Grillin' and Chillin'!

Thank you, Zumsteg's, for being our awesome hosts! Brother and Sister Z., shared lots of great tips with us. But first we learned that we were not barbecuing, we were indeed, GRILLING! Barbecuing is SLOW and LOW temps, while grilling is QUICK and HOT!

Sister Z. showed us her awesome recipe using New York Strip steaks, which have some nice marbling going on!

She also marinated some steaks in a store-bought marinade. She recommends only marinating for 30 minutes - doing so longer can result in tough meat.

Spice-Crusted New York Strip Steaks With Mesa Grill Steak Sauce

Steak Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons dried ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons arbol chiles
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt (plus extra to season)
• 1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground (plus extra to season)
• 4 (12 ounce) New York strip steaks
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• mesa grill steak sauce (Mesa Grill Steak Sauce)

Directions:

1. To make the spice rub, combine the ancho powder, paprika, coriander, dry mustard, oregano, cumin, chile de arbol, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper in a small bowl.
2. Preheat a grill to medium-high or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the steaks with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Rub one side of each steak with about 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture.
3. Grill the steaks, rub side down, until lightly charred and a crust has formed, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip over the steaks and continue grilling for 5 to 6 minutes more for medium-rare; the steaks will be bright pink in the middle.
4. Spoon some of the Mesa Grill steak sauce into the center of each of 4 plates and top with the steaks. Or serve the sauce on the side for dipping.

Mesa Grill Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup prepared horseradish, drained (I use Kraft creamy Horseradish sauce)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons dried ancho chile powder
• kosher salt
• black pepper, freshly ground

Directions:

1. Whisk together the ketchup, horseradish, honey, mustard, maple syrup, Worcestershire, and ancho powder in a small bowl until combined, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Cover and refrigerate for a least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld. Bring to room temperature before serving. The sauce will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator stored in a tightly sealed container.

Happy steak eaters! The steak was soooo good and TENDER! Love that spice!

Now it's time for some ribs!

BBQ RIBS

Cooking Gear:

9 x 13 Roasting Pan
Wire Rack (needs to fit on top of roasting pan without extending too far beyond the edges of it)
Glass Loaf Pan (if metal, spray with cooking spray)
Foil
Plastic Wrap

Smoking Solution:

Liquid Smoke
Soy Sauce
Water

Meat:

Baby Back Pork Ribs

Rub (this is enough for two slabs of ribs):

3 Tbs. Brown Sugar
1½ Tbs. Spanish Paprika
¾ Tbs. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
½ Tbs. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Dry Mustard
Dash of Cayenne

BBQ Sauce:

Sweet Baby Ray’s Original BBQ Sauce
Hot Sauce
Honey


1. Mix all the rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. Prepare ribs by laying them out on plastic wrap. Pull off the first membrane on the back of the ribs (the thin, almost transparent layer). Use a sharp knife to help lift this off. If the membrane gets too slippery to grip, use a paper towel.
3. After pulling the membrane off, turn the ribs over, meat side up, and massage the rub into the meat. Use a generous amount of rub.
4. Wrap in plastic and marinate in the fridge for up to 18 hours depending on your time constraints.
5. When marinating is complete remove ribs from the fridge. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
6. Prepare the smoking solution, by filling your roasting pan with water about one inch high. Add ¼ cup soy sauce and enough liquid smoke, ¼ cup or more, until you get a good smoky aroma to your water (the more liquid smoke you add, the more smoky your ribs will taste). You really can’t overdo it. The water should look like a dark apple juice.
7. Place the metal rack on top of the roasting pan. Make sure all four corners of the rack are secure. Set the loaf pan, upside down on the rack.
8. Set the ribs vertically (with the bones going up and down) on the metal rack, leaning against the loaf pan. If your ribs are too long for the pan, cut the slab in half and put half a slab on each side of the loaf pan. I’ve fit up to three slabs of ribs on this pan. If you have more than one slab, layer half slabs vertically in a circle around the loaf pan.
9. Make a tent with aluminum foil, wrapping the roasting pan. You will need to use quite a few layers of foil. I usually will cover my pan with at least four full layers. Crimp all edges tightly to make sure no air escapes.
10. Bake ribs for 4 hours.
11. When ribs are done, remove from oven and let them sit in the roaster for 15 minutes.
12. Mix ingredients for BBQ sauce. Adjust sweet/spicy as needed.
13. Remove ribs from roaster and brush with BBQ sauce.
14. The Ribs can be eaten at this point or you can put them on the grill for five minutes per side, or under the broiler to crisp them up.

Removing the membrane on the ribs - the non-meaty side.

Pulling the membrane all the way off.

Massaging the rub onto the ribs.

Hello ribs!

The smoking solution should be the color of apple juice and you should be able to

smell the liquid smoke.

Here is the cooling rack, over the pan with the smoking solution, and the ribs

vertical around the loaf pan.

Top view

Cover everything COMPLETELY and TIGHTLY with foil!
This is your "roaster."

This is how they look when they come out of the oven - SOOOO tender and just begging for sauce!

Michelle is slathering on the sauce. Then places them on the grill, meat side down, to crisp. This could also be done in the broiler.

And they're ready! And they were SOOOOO delicious!

Grilled Veggies:

Vegetables of your choice
olive oil
salt
pepper
balsamic vinegar
fresh basil leaves


Select any veggies you like, I love asparagus, zucchini, plum tomatoes, yellow squash, red or yellow peppers, and eggplant. I have also done sweet potatoes, and baking potatoes, you can do corn on the cob, onions, mushrooms... you get the idea.

Whatever you use, wash it and cut off the un-usable parts - stems, ends, etc. Cut into thick slices, veggies like zucchini, eggplant, squash, or potatoes. For things like tomatoes, just cut them in half. Peppers, depending on their size, can be cut in half or in quarters. Asparagus just goes on as is - be sure to cut the ends off.

Put all your veggies in a large bowl or bag and drizzle in some olive oil (I use extra virgin), you want a thin coating on everything.

Place veggies on the grill and salt liberally. Use pepper also. Close the lid and let them grill over high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Check for grill marks - when they appear, flip the veggies and salt and pepper again. Give them a few more minutes. Place on a serving platter and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, if desired, and fresh basil.

Leftovers go great chopped up and tossed with pasta!

Time for dessert! Grilled peaches...

Grilled Peaches with Honey Cream Sauce

ingredients:
1/4 C. light cream cheese, at room temp.
2 T. light sour cream
1 T. honey
cooking spray
3 large peaches, pitted and halved

In a small bowl, mash together the cream cheese and sour cream with a fork; stir in honey until smooth. Coat grill rack with cooking spray (stand back!). Place peaches, cut side down on hot grill and cook until grill marks appear, 2-5 minutes. Turn over and cook a little longer. Serve peaches with honey cream sauce (or ice-cream would be good too!)