Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Saturday Night Grilling 4-28-07

I hadn't planned on posting about my supper on Saturday night, but I cooked the whole meal on the ol' kettle. That is always fun for me. On the menu was thick cut (one inch) boneless pork chops, corn on the cob, and asparagus. I went all minimalistic on the prep for the whole meal.

Corn
: Rub with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

The corn will take the longest. Some people like to cook them in the husks or in foil, but I like to put them directly on the grill. I like to put them over the coals and turn every couple minutes to get a little char on it. Then I put them on the cooler side of the grill for 20-30 minutes depending on how big they are.

Chops: Lawry's Seasoned Salt, Garlic powder, and cracked black pepper; all to taste.

The chops will go on next and cook them like you always would. These were thick, so they took 4 or 5 minutes per side on the hot part of the grill. On a side note, I cook my boneless chops hot and fast to sear the outside. I don't measure the temps in mine, but I'm sure they end up at 150ish or so. The temp will rise a little when you take them off, so if you take them off at 160 they will be overdone by the time you eat them. Let them rest for 10 minutes or so before you cut into them. By the time you get inside, finish up with the drinks, set down and have the blessing, they'll be ready to go.

Asparagus: Coat with olive oil, salt, pepper, a little garlic powder, and some balsamic vinegar.

The asparagus won't take long and do burn easily, so I put them on last. Again, I like to put them over the coals to char them up a little, then put them on the cooler part of the grill. Cook them to whatever tenderness you like. We like ours a little crunchy, so 5 minutes is about right.


The finished product!!!



4 comments:

Th3Guns1ing3r said...

Hey Hog. Speaking of gas grills, I had a grill that came with some charcoal 'bricks' that went in the bottom and helped add smoke and flavor. I tried googling and see if I could find such a thing for sale, but with no luck. Have you ever come across anything like this?

Hogwild said...

Slinger,

I've never see what you're describing, but it's been a long, long time since I've owned a gas grill or shopped for any accessories. Did they work well? I always prefer real wood for my smoke. You can get chips (not chunks), put them in an aluminum foil pouch, poke a few holes in the pouch and sit it on a burner. That should get you plenty of smoke.

Hog

Th3Guns1ing3r said...

They worked well. The flavor was decent for what they were. Not quite as good as wood and charcoal, but decent. It was several (5-6+) years ago, and they came with the grill I bought then. I've never seen anything like them in stores. They were made specifically for gas grilling, though. I'm going to try the foil thing, or build a basket for some coals. If your adding a rub or sauce to meat, the gas does a good job, but I like my steaks without rubs/marinades and the gas alone doesn't quite cut it for them. Of course, I really don't have an excuse because I won't be dealing with any harsh NC winters... ;-)

Hogwild said...

I think you meant harsh NE winters, Slinger. ;-) They also make a cast iron box that you can put chips in instead of the foil. The foil works well, though. I usually don't put anything on my steaks besides kosher salt and cracked pepper. Let me know how the foiled chips work for ya.