Thursday's Juicy Tips

Beer Can Chicken How-To: See why our parties are the best: we show you how to stand a spiced bird atop a can of beer and grill it to juicy, flavorful perfection.

Wednesday's What's for Dinner



Beer Can Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

Beer Can Chicken Rub -

• 2 tbs. smoked paprika

• 2 tbs. salt

• 2 tbs. onion powder

• 1 tbs. cayenne pepper

• 1 tbs. ground cumin

• 2 tsp. dried thyme

• 2 tsp. dried oregano

• 2 tsp. black pepper

• 2 tsp. garlic powder

For the Chicken -

• 4 pounds chicken, washed and dried

• Vegetable oil

• Beer Can Chicken Rub

• 1 (12 oz.) can beer

Directions:

For the chicken rub -

In a small bowl mix all the ingredients together and use for the grilled chicken. You can store extra rub mixture in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

For the chicken -

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.

Rub the chicken and its cavity down with the vegetable oil. Season the chicken with rub mixture, remembering to season the cavity. Pour out 1/4 of the beer and sit the chicken on top of the beer can. Place the chicken in the center of the hot grill and cover. Cook the chicken for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165° F. Once cooked, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Monday's BBQ Fact or Fallacy

“Chickens are pretty fast."

Fact - The chicken travels up to 9 miles per hour when it wants to.

Saturday's Low and Slow

North Carolina-Style BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder, with skin

• 1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

• 3/4 cup Memphis Shake, recipe follows

• 5 cups apple or other wood chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes and drained

• 2 batches North Carolina-Style Vinegar BBQ Sauce, recipe follows

• 8 to 10 soft hamburger rolls

• Dill pickles

Directions:

Make small holes all over the pork shoulder with a thin sharp knife and stuff in garlic cloves. Rub the meat all over with the Memphis Shake; cover and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare an outdoor grill with an indirect medium-hot fire with a mix of briquettes and hardwood charcoal in half of the grill. Set grate over coals. Place pork, skin side up, in an aluminum pan with about 1 1/2 cups water on the cooler side of the grate. Toss 1 cup of the soaked and drained wood chips onto the coals and cover the grill, making sure the lid's vents are directly over pork.

When the coals cool to medium-low heat, preheat a chimney-full of hot briquettes and hardwood charcoal. Whenever smoke stops coming out of the vents, about every hour, add more hot coals and 1 cup of soaked and drained wood chips to the fire. The goal is to maintain a medium-heat, smoky fire (but don't worry if it is hotter when the coals are added and cooler while preheating the coals). Rotate the pork when you add coals so it cooks evenly. Cook the meat until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork registers 180° F, about 6 hours.

Set aside 1 quart of the North Carolina-Style Vinegar BBQ Sauce. Once the pork reaches 180° F, begin mopping the entire surface of the meat every 20 minutes with some of the remaining sauce and the pan drippings. Continue to cook the pork, covering the grill between mopping, until an instant-read thermometer registers 200° F, about 1 to 2 hours more.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for at least 15 minutes. Remove the outer skin and discard. Cut large chunks from the bone and shred, using 2 forks or your fingers, (when cool enough to touch) or chop. Toss with about 1 cup of the reserved barbecue sauce for every 3 cups of meat. Tuck the pork into the soft rolls and serve with pickles.

Cook's Note: Toss the extra sauce with shredded cabbage, or you can serve it on the side for those who want more spice. Use leftover pork for nachos

Memphis Shake:

• 1/4 cup sweet paprika

• 3 tbs. firmly packed brown sugar

• 2 tbs. dried oregano

• 2 tbs. granulated garlic

• 1 tbs. ancho chili powder

• 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 tsp. celery salt

Whisk paprika, brown sugar, oregano, garlic, ancho powder, salt, and celery salt in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months. Makes about 3/4 cup.
Cook's Note: Ancho powder is simply finely ground dried ancho chiles. Anchos are the sweetest of the dried chiles and are not terribly hot, so don't be put off by the amount used in this recipe.

North Carolina-Style Vinegar BBQ Sauce:

• 3 cups cider vinegar

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup ketchup

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/4 cup kosher salt

• 2 tbs. crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Heat the vinegar and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Off the heat, stir in the ketchup, honey, salt, red pepper, and black pepper. Makes about 1 quart.

Friday's Fixin's

Grilled Salad with Herbed Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs. white wine vinegar

• 1 fillet anchovy, minced, optional

• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley leaves

• 3 tbs. chopped tarragon leaves

• 4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and discarded

• 4 ripe plum tomatoes, halved

• 1 head romaine, quartered, root end attached

Directions:

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat.

Whisk the vinegar with the anchovy, if using, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream to make a smooth, slightly thickvinaigrette. Whisk in the parsley and tarragon and set aside.

Lay the romaine, mushrooms, and tomatoes out on a sheet pan and lightly brush them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms on the grill smooth side down. Grill until juices collect in the cap and mushrooms soften, about 3 minutes. Turn them over and cook until slightly charred around the edges and the center is very tender, about 3 minutes more. Put the tomatoes on the grill skin side down and grill until juicy and charred, about 6 minutes. Grill the romaine, turning to slightly char all sides, until the core end is tender, about 5 minutes.

Divide the wedges of romaine, mushroom caps, and tomatoes among 4 plates. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salads and serve.

Thursday's Juicy Tips

Grilled Pizza, Easy as Pie: Grill a Pizza, Impress Your Friends.

Grilled Pizza is this year’s hot pick – it’s got smoky flavor, crisp crust and your favorite toppings.

Bonus: It’s as easy as calling the delivery guy.

Monday's BBQ Fact or Fallacy

“Italians invented the pizza.”

Fallacy - The common belief is that Italians invented the pizza: however, the origins go back to the ancient times. Even though we have yet to uncover archeological evidence of a Domino’s Pizza before the last century, it is known the Babylonians, Israelites, Egyptians and other ancient Middle Eastern cultures were eating flat, un-leaven bread that had been cooked in mud ovens. The bread was much like a pita, which is still common in Greece and the Middle East today. Further it is known that ancient Mediterranean people such as the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians were eating the bread, topped seasoned with olive oil and native spices.