Let's Barbecue!

with "Rockin' Ronnie" Shewchuk
Canada's Barbecue Champion

Here are some recipes to enjoy!

Fred's Citrus Salmon with Sesame Mayo
(from Planking Secrets, published in May, 2006)

From the Barbecue Secrets book:

Whiskey and Honey-Planked Pears
Planked Pork Loin Roast with Whiskey-Apricot Glaze
Championship Barbecue Rub (A.K.A. Bob's Rub)
Herbed wet rub | Easiest, tastiest steak

Fred's Citrus Salmon with Sesame Mayo
(from Planking Secrets, published in May, 2006)

Serves 6 to 8

Brian Misko is an enthusiastic barbecuer who recently took the plunge and started up a barbecue team, House of Q. Brian passed on this recipe, which he has cooked time and again for his family. “It was originally crafted after salmon fishing in Tofino with my in-laws,” he says.  “I had never been fishing on the open ocean before, nor had Fred Kraus, my father-in-law.  Nonetheless, a nice side of salmon was decorated for the grill with whatever we had in the cabin.” And they’ve cooked it that way ever since. “Serve with a wonderful fruity white wine and a salad and you have a nice west coast meal,” says Brian.

Squeeze the juice from the three fruits into a nonreactive dish like a lasagna pan. Reserve a few slices for garnish. Don't worry about pulp or seeds in the marinade - it all adds flavor.  Add the zest, if desired, and the garlic and oil. The volume of oil depends on how big your piece of salmon is. A larger one will take a bit more oil. Whisk all the ingredients together and pour over the salmon.  Marinate for a minimum of 1 hour at room temperature.

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

Remove the salmon from the marinade and season it with salt and pepper. Place it on the plank and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the fish has an internal temperature of 135°F/57°C. Halfway through the cooking time, spoon some of the marinade on top of the fish. When the salmon is done, serve it on the plank garnished with extra citrus slices. Goes well with Sesame Mayo.

Sesame Mayo

This is the perfect dip for roasted veggies, and it’s also great tossed with rice noodles for a cool, creamy side to grilled Asian-flavored meats. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds for extra texture.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve.

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Whiskey and Honey-Planked Pears
Serves 8

Soak a cedar plank for six hours to overnight.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the Jack Daniel’s Tenessee Whiskey and honey. Season with pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat and cool.

Arrange the pears in a dish just large enough to hold them in one layer and brush with lemon juice. Spoon 1 Tbsp./15 mL whiskey-honey mixture over each pear and let marinate for 1 hour.

Preheat the grill to high. Place the soaked plank on the grill, close the lid and bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until it begins to crackle and smoke. Carefully lift the lid, place pears on the plank, cut side up, and close the lid. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the pears are hot and tender, and starting to char on the edges. Remove from the plank and transfer to dessert plates. Garnish each pear with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, drizzle with the remaining whiskey-honey mixture, add a sprig of mint and serve immediately.

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Planked Pork Loin Roast
with Whiskey-Apricot Glaze

I have been having a lot of fun these days developing recipes for my next cookbook, Planking Secrets. One of the things I’ve been finding out is that pork is great when baked in the grill on a cedar plank. The aromatic, spicy, mildly astringent flavour of the cedar smoke nicely complements the sweetness and richness of the pork.

The trick with plank-cooking a roast this big is to get the plank smoldering on a high or medium-high heat, and then turn it down to medium as soon as you get the meat on. NOTE: Keep a spray bottle of water nearby, and if you get any flare-ups around the corners of the plank, just spray them with water to put them out. Serves 4 – 6.

Open the can of apricots and drain the syrup into a medium-sized saucepan, reserving the apricots. To the syrup, add the Dijon mustard, Jack Daniel’s, brown sugar, apricot jam, and cayenne. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a low boil, stirring to melt the sugar and the jam. When it looks like a smooth, fairly thick sauce (about five minutes), take it off the heat and set it in a bowl of ice cubes to cool. When the mixture has cooled, divide it in half. Combine half of the sauce with the apricot halves and store them in the fridge in a plastic container.

Lightly score the fat cap of the pork loin in a diamond pattern, season it with salt and pepper, and set the meat on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Spoon the remaining half of the mustard-whiskey mixture over the loin and pat it all over to coat. Wrap the foil around the meat, sealing it as best you can and place the wrapped loin in the meat drawer of your fridge. Let it sit for a couple of hours at least, but overnight if possible.

Prepare your grill for direct high heat and place the soaked plank on the grill, closing the cover. When the plank starts to crackle and smoke, place the marinated pork loin on the plank fat-side up and immediately reduce the heat to medium. Cover the grill and cook for one hour, checking periodically for flare-ups.

At the one-hour mark, take the apricots out of the sauce mixture and place them on the plank next to the roast. Baste the roast with some of the sauce and cook for about another ten or twenty minutes, until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 140°F/60°C. Take off the roast and lightly tent it in foil. Transfer the apricot halves to a cutting board and coarsely chop them. Warm the remaining sauce on the stovetop or in the microwave and add the chopped apricots. Let the roast rest for at least 15 minutes (while it’s resting, roast some vegetables on the grill). Carve the roast into 1/2-inch slices and serve on warmed plates with a spoonful of the sauce and the roasted vegetables on the side and, if you like, some mashed potatoes. Garnish with a sprig of parsley or thyme.

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Championship Barbecue Rub
(A.K.A. Bob's Rub)
Makes about three cups (750 mL)

We call this Bob’s Rub, and it’s what we use in competition. Bob Lyon, the granddaddy of barbecue in the Pacific Northwest, shared this at a barbecue workshop that first introduced me to the joys of real barbecue and prompted me to become a barbecue competitor. It follows a rule of thumb that’s worth remembering: a third, a third, a third. Which means one-third sugar, one-third seasoned salts, and one-third dry herbs and spices.

To this basic rub add as much heat as you want using cayenne pepper, hot paprika or ground chipotles. Then add two or three signature spices to suit whatever you’re cooking or your personal taste, like powdered thyme, oregano, cumin, sage, powdered ginger, etc. Add only 1 - 3 tsp./5 - 15 ml. of each signature seasoning so as not to overpower the rub.

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Marinades add a lovely layer of complexity to the flavor of grilled or barbecued meats. Research has shown that acidic marinades tend to neutralize the carcinogenic compounds caused by flare-ups when you grill over direct heat. Whether or not these marinades are good for you, they will make your palate feel very happy and healthy!

Herbed wet rub
Makes about 2 cups (500 mL)

This is a cross between a marinade and a paste. It is superb on any meat. Make it a bit thinner with the addition of more olive oil and you can toss vegetables in it to roast on the grill. It’s even great tossed with some fresh cooked pasta!

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Easiest, tastiest steak
Serves 4

I have been grilling steaks bathed in this marinade for over 20 years and I have not found a way to improve on it. It’s so easy and adds so much flavor that every backyard cook should have it in his or her repertoire. These go well with just about any side. I like them with roasted baby potatoes and grilled asparagus. The marinade is also great with pork chops, as well as rich, meaty fish like salmon, halibut, tuna and swordfish.

Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, black pepper, lemon juice or cooking wine and tapioca starch in a nonreactive baking dish. Add the meat, turn to coat, and marinate 10 minutes to 1/2 hour, turning once or twice. Do not marinate overnight, as this is a fairly salty marinade.

Prepare your grill for medium direct heat. Place the steaks on the grill and cook for about 4 minutes. Turn the steaks, spoon a little more marinade on the top, and then cook for another 4 minutes for medium-rare. Let them rest about 4 minutes and serve.

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