Grilled Lemon Pepper Pork Loin

From the Man Cave grill of T.L.Stallings, Madison Fireplace & Patio

What you need:  

5 lb. pork loin

thick sliced bacon

Dizzy Pig Shakin the Tree Seasoning

Spray olive oil

Getting Started:

Build a coal fire with fire bowl half full of coals as we will want to reach a 650 degree temperature. Use your cast iron cooking grill for searing the loin steaks.  Use wood chunks for your smoke as the initial high temperature would just burn up wood chips.

  

Rinse the loin and then using a sharp filet knife trim all the silver skin and fat from the loin. Take a strip of your bacon and lay across one end of the loin.  Using the bacon strip as a thickness guide, slice the loin into a steak with your filet knife.  Place on a platter and wrap the strip of bacon around the outside of the loin steak and secure with a toothpick. Continue this process until you have cut the loin completely into steaks.  You should end up with about eight.

Season both sides of the loin steaks with the seasoning and spray with the oil. I let the meat sit for thirty minutes to absorb the seasoning.

  

With the grill at 650 place the bacon wrapped loin steaks onto the cast iron cooking grid using tongs and heat resistant gloves.  (nothing spoils a good dinner faster than getting burned) Sear for three minutes and then turn to sear the other side of the loin steak for three minutes. Insert a remote thermometer in the largest loin steak, close lid and shut the vents almost closed.  The temperature will slowly fall on the grill and will slowly increase on the meat.  When you reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees on your meat, take them off and place on a platter. Cover the platter with foil and let the meat rest for twenty minutes.

I had some baked beans heating on a hot plate. When I took a piece of bacon off a loin steak, I would cut it into small pieces and add them to the beans.

  

Very good with a sweet chutney sauce.

The Ultimate Blue Cheese Burgers

From the Man Cave Grill of Dr. Clayton Allen, Charlottesville, VA

What you need:
2 lb ground chuck
6 jalapeño peppers
8 oz. crumbled blue cheese
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp soy sauce (or Dales)
2 tsp salt
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 hamburger buns, jumbo and split

Getting Started: 
In large bowl, combine all ingredients with your hands. When all the ingredients have been incorporated, form into 4 patties.

Cook on direct heat at around 450 degrees. Flip burgers every 4 minutes. Use meat thermometer, and cook until 160 degrees. Resist the temptation to press down on the burgers.

Spread melted butter on buns and throw on the grill to toast, while placing Swiss cheese on 4 burgers. Use condiments of your choosing. I like to top mine with light mayo and tomato.

Enjoy!

Awesome Char-Grilled Chicken Wings

From the Man Cave Grill of Dr. Clayton Allen, Charlottesville, Virginia

Preparation and time is on your side for this delectable dish. The actual cooking will take 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the heat of your grill. We like 400 to 450 degrees. The cooking process will keep you on your toes, and if you daydream, lose focus, or whatever, you can burn the dish up. Done with care, these wings will be the BEST you have ever eaten.

What you need:
3 lb. chicken wings (we use Tyson’s 10 lb. bag from Sam’s)
2.5 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tbsp BBQ rub (your favorite)
½ tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp white vinegar
½ Cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
½ stick of melted butter
Dash of black pepper

Getting Started:
Mix all ingredients of the marinade EXCEPT THE BUTTER in a 1 gallon zip lock bag. Put fully thawed chicken wings into the bag and roll them around in marinade. The wings need to marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

Yes, this is enough marinade, even though it seems you would need more. When time to cook, melt ½ stick of butter and pour it into the marinade. Then, pour the chicken wings and marinade out of bag and into a bowl, using the marinade for basting during the cooking process. Dash with black pepper.

 

Get your charcoal fire up to around 400 to 450 degrees, and throw your wings onto the direct heat. Every 2 minutes, flip and baste the wings as quickly as possible. Be aware of possible flare ups. You can use a cooking basket that flips, but if you do be sure there is enough space between the wings… do NOT cram into the basket. Always turn and baste as quickly as possible, closing the grill top ASAP.

Begin carefully observing wings after 10 minutes or so. They should be getting a good char. Take the wings off grill and allow to rest for a few minutes. Serve with celery and a good dab of blue cheese or ranch dipping dressings and enjoy. You will be surprised that they are not nearly as spicy hot as you would have expected. They are “perfect” spicy.

The Perfect Baby Back Ribs

From the Man Cave Grill of Ben Allen

Yes, you can make perfect baby back ribs on your grill or smoker. It takes patience, time, correct preparation and cooking temperature consistency. Plus, this is just downright fun.

When you master this, you will never be satisfied with “store bought” ribs again.

What you need: {recipe adapted from TastyLicks BBQ}
White cooking vinegar
Famous Dave's Seasoning Rub, or your favorite rub
Mustard
16 oz Apple Juice
16 oz jar of wood chips, soaked in water 1 hour (our favorite is apple or pecan)
Basting spray (1 ounce lemon juice, 2 ounces soy or Dales sauce and 2 ounces apple juice)
4 oz honey
Basting brush
2 aluminum drip pans
Rack of baby back ribs (I get from Sam’s that are very “meaty” for BB Ribs)
4.5 hours of patience and fun

Getting started:
Remove the membrane from back of ribs. We cut along a bone line 1/3 from the end of the ribs, and use paper towels to “grab” the membrane, and pull it off. DO NOT get lazy. Do what it takes to remove ALL or the membrane.

With ribs in aluminum drip pan meat side down, fill bottom of pan with white vinegar until 2/3 of the ribs are soaking. Soak meat side down for 20 minutes, flip and soak bone side down for 10 minutes. Remove, rinse with water and pat dry with paper towel.

Remove from drip pan, rinse it out, replace ribs on cooking grill, and cover both sides of them in mustard. Liberally cover both sides with your favorite rib rub.

Get fire hot in a spot to be sure chips burn and smoke appropriately. On a Big Green Egg, this will occur at around 450 degrees. Cover hot spot with soaked chips. Return the ribs to the grill, close the lid and embark on getting heat back down to 275 degrees.

Pour apple juice into drip pan and place drip pan on BGE platesetter. Grill with ribs on grilling rack directly above the drip pan with ribs bone side down. If you do not have a BGE or a placesetter, put ribs in rib rack, place rib rack inside the apple juice drip pan with ribs over, not in, apple juice, and drip pan resting on top of grilling rack. Monitor heat to return heat to 275 to 300 degrees.

The 4.5 hour process is the same for the first 3.5 hours. For the first 3 hours, open grill ONCE PER HOUR and spray with basting spray. At end of hour 2, remove the ribs, the grill and the placesetter CAREFULLY with cooking mitts. Pour more soaking chips on the charcoal “hotspot” to re-ignite the smoke. Get heat back down to 275 to 300 degrees and cook until end of hour 3, then open grill and spray for last time.

At 3.5 hours, remove the ribs and place them into another aluminum drip pan.

Liberally brush honey all over meat side of ribs (I microwave the honey for a few seconds to loosen it up), and cover again with favorite rub. Tightly place a piece aluminum foil sheet over pan that completely covers it with no seam. (use 2 sheets to be sure you have a seal, to capture all the heat and not let it escape).  Put back onto grill with indirect heat for 1 hour. Keep temperature at 275 to 300.

Remove from grill and CAREFULLY remove the aluminum foil (WATCH for steam).

Ready to eat OR cover those ribs you wish as BBQ with your favorite room temperature BBQ sauce. Mine is Goldie’s Trail BBQ from Vicksburg (available online). Let sit for 15 minutes then ENJOY. If you are traveling, rewrap in foil, place in empty ice chest, and take with you!