Grilled corn salsa

Posted on August 3, 2014 by bbqviking

Grilled sides are of course, you guessed it, better than un-grilled sides. And it’s corn season here in Norway now. It lasts only for a very short time here, about a month, which of course means: eat as much corn as you can, now! This grilled corn salsa is perfect with steak, burgers, ribs, fish, venison – it goes well with all grilled proteins really. It takes a little time to make, but I promise you, it will be worth it.

Time: 60 minutes
Skill Level: Easy

What you will need:

5 pieces of corn, on the cob, with the husks
20 cherry tomatoes
1 red onion
1 cup of coarsely chopped cilantro
2 tbsp homemade mustard (or you can buy one)
2 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Juice from 1 lime
1 tbsp honey
Salt & Pepper
2 tbsp butter

How to do it:

Fire up your grill according to the 50/50 setup. Place the corn cobs, husks on, directly over the fire. Turn them about every 4-5 minutes. While they’re grilling, get a large bowl, and pour in olive oil, mustard, vinegar, lime juice and honey. Whisk it well together to a dressing, and season well with salt & pepper. Coarsely chop cherry tomatoes and red onion, and mix that with the dressing.

Now you can focus on the corn. Once the husks are nicely charred on all sides, take the corn off the grill, and remove the husks. You might need to let it cool a bit depending on your “chef hands” level.. Once the husks are removed, brush lightly with vegetable oil, and lightly sear (not char) the corn directly over the coals. This should be very quick, so keep turning them all the time, or you will end up having burnt corn.

The corn is now almost ready! Time to get it off the cob. I like to do this in some kind of deep dish, but if you want corn all over your kitchen, you can do it on a cutting board. Set the cobs upright and use a knife to remove the corn from the cob. Once it’s all removed, mix it with 1-2 tbsp of Maldon salt, and the 2 tbsp butter. Grind some pepper over it too. Then, put it in the large bowl with the rest of the stuff, add the chopped cilantro, and mix it up. I like to serve this salsa lukewarm like it should be now, but it also keeps well in the fridge. Enjoy!

Grillet maissalsa

Posted on August 3, 2014 by bbqviking

Grillet tilbehør er selvsagt bedre enn ikke grillet tilbehør. Og nå er det maissesong i Norge! Butikkene bugner over av deilig fersk mais, noe de ikke gjør de 11 andre månedene i året. Så her er det bare en ting å gjøre: spis så mye mais som mulig, nå. Denne maissalsaen passer perfekt til biff, grillet fisk, baby back ribs, ja til bortimot alle proteiner du måtte finne på å slenge på grillen. Den tar litt tid å lage, men du kommer garantert til å synes at det var verdt det.

Tid: 60 minutter
Vanskelighetsgrad: Enkel

Hva du trenger:

5 maiskolber, med bladene på
20 cherrytomater
1 rødløk
1 kopp med grovhakket koriander
2 ss med hjemmelaget IPA-sennep (eller du kan kjøpe en god sennep)
2 ss olivenolje
5 ss eplesideredikk
Juice fra 1 lime
1 ss honning
Salt & pepper
2 ss smør

Fremgangsmåte:

Fyr opp grillen din med såkalt 50/50 oppsett, dvs. kull på ene halvdelen. Plasser maiskolbene med bladene på direkte over kullet. De må snus ca. hvert 4.-5. minutt. Mens maiskolbene grilles, finn en stor bolle og hell oppi sennep, olivenolje, eplesideredikk, limejuice og honning. Visp dette sammen til en dressing og krydre den med salt og pepper. Grovhakk cherrytomater og rødløk, og bland det med dressingen. Vent med koriander til servering, den smaker best da.

Nå kan du fokusere på maisen. Når bladene er godt svidd på alle sider, tar du maisen av grillen, og fjerner alle bladene. Du må kanskje la maisen kjøle seg litt før du gjør dette, alt etter hvor mye kokkehender du har. Når bladene er fjernet, pensler du maiskolbene med litt vegetabilsk olje, før du bruner dem direkte over kullet. Dette går veldig fort, så her må du bare snu, snu og snu, hele tiden, hvis ikke ender du opp med brent mais.

Nå er maisen nesten klar! Neste steg er å finne en dyp form eller lignende, sette maiskolbene på høykant, og skjære maiskornene av kolben. Når alt er av, blander du inn 1-2 ss Maldon-salt, og 2 ss smør. Kvern litt svart pepper over maisen også, før du putter den i bollen med resten av salsaen, sammen med den grovhakkede korianderen, og bland alt godt. Jeg liker å servere den lunken med en gang, men den holder seg også godt i kjøleskapet noen timer.

BBQ Grunnkurs – Røkt Bratwurst

Posted on August 3, 2014 by bbqviking

Smoked bratwurst is great "waiting food" if you've got some spare room and you're doing a long cook.

Røykt bratwurst er perfekt ventemat hvis du har litt ledig plass i grillen og driver med ett langtidsprosjekt som for eksempel pulled pork

Så du har grillet en stund, og vil prøve deg på ekte “low & slow” BBQ? Da er dette det definitive stedet å begynne!

For mange betyr det å fyre opp grillen en ting: pølser. Det som ikke er så bra er at pølser ofte betyr kjedelige, usmakelige, ferdigkokte gufne greier fra en eller annen fabrikkprodusent. Jeg blir svimmel bare jeg ser på ingredienselisten til enkelte grillpølser man kan finne hos de store butikkkjedene. En god pølse skal stort sett inneholde tre ting: kjøtt, fett, og krydder. Og en god pølse skal deifnitivt ikke være ferdig trekt/kokt på fabrikk. Når du først har smakt pølser som var rå da de ble lagt på, og så har fått røyke sakte på grillen i ett par timer kommer du til å være kurert for å spise vanlige grillpølser, det er helt sikkert. Hvorfor skal pølser være ferdig trekt? Ville du kjøpt en ferdigstekt biff til å varme på grillen? Ferdig kokt svineskulder? Ferdig kokte spareribs? Hvis du alt dette høres flott ut, er du på feil blogg. Så, som utgangspunkt trenger vi rå pølser. I Oslo fås min favoritt, rå bratwurst, hos Strøm-Larsen. Men sommeren 2014 selges også rå pølser i vanlige butikker over det ganske land. Kvaliteten er ikke helt som Strøm-Larsen sine, men de er uendelig mye mer smakfulle enn sine ferdig trekte søsken i pølsedisken. Anni’s Pølsemakeri i Mathallen har også ett bra utvalg.

Serveringsforslag:

Jeg serverer disse pølsene på hjemmelagde burgerbrød, med litt coleslaw, pickles, litt hjemmelaget ketchup, en god hjemmelaget sennep, og noen ganger også litt rødløkskompott. Denne kålsalaten med grønne epler er også perfekt til pølsene!

Total tid: 90-120 minutes
Vanskelighetsgrad: Nybegynner/Middels
Grilloppsett: Indirekte, en-sone
Grill temperature: Cirka 110-120 grader celsius på risten

Du trenger:

Rå kvalitetspølser (bedre med for mange enn for få, restene fungerer nydelig til omelett eller frokost neste dag)
Rundstykker eller brød (hjemmelaget er selvsagt best)
Tilbehør som nevnt over
Grillkull eller briketter (jeg bruker kun naturlig kull, hvis du bruker briketter sørg for at du bruker noen av god kvalitet)
1 kopp med røykflis (Jeg liker å blande hickory og eple til disse pølsene, les mer om valg av røykflis her)
Ett hurtig termometer, som for eksempel ThermaPen

Fremgangsmåte:

Fyr opp skorsteinen din ca. halvfull med briketter eller kull (basert på standard Weber kulegrill)
Mens kullet blir klart, putter du en brikettkurv på ene siden av grillen, og en stor rustfri stålpanne full av vann i midten av grillen (se bildet). Du kan også bruke engangs grillpanne, men det er både mer økonomisk og mer miljøvennlig å kjøpe seg en stålpanne som kan brukes igjen og igjen (de har en billig en på Ikea). Hvorfor vi skal ha vann på grillen? For det første gjør massen i vannet at det er letter å holde jevn temperatur når man røyker, for det andre bidrar vannet til å holde miljøet fuktig i grillen gjennom hele røykingen.
Oppsett for røykt bratwurst. Liten kurv med kull på ene siden, og røykflis som har ligget i bløt og så pakkes i alufolie.
Når kullet er hvitt, heller du det over i brikettkurven på grillen.
Putt to røykbomber (en håndfull bløtlagt røykflis pakket i aluminiumsfolie) over det glødende kullet. Vent til de begynner å produsere røyk før du legger på pølsene.
Legg på pølsene og lukk lokket. Bruk nederste ventil til å justere temperaturen, prøv å holde den rundt 110-120 grader.
Legg på nye røykbomber nå det slutter å røyke, men ellers bør lokket være på mest mulig, ingen sniktitting!
Slik ser pølsene ut når de er klare til å spises. Se den nydelige fargen pølsene får av røyken fra flisen!

Etter ca. 60-90 minutter burde pølsene være klare. Hvis en av dem sprekker, har du for høy temperatur, lukk nederste ventil helt og la temperaturen synke, og hold lokket på. Bruk ThermaPen til å sjekke temperaturen, det er viktig at rå pølser er gjennomstekt! Jeg pleier steke mine til 85 grader celsius, de er fortsatt ekstremt saftige og gode på grunn av den lave grilltemperaturen.
Da er det bare å spise da!

Spicy coleslaw with vinegar dressing

Posted on August 1, 2014 by bbqviking

A lot of people like the creamy coleslaw I have posted about earlier on this site. I think it’s perfect on buns for burgers and pulled pork. But as a side to steak, pork chops, bratwurst and more – I personally prefer a vinegar based coleslaw. Another plus of course is that a vinegar based coleslaw is super healthy and almost free of calories, which means I can eat even more smoked meat. So, how about this for a spicy, vinegary slaw for your next BBQ?

Time: 15 minutes
Skill Level: Easy

What you will need:

1/2 a head of cabbage
3 carrots
1-6 finely chopped fresh chilies (depending on the level of fire you want)
1 tsp maldon salt
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dijon mustard
Some hot sauce

How to do it:

Find yourself a large salad bowl, and chuck in the salt, celery seed, pepper, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, and a couple tsp of your favorite hot sauce. Whisk it all together into a lovely dressing, adding more salt/pepper/hot sauce to taste. Chop your cabbage, carrots and chilies the way you like them (I’m lazy, so I grate it all in my food processor…), and throw it in there. Mix well. I think this slaw tastes best if I make it in the morning and let it sit in the fridge until dinner time. Enjoy!

BBQ101 – Perfect, juicy smoked chicken breast filets (with bacon!)

Posted on August 1, 2014 by bbqviking

Tastes great with some grilled corn salsa, coleslaw and homemade bourbon-pickled jalapenos!

The last year I have had a personal focus on eating healthier and working out. Does that have to mean less BBQ? No, of course not. It means more BBQ. And one of the most protein-rich, low-fat foods you can put on your smoker is the chicken breast. However, due to the low fat content and the temperature levels you have to cook them to, they can easily end up being dry and bland. Some months ago I saw a (stupid) comment from someone about how you “had to” employ sous vide techniques to make a good chicken breast. Of course you don’t, as we all know EVERYTHING tastes better smoked or grilled (don’t get me started on the whole sous vide first and then smoke it debacle, it doesn’t even come close to real BBQ, and you know it). So I have experimented for a while, and believe now that I have found a very good (perfect?) way to make chicken breast! We will combine low and slow BBQ with the method known as the reverse sear, and some glazing in the end to achieve perfection while cooking outdoors. Let’s go!

What you will need for 6 filets:

6 large chicken breast filets
6 strips of quality dry smoked bacon
Some BBQ sauce for glazing (I like to use this one, but you can buy a good one too of course)

Serving suggestions:

I like to serve with some good coleslaw, maybe some grilled corn salsa (recipe to come later…) and some good homemade bourbon-pickled jalapenos. Some bratwurst is never a bad idea either!

Preparations (15 min):

Set up your grill or smoker for indirect cooking and try to stabilize grate temp at around 100C/212F
I like to rinse the filets under cold water and then pat them dry with kitchen towel. You can brine them too if you like that, but I don’t find it necessary using the method we will use
Season the filets. I use salt and pepper only for this, but you can use your favorite rub for more spiciness too if you like.
Once rinsed and dry, roll/fold the filets lengthwise into a ball that is uniform as possible. This together with low temperature smoking will aid in even cooking throughout, plus it looks cool. Wrap a strip of bacon (or two, cross-wise if you’re feeling like partying) around the filet, and use a small wood skewer to hold it all in place.
Chicken is now ready to go!

How to cook it (120-150 min):

Place your chicken balls safely on the cold side of your grill smoker. Throw some (cherry/apple) wood chips on if you like, I don’t find it necessary on my lovely Primo Oval XL, I get enough smokiness just from the lump charcoal I use. Either way go easy on the smoke, poultry is easily oversmoked.
Stick a thermometer probe in the largest one and keep an eye on the temperature throughout cooking. On around 100C/212F grate temp it usually takes a bout 90 minutes to get to the desires temp, which should be about 65C/149F (not safe for eating, but we are not done yet!)
Once the chicken has reached 65C/149F, take them off the grill, and get the temp up a bit. Heat up a grate over the coal side of the grill, because we will do some searing next
When the grate is nice and hot, get the chicken balls nicely seared on all sides. This should bring them up to around 70C/158F.
Once searing is done move them over to the cold side of the grill again, and brush them with the BBQ sauce selected earlier. I normally have a grate temp of around 150C/300F at this point, try and keep it at that or lower, or the sugar in your BBQ sauce will burn and create bad flavors
Let the filets glaze for 5-10 minutes. At this point I check each one with my ThermaPen, to see if I have reached the safe temp for chicken (USDA says 165F/74C, and I agree)
Once they reach the correct temp, take them off the grill and let them rest 5-10 minutes. Serve it up and enjoy the juiciest, most delicious smoky chicken filets you have ever eaten. Perfection!

BBQ Grunnkurs – Perfekte, saftige kyllingfileter med nydelig røyksmak (og bacon!)

Posted on August 1, 2014 by bbqviking

Smaker fortreffelig med grillet maissalsa, coleslaw, hjemmelagde bourbon-pickled jalapenos og en iskald IPA

Det siste året har jeg hatt en personlig fokus på å spise sunnere og trene masse. Betyr det mindre BBQ? Nei, selvsagt ikke, det betyr mer BBQ. En av de mest proteinrike, magre tingene du kan slenge på grillen er kyllingfilet. Men, pga det lave fettinnholdet og den forholdsvis høye kjernetemperaturen vi må tilberede filetene til for å unngå sykdommer, ender kyllingfileter ofte opp som tørre, smakløse greier. For noen måneder siden så jeg en (idiotisk) kommentar om at man “måtte” bruke sous vide teknikker for å få til ett godt kyllingbryst. Det må man selvsagt ikke, og som vi alle vet smaker ALT bedre når det er røykt og grillet (og ikke nevn disse sous vide først og så røyking teknikkene, det er ikke engang i nærheten av ekte BBQ, og det vet dere!). Så, nå har jeg eksperimentert noen måneder og mener å ha funnet en metode for å lage veldig god (kanskje til og med perfekt) kyllingfilet på grillen. I denne oppskriften kombinerer vi “low and slow” BBQ (varmrøyking) med teknikken kjent som “reverse sear” (dvs at vi brunner kjøttet til slutt istedetfor først), før vi avslutter med å glasere filetene.

Hva trenger du for 6 fileter:

6 store kylling brystfileter
6 remser med tynn, røykt kvalitetsbacon
BBQ saus for glasering. Jeg liker å lage og bruke denne, men du kan kjøpe en også selvsagt.

Serveringsforslag:

Jeg liker å servere disse med litt god coleslaw, litt grillet maissalsa (oppskrift kommer senere), og noen gode hjemmelagde bourbon-pickled jalapenos. Litt bratwurst er aldri en dårlig idé heller!

Forberedelser (15 min):

Sett opp grillen eller røykeren din for indirekte grilling og prøv å stabilisere en temperatur (målt på risten) på ca. 100 grader celsius.
Jeg liker å skylle filetene i kaldt vann og så tørke dem med kjøkkenpapir. Du kan legge dem i saltlake noen timer også, men jeg synes ikke det er nødvendig med den metoden vi skal bruke for tilberedning her.
Krydre filetene. Jeg bruker kun salt og pepper på disse, men du kan bruke din favoritt-rub også for litt mer krydret smak.
Når filetene er klare, rull eller brett dem på langs og form dem til en ball som er så uniform/rund som mulig. Dette sammen med den lave temperaturen i røykefasen vil hjelpe oss til å dem jevnest mulig ferdig, og dermed få ett ekstremt saftig sluttresultat. Legg en stripe bacon rundt “kyllingballen” (eller to striper på kryss om du er i festhumør), og bruk en cocktailpinne til å holde alt sammen.
Kyllingen er nå klar til å tilberedes, og bør legges i kjølen om ikke alt er klart til røyking enda.

Hvordan du griller dette (120-150 min):

Sett kyllingballene pent på en ren rist på den kalde siden av grillen/røykeren din. Hiv inn litt eple- eller kirsebær-flis om du ønsker det, på min nye Primo Oval XL har jeg ikke behov for dette, fordi jeg får nok røyksmak fra selve grillkullet. På en vanlig kulrgrill er litt flis å anbefale. Vær uansett forsiktig med mengden røykflis, det er lett å overrøyke fjærkre, og det smaker ikke noe særlig godt..
Putt en termometer-sensor i den største kyllingballen, og hold ett øye med temperaturen mens du røyker filetene. Med en temperatur på 100C på grillristen, pleier det å ta cirka 90 minutter å komme til ønsket temperatur, som er rundt 65C (ikke trygg temperatur for konsumering, men husk, vi er ikke ferdige enda!)
Når filetene har nådd 65C, ta dem av grillen, og få temperaturen opp litt i grillkammeret. Varm en rist på kullsiden av grillen, for nå skal vi brune filetene litt.
Når risten er passe varm, bruner du kyllingballene pent på alle sider. Dette bringer vanligvis temperaturen i filetene opp til rundt 70C.
Når bruningen er ferdig, flytter du filetene til den kalde siden av grillen igjen, som nå bør holde rundt 150C. Pensle dem med ett strøk BBQ saus eller to. Pass på at du ikke går over 160C her, for da kan du svi sukkeret i BBQ sausen, noe som lager dårlig smak.
La filetene glaseres for 5-10 minutter. På dette tidspunktet pleier jeg å sjekke hver av filetene med ett termometer (jeg bruker ThermaPen), for å se om de har nådd sikker temperatur for å spises, som bør være minimum 70 grader. Jeg pleier å gå ett par grader over, for sikkerhets skyld.
Når filetene har nådd korrekt temperatur, ta dem av grillen og la dem hvile 5-10 minutter. Server og nyt den søte, røykfylte smaken av den saftigste, deiligste kyllingfileten du noengang har spist!

Grilled pears and ice cream!

Posted on April 13, 2014 by bbqviking

When it comes to dessert, I am usually not a fan. I just like dinner too much, so when that’s over all I am so full all I really want is some some quiet and a glass of good bourbon on the deck… Which I guess is why I go for dessert that are easy to make. This one was super easy, but the feedback from my dinner guests was awesome, so here – you can have it too. This dessert is very little work if you prep the glaze beforehand, which is perfect, because spending your time by the grill while everyone else is chilling after dinner is never fun!

What you need for 4 people:
4-6 pears, nice and ripe, but still firm
A box of quality vanilla ice cream
0.5 cup of good bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark)
A couple cinnamon sticks
1 tsp hot chili flakes, or more, depending
0.5 cup of 100% natural maple syrup
The juice from half a lemon
3-4 tbsp of brown sugar to taste

How to make the glaze (can be made ahead):

Put everything except the pears in a saucepan
Heat it slowly and let it simmer 10-15 minutes to reduce it
Optional but tasty: Caramelize the sugar. This can be hard without a candy thermometer, so you might need one. Just make sure you don’t burn the sugar, because that’s not tasty.
Remember, this stuff will thicken when cold. Try and get a thick syrupy consistency at room temp, that will make it easier when glazing time comes

How to grill the pears:

I grilled my pears whole. That was not the best idea. What you should do and I will next time; peel the pears and cut off the stem, quarter them so you can easily slice out the core
Grill them over direct heat first to get some beautiful sear marks
Place in a grill pan over indirect, pour/brush the glaze on. Turn and scoop some glaze over them every 10 minutes. I had a dome temp of about 150-160C (300-320F)
Mine were done after about half an hour. You want them to be soft but not mushy
Serve with some quality vanilla ice cream and pour the glaze over as a sauce. Tasty!

BBQ 101 – Smoked leg of lamb

Posted on March 30, 2014 by bbqviking

Lamb season is fast approaching here in Norway, and bone-in leg of lamb is my favorite. I know boneless is just as good, and butterflied is much quicker, but nothing beats the visual impact of a big chunk of meat with the bone still in it for me. Maybe it’s my Nordic genes, or maybe it’s the caveman or woman in all of us wanting some satisfaction? Anyhow, I will use bone-in for this recipe, it’s just more fun that way, plus the bone-in version has to great other features: Firstly, a nice handle for turning the meat in the form of a bone, secondly a litttle chef’s snack muscle towards to thin end of the bone. So there, bone-in wins for me, every time. Note: I have to excuse the lack of a photo of the plated food in this post, but sometimes the food is so good and I am so hungry that I forget. So enjoy a ton of pics of the lamb on the grill instead…. 😀

Serving suggestion:
I like to serve leg of lamb spiced in the mediterranean way, with an aubergine purée, some red onion compote and some freshly grilled greens. You can make a sauce too from the drippings.

Total time: 5-8 hours, marinating the day before if you want to
Skill level: Beginner/Intermediate
Grilling method: Indirect, one-zone
Grill temperature: About 110-120 degrees centigrade (230-250F), or even lowe if you can manage

You’re going to need:

A leg of lamb per four people should be about right, depending on how big they are
Rosemary, lots of rosemary
Garlic, lots of garlic
A lemon
Honey
Mustard, a homemade one is of course best
Good olive oil
Cayenne pepper

How you do it the day before:

If you want to marinate the meat, you should start the day before. Mix up lemon, rosemary, honey, lots of crushed garlic, some mustard and a good olive oil in a blender. Add salt and pepper to taste, and some cayenne pepper if you want some heat (I always do)
If you’re lucky enough to have one of those fancy vacuum machines like I do, throw the leg in a bag with the marinade and vacuum it up, leaving it in the fridge overnight. If not, use a plastic bag, and try to cover it well in the marinade before wrapping it up and putting in the fridge.

How you do it on BBQ day:

Fire up your grill, and set it up for
indirect, low and slow cooking with some coals on one side, and place for the met on the other. If you want to make sauce, you’re going to need a drip pan to put under the meat to catch drippings
If you didn’t marinate the night before, go up a couple steps, make the marinade mix and get the meat slathered in that stuff before you put the meat on the grill. If you did, take the meat out of the bag, but save up the marinade leftovers for later.
Remember to get the smoke going before putting the meat on. I like to mix rosemary branches with hickory for lamb smoking.
Add some water to your drip pan. Not a lot, this is just to keep the drippings from burning, remember you will make that into a sauce later.
Add a temperature probe to the meatiest part of the leg, and add another one to the grill grate to monitor grill temperature. You don’t have a two-probe style wireless thermometer yet you say? Go and get yourself one. I have been using the Maverick ET-732 for a couple years, and it works quite well.
Keep the grill low and slow for hours, keeping an eye on meat and grill temp. Add a cup of water to the drip pan if it runs out, and add coals if you need to (I don’t anymore thanks to my lovely new Primo Oval XL)
Once the meat reaches an internal temperature of exactly 68C (155F), take it off the grill, wrap it in a double layer of aluminium foil, and wrap that in a plastic bag, then a couple towels. Ideally you want to rest the leg for at least one hour, but if you’re done well ahead of dinner, resting it for 2-3 or even 4 hours is not a problem at all.
Take out the drip pan, put the sauce in a pot, and make a delicious sauce. Adding some red wine, salt and pepper to taste and reducing until you have the desired consistency is a good idea. If the sauce is too sharp, some honey might be able to help you out.
While you wait for the guest to arrive, you can make the sides, like aubergine purée and some red onion compote
When you are about ready to serve, fire the grill up for direct cooking at a temp of about 150-160C (300-320F), brush the leg with any marinade leftovers, and finish the leg off over direct heat. The goal here is to get a nice sear before serving, and crisping up the outside.
Let the lamb rest for 5-10 minutes again, while you grill up some fresh spring oninon and/or asparagus. Serve and enjoy!

Sweet (and possibly spicy) pickle relish

Posted on March 30, 2014 by bbqviking

Pickle relish is fantastic. Nothing beats a good smoked bratwurst in a homemade bun, slathered with homemade IPA mustard and some delicious relish. Now that’s a hot dog! A cool thing about this recipe, is that it’s the only way I know of to make something pickled in less than half an hour. This one is ready to eat right off the bat. That’s pretty cool. This recipe should make for about one large mason jar type container, so just double it if you need more.

Time: 30 minutes
Skill Level: Easy

You’re going to need:
4 pickling cucumbers (those smallish ones)
1/2 of a yellow onion
1 Large green pepper
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of honey
Red chili flakes (if you want it spicy)
Celery seed
Yellow mustard seed

How to do it:

Grate the pepper, onion and pickling cucumber.
Put them in a sieve and drain some of the water out squeezing them gently with your hands or some kind of spoon implement. Put all the grated vegetables in a pot with the vinegar and the honey
Bring to a boil, and add a tablespoon or two of mustard seed, a pinch of celery seed, and as much chili flakes as you want. I use chili flakes that are quite hot, so for me about a teaspoon is enough for this one
Let it simmer until desired consistency is reached
Put in sterilized jars and enjoy delicious homemade relish for months to come
And hey – it’s great on burgers too!

Sweet and Smoky BBQ Sauce

Posted on March 29, 2014 by bbqviking

Been a long time since I posted a BBQ sauce recipe, so here is another favorite. Not very spicy, but smoky and sweet. Goes great with sausage, pork ribs, chicken and pulled pork sandwiches, and a favorite at my house for the people who can’t take the heat of a lot of my other stuff.

Time: 30 minutes
Skill Level: Easy

You’re going to need:
3 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of molasses
4 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp liquid smoke
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp maldon salt or more to taste
2 tbsp fine grain mustard
2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups of ketchup

How to do it:
This couldn’t be easier. Chuck everything except the ketchup in a saucepan, stir well and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the ketchup, bring to boil. Taste. Add vinegar, sweetener, salt and pepper until you get your preferred flavor. Let cool, put in jars. Keeps for months in the fridge if you use sterilized jars.

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A BBQ blog from the land of the midnight sun

Tag Archives: easy

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