Grilled Zucchini a la Josh

Awhile back my good friendmily member, Josh Carroll had mentioned his grilled zucchini method to me. Now I have my way of doing things, but that doesn't mean it's the best way of doing things. Josh's method is awesome and I thought you should all get a chance to cheggitout! 

(L to R) Me, Josh, Mike eating escargot at the Mannequin Pis
in Brussels, Belgium.

Just to give you some background, I met Josh in Abilene, TX when I was stationed at Dyess AFB. It was not an instantly harmonious friendship, based on the fact that Josh was a life group leader at a local church who was trying to reach out to me and I was a stubborn butthole filled with deep feelings of anger and scars or distrust. I disliked Josh from the start--not because of him as a person, but because I disliked anyone who tried to reach out to me at the time. But Josh never gave up. His Godly servitude and his willingness to go the extra mile pulled me out of a miry pit and helped me plant my life and my family on a solid rock foundation. I owe him quite a bit. He challenged me spiritually in ways I had never felt before. We became insanely good friends and he is like a brother to me.
When my family got orders overseas to Germany, we let our lease run out on our house and stayed with Josh and his wonderful family (Erin "The Instigator" Carroll and his daughter, Sweet Jadyn) for about a month. This month was filled with Josh and I experimenting on the grill with sauces, random meats and random recipes. As a result H.E.B. stock values rose significantly, and I learned a few things.

1. You can grill anything.
2. Wives do not appreciate ginormous grocery bills on a nightly basis.
3. It's not all about the food. It's about the people, the community and friendships you create and nurture while creating and eating good food.

Okay, enough with the sappiness, let's get back to the food. These are Josh's recipe, method and pictures (which by-the-way make me miss the good times on that back patio).

Grilled Zucchini

Recipe by Josh Carroll

The idea with this recipe is to get the zucchini crisp on the outside, with nice grill marks, so it eats like a juicy little chip.

I cut 4-5 zucchinis into thin (1/8 - 1/4 inch) round slices on a moderate bias. I've done long strips, and they cook much easier and quicker but they always get floppy, so I prefer them chip style. Then I place them into a gallon-sized freezer bag with the following ingredients:

• 1/2 a lemon's juice
• 1 tbspn or so of white wine vinegar (lately I've been using a bottle that's infused with basil)
• 1 1/2 tbspns or so of paprika
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 tbspn dried Italian herbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Just enough good olive oil to cover everything

Then I squish and shake the baggie until all the zucchini is evenly coated and let it marinate on the counter for 20-30 mins while I prep whatever main course we're having, flipping the baggie a couple times. I suppose I could marinate in a bowl, but I like the baggie because I can see all the food, it's easier to keep some of the slices from getting soaked at the bottom, there's no clean-up, and I like the way it feels to squish everything around.

When it's time to cook, I place all the slices in a single layer on a grill sheet with small grates (foil with holes poked in it would work too, so long as the juices and oil can't pool), and put it on a hot grill. It usually takes two rounds to cook it all because it takes up so much real estate. And this is where I get really anal about this: Until I can rig up a thin, secure grill basket that will hold all these tiny pieces well enough and keep them close to the fire, I have to flip each slice individually. And I do. It's involved, but when I get it right, it's totally worth it.  The idea is to let each side just start to blister before pulling, about 4 mins per side over medium-high. If you wait too long, they'll burn, but when they're just past golden, they're prefect. And you can't achieve that golden crisp texture unless both sides get grill time. 


When I'm making these just for myself, I like to toss the finished chips in a small amount of the leftover marinade and some salt, but most people think that makes them too intense, so I usually just pull them and serve them hot off the grill.

I've made this recipe with garlic powder or bacon salt instead of fresh garlic, I've used all lemon instead of vinegar, and I've used balsamic and brown sugar.  They're all good.  Some red pepper or parmesan would be good too. I'll have to try that next time. Also, I don't recommend cooking this over wood or really smokey charcoal.  In fact, I only do it on a gas grill. It soaks up excessive smoke flavor waaaaay too easily.

 

 Josh, thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I am forever indebted to you and your amazing family. Not just for the food, obviously, but for the love, mentorship, fellowship and being one heck-of-an uncle to my little turd kids.

Veggie Grilling Tips for my Vegetarian Friends

In response to a question I received from a vegetarian reader, I will address a great and common question regarding veggies on the grill.  Here's the question:

"Aaron, can you pass on some tips for veggie grilling so that I can in turn pass them on to my hubby? :) He's usually in charge of the grilling but has been known to over char and turn all my veggies (also vegetarian) into a blackened crisp. Is it best to wrap most in tin foil or put them straight on the grill? Upper or lower racks? What herbs are your favorite? We tend to grill a lot of eggplant, zuc, yellow squash, mushrooms, asparagus and potatoes."

I find that if I can grill it, I will inevitably burn it at some point, so my advice is based on tons of failure. When I grill veggies I take out a big 'insurance policy' by using one or more of three things.

1. Grill Basket: This isn't always what the store calls a "grill basket" because those are usually just wire mesh that is almost the exact same thing as putting it on the grate itself. I guess it's technically a steam basket, but I use one of these (pictured right) . I got mine at IKEA for about 13 Euros. I have also gone as far as drilling holes in a metal mixing bowl (the wife was not very happy about that one). When you use this method, it allows the smokey flavors in, but keeps the scorching flames out. The high heat of the aluminum/steel sears the veggies a little too so they brown nicely.
2. Oil. I use a lot of olive oil when cooking veggies. This especially works when using the aforementioned grill basket.  Oils speed up the cooking process by taking on a higher level of controlled, consistent heat. As where air circulates, changes temp rapidly and is just downright unpredictable. Bottom line, lubricate with whatever you'd like. EVOO for great flavor but not all the fat. Butter for a lot of fat and a lot of flavor, and canola or vegetable oil if you like your grill to smoke really bad, cause a grease fire and smell like old fish. :)
3. Aluminum Foil: This is a griller's best friend. You can use it to protect your veggies from high heat/flame (as seen in the stuffed jalapeno recipe), or you can use it to wrap your corn (as seen in the pictures of the Thai Chili Burger recipe). I like using foil packs for veggies like corn on the cob and mushroom packs. I load the packet up with a quarter stick of butter (EVOO will work too), salt, pepper and garlic powder.--it comes out amazingly! It's also acceptable to just smack the cob right down on the grill! Pay close attention to the charring and keep it rolling to help it cook evenly. Corn is good at speaking for itself but is also easily enhanced. 

When experienced grill cooks cook meat, they often use the "DON'T TOUCH IT!" method.  Well, veggies are almost the exact opposite. Vegetables aren't made to me grilled, they're perfect as-is. So you have to treat them a little differently from meat. Take a tip from Japanese steakhouse chefs and use the "KEEP IT MOVING!" method. If you're using the grill basket method, keep stirring the veggies with a fork, tongs, etc. If you're making corn in foil or in the raw, keep it rolling. If you're using bare veggies like sliced eggplant, pay attention to your heat and keep it flipping. You want it firm, but not raw. It is possible to replace a beef patty completely with a well cooked, thick slice of eggplant. 

As far as using the upper or lower racks, I assume you're talking about a gas grill. I don't own a gas grill, but I am moderately experienced at using them at work and at friends' houses. The upper rack of a gas grill is a great place for veggies, but not the fastest way to get the job done. As opposed to the bottom grates, you'll probably double your cooking time. Just use the methods above and you should just have to use your top shelf as a warming shelf.

My little sweet basil leaves poking out of
the dirt. I'll be eating them soon!

Oh herbs...I love 'em all, really. But if I had to pick a favorite for grilling, I'd pick basil. Basil is one of those herbs that is good even if you mess it up. I have completely charred basil before and the aroma and smoke from the leaves added a lot to the dish.  I don't recommend burning it, but if you do, you're safe. My favorite way to use basil is to cut up an entire grill basket of zucchini, yellow squash, onion, button mushrooms, cherry/grape tomatoes and russet reds. Add about 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Take about 5 leaves of basil and bruise them (roll them in your hands a few times). toss them in and stir until everything is coated. Place full basket on the grill and let them cook until the potatoes are about 80% done. All other veggies will be perfect and the the potatoes will continue to cook on their own until done. The basil makes everything taste awesome. 

I hope this helps everyone in grilling some amazing vegetables. Just have fun with it and experiment! 

Grilled, Stuffed Jalapenos

Hey Everyone,
Here's a quick, easy one to spice up your next cookout.
Ingredients:

• 6 Large Jalapenos, T-Cut, seeded (I'll explain later)
• 1 Small/medium Jalapeno, topped, seeded, minced
• 1 Small Red Onion (finely chopped)
• 8 Slices of Bacon, any variety, chopped. Pork Belly would work too.
• 1 Block of Cream Cheese (8oz)
• 1tsp Salt
• 1tsp Garlic Powder
• A few grinds of Pepper

Method:

Got these abnormally large jalapenos at the commissary.
Pretty sure they were grown under power lines or by a
nuclear power plant. But they were perfect for stuffing!

1. Prepare you 6 Large Jalapenos by making a t-cut in the pepper. You can do this by slicing the top of the pepper 3/4 of the way through, almost cutting off the top but not quite. Then slice the face of the pepper from top to tip on one side. The Jalapeno will then tightly flap open and you can remove all ribs and seeds from the inside. *WARNING* I know jalapenos are not that hot, but the oils from jalapenos will stick to your fingers for days and will make themselves known at the worst of times, i.e. using the restroom, picking your nose, rubbing your eyes, and more seriously, when touching your children and preparing their food. Bottom line, it can hurt you and others around you if mishandled, so WEAR GLOVES!!!
2. begin to fry your chopped bacon. When about halfway finished (it won't take long) toss in your finely chopped onion, and minced jalapeno. When bacon is finished to your liking, place all pan contents on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease.
3. Place cream cheese in bowl. Add salt, pepper, garlic and all ingredients from paper towel (bacon, onion, minced jalapeno). Stir to combine thoroughly.
4. Use your fingers to hold t-cut jalapenos open and use a teaspoon or fork to pack the peppers full of your tasty, bacon-packed filling. If it looks a little sloppy, that's okay. No problem.
5. Place on a medium heat grill over direct heat until charred black spots appear on the flesh of the pepper.  Remove from fire and serve alongside any steak, ribs, or burgers you want!

Even if they look a little sloppy, it's okay. The grill will
make them look great!

A concern people always have is "I don't like spicy things." Well you're in luck! If you want it less spicy, just remove the minced jalapeno portion from the stuffing mix and this will be a minimally spicy recipe. If you're worried about it being in a jalapeno, don't worry about that either. 

When a jalapeno is grilled and the seeds and ribs are removed, most of the oils are transferred into the cream cheese. I won't get into the chemistry of it all, but the short of it is that milk neutralizes capsaicin (the chemical that makes your mouth burn). So, the cream cheese (dairy) will neutralize almost all of the spiciness from the cooked jalapeno. You are left with the flavor of the fruit (jalapeno) which is rather nice. This recipe takes about 10 minutes for prep and about 5-8 minutes for cook time on the grill.

This fire was especially hot, so I made a few bumps in some foil to keep them in place and to protect them from the heat. Worked great! 

It's All About the Sauce!

I grew up in Mid Missouri. I'm not a huge fan of the town I grew up in. I'm also not a fan of most of the food in this unmentioned town. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, but out of the hundreds of restaurants in the town, there were very few that took advantage of the unique position that the map had placed them. If someone from my town were to head east on I-70, they would hit St. Louis and some of the best regional BBQ in the US. The Memphis style with St. Louis blues go hand-in-hand. If they would head west on I-70, they would have hit Kansas City: home of world renown holes in the wall/diamonds in the rough like Oklahoma Joe's, Arthur Bryant's, Gate's Bar B.Q. and some of the most soulful people you'll ever want to meet. While you're there, you can visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum which makes everything better because baseball and BBQ are America! Kansas City is also home to the American Royal Championship every year.

All this sauce and smoke within two hours and only one decent BBQ joint in the town of my upbringing. We were smack-dab in the middle of BBQ Country and only one lonely BBQ Joint/Smokehouse in the entire budding community. There may be more now. I haven't been back in a few years, but everyone wanted the chain eateries that brought in foreign pop culture so they could feel well-rounded I guess. These places were good, but they lacked real depth of culture. What says culture more than heading to Kansas City, visiting the Negro League Baseball Museum, then walking over to Arthur Bryant's for a "sandwich?" I call it a "sandwich" because it's a slice of white bread with a 4"-6" heap of meat on it with another slice on top. I was never able to eat it as a sandwich because it was just too massive. The bread was there to mop up the extra sauce on the plate. The last time I was there, they had 3 types of sauce. They were all amazing!

When I grew up and joined the military, I was moved down to Abilene, TX. Texas is a mix of several types of BBQ but one thing is for sure: It's smokey and it's delicious.  It seems that in Texas, if you were to throw a rock and not hit a BBQ/Smokehouse, you probably hit a Mexican restaurant. But sometimes it was a Mexican place that had a severe Texas smoke influence. It was awesome.

I feel fortunate to have eaten so much BBQ in my short 26 years but there is one problem. I have eaten so much of this BBQ that my styles are mixed and confusing. I like my sauce to be Kansas City Sweet, my rubs to be Memphis dry and all of it to be Texas mesquite smokey. The problem is that I have no regional style. The anti-problem is that all of these regional styles smash together into a no holds barred grill fest that has not received one complaint to this day.

I love rubs, I love sauce, I love smoke and I love smoking in my current location of Germany because my neighbors think I'm crazy when I smoke a brisket or smoker full of ribs in negative temperatures with 8" of snow on the ground. The Germans do know how to BBQ though. It's a unique style that is often used at festivals. I have seen pigs on a rotisserie over wood and I have seen shoulder steaks on a hanging grill called a schwenker cooked over burning grape vines. Both are amazing, but no sauces are used and the ingredients are often left alone to speak for themselves. I have enjoyed both to the fullest extent, but it's just not American BBQ and it's definitely not often done in the winter with snow on the ground. The Germans seem to have more common sense than I do.

Anyways, on to the food. This entry will feature four sauces. The first sauce is a new venture for me. I am trying to see what food mangos and habanero peppers WON'T work with. I have yet to find one, but we will try it and see how it comes out. The second sauce will be a thick, sweet, spicy Kansas City style sauce that should encourage a slow burn mellowed out by a deep sweetness. The third will be a North Carolina Style sauce that is light on body but strong on vinegar. The fourth will be a mustard BBQ sauce that is very similar to the North Carolina style but the mustardy flavors are often reserved for the South Carolina  crowd. 

Unstirred Sauces. In order, clockwise from top left:
Tangy NC, Mango-Habanero, SC Mustard, KC Style.

• All sauces will be served with Texas-style smoked pork spareribs. I find this to be a very versatile, cheap meat that works well with almost any sauce. 
• All Spareribs will be seasoned with a dry rub that is found in almost all BBQ regions
• 1/2 Cup Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Cup Onion Powder
• 1/4 Cup Salt
• 1/8 Cup Black Pepper
• 1/8 Cup Cayenne Pepper
• 1/3 Cup Paprika
• Mix all ingredients in a cup and season generously over some olive oil brushed ribs
• The Ribs will be smoked for 3-4 hours prior to sauce time.

The key here is not only flavor, but versatility and shrinking cook time down because unless you cook for a living, chances are you have other things to do. This is why we cheat. We will start all recipes with the same sauce base. Tomato paste? Nope. Fresh tomatoes? I don't have that kind of time. We will start all of these sauces with crappy, $1.50 generic BBQ Sauce bought straight from the store. *GASP* Is this cheating? Yes, absolutely. Do I care? No. Because I know that given a few extra hours, I'll put in all the time to make my own. But since I have 2.87 kids, a wife and a time-consuming job, I haven't seen an extra few hours in a long, long time. Soooooooo I use Kraft Original as a starter. It's got all the consistency I want, all the tomatoes I need and a ton of artificial ingredients that came out of a lab beaker and are loosely held together chemically and whose artificial flavors can be destroyed and covered by real ingredients.

As always, enjoy these recipes but make them your own. Mess with the ingredients and come up with your own style. Any of these recipes can be easily altered to fit your favorite region of BBQ.

1. Mango Habanero Experiment

So far I have put the mango-habanero flavor combo on just about everything and have not been disappointed to this date. They play well together and this sauce is no different. Sauce is thick, sweet and will take you by surprise as the heat hits you late in the bite. Awesome sauce!

• One Bottle Kraft Original BBQ Sauce
• One Mango, peeled and pitted
• 1 Habanero Pepper, stemmed and seeded
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Sugar in the Raw
• 1 pinch of salt
• A couple grinds of pepper

Method

1. Place peeled, pitted mango, half onion, and stemmed, seeded habanero into food processor and puree. You want it to be the same consistency as your BBQ Sauce.
2. Mix all ingredients into a sauce pan. Stir. Let simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
3. Brush onto precooked ribs using a brush or back of a spoon.
4. Place ribs over indirect heat. Remove when tips of ribs are showing signs of blackening.

2. Kansas City Sweet & Spicy Sauce

KC Sauces are known for their sweet, spicy and thick nature. Due to the sugar content of KC style sauces, they should be over indirect heat and applied late in the grilling process unless you like burnt sugar.

• 1 Jalapeno, seeded, stemmed and minced
• 1/2 Red Onion, minced
• Juice from 1/2 Lemon
• 1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
• 1 Bottle Kraft Original BBQ Sauce
• 2 Cups of Brown Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Celery Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Ground Mustard Powder
• 1 Pinch of Salt
• A couple grinds of pepper

Method

1. Mince Onion and Jalapeno
2. Mix all ingredients into a sauce pan. Stir. Let simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
3. Brush onto precooked ribs using a brush or back of a spoon.
4. Place ribs over indirect heat. Remove when tips of ribs are showing signs of blackening.

3. Tangy North Carolina Sauce

Carolina style sauce is somewhere between a mop sauce and a BBQ sauce. It's thin and vinegary. It needs to be applied liberally and often. It can take a little more heat than more sugary sauces due to not being as sweet and thick as other sauces. If you are worried about not liking that bitter vinegar flavor, fear not! Vinegar at room temperature is bitter but vinegar at it's boiling point takes on a nice tangy flavor that is slightly sweet, tart and very pleasing. This is a nice sauce if you want to bring out the flavor of your dry rub and not let the sauce flavor take over your meat.

• 1 Bottle of Kraft Original BBQ Sauce
• 1/2 Cup of Mott's All Natural, unfiltered 100% pure Apple Juice
• 1/2 Cup of Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup of White Vinegar
• 1/8 Cup Sugar in the Raw
• 2 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Ground Mustard Powder
• 1 Pinch of Salt
• A couple grinds of Pepper

Method

1. Mix all ingredients into a sauce pan. Stir. Let simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
2. Ladle onto precooked ribs using a ladle or spoon. Spread with back of spoon.
3. Place ribs over indirect heat. Remove when tips of ribs are showing signs of blackening.

4. South Carolina Sweet & Tangy Mustard Sauce

This sauce is awesome! It's roots lie in South Carolina but when I make it, I give it the thickness of a Missouri sauce. It seems to coat better and more mustard flavor sticks around.

• 1 Bottle of Kraft Original BBQ Sauce
• 3/4 Bottle of your favorite mustard. Even dijon or whole grain mustard will work. It just depends on your tastes.
• 1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper
• Pinch of Salt
• A couple grinds of pepper

Method

1. Mix all ingredients into a sauce pan. Stir. Let simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
2. Brush onto precooked ribs using a brush or back of spoon.
3. Place ribs over indirect heat. Remove when tips of ribs are showing signs of blackening.

Enjoy!

Surf 'n' Turf Kabobs and Grilled Veggies

My Leffe has a proper, matching glass. Some Pubs in
Germany won't serve you a particular beer if they don't
have the matching glass.

I have long grouped kabobs in with the scourge of the grill like hamburgers, hot dogs, boneless chicken breast and brats. I love burgers, hot dogs, chicken and bratwurst and think that cooking them on a stovetop is a travesty! If you serve your family a boiled hot dog, you should be tried for food crimes, because for some reason, a grill just makes them so much better. Same with a burger and brats (and anything else for that matter). I love the results of a grilled burger, brats, kabob, chicken, whatever. But I don't think they are worth all the time it takes to get a grill going, getting the coals to the right temp and then cooking them for a mere 4 minutes then wasting all that heat and charcoal (yes, only charcoal. If you want to cook with gas, get a nice stovetop). It just seems like a waste. That's why when I do any of these items I go big. It's either for a party of folks, or I do a load of kabobs with a ton of stuff on them.
I have found a way to make just about anything on the grill. Even if it involves purchasing pricey grill baskets and cast iron cookware in many shapes and sizes in order to not have to run inside and check what's on the stovetop. It's worth it to me to buy quality stuff that won't melt on the grill or rust in the dishwasher (the grill basket of course, I never dishwash my CI). I recommend this to others as well. Buy heavy stainless steel bowls or heavy aluminum. The thin stuff will disappoint you just like any other cheap stuff you buy for the kitchen. Good kitchen equipment isn't cheap and cheap kitchen equipment isn't good.
Anyways, on to the recipe.

Surf 'n' Turf Kabobs

Ingredients:

• Thick (1"-1.5" thick beef cubes of whatever kind you like (if you like inch thick filets, go for it. If you like inch thick chuck steaks, that's awesome too! It's all free game here)
• 12 Raw, fresh, shell on, uncooked shrimp (you can use peeled shrimp, but the shell will protect the fragile shrimp meat from the fire of the grill. Also, DO NOT use precooked shrimp. Would you use precooked steak for anything other than dog food? No. So apply the same thing with grilling shrimp)
• 1 Pineapple: topped, bottomed and cored. Cut into 1" cubes
• 3 Bell Peppers: Various colors, cut into 1" pieces
• 3 Red/Purple Onions: Quartered, peeled
• 12-15 Cherry Tomatoes
• 2 Yellow Squash: Topped, halved, cut into 3/4" pieces
• 2 Zucchini: Topped, halved, cut into 3/4" pieces
• 6-10 Big Freakin' Mushrooms: Washed
• 1/2 Lemon Juice
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): Enough to coat all the stuff in this recipe
• Kosher Salt: Season to taste
• Pepper: Season to taste
• Paprika: Season to taste
• Garlic Powder: Season to taste
• Celery Seed: Season to taste
• Chipotle Chili Seasoning: Season to taste
• Dark Brown Sugar: 3/4 Cup
• Cinnamon: Season to taste
• Turmeric: Season to taste
• Ground Ginger: Season to taste
• 2 Wire Coat Hangers, untreated metal (I'll explain later)
• Leffe Blonde Abbey Ale (just to sip on while grilling) Season to taste I guess, add as much as you'd like!

Okay, so the biggest thing I can emphasize here is to season everything separately. You would never season your veggies like your steak and you would never season seafood with the same stuff as your sweets so separately is the way to go. Deal with the massive amounts of dishes later, it's cooking time!

A place for everything and everything in it's place. And
an angry wife who doesn't understand why I dirty twice
as many dishes as she does when I make dinner.

Method:

1. Place Beef Cubes into bowl. Pour EVOO over the top and toss to coat. Then season with kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and chipotle chili powder. Mix with your hands. You can try a spoon, a fork, a magic wand, but nothing will work as well as you CLEAN hands. Set aside.
2. Place shrimp in a bowl and season delicately with kosher salt, lemon juice, celery seed (caraway seeds would work too), pepper. Toss to coat and set aside.
3. Place all cut vegetables except for mushrooms in large bowl. Cover with EVOO. Toss to coat. Season with kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika. Toss again to coat.
4. Season mushrooms lightly with EVOO. Season lightly with kosher salt (mushrooms have a natural musty flavor. When if you season them with the rest of the vegetables, they will lose their mustiness and will taste like everything else. The point of separating your ingredients is to bring out all the individual flavors. Mix if you must, but for me and my house, we will eat musty mushrooms). Toss and set aside.
5. Place pineapple in bowl. Season with brown sugar, cinnamon, turmeric, ground ginger. Stir until a thick, sugary coating covers the pineapple. Set aside.

                                                    

Note the coat hanger shaped kabobs

Now this is the point when you get all your skewers and start ramming them through all your meat and veggies and get excited about your awesome ingredients sprawled out in front of you. This is, in reality, where I started freaking out because I could only find 4/10 of my skewers and started cursing the high heavens because all this food was going to be wasted or cooked 4 skewers at a time. But then I had an epiphany! I thought back to an ad I had seen online about some wire skewers that you could put on a grill and you could get 4 of them--But wait there [was] more! Get two more for FREE! Anyways, I didn't have any of these, but I did have wire coat hangers. So I clipped off the hook and started skewer...ing.

I filled the 4 skewers and 2 coat hangers with all the meat and veggies I could and then tossed the rest of the veggies in the grill basket.

I only use one rule when skeoring (look, I invented a new word). Meat does not touch meat. In other words, no surf touching turf. Since you're cooking it all on a hot grill, I don't know that it would really harm anything but it just seems dirty to me. It also doesn't look as good as it could with veggies in between. Other than no surf touching turf, it's a free-for-all. Use a pattern, use a color scheme, whatever suits you!

My method for getting the grill ripping hot really quick.

Now, the grillin'! Get your grill ripping hot to heat up your grates then let them cool to about 450-500 degrees. Toss on the skewers, toss on the grill basket with the extra veggies, sip on your Leffe Blonde Abbey Ale and enjoy the smoke in your face and the chill of the German evening.

Use the beef as a gauge of doneness. When the beef is about medium, pull skewers and let them rest for 5 minutes or so. 

More done than I'd like, but good nonetheless.

Your veggie basket should be close to done when you pull the kabobs so when the meat is done resting, pull the veggies and toss them in a serving bowl.

Grilled veggies. Best way to get kids to eat them!

This recipe really emphasizes "season to taste." This is the best part of grilling. The grill seems to erase mistakes and over seasoning, under seasoning and complete mess ups. On the same hand, it seems to blend flavors so well that even the worst grilling comes out tasting better than if it were made on a stovetop. Enjoy!

Leftover Pepper Burger

I'm not going to post a recipe on this one because it was a basic burger with some additions but I thought you'd all enjoy it. I had some habaneros left over from the massive amount of salsa I made last week, so I mixed them into a burger for my lunch at work today. It was delicious! I only ate one of them. Some coworkers ate the other halves. They seemed to enjoy themselves too. I'll list the layers in order from top to bottom.


-Grilled Bun
-BBQ Sauce
-Tomato
-Lettuce
-Bacon
-Cheese
-Burger with minced habanero and onion in it
-Grilled bun


After I was done cutting the peppers, I decided to abuse my Airman. She wouldn't lick the top of the pepper for free but $5 later, she was in pain. Mission accomplished.

Before

After