Fabulicious!: On the Grill (13 page)

 

Makes 6 servings

This might seem like a lot of steps, but they're super easy, can be done way ahead of the final grilling, and you will love every bite. Like really, really love. Buy individual meaty short ribs (the kind that are on a single bone and sometimes called “English cut”) and not the crosscut, Korean-style, or flanken ribs.

Red Wine and Herb Marinade:

1½ cups hearty red wine, such as Shiraz

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, cut into thin half-moons

⅓ cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Short Ribs:

12 meaty short ribs, about 5½ pounds

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.
To make the marinade:
Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl until tomato paste is dissolved.

2.
To make the ribs:
Divide the short ribs and marinade between two 1-gallon resealable plastic bags, and close the bags. Refrigerate, occasionally turning the bags, for at least 2 and up to 4 hours.

3.
Preheat the grill for indirect cooking over medium (400°F) heat.

4.
Lightly oil a large disposable aluminum foil roasting pan large enough to hold the short ribs in a single layer. Arrange the short ribs in the pan and pour in the marinade. Place the pan with the short ribs directly over the ignited burner(s) and bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Move to the unlit burner(s) and close the lid. Cook for 1 hour. Uncover the pan and turn the ribs over. Cover again with the foil and continue cooking until the ribs are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour more. (You can also bake the ribs in a preheated 350°F oven, turning them after 1 hour, until tender, about 2 hours total.)

5.
Transfer the short ribs to a platter and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat over high heat (or use the side burner on your grill, if you have one). Cook, stirring often, until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the tomato paste and brown sugar and cook until lightly thickened, about 2 minutes more. The short ribs and sauce can be stored at room temperature for up to 1½ hours, or cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 8 hours.

6.
Preheat the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (400°F).

7.
Lightly brush the short ribs with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the ribs directly on the cooking grate and close the grill lid. Cook, turning occasionally, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the meat is lightly crusted and browned, about 5 minutes. Brush with some of the sauce and continue cooking and turning until glazed, about 3 minutes more. Return to the platter. Drizzle with the remaining sauce and serve hot.

 

Makes 4 servings

Joe loves to mix things into raw ground beef and then form patties to make burgers that taste great with every bite. The vegetables in the ground beef will heat up more quickly than the raw meat, so it is difficult to get this to cook less than medium. They are so flavorful that you won't really need any additional condiments. To keep the burger juicy, we use ground round, which has more fat than sirloin.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 small red bell pepper, cored and cut into ¼-inch dice

1 garlic clove, minced

1½ pounds ground round beef

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, cut into eight ¼-inch thick slices

4 hamburger buns

4 tomato slices

4 red lettuce leaves

 

1.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 10 minutes. During the last minute of cooking, stir in the garlic. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

2.
Gently but thoroughly mix the ground round, cooled vegetable mixture, salt, and pepper well with your hands in a large bowl. Shape the meat mixture into four 4-inch patties. (Don't compact the meat or the burgers will be tough.). Let stand at room temperature while preheating the grill.

3.
Preheat the grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat (450°F).

4.
Lightly brush both sides of the patties with oil. Place the patties on the cooking grate and close the grill lid. Cook until the undersides are browned, about 3 minutes. Flip the burgers and continue cooking, with the lid closed, until the other sides are browned and the burger feels slightly resistent when pressed on top with a fingertip, about 3 minutes more for medium. During the last minute, top each burger with two Gorgonzola slices. Remove from the grill.

5.
Place the buns on the grill and cook, with the lid closed, turning once, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute.

6.
For each serving, place a burger on bun bottom. Top with a tomato slice, a lettuce leaf, and the burger top, and serve.

 

Makes 4 servings

These Italian skewers are super easy and—with a marinade of lemon, garlic, herbs, and olive oil—super delicious. Just don't shove the pieces onto the sticks too closely together so that the heat can circulate and cook everything. When checking for doneness, the pork should look a little rare when pierced with a knife. It will continue cooking off the grill.

Special equipment: 4 metal grilling skewers

Lemon-Herb Marinade:

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

¼ A cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

4 garlic cloves, crushed under the flat side of a knife and peeled

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Spiedini:

1½ pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and silver skin, cut into 16 pieces

1 medium red bell pepper, cored and cut into 16 pieces

1 medium yellow bell pepper, cored and cut into 16 pieces

1 small zucchini, cut into 4 rounds

Extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.
To make the marinade:
Whisk the ingredients together in a medium bowl.

2.
To make the spiedini:
Place the pork in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Pour in the marinade and close the bag. Refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes to 1 hour, no longer.

3.
Remove the pork from the marinade, shaking off the excess, and discard the marinade. For each serving, thread 4 pieces of pork, 2 each of red and yellow peppers, and 1 piece of zucchini, alternating them on the skewer as desired. Do not crowd the ingredients on the skewer. Brush the pork and vegetables with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Let stand while preheating the grill.

4.
Preheat the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (400°F).

5.
Place the kebabs directly on the cooking grate and close the lid. Cook, turning about every 3 minutes, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the pork is browned and shows a hint of pink when pierced to the skewer with the tip of a knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the kebabs from the grill. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove the skewers and serve hot.

 

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Bacon without the smoke, pancetta is Italian soul food. Its fat moistens lean food like pork loin, and when grilled it will create a crusty coating. Look for pancetta at your local Italian deli or specialty supermarket. Ask for it to be cut about ⅛-inch thick. You will need to tie the pancetta onto the pork roast with kitchen twine (or you can even use unwaxed, unflavored dental floss!).

1 center-cut boneless pork loin roast (about 2¾pounds), excess fat trimmed

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

8 ounces (⅛-inch-thick) sliced pancetta, about 16 slices

1.
Cut the pork horizontally through the center, reaching almost, but not quite to the other side. Open up the pork like a book. Season all over with the salt and pepper.

2.
Mix the oil, garlic, thyme, sage, and vinegar together in a small bowl. Spread the herb paste on the cut surface of the pork. Close the pork. Unroll each strip of pancetta. Arrange half of the pancetta over the top of the roast. Using kitchen twine, tie the pancetta crosswise in a few places, leaving the ends of the roast uncovered. Turn the roast over (don't worry if it doesn't look neat). Repeat with the remaining pancetta. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place the roast on a roasting rack in a metal roasting pan.

3.
Preheat the grill for indirect cooking with medium (400°F) heat.

4.
Place the pork in the roasting pan over the unheated burner(s) and close the grill lid. Cook, turning the pork about every 15 minutes, until the pancetta is crisp and browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the roast reads 145°F, about 1¼ hours. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes.

5.
Remove the strings. Cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices and transfer to a serving platter. Pour the carving juices on top and serve hot.

 

Makes 4 servings

Pork chops are a great, inexpensive cut of meat—unless you grill them plain and overcook them, which will make them tasteless and tough. Marinating them in apple cider, stuffing them with an apple and onion filling, and then grilling them will give you a guaranteed succulent summer feast. If you like blue cheese, you can add ¼ cup (about 1 ounce) crumbled Gorgonzola to the cooled apple stuffing.