Get Out the Grill

For those of you who love to grill, I know you're loving this time of year, when it's time to put the grill back to steady use! At our house, the majority of our meals during the summer are cooked on the grill. You just can't beat the flavor of grilled meat, and I love not having the mess in the kitchen! I want to share with you a couple of my favorite things to grill.

Steaks

Rub with olive oil, then season with sea salt and cracked pepper. Let set to room temperature. Heat grill to 650 degrees. I use a Big Green Egg charcoal grill, but any grill will work. Grill steaks 1 minute, rotate for nice grill marks and grill for 1 more minute. Flip. Grill 1 minute, rotate, grill 1 more minute. Shut all vents and depending on the thickness of the steak, grill another 1 1/2-3 1/2 minutes. Add a small dollop of butter mixture to the top of the steak for the last minute of grilling. Then let rest for 5-10 minutes off the grill.

Butter Mixture:

1 stick butter (room temp)

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 Tablespoon shallot or onion minced

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon sage leaves

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

Mix together and you may let harden in the refrigerator. Or not. And I don't add the rosemary because a couple of my kids claim they are allergic to it. Though I'm not buying that. But they don't care for it, so I leave it out. I love the flavor of this butter mixture, and the steaks are just right every time I've grilled them this way.

This is a beef tenderloin filet done this way on the grill. Delicious.

On to my next favorite...

Pulled Pork with a Boston Butt Roast

Seasoning Mix:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup seasoned salt

1/4 cup garlic salt

1/4 cup celery salt

1/4 cup onion salt

1/2 cup paprika

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon pepper

2 teaspoons ground sage

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

This recipe is enough for 2-3 Boston Butt Roasts, so you may want to cut the recipe in half, or even a fourth, depending on the size of your roast. Mix the seasonings together and generously pat/rub over all sides of the roast.

I grill on our Big Green Egg grill, and it takes about 15 hours for a 12-13 lb. Boston Butt Roast. I use plenty of charcoal, either some hickory, pecan, or oak wood to give it a smoky flavor, and I put a disposable aluminum pan of water on the place setter under the grate to keep the meat moist and to catch drippings. I set the temp. to 250 degrees and place the roast on the grill grate, fat side down.

Let it hang out on the grill at a steady 250 degrees until the meat reaches an internal temp. of 170 degrees. Then wrap the meat in aluminum foil and place back on the grill, usually for several more hours until the internal temp. is 200 degrees. Take off the grill and let set covered with a towel for about an hour. Then it's time to pull the meat apart.

Using tongs, forks, or any tools of your choice pull the meat apart. I put the pulled meat in a separate pan, and pour some of the juices over it when I am finished, to keep it moist. I sometimes make this a day ahead, then warm it up in a crock pot to serve it. Our Berkshire Boston Butt Roasts have a great flavor and moistness!