Boursin Black Pepper Strip Steaks on the Big Green Egg

[FTC Standard Disclaimer] We received no compensation for this post.

I haven't been cooking many steaks this year because food prices have skyrocketed.  But when I saw a half strip loin of Certified Angus Beef® Brand for under $50, I couldn't resist it. I cut it into thick steaks and the first thing that I made was these Boursin Black Pepper Strip Steaks.

What is Boursin?

Boursin cheese is a brand of Gournay cheese, which is a soft, creamy cheese. I didn't know they had a cracked black pepper version until I saw it at the store last week. The pepper adds a slightly spicy kick. The contrast between the creaminess and sharpness of flavor sort of reminds me of gorgonzola or mild blue cheese. I'm not saying it tastes like blue cheese, just a sharp contrast like blue cheese. 

My immediate impression was that it would be perfect in compound butter for steaks. So here we are. 

Boursin Black Pepper Butter

By www.nibblemethis.com

Grilled Chicken Teriyaki with Pepper & Onion Skewers

[FTC Standard Disclosure] I received a Char-Broil Cruise grill with Cruise Control Technology free of charge for review purposes. I receive no other compensation for this post and I have no business dealings with Char-Broil.

Grilled chicken teriyaki is a classic and it is an excellent recipe for beginning grillers because it is simple yet creates a delicious flavor.

Two-Phase Glaze

You can't glaze grilled meats with teriyaki sauce too early in the process because the sugar will burn. I like to use a two-phase approach. After grilling for a few minutes, I start basting with teriyaki sauce that has been cut with chicken stock or broth in a 3:1 ratio. This lets the sauce cook onto the chicken without burning. Then in the last few minutes, I use a thicker glaze to finish it off.

I cooked this recipe on the Char-Broil Cruise gas grill; you can find my full review here. Teriyaki can make a mess on your grill, so I wanted to take advantage of the Auto-Clean feature after cooking. It would work just as effectively on a charcoal grill; I was just being lazy...there I admitted it. 

Grilled Chicken Teriyaki with Pepper and Onion Skewers

By www.nibblemethis.com

Product Review - Char-Broil Cruise Grill with Cruise Control Technology (MSRP $699)

[FTC Standard Disclosure] I received a Char-Broil Cruise at no cost for review purposes. All opinions are my own. I receive no compensation for this post, nor do I have any other financial arrangements with Char-Broil or their affiliates.

Product Review – Char-Broil Cruise Grill (MSRP $699)

Earlier this year, Char-Broil introduced their newest, game-changing grill – The Char-Broil Cruise. I was lucky enough to receive a Cruise unit from Char-Broil and have put this new grill through real-life cooking for the past few weeks. Here are my thoughts and experience with this new grill.

Tame The Flame, Change The Game

So what makes this grill a game-changer? Until now, gas grill heat controls have been knobs that control the gas flow at a set rate of consumption. If I set my old gas grill on “medium”, the grill will let the gas flow at that designated rate. That rate of flow doesn’t change regardless of the actual cooking temperature it achieves or factors like ambient temperature or wind.

The Char-Broil Cruise changes this by cooking at a specific set temperature. If I set the grill for 500°f, the Cruise will assess the grill temperature and if it is anything but 500°f, the grill will adjust the gas flow to achieve 500°f and maintain that temperature. No more guessing or adjusting.

The Char-Broil Cruise automatically adjusts gas flow to maintain a specific cooking temperature.

Let’s look at the features that I like and the experience I had while cooking some of the typical backyard basics.

Features

Digital Temperature Control and Auto-Calibration

The ability to set a precise cooking temperature and know that the grill will maintain it gives a cook confidence. This is true from beginning backyard chefs to seasoned pros like me. The Cruise has a thermometer mounted inside the cooking chamber that provides feedback to a processor. The processor controls the two-burner tubes to maintain the set temperature.

The controls are straightforward. The dial controls the temperature setting in 5°f increments.