I have one tip for your Independence Day feast: Don’t turn on your oven or stove. Who needs the heat?
Preparing a proper summer cookout menu while adhering to this rule can be tough. It rules out potato salad (I refuse to boil the potatoes), baked beans (see that word “baked”? no!), ribs (yes, I know they can be done entirely on the grill, but I prefer to braise mine in the oven before a quick searing and saucing on the grill), and pie (it practically makes me a traitor, but I refuse to bake in summer).
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So, in my effort to stay cool as a cucumber on Fourth of July, I’ve come up with this simple, hassle-free grilling menu.
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Craving ribs or pulled pork but can’t stand the thought of manning a grill all day? Here is a great substitute. Pork tenderloins cook fast on the grill, and the bacon gives them a smoky, salty hit. Serves 6.
2 pork tenderloins, silver skin removed, patted dry
1 pound center-cut bacon (thin sliced)
4 sprigs rosemary: leaves removed from one sprig and chopped fine; the other sprigs cut in half but otherwise left intact
6 sprigs fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper each tenderloin (salt modestly, as the bacon is salty) then rub each with the garlic and chopped rosemary. Lay out the bacon on a cutting board so that the slices slightly overlap. Tuck under the tapered end of the pork tenderloin and lay it on top of the bacon. Wrap the bacon around the tenderloin (the ends of the bacon will overlap) and transfer the whole thing to a platter (bacon seam-side down). Repeat with the other tenderloin. Place in the refrigerator for about half an hour to chill and firm up.
Meanwhile, place 8 to 10 pieces of butcher’s twine about an inch apart on a cutting board. Place one chilled tenderloin on top of the twine and tie the bacon in place. Insert sprigs of rosemary and thyme under the twine. Repeat with the other tenderloin. Set aside until ready to grill. (The tenderloins can be prepared several hours in advance and kept in the refrigerator.)
Grill the tenderloins on indirect heat (see this helpful video if you’re unfamiliar with the indirect-cooking method) until they have reached an internal temperature of 140 degrees (about 15 to 20 minutes). At that point, move the tenderloins to the hottest part of the grill (on the grate directly over the coals) to crisp up the bacon (this will take only a few minutes). Continuously rotate the tenderloins so that they don’t burn. Remove the tenderloins when they reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees. Let rest for 15 minutes before removing the twine and slicing into rounds. Serve with your favorite barbeque sauce, pickles, and small rolls.
Chicken and Fruit Kabobs
My kids love anything served on a stick. Serves 4.
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into cubes
Peaches, nectarines, mangos, and pineapple, cubed (make sure to get slightly firm fruit)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
20 wooden kabob sticks, soaked in water for half an hour before threading and grilling
Toss cubes of chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Thread the kabobs with the cubes of raw chicken and fruit. Make any combinations you desire. Make sure you have some space between the fruit and the chicken; you don’t want to crowd the kabobs. Grill the kabobs on a hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until chicken cubes are cooked through.
Serve with a dipping sauce of Greek-style yogurt mixed with honey, finely diced cucumber, and a little salt and pepper.
Might I suggest seasoned lamb skewers, marinated in a light olive oil vinaigrette, with minced Spanish onion and minced garlic tucked in between the cubes of lamb?
Grill skewers. Instead of lettuce, I like chopped cucumber, with tomato slices and Spanish onion slices. Lightly toast pita bread on the grill, lay the unskewered lamb and veggie on the pita, drizzle with more vinaigrette, place on top of foil, fold the foil diagonally over the top of the pita, cinch the foil for a handle, and VOILA:
Low-cal Gyros (sans the Tsatsiki [sp?]! Bursting with flavor, and refreshing.
Buy the baklava.
And this year, it'll serve as a perfect reminder as to how not to manage our nation's affairs in the future.
No back garden, no grill, have the date and the heat. Shuck some oysters serve with a dry martini straight-up with a few olives. A lamb's lettuce salad dressed with a dash of lemon, coddled egg and shaved pecorino. Off-spring all grown. So we will toast 7/4 with hope and good cheer!
You forgot the key item without which no 4th of July feast can be complete, ...
A REAL watermelon. Not one of those dinky, little seedless things from the grocery store but the kind you can only get at a farm stand. The one we had for our Saturday get-together at the shooting range was a foot in diameter and long enough to take up an entire shelf in the fridge. It served 12 people, most of whom are active, young men, with some leftovers to take home.
If you are normally doing either of these in a freaking oven at any time you are not doing justice to the meat. You might as well drown them in ketchup.
If its 'set it and forget it' you're looking for they make electric smokers that autoload the wood. The ultimate ease and far superior to oven cooking them.
