Grilled Stir Fry

This is the new Weber Grill Wok I recently found and purchased at a garage sale.   After using it only once I question whether the previous owner had even used it at all.  Woks discolor with use and heat, and this one was in perfect condition when I bought it.  It is now seasoned and will certainly be used again.

 

The first thing I did was build a very large coal base.  Let the coals mature and then spread them throughout the weber for even heat distribution on the wok.  You want the wok to be very hot for cooking, so don't worry too much about adding too many coals.

 

 

 Once the wok was hot I added some wok oil which immediately smoked once it hit the wok surface. This told me the wok was at the right temperature.  The first food I added was some chicken sausage. I've heard that it's really good to season a wok with bacon, so I figured sausage would be the next best thing. 

 

 As you can see, the sausage seared and cooked rather quickly.

 

 

 Next I added some shrimp which were peeled.  This also cooked up quick at which point I pulled the shrimp and sausage and placed it in a serving bowl.

 

 

Everytime I add something new to the wok I add a little more wok oil.  Next up were the veggies which were partially frozen.  I sautéed these in the wok until they became tender.

 



 

 Next in the stir fry was pad thai noodles which I precooked.  These were part of a package, but I only cooked the pasta and reserved the sauce packet that came with for the grill wok. 

 

 

Once the pasta was separated and mixed with the veggies I began adding a little bit of soy sauce and orange stir fry sauce.  I added a little more sauce in three separate stages while continuing to stir the food.

 

At this point the stir fry is nearing completion.  I add the shrimp and sausage back to the wok along with some sesame seeds.

 

Lastly I add one more batch of sauce and really stir everything together.

 



 

Pictured below is the finished product topped with some crushed cashews.

 



Garage Sale Find

Last Saturday I found all of this at my neighborhood garage sale. I happened to be on daddy duty that morning and took my son for a walk around 8am. Right next door I noticed what appeared to be a brand new Weber. $30 later I walked away with a barely used Weber kettle, charcoal chimney, and Weber brand wok which they don't sell anymore.  I consider this a pretty big score for a grilling fanatic!  Needless to say, these are now used goods.

Saturday Spare Ribs & Pool Time

This past weekend was one of our first Saturdays in town in months where we had no plans other than to enjoy ourselves.  On top of that, it was our 6 year anniversary weekend, and we enjoyed an excellent dinner at Little Alley on Friday night.  Together with our good friends the Rackley's, we decided to spend the day by the pool while cooking ribs for dinner that evening.  There was no better way to do this than to fire up the green egg, set the DigiQ, and let it ride.

 

The Prep: 3 racks of spares prepared the same way as any others.  The membrane is pulled off the back, and I used some Green Egg seasoning that turned out well.

 

 

The Cook: 3-2-1 method with the egg set at 225 degrees.  The beauty of the DigiQ is that I can set it and forget about it.  I fired up the egg at noon and let it come up to temp until around 1pm.  At 1pm I set the DigiQ for 225 and left for the pool.  Jeff and I came back at 2pm to put the ribs on.  The BGE was at 275 when I came back to put the ribs on which was a cause for concern, but I closed all dampers as much as I could without extinguishing the coals.  We put these on and went back to the pool.  About two hours later I walked back to check on it, and the thing was holding steady right at 225.  Perfect!

 



 

The 2 & 1: For those who don't know the 3-2-1 method, it is 3 hours unwrapped to absorb smoke, 2 hours wrapped in foil, and the last hour unwrapped to finish the ribs.   I don't have a picture of the 2, but the 1 is pictured above along with some corn wrapped in foil with basil butter.  I made three different flavor profiles for the three racks: Hawaiian Teriyaki, Tiger Sauce, and BBQ.  Of the three, the Teriyaki turned out the best.

 

Our sides included fresh fried okra and corn with basil butter.  Basil butter consists of 2 sticks of butter, one teaspoon of chopped garlic, and finely chopped basil leaves.  Mix this all together in a bowl and then reform and wrap in saran wrap.  Place back in the refrigerator and allow the butter to re-harden.  

 

 

Our finished product along with a tasty Mojito!

Neopolitan Style Pizza & Capri Salad

My wife and I had our good friends and former roommates in town this week from Nashville, and Stephanie and Meredith wanted Pizza.  Rather than cook the same old pizza I typically make, I wanted to do something both lighter and more authentic Italian.  This was the end result.

 

 

Regular Neapolitan Pizza: thin crust, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves

 

 

Tom's Version: thin crust, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella but also a little shredded as well to fill in some gaps, parmesan, pepperoni, portobello mushrooms, and Italian seasoning

 

 

 

 

Capri Salad: fresh sliced tomatoes and mozzarella, basil leaf, and balsamic vinegar

 



 

 

This meal turned out to be a pretty big hit, and needless to say I will be making this style of pizza more often. 

Grilled Lamb Chops & Homemade Steak Sauce

This meal wasn't really about how I cooked the food, but rather pairing it with a homemade steak sauce I've really been wanting to make and try out.  To simplify the recipe, I'm going to briefly tell you about the cook and then give the recipe for the steak sauce in greater detail below.

 

 

Lamp Chops: season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sugar.  Grill over direct heat until a nice char develops on both sides.  Finish over indirect heat on the weber until they are cooked to your preference.

 

Asparagus: season with olive oil and garlic.  Cook for only a couple of minutes near the very end when the lamb is basically done.  This allows for nice grilled flavor while retaining the crispiness of the asparagus.

 

Corn: wrap in foil with a light coating of butter.  Put these on the grill first and allow them to cook over direct heat rotating often.

 

 

Balsamic Rosemary Steak Sauce

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 3 large red bell peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded and diced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon apple jelly
• 1 tablespoon cherry preserves
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Combine the balsamic vinegar, garlic, jelly, preserves, and rosemary in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove the rosemary and let cool to room temperature.

 

Place the peppers, honey, horseradish, molasses, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and some of the cooled balsamic mixture in a blender. Blend until smooth. Season with the salt and pepper. Taste, and add more of the balsamic reduction as desired. Yield: 3 cups.



 

 

Plate and enjoy with some red wine!