Eight New BBQ and Grilling Books That You Will Want for Summer 2021

[FTC Standard Disclosure] I receive review copies of many BBQ and grilling cookbooks each year; however, none of them are guaranteed coverage and we don't accept any compensation from the publisher other than the review copy (typically, only in PDF format). The links given are Amazon Affiliate links so I will receive compensation if you purchase through Amazon.

There are eight new BBQ and grilling books on my radar for this summer. That's a lot since I'm a jaded, grizzled BBQ veteran and usually, there are only 3 or 4 books each year that catch my interest. 

To be clear, I have not yet checked these books out, except for BBQ Revolution. These are books that I am interested in based on a combination of:

• Author's reputation in the industry
• Experience with author's previous works
• Experience with author's body of work

Here are the eight new BBQ and grilling books that I want to check out this summer. I am listing them in order of release date.

Shaved Steak Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry on the Big Green Egg

 [FTC Standard Disclosure] We received no compensation for this post

This Beef and Broccoli was one of the most delicious ones that we have done. We had the leftovers last night, and they were even better with a healthy dose of sriracha.

Stir-frying is an easy, quick, and generally healthier way to prepare food which fits our current goal of trying to lose those extra pounds we picked up during the pandemic. I cooked this on one of our Big Green Eggs, but these tips apply to stir-frying in general.

Stir-Frying Reminders

• High heat - Chances are that you aren't cooking your stir fry hot enough. Commercial wok burners can run at 200,000 BTU while home ranges usually run from 15,000 to 20,000 BTU. Don't be bashful with the heat; it's almost impossible to stir-fry too hot at home.
• Velvet your meat - Don't skip this preparation. It takes 45 minutes, but it ensures your meat is silky and doesn't dry out. You coat your meat with a mix of corn starch, rice wine vinegar, and egg whites and let it rest. Then you partially cook the meat before the stir-frying begins.
• Parboil or steam hard vegetables - Firm vegetables, such as; broccoli, carrot, or daikon, benefit from being parboiled or pre-steamed and then shocking them with frigid water. 
• Use dry ingredients - Wet ingredients will cause your stir fry to look dull/slimy and be mushy. Take a moment to pat any wet/damp ingredients with a paper towel.
• Don't crowd the wok. Like with any cooking vessel, overcrowding will cause the food to steam instead of roasting, stir-frying, etc.

Shaved Steak Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients

Blue Cheese Burger with Deep Fried Asparagus

 [FTC Standard Disclosure] I received a package full of Bertolino Foods products as a thank you for some of the posts I have done about their shaved steak. No money exchanged hands and I'm under no obligation to post this. 

Last week I was happy to find a cooler full of Bertolino Foods beef products on my doorstep. It was loaded with their shaved steak and several of their gourmet burger patties. There were many varieties of burger patties and this weekend I decided to try their blue cheese burgers.

Typically, you'll see these on a menu or recipe as "black and blue" burgers but I wanted to try something a little different. I wanted something that reminded me of a wonderful steakhouse burger and came up with this...

Gourmet Blue Cheese Burger with deep-fried asparagus and dijon-mayo on a brioche bun.

We freaking LOVE crispy, deep-fried asparagus as a side so why not put it on a burger, right? They were fantastic. It had the delicious flavor of blue cheese, the crunch of the asparagus, and the rich dijon-mayo brought it all together. 

This was pretty straightforward, here is what we did, starting with the asparagus.

Deep-Fried Asparagus

By www.nibblemethis.com

Published 03/08/2021

Green and Black Porterhouse on the Big Green Egg Mini-Max

 [Standard FTC Disclaimer] We received no compensation for this post. Product links may be Amazon Affiliate links.

I tried something a lil' different with a porterhouse this past week. I dry brined it with black salt and green peppercorns.

Why black salt and green peppercorns? 

 

Hawaiian black lava salt and green peppercorns. If I have to tell you which is which....

• Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt - It is made by mixing activated coconut charcoal with sea water, to create large, flavorful crystals. While there are health benefit claims, to be honest, they sound like a bit of a stretch to me.It tastes like premium sea salt with a slightly smoky finish.  I typically use it as a finishing salt for its dramatic appearance. 
• Green peppercorns - These are the same thing as black peppercorns, the immature fruit from the piper nigrum plant, only picked earlier than the black ones. The result is a fruitier taste and a milder sting or heat. 

Here is what I did for this steak. 

Antipasto Flatbread on the Big Green Egg

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

Alexis and I have been on an antipasto flatbread binge this year. This delicious and easy-to-make flatbread is loaded with artichoke hearts, olives, red onion, roasted red pepper, sliced pepperoncini, grilled chicken, a light amount of cheese, and a sun-dried tomato pesto for the sauce.

I was inspired by the December issue of Eating Well's Antipasto Sliders.  They were a vegetarian spin on those ham and cheese sliders that you make with pull-apart rolls. We made them as written and they were good but I couldn't help but think they'd be even better with a sun-dried tomato pesto so we made another version of them. The sliders are an excellent idea for heavy hors d'oeuvres.

Event Preview: Mini-Fest at Tuckaway Shores Resort - Indialantic FL

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

When I first started out on my BBQ journey, it was the early days of online communities. Instead of social media, #hashtags, and trending, groups of enthusiasts gathered on bulletin boards and forums like a clan of cavemen gathered around a fire in a cave. On the original Big Green Egg Forum, I heard tales of a private gathering of Eggheads (Big Green Egg aficionados) spending a weekend at a beachfront motel cooking great food for each other. 

Because of demand, it was a hard invite to get but I knew that one day, I would get to this legendary Mini-Fest. That finally happened in 2019 and I loved every minute of it. I thought I would preview the 2021 Mini-Fest since it was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The Mini-Fest is a weekend-long, end-of-the-Eggfest-season celebration. It is a small group, mostly of long-time Eggfest cooks, that gets together to close out the season.

Differences Between an Eggfest and the Mini-Fest.

Regular Eggfests are awesome. At these regional events, a local distributor and/or organizer hosts an event where teams of Eggheads grill up their best foods to serve to ticket-buying crowds. You can buy demo eggs and eggcessories onsite. Typically the ticket proceeds go to a local charity. They are a ton of fun for the cooks and crowds.

Mini-Fest is different on a number of fronts.

• It's all about cooking and eating. Mini-Fest is an organic event created by and for Eggheads solely for the purpose of cooking together and for each other. No raffles, no sales, and no stress. 
• No crowds. The only people you are cooking for is fellow cooks. 
• Mini-Fest lasts for the entire weekend, morning, noon, and night.
• No schedule of events. It's just a weekend of freestyle cooking. People cook what they want, when they want, and there is always something to eat.
• No teams, no competition. This is just individuals cooking for other people. There is a ton of collaboration and sharing. "You've got scallops? I've got some beef tenderloin trimmings. Want to make a surf and turf appetizer for everyone?"
• Fewer Eggs. Because there is no regional distributor with a supply of demo grills, there are only a handful of users' Big Green Eggs on hand but everyone shares and there's always a grill you can use.

Scallops searing in a cast-iron skillet on a BGE Mini-Max.

Dirty Rice with Cajun Chicken (RIP Popeye's Cajun Rice)

 [FTC Standard Disclaimer] We received no compensation for this post. We may use Amazon Affiliates links for products or supplies mentioned.

This weekend, Alexis and I made Cajun Chicken with our quick and easy dirty rice recipe.

We made it because we learned from Southern Living this weekend that Popeye's has discontinued their Dirty Rice, aka Cajun Rice. 

We’re going to need a moment. https://t.co/fxmGESD17d

— Southern Living (@Southern_Living) January 30, 2021

This has long been a personal favorite of mine, as well as Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza, which was also recently dropped from their menu. I mean, I don't eat much fast food anyway, but with these establishments dropping my favorites, I'm starting to take it a bit personally (haha). 

Fortunately, both of these dishes are easy to make at home, and I've had "sort of clone recipes" for years. Here is our version of Dirty Rice. It's not an exact clone; it is more an "inspired by" type thing. 

This version has a mild heat to it from the Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning. If you can't tolerate much heat, then drop the Cajun Seasoning to 1/2 teaspoon. If you want more heat, use spicy sausage, increase the Slap Ya Mama, or swap jalapeno peppers for the green bell pepper.

You'll need to cook the rice in a covered pot, so use a large, lidded chef's pan or pot. I used my All-Clad Hard-Anodized 12" chef's pan, but I've also made this in a 3-quart pot as well.

Dirty Rice (aka Cajun Rice)

By www.nibblemethis.com