Entertain and Wow Your Guests this Summer with these Top Secret BBQ Recipes
Summer is the time of year when we get to kick back, spend time enjoying friends and family and reminisce about the days when things were a heck of lot simpler. Women everywhere get to enjoy a much needed vacation from the kitchen as men commandeer their rightfully masculine domain at the Grill. Let’s face it fellas… You will be judged on who the real King of the Grill is at the end of season, by all worthy compatriots. To give you a cutting edge to assure victory as the elite of all Grillmasters this year… our mad gastro-scientist has infused classic BBQ dishes with the manliest of ingredients; BEER! Try out these simple to follow Beer Infused BBQ recipes at your next cookout, guaranteed to earn you the crown this Summer.
Honey Beer Chicken Kebabs
Cut four to six chicken breasts into bite size cubes (big enough to skewer like a kebab). Whisk together: 5 crushed garlic cloves, A can of beer, half a cup of honey, a third of a cup of soy sauce, 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, a heavy pinch of red pepper flakes and two teaspoons of dijon mustard in a large mixing bowl. Transfer 75% of the marinade to a sealable plastic bag and add the chicken cubes. Place the remaining marinade in a container and refrigerate. Note: You may need to split the chicken up into two bags depending on the size of the breasts. Seal the bags and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 4 hours. Soak wooden skewers in water for 2o minutes or so before threading 5 or 6 pieces of marinated chicken onto each skewer. While the grill is getting fired up, brush the leftover marinade onto the skewers so they are nicely covered in the magic marinade. Grill the chicken skewers until the meat is cooked all the through, turning every two minutes. Use the extra marinade you set aside the day before to brush on the chicken every time you turn it over. Serve with a cilantro garnish for an extra burst of flavor.
Beer Glazed Bacon
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a cookie sheet pan with parchment paper. Add half a cup each of honey and maple syrup to a saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat. Add a cup of dark lager beer (Guinness Black, Shiner Black and Sam Adams Boston lagers all work great) to the saucepan and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook at low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced in half, approximately five to ten minutes or so. Remove from the stove. Add a tablespoon of any whole grain mustard and a tablespoon of dry mustard and whisk well. Lay out 10-12 pieces of thick cut bacon on the parchment paper. Cover the bacon with another sheet of Parchment paper and bake at 300 for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and blot the fat away with a paper towel. Brush the glaze all over one side of the bacon. Lower the oven temp about 25 degrees to 275 and bake another 45 minutes or until the bacon is crispy. Transfer to a serving plate, glaze side up.
Drunken Clam Bake
Using the biggest Pot you got… Toss in 4 to 6 baby red potatoes, half a pound of either chorizo or Chourico sausage chopped, 4 to 6 breakfast sausage links also chopped, five small peeled onions, 2 or three cloves of peeled garlic. 2 or 3 ears of sweet corn cut into quarters or thirds and 2 cleaned bay leaves. Add approximately 2 quarts of cold water to the pot. Next add two 16 oz cans of Summer Ale like Sam Adams or New Englands Clam Bake Favorite, Narragansett Beer. Season to your own taste with sea salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Using your grill or the stovetop, bring the pot-o-goodness to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for an additional 20 minutes. While you wait, make sure your clams have been cleaned properly(Scrub those shells good). Add about 4 pounds of steamer (soft) clams to the pot and cover. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the clams are all open. Remove from heat and sprinkle a handful each of chopped parsley and chives (green onion) over the ingredients. Melt some butter with a few pieces of green onions for dipping or use the leftover broth.
Drunken Milkshake
Using a blender, add one part whole milk, one part chocolate or coffee ice cream and one part stout beer like Guinness or Sam Adams and blend until creamy smooth. Tip: Milk, Vanilla ice cream and Blue Moon mixed together taste delicious too! Garnish with Chocolate shavings or graham cracker crumbs for an added burst of dessert nostalgia.