Thai cucumber salad BBQ recipe

Hot and cool, crisp and saucy, this side dish captures the intrigue of Thai cuisine.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup white vinegar

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 red finger chilli pepper, seeded, veined, and finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup diced onion

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced

Method

• In a small saucepan combine vinegar, lime juice, chilli pepper, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add onion; simmer 30 seconds. Cool slightly.

• Place cucumber pieces in a medium bowl. Pour cooled marinade over cucumber pieces. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour. Serve cold.

Makes 4 servings.

Three-potato grill BBQ recipe

Forget the run-of-the-mill baked potato—mix it up!

Ingredients

• 2 medium Idaho potatoes, scrubbed, cut lengthways in half

• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, cut lengthways in half

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed, cut lengthways in half

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Method

• Lightly brush potatoes with oil. Position potatoes, cut side down, in centre of cooking grate. Grill 28 to 30 minutes or until tender, turning once halfway through grilling time.

• In a small bowl, combine seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper; sprinkle evenly over potatoes.

Makes 6 servings.

Warm beet and onion salad BBQ recipe

The grill intensifies the sweetness and flavour of beets for a result you just can’t get from a can. If the beet tops are tender and unblemished, use them as part of the greens in the salad. Otherwise, use three romaine hearts. If you can’t find golden beets, all red beets will do. Great served as a light lunch or a first course to a special dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 medium golden beets with leafy tops, about 2-1/2 inches in diameter each

• 2 medium red beets with leafy tops, about 2-1/2 inches in diameter each

• Extra-virgin olive oil

For the dressing

• 1 medium orange

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh basil

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 large red onion, cut into four 1/2-inch slices

• 2 hearts romaine lettuce

Method

• Trim the leafy tops from the beets, leaving about 1/2 inch attached; reserve the tops. Leave the root ends intact. Scrub the beets under cold water. Lightly spray or brush with olive oil. Grill over Indirect Medium heat until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 1 to 1-1/2 hours depending on size, turning once halfway through grilling time. Remove from the grill and allow to stand until cool enough to handle. Trim the ends from the beets and discard. Rub off the skins. Cut the beets into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices and place the red beets and the golden beets in separate bowls (to keep the red beets from dying the golden beets red).

To make the dressing

• Wash the dry the orange. With a zester, scrape off 1 tablespoon of zest. Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler to remove enough strips of zest to total 1 tablespoon when finely chopped. Reserve the zest.

• Cut the remaining skin and white pith from the orange and, working over a separate medium bowl, separate the orange into sections, letting the sections and any juice fall into the bowl. Add the reserved zest and the remaining dressing ingredients to the orange sections, including pepper to taste. Gently stir to combine.

• Lightly brush the onion slices with some of the dressing and grill over Direct Medium heat until tender, 10 to 12 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Remove from the grill and allow to cool slightly, then separate into rings.

• Rinse the reserved leafy tops of the beets under cold water. Select the smallest, most tender leaves and place with the romaine lettuce in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss. Divide the lettuce mixture among four salad plates. Top with the beets and the onion rings and drizzle on the remaining dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.

Smashed sweet potatoes with maple-glazed walnuts BBQ recipe

Long, narrow sweet potatoes will cook faster than round, thick ones, so check them for doneness the last time you turn them. These maple-glazed walnuts are so addictive you may want to make extra to serve as a snack.

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet potatoes

• 1/2 cup walnut halves

• 6 tablespoons maple syrup, divided

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

• Kosher salt

Method

• Grill the sweet potatoes over Indirect Medium heat until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour, turning 3 or 4 times. Remove from grill. Let cool and peel.

• In a medium skillet toast the walnuts over medium heat until golden. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the maple syrup over the walnuts. Reduce heat to low and stir constantly until walnuts are glazed and there is no maple syrup left in bottom of the skillet, about 3 minutes. Transfer the glazed walnuts to a plate to cool.

• In a mixing bowl, place sweet potatoes, the remaining 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, and butter. Mash with a potato masher or hand mixer to combine. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the glazed walnuts.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Smoke-grilled potatoes on rosemary skewers BBQ recipe

Make the common potato side dish an extraordinary flavour experience. It’s so easy with rosemary branches and smoking woods!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, parboiled and peeled

• Olive oil spray for spraying potatoes

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 4 rosemary branches, 8 to 12 inches long each

Method

• Prepare charcoal or gas grill or traditional smoker for Indirect smoking on Low Heat (follow instructions in owner’s manual). Use one layer charcoal on smoker and place food on top grate. For best results for this recipe, use hickory or mesquite wood chips or chunks.

• Parboil potatoes just until they are tender enough to be easily pierced with rosemary branches for skewering but not so tender that they fall off skewers.

• Place potatoes in centre of cooking grate of fully smoking grill or smoker. Smoke 2 hours over charcoal or 20 minutes over gas; remove and allow to cool.

• Cut potatoes into quarters. Thread potato pieces on rosemary branches. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and salt.

• Meanwhile, add additional pre-soaked wood chips or chunks to grill or smoker. When grill is fully smoking again, place skewered potatoes on cooking grate. Smoke over Direct Heat 10 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 4 servings

Smoked corn chowder BBQ recipe

The ultimate comfort food on a crisp fall day or a snowy winter weekend.

Ingredients

• 4 ears sweet corn, husks and silk removed

• 3 slices bacon, minced

• 1 cup chopped onions

• 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

• 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper

• 1/2 cup flour

• 5 cups chicken stock

• 2 large potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Method

• Prepare charcoal or gas grill or traditional smoker for Indirect smoking on Low Heat (follow instructions in owner’s manual). Use one layer charcoal for smoker and place food on top grate. For best results for this recipe, use hickory or mesquite wood chips or chunks.

• Place corn on cooking grate of fully smoking grill or smoker. Smoke 1 to 1-1/2 hours over charcoal or 20 minutes over gas. Remove corn; allow to cool. Cut corn kernels from the cob with a sharp knife.

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over low heat until crisp. Add onions and cook 2 minutes or until transparent. Add green and red peppers and continue to cook for 6 minutes, until peppers are tender. Add flour. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add chicken stock gradually, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add smoked corn kernels, potatoes, and bay leaf; simmer 20 minutes.

• Add heavy cream, salt, Worcestershire sauce, white pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Return to a simmer for 1 minute.

Makes 10 servings

Spaghetti squash with roma tomato sauce BBQ recipe

Spaghetti squash separates into strands, like spaghetti, when it is cooked. The texture is slightly crunchy and the flavour a little bland, which is why it goes so well with this roasted tomato sauce seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, basil, and garlic. Top with a spoonful of grated Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 24 firm, ripe plum tomatoes, cored

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the tomatoes

• 1 spaghetti squash, about 3 pounds

• 4 tablespoons minced fresh basil

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Grated Parmesan cheese

Method

• Lightly spray or brush the cored tomatoes with oil. Grill over Direct Medium heat until blistered and blackened, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Remove to a platter.

• Pierce the squash 6 times with the tines of a large fork. Place squash on a double thickness of aluminium foil and grill over Direct Medium heat until squash feels soft when pierced with a fork or pressed with a finger tip, 1 to 1-1/4 hours, turning 3 or 4 times.

• While the squash is grilling, slip the skins from the tomatoes and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Place tomatoes and juices in a large saucepan. Add the oil, basil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

• When squash is cooked, wrap in a towel and let stand 10 minutes. Protecting hands with a kitchen towel cut squash in half lengthways. Spoon out and discard the large seeds in centre. Then pull hot squash from the tough outer skin with the tines of a table fork into a large serving bowl. Briefly reheat the tomato sauce in the saucepan. Pour over the spaghetti squash and toss. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 main dish servings or 6 side dish servings.

Spicy eggplant in garlic sauce BBQ recipe

Why is this earthy dish so heavenly? The secret’s in the sauce!

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into 1x1x2-inch strips

• 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1x2-inch strips

• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1x2-inch strips

• 2/3 cup olive oil, divided in half

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce or hot bean sauce

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 1/4 cup chicken broth

• 1/4 cup light soy sauce

• 1/4 cup dark soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 2 tablespoons water

Method

• Place eggplant and pepper strips in large bowl; pour 1/3 cup oil over strips and toss to coat. Place vegetables in center of cooking grate. Grill 6 to 8 minutes.

• Meanwhile in small saucepan heat 1/3 cup oil over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook 1 minute until brown. Add hoisin sauce and stir. Quickly add sugar, vinegar, chicken broth, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil. Stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Add to sauce and stir until thickened. Pour sauce over vegetables; toss to coat.

Makes 6 servings.

A drier Gewürztraminer from California’s Alexander Valley will buoy up the spices in this velvety sauce. Alternatively, just about any Asian Pilsener—the drier, the better—will work well with the spicy sauce and the delicate eggplant.

Spicy grilled fries BBQ recipe

Nothing beats home-made fries—except home-made fries on the grill!

Ingredients

• 4 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed (about 1-1/2 pounds)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Cut potatoes lengthways into 1/2 x 1/2–inch sticks. Combine potatoes, oil, and lemon juice in large, resealable plastic bag; toss to coat.

• In small bowl combine seasoned salt, cumin, and black pepper to make seasoning mix. Set aside.

• Place potatoes in centre of cooking grate. Grill 12 to 15 minutes or until tender, turning twice during grilling time. Remove from grill and sprinkle with seasoning mix; mix lightly.

Makes 4 servings.