I've been guest blogging this month at Angie Newton's blog, Losing It and Loving It.  I'm sharing tips for healthy grilling.  Each Tuesday in the month of May, I'm sharing some thoughts about things you can do and things you can cook to make your grilling more healthy.

The first Tuesday, I shared a set of tips on healthy grilling.  For example, if you marinate meat before you grill, you'll reduce the amount of carcinogens that can be created in grilled meat, and it makes add an incredible flavor to the meat as well.  Try it next time you grill some steaks and see the difference it makes.  That's just one of the tips.  I shared five more.

The second Tuesday was about grilling salmon on a plank.  Fish has some great health benefits and salmon is one of the most popular fish to grill.  To make it even better, grilling it on a cedar plank adds a ton of flavor.  You can also grill lots of other things on cedar planks, including vegetables and they'll get a great flavor as well.

The third Tuesday I talked about grilling asparagus, which is just one of many vegetables that you can grill.  While we all love grilled meat, but you can add so much to your grilled meal by adding grilled vegetables.  They have a delicious flavor and can be easily cooked on your grill.

Coming up I'll be writing about grilling corn on the cob and grilling pineapple, two other classic vegetables and fruits that are delicious on on the grill.

I hope you'll take a few minutes and check Angie's blog out and see my articles!

By the way, I recorded a video on how to grill asparagus.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk9YOFuq8TU

Healthy Grilling Tips and Ideas is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Healthy Grilling Tips and Ideas is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

I frequently come across outdoor cooking contests of various kinds, some that have some pretty good prizes and some that have some pretty hefty prize money associated with them.  I'm going to keep a page with current outdoor cooking contests, giveaways, and promotions that I find listed on it and I'll be sending out updates to that page to my email list, so if you haven't joined, make sure you do to keep up-to-date with those contests.  You can join to get my Outdoor Cooking Magic newsletter at the Outdoor Cooking Magic Tricks page (and you get a free ebook to boot!)

So I noticed a current contest this morning that you might be interested in, the Johnsonville No Ordinary Burger contest.  It has prize money of $10,000 for the best Johnsonville burger recipe and runs through 11:59 p.m. CT on July 3, 2012.  If you have a killer burger recipe, you might want to enter--you never know what might happen!   They have a list of the 2011 No Ordinary Burger contest finalists, so you can see what you might be up against.  But don't let that discourage you.  You have nothing to lose by entering!

Contests and Giveaways are pretty common on the internet and are usually pretty easy to enter.  Make sure to check back often to find the latest ones that I've found.

Good luck!

Outdoor Cooking Contests is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Outdoor Cooking Contests is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

At least once a year, I try to cook some barbecue for my family and invite everyone over. I've done ribs, burgers and brisket. But I wasn't happy with the brisket last time. It was my second time doing BBQ brisket and I wasn't particularly educated in the ways of brisket. These things take a little time and some attempts. That's why I like something like Competition BBQ Secrets, because the trial and error has already been done so you don't have to.  This guide tells you a great way to cook brisket (among other things) using a method that has done well at the BBQ competitions--so it must be good, right?

So this time, I used the method described in Competition BBQ Secrets and the brisket turned out great! I won't tell you all the secrets, since that wouldn't be fair (Bill has described them in his book), but I will tell you that it involves injecting a marinade into the brisket well before you cook, adding a rub, then cooking that brisket for a loooong time. In fact, I got up at 3:00 am to get the smoker going and up to temperature and put the brisket in the smoker at about 4:00 am. Then it was checking it every hour to hour and a half.  That was for a dinner that was scheduled for 6pm.

I never quite got it to the recommended temperature, but the result was pretty darn tender anyway. And everyone loved it! I think there was only one piece left from a 9.75 lb brisket.  If you look close, you can see a really nice smoke ring in the brisket.  It was probably 3/8" - 1/2" thick.

It ended up being kind of a chilly evening, so I started a fire in my firepit in the backyard and everyone huddled around that to stay warm.

I also cooked some wings (l6 lbs) on the grill. The glaze wasn't quite as good as I would have liked as I messed up the recipe when I was at the store (it was 1 cup of honey per batch, not 1/2 cup), so that is a lesson learned. Don't rely on your mind when you are making the list for the store! Double check it! And to top it all off, I even had the chicken wing glaze recipe here on my website, so I could double checked the recipe while I was at the store! I'll try not to make that mistake again.

I cooked some baked beans in my dutch oven that were also tasty and everyone else brought side dishes to contribute.  We even had home made root beer!

It was a great night; I had about 24 adults and teens, and 6 younger kids and there was plenty of food. I even had fixings for S'Mores, but we never had to use them, everyone was so full.

P.S. If you want to cook delicious brisket, like I did for this BBQ, click here to find out the secrets!

BBQ Brisket For My Family BBQ is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

BBQ Brisket For My Family BBQ is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

I've finally succumbed!  After being called out about going the easy way out with my Dutch Oven Baked Beans, I've finally taken a stab at making them from scratch, rather than relying on cans of pork of beans.

The result?  Pretty darn good.  Better than using cans of pork and beans?  Probably.

The time committment is more, although the extra time required is in soaking the beans overnight and then simmering them for a 2-3 hours, neither of which take a ton of oversight.   I'll admit that there is a certain appeal in cooking my Dutch oven baked beans from scratch, but there are times when I don't have time or want to deal with doing them from scratch.

In reality, I usually don't use just cans of pork and beans, like my previous recipe said.  I double the recipe and add extra cans of various kinds of beans, like black beans, northern beans, and chili beans.  It gives some variety and makes the baked beans dish much better, in my opinion.    I need to update that recipe to show exactly what I do now.

Back to making these baked beans from scratch.  Here's what I did: I started with 1 pound of northern beans, put them in a bowl, covered them with water, added some salt, and let them soak overnight.

In the morning, I drained the beans, added them to a pot and covered them with water (4" above the beans).  I brought the beans to a boil, and then simmered them until the beans were tender.  That took me about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  I probably could have cooked them a bit longer.  If the beans start to burst, they are done and you can remove them from the stove and drain.  Note that I could have done this part in my Dutch oven, but didn't--I cheated!  But a Dutch oven would be perfect for this type of thing because it holds heat well.  You would just have to keep feeding it charcoal.

While the beans were cooking, I cooked up some bacon, let it cool, and crumbled it up. I chopped up 1 cup of onions and minced 1 clove of garlic and added them to the pan used to cook the bacon. Cook until the onions are done.  After the beans were cooked and tender, it was time to get the Dutch oven ready to go.  I started some charcoal, poured the beans, onions, and garlic into a bowl, and added the following:

2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne

I mixed all this up and then poured the mixture into my Dutch oven.  I put the Dutch oven on the briquettes that I had prepared, about 10 on the bottom, 14 on the top, and cooked until bubbling, about 1 hour.

I had my parents over for dinner and got their thoughts on this recipe. Everyone liked it! They were pretty tasty and I enjoyed making them from scratch. I'm planning on trying some other flavors, but this was a great start. The only thing I'd do differently was to cook the beans a little longer before adding them to the Dutch oven.

I hope you try these. Cooking them from scratch isn't really any harder, just takes a little bit more time. And the results are great.

To find out more of my outdoor cooking magic tricks and recipes, make sure to sign up to get my free Outdoor Cooking Magic Tricks ebook.

Tangy Dutch Oven Baked Beans – From Scratch! is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Tangy Dutch Oven Baked Beans – From Scratch! is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

I tried another smoked chicken wings recipes recently and it got rave reviews from my wife. Whenever that happens, I know that I need to share that recipe with you!

The recipe is pretty simple and comes from the book "Peace, Love, & Barbecue: Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales, and Outright Lies from the Legends of Barbecue". I've tried several recipes from this book, and they are excellent. It mixed stories about BBQ with delicious recipes of BBQ as well as side dishes. Definitely worth having. Click here to get this book.

Smoked Chicken Wings Again! is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Smoked Chicken Wings Again! is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Here are some easy taco-type recipes for your Dutch oven:

Easy Taco Bake

Brown meat with green pepper and onion and drain. Stir in taco mix, cook five minutes, and remove from oven. Overlap the tortillas on the bottom of the Dutch oven. Top tortillas with meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Dutch Oven Taco Pie

Cover the Dutch oven, place a few coals on top, and bake until the cheese is melted.

For variety and additional taste, add onions, olives, mushrooms, or chopped tomatoes.

Dutch Oven Taco Recipes is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Dutch Oven Taco Recipes is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

I was grilling some steaks and decided to add a side dish from my dutch oven.  This recipe for Delmonico potatoes was an easy and tasty dish to do in the dutch oven.

I started with about 6 medium potatoes, which I cleaned, then cut into thin slices.  This was approximately 7 cups of potatoes.  I minced 1/4 cup of onions, and grated 1 cup of Swiss cheese.

I put the mixed the sliced potatoes, 1/4 cup of melted butter, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1 tbsp garlic powder and then added the mixture to the dutch oven with 12 coals underneath and 18 on top (normally, for a 12" dutch oven, I would put 9 underneath and 15 on top, but it was cold and it took a while for the Dutch oven to heat up and get things going).

 

I cooked the potatoes for about 20 minutes. Again, I think normally, you would only have to cook these for about 10 minutes at this time, but it was taking a bit long for the Dutch oven to heat up.

Next I added 1 cup of milk, which had been scalded and cooked for another 20 minutes.

Finally, I added the grated swiss cheese and 1 beaten egg to the potato mixture and mixed it up well and baked for a final 10 minutes.

And the result?  Some delicious, super-easy, Dutch Oven Delmonico potatoes to go with our steaks that I grilled for us.

 

Using your Dutch oven to cook some side dishes while you cook the main course on the grill is an easy way to cook your whole meal outdoors.

Dutch Oven Delmonico Potatoes Recipe

Dutch Oven Delmonico Potatoes

Print

Recipe type: Side Dish

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup melted margarine
• 7 cups thinly sliced potatoes (6-7 medium sized potatoes)
• 1/4 cup minced onions
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup grated Swiss cheese
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

1. Combine the melted margarine, potatoes, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and mix well.
2. Add to pre-heated Dutch oven and bake for 10 minutes.
3. Scald the milk and then add to the potatoes.
4. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Add the beaten egg and grated Swiss cheese and mix well.
6. Bake 10 minutes and serve!

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2.2.1

 

Hope you enjoy these!

P.S. Please share this post with your Twitter follows or Facebook friends by click the corresponding button below!

 

 

 

 

Dutch Oven Delmonico Potatoes is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Dutch Oven Delmonico Potatoes is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Is there anything that says BBQ more than a well cooked rack of ribs? It's one of my favorite things to BBQ and when you get it just right, it's hard to beat.  But many people shy away from cooking BBQ ribs because they don't know how.  Here are 11 tips that you need to know in order to cook mouth-watering, absolutely-delicious, come-back-for-more BBQ ribs!

1.  Remove the membrane

The membrane is a shiny white coating on the back of the ribs.  While some cooks and restaurants don't remove the membrane, I've found that doing so allows all the flavors you'll  add to season the meat better.  So take a couple of minutes and remove the membrane!   Take the handle of a dinner spoon and work it under the membrane near one of the bones.  When it separates from the meat a little, work your finger under the membrane and pull up.  Then use a paper towel (because the membrane is slippery) to pull it off the rest of the way.

2.  Use mustard

Before you put the rub on, put an adherent onto the ribs.  I use regular old mustard, but others use olive oil.  The mustard flavor doesn't really come through in the end, but it provides a nice base for the rub to adhere.  Take some mustard and smear it all over the ribs, front and back.

3.  Rub the ribs

You'll want to season the ribs with a rib rub.  There are many out there, both commercial and homemade.  I have some rubs for ribs on Outdoor Cooking Magic if you don't have one you want to use.   This is one of my favorites:

Rib Rub Recipe

Mix the ingredients together and use on ribs, brisket, pork chops.

After you apply the mustard, sprinkle the rub on and work it into the meat.  Wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight.  This will allow the rub to mix with the meat a bit.  Before you put the ribs on the grill, sprinkle a little bit more rub on.  This will help create the crusty rib covering that will give your BBQ ribs great flavor.

4.  Cook low and slow

Ribs are best done at lower temps.  Don't cook them at the high temperature you would use for a steak.  They'll be much better flavored and much more tender if you keep the temperatures low.  It will take longer, like about 6 hours, but the wait will be worth it.  And the incredible smell that you'll have while the ribs cook slowly will entice everyone to come over and see what you are doing!

5.  Cook on indirect heat

In order to cook the ribs slowly, you'll need to cook them using indirect heat.  That means that you don't have them right over the coals or over the flame of a gas/propane grill.  Either push the coals to the side, or put the ribs over part of the grill where you don't have a flame.  Even better, use a grill that has a side firebox which contains the coals.  This side firebox typically looks like a very small grill and is attached to the side of your grill where you'll be cooking your ribs.  There is also an intake which can be opened or closed to control air coming into the firebox.

6.  Use some wood

BBQ Ribs taste marvelous when they've also been exposed to smoke while they are slow cooking.  So no matter which indirect method you use, add some wood chips to the coals or put them in a foil packet with some holes poked in that is placed over the gas flame in a gas grill.  I like to use a mixture of hickory, apple, and cherry chips.  But many swear by oak and some even use peach.  Get a bag or two of some different types of wood chips and see which one you like.

7.  Start cooking the BBQ ribs by smoking for 3 hours

During the first part of your BBQ, keep the ribs at 225 for about 3 hours.  Add some more briquettes and wood chips every hour to keep the heat and smoke coming (sometimes I'll add the wood chips a little more often).  This is when the ribs absorb the flavor of the smoke.  You should see them start to pull away from the bone a bit.  If they haven't, you can cook them for 1 more hour for a total of 4.  Sometimes this is because the thermometer that you are using (like the one built into your grill) isn't particularly accurate, nor does it tell you what the temperature is down where the ribs are.  Do yourself a favor and get a real BBQ thermometer.  It will help you with all of your outdoor cooking.

8.  It's time to foil!

After you've cooked the ribs in that wonderful smelling smoke, you need to get ready to foil the ribs.  Take a large piece of foil, and place your ribs on it.  Spray the ribs generously with apple juice.  Seal the foil around the ribs and put back on the grill.  You'll do this for two hours.  The apple juice provides yet another flavor to the set of flavors you are adding to the ribs and provides some moisture to help the ribs get tender.

When the two hours is up, check your ribs and you should find that they are very tender now.  Almost fall-off-the-bone tender.  Some people don't like ribs quite that much done, so adjust the timing to suit what you like.

9.  The finishing touch

Finally, remove the ribs from the foil and return to the grill.  This will help dry the ribs a bit, after being cooked in the juice, but will also give you the chance to add a bit more smoke if you like by putting some more chips on the coals.  After 45 minutes, brush on your favorite sauce and allow that to caramelize a bit.  That adds the last delicious flavor to your ribs.

10.  How to tell if the BBQ ribs Are Done

Pick up one end of the ribs with your tongs.  If the meat starts to tear as it bends in the middle, they are done!

11.  Serve with grilled side dishes

While these ribs will be stupendous, they'll be even better if you can serve with with some delicious side dishes.  Baked beans and Grilled Corn on the Cob are naturals and go great with ribs.

I'd love to hear what tips you have.  Please share them in the comments below.

P.S. If you would like to take cooking ribs to a whole new level, see Competition BBQ Secrets.   This is written by a professional BBQ competitor who has to be at the top of his game every time he cooks, since he is cooking against some of the best outdoor cooks around.  You'll learn exactly how he does that.

11 Tips for Cooking Fabulous BBQ Ribs is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

11 Tips for Cooking Fabulous BBQ Ribs is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Like I've said before, you can cook almost anything in a Dutch oven.  Here are two variations on an enchilada casserole that are easy and will give you an opportunity to try out some Mexican fare in the Dutch oven.  They will be popular at your next cookout.

Enchilada Casserole

Cook ground beef and onion in the Dutch oven, then remove and place in a large bowl.  Stir soup and enchilada sauce into the ground beef mixture.  Spoon a 1/4" layer of meat mixture in the Dutch oven.  Cover with a layer of tortillas (tear to cover).  Cover the tortillas with grated cheese.  Repeat layers of meat mixture, tortillas and cheese until all of the mixture is used up.  Top with cheese.  Put the lid on the oven and place 15 briquets on the lid.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until mixture is bubbling and heated through.  Serve with sour cream.

Dutch Oven Enchilada Casserole

Add the ground beef, onion, and salt to the Dutch oven and cook until the beef is browned. Add tomato soup, enchilada sauce, and water and simmer together for 5 minutes. Remove ¾ of the mixture and place in bowl. Place 3 corn tortillas on top of the remaining mixture in the oven. Add another layer of the meat mixture on top of the corn tortillas. Sprinkle with ½ of the cheese. Add another layer of the meat mixture. Add 3 more corn tortillas on top of the meat mixture. Add another layer of meat mixture, and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover with the lid, add some briquettes to the lid and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

I hope you enjoy these delicious dishes!  Which one did you like better?

P.S., If you would like some more Dutch oven recipes, I recommend 101 Things to Do With a Dutch Oven.

Dutch Oven Enchilada Recipes is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Dutch Oven Enchilada Recipes is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

BBQ Sets are a popular gift item and what makes them even better is that you can find a BBQ set with your favorite team's logo on it. It's a great way to show your team spirit! Check out the links below to find your favorites team's BBQ set.

NFL Team BBQ Sets

Arizona Cardinals BBQ Sets
Atlanta Falcons BBQ Sets
Baltimore Ravens BBQ Sets
Buffalo Bills BBQ Sets
Carolina Panthers BBQ Sets
Chicago Bears BBQ Sets
Cincinnati Bengals BBQ Sets
Cleveland Browns BBQ Sets
Dallas Cowboys BBQ Sets
Denver Broncos BBQ Sets
Detroit Lions BBQ Sets
Green Bay Packers BBQ Sets
Houston Texans BBQ Sets
Indianapolis Colts BBQ Sets
Jacksonville Jaguars BBQ Sets
Kansas City Chiefs BBQ Sets
Miami Dolphins BBQ Sets
Minnesota Vikings BBQ Sets
New England Patriots BBQ Sets
New Orleans Saints BBQ Sets
New York Giants BBQ Sets
New York Jets BBQ Sets
Oakland Raiders BBQ Sets
Philadelphia Eagles BBQ Sets
Pittsburgh Steelers BBQ Sets
San Diego Chargers BBQ Sets
San Francisco 49ers BBQ Sets
Seattle Seahawks BBQ Sets
St. Louis Rams BBQ Sets
Tampa Bay Buccaneers BBQ Sets
Tennessee Titans BBQ Sets
Washington Redskins BBQ Sets

NBA Team BBQ Sets

Atlanta Hawks BBQ Sets
Boston Celtics BBQ Sets
Charlotte Bobcats BBQ Sets
Chicago Bulls BBQ Sets
Cleveland Cavaliers BBQ Sets
Dallas Mavericks BBQ Sets
Denver Nuggets BBQ Sets
Detroit Pistons BBQ Sets
Golden State Warriors BBQ Sets
Houston Rockets BBQ Sets
Indiana Pacers BBQ Sets
Los Angeles Clippers BBQ Sets
Los Angeles Lakers BBQ Sets
Memphis Grizzlies BBQ Sets
Miami Heat BBQ Sets
Milwaukee Bucks BBQ Sets
Minnesota Timberwolves BBQ Sets
New Jersey Nets BBQ Sets
New Orleans Hornets BBQ Sets
New York Knicks BBQ Sets
Oklahoma City Thunder BBQ Sets
Orlando Magic BBQ Sets
Pacific Division BBQ Sets
Philadelphia 76ers BBQ Sets
Phoenix Suns BBQ Sets
Portland Trail Blazers BBQ Sets
Sacramento Kings BBQ Sets
San Antonio Spurs BBQ Sets
Toronto Raptors BBQ Sets
Utah Jazz BBQ Sets
Washington Wizards BBQ Sets

MLB Team BBQ Sets

Arizona Diamondbacks BBQ Sets
Atlanta Braves BBQ Sets
Baltimore Orioles BBQ Sets
Boston Red Sox BBQ Sets
Chicago Cubs BBQ Sets
Chicago White Sox BBQ Sets
Cincinnati Reds BBQ Sets
Cleveland Indians BBQ Sets
Colorado Rockies BBQ Sets
Detroit Tigers BBQ Sets
Florida Marlins BBQ Sets
Houston Astros BBQ Sets
Kansas City Royals BBQ Sets
Los Angeles Angels BBQ Sets
Los Angeles Dodgers BBQ Sets
Milwaukee Brewers BBQ Sets
Minnesota Twins BBQ Sets
New York Mets BBQ Sets
New York Yankees BBQ Sets
Oakland Athletics BBQ Sets
Philadelphia Phillies BBQ Sets
Pittsburgh Pirates BBQ Sets
San Diego Padres BBQ Sets
San Francisco Giants BBQ Sets
Seattle Mariners BBQ Sets
St. Louis Cardinals BBQ Sets
Tampa Bay Rays BBQ Sets
Texas Rangers BBQ Sets
Toronto Blue Jays BBQ Sets
Washington Nationals BBQ Sets

NHL Team BBQ Sets

Anaheim Ducks BBQ Sets
Atlanta Thrashers BBQ Sets
Boston Bruins BBQ Sets
Buffalo Sabres BBQ Sets
Calgary Flames BBQ Sets
Carolina Hurricanes BBQ Sets
Chicago Blackhawks BBQ Sets
Colorado Avalanche BBQ Sets
Columbus Blue Jackets BBQ Sets
Dallas Stars BBQ Sets
Detroit Red Wings BBQ Sets
Edmonton Oilers BBQ Sets
Florida Panthers BBQ Sets
Los Angeles Kings BBQ Sets
Minnesota Wild BBQ Sets
Montreal Canadiens BBQ Sets
Nashville Predators BBQ Sets
New Jersey Devils BBQ Sets
New York Islanders BBQ Sets
New York Rangers BBQ Sets
Ottawa Senators BBQ Sets
Philadelphia Flyers BBQ Sets
Phoenix Coyotes BBQ Sets
Pittsburgh Penguins BBQ Sets
San Jose Sharks BBQ Sets
St. Louis Blues BBQ Sets
Tampa Bay Lightning BBQ Sets
Toronto Maple Leafs BBQ Sets
Vancouver Canucks BBQ Sets
Washington Capitals BBQ Sets

College Sports BBQ Sets

Alabama Crimson Tide BBQ Sets
Air Force Falcons BBQ Sets
Arizona Wildcats BBQ Sets
Army Black Knights BBQ Sets
Auburn Tigers BBQ Sets
Baylor Bears BBQ Sets
Boston College Eagles BBQ Sets
Brigham Young University Cougars BBQ Sets
California Golden Bears BBQ Sets
Cincinnati Bearcats BBQ Sets
Clemson Tigers BBQ Sets
Colorado Buffaloes BBQ Sets
Colorado State Rams BBQ Sets
Connecticut Huskies BBQ Sets
Duke Blue Devils BBQ Sets
Florida Gators BBQ Sets
Florida State Seminoles BBQ Sets
Georgia Bulldogs BBQ Sets
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets BBQ Sets
Illinois Fighing Illini BBQ Sets
Indiana Hoosiers BBQ Sets
Iowa Hawkeyes BBQ Sets
Iowa State Cyclones BBQ Sets
Kansas Jayhawks BBQ Sets
Kansas State Wildcats BBQ Sets
Kentucky Wildcats BBQ Sets
Lousville Cardinals BBQ Sets
LSU Fightin' Tigers BBQ Sets
Maryland Terrapins BBQ Sets
Miami Hurricanes BBQ Sets
Michigan Wolverines BBQ Sets
Michigan State Spartans BBQ Sets
Minnesota Golden Gophers BBQ Sets
Missouri Tigers BBQ Sets
Navy Midshipmen BBQ Sets
Nebraska Cornhuskers BBQ Sets
New Mexico Lobos BBQ Sets
North Carolina Tar Heels BBQ Sets
North Carolina State Wolfpack BBQ Sets
Notre Dame Fighting Irish BBQ Sets
Ohio State Buckeyes BBQ Sets
Oklahoma Sooners BBQ Sets
Oklahoma State Cowboys BBQ Sets
Oregon Ducks BBQ Sets
Oregon State Beavers BBQ Sets
Penn State Nittany Lions BBQ Sets
Pittsburgh Panthers BBQ Sets
Rutgers Scarlet Knights BBQ Sets
San Diego State Aztecs BBQ Sets
South Carolina Gamecocks BBQ Sets
Stanford Cardinals BBQ Sets
Syracuse Orange BBQ Sets
Tennessee Volunteers BBQ Sets
Texas A&M Aggies BBQ Sets
Texas Longhorns BBQ Sets
TCU Horned Frogs BBQ Sets
UCLA Bruins BBQ Sets
University of South Florida BBQ Sets
UNLV Running Rebels BBQ Sets
USC Trojans BBQ Sets
Utah Utes BBQ Sets
Vanderbilt Commodores BBQ Sets
Virginia Cavaliers BBQ Sets
Virginia Tech Hokies BBQ Sets
Wake Forest Demon Deacons BBQ Sets
Washington Huskies BBQ Sets
Washington State Cougars BBQ Sets
West Virginia Mountaineers BBQ Sets
Wisconsin Badgers BBQ Sets
Wyoming Cowboys BBQ Sets

NASCAR BBQ Sets

Kyle Busch BBQ Sets
Tony Stewart BBQ Sets
Dale Earnhart BBQ Sets
Dale Earnhart Jr. BBQ Sets
Carl Edwards BBQ Sets
Jimmie Johnson BBQ Sets
Matt Kenseth BBQ Sets

These make great gifts and are much appreciated by your favorite sports fan. And they are especially great if they go tailgating.

BBQ Sets is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

BBQ Sets is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

I recently came across the book How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques by Steve Raichlen. I loved it. What I liked most was all the ideas and techniques for grilling almost any type of food.

There are over 1000 photographs that show each technique in detail. And each technique is accompanied by a recipe. And the recipes are actually something that I would eat. I don't usually get into the extremely fancy gourmet recipes on the grill, so the first thing that I look at in a book is for recipes that I think I would eat. And this book has them!

I utilized Steve'e technique for grilling asparagus, as shown in my post, Grilled Asparagus - A Delicious Grilled Vegetable. The results were great and I look forward to trying even more of the techniques outline in this book.  In fact, it is full of the "how to's".  You'll find a bunch of new ways to grill and bbq all sorts of different types of foods.

What The Barbecue! Bible is to inspiration, How to Grill is to technique.  You'll be shown how to grill just about any cut of meat.  It will give tons of help to the beginner and at the same time will give some challenges to the expert. If you own just one grilling and barbecuing book, How to Grill may be it.

If you would like more information about this book and see the what others have said, click here.

P.S. For more of my favorite outdoor cooking books, see below:

How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Looking for some new food to try on the grill?  How about recipes from around the world?  The Barbecue! Bible
has over 500 of the very best barbecue recipes, delicious, easy-to-make, and guaranteed to provide great grilling flavors from around the world.   Think Grilled Pizza, Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Memphis Style Ribs, Thai Sates, Bahamian Chicken, and even authentic grilled Indian food!

Even if you are a grilling idiot, the basic grilling techniques and easy-to-understand steps will teach you what you need to know to learn the barbecuing and grilling basics.

Some find the list of ingredients intimidating, but once you read through and try the recipes, you'll be hooked.  Barbecue will no longer mean just steak and hamburgers and chicken.  You'll find many more uses for your grill, like cooking pizza, quesadillas, and exotic foods from around the globe.

In fact, The Barbecue! Bible will become a party planner for you.  Plan your meal based on recipes from various locations, add the libations and the music and you'll have an instant barbecue party.

The Barbecue! Bible is definitely a necessity for anyone that grills or barbecues. Click here


Here are some more of my favorite barbecue and grilling books:

The Barbecue! Bible – Outdoor Cooking Books is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

The Barbecue! Bible – Outdoor Cooking Books is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

BBQ is an American tradition. Through BBQ you take a worthless hunk of meat and by carefully applying smoke and fire, you turn it into a scrumptious dish that will have everyone raving about the food and your skill. BBQ USA by Steve Raichlen gives you exactly what you need to get rid of boring food forever.

BBQ USA has over 774 pages of information, recipes, and history with all the regional tips and tricks explained and recipes provided. With its 425 recipes, you'll be busy trying all the different foods and techniques for many, many weekend to come.

Even if you are a beginner, you could pick up this huge book, big almost anywhere, with any recipe and be able to cook delicious dishes. While it includes information and recipes for both grilling and bbqing (low slow cooking with smoke), it's not an introduction to grilling. If you want that, try How to Grill.

Once you start using this book, there will never be a reason for your family to complain of boring food ever again! And you'll be pushed to expand your skills and abilities.

If you want to:

• Learn to cook brand new dishes on the grill
• Expand your outdoor cooking skills
• Amaze your friends and family
• Have a new dish new you can cook every weekend for over 8 years

BBQ USA – Outdoor Cooking Books is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

BBQ USA – Outdoor Cooking Books is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

First of all, I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving! With the day after Thanksgiving being the traditional "Black Friday" where so many people take advantage of sales for the Christmas shopping, I thought I would share some great deals that I've found.

Under $20

These items are on sale from Black Friday through Cyber Monday and you get an additional 30% off the price listed when you checkout. That make all of these items under $20.

Under $50

With the 30% discount, these items are all under $50

Under $100

With the 30% discount, these items are all under $100:

Hope you find some good deals here!

Outdoor Cooking Black Friday Deals is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Outdoor Cooking Black Friday Deals is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

The Volcano Grill is one of those unique products that is guaranteed to delight your outdoor chef.  It's versatile, compact, and light enough, that he or she will be able to cook almost anything anywhere.

If your outdoor cook likes to cook with Dutch ovens, this grill is made exactly for that purpose.  But it can also be used with charcoal or wood to grill with, and some models come with a propane hook up so you can attach those small 1 lb propane canisters and cook on the grill with propane.  In fact, there is no better solution to cook with when it comes to using charcoal, wood, and propane.

The Volcano Grill easily collapses to about 5" high, so you can even store it in the trunk of your car and have it available anytime and anywhere you are.  Think of all the places you could take it: picnics, to the beach, boating, camping, backyard, family reunions, Scouting activities, quick trips up the canyon, over to a friends house for dinner, canoeing and on and on.

And your friends and family will be amazed to see what you can cook on this.  Stir fry, baked bread, brownies, steaks, and so much more are possible.

There is probably no better solution for Dutch oven cooking.  I saw my first Volcano stove about 8 years ago and was amazed at the concentrated heat it was providing to the Dutch oven--you can often get by on 12-15 pieces of charcoal, which will save you money over the long run.

The other nice thing is that because of the Volcano Grill's unique design, the outside and bottom stay nice and cool, which means that you can use it almost anywhere.  The one exception is backpacking--it's too heavy for that, but anywhere you might be needing to cook where you can pull it out of the trunk of the car, it's perfect.

Have a Campfire with the Volcano Grill

Because the Volcano Grill also lets you use wood or charcoal, you can even have a small campfire with it, which is great if you want to cook at a place that doesn't allow ground fires.  You can even roast hot dogs and marshmallows over it.

There are several versions you can get, mostly adding additional accessories.

Volcano II Collapsible Cook Stove

This is the basic model and is all you need to get started.  You can cook almost anything with it.  It does not have the propane attachment, but if your outdoor cook prefers wood or charcoal, this version will do just fine.  It's about 15 x 15 x 8 inches and weighs 21.2 lbs.  If you are looking for something to get started with, this is the one to get.

Click here to purchase.

Volcano II Collapsible Cook Stove with Attachments

This is the basic model (above) and it comes with the propane attachment which turns your Volcano Stove into a propane grill.  If you want to have the versatility to cook with wood, charcoal, or propane, then this is the Volcano Grill to get.

Click here to find out more information and to purchase.

If you want to make someone's day on Christmas, get them a Volcano Grill.

Click here to purchase.

Volcano Grill – Another Outdoor Cooking Gift Idea is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Volcano Grill – Another Outdoor Cooking Gift Idea is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

I came across the Auspit Rotisserie at a Dutch oven event that I went to earlier this year.  The Auspit Rotisserie allows you to cook most anything over a fire, even bread!   And it appears to be easy to cook with.  All you do is pound the stake into the ground, slide the meat onto the spit, flick on the motor and you are cooking your food over the fire.

You can control the temperature by adjusting the height and angle that the spit is over the fire.  That let's you put your dinner exactly where it needs to be to keep it from burning.

Want to cook for a large crowd?  The Auspit Rotisserie holds 18 lbs of food, plenty to feed a large group.  And since there a bunch of ways to cook, you can cook a wide variety of things, from roasted chestnuts to whole turkeys.

Best of all, there is something about cooking your food slowly over the fire--you won't get a flavor like that in almost any other way.  Slow cooking allows the meat to cook in its own juices.

The Auspit Rotisserie comes with a motor that runs on a couple of D-batteries.  It doesn't take much power--these batteries should be enough to run the motor for about 90 hours.

The whole system packs into a handy compact carrying case, and weighs only 11 pounds, even with all the accessories.

What kind of accessories can you get?  That's where things get really interesting.  Here's what is available:

FireTrough

This accessory lets you cook even when you can't build a ground fire.  You can use it to with wood or charcoal.  It's basically a trough that is loaded onto the vertical bar that holds the spit and is where you put your fire!  That way you can cook almost anywhere.

Get the Auspit Rotisserie with FireTrough here.

Spitmate

This cool accessory is basically a tumbler that lets you cook vegetables, chicken wings, nuts, peppers, bread, scallops, bacon, and much more.  You can even cook popcorn, my favorite snacks, over the fire in the Spitmate.   There is a larger version, smaller version, and even a mini version. The smaller and mini Spitmate leaves some space on your spit to cook other things and works great with the FireTrough.  This accessory really adds to the versatility of the Auspit Rotisserie.

Find out more about the Spitmate, Spitmate Junior, and Spitmate Mini.

Squeezeloc Spikes

These allow you to add extra spikes to your spit, to hold even more food!  You can even squeeze them closer together so you can cook more, like doing 48 marshmallows at a time.  They are ideal for veggies or even chicken.

Get more info about the Squeezeloc Spikes here.

Australian Outdoor Rotisserie is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Australian Outdoor Rotisserie is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

I know it doesn't seem possible, but Christmas is coming fast!  It will be here before we know it.  If you have someone on your gift list that likes to cook outdoors by grilling, bbqing, Dutch oven cooking, campfire cooking, or any other way, I'm going to give you some ideas for Christmas gifts.

Perhaps you are the one that likes to do some outdoor cooking and want to give some suggestions or hints (!!) to someone else.  In either case, gift ideas are coming!

Along the way, I'll update this post so that links to all the ideas are are in one place.  If you have something you are wondering about getting, but not sure about, please drop me a comment and I'll see if I can give you some suggestions.

Gift Ideas

Australian Outdoor Rotisserie

Grilling and BBQ T-Shirts

The Volcano Grill

Books - These make GREAT gifts!

BBQ USA

Outdoor Cooking Christmas Gift Ideas is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Outdoor Cooking Christmas Gift Ideas is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

One of the benefits of grilling Thanksgiving side dishes is that it frees up your kitchen for other things and keeps most of the mess outside.  I scoured the web and found a lot of great Thanksgiving side dishes you could cook outside.  So if you aren't cooking your Thanksgiving turkey on the grill, check out what other dishes you could do on your grill.

Potato Side Dishes

Grilled Rosemary Sweet Potatoes - An easy,  delicious grilled sweet potato dish that uses a favorite seasoning, rosemary.  You can even  cook these ahead of time and then warm them up on the grill when you are ready to serve.  These will be a wonderful change from your standard Thankgiving sweet potato dishes.

Honey Grilled Sweet Potatoes - Another very easy, grilled sweet potato dish with honey.  Make sure to keep on eye on things so they don't burn.

Grilled Sweet Potato Fingers with Curry Dip - You could serve this grilled sweet potato dish as a main meal side dish, or it would go great as an appetizer.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Scallions - Another variation on the sweet potato, this time using scallions.  Do you get the hint that sweet potatoes might go really well on the grill?

Savory Grilled Potatoes - Here is a bit of an unusual way to prepare grilled potatoes, but looking at the reviews, they were a huge hit.  This dish is made with foil packets, with seasonings and other ingredients added, and then grilled.  Before you pass this one up, try it and see if you don't agree with the 200 people that loved this recipe.

Grilled Potatoes and Onion - Another great variation on the potato, but cooked on the grill. This is a great alternative to mashed potatoes, and is also done in foil packets with garlic.

Vegetable Side Dishes

Fall Vegetables on the Grill - Uses potatoes, sweet potatoes, and acorn squash, cut into 1" chunks and cooked right on the grill.  Gives the combinations of these three vegetables a delicious flavor.

Grilled Squash - You can grill almost any type of squash. Here are some basic guidelines for grilling squash, so choose your favorite and get it on the grill.

Barbecued Cabbage with Santa Fe Seasoning - If you are looking for something different from your typical Thanksgiving side dishes, barbecued or grilled cabbage might just be the answer.

Sweet Acorn Squash - As I said above, you can grill most squashes.  Here is a recipe specifically for acorn squash (see the picture at the front of the article to see this dish).  This is a fun and easy one to do, and reminded me a bit of some of the Thanksgiving sweet potato dishes I've had over the years.

Stuffed Acorn Squash - I've tried grilling acorn squash several times now, and it's becoming a favorite of mine.  Here's another delicious grilled acorn squash recipe that uses apples, brown sugar, and peanuts.

2 Fresh & Local, Flavor Bursing Dishes for Thanksgiving - This post has two dishes for you to consider grilling for Thanksgiving.  The first is another version of grilled sweet potato wedges.  I've grilled regular potato wedges for years, and now it's time to try grilled sweet potato wedges.  The other dish is a brussel sprouts dish.  It has bacon, pistachios and cranberries.  I'm not a big brussel sprouts fan, but with these additions, I might just have to rethink that.

Grilled Creamed Corn - I'm not a huge creamed corn fan, but if I cook it, using corn from the grill is definitely the way to go.  The grilled corn kernels will give the creamed corn and huge flavor burst.

Bread

Barbecued Bread - If you want to be really adventurous, here's complete instructions for baking artisan bread on the grill. This post has some great pictures and shows you want a little creativity and thought can get you.

Fresh Baked Bread on the Grill - Pillsbury tells you how to take a can of Pillsbury Country Italian Bread and cook it on the grill.  This would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving meal.

Emeril's Cast-Iron Honey Cornbread - Cook this cornbread in a cast iron skillet right on the grill while you are cooking other things alongside.

These are just some of the many possibilities.  Whether or not you are cooking your Thanksgiving turkey outside this year, why not try a few side dishes on the grill and see how you and your guests like them?  If you have grilled sides dishes for Thanksgiving before, I would love to hear what you have done--let me know if the comments below.

Grilled Side Dishes for Thanksgiving is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Grilled Side Dishes for Thanksgiving is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Because sausage is a ground meat, it cooks up easily and quickly in a Dutch oven.  It can then be combined with other ingredients to make some tasty and original dishes that will delight your family and guests.

Sausage Balls

1 lb sausage (mild or hot)
1 egg
6 oz grated cheddar cheese
3 cups Bisquik

Mix all ingredients together. Pinch off small pieces and form into balls.  Cook 10-15 mins at 350 degrees in a Dutch oven.  Makes 6 dozen.

Dutch Oven Sausage Casserole

8 slices of bread
2 pounds of sausage
16 oz grated cheddar cheese
12 eggs
1 qt. milk
1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp salt

Heat a 12" Dutch oven and cook the sausage.  When done, place in a bowl, wipe out the oven and line it with heavy-duty foil. Lightly grease the foil with butter. Break up bread into the oven. Crumble cooked sausage meat over bread and cover with cheese. In a separate bowl, mix eggs (lightly beaten), milk, dry mustard, and 1 tsp. salt (to taste). Pour the egg mixture over the layered bread-sausage-cheese in the oven, cover, and bake for 35 minutes, checking occasionally.

Enjoy these dishes!

P.S., If you would like some more Dutch oven recipes, I recommend 101 Things to Do With a Dutch Oven.

Dutch Oven Sausage Recipes is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Dutch Oven Sausage Recipes is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Cooking chicken in a cast-iron Dutch oven is a method that ensures terrifically moist, succulent results because the heavy lid keeps the steam inside the oven.  It also keeps the flavor inside, but because some people don't like the look of steamed meat, here's a trick to make your chicken taste better and look great.  Heat some oil or grease in the oven to about 350 degrees by placing the oven over coals.  Sear the chicken in the hot oven by turning it until it is browned all over.  This will help seal in the juices for better tasting chicken and give it a browned look.  Once it's browned, remove the chicken, wipe out the excess grease, and add the chicken and seasonings for the recipe you are planning to cook.  You'll find that Dutch oven chicken is juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Yum!

Try some of these Dutch oven chicken recipes:

Door Slammer Chicken

8 chicken breasts
2-8 oz bottles Russian dressing
1-12 oz jar apricot jam
1 pkg. instant onion soup mix

Mix well & pour over chicken in Dutch oven.  Bake 1 1/2 hrs.  If in oven it should be 350 degrees or use 10 briquettes on bottom & 15 on top of your dutch oven.

from Sue:  This is a very easy, delicious Dutch oven chicken recipe.

Dutch Chicken Bake

3 lbs frozen chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)
2 lbs frozen hash browns
1 29 oz can cream of mushroom soup
milk

Layer hash browns and chicken to fill a 12" oven 3/4 full. Mix can of soup and a can of milk together and pour over top of chicken and hash browns and cook for one hour or until chicken is cooked.

Baked Honey Chicken

2 chickens, cut-up
¼ cup butter
1 cup chopped onions
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp rosemary
1 T honey for each piece of chicken
1 cup chicken stock
flour

Sprinkle each piece of chicken with flour. Melt butter in Dutch oven and sauté chicken on both sides. Remove chicken and drain on paper towels.

Sauté the onions until golden brown.  Add chicken stock.  Place chicken in oven on onions, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Drizzle each piece of chicken with honey. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F (10-12 coal under bottom of oven) for about 1 hour. Baste the chicken frequently.

Just Chicken in a Pot

3-4 lb whole frying chicken
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper

Wash chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle cavity with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Put in Dutch oven and sprinkle with basil. Cover and bake for 4 to 6 hours or until tender.
Rusty

P.S. to get more Outdoor Cooking tips and recipes, sign up below to get the Outdoor Cooking Magic newsletter.

Dutch Oven Chicken is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic

Dutch Oven Chicken is a post from: Outdoor Cooking Magic