Fire up the grill for burgers, ribs and fruit

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Glazed Ribs – What is a barbecue without succulent ribs? Karen Freeman

August 11, 2010

Karen Freeman Linda Brown The Daily Southerner Wed Aug 11, 2010, 10:04 AM EDT

TARBORO — One of the things that I love about summer is cooking on the grill. We cook on the grill year round. However, when it’s this hot, I run outside, fire up the grill and then stay inside except when I have to check on the food. Unless I wait until it’s almost dark outside to fire it up.

Grilling can be simple or complicated. Most of the time simple is what we opt for. With a little forethought, dinner can be great with a minimum of fuss and bother.

The first recipe is a great burger. The addition of the steak sauce and onion gives it a great flavor without a lot of extra work. You will feel like you’re having dinner at the steakhouse when you bite into this burger. Don’t forget that you can always add a little extra A-1 when you construct the burger too.

Recipe No. 2 is simple and if you cook the ribs for a couple of hours before putting them on the grill, they will be more tender. However, don’t skip the grill, charring the outside of the ribs completely changes the flavor from ribs cooked in the oven.

Recipe three is a burger, just not a regular beef burger. A touch of chili paste gives these burgers a little extra kick. Serve the burgers on buns with lettuce, sliced avocado, and, if you like, wasabi mayonnaise (I highly recommend the wasabi mayo!).

The last recipe is grilled dessert. It’s too hot for heavy desserts. So grilled fruit is the perfect ending for a meal. You can grill almost any fruit. You just have to watch it carefully because the sugars in it will burn more easily than some things.

Steakhouse Cheeseburgers

1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise

1/4 Cup A-1 Steak Sauce, divided

1/4 Cup Chopped Tomatoes

1 Lb. Extra Lean Ground Beef

1/4 Cup Chopped Onions

1 French Bread Baguette or large sesame seed buns

4 Slices of Cheese

.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Mix mayo and 1/2 tsp of the steak sauce. Stir in tomatoes; set aside.

Mix meat, remaining steak sauce and onions. Shape into four (approximately 1/2-inch thick) patties. Cut baguette crosswise into 4 pieces. Cut each piece lengthwise in half.

Grill patties 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Top each patty with cheese slice. Add baguettes (or buns), cut-sides down, to grill. Continue grilling 1 minute or until baguettes are lightly toasted and cheese slices are melted. Fill baguettes with cheeseburgers; top with mayo mixture.

Garlic-Glazed Beef Ribs

(These ribs will be more tender if they are boiled for a couple of hours before cooking.)

1/2 Cup A-1 Roasted Garlic Steak Sauce

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

3 Lb. Beef Back Ribs, cut into individual rib portions

Preheat grill to medium heat. Mix steak sauce and lemon juice.

Grill ribs 20 min. or until cooked through, turning and brushing occasionally with the steak sauce mixture.

Asian Turkey Burger

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey

1 small onion, very finely chopped

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)

1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 teaspoons red chili paste

1 green onion, chopped

1 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix together the turkey, onion, egg, panko, parsley, cilantro, sesame oil, sesame seeds, chili paste, and green onion in a large bowl until well combined. Add the salt and pepper, or more to taste. (To test the flavor, cook a teaspoon or two of the mixture in the microwave or a small skillet.)

Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and shape them into patties, gently pressing the center of each to create a slight indentation. This will prevent the patty from bulging in the center, so that you end up with a flat, evenly cooked burger. Refrigerate the patties until the grill is ready.

Prepare a charcoal fire or a gas grill to medium-hot. Wipe the rack with canola oil and lay the burgers on it indentation-side up. Let them cook, without pressing down on them, until the bottoms are well seared, about 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the burgers and continue grilling until they are completely cooked through (the juices will run clear), another 5 to 7 minutes.

Grilled Fruit

Serves 6

2 ripe bananas

2 ripe peaches

1-pound container of strawberries

1 stick of butter

Tablespoon of sugar

Peel the bananas. Rinse the peaches and strawberries; pat dry. Slice the peaches into quarters (make sure they are big enough to put straight on the grill). Cut off tops of the strawberries.

Place the strawberries on aluminum foil. Sprinkle with sugar and wrap. Put some butter on each banana and on each peach slice.

Place all of the fruit on the grill. Monitor the fire. If the flames get too high, place cover on the grill. Cook until there are visible grill marks or black crisps. Depending on the heat, do not cook longer than 15 minutes.

Bananas take the least amount of time and are usually done in about 10 minutes. Strawberries take the longest. Remove fruit as soon as it's done. Cover until ready to serve.

Did you know?

Grilling tips

Marinate meats in the refrigerator; never at room temperature.

Marinate in a food-safe plastic bag or non-reactive container such as glass or ceramic, not aluminum.

Marinate less tender steaks such as flank for 6 hours to 24 hours.

Tender steaks such as sirloin can be marinated 15 minutes to 2 hours, just to flavor the meat.

Grill steaks over medium heat about 5 inches from the heat source.

Turn once during cooking using tongs or a spatula; do not use a fork, it could pierce the meat and allow juices to run out.

Cooking can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness and desired doneness.

On slabs of ribs, remove the membrane on the bone side to allow marinades to penetrate.

Boiling ribs for a couple of hours before marinating and cooking ensures tender grilled ribs.

Both pork and beef ribs can be marinated for a couple of hours or overnight.

Slow grilling over indirect heat in which the ribs are not placed directly over the heat source but to the side of it, with the lid closed, is preferred.

Turn the ribs frequently using tongs.

Grill 1 to 2 hours, depending on rib type and grill.

(http://www.kraftfoods.com)

Karen’s Kitchen is a weekly column by Karen Freeman of Tarboro. Contact Karen at:

kvfreeman@triad.rr.com to exchange ideas, ask questions, submit recipes, tips or suggestions.

Check out her Web site: http://www.geocities.com/kvfreeman27886/

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