stuffed pork loin

We had pork loin stuffed with onion, spinach, bacon, mushrooms and provolone cheese and cooked on the grill.  I also made a cherry crisp for dessert.

Steak, potato, salad and mac n cheese

Steak with adobo rub on the grill. Also had baked potato, mac & cheese-not pictured and a salad with homemade dressing with Mango vinegar, balsamic vinegar, grainy Dijon mustard, honey and Spanish olive oil.

Mexican style grilled chicken

ADOBO RUB

2 T. allspice berries

2 T. black peppercorns

1 t. cumin seeds

One 1 1/2” cinnamon stick, broken

7 whole cloves

2 T. sweet paprika

1 T. chipotle powder

1 T. ancho chili powder

1/4 C. kosher salt

1/4 C. sugar

One 1 1/4 lb. bone-in rib eye steak, about 1 1/4” thick

GREEN CHILI AIOLI

4 lar. unpeeled garlic cloves

1 lar. poblano

3 T. fresh lime juice

1 lar. egg

1 serrano or jalapeno, chopped

1/2 t cumin seeds

1 C. cilantro leaves

1/2 C. vegetables plus more for grilling

salt

MAKE THE RUB In a small skillet, toast the allspice, peppercorns, cumin seeds, cinnamon and cloves over moderately high heat until fragrant.  Transfer to a spice grinder and let cool completely.  Grind to a powder and transfer to a small bow..  Stir in the paprika, chipotle and ancho powders, salt and sugar  Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the adobo rub all over the rib eye and let stan at room temperature about 30 minutes.

MAKE THE AOLI  Preheat the oven to 350º.  Wrap the garlic in foil and bake about 30 minutes until soft.

Over and open flame or under a preheated broiler, roast the poblano until charred all over; let cool.Peel, seed and stem the poblano and coarsely chop it.. Transfer to a blender.  Squeeze the soft garlic cloves from their skins into the blender.  Add the lime juice, egg yolk, serrano, cumin and cilantro and puree.  with the machine on, slowly the 1/2 C. oil until emulsified.  Season with salt.

Light the grill.  On the grate grill the seeak over moderately high heat for 6 minutesper side, until charred outsied and medium-rare within.  Let the steak rest for 5 minutes.  slice and serve with aioli.--Jose Graces

WINE  lush, daark Merlot from Washington state is perfec with charred meats like this ribeye.  For a splurge, try the coffee-scented 2010 Leonetti Cellars; for a deal, pick the 2010 Charles Smith Wines The Velvet Devil.

YUCATAN CHICKEN WITH ORANGE (serrano) GLAZE

CHICKEN

one 4-lb. chicken, backbone removed 

1/4 to 2 T. adobo rub (recipe above)

SAUCE

2 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded

1/3 C. boiling water

finely grated orange zest

1 C. fresh orange juice

3/4 C. apple cider vinegar

1/4 C. corn syrup

1/4 C. light brown sugar

2 T.  honey

1/2 mango, peeled and chopped, plus mango slices for serving

1/4 C. peeled and chopped fresh ginger

1 habanero chile, coarsely chopped

1/2 t. ground corriander

salt

vegetable oil for grilling

PREPARE THE CHICKEN

ON A LARGE RIMMED BAKING sheet, FLATTEN THE CHICKEN BY pressing ON THE breast BONE.  SPRINKLE THE CHICKEN ALL OVER WITH ADOBO RUB.  COVER AND refrigerate FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES OR UP TO 2 HOURS.  BRING THE HICKEN TO ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR GRILLING

PREPARE THE SAUCE  In a measuring cup, cover the guajilo chiles with boiling water.  Cover and let stand until softened, about 15 minutes

In a medium sauce pan, combine the orange zest with the vinegar, corn syrup, brown sugar, honey, chopped mango, ginger, havanera and coriander.  Add the guajilos and the

the soaking liquid and bring to a boil.  Boil over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a blender and puree.  Scrape the puree back into the saucepan and simmer over moderate heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.  Season with salt.  Light a grill, oil the grill grate and put the chicken on it, skin side down.  Grill over moderately high heat until charred, about 5 minutes.  turn the hear off in half of the grill or rake the coals away from the chicken.  Cover and grill the chicken over indirect heat, turning halfway through, until an instant read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 160º, about an hour.

Brush half of the sauce all over the chicken.  Flip the chicken and set it over direct heat.  Grill until richly glazed, about 1 minute.  turn the chicken skin side up and grill until glaced about 1 minute longer.  Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes.  Serve with the remaining sauce and mango slices -JG

make ahead.. the sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Half of a small pork shoulder roast

This was a small piece of a shoulder roast that I seasoned overnight with a rub, then rolled and tied it then smoked it in my smoker for 6 hours.  I gave the other half to my neighbors in the back yard.

Cheese burger

Dinner tonight was an acorn squash baked with salt, pepper, brown sugar and butter, and a cheeseburger with onion, mayo and a toasted deli bun.  It may be my imagination but I think Kansas City hamburger tastes better than Junction City hamburger. :)

New smoker does spare ribs.

Slab of ribs after a night in the refrigerator with a rib rub


Ribs cooking in new smoker



Just out of the smoker


On the plate, tonights dinner: Spare ribs, BBQ beans, roasted new potatoes and a black bean, tomato, corn salsa/salad

New BBQ smoker arrived a few minutes ago.

This is the last time anyone will see it this clean. LOL.  It is heavy gauge, guaranteed not rust through. It is welded, not bolted together and unlike my previous one, it is tight fitting.  Pecan smoked spare ribs on the menu for tomorrow.

Pork Chops with mushrooms and onion

Very simple dinner tonight was just baby bellas and onions sauteed in butter and olive oil and a locally grown, farm raised pan seared pork chop.  It was very juicy and tender.  It went back in the skillet for more browning after this picture was taken though.

Steak dinner at the new house

I made a salad with tomatoes, onion, celery, carrot and radish.  Halfway through cooking the spinach, I realized I didn't have any vinegar so used Italian salad dressing. I used Plugra butter on the corn, baked potato and bread stick.  Strip steak was cooked indoors on cast iron griddle.  Drink was Squirt.