Naked Wings II

Preparing for the weekend tailgate...fixed our simple recipe which turned out wonderful as always...we will slop them around in some mild wing sauce afterwards this time around.

Ingredients

€        4 Lb. – Chicken Drumettes (approx.25- 30 pieces)

€        Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Poultry Seasoning

Directions

1.    Rinse chicken in the sink and drain.

2.    Place pieces in a large plastic bag or mixing bowl.

3.    Sprinkle the poultry seasoning generously and mix or shake to cover each piece lightly and set aside (return to refrigerator if you are not going to grill in the next 30-40 minutes)

4.    Fire up your Egg and raise the grid by 2”; place the extended grid on top of the original and close the lid and let the temperature stabilize at about 350 degrees.

5.    Once stabilized open the lid and place all the wing-ettes and drummettes onto the grids and close the lid and let cook until done (approximately 20 minutes).  Turning once might be necessary.  When finished remove and let sit for 5 minutes then toss in your favorite dipping sauces or serve naked.

Tri Tip (Organic)

Beef Tri-Tip1 - The story behind Tri Tip Beef (a.k.a. Triangle Roast): This cut of meat is limited in availability because there is only one per side of beef. Therefore it is typically ground into hamburger or cut into cubes and sold as soup meat. This often over looked piece of meat is not only relatively inexpensive but also very flavorful and has become a favorite amongst the few in the know. The tri-tip roast or steak (also called a triangle roast) is the 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds of meat that sits at the bottom of the sirloin. It has great flavor and tends to be much lower in fat than most cuts of beef i.e., it's a good lean cut of beef.

The thing to remember is that lean also means it will dry out faster so it is recommended that you prepare with a good marinade &/or Rub. Particularly good flavors for tri-tip are Southwestern or Asian. Because tri-tip is lean, be careful not to overcook it, particularly when preparing the full roast. Medium is as far as you should go with this cut. Use a meat thermometer to monitor often during cooking. If you are used to grilling other cuts, this one can throw some grillers off by appearing underdone when it is ready to serve and by the amount it ‘swells’ when cooked.

Santa Maria/Grilled Soy Lime Style – This simple tri tip recipe utilizes a hybrid marinade that is loosely based on a combination of spices picked up from two different recipes.  It was slightly adjusted from the original posted a few weeks ago, but only slightly. 

Ingredients:
• 2-3 Lb. Tri-tip roast (ORGANIC)
• Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends – Meat Magic
Seasoning Marinade:

• 2 teaspoons freshly ground 4-color pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 Tbls. Garlic powder
• 2 Tbls. Sea Salt (fresh ground)
• 1 ½ Cups Apple Juice (100% pure juice)
• ¼ Cup Soy Sauce (low sodium)
• 2 ½ Tsp. Lime Juice
• 1 Tbls. Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• ½ Tsp. Fresh Ground Ginger Root
• Optional: Corn Syrup or Honey (3 Tbls.)

Basting Sauce:
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup vegetable oil (or EVOO) (add garlic powder if you can’t find garlic infused oil)


Preparation and cooking:
1. Mix together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the tri tip in a 1 gallon freezer bag. Place in refrigerator for 4-8 hours turning occasionally.
2. Whisk basting sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside for basting.
3. Lightly oil your cooking grid and fire up BGE to T-Rex. Remove from Marinade and pat dry. Rub each side with Paul Prudhomme’s Meat Magic then sear the tri-tip at 600 to 700 degrees for 3-4 minutes per side.
4. Remove seared tri-tip from the BGE, cover it with foil and let it rest while bringing the BGE temperature down to 350 to 400 degrees. Option: During this cool down period consider adding a few oak chunks to your lump.
5. Now set up BGE for Indirect cooking (plate setter) and return the tri-tip back in the BGE and cook to an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees (approximately 35 minutes) for medium rare, basting with the sauce every 5 to 10 minutes (optional).
6. Return the tri-tip back into the BGE and cook to an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees, basting every 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Remove tri-tip from the BGE, cover it with foil and let it rest 15 minutes; to serve cut into ½” slices against the grain.2

1 Paraphrased from Beef Tri-Tip, One of the best cuts you are probably not buying, By Derrick Riches, About.com Guide 2 this recipe is adapted loosely from Foodnetwork.com’s website; titled “Santa Maria Style BBQ”

Big Green Egg PLANTER BOX

Worlds most expensive garden planter box...the base from my cracked Large Egg is now the home of my green pepper garden.

Organic Lump Charcoal

I would LOVE to have some of this LUMP...wonder what shipping from that part of the world would cost? Ouch. http://www.graigfarm.co.uk/

Produced close to Graig Farm on the English/Welsh border, their charcoal is produced by an independent producer, Woz Young, who works alone to produce high quality, sustainable hardwood charcoal.

It is produced with materials sourced from sustainably managed woodlands. These hard woods are produced by the practice of coppicing (cutting stems on a 10-15 year cycle), thinnings (removal of poor quality stems in a stand), and 'Lop and Top' (waste material from mature felled timber).

Small diameter materials are preferred. These are then slow cooked in situ in large steel bins for 24-36 hours, removing all moisture and volatile gasses from the wood, leaving its basic carbon structure - charcoal.
The charcoal relights and burns well at far greater temperatures than the original wood and without the smoke. It also weighs 1/6th of the weight of the wood.

Charcoal can be used for a variety of purposes, including drawing, dying, smelting metals and water purification and improving the quality of our local native woodlands.

Get Your Grill On - Green Grilling

With the weather heating up, barbecue season has officially begun. And while a little backyard grilling isn't going to ruin the environment, when 60 million people hit the BBQ at once--like they do on Fourth of July--the impacts can add up.

To grill greener, try these tips:
Opt for a cleaner-burning propane or electric grill over one powered by charcoal, which contributes more to poor air quality. If you've got time to spare, a solar oven or stove avoids emissions altogether.

If you do use charcoal, look for lump brands (AND A BGE!) (briquettes may contain coal dust or other additives as binders) made from invasive tree species or harvested from sustainably managed forests, and switch from lighter fluid, which releases smog-forming VOCs, to a chimney starter.
Grill organic, hormone-free meat and mix it up with fish, veggies, even fruit.

Minimize health risks (from carcinogenic substances that can form when meats are grilled or broiled at high temperature) by choosing lean meats and trimming fat before cooking. Set your picnic table with reusable dishware and silverware and cloth napkins. If that's not feasible, look for biodegradable or recycled-paper dinnerware, unbleached cups, and recycled-paper napkins.

Clean up green with a natural cleaner like Orange Plus (made with orange oil) or SoyClean.

Source: http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2007/06/get_your_grill_.html