Gastro Grilling by Ted Reader: Recipe, Book Review, and a Giveaway

Prolific grilling author, Ted Reader,  has a new grilling cookbook out just in time for the longer days and shorter nights.  

I was curious as to what the "Gastro" would be, since in some "pubs" it has come to mean snooty, overpriced and over produced food with gels and foams.  Ted understands that connotation and put's it out of the way in his opening:

Gastro does not imply pretentious when I'm involved.  Gastronomy means "the art and science of good eating."  There are other definitions in play, but I like this one.  It's simple and the truth and unpretentious, like me and my food.  - Ted Reader

Ted has had amazing grilling and BBQ experiences all over.  For example, just this week he was at Niagra for the Beer n' BBQ festival cooking with other major BBQ players like DivaQ and Dr BBQ.  Great times for sure, but he admits that his real satisfaction comes from grilling in his backyard and that is what Gastro Grilling is about.

Gastro Grilling

Fired-Up Recipes To Grill Great Everyday Meals

by Ted Reader

Pintail (part of Penguin)

$25  ($18.30 at Amazon)

Sustainable Pork Tour 2012 (Part II)

To be honest, when the National Pork Board invited me to tag along on their Sustainable Pork Tour, I didn't really know what to expect a "sustainable pork farm" to be.

You hear "sustainable" bounced around in terms of agriculture but what does it really mean?  I wasn't sure. I kind of pictured pigs running around with rainbows and unicorns.  

Reading various definitions can be even more confusing but this is what I take away from it:  "Agricultural farming that is economically viable and maintains stewardship of natural and human resources."  [Legal definition here]

Our tour started at the Inn of Versailles located in the Village of Versailles, OH (pronounced Ver-sales unlike its French namesake).  The hotel was built after a fire devastated the downtown in 1901 and has a charming bed and breakfast feel.  Despite retaining the older feel of the building, the individually furnished rooms have all of the modern day conveniences.

Lobby (photo from their website)

We were treated to a behind (and under) the scenes tour of the kitchens at Michael Anthony's Euro-American Bistro.

It always amazes me how commercial kitchens can do so much in a relatively small space.

Click click click

The whole Delligatta family works in the operation, she said it makes it fun to work there.

I saw a large drum of split wood in the kitchen, my favorite ingredient!

Chef Delligatta explains a little about the sustainable practices that they use, including their own gardens.

Wood embers burning on the grill, now THAT'S what I'm talking about!  I wanted to grill right then.

When we went down into the basement, I couldn't help but say, "It puts the lotion on its skin..."

What happens when a bunch of food bloggers see an underground micro-green garden?  More clicks.

They are pretty though, right?

We went back upstairs to test out the coal fired pizza oven.

A horse designed by a committee is a camel - a pizza designed by a committee is a....HUGE pizza with everything on it.

Then we met with the Wuebker's for dinner back upstairs.  Chef Delligatta and his staff served us several delightful courses of pork. 

Niles was kind of creepy, I never saw him blink ;)

The dining room is decorated with murals reminiscent of a European street.

In addition to being a trained chef for the past 15 years, Delligatta also was a certified Honda motorcycle mechanic.

 The antipasti course included the pizza we all created, bacon wrapped figs with oregonzola bleu cheese, San Daniele prosciutto with fresh melon, and fried squash blossoms.  The squash blossom and oregonzola bleu cheese were two of many firsts for me during this tour.

The salad course was a roasted beet and goat cheese salad.  The pasta course was probably my favorite of the night, braised sausage and beef ravioli with kale, peppers, and shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

The main entree was a wood fired pork chop with fig and cranberry chutney with a grilled summer vegetable spiedini.

Another first, I had not had capers like the two laying against the chop. They were spectacular when cut into little bites with the pork.

If you follow this blog, you know I do NOT care for dessert.  I don't like sweets much.  I even have a post tag of "holy crap I posted a dessert".

The dessert course was a salty caramel and bacon gelato.  I thought I would take one bite to be polite.  This was one of the best desserts I have ever eaten in my life.   I ate every single bite.  Yeah...me. 

After dinner, we sat around and Jeff Wuebker gave us a preview of what we might expect the next day.   He described their farm as an "ob/maternity ward for pigs".  Instead of being a "birth to market" farm that raises pigs from birth to slaughter, Wuebker Farms is under contract as a farrowing farm.  

In 1986, they only had 60 sows and have grown to 1,800 sows today.  Last year they produced enough pigs to supply 1 million pork chops.  But the focus was on how they won the Environmental Stewardship award with their sustainable practices.  He talked about how they use automation, policies, and practices to minimize consumption and keep waste streams onsite.  

More about that in the next post but it was clear the modern pig farmer is part businessman, part biologist, part nutritionist, part veterinarian, and 100% dedicated.

Funniest moment of the dinner: During dinner one end of the table exploded in laughter.  I debated about putting the reason behind it here since it is a little risque.  For a compromise, I will put it as the first comment.  View it at your own risk.

Jeff also mentioned that tomorrow we would have the opportunity to hold a freshly born piece of bacon pig and even participate in the artificial insemination of sows.  WHAT WHAT WHAT? Yeah, you'll have to wait for Part III about the farm tour for that part!  :)

Ribs Smoked On a Gas Grill

Sustainable Pork Tour 2012 (Part 1)

I spent the past two days in the farmlands of Versailles (Ver-sales, not Ver-sigh), Ohio courtesy of the National Pork Board and have learned volumes about sustainable pork farming at Wuebker Farms.  I even held a piglet that was just minutes old.

Squee!

I had a lot of preconceived notions changed and have a lot of topics to discuss so I need to break this into 3 posts.

My intial post is a recipe inspired by my visit in 3 ways.

First, I chose to do "baby back ribs*" since Wuebker Farms is basically an Ob/Maternity Ward for pigs.  Second, I decided to smoke ribs on my gas grill because Jeff and Alan cooked our lunch yesterday on this cooker that they bought for $250!

What a bargain!!! 

It's a gasser with an internal 6 rack rotisserie that they found for a steal when looking for a feed truck for the farm.  The third inspiration is that I based this recipe on a local BBQ sauce that Dena Wuebker recommended, D.B. Yummers.

She wanted to give me two bottles but TSA regulations won't allow you to carry liquids more than 3 ounces so they couldn't fly with me.  The sauce has a thick texture and you can see some of the bigger spices like red pepper flake in there.  It has a bold sweetness and a good kick of balanced heat.  I liked it enough that I ordered a 4 pack from them today.

Not a bad smoke ring for a gas grill.

Wuebker Ribs
source:  www.nibblemethis.com

Ingredients

• 1 rack baby back ribs*
• 1 smoke packet*
• 1/3 cup D.B. Yummer's Mildly Spicy Barbecue Sauce

For the rub

• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1.5 tsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp smoked kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes*
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp onion powder

For the mop

• 1/2 cup D.B. Yummer's Mildly Spicy Barbecue Sauce
• 1/4 cup cola
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat gas grill to 250-275f and place your smoke packet directly above the burner.  For my Smoke Hollow grill, I turned only the left burner on and at the lowest setting.  That kept it around 260-270f. 
2. Remove the membrane from the back of the rib (like I show in this post or the video is this really old post.).  Mix the rub ingredients together*.  Moisten the rib on both sides with a little cola (about 1-2 Tbsp) and then season it heavily with the dry rub.
3. When the smoke pack starts smoking, place the rib on the grill bone side down and away from the burner and close the lid.
4. Mix the mop ingredients together and lightly mop or spoon some over the rib about every 30-45 minutes.   This will layer flavors and keep a moist cooking environment.  
5. Cook for 3 hours, then wrap in a double sheet of aluminum foil and return it to the grill.  Cook for 45 minutes.
6. Remove from the foil and put back on the grill.  Cook until the rib bends easily when you hold one end with tongs, about another 45 minutes (4 1/2 hrs to 5 hours total time).  When they are almost done, brush on some of the straight barbecue sauce (not the mop).  
7. Let rest for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

Notes

• Ribs - These were packaged as "baby back ribs" but are actually loin back ribs.  The only difference is size, true baby backs are 1 1/2 or 2 pounds.  Back ribs can be heavier like these (2.9 lbs).  
• Smoke Packet - For ideas on how to make a smoke packet, check out Patio Daddio's excellent tutorial.  I used a foil mini loaf pan with two Mojo-Qubes and got some of the best smoke I have ever had on a gas grill, it blew chips away as far as the quantity and consistency of smoke production.  
• Red pepper flakes -  this is spicy as written.  Drop the quantity to 1/4 tsp for medium heat.
• I ran my rub through a spice grinder for just a few seconds to get an even texture but you can use it just mixed together by hand.
• If you want "fall off the bone" ribs (which are overcooked), leave them in the foil for an hour.

Close enough!

Wuebker Wub

I covered the Qubes with foil and poked about 8 holes in top.

I have three wood fired smokers but I chose to use the gas grill side of my Smoke Hollow grill just for fun. 

The rib is away from the burner while the smoke packet is directly on the burner (see under the grate to the right).

I don't have to mop when I use my Big Green Eggs but the gasser seems to be a drier environment.

 

I also mopped the bacon wrapped corn, figured it couldn't hurt.

Mmmmmmm ribs.

Served with bacon wrapped corn and Smokehouse Tradition Grillin' Beans.

Alexis couldn't get over the smoke flavor and said she wouldn't have known they were done on a gas grill if she hadn't seen it with her own two eyes.

I'll have two more posts up this week with a ton of pictures and information from my visit with the National Pork Board, Ohio Pork Producers Council, and Wuebker Farms. 

Fire Roasted Stuffed Bell Peppers - Cheater Version

The stuffed mini pepper kabobs that I made the other day made me crave stuffed bell peppers, one of my childhood favorites.  My usual recipe is a little more drawn out but I took some short cuts on this one.  You could also do this in your kitchen using your stove top and oven but you won't get the extra flavor of fire roasting.  Unless you catch your oven on fire.....

Fire Roasted Stuffed Bell Peppers - Cheating Version

source:  www.nibblemethis.com

Ingredients

• 5 bell peppers
• 12 oz Mexican style chorizo*
• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 3 cups cooked Mexican rice*
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 tsp Grill Mates Fiery 5 Pepper Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Manchego cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat a charcoal grill to 350f (medium heat).  I added two chunks of mesquite wood.
2. Par-cook the peppers.  Cook over direct heat about 1 minute per side and then place in a covered bowl for 5 minutes.* 
3. Brown the chorizo in a skillet, adding the onions about 3 minutes after starting the beef.  
4. Add the chorizo and onion to the cooked rice.  Add one half of the cheese and stir the whole mixture together.
5. Slice the top of each pepper off and remove seeds.  Fill with the rice mixture.  
6. Mix the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Fiery 5 Pepper, and oregano together.  Spoon over the top of the stuffed peppers.
7. Use an indirect heat set up to roast your stuffed peppers for 30 minutes.
8. Top the peppers with the remaining cheese and cook another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
9. Remove, let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving, they will be hot.

Notes

• Mexican chorizo - this is the raw style, not the cured Spanish chorizo.
• I used a packaged mix, one of my cheats.
• Peppers - You aren't trying to char and blister the skin off of the peppers here like you would normally.  You are just trying to pre-cook them a little bit so they'll be tender at the end.

The Fiery 5 Pepper adds a punch to the glaze.

Have everything ready because it goes quickly during prep.

Manchego - This briny hard sheep's milk cheese is nicely suited with the chorizo.  If you can't  find Manchego, you could use monterey jack cheese instead.

Grilling on a skillet.  Skillereting?  Grilleting?

I cooked mine in a stoneware pan, those are ideal for indirect grilling.

Cover liberally with the cheese. 

I served them with slices of seasoned avocado. 

Grill Mayor of 2012
How would you like to be named as the Grill Mayor of 2012?  Food Network is currently running a contest in which you can been named Grill Mayor AND win this great prize package:

o   Grand Prize: 2 trips to New York City for winner and a guest 

o    2 nights first-class hotel accommodations

o   $100 Food Network gift card

o   Food Network Grilling Cookbook

o   Omaha Steaks grilling kit

o   Assortment of Grill Mates products

o   Dinner for Grand Prize Winner and one guest at a Food Network’s chef restaurant in New York City

o   Two VIP access passes to a premiere New York City BBQ Festival 

o   Tour of the Food Network kitchens in New York City

So how do you get elected to Grill Mayor?  Simple.  You go to the Food Network contest entry page and submit your best grilling tip or piece of advice.  Entries must be 100 words or less and include a picture of your tip in action.  See the contest rules for official stuff but the contest runs through July 31, 2012.  Good luck!

Also - don't forget to join me at the Grill Mates Grillerhood for fun stuff from McCormick.  I just downloaded a hot grilling wallpaper for my laptop:

I know, I'm a dork.  They also have ring tones, recipes, and other stuff each week, check it out.

[Standard Disclaimer] I have received compensation for this post from representatives of McCormick Grill Mates.

Jerked Pork with Pineapple Salsa

[Non-recipe post]  [Vegan warning - some meat cutting pictures shown]

I did something a little different with pork shoulder yesterday.  Instead of a Southern style pork BBQ I went to the DEEP South.  Atlanta?  "South-er".  Florida?  South-er!  Try Jamaica.   

I smoked a jerk pork picnic shoulder and topped the sandwiches with a sweet, tangy pineapple salsa.

It rocked.  Like Cajun seasonings, jerk is often misunderstood as just being spicy hot.  There is so much more to the flavors of jerk than just a burning sensation.  The allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon and thyme give it an earthy flavor.  That is the essence of jerk to me.  Don't get me wrong, the layers of chile do give it a kick.  My lips and tongue tingled for 30 minutes afterwards - more about that later.

Pork Shoulder 101:  Whole Shoulder vs Pork Butt vs Picnic 

A lot of us BBQ geeks generally refer to "pork shoulder" but when newbies go to the butcher, they might not know what to ask for.  I'm giving the NAMP numbers to eliminate confusion when shopping.  If your meat department doesn't know what NAMP numbers are, change meat markets.

Whole pork shoulder (NAMP 403) - This the front leg of a hog.  It is the "butt" and the "picnic" sections together in one huge cut weighing 12-18 pounds or even more.  

Pork Butt (NAMP 406) - this is the upper portion of a whole shoulder weighing on average 6-9 lbs.  It is also known as a Boston butt.  It is probably the most frequently used for smoking your own BBQ at home.  It has a lot of marbling which makes it hard to mess up.  Prep work required:  None unless you want to trim or score the fat cap.

Picnic Shoulder (NAMP 405) - This is the lower portion of the shoulder also weighing 6 - 9 lbs.  It is sold bone in and skin on.  It generally costs less per pound than the pork butt but since part of  its weight is bone and skin, your net price for net yield is going to be about the same.  The picnic is a little leaner than the butt but still produces great bbq when handled right.   Prep work required:  For BBQ remove skin with a boning knife and trim excess fat.  For Lechon style roast, remove skin, trim fat, replace skin and tie down.

I can generally get either butt or picnic at Food City.  For me, I usually buy pork butt for BBQ, it's easier to handle and more forgiving.  But if the picnic shoulder is on sale or just looks better than the butts, I'll buy a picnic instead. 

Smoke and Spice and the Jamisons

The recipe I used this weekend was Boston Bay Jerked Pork from the classic book Smoke & Spice by Cheryl and Bill Jamison.  They have been kind enough to grant me reprint permissions in the past but I didn't even ask this time because you need an incentive to go buy this book.  It is full of time tested and Nibble Me This approved rubs, sauces, and recipes.  Smoke and Spice has been around for quite a while and that is because it remains spot on relevant for making great tasting BBQ. 

I also just ordered their new book Tasting New Mexico.  Cheryl and Bill celebrate New Mexico with a tribute to the traditional foods of their home state. In addition to featuring full-flavored versions of 100 beloved local dishes, the book covers the agricultural and ranching heritage of New Mexico, and relates stories about notable cooks, restaurants, food products, and more.  If it is half as good as Smoke and Spice, it will be a great book.  If you want one, you better hurry, Amazon only had 18 left when I ordered mine. 

Jerked Pork with Pineapple Salsa

9.9 lb untrimmed pork picnic shoulder.

To remove the skin work a sharp boning knife under the skin and make a series of shallow slicing cuts.

Lift the flap as you keep working toward the leg shank.  Then work around the shank.  It's all small steady cuts.

The Egg was set up with lump and 6 Mojobrick (3 cherry, 3 hickory) cubes.  Plate setter in with drip pan for indirect cooking.  Bottom vent open a fat 1/4" and the top was closed with petals open.

Shoulder rubbed with jerk seasoning and put in the smoke.

My secret ingredient for the rub.  Instead of ground habanero, I cut the cayenne chile amount in half and added 1/8th tsp of Trinidad Scorpion chile powder (hotter than the bhut jolokia aka Ghost chile).

The shank bone with start to protrude as the shoulder smokes and contracts.  This is 3 hours in.

Another difference for me, I mopped this shoulder using the recipe mop.  I haven't mopped since I got my Egg. 

The color started turning a nice mahogany about 6 hours in.

I took it off the smoker 9 and 1/2 hours later at an internal temp of 197f.  I drizzled with agave nectar (recipe deviation), foiled and rested it for two hours.

Yellow line is internal temp, red cooking temp.  The first cooking temp spike was from opening to mop.  The second one was when I raised the temp to help push through the stall.

Nice bark and deep smoke ring.  And flavor?  KAPOW. 

The grilled pineapple salsa was 1 can of pineapple slices grilled and chopped up.  Then added 1 diced jalapeno, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/3 cup red onion, 2 Tbsp roasted red pepper, 1 Tbsp lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Made a quick finishing sauce from 4 parts BBQ sauce, 1 part pineapple juice.  Served with sweet potato chips.

This was one of my favorite smoked pork shoulders in a while, apparently for the rest of the family too.  It had a good jerk flavor and it wasn't excessively hot while eating it but my lips tingled for a good while after we finished eating. 

[Standard Disclaimer]  I received no compensation for this post.  I paid full price for Smoke and Spice long time ago and for Tasting New Mexico.  Heck, I didn't even get free shipping from Amazon.