the potatoes:

All three plated:

The final result was rather tasty—Mimi enjoyed it so I must be happy too.  She added mustard and horseradish to her bun and I took mine ‘straight’ trying to determine how the flavors came through.

The beef was good but I couldn’t pick up much of the garlic flavor and could’ve added more in hindsight.  The cabbage was done completely through and was quite tender with still a slight bit of chew to it and full of flavor from the smoke wood and the mixture applied.  To test for doneness on the cabbage you can pierce with a wood skewer—if it goes in easily—it’s done.  The potatoes were right on with flavor and doneness after approximately 45 minutes on the grill.  Oh, the beer?  It was a fantastic compliment to the meal. No wine pairing considered—after all—it’s for St. Patrick’s Day!  Have a great holiday everyone!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me an email.

Also, you can follow the Grillin Fools on Facebook and post your own grillin pictures.