Sunday, March 12, 2006

Pork Chops and Texas Toast on the Grill


Pork Chops Grilling - Will Add BBQ Sauce Near the End


The dad person wasn't the keen on the idea of slathering BBQ sauce on the pork chops. He's rather a pork purist as he grew up on a hog farm in Kansas. Hey, I'm easy. If someone else wants to grill, then whatever they want to try out is fine by me. I read some stats that suggested that more males grill, but the females decide on the menu and how the stuff is cooked. Come on girls. Let the guys play a bit. If it gets you out of the kitchen, then it's no skin off your nose. And, the fellows come up with some good stuff if you give them free rein.

Anyway, those were some massive chops. I know he used lemon pepper--a real staple for grillers. Other than that, I don't know and didn't ask. I'm not ruining a good thing. I'm glad the guys are doing some of the outdoor cooking. Gives me more time for writing and blogging. Plus, they're just darn fine. So the lesson of the day is: Don't micro-manage.

We had some Omaha Steak potatoes with the pork. I think they were called au gratin potatoes, but they tasted more like potato pancakes but a bit stiffer--in a ball shape. I did those in the oven while the guys manned the grill. My youngest son loves those, and we're definately buying some more.

To round out the meal, we had Texas Toast. Those come in the freezor section. You just toss them on the grill about the time the meat is done. Yum. They are tasty and especially with the char marks and the smoke flavor. It only takes a few minutes to heat up frozen Texas Toast. Check out the frozen section of the grocery and add some easy bread to your outdoor meal.

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Great weekend for grilling - Burgers and beer

After a cold snap here in North Carolina, we've got a great weekend going. Naturally, I rummaged around in the freezor and pulled out some meat for grilling.

My oldest son wanted hamburgers, so that's what we cooked up last night. Generally I hand pat my burgers using the recipe I posted at Yes You Can Grill. Man, those are some killer burgers. I'm the official burger maker for our family gatherings. Some of the family men will buy the meat if I'll prepare it. I even had the same deal going in college. When the fellows wanted a good home cooked meal, they'd buy up the beans, and I'd cook.

This time, though, we had some burgers from Omaha Steak. They offer some good deals from time to time, so I've ordered from them several times. I'd give thumbs up on the meat and the service. The only note I'd make is that the portion sizes seem a tad small. Then again, we're from the south where food is always served super sized.

Tonight we're looking at making pork chops. My favorite way to do those on the grill is with barbecue sauce (put that on the last 5 minutes or so). That's another recipe I need to post up. Pork is a little trickier on the grill than beef, but it's delicious when you get it right.

We'll probably round out the weekend with steak. If you want to grill the perfect steak, then you've got to plan a bit ahead. The marination makes a huge difference. And, it's fine to use bottled Italian dressing.

In other news, we're getting tickets to see Jimmy Buffett. Yippee! If you've never been to a Buffett concert, then you're missing out. It's like one big family reunion--inluding all the very odd relatives. We always tailgate (as do most Parrot Heads). Hum, now to decide on what to cook when we hit the concert.