Queensday Hawai burgers #114

Queens day in the Netherlands is a tradition for us. We all have a good time with friends,flee markets everywhere,beautiful weather....Just perfect!!
First we have a drink with friends, and afterwards a bbq at our place.
I opted for the hamburgers,quick,easy and very tasteful.
We marinate it with 1 cup brown sugar,1 cup stonewall's kitchen bbq sauce,(ketchup will do the same) 3 eggs,bread crum,1 Tbsp tabasco,1 onion diced,1Tbsp hot paprika powder.Blend it very well.
If you want to have the same size of burgers every time you can use an old lid.our lid was just enough for an burger of 125 gr minced meat.
We had the burgers with cheddar cheese,and fresh pineapple.They were absolutely fabulous..
Enjoy with a lot of rose.

Brisket & asparagus #113

Today I had a nice discussion with Guus Vredenburg from VCC Stick-it, about the making of "Sushi". Before I know I received a package of Sushi stuff and a big bag of white asparagus...for the weekend...Wow great stuff and good looking...
Just before closing time from the butcher shop, I get myself a nice "brisket"
I dry rubbed it with a basic rub (brown sugar,chili flakes,onion powder and salt to taste)
I cooked the asparagus 10-15 minutes with a few slices lemon,1tsp salt,1tsp sugar.
We had a nice arugula pesto with it for the asparagus.
Cook 2 eggs, take out the egg yolk and set the white egg aside.
Take 2 Tbsp mustard,1 tsp sugar,1tsp salt,1 Tbsp vinegar and good olive oil.
Put 75gr arugula and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and mix well.
Put the brisket on a really hot grate! for 2 minutes each side for rose.

Enjoy.

The Perfect Bite #112

Last week a friend and I went for a workshop bbq from the KCBS team LOW&SLOW at "Het Twiske".
We learned a lot about the meat and the heat.The rub's and the brine.They also showed a lot of smokers...All I want now is the grilldome...;-)
We also learned something about the meat,how to recognize when it's "done".
For judging the chicken was "done" if you bite in the chicken and the mouth piece was an mark on the meat (half round).
Of course we tried it at home,with a good result;-)
Ok, back to our own backyard grilling. Jan-Willem bought us a nice big bag off very good charcoal what they used on the workshop.The Black Ranch charcoal!! Wow it is an awesome charcoal,It burns quick,long and very very hot!
We made a cedar wrapped chicken breast with lemon pesto.For the veggies I used Fresh spinach leaves and baked beans,with a touch of garlic and onion.
Direction for the pesto:1Cup basil leaves,1Cup fresh spinach leaves,1glove garlic,1/2 cup of roasted pine nuts,1Tbsp zest of lemon,2tbsp lemon juice,1Tbsp zest of orange,2Tbsp orange juice and olive oil from "Andalucia Original"
Put the ingredients in the blender,first the leaves,zest,juice,pine nuts and the oil.Set aside for a while.
Now soak the cedar wraps,for about 20 minutes.
Grill the chicken breast for about 2 minutes each side and place on the safe zone of the grill.Get your wraps out of the water,take the chicken breast of the grate and fold it in the wraps,with a Tbsp of lemon pesto,and close with the butcher's twine.
Place it on a direct hot grate until its done (about 10-15 minutes)
The veggies were done in the wok on the grill,first the onion and garlic,then the spinach and the beans.
Enjoy with a nice Chianti red wine.

Coffee from Andalucia #111

A few weeks ago I received a big bag with coffee from Original Andalucia.
It was the "Especial Hosteleria" from Cafe Castel
I tried this on two different ways, the French press and as a espresso.
It was a sweet and heavy coffee on the espresso,very dark roasted, but for the morning a great coffee...you can stay awake the whole day;-)
As a French press coffee it was more friendly, still a bit heavy but very nice,My wife tried it as a latte..very nice too.
More info about products from Andalucia check here

Pulled pork injected!! #110

Today I had an awesome idea..I injected the BostonButt with Ballentine 17 year old Scotch whiskey...It was really great..never had that juicy pork...I've rubbed it with a mixture of 2Tbsp brown sugar,1Tbsp onion powder,1Tbsp chili powder and a little bit of oil.
The mop sauce was a mixture of 2Tbsp apple syrup,3Tbsp apple cider vinegar,and tomato ketchup.
Cook the syrup and vinegar till it's a smooth paste,then add the tomato ketchup and let it simmer for a few minutes.
The Butt was injected with Ballentine whiskey,and marinated with the rub for a few hours.
In the meantime prepare the grill for indirect grilling,on 200ºF.
Put the butt on the grate.(Don't forget to place a drip pan under the butt) Add some cherrywood on the charcoals (or what you like).
This butt was 3,5Lbs and was done in 6 hours.
Enjoy with some Chianti..

GuestBlog "DutchessCooks" #109

I was asked by Hanneke, from the DutchessCooks,for writing a guestblog.
She send me a test package "Bandiolaspice" chicken rub. Great stuff!! I also received my Cedar planks...Santa was early this year...LoL.
Now what...I had a few great idea for making chicken breast with Bandiolaspice rub on a cedar plank..
I'm telling ya..it was so juicy...I'll never had that juicy chicken before..I think I'm order some rub from those guys too.
The rub was not over powerd in combination with the plank. We had a nice red Valpoliccelo wine with it and some French fries and a salad.

Cedar plank pork tenderloin #108

After doing some decoration in the porch, the soccer of the kids and doing some quality time with my wife,it was time to do some grilling.
Last week I received the "Cedar planks" from Outdoor Gourmet (thanks Grillgrrl)
I had some nice plans for the planks..First the pork tenderloin, I've seen a beautiful glaze at Mike's site "AnotherPintPls" the maple glaze...It was awesome!!..
The balance between cedar and the maple was perfect..Nothing was over-powerd..
The glaze:6Tbsp maple syrup,3Tbsp apple cider vinegar,mustard to taste and a Cedar plank from the "Outdoor Gourmet"
Soak the plank a few hours in water.For the tenderloin I used only a little salt and pepper to taste and the glaze off course.
Put the Tenderloin on the plank and get the plank on the grill over medium heat 300-350 F, with the lid closed for about 20 min.After 15.min bring on the glaze.The core temp.was 71ºC
Serve with some home made Fries and a salad....Don't forget the wine,We had a nice Valpolicello superieur red....
Enjoy

1st time rib's #107

This is the first time after 20 years,to make rib's again!! 20 years ago on a wedding party I ate my first rib's...and it was the last time..I had a food poisoning from the rib's,Man it was horrible....It took me a few months to fully recover from it...Until now....after 20 years i've got to try it again....I asked Hanneke from "TheDutchessCooks" for a nice rub recipe.
This is what she gave me.(I adjust it a little bit)
The ingredients for the rub:1,5 teaspoon smoked paprika powder,1,5 teaspoon hot paprika powder,1 teaspoon black pepper, ground,¼ cup brown sugar,¼ teaspoon cumin powder,½ teaspoon cayenne powder,½ teaspoon chili powder,½ teaspoon onion powder,½ teaspoon Sea salt.
Clean the ribs (remove the membrane!!) apply the rub and let them marinade overnight in the fridge.

The ingredients for the sauce:2 tablespoons tomato paste,¼ cup cider vinegar,1 tablespoon chili sauce, ¼ teaspoon cumin powder,2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce,6 tablespoons Bacardi rum,5 cloves,¼ cup brown sugar And 2 cups ketchup.

Bring all the ingredients except the ketchup to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add the ketchup, bring to a boil and let this simmer for 30 minutes. Let it cool.

The grilling part: Prepare the grill for indirect grilling.Put the rib's on the grill for about an hour.After 1 hour take the rib's of the grate and pack in aluminum foil.Set back on the grill for another hour.. Unpack the rib's and put back on the grate.
Now you can mop the rib's with the sauce for about half an hour...
The next time I add a bit more sugar and less chili powder/sauce
For desert we had fresh strawberry's with whipped cream...

Enjoy with home made French fries and a glass of red wine.