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Grillin’
By Chef David
“Smitty” Smith
Barbecue
Sauce
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1 15oz can tomato sauce
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2 cloves garlic diced
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1/2 yellow onion diced
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1 carrot diced
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2 celery stalks diced
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3T molasses
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1T dark mustard
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5T brown sugar
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1 1/2 T cider vinegar
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1 1/2 T white vinegar
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6-8 drops liquid smoke
Sauté the veggies in a little oil
and then add the tomato sauce. Let simmer for 5 minutes and add
everything but the liquid smoke, salt and pepper. Add the liquid
smoke a few drops at a time letting it cook in a little before
adding more. Puree the mix being careful not to put too much hot
liquid in the blender as it will expand out if it is too full.
Season with the salt and pepper to taste and adjust the sugar,
liquid smoke and vinegar to taste if needed.
There are few things that are more
enjoyable on a summer evening than to light the grill, have a
few friends over and have a relaxing barbecue.
Summer time is my favorite time of
year for eating because it is the season for outdoor cooking.
Sure, I know people that cook on the grill all year long, but it
just isn’t quite the same when you really have to be extra
careful not to light your down jacket on fire when you go to
flip the meat. And what of those items that require a little
extra attention? It becomes a mad cycle of running out to check
on dinner and then dashing back in to get warm. You might even
find yourself standing in the window to watch the food cook from
inside and trying to figure out when to go out and flip things
by staring at the size of the flame.
Summer is the real time for
grilling. Just the smell of a barbecue is one of my all time
favorite smells. Only freshly baked bread and maybe one or two
other fresh baked items can compete as far as the olfactory
senses are concerned. Hanging out by the pool, sipping on a nice
cold Cape Coder, enjoying a nice conversation with friends and
waiting for the food to be ready off the grill is a summer
ritual. OK, so I don’t have a pool. But we are in Tahoe where
the nights never get to be that sweltering hot where you just
can’t get your shirt to stop sticking to you and you have to
jump in a pool anyway. I do live next to a stream and that makes
for more ambience anyway, but back to the barbecue.
Cooking out on a grill can turn
almost anyone into a gourmet chef. More often than not, the
flavor you get from the grill is so good you don’t notice the
meat is a tiny bit overdone or there isn’t enough seasoning on
the dish. There are all kinds of seasonings and rubs you can use
but let’s face it, you use those all winter in the kitchen and
things just do not taste the same as when it comes off the
grill.
Just what is it that you want to
light the grill for? There is the traditional hot dog and
hamburger cookout that even the growing number of vegetarians
enjoy thanks to some of the veggie burgers that are in the
markets these days, and as long as they get their own grill
space. Salmon and other fish steaks also are quite popular. Then
you have the kabobs and, of course, the red meat steaks, which
include my favorite cut, the rib eye.
The list of foods that can be
prepared on the grill is huge. When I was growing up, my dad,
who is an awesome grill master, would cook all of the usual
steak-type items on the grill.
Grilling is now an art form. There
really isn’t much that can’t be cooked on a grill. The grill can
be used to grill, roast, bake, smoke and even braise things.
All the meats, fish, poultry, veggies, potatoes and just about
anything else you can think of can be done on the grill. Even
things that would fall through the rack can now be grilled
thanks to some of the wire baskets that are sold in any
supermarket. It is possible to arrange the coals in all
different ways to allow for slow or fast cooking, high heat or
medium heat, smoke or no smoke. Anything you can do in the oven
can be done on a grill if you want. All of your favorite roasts
that used to go into the oven can be done on the grill adding a
lot more flavor.
Things like grilled leg of lamb,
smoked stuffed pork loin, even prime rib can be done as long as
your grill is big enough. Then there is the classic barbecue of
chicken and ribs with the corn on the cob grilled in its husk.
That is a meal any meat eater will enjoy. Of course, if this is
your goal, you will want a barbecue sauce for the meat. Barbecue
sauce is great for the chicken and ribs but also is good on most
grilled foods. This recipe is a great base sauce that you can
use as is or adjust for various foods by adding things like
chili paste to spice it up or a little maple syrup to change the
sweetness factor. It is simple to make but remember to add
ingredients a little at a time to achieve the taste you desire
Liquid smoke is wicked strong, so add it no more than a few
drops at a time. Give it a try and enjoy your barbecue.
Smitty is a personal
chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special
events. Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch
Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is known for his creative use of
fresh ingredients. He has been a chef for PGA’s “Memorial
Tournament” for more than 15 years and ran the main kitchen at
the World Games. For more information and archived copies of
Stir it Up, visit
www.chefsmitty.com. Smitty welcomes your questions and
comments at
smitty@chefsmitty.com or (530) 412-3598.
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