Makes 4 servings

Ian “Big Daddy” Baird is a sometime member of The Butt Shredders barbecue team who has traveled in Asia. He tells me that one of the best pieces of meat he’s ever eaten was a whole chicken thigh and drumstick he purchased from a street vendor out the window of a train as he waited to cross the Thai/Malaysian border. He tried numerous times to re-create it himself, but it wasn’t until he married this recipe with real barbeque technique that he came close. Serve this chicken with some steamed rice, grilled veggies and cold beer.

For the chicken:

10 to 12 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on

6 Tbsp | 90 mL fresh lime juice

1/4 cup | 50 mL fresh orange juice

1/4 cup | 50 mL Thai fish sauce

1/4 cup | 50 mL peanut or canola oil

1/4 cup | 50 mL raw sugar or

lightly packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp | 15 mL Asian chili sauce

2 Tbsp | 25 mL finely minced ginger

5 to 10 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/4 cup | 50 mL minced fresh basil

1/4 cup | 50 mL green onions

1/4 cup | 50 mL cilantro

For the basting mixture:

1/2 cup | 125 mL peanut oil

1 Tbsp | 15 mL lime juice

Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat. Mix all the remaining ingredients together and put them in a resealable plastic bag. Place the chicken in the bag, remove the air, and seal it. Marinate the chicken at least
2 hours, and up to a maximum of 8 hours, in the fridge.

            If you’re using a gas or charcoal grill, prepare it for low to medium indirect cooking. (That’s where you turn off one or two burners completely and put whatever you’re cooking on that part of the grill, so your kind of baking rather than grilling. If you’re using a smoker, bring the temperature up to 200–220˚F | 95–100˚C. Make the basting mixture by combining the oil and lime juice in a bowl.

            Discard the marinade and cook the chicken on a covered grill for about an hour, turning it every 15 minute or so, or in the smoker for 21/2 hours, turning and basting it every hour. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meat – it’s done when it reaches 160F at the thickest part next to the bone. If you wish, give the skin side a quick 30 seconds on a hot grill to really crisp the skin before you take it off the heat. Let it rest, tented with foil, for 5 minutes before serving.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Here are a couple of my favorite festive season recipes. Enjoy!

Bacon-Wrapped Oysters

Makes 4–6 appetizer-sized portions

This simple, old-fashioned way to grill oysters makes a great party appetizer.

1 pint | 500 mL container of large, fresh, shucked oysters
(about a dozen oysters)
1/4 lb | 125 g thinly sliced bacon, each slice cut in half
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Barbecue sauce or Louisiana-style hot sauce
           
Fry the bacon over medium heat in a heavy skillet until it’s cooked but not quite crispy. Place the cooked bacon strips on a paper towel and set them aside.
Prepare your grill for direct high heat. Drain the oysters and pat them dry with a paper towel. Wrap half a slice of cooked bacon around each oyster, skewering it with a wooden toothpick. Place the oysters on the cooking grate and grill them for 2 or
3 minutes per side, or until the bacon crisps and the oysters are cooked through and just starting to char. Remove them from the heat, place them on a platter, season them with salt and pepper, and pass them around with a bottle of hot sauce or some barbecue sauce in a little bowl for dipping.


Leftover Turkey Quesadillas

This is a superb, easy way to continue enjoying Christmas flavours and and excuse to fire up your grill over the holidays.

Ingredients:

Large wheat flour tortillas
Leftover turkey, shredded or chopped
Cranberry sauce
Monterey jack cheese, grated (mozzarella would also do)
Gouda cheese, grated (cheddar or any other flavourful, salty cheese would work great)
Thinly sliced jalapeño chile (or some of your favorite hot sauce)
Chopped parsley (optional)
Anything else that’s leftover from Christmas dinner, chopped up (Brussels sprouts, mashed potato, stuffing)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place a large flour tortilla on a cutting board or cookie sheet and cover half of it with a 1/4-inch | 5 mm layer of cheese – a mix of the jack and Gouda.

Layer on the toppings, taking care to distribute them evenly. Sprinkle the toppings with salt, pepper, and a little hot sauce or some slice jalapeños to taste. Coat the toppings with another thin layer of the grated cheeses. Fold over the tortilla and it’s ready to hit the grill.

To cook, preheat your charcoal or gas grill to a medium-high heat. Place the quesadilla directly on the grill and cook it for 2 or 3 minutes, until the cheese starts to melt and the tortilla is toasted and slightly charred. Flip it with a big spatula and cook the other side for another 2 or 3 minutes. Take it off the grill, place it on a cutting board, and let it rest for a minute or two. Cut it into pizza-like slices with a big sharp knife.
 
Accompany the quesadillas with fresh salsa, guacamole, and sour cream for dipping. Quesadillas can also easily be made on a stovetop or on the propane burner on the side of your grill in a large, lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat. You can prepare the quesadillas in advance and keep them covered and refrigerated for an hour or two before grilling (if you try to keep them overnight, however, the tortillas will get soggy).

These recipes feature the best of British Columbia's seafood bounty and showcase a couple of great grilling techniques.

Both recipes are from my cookbook, Barbecue Secrets DELUXE!, now available as an iBook from the iTunes Store.

Wild BC Salmon with Homemade Tartar Sauce and Tomato Salad

Makes 4 servings

Rob Clarke, Executive Chef of C Restaurant, Nu Restaurant, and Raincity Grill is the best seafood chef in Vancouver, and that’s saying something. This is his recipe, adapted for the grill. It’s a sophisticated version of a salmon grilling technique I learned many years ago that’s as easy as pie and as delicious as it gets. The concept is to slather a side of salmon with mayo, put it on a hot grill, skin side down, and cook it until the salmon is done and the mayo has sort of set, like a savory pudding, on the fish. Pair this salmon with some BC Pinot Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc.

For the tartar sauce:
1 cup | 250 mL mayonnaise
2 tsp | 10 mL dried dill
3 Tbsp | 45 mL finely chopped cornichons (gherkins)
1 Tbsp | 15 mL finely chopped stuffed green olives
1 Tbsp | 15 mL finely chopped shallots 
1 Tbsp | 15 mL finely chopped capers
1 Tbsp | 15 mL finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp | 30 mL lemon juice
1 Tbsp | 15 mL Dijon mustard 15 mL

For the salmon:
four 6 oz | 175 g  boneless wild BC salmon fillets (skin on) (Rob prefers pink salmon but coho or sockeye also work well)
sea salt

For the tomato salad:
2 Tbsp | 30 mL extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp | 10 mL rice wine vinegar
1 tsp | 5 mL Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp | 15 mL finely minced shallot
1/8 tsp | .5 mL cayenne pepper
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 medium fresh heirloom tomatoes (yellow ones work nicely)

            Prepare the tartar sauce by combining the mayonnaise, dill, cornichons, olives, shallots, capers, parsley, lemon juice, and mustard until well blended. Set the mixture aside.
            Prepare the tomato salad by whisking together all the ingredients except the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch | 6 mm rounds. Gently toss the tomato slices in the vinaigrette and divide the salad between 4 serving plates.
            Season the salmon fillets with salt and let them sit for 10 minutes.
            Prepare your grill for medium direct heat. Place the salmon fillets, skin-side-down, on the cooking grate and slather each of them with 1 Tbsp | 15 mL of the tartar sauce. Cover the grill and cook the salmon for 5–7 minutes, until the fillets reach an internal temperature of 135°F | 57°C.
            To serve the salmon, place the fillets on the plates beside the tomato salad and finish the dish with a dollop of the remaining tartar sauce.


Lingcod in Foil with Fennel and Apple Salsa

Makes 4–6 servings

The lingcod is a long, greenish blue bottom fish with a big, ugly face and a giant mouth that can take an octopus in one bite. It also has incredibly succulent, delicate, bluish white flesh that’s so tender it falls apart if you try to grill it, but is just great cooked in foil.

1 fennel bulb, stalk and fronds attached
1 navel orange
3 Tbsp | 45 mL orange-infused extra virgin olive oil (or regular if you can’t find the orange-infused kind)
1 Tbsp | 15 mL white balsamic vinegar
½ tsp | 2 mL Dijon mustard
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Granny Smith apples
1 medium yellow onion
2 oz | 60 g butter
granulated garlic
1 ½ lb | 750 g boneless ling cod fillet (halibut would also work)
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 oz | 30 mL Pernod liqueur
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

            Trim the fronds from the fennel, discarding the woody stems.  Finely chop the fennel fronds and set them aside.
            Halve the orange and set one half aside. Combine the 3 Tbsp | 45 mL of olive oil, vinegar, and mustard in a bowl along with the juice of half the orange and 1 tsp | 5 mL of the chopped fennel fronds. Whisk the ingredients together and add salt and pepper to taste. Set the vinaigrette aside.
            Cut the fennel bulb in half, from top to bottom. Cut one half of the fennel bulb into very thin slices using a mandoline or a very sharp chef’s knife. Set the sliced fennel aside.
            Chop the other half of the fennel bulb into a ¼ inch | 6 mm dice and place it in the mixing bowl containing the vinaigrette.
            Peel and core the apples and chop them into a ¼ inch | 6 mm dice. Transfer them to the bowl with the vinaigrette and diced fennel and toss them together. Set the salsa aside.
            Trim and peel the onion and then cut it into the same kind of thin slices as the fennel using the mandoline. Set the sliced onion aside.
            Fold a 4 foot | 120 cm strip of wide, heavy-duty aluminium foil in half and lay it down on your counter. Coat the foil with a thin layer of the butter, leaving a 4 inch | 10 cm margin around the rectangle of foil. Lay down the sliced onion on the foil and sprinkle the onion slices with a little salt. Season both sides of the lingcod fillet with a very light sprinkle of salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Lay it on top of the onions, and then lay the shaved fennel slices on top of the fish. Drizzle the fish with the Pernod and some olive oil. Sprinkle a teaspoon of the chopped fennel fronds and a pinch of salt over the shaved fennel. Tightly seal the foil around the ingredients.

Note: Because fennel bulbs and onions come in different sizes, it’s hard to estimate exactly how much of these ingredients you’ll have when you come to assembling the foil packet. Use your best judgement—if it looks like you have too much fennel or onion for everything to fit comfortably, feel free to change the amounts to suit the situation.
            Prepare the grill for medium direct heat. Place the foil packet, onion layer facing down, on the grill and cook for 12–15 minutes, or until the onions are soft and the fish is cooked through. Transfer the packet to a heatproof serving platter and let it rest for about 5 minutes. To serve, open up the packet at the table and divide its contents between you and your guests with a large serving spoon, making sure everyone gets some of the liquid. Top each serving with a dollop of the salsa and a wedge of the remaining half of the orange.

At the 2011 BC Home & Design Show I faced my old friend and barbecue competitor Brian Misko in a burger throwdown, and this juicy, spicy burger was the victor. One of the judges said that the Perfect Pulled Pork topping was my “ninja in the closet” that kicked the flavor into the stratosphere. The pulled pork helped – but so did my friend Denzel Sandberg’s awesome garlicky mayo/cream cheese slather. This burger is complicated but delicious – lots of work, but well worth the effort!

Makes 6 burgers

For the burger mix:
3 lb | 1.4 kg medium ground beef
(or half-and-half ground beef and ground pork)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. | 4 mL granulated garlic
1 tsp. | 4 mL toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp | 25 mL dark soy sauce
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
1 egg
1/4 cup | 75 mL cold water

For the caramelized onions:
2 Tbsp | 25 mL butter, olive oil, or a combination of both
4 medium onions, peeled and sliced into rings
1/2 tsp | 2 mL kosher salt
1 tsp | 5 mL sugar
1/2 tsp | 2 mL ground cinnamon
pinch cayenne
best quality balsamic vinegar

For the fried mushrooms
¼ cup olive oil
1 lb | 454 g white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 clove fresh garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the back of a knife
kosher salt and pepper
fresh lemon

For Denzel’s garlicky mayo/cream cheese slather
one ½ lb. | 250 g block of cream cheese
1 cup | 250 mL mayonniase
2 Tbsp | 25 mL Worcestershire sauce
10 cloves of raw garlic, finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste

For finishing the burgers:
1 lb. | 545 g Ronnie & Denzel’s NATURAL CHAMPIONS Perfect Pulled Pork, heated and ready to eat
Your favorite flavor of NATURAL CHAMPIONS barbecue sauce
6 hamburger buns
1 large fresh jalapeño chile, thinly sliced

To prepare the burger patties: 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.

To prepare the caramelized onions: Heat the butter/olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and sauté them until they’re soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne and continue to sauté the onions, stirring them regularly, until they are shiny and brown, about half an hour, being careful not to burn them (add a little water, if necessary, to prevent burning). To finish them, add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and mix it evenly into the onions. Set the mixture aside.

To prepare the fried mushrooms:
Add the oil, garlic clove and mushrooms to a medium-hot frying pan along with a pinch of salt. Sauté the mushrooms, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes or until they’re soft and brown. Squeeze some lemon juice over the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set them aside.

To prepare Denzel’s garlicky mayo/cream cheese slather:
Whisk the ingredients together thoroughly and let stand for at least half an hour, or overnight in the refrigerator.

To grill the burgers:
Preheat your grill for medium direct heat. Take the burgers out of the freezer and grill them for 6 minutes per side, or until they are springy to the touch, glazing them on both sides with barbecue sauce. In the last couple of minutes of cooking, toss on the buns, cut side down, to toast them a bit.

To assemble the burgers:
Generously coat the bottom and top halves of the buns with the mayo/cream cheese slather. Place the burgers on the buns and then layer on some mushrooms, caramelized onions and a juicy dollop of pulled pork. Drizzle some barbecue sauce on top of the pork and place some thin slices of fresh jalapeño on top. Cap off the burgers with the top half of the buns. When your guests take a big, messy bite, they’ll be in hog heaven.

Makes 4 servings

I love the gamy taste and silky texture of venison tenderloin, which needs to be cooked rare to medium-rare. This recipe treats the venison very simply, but dresses it up with a lovely, complex, old-school British sauce that I found in The Joy of Cooking. Serve this dish as a course on its own; it doesn’t need any accompaniment but its own sauce, which can be served warm or cold.

Of course, this recipe would also work well with good old beef tenderloin, or pork tenderloin for that matter!

For the venison:

one 1 lb venison tenderloin

kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

olive oil 

For the Cumberland sauce:

1/2 cup | 125 mL slivered almonds

1 tsp | 5 mL dry mustard

1 Tbsp | 15 mL brown sugar

1/4 tsp | 1 mL powdered ginger

a pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp | 1 mL kosher salt

1/4 tsp | 1 mL ground cloves

1 1/2 cups | 375 mL port wine

1/2 cup | 125 mL seedless golden raisins

2 tsp | 10 mL cornstarch

2 Tbsp | 30 mL cold water

1/4 cup | 60 mL red currant jelly

1/2 Tbsp | 7.5 mL finely grated orange rind

1/2 Tbsp | 7.5 mL finely grated lemon rind

1/4 cup | 50 mL orange juice

2 Tbsp | 30 mL lemon juice

2 Tbsp | 30 mL Grand Marnier liqeur 

Lightly toast the almonds in a sauté pan over medium heat, taking care not to burn them. Set the almonds aside.

            Combine the mustard, sugar, ginger, cayenne, salt, cloves, port, raisins, and toasted almonds in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the mixture for 8–10 minutes.

            Thoroughly combine the cornstarch and cold water and stir the mixture into the sauce. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir in the jelly, orange and lemon rind, and orange and lemon juice until you have a smooth, glossy mixture. Set the sauce aside.

            Prepare your grill for direct high heat. Season the venison tenderloin with salt and pepper and wet it with a little oil.  Grill it, turning it often for just a few minutes, until the exterior is nicely charred and the tenderloin reaches a core temperature of no more than 120°F | 50°C. Remove the meat from the grill and set it aside to rest, loosely tented with foil, for 5 minutes.

            While the tenderloin is resting, heat up the sauce and stir in the Grand Marnier just before serving.

            Slice the tenderloin into 3/4 inch | 2 cm medallions and arrange the slices on plates. Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve.

Photo copyright John Sinal Photography, used with permission.

 Here are all the places you can currently get Perfect Pulled Pork.

(Be sure to call ahead, because it's been selling out fast, and if your favorite meat shop or gourmet food store doesn't carry it, get them to call Sellar Sale Agency at (250) 889-9404.)

___________________________________________________________

Vancouver:

Gourmet Warehouse 1340 East Hastings Street (604) 253-3022 ‎

Edible Canada 1596 Johnston Street (604) 682-6675

___________________________________________________________

Langley:

Well Seasoned, A Gourmet Food Store  Suite 302C-20771 Langley Bypass (604) 530-1518

___________________________________________________________

North Vancouver:

Lynn Valley Meats 1264 Lynn Valley Road (604) 985-5969

___________________________________________________________

Ladner:

Superior Fish Trennant Park Square, 5229 Ladner Trunk Road (604) 946-2097

___________________________________________________________

Victoria:

The Market on Yates 903 Yates Street (250) 381-6000

Slater's First Class Meats 2577 Cadboro Bay Rd. (250) 592-0283

___________________________________________________________

North Saanich:

Deep Cove Market 10940 West Saanich Road

___________________________________________________________

And here are some useful links:

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Visit Rockin' Ronnie Shewchuk's Barbecue Secrets websites for recipes, audio and vido podcasts, great barbecue photos and much more:

Barbecue Secrets Facebook Page

Barbecue Secrets Blog

Barbecue Secrets Audio Podcast on iTunes

Barbecue Secrets YouTube Channel

Barbecue Secrets Twitter Stream (@rockinronnie)

Easy to make and quick to cook, quesadillas are the perfect party food. Think of the soft flour tortilla as a palette upon which you can paint beautiful taste-scapes for your guests. Or something like that. Preparing a quesadilla is as easy as one, two, three, four, five.

1. Place a large flour tortilla on a cutting board or cookie sheet and cover half of it with a 1/4-inch | 5 mm layer of shredded cheese. (What you want is a gooey but bland cheese like mozzarella or Jack for the right texture, plus, if you want to get fancy, a more robust-tasting cheese like Asiago, Gouda, or blue cheese for extra flavor.)

2. Layer on the toppings, taking care to distribute them evenly.

3. Sprinkle the toppings with salt, pepper, and a little hot sauce to taste. (If you’ve used a salty cheese like blue, go easy.)

4. Coat the toppings with another thin layer of shredded cheese.

5. Fold over the tortilla and it’s ready to hit the grill.

To cook, preheat your charcoal or gas grill to a medium-high heat. Place the quesadilla directly on the grill and cook it for 2 or 3 minutes, until the cheese starts to melt and the tortilla is toasted and slightly charred. Flip it with a big spatula and cook the other side for another 2 or 3 minutes. Take it off the grill, place it on a cutting board, and let it rest for a minute or two. Cut it into pizza-like slices with a big sharp knife.

            Accompany the quesadillas with fresh salsa, guacamole, and sour cream for dipping. Quesadillas can also easily be made on a stovetop or on the propane burner on the side of your grill in a large, lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat. You can prepare the quesadillas in advance and keep them covered and refrigerated for an hour or two before grilling (if you try to keep them overnight, however, the tortillas will get soggy).

Variations

Simple but Great

Just plain shredded Jack or cheddar cheese with pickled jalapeño slices.

Classic

Equal parts shredded Asiago and Jack cheese, with pickled jalapeño slices, a bit of tomato salsa, and some chopped cilantro, salt, and pepper. Sour cream and guacamole are perfect accompaniments.

Hiker’s Dream (from Calgary foodie Dee Hobsbawn-Smith)

Equal parts shredded Jack and smoked Gouda, thinly sliced Granny Smith apple, fresh chopped rosemary, salt and pepper. Unusual and delicious!

Funky

Shredded Jack cheese, chunks of chèvre (creamy goat cheese), slices of roasted red pepper, lightly toasted pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Serve with jalapeño jelly.

Heavenly

Shredded Jack cheese, chopped cilantro, and a few spoonfuls of leftover chili or chorizo. Dip in sour cream or fresh salsa.

Wolfgangpuckadilla

Shredded Jack cheese with daubs of cream cheese, slices of lox, a few capers, some thinly sliced red onion, salt, and pepper. Serve with sour cream and…caviar?

Blue Cheese Dream

Shredded Jack, crumbled strong blue cheese like roquefort or Gorgonzola, ripe pear slices, and coarsely chopped toasted walnuts. Maybe even a little caramelized onion.

Blue Cheese Dream (II)

Danish blue cheese, shredded Jack, lightly toasted chopped walnuts, and caramelized onions.

Calicado

Shredded Jack with chopped, pitted canned black olives, avocado slices, chopped cilantro, chopped fresh red bell pepper, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Tropical

Mozzarella and brie, thinly sliced ripe mango or papaya, chopped cilantro, thinly sliced onion, and chopped fresh jalapeño. Serve with sour cream as a dip.

Note: Flavored cheeses like jalapeño Jack, peppered goat cheese, or spiced Gouda are excellent in quesadillas.

Makes 6–8 servings

This is a novel way to cook a classic cut of beef because it imparts an unexpected smoky flavor (even more unusual if you use a cedar plank). The key with cuts like this is to be careful not to overcook. If you don’t want to plank your roast, you can easily cook it using indirect heat. See alternate cooking instructions at the bottom of the recipe.

For the dry rub:

1 Tbsp | 15 mL granulated garlic (or garlic powder)

1 Tbsp | 15 mL granulated onion (or onion powder)

1 Tbsp | 15 mL freshly ground coarse black pepper

1 Tbsp | 15 mL dried rosemary

1/4 to 1/2 tsp | 1 to 2 mL cayenne pepper

For the roast:

1 plank of your choice, soaked overnight or at least 1 hour

one 5 lb | 2.2 kg rib roast, bones attached

kosher salt or, if you want to get fancy, fleur de sel (French sea salt)

2 Tbsp | 25 mL. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp | 15 mL coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

extra virgin olive oil

4 or 5 whole rosemary branches, 5 inches | 12 cm long

Combine all the rub ingredients and set the rub aside.

            Take the roast out of the fridge and let it sit for an hour to come to room temperature. Season it on all sides with kosher salt. Coat it with the mustard. Sprinkle the rosemary evenly on the roast, then sprinkle it generously with the dry rub (you’ll have some left over). Drizzle it with olive oil and pat the rub and rosemary into the roast.

            Preheat the grill on medium-high for 5–10 minutes, or until the chamber temperature rises above 500°F | 260°C. Rinse the soaked plank and place it on the cooking grate. Cover the grill and heat the plank for 4–5 minutes, or until it starts to throw off a bit of smoke and crackles lightly. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

            Lay the rosemary twigs across the plank to make a bed for the roast. Place the roast on the rosemary and cover the grill. Cook for 11⁄2 to 2 hours, until the core of the roast reaches an internal temperature of 125°F | 52°C. Remove it from the grill, tent it  loosely in foil, and let it rest for half an hour to an hour before serving it with your favorite sides. (The long resting time gives you plenty of time to grill some veggies.)

ALTERNATIVE METHOD – INDIRECT HEAT: Preheat the grill on medium-high for 5–10 minutes, or until the chamber temperature rises above 500°F | 260°C. When the grill is preheated, turn half the burners off and the others to medium-low. Place the roast, bones-side down, over the burners that are turned off, and cook the roast as if it were in an oven – about 20 minutes per pound. If you’re cooking on a charcoal grill, it’s the same idea. Just pile your coals on one side of the grill and cook your roast on the other. It’s not a bad idea to put a cake tin or aluminum foil baking dish under the cooking grate to catch the drippings for gravy!

Planking Secret

The flavor of cedar smoke goes well with so many foods, from salmon to cheese, and even beef. But most of the time, when I’m planking beef, I want classic hardwood flavor. I choose planks made of oak, hickory, and mesquite, although fruitwoods also work well. You can get hardwood cooking planks from Johnstone’s BBQs and Parts in North Vancouver, www.johnstones.com.

Makes 4 servings

This is pretty close to my favorite steak. The earthiness of the cumin seeds, the sharpness of the cracked pepper, the sweetness of the onion and garlic granules, and the smoky, tart bite of the ground chipotles create an explosion of flavor. Serve whole steaks with beans, a slab of cornbread, and some coleslaw. Alternative serving suggestion: Slice up the steaks and serve them fajita–style with salsa, guacamole, and shredded Jack cheese alongside some warm flour tortillas.

4 big rib-eye steaks, bone in, about 11/2 inches | 4 cm thick

kosher salt (or another fancy coarse salt like Maldon or

fleur de sel) to taste

1/2 cup | 125 mL black peppercorns

1 Tbsp | 15 mL granulated onion

1 Tbsp | 15 mL granulated garlic

1 tsp | 5 mL ground chipotle chiles

(if you can’t find chipotles, use the same amount of cayenne)

1 Tbsp | 15 mL toasted cumin seeds

extra virgin olive oil

Place the steaks in a dish or on a large cutting board and let them come to room temperature (it’ll take about an hour). Use a spice mill or a mortar and pestle to give the peppercorns a coarse grinding, or put them in a thick paper or plastic bag and pound them with a hammer or rolling pin until they reach the desired consistency. They shouldn’t be powdery, but more like coarse sand. Generously season the steaks with salt and pepper. Combine the granulated onion and garlic, ground chipotles, and cumin seeds in a bowl. Coat the steaks on one side with the mixture, patting it on so it sticks nicely. Drizzle the rubbed steaks with a light coating of olive oil, turn them over and repeat the seasoning, rub it in, and drizzle some oil on top.

            Prepare your grill for medium direct heat and cook the steaks 4–6 minutes per side for medium-rare. If using a charcoal grill, toss a couple of chunks of mesquite (or a handful of wood chips) onto the coals just prior to grilling. With a gas grill, use a foil pack of pre-soaked chips with holes punched into it with a fork.

            Be sure not to overcook the steaks! Remember, they will continue to cook after they are taken off the heat. Remove them from the grill and let them rest for 4–5 minutes before serving.

I love pink salmon, the delicious but often overlooked species of the West Coast. During salmon season you’ll see pinks next to the other wild species like sockeye and coho in the seafood section of supermarkets. It’s just as fresh, just as delicious but often costs a lot less.

Most of the time I see fresh pinks packaged as whole, cleaned fish, but you can also get them in fillets in the freezer section. Here are two great ways to cook this excellent, wild, sustainable seafood.

Grilled Whole Pink Salmon in Foil

Makes 4-6 servings

The following simple technique gives the fish a more subtle and delicate flavor and texture than grilling over direct heat, and the orange adds a lovely flavor and aroma.

1 whole, cleaned 3-4 lb | 1.5 - 2 kg wild BC pink salmon (you can also do this with other salmon species or trout)

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 Tbsp | 45 mL butter, at room temperature

2 Tbsp | 25 mL chopped fresh parsley

1/2 medium white onion, peeled

2 oranges

sprigs of parsley for garnish

Prepare your grill for medium direct heat. Tear off a strip of heavy-duty foil 21/2 times as long as the fish and double it. Spread 1 Tbsp | 15 mL of the butter evenly over the top surface of the foil. Place the fish on the buttered foil. Lightly season the fish inside and out with salt and pepper, and sprinkle it with chopped parsley. Slice the onion and one of the oranges into thin rounds and place half of the onion and orange slices inside the body cavity and the other half on top of the fish. Daub the remaining 2 Tbsp | 30 mL butter inside the fish and on top of the onion and orange slices. Squeeze half the remaining orange over everything and wrap the foil around the fish, sealing it tightly.

            Place the foil package on the cooking grate, cover the grill, and cook the salmon for 8–12 minutes, or until the fish is just done (about 140 to 150˚F | 60 to 66˚C). You can poke a meat thermometer through the foil in the last few minutes of cooking to check for doneness. To serve, open up the foil, carefully transfer the fish to a warmed platter, and pour the juices left in the foil over the fish (alternatively, it looks great served in the foil, too). Garnish the salmon with orange wedges and parsley sprigs.

Planked Pink Salmon with Pesto

Makes 4 - 6 servings

This is a classic way to plank BC wild pink salmon. Serve it with a tossed green salad and maybe some Fettuccini Alfredo.

For the salmon:

two 1 – 2 lb | .5 – 1 Kg  boned pink salmon fillets (or sockeye, if you can’t find pink fillets), skin on

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 lemons for garnish

two cedar cooking planks, soaked in cold water overnight or at least a couple hours

For the pesto (for maximum convenience, you can use good-quality store-bought pesto)

1 cup | 250 mL basil leaves, washed and dried

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1/3 cup | 75 mL pine nuts

1 cup | 250 mL grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup | 175 mL extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season the filets with a little salt and pepper and set them aside.

            In a food processor, purée the basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese with 2 or 3 Tbsp | 30 or 45 mL of the olive oil. With the processor running, slowly add the rest of the oil. Season the pesto with salt and pepper.

            Coat the salmon filets with an even layer of the pesto (you’ll have enough pesto left over to toss with some pasta another day; it freezes well, too).

            Preheat the grill on medium-high for 5–10 minutes, or until the chamber temperature rises above 500°F | 260°C. Rinse the soaked plank and place it on the cooking grate. Cover the grill and heat the plank for 4–5 minutes, or until it starts to throw off a bit of smoke and crackles lightly. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Place the salmon filets on the plank, leaving room around each for heat to circulate. Cook the fish for 8–12 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 135°F | 57°C. Serve the salmon garnished with lemon wedges.