Grilled Pesto Chicken Packs

Very good weeknight meal.  Leftovers the next day were very good also

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/4 pounds)

8 roma (plum) tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices

4 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1/2 cup basil pesto

Preheat grill for direct heat.

Place 1 chicken breast half, 2 sliced tomatoes and 1 sliced zucchini on one side of four 18x12-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spoon 2 tablespoons pesto over chicken mixture on each sheet.

Fold foil over chicken and vegetables so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again. Allow space on sides for circulation and expansion.

Cover and grill packets 4 to 5 inches from medium heat 20 to 25 minutes or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Place packets on plates. Cut large X across top of packet; fold back foil.

Roast Beef and Swiss Cheese Sandwiches

Leftovers from last nights roast.  These sandwiches were unbelievable.

Ingredients:
2 slices of roast per sandwich
Swiss Cheese
Au Jus or beef broth
Your favorite condiments (I used BBQ Sauce and Lisa had horseradish)
Good quality buns or Texas Toast

Heat the roast and toast the buns on the grill.

Dip the roast in the Au Jus and place on buns.  Top with cheese.

Add back to the grill to melt the cheese.

Within 5 minutes you have one awesome sandwich.

Teriyaki Beef Roast

This roast was good, but the sandwiches we made the next day were amazing.

 Ingredients:

3 1/2 - 4 pound eye of round

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice

1 tablespoon fresh garlic slivers

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 - 1" piece of ginger root grated

Wash roast and pat dry.

Slit roast every 2 inches and insert a sliver of garlic with the tip of knife. Make sure the slit is deep

enough so the garlic does not slip out. Distribute garlic evenly over all sides of roast. Set aside.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a glass or stainless steel dish.

Place roast in marinade. For best results marinade should cover roast entirely. Refrigerate at least 6

hours, turning meat often.

Reserve marinade. On stove top bring marinade to a boil before using to baste roast.

Place roast in V-rack. Set drip pan under V-rack. Place meat thermometer into thickest portion of the

roast. Cook at 300°.

Baste frequently with reserved marinade. Cook until meat thermometer registers the desired degree

of doneness 140° rare; 160° medium; 170° well done. Meat cooked in the BGE retains a pinkish

appearance, even when well done. It will take approximately 2 hours to cook a 3 1/2 lb roast well

done.

Reserve drippings. Strain to use as a sauce to pour over thinly sliced roast.

Rosemary New Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 pound small new potatoes, halved

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons snipped fresh rosemary

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

In a greased 8x8x2 inch foil pan, arrange raw potatoes. 

Stir together butter, rosemary and chili powder.  Pour over potatoes; toss to coat. 

Preheat grill to medium.  Place foil pan containing potatoes on the grill.  Cover and grill for 25 minutes. 

Add chives; cover and grill for 5 to 10 minutes more or until potatoes are tender. 

Season with salt and pepper

Tennessee Pork Loin with Whiskey, Brown Sugar and Mustard

This is one of our favorite pork loin recipes.

Ingredients:
1 center-cut piece or pork loin (2-1/2 to 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons Tennessee whiskey
2 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue rub
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 slices bacon
Your favorite barbeque sauce
Butcher's string
2 cups of wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory)

For the Glaze:
3 tablespoons salted butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Tennessee whiskey

Make the glaze: Combine the butter, brown sugar, mustard, and whiskey in a saucepan and boil until syrupy, 4 to 6 minutes. Set the glaze aside.

Using a very sharp knife, cut the roast almost in half lengthwise through one side (stop about 1 inch from the opposite side). Open the roast up as you would a book. Sprinkle the inside of the roast with 1 tablespoon of the whiskey and let it marinate for 5 minutes. Sprinkle a third of the rub over the inside of the roast. Spread the mustard on top with a spatula, then sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the mustard. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of whiskey on top of the brown sugar. Fold the roast back together (like closing a book) and sprinkle the remaining rub over the outside.

 

Cut four 12-inch pieces of butcher's string. Position the pieces of string on the work surface so that they are parallel and roughly 2 inches apart. Place a slice of bacon across the strings so that it is perpendicular to and in the center of them. Set the roast on top of the bacon, positioning its long side parallel to the bacon. Place a slice of bacon on top of the roast. Press the remaining 2 slices against the long sides of the roast. Tie each piece of string together around the roast so that they hold the slices of bacon against it. (To temporarily hold the bacon slices in place until you can secure them with string, you can pin them with toothpicks. Remove the toothpicks once the roast is tied.) Set the pork roast aside.

 

Set up the BGE for indirect grilling and preheat to 300.  Toss all of the wood chips or chunks on the coals right before you put the pork on.

 

When ready to cook, place the pork roast on the hot grate, over the drip panl. Cook the roast until cooked through, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. The internal temperature should be about 160. Start basting the roast with the glaze after 30 minutes, and continue basting every 15 minutes.

Transfer the cooked roast to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes, then remove and discard the strings. Slice the roast crosswise and drizzle any remaining glaze over it. Serve with barbecue sauce on the side.

Grilled Salmon with Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

This was a really good weeknight meal.  Lisa did a fantastic job with this.

Ingredients:

2 pounds salmon fillet, fresh with skin

1 cup pineapple juice

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4-1/2 cup Fischer & Wieser The Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Cut salmon into serving size portions. In a self-sealing bag, combine salmon, pineapple juice and lemon juice. Marinate, in the refrigerator, for 4-8 hours.

 Heat grill. Place salmon, skin side down, on grill. Do not turn. Cook about 14-18 minutes, till fish flakes. Brush liberally with Fischer & Wieser The Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. Cook another minute. Serve immediately. Enjoy!! Serves 4-5.

Sweet and Hot Pepper Chicken

Very good dish for a rainy Sunday when we are just hanging out watching movies.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced green onion bottoms

10 dried red chilies

1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced

1 cup sliced yellow onion

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, dark soy and cornstarch. Whisk to blend well, and add the chicken to the sauce. Toss to evenly coat the chicken and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. 

In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, stock, chili garlic sauce and sugar. Stir to combine and set aside until ready to use.

Place a wok over high heat and add the vegetable oil to the pan. Swirl the wok to be sure to coat well with the oil. Add the ginger, garlic, green onions, dried chilies and jalapenos to the wok. Cook, stirring often until the garlic is fragrant and the chilies begin to brown, about 20 to 30 seconds. Add the chicken, bell peppers and onions to the pan and stir-fry until the chicken is no longer pink, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sauce to the pan and bring to a boil, being sure to toss well in order to coat all the chicken and vegetables evenly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the sesame seeds, sesame oil and cilantro into the pan and toss to combine.

Remove from the heat and serve on a platter with steamed rice.

Turkey Pot Pie

This is what we used some of the leftover turkey from yesterday for.  If you like turkey pot pie this is amazing.

Ingredients:
Vegetables
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 pound button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons Madras curry powder

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups chicken broth

3 cups diced cooked turkey

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 sheet (9 by 10 inches) frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 large egg

In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the onion and carrots, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the onion-carrot mixture to a large bowl. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the celery, mushrooms, thyme and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the celery-mushroom mixture to the other vegetables.

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute to bring out the flavor. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in the chicken broth and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Add the cooked vegetables, turkey, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the sauce. Stir and simmer for 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof 10-inch skillet or deep 10-inch pie pan.

On a lightly floured surface roll the puff pastry to 1/8-inch thickness. Lay the pastry over the skillet, trimming any excess with a knife. Cut three or four slashes in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Beat the egg with 2 teaspoons of water; lightly brush the entire surface of the pastry with the egg mixture.

Prepare the BGE for indirect cooking over medium heat (300° to 350°F).

Brush the cooking grates clean. Place the skillet on a small sheet pan and place on the cooking grate. Grill over indirect medium heat, with the lid closed, until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes. Carefully remove the hot pan from the grill. Allow the pie to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Steakhouse Mushrooms

Longhorn has my favorite sauteed mushrooms.  I believe this recipe that is very close to the original.

Ingredients:
3 green onions, chopped (both white and green parts)
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup butter (4 tbs)
1 lb fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups beef broth

Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan.

Saute green onions, diced onions and garlic in butter over a medium flame for about 2 minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic.

Add rest of ingredients to pan and simmer uncovered for at least 20 minutes (longer simmering just means more tender and flavorful mushrooms, so I usually let these go for 30-45 minutes while I prep the rest of dinner.

Apple-Brined Whole Turkey

Ingredients:

1 12-14 pound turkey

2 quarts apple juice

1 pound brown sugar

1 cup kosher salt

3 quarts water

3 oranges, quartered

4 ounces fresh ginger, sliced thin

15 whole cloves

6 bay leaves

6 large garlic cloves, crushed

Vegetable oil

Combine apple juice, brown sugar, and salt in a large saucepan.

 

Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve.

 

Boil for one minute, remove from heat, and skim any foam.

 

Let mixture come to room temperature.

 

In a large container, combine the room temperature apple juice mixture with the remaining

ingredients and stir.

 

Place rinsed, drained whole turkey into the brine.

 

Use a heavy weight to keep the bird submerged, if necessary.

 

Refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry.

 

Brush with vegetable oil and place on vertical roasting rack.

 

Cook at 225°-250° to 180° in the thigh, 165° in the breast. Wings can be wrapped in foil part way

through cooking process to prevent burning.

 

Surf and Turf

We spent 5 hours cooking turkey and then decided it was to hot for a heavy meal. You can never go wrong with steak and crab legs. Guess what's for dinner tomorrow night though.

I brushed olive oil over the crab legs and cooked on the egg for around 15 minutes indirect at 300.

I cooked the steaks on the Weber for about 6 minutes a side