Summer grilling, had me a blast…

Summer grilling, had me a blast…

I like to grill pretty much year round, but obviously summertime is primo for cooking outside. Not only can you keep the house from getting too hot, but you can also produce flavors unparalleled in the kitchen.

Flame, smoke, marinades, rubs, and the list goes on. Even the simplest seasoning can be enhanced by the grill. Gas, charcoal, or hardwood it makes no difference, the idea of cooking outdoors like a caveman or cavewoman is all that matters.

I use a propane gas grill and I am still learning. I am a short order cook by nature and have very little patience for taking my time when it comes to getting food on my plate… but as I said I am learning.

I am learning to not turn the heat up to high, I am learning to keep one section of the grill as a warming area, I am learning to be let my food rest before serving… all things that improve the experience.

I recommend that you do some research, find a book, website, or a friend and start cooking. It is the best hobby in world because most of the time you can eat your mistakes.

My latest foray into grilled deliciousness was my own version of bacon cheeseburgers.

First I put raw bacon in my food processor and pulsed it until it was sorta like ground beef. Then I mixed the bacon with hamburger, Italian sausage, spices, and shredded cheese. The result was a burger that was out of this world.

Awesome bacon cheeseburgers

1 lb bacon ends and pieces (ground)

1 lb ground beef

1 lb mild Italian sausage

½ cup shredded cheese

Salt, pepper, granulated garlic to taste

Mix all ingredients together and form into patties, I like a little bigger burger so I weighed them to be 6 ounces.

Grill on medium heat until cooked through (the the pork sausage needs to be completely cooked).

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think, or what you did different.

Connect with me at cookingwithtrace@gmail.com, www.cookingwithtrace.com, or comment www.facebook.com/cookingwithtrace.

Now go grill something! Trace

Hey it is Wednesday, the kids are hungry, feed them maybe? (thank you Carly Rae Jepsen)

I am tired… Between my youngest turning 9, a freshman in marching band, teaching elementary kids to cook, oh and that pesky 40 hours a week that I have to spend making money… I am plum tuckered out! 

What about you? Are you so busy that drive through, or frozen dinners are looking better and better? I do occasionally take the family out for dinner just because it would be too much work to go home, find something to cook, blah blah blah… but I usually have some quick and easy dinner ideas up my sleeve.

This week I made a Boston butt (that is a pork shoulder roast). I took the time on Sunday to put it in the oven on about 275 degrees (after a quick dry rub) and then I went about my business until the internal thermometer started ringing. It was done and chopped about 9 pm, but I was able to divide it out into lunch portions for my wife and I and then we also had a great meal last night by re-purposing the delicious swine. I basically tossed the chopped pieces with a spice rub and put it in the oven (400 degrees) for about 20 minutes, cooked some frozen vegetables and dinner was done. 

By the way did you know that you can play the card game WAR at the dinner table and count it as math homework? I lost every single hand…

My point is that if you take a few minutes to think about your week, and decide what you can do, then you can prepare ahead of time and save yourself some time!

You could cook a turkey while the game is one and then use it all week in different recipes, from soup to potpies, or the ever popular turkey sandwich.

Brisket, pork roast, pot roasts, chicken, turkey, and ham are all examples of meal planners. You can make a low investment on one afternoon, and then have some go to ideas for the busy times.

Quick prep Boston Butt:

7-9 pound pork shoulder (Boston Butt)

Tin foil

For the spice rub mix together:

½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup kosher salt,  ¼ cup paprika, 2 tablespoons granulated garlic,

1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or make your own version)

Preheat oven to 225 degrees

Rub spice mixture all over roast until it is covered completely. Place roast on rack in a foil covered pan. Place in oven for 9-10 hours (I sometimes cook them over night). The internal temperature should be between 180 and 200 degrees. At 180 the roast is done, tender, juicy and delicious, at 200 degrees the roast will shred in to pulled pork. Your choice!

Connect with my on Facebook www.facebook.com/cookingwithtrace or on my website at www.cookingwithtrace.com

Go cook something! Trace

Pork, Potatoes, and Veggies

Pork, potatoes, and veggies

10 oz broccoli, cauliflower, & carrots in cheddar cheese sauce

12 oz all natural broccoli cuts

1 lb pork loin (sliced into 4 or 5 chops)

10 oz sweet potato medallions

12 ounce Russet potato cubed

1 ounce olive oil

Spices

Cumin, Garlic, Cinnamon, Salt, Pepper, Paprika, ??

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix your choice of spices together (I used about even amounts of each of the spices listed above).

Peel and slice the potatoes, toss with olive oil, sprinkle with ½ of the spice mixture and spread into an even layer on a cookie sheet (I used my stoneware bar pan). Roast for 20 minutes and then turn the potatoes over. Roast for an additional 20 minutes or until done.

Meanwhile cook mixed vegetables together (according to package directions).

Heat grill pan

Toss pork chops with remainder of the spice mixture, grill to medium well.

Nutrition analysis

Calories 358 | Carbs 35 | Fat 13 | Protein 28 | Sugar 8 | Fiber 6