Oysters are one of my favorite things to grill. Heating them makes them oh so easy to open. Make sure you have a towel to hold them as you pop the top shell off. Rock salt on the platter ensures that all of the butter and tequila stay in the shell.

4 to 6 servings

• 6 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
• 2-3 tsp. adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
• 2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 Tbsp. red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• ¼ tsp. lime zest
• Pinch kosher salt
• Pinch ground black pepper
• 2 dozen oysters
• 3-4 tsp. tequila
• Lime wedges, for garnish

• In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, chipotles, cilantro, red onion, garlic, lime juice, lime zest, salt and pepper. Using a fork, mash until mixed well.
• Spoon the butter mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap. Roll the wrap into a log and then chill until ready to use.
• Preheat grill to approximately 450 degrees. Cut the butter into thin coins.
• Line a platter with rock salt.
• Place the oysters, flat side up, on the grill over high heat until they open, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Discard the flat top shell. Place a butter coin on each of the oysters, then cook another 1 to 2 minutes or until the oysters are bubbling.
• Remove oysters from the grill and spoon ¼ tsp. tequila over each oyster and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
• Serve immediately with lime wedges and additional cilantro for garnish.

The post Make this: Grilled oysters with spiced tequila butter appeared first on Sauce Magazine: Intelligent Content For The Food Fascinated.

It wouldn’t be a barbecue without a burger. Coffee and brown sugar add a unique flavor to the pork. The pickles are so easy, you’ll want to double the recipe and keep a jar in your fridge.

8 servings

Quick pickles:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 4 Tbsp. fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. mustard seed
• 1 tsp. celery seed
• ½ tsp. whole peppercorns
• 5 medium cucumbers, sliced
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 cup sliced radishes

Rub:

• 1 Tbsp. ground coffee
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. ground coriander
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• Country Mustard:
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup Dijon mustard
• ½ cup stone ground mustard
• 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Burgers:

• 3 lbs. ground pork
• 8 potato buns or Hawaiian sweet bread buns, split in half
• Sliced fontina cheese
• Country mustard, homemade pickles (recipes follow), lettuce leaves and tomato slices, for serving

For the Quick Pickles:
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the celery seeds, sugar, vinegar, dill, salt, mustard seeds and peppercorns to a boil. Boil until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Place the cucumbers, onion and radishes in large bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over vegetables. Let stand at least 30 minutes.

For burgers:
• Combine all spice rub ingredients in a small bowl and stir together. Set aside.
• Combine all country mustard in a small bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
• Prepare a charcoal grill for medium-high, direct heat or heat a gas grill to medium-high.
• Divide the ground pork into eight equal portions; shape into patties.
• Season both sides of patties with the spice rub.
• Place patties on grill. Grill until cooked through and no pink remains.
• Place buns cut side down on grill. Grill until toasted and marks appear.• Spread mustard on buns and top with burger, cheese, tomato slice, homemade pickles and lettuce.

The post Make this: Grilled pork burgers with country mustard and quick pickles appeared first on Sauce Magazine: Intelligent Content For The Food Fascinated.

Light a chimney starter
If you’re using a charcoal grill, using a chimney starter is the easiest and safest way to grill your food, as it doesn’t use lighter fluid, which can be dangerous and add an unwanted taste. Simply fill the chimney with charcoal and light it over a few sheets of crumpled paper over the bottom grill grate. After 15 to 20 minutes, pour the coals over the grate, place another, oiled grate on top and you’re ready to get grilling.

Keep a lid on it
Keep the lid of your grill down as long as necessary. While it’s tempting to keep checking your food, opening the grill lets the heat escape, which could lead to dry meats and delayed cooking times.

Prep is key!
When you cook in your kitchen, you can start and stop at any point. But on the grill, once your coals get going, there’s no slowing them down. Ensure you can focus on the task at hand by prepping all your components before you light the coals.

Pump up the flavor
When it comes to grilling, there are several ways to add extra flavor to your food. The quickest way is with glazes, which are syrupy coatings often made with honey, maple syrup or molasses that are brushed on during the last few minutes of grilling. Similarly, wet and dry rubs require little preparation time. Apply these blends of herbs and spices (wet rubs incorporate moist ingredients, such as oil, mustard, and yogurt) up to a few hours before cooking to create a savory crust. To deeply infuse foods with more flavor — and tenderize them, too — immerse them in marinades that are made with acidic liquids such as lemon juice, vinegar, and wine. Just limit the time you marinate seafood to 15 -20 minutes, as the acid will “cook” the seafood and make it tough.

Where there’s smoke …
Whether you grill over gas or charcoal, use hardwood logs, chunks, briquettes, or chips to impart a smoky flavor to foods. Different wood varieties add subtle nuances; try applewood for sweetness, mesquite for tang, or hickory for a bacon-like taste. Make sure to soak any wood chips for about an hour before you start to get the most smoke infusion.

Work your grill
Create heat zones like a pro. On a kettle grill, bank coals in its center. Sear food in the middle, where heat is highest, then move it to the outer edges of the grill to perfectly cook without burning. On a gas grill, leave one burner on high, another on medium.

And the most important tip of all …

DO NOT TOUCH!
When checking for doneness, resist the urge to repeatedly poke, stab, or flip your food. Instead, give food time to sear and develop a crust; turn only when grill marks form.

Marianne Moore is Director of Sales and Catering at 23 City Blocks Hospitality Group

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I love to set up a shortcake station. A platter of split biscuits, a bowl of the grilled, spicy pineapple and freshly whipped rum cream is a great way to end the evening.

8 servings

Shortcakes:
2 cups flour
4 Tbsp. sugar, divided
2½ tsp. baking powder 
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 cup cold buttermilk
2 Tbsp. heavy cream 
2 Tbsp. sugar

Pineapple Filling:
1 pineapple, sliced 1-inch thick
Vegetable oil, for grilling
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary 
1 Tbsp. sugar 
Pinch cayenne
Rum Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. rum

For the Shortcakes:
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a food processor fitted with steel knife blade, combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse until fine meal forms. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Mix enough buttermilk into the flour mixture to bind dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently until combined, about 10 turns.
• Pat out dough to ¾-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out rounds and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Gather scraps and pat out to ¾-inch thickness. Cut additional biscuits and place on baking sheet.
• Brush biscuits with heavy cream and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until golden brown and firm to touch, about 18 minutes. Let cool and split.

For the Pineapple Filling:
• Prepare a charcoal grill for medium-high, direct heat or heat a gas grill to medium-high.
• Toss the pineapple in oil to coat. Grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
• Remove from the grill and cut into dice; transfer to a bowl. Stir in the rosemary, sugar and cayenne. Set aside.

For the Rum Cream:
• In a chilled bowl, use a hand mixer on high speed to whip the cream until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
• Add the powdered sugar and rum and whip to soft peaks.

• To serve: arrange split shortcakes on large platter. Spoon pineapple filling over shortcake and top with rum cream, as desired.

The post Make this: Grilled pineapple rum shortcakes appeared first on Sauce Magazine: Intelligent Content For The Food Fascinated.

Grilling the fish adds a smokiness that pairs beautiful with the sweetness of the dark rum in the sauce. Note: you can also use a whole salmon side instead of individual fillets.

8 servings

• 8 salmon fillets (5 ounces each)
• Olive oil, for grilling

Guava Barbecue Sauce:

• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 8 oz. guava paste, cut into chunks 
• ¼ cup light or dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 whole star anise
• ½ tsp. ground allspice 
• ¼ tsp. curry powder
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. dark rum

Mango Salsa:

• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 mangoes, peeled, fruit cut off seed, and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded and finely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, halved, seeded and finely diced
• 1 large red onion, halved and finely chopped
• 1 serrano chile, finely chopped (optional)
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

For the Guava Barbecue Sauce:
• Heat the vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and add the onion; cook, stirring often, until soft and a little brown around edges, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir in the guava paste, brown sugar, tomato paste, vinegar, star anise, allspice and curry powder. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until guava paste has melted, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sauce cool slightly.
• Discard star anise; transfer mixture to blender and blend to puree. With machine running, add the lime juice and rum. Transfer half of the mixture to a small bowl and set aside. Place the other half back in saucepan to keep warm.

For the Mango Salsa:
• In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the mangoes, bell peppers, red onion, chile, and cilantro; toss to coat. Add the beans and toss gently to mix well.

For the Salmon:
• Prepare a charcoal grill for medium-high, direct heat or heat a gas grill to medium-high.
• Drizzle the salmon fillets with olive oil and place on grill. Cook until the fish chars around edges, is firm and flakes easily with a fork, 8 to 12 minutes for rare (salmon will still be pink in the middle) or 12 to 15 minutes for well done (salmon will be cooked through). Brush with reserved barbecue sauce.
• Spread the salsa on a serving platter. Arrange the salmon on top of the salsa and drizzle with warm sauce.

The post Make this: Grilled salmon with guava barbecue sauce and mango salsa appeared first on Sauce Magazine: Intelligent Content For The Food Fascinated.

After the last year, nothing’s better than getting a bunch of friends together, firing up the grill and just hanging out. There’s something magical about barbecued food — the smokiness, the charred flavor, the crispy edges and crusts. These recipes celebrate all things summer and the beauty of what you can do with some charcoal (or wood, if that’s your preference). Plus, there’s the joy of stepping back from the stove and heading outdoors to enjoy those long summer nights with a cold cocktail in one hand and your favorite tongs in the other. So, fire up your grill and get that smoke wafting through the air.

1. Grilled Oysters with Spiced Tequila Butter
Oysters are one of my favorite things to grill. Heating them makes them oh so easy to open. Make sure you have a towel to hold them as you pop the top shell off. Rock salt on the platter ensures that all of the butter and tequila stay in the shell.

2. Peach-Bourbon Sweet Tea
There’s nothing better than sweet tea on a hot day. This one can be multiplied and made by the pitcher. 

3. Grilled Pineapple Rum Shortcakes
I love to set up a shortcake station. A platter of split biscuits, a bowl of the grilled, spicy pineapple and freshly whipped rum cream is a great way to end the evening.

4. Oven-Roasted Potato Salad
Oven roasting the potatoes adds a depth of flavor to this potato salad. If you don’t want to turn on the oven, you can also roast the potatoes on the grill. Just pop the roasting pan on a hot grill and make sure to toss them frequently so they don’t stick.

5. Grilled Pork Burgers with Country Mustard and Quick Pickles
It wouldn’t be a barbecue without a burger. Coffee and brown sugar add a unique flavor to the pork. The pickles are so easy, you’ll want to double the recipe and keep a jar in your fridge.

6. Buttermilk Coleslaw
Buttermilk adds a lovely tang to traditional coleslaw. It’s a great way to use up that buttermilk in your fridge. (Pro tip: If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup whole milk.)

7. Grilled Salmon with Guava Barbecue Sauce and Mango Salsa
Grilling the fish adds a smokiness that pairs beautiful with the sweetness of the dark rum in the sauce. Note: you can also use a whole salmon side instead of individual fillets.

8. Grilled Panzanella
You can grill the bread as soon as you pour the charcoal out of the chimney into the grill. Don’t walk away, as the bread cooks fast. Mix everything together and let it sit while you finish the rest of the meal.

The post 8 Backyard BBQ recipes to try this summer appeared first on Sauce Magazine: Intelligent Content For The Food Fascinated.

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The post Buttermilk Coleslaw appeared first on Sauce Magazine: Intelligent Content For The Food Fascinated.

The post Peach-Bourbon Sweet Tea appeared first on Sauce Magazine: Intelligent Content For The Food Fascinated.