KitchenDaily http://main.kitchendaily.com KitchenDaily http://main.kitchendaily.com/media/feedlogo.gif KitchenDaily http://main.kitchendaily.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/A Beachy Grilling Menu from Elizabeth Karmelhttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/08/27/beach-menu-grilled-seafood/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/08/27/beach-menu-grilled-seafood/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/08/27/beach-menu-grilled-seafood/#comments
grilled shrimp
Alamy

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares recipes inspired by the seashore: Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Lemon-Saffron Aioli, Black and Blue Sahimi Tuna Steaks with Wasabi-Soy Dipping Sauce and Grilled Summer Vegetables.

About the Beachy Grilling Menu

Growing up in North Carolina, I took the beach for granted. But once I left home for the big city, I yearned for the beach and it is still my favorite summer vacation. But this summer, I am not going to make it to the beach, so I am cooking up a menu that will make me feel like I am there. And, if you are at the beach, even better!

Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Lemon-Saffron Aioli

Shrimp are more than plentiful in North and South Carolina and are always my go-to appetizer. There are so many flavors to pair with them -- it's the ocean version of chicken. And, if there are any left over, they can be peeled and chopped and made into shrimp salad for lunch the next day.

The key to my Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Lemon Saffron Aioli is to buy the largest shrimp in the shell that you can find. If you can find them truly fresh, buy them. But most shrimp has been previously frozen and then thawed before being put in the seafood case at the store -- and you are better off buying them frozen and thawing them yourself just before grilling than buying them thawed. The longer they are thawed, the quicker they deteriorate and that nice firm texture gives way to a mealy one. My favorite way to buy shrimp when I am not at the beach is to buy frozen IQF (individually quick frozen) shrimp and thaw them in cold water just before grilling them.

The lemon-saffron aioli is even better when it's made a day before serving, and with the dipping sauce done, the shrimp become a quick and easy app to prepare. Simply toss the shrimp in olive oil, salt and pepper, grill quickly over a high heat; peel and dip in the bright and rich lemon and garlic aioli. The aioli also makes a dynamite substitute for mayo in shrimp salad.

Black and Blue Sashimi Tuna Steaks with Wasabi-Soy Dipping Sauce

The next dish borrows flavors from my favorite sushi restaurants, but the first time that I ever ate raw tuna was off a fishing boat in Atlantic Beach. The Black and Blue Sashimi Tuna Steaks with Wasabi-Soy Dipping Sauce is equally at home in the backyard and super-simple to prepare. The hardest job is making sure you purchase sashimi-grade tuna as you will be searing the outside but leaving the inside pink and cool to the touch. I love the contrast of the seared crust and the sushi-like raw pink tuna on the inside, gingerly dipped into a classic wasabi-soy dipping sauce. I love wasabi, so I always add an extra pinch -- let your own taste buds guide you about how much you want to use.

Ten Tips for Great Grilled Vegetables

For the grilled summer vegetables, I buy whatever appeals to me at the farmers' market and grill it! It might be corn, or okra or scallions or green beans -- whatever looks good. Everyone asks me about using special equipment to grill vegetables. I don't really think you need anything beyond a grill and a pair of locking chef tongs. That said, below are guidelines to grilling vegetables.

1. Slice all vegetables at least 1/2 -inch thick. If the vegetables are small, grill whole and chop after they have been grilled or thread on a soaked bamboo skewer before grilling.
2. Coat the vegetables with a thin layer of olive oil. Use my plastic bag trick to do the job quickly and efficiently: Place the sliced vegetables in a resealable plastic bag; only fill the bag half-way full. Add just enough olive oil to coat the vegetables, about 1-2 tablespoons. Seal the bag and massage the vegetables to coat with oil.
3. Sprinkle with Kosher salt or sea salt and freshly ground pepper, if desired. The salt is essential since it will help to draw out the natural sugars and promote caramelization. I prefer Morton kosher salt for grilled food because it is larger grained and it doesn't dissolve as quickly as Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
4. Preheat your gas grill or wait until your charcoal is covered with gray ash; and reduce the heat to medium or else the vegetables will burn on the outside and be raw on the inside. Make sure your cooking grates are clean.
5. Place vegetables on the grill going the opposite direction of the cooking grates. This will prevent the veggies from falling through the grates.
6. Turn with a pair of locking chef tongs. Slide the tongs gently under the center of the food in the thickest part when turning.
7. Turn only once, halfway through the cooking time.
8. Remove veggies when they are crisp tender -- they will continue to cook a little once they come off the grill.
9. Taste the grilled vegetables while still hot and if they need more salt, add a bit while still warm. Do not try to season the vegetables once they have cooled.
10. Experiment with all kinds of vegetables. Even Brussels sprouts taste better from the grill!

To complete my favorite summer meal, I always also include a large platter of sliced homegrown tomatoes, drizzled with a bit of my favorite olive oil and sprinkled with fleur de sel.

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]]>barbecue-and-grillingfeature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-08-27T16:40:00ZSummer Fiesta Menuhttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/08/20/summer-fiesta-grilling-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/08/20/summer-fiesta-grilling-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/08/20/summer-fiesta-grilling-menu/#comments
Chipotle Grilled Chicken
Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares her recipes for a summer fiesta: The World's Best Grilled Salsa, Pete's Favorite Chipotle Chicken and Cool Orange, Jicama and Mango Slaw. "None of these recipes are 'authentic,' she says, "but they all have been inspired by the robust flavors of that great and diverse country."

The World's Best Grilled Salsa

I discovered "The World's Best Grilled Salsa" quite by accident. I was making a smoked vegetable gazpacho and I puréed the ingredients before I thinned it out -- well, I planned on thinning it out! I tasted the pureed grill-smoked veggies to make sure they were well seasoned; then I was going to add a bit of rosé wine and Clamato juice. Well, the chunky, smoky unctuous mixture was so good and just screaming for a tortilla chip. I changed my menu and served it as salsa instead of thinning it and serving it as a soup. And, as good as it was while it was still warm, it was even better chilled the next day. This is a great way to use up produce that is being "stored" in your fridge and a great way to eat your veggies. And, if tortilla chips aren't your thing, make the recipe as written and thin it out with rosé wine and Clamato or chicken broth, chill and serve as soup.

Chipotle Grilled Chicken

The main course is my friend Peter's favorite recipe. In fact, he makes Pete's Favorite Chipotle Chicken for 100 lucky folks every summer for his annual BBQ. He grills all bone-in thighs, but you can use whole chickens, chicken pieces, breasts, thighs, drumsticks -- any piece you prefer.

I created this recipe to capture the essence of the food that I ate and cooked during my two-week culinary exploration of Oaxaca. Once you accept that mayonnaise is purchased in Mexican warehouse stores (Sam's Club and Costco) and used for cooking everything -- even in the most remote villages -- you understand that it is really just a great way to lubricate and flavor poultry, meat or fish. This chipotle wet rub also works well on thick fish steaks or large whole fish such as snapper. The chicken needs to marinate two to four hours -- the larger the piece, the longer you can marinade it. But you can make the marinade up to two days in advance and keep it in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator until the day you are going to cook the chicken.

Cool Orange, Jicama and Mango Slaw

My favorite side dish for the spicy chicken is this Cool Orange, Jicama and Mango Slaw. It was inspired by a crunchy and delicious salad that I had many years ago at my friend, Rick Bayless' restaurant, Frontera Grill. He cut the fresh jicama into matchstick-like pieces and served it with segmented grapefruit and a dusting of chile powder. I had the salad in the winter, but I was instantly transported to summer and I knew I needed to make a summer "slaw" out of the cool, crunchy, white jicama. Mango adds sweet-tartness to this traditional Mexican combination of citrus and jicama. Grating jicama gives this side dish the texture of an American slaw and is a welcome change from the cabbage and mayo slaws that we eat all summer.

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]]>barbecue-and-grillingfeature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-08-20T10:50:00Z"Company's Coming!" Grilling Menuhttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/29/grilling-menu-for-company/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/29/grilling-menu-for-company/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/29/grilling-menu-for-company/#comments
Bruschetta with tomatoes and basil
Getty Images

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares her recipes for Bacon Bruschetta, Grilled Mushroom Salad with "Rocket" and Comte Cheese and Double-Cut Veal Chops with Lemon-Garlic Butter.

About the Grilling Menu for Company

Company's coming and you feel like doing something extra special. Or, you want to show off your culinary chops and know that the grill is your best tool to make a "Top Chef" worthy meal. Whatever the occasion, this week's menu is one that I make over and over again. It's familiar, yet a twist on all the classics.

Bruschetta with Bacon, Tomatoes and Basil

Traditional tomato-topped bruschetta is made better with the addition of grilled bread and bacon -- almost like an open faced BLT. And, since everything tastes better with bacon, Bacon Bruschetta is a real crowd-pleaser! Use vine-ripened cherry tomatoes and the best bacon you can find. I like using Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon or Nueske's bacon. Here are a couple of tricks for cooking it perfectly. Chop the raw bacon into 1/2 -inch pieces and saute it on a low medium heat to prevent burning. It is easier to cook, takes less time and is already chopped for the recipe. Or, if you have access to a deep-fryer, frying whole slices of bacon renders the fat, and makes it crispy and golden brown in mere minutes; it's foolproof! I sometimes fry the whole pound of bacon, let it cool and store it in the refrigerator until I have a recipe that I want to use it in. Ten seconds in the microwave and it's hot again and ready to top the bruschetta.

The bread can be grilled in advance, but the tomato topping is best thrown together at the last minute and placed on slices of grilled bread as you serve it to your guests. You can also serve the components separately -- a platter of grilled bread and a bowl of the topping -- and let your guests top their own bread at their leisure.

Grilled Mushroom Salad with "Rocket" and Comte Cheese

If you like mushrooms, you will love this salad -- I love all kinds of mushrooms and this is as good with portobello mushrooms as it is with more exotic mushrooms. The magic of this simple salad is that the hot grilled mushrooms wilt the greens and warm the cheese. I had a similar salad while I was visiting Provence during cèpe season. After one bite, I knew that it was going to be one of the culinary souvenirs of the trip. I make this salad all year long with whatever mushrooms are in season and the king oyster mushrooms are the closest that I have found to the French cèpes. The "rocket" greens are simply arugula, a.k.a., "rocket" in Europe -- I'm not sure why arugula is called rocket, but I love the sound -- and taste -- of it!

Since it is important to serve this salad fresh and hot-off-the-grill, I grill the mushrooms a few minutes before the veal chops are ready to come off and assemble the salad as the chops are resting. That way, I can serve the salad and the chops at the same time -- both at their perfect temperature.

Double-Cut Veal Chops with Lemon-Garlic Butter

Double-cut veal chops are pure indulgence. I recently tried Strauss Veal and highly recommend you buy it, if it is available in your area. Strauss is free-raised and the meat is sweet and delicate, while still being meaty!

Besides buying pristine chops, the secret to success with this recipe is in the finish. You grill the chops using the Grilling Trilogy of olive oil, salt and pepper until they are golden brown and well marked on both sides, and a medium-rare temperature inside. I use a combination of direct and indirect heat to make sure that I don't overcook the veal and I generally give the chops crosshatch marks since this is my fancy "company's coming" menu and they never fail to flip those appetites into high gear! (the directions for making crosshatch marks are in the recipe). As soon as the chops come off the grill, they are doused with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and brushed with melted oregano-garlic butter on both sides. As the meat rests, the lemon juice and garlic-butter is absorbed and since it is not cooked, it gives the chops a fresh bright flavor. The chops are brushed with the butter once more before serving and served with a slice of lemon for squirting just before digging in!

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]]>barbecue-and-grillingfeature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-07-29T16:28:00ZA Trio of Kabobshttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/23/kabob-recipes-elizabeth-karmel/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/23/kabob-recipes-elizabeth-karmel/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/23/kabob-recipes-elizabeth-karmel/#comments
Grilled Iltalian Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Kabobs
Taming the Flame

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares her recipes for Italian Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Kabobs, Patio Daddy-O Shish Kabobs and Grilled Tropical Fruit Kabobs.

About the Menu of Kabobs

Chances are, since we are smack dab in the middle of summer, you've had your fill of hamburgers and hot dogs and maybe even done some of your own backyard smoking -- I hope you made last week's North Carolina-style barbecue pork sandwiches!
But what's done is done, and now it's time to get a little retro and make a trio of kabobs. This week's menu is both good eatin' and fun! This is the excuse you've been looking for to invite a bunch of friends over to drink fruity beverages and eat food on a stick.

You can set up your party two different ways: You can assemble all the kabobs in advance, or, you can set out all the fixings and have your guests assemble their own kabobs. Either way, you'll want to grill them once everyone has arrived.

Start with the Italian Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Kabobs

I like to grill the kabobs in stages. Grill the Italian Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Kabobs, place them on a platter and let your guests dig in while they are hot. Kabobs are easy to eat while standing or can be placed on individual plates and served table-side. Sometimes, I make twice as many mini-kabobs so that they are even easier to eat while standing and sipping on a drink of your choice. You can buy 6-inch bamboo skewers or put half as many ingredients on your metal skewer. Regardless, the easiest way to build the kabob is to use what I call my "Ladder Technique." That refers to using two skewers on either side of the food so the food doesn't twirl around like a wheel on an axis. This method makes it a cinch to turn the kabobs once halfway through the cooking time and get everything browned and caramelized on both sides.

Move on to the Lamb Shish Kabobs

I start on the second set of kabobs, my Patio Daddy-O Shish Kabobs, about five minutes after everyone has finished their first kabobs. That means that the next course comes off the grill 5 to 10 minutes after guests have had the first round of kabobs and everyone is generally ready to eat again. Even though kabobs are a one-stop meal -- meat, veggies, starch, all on a stick -- if you want to serve an extra side, this is the time to do it. And, I always serve these at the table because a knife and fork makes the meat easier to eat.

Finish with the Grilled Fruit Kabobs for Dessert

When everyone is almost finished with the main kabobs, it's time to put the Grilled Tropical Fruit Kabobs on the grill. I always assemble the dessert kabobs in advance because by the end of the evening, no one wants to make their own food. You will want to make sure the cooking grates are brushed well and all the residue of the previous kabobs has burned away. A clean cooking grate makes grilling fruit simple -- almost foolproof. Grill the fruit until lightly marked and warmed through. You can dip them back into the marinade for a little flavor bath and/or serve them with coconut ice cream and your favorite bittersweet chocolate truffles for a perfect ending to a perfect summer evening.

Now You're a Kabob Pro

Once you try these recipes, you can make any kind of kabobs. In fact, at the end of the summer when the gardens are bursting with produce, I love taking anything I have on hand, cubing it, brushing it with oil and letting everyone pick and choose to make their own kabobs. The only rule is to put foods on the same stick that take the same amount of time to cook. For example, you would never want to combine potatoes and shrimp on the same skewer because the shrimp will take very little time and the potatoes will take a lot longer.

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]]>barbecue-and-grillingfeature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-07-23T13:07:00ZNorth Carolina Pulled Pork Menuhttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/16/north-carolina-pulled-pork-sandwiches-with-coleslaw-and-corn/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/16/north-carolina-pulled-pork-sandwiches-with-coleslaw-and-corn/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/16/north-carolina-pulled-pork-sandwiches-with-coleslaw-and-corn/#comments
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Taming the Flame

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares her recipes for North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Lexington Coleslaw, and Grilled Corn in the Husk.

The Secret to North Carolina Pulled Pork

"In my mind, I'm going to Carolina...!" Can't ya just smell the pork smoke?

It wouldn't be summer without at least one all-day North Carolina Pulled Pork cookout. This is the day that I fire up the Primo charcoal grill, make a pitcher of whatever cold beverage I am in the mood for and relax as the pork cooks slowly, becoming meltingly tender inside and cracklin' crunchy on the outside.

North Carolina-style pulled pork is -- at its essence -- pure pork. It's cooked slowly at a low temperature and kissed with hickory wood. Hickory wood is used because it's a common tree in the Lexington area of North Carolina. If you don't have hickory chips, you can use apple. Apple is a little sweeter but it has a wonderful natural affinity for smoking pork.

Start with a bone-in Boston Butt or pork shoulder. Contrary to what it sounds like, the "Butt" comes from the shoulder! You can buy a boneless butt but the best way to tell if it is done and ready to "pull" is when the bone slips out of the "roast" with ease and is clean-as-a-whistle! This is my favorite moment of making pulled pork, and no matter how many times I've made it, it never loses its thrill.

Before you put the Butt over a medium-low indirect heat -- about 300 F -- you want to season it liberally with kosher salt and black pepper. That's all they use in North Carolina and that's all you need. Make sure the gray-ashed charcoal is raked to either side and the pork is set over a drip pan. Add a few handfuls of wet wood chips and close the lid. Don't peak for at least the first 45 minutes -- you want the meat to absorb the maximum amount of wood smoke, and every time you lift the lid, you let the smoke escape and the grill temperature drops. After the first hour, you can add a little more wood and you may need more charcoal if you are cooking on a traditional Weber kettle. The basic rule is to add charcoal every hour but I've found that to be unnecessary with a Kamado-style (Primo or Big Green Egg) charcoal grill.

Once the Butt has formed it's great burnished crust, the smoke will not penetrate the meat so there is no need to keep adding wood.

While the pork is cooking, it's a perfect time to make the North Carolina-style vinegar sauce and the Lexington Coleslaw (dressed with the same sauce) that will top the sandwich.

Overall, the pork should take 4 to 5 hours depending on the size, but it's not an exact science. It might take longer and it might take a little less time. Make sure the internal temp is no less than 190 F and that the bone comes out clean-as-a-whistle. Let the pork rest about 20 minutes and then you are ready to pull it or chop it (if you have to). These days, chopped pork is quicker for restaurants and a cleaver looks more dramatic than two forks pulling against the grain of the pork. However, I still prefer the old-fashioned "pulled" pork, even if it takes longer. I discard any connective tissue or veins that are still present and carefully pull off the crispy cracklin' fat to chop or break into pieces and add at the end.

Once the pork is chopped and dressed, I usually cover it with foil and put it into a low oven (225 F) to keep warm. Toss it occasionally to mix the sauce and the meat and it can stay in the oven for up to 2 hours. It can also be pulled and dressed days in advance and kept either cold in the fridge or even frozen. Never re-heat in a microwave or over a direct high heat. You don't want to scorch the pork! You can re-heat in a double boiler -- like I grew up doing -- but be forewarned that it requires patience. Or, simply cover it with foil and place it in a gentle oven, stirring it from the bottom every so often.

Simple Grilled Corn on the Side

Because it takes the better part of the day to cook, I want the dinner table focus to be on the pork and so I only serve the simplest side dishes. This time of year, I like to buy corn at the farmer's market and soak it in a big barrel of cool water. While the pork is being pulled, I give the corn a quick shake to get the excess water off of it, then put it on the cooking grates of the grill over direct medium heat. I turn the ears of corn a few times to make sure that all the sides benefit from the direct heat but the real beauty of grilling corn this way is that the water that is collected by the corn silk ends up steaming the corn and giving it a super-sweet taste enhanced by the silk and the husk. I don't shuck them, rather serve them on a big platter, letting everyone shuck -- much easier after grilling -- and slather their own ears with sweet cream butter and a touch of fleur de sel. A good friend of mine, a farm boy at heart, can eat five ears himself when prepared this way. And, remember, the fresher the corn, the less time it takes to cook.

Time to Serve the Barbecue!

When you are ready to eat, place a heaping mess of the hot pork on one side of a classic white hamburger bun -- no sesame seeds, please! Using a slotted spoon, place a generous spoonful of the coleslaw on top of the pork. Put the top bun on the sandwich and take a big bite. Soft bread, hot smoky, tender pork and cold crunchy slaw also dressed with the slightly spicy apple-cider vinegar sauce is a bite to behold. "In my mind, I'm going to Carolina..."

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]]>barbecue-and-grillingfeature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-07-16T15:02:00ZA Lean and Clean Grilling Menuhttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/09/lean-and-clean-grilling-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/09/lean-and-clean-grilling-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/07/09/lean-and-clean-grilling-menu/#comments

Getty Images

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares her recipes for Couscous with Grilled Vegetables, Grilled Bone-In Chicken Pieces, and White Peaches Marinated in Balsamic Syrup.

About this Light Grilling Menu

Last week was the Fourth of July and if you are like me, chances are that you indulged your craving for hamburgers, hot dogs, wings, barbecued ribs and all your favorite summertime treats. But just because you feel like a little dietary restraint is in order doesn't mean you have to put the grill away. It's just as easy to make great tasting, "lean and clean" grilled foods as it is to make burgers and dogs.

Quick and Easy Grilled Vegetables with Couscous

In the summer, I love making extra grilled vegetables to use in other recipes, such as my Couscous with Grilled Vegetables, all week long. Start with your favorite seasonal vegetables, grill them in larger pieces and when they are nicely marked and cooked through, remove them from the grill and chop them into small enough pieces to mix with the couscous. Once the couscous is done, I let it sit so all the flavors meld. You can also make this the night before but I like to take it out of the fridge for a little while to take the chill off. This couscous also makes a perfect picnic dish -- portable, colorful and delicious

The Secret to Perfect Grilled Chicken

I most often pair the couscous with simple Grill-Roasted Chicken. It's easy to prepare and hits the spot on a hot summer's night. Buy the best quality chicken and simply brush it lightly with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. The oil and salt are essential, the pepper is optional.

Now, here's the biggest secret: Most people cook bone-in chicken pieces over direct heat, resulting in chicken that is burned on the outside and raw on the inside. Use indirect heat and you won't even need to turn the chicken. Put them on about an hour before you want to eat. Depending on the size of the pieces, they will take between 35 to 55 minutes to cook through. (According to the USDA, chicken is done when the dark meat reaches 180-185 F and the white meat is 160-165 F.) Let the chicken pieces rest for at least five minutes and serve with the couscous.

Sweet Grilled Peaches with Balsamic Syrup for Dessert

While the chicken is grilling, it's the perfect time to make White Peaches Marinated in Balsamic Syrup for dessert. This balsamic marinade and syrup is great for all stone fruit but I use it most often with white peaches. I love the sweet tangy marinade and the blush of color it gives the white flesh. Once the fruit has been marinated and is ready to grill, reduce the marinade until it is syrupy and sweet.

Grill the peaches over a direct medium heat on a very clean cooking grate for a few minutes until the peaches are marked and warmed through. I usually do this while the chicken is resting and serve the peaches at room temperature one of two ways: over vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of the syrup or with a drizzle of heavy cream and a drizzle of the balsamic syrup.

More from KitchenDaily:
Watch videos on how-to grill over indirect heat and how to grill over direct heat.
See how to grill vegetables.
Get additional grilled chicken recipes.
]]>barbecue-and-grillingfeature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-07-09T13:46:00ZBarbecued Ribs, Grilled Corn & Tomatoeshttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/25/barbecued-ribs-grilled-corn-and-tomatoes-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/25/barbecued-ribs-grilled-corn-and-tomatoes-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/25/barbecued-ribs-grilled-corn-and-tomatoes-menu/#comments
barbecued pork ribs
Taming the Flame

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares recipes that she says are perfect for the 4th of July or any lazy summer day. They include The Cooks' Ribs (barbecued pork ribs), Fire-Roasted Corn with Smoked-Paprika Butter and Tumbled Tomatoes.

About the Lazy Days of Summer Menu

If someone asked me to capture summer in three words, the three words would be tomatoes, corn and ribs! So, it should come as no surprise that my favorite "lazy days of summer" menu features these three ingredients. This is a menu to make and to savor when time is on your side -- when you have nothing pressing and nothing better to do than spend the day in the backyard barbecuing The Cook's Ribs. Because the ribs need the luxury of time, the rest of the menu is quick and easy.

An Easy Make-Ahead Dish: Tumbled Tomatoes

To make the Tumbled Tomatoes, I wash cherry tomatoes with cold water and grind a mixture of sea salt, dehydrated garlic and herbes de Provence over them as I tumble them -- hence the name -- in a bowl. The trick is put the herb mixture its own salt grinder. Grinding a fine layer of the seasoning over the tomatoes allows the mixture to dry easily and form the essential flavor crust on the outside of the tomato.

The Tumbled Tomatoes are best made the day before you serve them because the longer they sit in the fridge, the better the salt and herb crust gets. They are at their best when the crust is completely dry on the outside skin of the tomatoes. In the summer, I buy heirloom cherry tomatoes so that my bowl has a rainbow of color and shapes. If you can't find them, the recipe is equally good made with any grape or cherry tomato. These tomatoes are addictive -- but, hey, it's a healthy addiction! They might look plain but they pack a flavor punch and every time I serve them, I am asked for the recipe. In fact, I suggest you make twice what you think you need because no one can eat just one.

Smokey-Paprika Butter Makes Grilled Corn Special

While you are in the kitchen tumbling the tomatoes, it's the perfect time to whip up the Smoked-Paprika Butter for the Fire-Roasted Corn. This three-ingredient compound butter is a perfect example of how a little effort can up your eating ante. We all put butter on our corn, and it is good. Add a little smoked paprika and garlic salt to the butter and it is GREAT! The butter can be mashed and mixed together the day before and stored in the fridge until ready to use.You can form the butter into a roll or put it in a small bowl -- or, if you are ambitious, shape it in a butter or candy mold. Anyway you serve it, once it melts on the fire-roasted corn, it will make the dish.

Making Perfect Grilled Ribs

But the real reason for this menu is the ribs. You'll start the night before, seasoning the ribs and placing them in the refrigerator. Early the next day, you'll build your charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Yes, you can make these on a gas grill! I do it all the time with a smoker box and real wood chips. I like using apple or hickory wood but you can use whatever wood you like except for mesquite, which is too acrid for the long, slow smoking time. Once the chips are smoking, make sure the fire is low -- the temperature should be between 225° to 250° F. The ribs will take about six hours to make -- this is the original slow food and sooooo worth it. You can make baby-back ribs in a third of the time, and they are good, but these are really special.

I learned to make these ribs when I was a member of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest competition barbecue team "Swine and Dine." The two head "cooks" made these ribs for themselves -- thus the name. Once they'd fed their team with hundreds of racks of ribs, they'd sit back, pop a cold one and keep cooking "The Cooks' Ribs," until the magic of a marinade "bath," honey and two more hours produced mind-blowingly great 'cue. The ribs are smoked slowly and "bathed" in a hot marinade every hour to build up layers of flavor and create the most intense barbecued "bark" of any ribs that I have ever eaten. The outside bark will be very dark, almost black, and will be sweet and savory and slightly chewy with perfectly tender-to-the-bone, smoke-ring pink meat on the inside. About two hours before serving, the racks of ribs are drizzled with honey and sprinkled with a little more rub before being wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum foil for the final journey to rib nirvana. This wrapping step is crucial: As my barbecue buddy, Gary Pantlik, one of the former Swine and Dine head cooks says about competition barbecue, "If you aren't wrappin', you're either lyin' or losin!"

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]]>barbecue-and-grillingfeature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-06-25T16:50:00ZAn Elegant Early Summer Cookouthttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/17/elegant-early-summer-cookout-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/17/elegant-early-summer-cookout-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/17/elegant-early-summer-cookout-menu/#comments
grilled antipasto platter
Jamie Tiampo

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares her recipes for Grilled Antipasto with Soprano Sauce, Cedar-Planked Barbecue Salmon and Maple-Rum with Toasted Coconut Ice Cream.

About this Light Summer Menu

It's summertime and the farmers' markets are bursting! Even this early in the season, it is exciting to go to the market and see what the farmers have brought in this week. During this peak time for vegetables, I make a grilled antipasto platter, a.k.a. a grilled veggie platter, every week. I pick up whatever the local farmers are offering and I supplement those veggies with my favorite year 'round fare, such as mushrooms, scallions and sweet potatoes.

The Secret to Great Grilled Vegetables

The trick to my Grilled Antipasto with Soprano Sauce is in the sauce. I grill my favorite vegetables simply using the "Grilling Trilogy" of olive oil, salt and pepper and lay them on a platter. While they are still warm, I brush them with my "secret" Soprano sauce. The salty-savory sauce soaks into the veggies infusing them with loads of flavor (the "secret" ingredient are the anchovy fillets). I love setting the platter out before my guests arrive because it is so colorful and beautiful. I serve it as an appetizer or as my vegetable side dish, depending on what kind of party it is. The vegetables change with my whim and with the season but the all-purpose sauce of pureed olive oil, anchovies, garlic and capers never varies. It goes with everything.

Sometimes I make a whole meal of the grilled antipasto served with grilled hearty Ciabatta bread, which I also brush with the sauce. Veggies, bread and wine make a perfect picnic or light summer supper. The best part is that you can grill everything early in the day while you are getting your house together, arrange the veggies on a platter, sauce them up and they are party perfect.

Make the Maple-Rum Pineapple Dessert Before Dinner

Grill the pineapple slices for the Maple-Rum Pineapple with Toasted Coconut Ice Cream while you are grilling the veggies. Make sure you grill the pineapple over very clean cooking grates or the sugar might burn and stick. Take the pineapple slices off the grill, brush a final time with the maple-rum glaze and they'll be ready for dessert when you are.

Barbecued Salmon is Surprisingly Easy to Make

When its time to grill your dinner, you'll only have one thing left to do: Make the Cedar-Planked Barbecued Salmon, which is a snap to prepare. The hardest thing about this dish is making sure you soak the cedar plank for 20-30 minutes before it's time to cook the fish. You want to buy a 2-pound fillet of salmon instead of salmon steaks for this recipe. Place the seasoned fish skin-side down on the soaked plank, put it on the grill, and let it cook without turning. Easy Peasy!

I generally brush the fish lightly with my favorite barbecue sauce during the final ten minutes of cooking to give it a shiny glaze and a burst of flavor. You can use any kind of sauce you like; Teriyaki is great, as is pesto or Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Salmon is a chameleon and works well with almost any global flavor profile. The cedar plank scents the fish with a delicate woodsy flavor and provides a serving platter. I love serving the fish on the rustic, slightly charred plank -- it makes me feel like I'm camping, even in my own backyard!

More from KitchenDaily:
Learn how to peel and cut a pineapple
Get additional information on plank grilling.
Get Elizabeth Karmel's Steakhouse at Home menu.
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Browse all barbecue and grilling recipes.
]]>barbecue-and-grillingfeature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-06-17T16:25:00ZElizabeth Karmel's Steakhouse at Home Menuhttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/11/elizabeth-karmels-steakhouse-at-home-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/11/elizabeth-karmels-steakhouse-at-home-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/11/elizabeth-karmels-steakhouse-at-home-menu/#comments
Grilled Steak
Taming the Flame

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares her recipes for Grilled Romaine with Blue Cheese Dressing, Steak Jack and Diane with Whiskey Butter and Dirty Bananas with Bittersweet Chocolate.

About Elizabeth Karmel's Steakhouse at Home Menu

Steak is hands-down America's favorite food to grill. And, I love grilling steaks on the weekend because it feels like a celebration -- grilling steaks is as close as you can get to a vacation without leaving your own backyard!

I gather all my friends, pop open a bottle of bubbly and make cooking a group activity -- even if all they have to do is keep me company. This menu is my favorite Saturday or Sunday summer night meal. It includes all the greats from your favorite steakhouse made simply yet exploding with flavor. Even better, most of the work can be done ahead of time. The compound butter that gives my Steak Jack and Diane that finishing touch and the homemade blue cheese dressing for the Grilled Romaine Salad can both be made days in advance. And even though they take a little effort to make from scratch, both the butter and the dressing really make the meal special. The Dirty Bananas with Bittersweet Chocolate can be made and frozen up to a week in advance and baked a few hours before your dinner.

I created my Steak Jack and Diane for a cooking contest; it was a play on the French Steak Diane, but as a Southern gal, I chose whiskey instead of cognac and a compound butter instead of a French sauce. At first, I had a difficult time mixing the "Jack" (Jack Daniel's) with the butter as we all know that oil and water don't mix. Then, I realized if I soaked the shallots in the Jack, I could mix the shallots into the butter and as it melted on the grilled steak, I would get a nice burst of whiskey flavor. The technique worked so well that I created a whole range of butters that include wine and alcohol when I wrote Soaked, Slathered and Seasoned.

4 Tips for the Perfect Grilled Steak

Your backyard steak can be made perfect by employing a few tips.

1. Buy a steak that is at least 1.5 inches thick. You can share the steak if you think it is too big but this thickness will ensure that it is medium rare and juicy inside and beautifully seared on the outside.

2. Always remove the surface moisture from the steak before you grill it -- I do this by wrapping the raw steak in paper towels.

3. Brush a thin layer of olive oil over the entire steak; this will promote caramelization -- those great grill marks! -- and also keep your steak juicy and help prevent sticking.

4. Finally, I sprinkle my steak with coarse kosher salt just before grilling.

Grill Timing and Temperature

You can grill over a direct medium heat, about five minutes per side or you can sear the steaks over direct heat and finish cooking over a gentler indirect heat. You'll get great results either way. Most new grillers find confidence in cooking their steaks over direct heat for five minutes each side and most experienced grillers (including me) like to grill by the combo method which requires a little more finesse.

When the steak is done, remove it from the grill, place a slice of the whiskey butter on top and let the steak rest for at least five minutes so that all the juices can be re-absorbed and the butter can melt into a pool of yumminess!

While the steak is resting, place the romaine lettuce on clean cooking grates and grill just a few minutes on each side. You want the lettuce to be slightly charred on the outside but still crunchy and cool on the inside. Serve the salad with a generous dollop of the homemade blue cheese dressing and crumbled bacon. When it's time for dessert, just pull the assembled Dirty Bananas out of the fridge or freezer, pop them in the oven, bake and serve. Soooooo Goood! Is it Saturday yet?!

More from KitchenDaily:
See Elizabeth Karmel's grilled potatoes and lamb menu
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]]>feature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-06-11T13:25:00ZElizabeth Karmel's Grilled Potatoes and Lamb Menuhttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/03/grilled-potatoes-and-lamb-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/03/grilled-potatoes-and-lamb-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/06/03/grilled-potatoes-and-lamb-menu/#comments
grilled rack of lamb recpe
Elizabeth Karmel

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill. In this column, she offers up recipes for Luxurious Green Salad, Sparkling Roasted New Potatoes and Fresh Herb- and Panko Crusted Rack or Lamb.

About Elizabeth Karmel's Menu

I love lamb. My mother and grandmother always cooked a fresh leg of lamb for Easter, and the meal marked the end of winter and foreshadowed the excitement of summer for me. It meant backyard barbecues, going to the beach and long nights sitting outside listening to the crickets.

As I got older and started cooking myself, I gravitated to a frenched rack of lamb. Racks of lamb are easy to find, take a lot less time to cook than a leg and are quite reasonably priced for such an elegant and succulent cut. (If you belong to a Costco, try their rack of lamb. It is always pristine and a bargain to boot.)

The term "frenched" refers to the way the bones are cleaned by removing the scraps of meat and fat that connect the individual rib bones. It is easy to do yourself and quite satisfying once you get the hang of it (kind of like re-grouting your tub!) But it is just as easy to buy the rack of lamb already trimmed and frenched.

Lamb is often served with mint jelly, but it is a food pairing that no longer makes sense to me, except for the tradition of it: Mint jelly or mint sauces were served with older lamb or mutton to help disguise the gamey flavor. Lamb no longer has a flavor you need to cover up and I much prefer the combination of winey Dijon mustard, fresh herbs and breadcrumbs.

Tips on Making the Grilled Rack of Lamb

In my Fresh Herb and Panko-Crusted Rack of Lamb, I use panko crumbs (a very light Japanese breadcrumb) because I like the crispy-crunchy crust that they give the lamb. If you cook the whole rack, as indicated in the recipe, it will take about 45 minutes. If you prefer, you can cut a rack into single or double chops, coat them with the mustard-herb mixture and dredge them in the panko before grilling them -- just watch the grilling time as they will take much less time to cook than a whole rack.

Time to Try Grilled Potatoes

New potatoes are just the thing for lamb and my Sparkling Roasted New Potatoes are the best way to cook fresh, new potatoes. They are simply tossed in olive oil and coarse salt and slow-roasted over indirect heat until the skins puff up, the salt crusts over and sparkles like diamonds, and the inside is silky sweet. They are so good on their own that I don't recommend adding any butter, oil, sour cream or cheese. They are perfect in their simplicity.

The Simple Secrets of the Luxurious Green Salad

Speaking of simplicity, my favorite salad in the world is the French salade vert. The closest that I have ever gotten to making a perfect green salad at home is my Luxurious Green Salad. The trick is dressing Boston lettuce leaves or another very tender lettuce with just a touch of the best-quality olive oil you have and a sprinkling of sea salt, preferably fleur de sel. This way, you are highlighting the freshness and flavor of the lettuce and not overwhelming it with too much acid from vinegar or lemon juice. If you are like me, combining these three ingredients will have you eating salads everyday.

Timing Tips for this Grilled Menu

As noted, a whole rack of lamb will take about 45 minutes to cook; the potatoes will take between 30 and 40 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. When I make this dinner, I place the rack in the center of my cooking grate over indirect heat, come back inside, prep the potatoes and take them immediately outside and place them on the warming rack of my grill so they can grill-roast at the same time as the lamb cooks. That way, the potatoes are still hot and puffy when the lamb has rested and is ready to carve. And I like very rare lamb so I always take it off on the early side and let it rest a good 15 minutes for maximum juice re-absorption. I toss the salad together just before we eat so it doesn't get soggy.

More from KitchenDaily:
Get Elizabeth Karmel's Beer Can Chicken with Grilled Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes Menu and her recipes for Deviled Eggs, Burgers and Dessert Pizza
See tips on How to Buy Lamb

]]>feature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-06-03T15:40:00ZMemorial Day Grilling Menu: Deviled Eggs, Burgers and Dessert Pizzahttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/05/27/memorial-day-grilling-menu-deviled-eggs-burgers-dessert-pizza/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/05/27/memorial-day-grilling-menu-deviled-eggs-burgers-dessert-pizza/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/05/27/memorial-day-grilling-menu-deviled-eggs-burgers-dessert-pizza/#comments
grilled very berry pizz
Photo courtesy of Pizza on the Grill

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill. In this column, she shares her recipes for Straight-Up Deviled Eggs, a Build-Your-Own-Burger Bar, and grilled Very Berry Pizza.

About Elizabeth Karmel's Memorial Day Cookout Menu

It's finally here: the official start to grilling season -- although anyone who knows me knows that I grill year 'round! Still, Memorial Day is a great time to celebrate cooking outdoors. This year, I am making two of America's favorite foods -- hamburgers and pizza -- on America's favorite cooking appliance -- the grill, of course. The beauty of this menu is that is chock full of crowd-pleasers, and it can all be made in advance so you can have as much fun as your guests.

A Build-Your-Own-Burger Bar Makes Feeding a Crowd Easy

I love creating a Build-Your-Own-Burger Bar when I cook for a crowd. It's easy on the cook (me!) and lots of fun for my company. I make up a mess of patties in advance and simply fill the grill with them. When they are done, I put them on a platter and they join the buffet of buns, topping and condiments that I have laid out. Because there are so many fun and tasty ways to top the burgers, I always count on each person having two. You can mix it up a little and grill hot dogs, sausages and brats and let people top their dogs as creatively as their burgers.

Make-Ahead Deviled Eggs Cut Down on Day-of-Party Prep

The day before my cookout, I always make my Straight-Up Deviled Eggs while I am getting all the burger toppings together. The eggs actually taste better once all the flavors have had a chance to meld and marry in the refrigerator, and on the day of the party all I have to do is reach into the fridge and pull out the tray.

Skip the Oven: Make Grilled Very Berry Pizza for Dessert

This year, I discovered a new pizza crust yeast from Fleischmann's that lets you make fresh dough from start to finish in about five minutes. There is no waiting for the dough to rise and it doesn't snap back so it easy to roll out and grill. My Very Berry Pizza, from my book Pizza on the Grill: 100 Feisty Fire-Roasted Recipes for Pizza & More, is the perfect pizza for a party because you do everything in advance. You grill both sides of the crust before spreading the top with a sweetened ricotta cheese, crystallized ginger and lemon zest mixture and then topping with fresh berries. You can use any fruit, but I love the red, white and blue look for Memorial Day.

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]]>feature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-05-27T16:40:00ZBeer-Can Chicken with Grilled Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes Menuhttp://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/05/17/beer-can-chicken-with-grilled-asparagus-and-sweet-potatoes-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/05/17/beer-can-chicken-with-grilled-asparagus-and-sweet-potatoes-menu/http://main.kitchendaily.com/2010/05/17/beer-can-chicken-with-grilled-asparagus-and-sweet-potatoes-menu/#comments
Beer Can Chicken aka Beer Butt Chicken
Elizabeth Karmel

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill. For her first column, she serves up The Original Beer Can Chicken, Lip-Smackin' Grilled Asparagus and Sweet Potato "Chips" cooked on the grill.

About Elizabeth Karmel's Beer-Can Chicken Menu

My motto is "If you can eat it, you can grill it!" And, it came to me quite accidentally when I was teaching a rambunctious and enthusiastic group of Irish cooks at Darina Allen's famed Ballymaloe Cookery School in Country Cork. I was filled with excitement about my favorite American grill and barbecue recipes and the students were new to outdoor cooking and to the traditions of Southern barbecue. I used the phrase to explain my philosophy of using an outdoor grill as an alternative heat source -- it's another way to say everything tastes better when cooked on a grill.

The 100 students seemed to understand what I meant and over the course of the next two days, I introduced them to my favorite backyard fare. And, although I love every single food that comes hot off my grill, this simple meal of beer can chicken, grilled asparagus, and sweet potato chips is what I always fall back on and was the class favorite as well. So, I think it is fitting that I start this column off with my go-to grilled menu: one that's stunningly simple, virtually foolproof to prepare and infinitely satisfying.

I think Beer-Can Chicken is the best way to roast a whole chicken -- bar none. The beer steams and deepens the flavor of the meat, leaving it juicy and flavorful. Meanwhile, the vertical roasting of the bird allows the excess fat to render out of the skin, leaving it crisp and golden brown. It is the kind of chicken that I have seen friends attack with their bare hands and eat with abandon on more than one occasion. And every time I teach it in a class or make it for new dinner guests, I am surprised how many people have never cooked it or even seen it made. Since I have made it more times than I can remember, I sometimes think it is old hat and passé, but chicken this good should never become passé. It's a classic dish made with a new-fangled technique.

Beer-can chicken can be served with any number of vegetables and side dishes but my favorite combination is with simple grilled asparagus, and sliced and grilled sweet potato "chips," preferably cut from a Garnet sweet potato. The bright green of the asparagus and rich orange of the sweet potatoes complement the chicken and make a pretty plate as well. I often make a custardy creamed-corn cornbread to serve alongside these three dishes from the grill and you can grill that or bake it in the oven -- as you wish.

Tips for Making the Beer-Can Chicken, Grilled Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes


Simple Seasonings: Because the only seasonings I generally use are my "Grilling Trilogy[TM]" -- extra-virgin olive oil, Morton Kosher salt and pepper -- it is essential to buy the best quality raw ingredients you can find. You will discover that good ingredients don't need a lot of foolin' around with to taste great!

Timing the Menu: The chicken will take about two to five minutes to prep -- depending on your kitchen skill -- and up to 1 1/2 hours to cook over indirect heat if you have a large bird (about five pounds). You can cook the sweet potato chips on the warming rack of your grill while the chicken is grill roasting -- they will take about 40 minutes to cook through using indirect heat. The asparagus will take five to ten minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears, and you can cook that over direct heat just before the chicken is done or while it rests.

Advance Prep Options: The beauty of this meal is that every dish can be prepped up to one day in advance and kept refrigerated in individual sealed containers or re-closeable plastic bags ( be sure to use freezer bags, which are thicker and heavy-duty) .Clean the chicken and coat it with oil, but do not salt it or apply the rub until just before cooking. Clean and trim the asparagus and slice the potatoes and coat with oil -- as with the chicken, do not salt until just before cooking.

Notes on Beer-Can Chicken: You can use a chicken sitter or use a beer can. The chicken sitter will give you more stability but a beer-can is fun and great dinnertime theater. In each case, you want to make sure that the drumsticks are in front of the chicken -- they will act like a tripod for the chicken and will insure that the chicken is steady and won't topple over, as it gets "tipsy."

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]]>feature-barbecue-and-grillingElizabeth Karmel2010-05-17T18:31:00Z