I picked up some great beef tri-tip at the supermarket the other day. It's almost impossible to find this delicious, juicy cut in Canada; I figure all our tri-tip, which is the bottom half of the sirloin, gets exported to the U.S., where it's one of the more popular grilling cuts. When my family was in Maui a couple summers ago I learned an old Sam Choy recipe that I'm happy to share with you.

Hawaiian Tri Tip Steak

2 1/2 lb tri tip steak (the one I got was cut into strips but it's also great grilled whole)
1/2 Tbs. salt (I used Hawaiian red salt but any good sea salt works well)
1/2 Tbs. cracked black peppercorns
1 Tbs. garlic, minced
1 Tbs. ginger, grated
1 Tbs. shoyu (light soy sauce will do)
white pepper
1 Tbs. brown sugar

Marinate meat in above ingredients for 30 to 45 minutes. Grill the steak to desired doneness, being careful not to overcook it. Tri-tip is quite lean and is ruined if cooked beyond medium rare. I basted the steak strips with the marinade that was left in the pan I marinated them in. Carve into thin slices and serve with a vegetable stir fry and some rice or mashed potatoes.

Minty Potato Hobo Pack

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Why, oh why, do we ignore the glories of fresh mint in North American home cooking? It’s delicious, refreshing and its aroma is like nothing else. This dish is insanely simple to make, and the combination of mint and potatoes will wow your guests.  Because this recipe calls for indirect heat, you can use the hot side of the grill to cook your steaks and grill your veggies.

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
2 tsp | 10 mL dried mint leaves
1 large yellow onion
¼ lb | 125 g butter
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
1/2 cup | 120 mL tightly packed fresh mint leaves
½ a fresh lemon, the other half cut into wedges for garnish
kosher salt

Bring the butter to room temperature.

Take 6 feet | 2 M of wide, heavy-duty aluminum foil and fold it in half. Place the foil on a counter and coat it with about ¼ of the butter, leaving about a 4 inch | 10 cm margin all the way around the rectangle.

Peel the onion and slice it into 1/4-inch rounds, split the rounds into rings and spread the rings to cover the buttered area of the foil. Cut the potatoes into ½ inch slices, leaving the skins on, and layer them on top of the onions, sprinkling a little dried mint and salt on each layer. Top the potatoes with a few dabs of the butter, reserving half of it for finishing the dish.

Gather up the foil around the edges and close up the hobo pack, making it into a loaf-like cylinder. Make sure you have a tight seal all the way around.

Prepare your grill for medium-high indirect heat. Place the hobo pack on the grill (away from direct heat), and cook for 15 – 20 minutes. At this point you can take the hobo pack off the grill and it will retain its heat for at least half an hour if you have other things to prepare.

When you’re ready to serve, finely chop the mint leaves and set them aside. Put the hobo pack on a serving platter and carefully open it, taking care not to burn yourself from the escaping steam. Sprinkle half of the chopped mint leaves over the potatoes, add the rest of the butter in daubs and gently toss the mint, onions and potatoes together. Sprinkle some salt and the rest of the mint leaves over the potatoes, drizzle with a little olive oil and squeeze the lemon over everything. Serve immediately garnished with lemon wedges.

Tomorrow I'm on Vancouver's Bill Good Show talking about burgers and taking listener calls. Here's one of my favorite burger recipes from Barbecue Secrets, along with a few suggestions for unusual burger toppings.

Classic Dadburger Deluxe
 
Makes 12 to 16 patties, depending on how big you like them
 
This recipe will feed a crowd, or four teenagers. You can easily halve this recipe. If your kids are like mine and don’t like bits of onion and garlic in their burgers, substitute 1 tsp/5 mL each of granulated onion and granulated garlic for the fresh variety.
 
For the burger mix:
6 lb | 2.7 kg medium ground beef
(or half-and-half ground beef and ground pork)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 head roasted garlic, cloves squeezed out and mashed with a fork
1 Tbsp | 15 mL toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp | 25 mL dark soy sauce or
Worcestershire sauce or a combination
1/2 tsp | 2 mL freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp | 1 mL cayenne
(or more, if you like more heat)
lots of freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup | 125 mL cold water
 
To finish the burgers:
barbecue sauce
12 to 16 cheese slices (optional)
12 to 16 hamburger buns
 
Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Mix the burger ingredients together with your hands in a large nonreactive bowl. Wet your hands in cold water before you form the mixture into chunks the size of tennis balls. Flatten them into patties, placing them on the cookie sheet. Each patty will be about 1/2 lb. | 250 g before cooking. Place them in the freezer for an hour to firm them up.
 
Preheat your grill for medium direct heat. Grill the burgers for 6 minutes per side, or until they are springy to the touch, glazing them on both sides with barbecue sauce. Top each patty with a slice of cheese for the last couple of minutes of cooking. Serve the burgers on buns with your favorite condiments.
 

A Library of Burger Toppings

We’re all so used to iceberg lettuce, ketchup, mayo, ballpark mustard, green relish, and sliced onion and tomato on our burgers that we hardly notice them any more. Try these unusual burger toppings for a change and experiment with your own combinations.
 
 

Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin Chops

I always say I like to keep it simple but sometimes a little fussing goes a long way in making a grilled meal special. I created this recipe using pork chops, but you could easily substitute a bone-in rib steak or veal chop. I love the strong Italian flavours of this dish. Serve it as a secondo after a little bowl of Fettuccini Alfredo or Linguine with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce and finish the meal with a tossed green salad.

4 pork loin centre cut chops, bone in, at least 1 ½ inches|4 cm thick

For the stuffing:
4 large artichoke hearts in olive oil, coarsely chopped (the roasted kind are best if you can get them)
½ lb|250 g full-fat mozzarella cheese, cut into ½ inch|1 cm cubes
3 Tbsp|45 mL grated Parmesan cheese
1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp|30 mL chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
½ cup|250 g black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 tsp|5 mL finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp|15 mL extra virgin olive oil
splash of balsamic reduction or regular balsamic vinegar
1 head roasted garlic

For the rub:
1 Tbsp|15 mL dried basil leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
granulated onion
cayenne pepper
extra virgin olive oil

To finish:
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic reduction or balsamic vinegar
1 small bunch fresh basil, stems removed

Combine the artichokes, cheeses, bell pepper, parsley, olives, lemon zest, olive oil and balsamic in a mixing bowl. Squeeze out the roasted garlic into the mixture and stir it in. 

Cut pockets in the pork chops with a sharp paring knife by making a thumb-sized cut in the side of the chops opposite the bone. With the knife touching the bone, expand the size of the pocket without increasing the size of the entry hole, making sure not to cut through to the outside of the chop. Divide the stuffing mixture into four equal portions and stuff it into the chops. If you’re worried the stuffing is going to come out, you can use a sharp toothpick to sort of sew the opening up.

Season the chops with sprinklings of salt, pepper, dried basil and a light dusting of cayenne. Drizzle a little olive oil just to make the chops shiny and set aside.

Prepare your grill for direct medium heat. Grill the chops for 6 to 8 minutes per side or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the chop reaches 140˚F/60˚C. Remove from the grill and let rest, tented in foil, for five minutes.

While the chops are resting, gather the basil leaves into a tight ball and finely chop them into thin strips with a sharp knife. To serve, place the chops on plates, drizzle with a little oil and balsamic and garnish with a sprinkling of the shredded basil.

This is my attempt to emulate the delicious salmon burger on famed B.C. restaurant chain White Spot's menu. If you cook it, let me know how you like it!

Salmon burger, White Spot Style

Serves 4

White Spot restaurants are a fixture in British Columbia known for their excellent old-fashioned hamburgers. In recent years they’ve gone a bit upscale, adding more gourmet fare to their classic dishes, including a phenomenal salmon burger. Executive chef Chuck Curry likes to play his recipes close to the chest so I’ve had to recreate this dish based on my experience of eating it, but this comes pretty close to the real thing. If you don’t have the time or inclination to make the homemade aioli, substitute with regular commercial mayo doctored with finely chopped fresh basil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

For the burgers:
4 8-oz.|250 g boneless, skinless wild B.C. salmon fillets (farmed salmon will do, but it’s just not as good)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
1 large, fresh, perfectly ripe beefsteak tomato
1 red onion
green leaf lettuce
4 large sesame burger buns
butter

For the basil aioli:
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp|25 mL lemon juice
11/4 cups|300 mL extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup|50 mL tightly packed fresh basil leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the egg yolks and lemon juice; process for 5 seconds. With the machine running, drizzle the olive oil through the feed tube in a slow steady stream, processing until combined. Coursely chop the basil and add to the mixture. Whiz it again until the basil is incorporated into the aioli. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. It will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Cut the tomato into four equal slices and peel and thinly slice enough onion to suit your taste. Butter the buns and set aside.

Prepare the grill for medium direct heat. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and drizzle them with a little olive oil. Make sure the cooking grate is scrubbed clean. In this case you may want to coat the cooking grate with a little oil just before you put the salmon on. Place the salmon on the grill, cover and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes per side or until the core temperature of the fillet reaches 130˚F|55˚C.

Take the salmon off the grill and loosely tent with foil. While the salmon is resting, place the buns, buttered side down, on the cooking grate, cover and toast the buns for maybe half a minute, taking care not to burn them.

Slather both sides of each toasted bun with the aioli. Place the salmon filets in the buns and top with onion, tomato and lettuce. Serve with a cold beer or glass of crisp, fruity white wine.