Cedar Planked Ham and Potato Chowder

I do this strange thing- I'll open up the fridge and stare intently into the depths. Nothing will pique my interest, so I wander off, only to be back in that same spot 10 minutes later. Again, I assess the contents of the refrigerator- oddly enough, nothing has changed. There is still a couple red potatoes, two carrots, celery, and a bit of wilty-looking basil.  And a cured ham that I bought "just 'cause" about a week ago.  Hmmm. What to do... soup! We're gonna plank that ham and make a Cold Weather Ham and Potato Chowder. Quick- go get an Outdoor Gourmet Cedar Grilling Plank soaking. It needs to be in the water for at least an hour.

Ingredients

Outdoor Gourmet Cedar Grilling Plank, soaked for an hour or more
2 lb. cured Ham for planking (you'll have leftovers- delicious with eggs)
1/4 cup of butter
4 cups of milk
4 Tbs. vegetable stock  (large splash) 
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
2 cups red potatoes, diced with skins still on
1/2 of celery, diced
1 cup onion, dices 
1 cup carrots, peeled and Julienned
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs. fresh bail
Fresh cracked black pepper and salt

1/4 of beer (we used Deschutes Inversion IPA)
1/2 brown sugar
1 Tbs. Minced Garlic
1 tps. Oregano
 
Directions

First: Soak Outdoor Gourmet Cedar Grilling Plank for an hour or more.

Then: Chop up all the needed-to-used-up-yesterday veggies in your fridge.   Saute veggies (except the potato) with a bay leaf using olive oil and a splash of vegetable stock. Boil diced potatoes until al dente. Set sauteed veggies and potatoes aside. 

Next: combine equal parts of butter and flour in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until paste-like texture is achieved, then whisk in 2 cups of milk until smooth and thick, creating a Béchamel sauce.

Preheat: grill to Medium-Low. Add soaked Outdoor Gourmet Cedar Grilling Plank to the grill and allow it to warm up for 5 minutes or so. Meanwhile, combine beer, brown sugar, and garlic into thick slurry and baste ham. Add ham, flat side down, to plank. Allow to smoke for 35 minutes basting with brown sugar slurry every 10 minutes.

Then: Remove ham from grill and dice. Add veggies, potatoes, and ham to the Béchamel sauce, and slowing stir in the additional milk. Bring to simmer, add basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Finally: Serve with warm roll and enjoy!

Stay warm! Welcome to your weekend. -KB

Cedar Planked Salmon with Lemon-Dill Butter and Grilled Rainbow Carrots

Note about the guest blogger- Robyn Medlin

Robyn is the Grill Grrrl. She leads Women’s Grilling Clinics which focus on healthy, simple, and creative recipes on the grill.  Thanks for the beautiful recipe Robyn! 

Photo 1: When looking for cedar planks, make sure they are sustainably made.

There’s just something about salmon cooked on cedar planks that makes it that much more enticing. It must be the smoky flavor from the grill that coaxes the cedar flavor out of the wood and into the fish while also permeating the air with a cedar-smoke-charcoal perfume. After making this dish, I woke up the next day to smell a faint hint of cedar in my hair, as if I was wearing a men’s cologne I was mildly attracted to!

About the cedar. Sure, Cedar planks are readily available wherever you can buy meat or charcoal accessories but I would like to stress the importance of buying SUSTAINABLE WOOD. Outdoor Gourmet offers sustainably reclaimed cedar, milled close to the forest where it was grown, meaning less consumption of resources and fossil fuels for transport.

Photo 2: Organic rainbow carrots- straight from the farmers market!

Ingredients: (this is enough for 2 large servings)

* 2 cedar planks, each one large enough for a large piece of salmon
* Olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
* Salmon, 2 large fillets, skin off
* Rainbow carrots, sliced thinly (I found these at the farmer’s market, regular carrots are fine to use but make sure you slice them thinly so that they will cook enough on the grill)
* 1 tablespoon maple syrup
* one stick of butter (this is to make compound butter, you will not be using this much butter in this dish!)
* large sprig dill, at least 1/8th cup
* 2 lemons- 1/2 for juice and zest for butter, 1/2= for slicing and putting on top of the salmon as it cooks on the grill
* One loaf Italian or Cuban bread or your favorite, sliced thickly for Texas Toast

Photo 3: Lemon-dill compound butter adds nice flavor to the salmon as it cooks on the grill.

Photo 4: Once the salmon can be flaked with a fork, it is ready!

Directions:

Soak cedar planks on the grill for AT LEAST 30 minutes, preferably one hour. You need to soak them so they don’t catch on fire on the grill.

While the cedar is soaking, go ahead and take your butter out so it will get to room temperature so you can make the lemon dill compound butter.

Chop the carrots lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Drizzle the carrots with olive oil, then add sea salt and pepper. Drizzle the maple syrup onto the carrots. Toss the carrots so they are coated evenly.

Next, take your butter and mix it with the juice of 1/2 a lemon and a large sprig of dill. Add approximately 2 teaspoons of lemon zest. Mix with a blender or chopper to disperse evenly. Add sea salt to taste.

Preheat the grill to medium, about 350 degrees. Prepare coals or gas burners for indirect heat. Place the cedar planks on the indirect heat and close the lid. Let them sit until they begin to smoke, about 15-20 minutes.

Generously coat the salmon pieces with the lemon-dill butter. Add a lemon slice or two to the top. Add sea salt and pepper on both sides.

Add the salmon to the cedar planks (on indirect heat) and close the lid of the grill. After about 5 minutes, add the veggies to the direct heat side of the grill. Let the salmon grill until the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees. The salmon will be done when the meat will flake easily with a fork – this should take about 20 minutes (give or take).

When the fish starts to look done, add your Texas toast pieces that have also been generously slathered with the compound butter. They will be done with they have grill marks on both sides.

What is fun about cedar planking salmon is that the planks make wonderful serving pieces. I added my veggies and bread to the other side and placed the planks on top of comics from the paper to make a fun place setting.

Sit back, relax, and relish in the face that this easy recipe has now transformed you into a Grilling Goddess with cedar perfumed hair. The house will have a lovely smell for days to remind people what a great cook you are ! Enjoy!

Photo 5: Cedar planks are great for serving your finished work of art! I served these on top of the comics for a fun presentation.Welcome to your weekend.

Stuffed Cornish Game Hens

What is it about miniature things that makes 'em so much cuter than regularly sized items? Puppies, babies, smart cars- even shoes increase their cuteness quotient in a size 5 as compared to the size 9.  And don't even get me started on mini cupcakes. So, this little number is your recipe for the week: 

Cedar Planked Cornish Game Hens stuffed with Shallots and Red Pearl Onions

But before we get to the ingredients and how to's, let's talk petite poultry.  The Cornish Game Hen- what makes them different from your everyday, ho-hum chicken? Their size, and that's about it. These tiny fowl (sometimes called poussin or Rock Cornish) are actually a domestic bird, despite the misleading "Game" Hen title and can be bought at pretty much any grocery store. And though they're labeled "hen," both the male and female are used for their meat.
 

Ingredients

2 Cedar Grilling Planks from our Outlet Store (soaked for two or more hours)
2 Cornish Game Hens
1 1/2 cups of kosher salt (for brine)
3 Shallots, (peeled)
8 whole cloves of garlic, (peeled)
2 cups of red pearl onions, (peeled)
Your choice of fresh herbs- (I used thyme and sage)
2 Tablespoons of butter

First: Dissolve salt in 2 cups of warm water, place game hens in pot, bowl, or whatever, then fill the rest of your brining receptacle with cold water. Brine thawed game hens in your refrigerator over night. Now would also be a good time to get your Outdoor Gourmet Cedar or Hardwood Grilling Planks soaking.

Next: Remove game hens from brine, pat dry. Stuff birds with shallots, garlic, pearl onions, and herbs, then rub the game hens skin with butter, salt and pepper.

Then: Place stuffed game hens on wet plank, place plank on hot grill. Let the plank begin to smoke and smolder (approximately 10 minutes), reduce heat to low, or move plank to indirect heat area for slight smolder. Allow to cook for 40-50 minutes. Check regularly to prevent cooking too quickly. Use meat thermometer (internal temp. 1700 F.) to test for doneness in the thickest part of the chicken.

Finally: Carefully remove your birds from the planks, cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Welcome to your weekend. -KB

Sacre Bleu for Two

My mom always said “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” So, for this most romantical of holidays, I'm taking Mom’s advice and wooing the man in my life with food. The entrée is sure to raise pulses... but maybe not in the way everyone is thinking. Why you ask? Consider the ingredients- 4 oz. tenderloin steaks, topped with Bleu d'Auvergne (a really high butterfat bleu cheese), butter, fresh cracked pepper, then wrapped in thick-cut bacon… but pair that with a glass (or two) of Cabernet Sauvignon and serve on a bed of greens, and we’re on our way to a heart-happy, if not heart-healthy Valentine’s Day.

And speaking of hearts, tell me these aren't the cutest personal-size Cedar Grilling Planks you ever did see?

Sacre Bleu! Valentine's Day Filet Mignon for Two

Ooh la la! 

Ingredients

2    Outdoor Gourmet Personal size cedar grilling planks, heart shape optional

2    4 oz. Tenderloin Steaks

2  pcs. Thick-Cut Bacon

2 oz. your blue cheese of choice

2   toothpicks

Fresh cracked black pepper

Directions

First- Soak your Outdoor Gourmet Cedar Grilling Planks for two of more hours.

Next- Preheat grill to Medium Heat (350°).  Wrap the bacon around tenderloins, securing with toothpicks and top with pepper. Place soaked planks with steaks on grill and close grill lid. Allow to smoke and smolder for 9-10 minutes for medium-rare steaks.


Then- When steaks are almost done to your liking, top with cheese and drizzle with melted butter. Pull from grill and cover with foil to rest.


Finally- Once your steaks for have rested for 5-10 minutes, uncover, serve over a bed of greens and enjoy!

 

Happy Valentines Day

Welcome to your weekend. -KB

Ain't No Thang, but a Cedar Planked Chicken Wing

There is nothing more American than hot wings and Football.

Shortly after Buffalo grew wings, the people of upstate New York deep fat fried 'em, smothered them with their signature day-glo hot sauce, and severed 'em up with celery and Bleu Cheese dressing to cool the fire.

This was essentially a regional specialty until the Buffalo Bill's were in Superbowl XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXVIII. Yes, they lost all four consecutive years, but the love of wings lives on and we'll be adding an extra dash of Americana (and subtracting some saturated fat) by using Outdoor Gourmet's USA harvested and produced Cedar and Maple Grilling Planks to make this week's recipe.

Cedar Planked Hot Wings 
AND
Maple Planked Thai Peanut Wings with Caramelized Ginger

Ingredients

-Wildwood Grilling Outlet Cedar and Maple Planks, soaked for 2 or more hours

-Fresh or frozen chicken wings and drummettes
-Your sauce of choice- I used classic store-bought hot wing sauce. (I didn't look at the ingredients- don't want to know where that color comes from) and a Thai peanut sauce.
-Celery and Carrots to munch with the wings

Directions

First- Marinate wings and drumettes in desired sauce (BBQ, teriyaki, hot wing sauce) for at 2-6 hours.
Soak Outdoor Gourmet Cedar or Hardwood Grilling Planks at least 2 hours, preferable more.

Next- Preheat oven to 350°, then bake wings for 25-30 minutes, flipping once if needed. Preheat grill to medium heat, then place planks and wings on grill after baking is completed.

Then- Leave on grill for 10-12 mins. The planks will smolder, smoke, and possibly even catch on fire! It’s OK- don’t panic! That’s what wood does when you put in near an open flame. Just have some water on hand to douse the flame with.

Finally- Remove wings from grill serve the classic hot wings with Homemade Bleu Cheese dressing and celery. 

Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing

2 Tablespoons Buttermilk
¾ Greek Yogurt
6 oz. Roquefort Bleu Cheese
Fresh Ground Pepper and Sea Salt to taste

Directions- Take all the ingredients and mash ‘em together!

Thai Peanut Wing Garnish

Carrots
Celery
Sesame Seeds
Cilantro
Avocado Oil (or some other high-smoking point oil)
Agave Syrup  (honey or brown sugar will work great too)


Directions

Heat avocado oil and add thinly sliced ginger. Once the ginger starts to brown, drizzle agave in pan then remove from heat.

Sprinkle  Thai peanut wings with sesame seeds and garnish carrot curls, cilantro, caramelized ginger, fresh ginger (Julienned).   

 

 

Welcome to your Super Bowl weekend. -KB

Flame-Kissed (Though Not on Purpose) Korean Pork Loin on a Cedar Plank

Note about the return guest blogger- Jake Donahue

Jake is a man of many talents- he makes a living as a designer, writer, photographer, multimedia-er (check out his stuff at www.jakedonahue.com)  but he makes a stir when at the grill. Thanks Jake!

Since I first learned of the miracle that is cedar-plank grilling, I’ve been thinking about what to ‘cue almost every day. Whether a flank steak or salmon, eggplant or bread, my mouth is running faster than my mind. And as great as my charred concoctions may be, my health-conscious wife will only let me grill every so often – apparently red meat isn’t as good for you as, say, most everything else? Nevertheless, I still stand in awe of the plank.

Oh, sure, I could Google a never-ending array of recipes, but how fun is that? What’s more, why try something that you know works well? Especially when there’s a chance you can produce planked perfection or barbecue brilliance all on your own.

Nay, I say and Google be damned. For today I create my own recipe!

Side Note: When it comes to mixing flames and flammable cooking materials, don’t just read the instructions – adhere to them like a child’s diaper! Some idiot before you (somebody like me) has already tempted fate by neglecting the rules. So, please, unless you want to risk burning down your house (or marriage), follow the directions!

That being said, I obviously did not. While I was instructed to soak the cedar plank for 1-2 hours, I decided to forgo any advice and dunk it for no more than 30 minutes. To see why that is a bad idea, check out what happened: 

Anyway, as for the recipe itself, it turned out quite well. I mustered my own marinade and soaked the meat for a solid 45 minutes (not in the fridge). Some people say to always marinate in the fridge, but as far as I’m concerned, anything less than an hour is fine on the counter. It seems to me that if the meat is less-cold, it absorbs the juices more thoroughly.

Five minutes before the meat is ready, toss the soaked plank on the grill to warm up. Once the plank is warmed up, drape that saucy loin straight in the center.

Remember that video above? Yeah, my plank made it 12 minutes before succumbing to physics:

Rather than call it quits, I finished the pork on the grill – but it was still amazing! Sure, I can only imagine how much better it could have been, but not all was lost. Once the meat was done, I wrapped it in a loose foil tent to rest for another ten minutes:

After the juices settled and the meat cooked itself, slice that piggy up and serve immediately. I might recommend flanking the protein with sides of corn, grilled (in foil, garlic, oil and rosemary) potatoes and flame-grilled garlic toast. Freaking delicious!

As for the specifics, here you go. I started with a marinade I had tried before on steaks, but the switch proved most succulent! Also, while this marinade is essentially a Korean BBQ sauce, I was adding more and less than the recipe said, dialing in the flavor I wanted. Feel free to do the same.

MEAT

1 Pork Tenderloin (1-2 pounds)

MARINDADE
1 Green Onion, finely chopped

Zest of one orange

½ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

2 cloves minced garlic

1 ½ teaspoons sesame seeds (ground)

1 teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon minced ginger root

Grind the red peppers and sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle. Then grind in the minced garlic. You want to talk about perfection? You just created the base for it! Place all the ingredients in a bowl, mix together. Add meat to a Ziploc bag (larger = better) and pour marinade over all of it. If grilling in less than an hour, leave in bag on counter. If longer than an hour, keep refrigerated. And, as with most marinades, the longer the better!

COOKING Direction
Soak the cedar plank for AT LEAST TWO HOURS; don’t make me remind you again why this is a good idea. Once the plank is soaked, preheat the barbecue to medium-high. Set plank on grill for 5 minutes and then lay pork loin on pre-heated board. Wait 15 minutes, flipping pork halfway through; flip pork and baste with marinade every 2 minutes for the last 10 minutes of grilling. Remove meat from grill and place in a loosely-fitting foil tent for 10 minutes. Boom shakka lakka, dig in!

Welcome to your weekend.