Tales from the grill...

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Ha ha ha... I forgot to clarify... I was in Brownsville, TEXAS, at the time. Visiting a good friend of mine.
Monterrey is only about a two hour drive away from the border, btw.

Wow you must really like your friend. :)

But it still stands that there is a Brownsville Street in your town. How on earth did it get that name?
 

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
Wow you must really like your friend. :)

But it still stands that there is a Brownsville Street in your town. How on earth did it get that name?
We have plenty of american-named streets down here... for the same reason that you guys have plenty of mexican ones up there :) ... One of our main streets is named Washington, then there's Lincoln, Jefferson, etc...
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
This isn't exactly "from the grill", but here's my handiwork for all my Valentines earlier this month. I'm starting to get requests for these more often than just once a year.

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They're not as beautiful as the chocolate-covered strawberries you see online, but I'll bet they taste better than the pretty ones. Fresh chocolate on fresh berries is simply amazing. They're very easy to make but they require a lot of handling, so it takes a while to make this many (2 pints). I guarantee you'll score big points, though. Something to remember next time you're in the doghouse.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
These meals aren't really "from the grill" but I thought I'd share them here since there has been interest in low-carb meals. Maybe these can inspire some experiments.

Blackened scallops with green beans followed by Sam's meatballs, shrimp cocktail, and spinach sautéed with olive oil, a clove of garlic, and salt. Both of these meals are super easy and fast, and don't feel like diet food.

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Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
You guys are killing me. Scallops, another gift from the Gods. Spinich is always good and shrimp? More good things from the sea.

I have to share that this past summer was great. My upper teeth were shot and actually only a few remained. Not only could I not smile but things like ribs and corn on the cob were gone in my life with other great food. At my wife's urging I began looking at dentures and spoke to my daughter-in-law a dental hygienist and a good one. When all was said and done I opted for the Clear Choice implants. Like my daughter in law said, they cost what another good truck would cost or a very high end rifle but the reviews were great and I had good bone so I took the leap. I love food and was dying trying to gum prime beef or my fresh corn on the cob. Took a little over 6 months for the bone to grow around the screws but life is great! I am again enjoying all I missed over the last ten years as things slowly left my diet along with teeth. You really don't know what you have till it's gone. :)

Ron
 

killivolt

Joined Jan 10, 2010
835
You guys are killing me. Scallops, another gift from the Gods. Spinich is always good and shrimp? More good things from the sea.

I have to share that this past summer was great. My upper teeth were shot and actually only a few remained. Not only could I not smile but things like ribs and corn on the cob were gone in my life with other great food. At my wife's urging I began looking at dentures and spoke to my daughter-in-law a dental hygienist and a good one. When all was said and done I opted for the Clear Choice implants. Like my daughter in law said, they cost what another good truck would cost or a very high end rifle but the reviews were great and I had good bone so I took the leap. I love food and was dying trying to gum prime beef or my fresh corn on the cob. Took a little over 6 months for the bone to grow around the screws but life is great! I am again enjoying all I missed over the last ten years as things slowly left my diet along with teeth. You really don't know what you have till it's gone. :)

Ron
I like good foods and as with post #230, controlling the carbs and sugars. But, fat in abundance should be avoided along with just salt and pasta in a cup. Take the time to prepare and enjoy foods good for you.

Starting the BBQ and cooking a rib eye, veggies would be best but it's rice instead.

kv
 

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
It's settled... a ring arrangement of charcoals is the best way to keep an even heat distribution on a shell-shaped grill:

There is a much smaller temperature variation with the coals arranged in a ring, whereas the average temperature is almost the same in all three cases. So the simulations confirm what experiments have indicated: Arrange the coals in a ring for the most even heat in a conventional kettle grill.


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Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
The following two recipies are part of a dinner course that I traditionally prepare to (some of) my friends once a year. The only requirement is that it has to be done during cold season, so most of the time this dinner party takes place indoors, and during mid-January.



Mexican-Canadian Cheese and Beer Soup.
Why is it called this way? Well... because I named it myself! ... Many years ago, I found a much simpler variant of this recipe in an old cooking book, and its title then was simply: "Canadian Cheese and Beer Soup" ... but the truth is that after more than 15 years of preparating it for my friends (only once a year) it's gone through so many changes and tweaks that it no longer resembles a "purely Canadian" recipe anymore. In fact, among many other things (such as the preparation process) the serrano pepper changes the whole perspective of this dish. Maybe @MaxHeadRoom has something to say about this recipe.

Please excuse my lack of consistency in units for the following list:

Ingredients:
250 gr bacon slices
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 celery sprig
1/2 red onion
1 SMALL serrano pepper
1/4 c flour
1/3 butter stick
1-1/2 qt 2% milk
2 T chicken bouillon
1/4 ts powdered garlic
250 gr strong cheddar cheese
125 gr provolone cheese
2/3 c Stout beer (such as Goose Island Honker's Ale) do not use more than this quantity
1/4 c finely cut fresh parsely
1/2 t ground pepper
  • Dice the bell peppers, onion and celery and set apart.
  • Finely chop the serrano pepper (seeds and all) and set apart
  • In a deep saucepan, fry the bacon on the stove, set to medium high, until it's crunchy. Then remove it from the pan but DO NOT discard the fat. (you can eat the bacon right then and there if you like, it will not be used in the rest of the recipe)
  • Fry the chopped serrano pepper in the bacon fat for a minute or so, or until it starts to soften.
  • Add the diced veggies and stir until the onion turns transparent and begins to brown a little.
  • Remove the mix of veggies and fat from the saucepan, placing them in a bowl.
  • Set the stove to medium-low.
  • In the same saucepan, add the butter stick and wait until it melts.
  • Add the flour and keep stirring until it starts to brown
  • VERY SLOWLY add the milk, pouring small amounts while stirring, and waiting until it fuses with the butter-flour mix before adding another small amount.
  • After all of the milk has been added, and when the temperature is warm enough for the cheese to easily melt, add the cheese by shredding it directly on top of the saucepan, stirring constantly.
  • Add the beer, keep stirring.
  • Add the chicken bouillon, garlic powder and ground pepper.
  • Set the stove to low heat.
  • Vigorously stir the mix, using a hand blender.
  • Add the fried vegetables, and simmer for about 20 minutes (do not cover the saucepan), or until it starts to boil.
  • At this point, you may want to stir the mix again using the hand blender, or let it rest if you like more of a "chunky" texture
  • Turn off the stove, and allow the mix to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Once served, add the chopped parsley to taste as both garnish and condiment.

Serve with a side of toasted baguette slices. Feel free to tear the bread apart and add it to the soup to enhance its texture.

It keeps in the freezer in excellent state for a few weeks. In fact, the flavors become more intense if consumed one day after preparation.

Red wine is an excellent companion for this dish.


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Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
European Marinated Rib Steak
3 cups dry red wine
4 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons gin
1 medium onion, chopped
1 ts dried thyme
1 carrot, shredded
1 rib celery thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons juniper berries, crushed
2 teaspoons black peppercorns, crushed
To prepare the marinade, just combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.


Marinate a 6.5Kg (14 lbs) piece of Rib Steak using the recipe provided above inside an oven bag for at least 24 hours. In my personal experience, best results are obtained when the piece is bought directly from the butcher (who usually pulls it from the freezer and then hands it to you), put in the bag along with the marinade, and then let rest overnight inside a cooler. This way the meat will have attained its ideal temperature when it's time to put it in the oven.

In my case, I don't use an oven, I use a Crock-Pot BBQ Pit. It's one of my most precious possessions.

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