The Grill.
Memorial Holiday Weekend and iconic barbecue season.
The simplicity of the grill. The mastery of it.
Creativity reigns…but don’t let any raindrops spoil the smoker.
The Menu Shoppe has it covered…great finds for great grill menus.
Savory and sensational!
Rum Glazed Spare Ribs
1 rack spare ribs (3 to 4 lb.)2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup dark rum
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim excess fat off ribs and brush both sides with vegetable oil. In a bowl, mix brown sugar, paprika, cumin, pepper and salt. Rub mixture evenly over ribs. Place ribs in a large roasting pan and pour in 1 cup of water. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until tender, 1 1/2 hours. In a small pan, mix rum, sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove foil from roasting pan, pour off all but 1/2 cup of liquid in pan and pour rum mixture over ribs. Return pan to oven and continue baking–uncovered–turning ribs several times and basting with liquid in pan, until meat starts to pull away from bones and is very tender, about 1 hour. Add a little water as necessary to prevent scorching. Let the ribs rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes. Slice into individual portions, and serve hot–with barbecue sauce of choice.
Pure sweetness.
The secret is a spice rub, then marinade, then basting while on the grill.
Apricot-Pineapple Sweet Ribs
2 slabs baby back ribs (about 2 lb. each)Remove thin membrane from back of each slab by slicing into it and then pulling it off. (This will make ribs more tender.) Generously apply Rib Dry Rub on both sides of ribs, pressing gently to adhere. Light one side of grill, heating to 250° (low) heat; leave other side unlit. Place slabs, meat sides up, over unlit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 2 hours and 15 minutes, maintaining temperature inside grill between 225° and 250°F. Remove slabs from grill. Place each slab, meat side down, on a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. (Foil should be large enough to completely wrap slab).
Pour 1/2 cup of Rib Liquid Seasoning over each slab. Tightly wrap each slab in foil. Return slabs to unlit side of grill. Grill, covered with grill lid, 1 hour. Remove slabs; unwrap and discard foil. Brush Sweet Barbecue Glaze on both sides of slabs. Grill slabs, covered with grill lid, on unlit side of grill 15 minutes or until caramelized.
Master grillers might recommend Jack Daniel’s whiskey barrel chips for smoking.
Bourbon Smoked Chicken
2 quarts water9 tablespoons bourbon, divided
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 quarts ice water
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
3 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 small onion, quartered
1 small Fuji apple, cored and quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 (4-pound) whole chicken
2 cups applewood chips
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Combine 2 quarts of water, 1/2 cup bourbon, sugar, and kosher salt in a large Dutch oven, and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolve. Add ice water and next 7 ingredients
( through lemon ) and cool to room temperature. Add chicken to brine: cover and refrigerate
18 hours, turning the chicken occasionally. Soak wood chips in water for 1 hour; drain. Remove the chicken from brine: pat chicken dry with paper towels. Strain brine through a sieve; discard brine and reserve 2 apple quarters, 2 lemon quarters, 2 onion quarters, and garlic. Discard remaining solids. Sprinkle chicken cavity with pepper; add reserved solids to chicken cavity. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Tie legs.
Remove the grill rack, and set aside. Prepare the grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to high and leaving one side with no heat. Pierce the bottom of a disposable aluminum foil pan several times with the tip of a knife. Place pan on heat element on heated side of grill; add
1 cup wood chips to pan. Place another disposable aluminum foil pan
(do not pierce pan) on unheated side of grill. Pour 2 cups water in pan. Let chips stand for 15 minutes or until smoking; reduce heat to medium-low. Maintain temperature at 275°F.
Coat the grill rack with cooking spray; place on grill. Place chicken, breast side up, on grill rack over foil pan on unheated side. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon bourbon and butter; baste chicken with the bourbon mixture. Close lid, and cook for 2 hours at 275° or until thermometer inserted into meaty part of thigh registers 165°. Add remaining 1 cup wood chips halfway through cooking time. Place chicken on a platter; cover with foil.
Let stand for 15 minutes. Discard the skin before serving.
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