Showing the different stages of color and flavor for smoking clams over the grill. Add a little chunk of wood! The taste is amazing

Showing the different stages of color and flavor for smoking clams over the grill. Add a little chunk of wood! The taste is amazing

How 'bout wood fired clams. Click To Tweet

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Clams are at peak season and the perfect time to add some wood flavoring to this hot season favorite. We’ll show you how on a charcoal grill then use our golden, crispy clam meat in a super light and flavorful dish we call ‘Wood Fired Clams in Orzo with Dijon Caper Sauce’. The best part, you can use fresh clams that you remove the meat from or simply buy clam meat from the store’s seafood department or in cans in most grocery stores. A simple, delicious and oh, so flavorful dish that will be a hit with everyone who tries it.

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The raw squid and mussels ready for our grilled seafood recipe

Our Grilled Seafood Recipe for Squid and Mussels

My Favorite Grilled Seafood Recipe: Simple but Exquisitely Mediterranean

Chef Calle image

By: Chef Calle, Resident Executive Chef

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Over the past several weeks, my good friends at SmokinLicious® have allowed me to make their Tips & Techniques blog platform “my home away from culinary home” to highlight cooking with wood style. I hope you’ve enjoyed the articles as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them. Before I begin an extended hiatus overseas, as my thanks, I thought I’d leave you with a pretty easy and flavorful recipe that showcases all the virtues of wood grilling with a couple of my favorite seafood- squid and mussels. The cooking style is one that is very popular in the Mediterranean region. Give it a try and let us know how it fared!

Let’s start out with squid or “calamari” as my Italian friends remind me. Whether it’s squid or calamari, it’s got to be fresh! Prepare first by thawing and rinsing thoroughly with cold water. Drizzle with a good quality of EVOO.

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Smoked Cabbage on the gas grill using SmokinLicious® filet wood chunk is a wonderful way to add flavor to the vegetable!

Smoked Cabbage on the gas grill using SmokinLicious® filet wood chunk is a wonderful way to add flavor to the vegetable!

IT’S NOT SLAW!

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Smoked Cabbage

Bringing you another vegetable to take to the grill and smoke with wood for exceptional flavor. This time we focus on cabbage, a fiber-rich leafy vegetable that has been known to help with so many conditions. We will take wedges of cabbage, paint them with a spicy Dijon sauce and wood-fire them for about an hour using an indirect cooking method. Get your gas grill or charcoal grill ready for our version of smoked cabbage that you’ll want to make again and again.

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Our guest blogger provides great insights into grilling a Beer-Can Chicken

Our guest blogger provides great insights into grilling a Beer-Can Chicken

GRILLING A BEER-CAN CHICKEN

Guest Blogger:

Source: eReplacementParts Blog

Author: John Thomas

Beer Can Chicken- The “Wow” Factor:

What says “grill master” more than grilling a whole chicken sitting on top of a can of beer that is infusing flavor and moisture into your bird? Beer-can chicken is often overlooked on the menu, but it’s a fun and proven way to grill a tasty whole chicken. Grab a whole chicken from the grocery store and beer or even some root beer or soda and get that thing on the grill for a guaranteed successful meal. This is an easy method for grilling a flavorful and tender chicken that keeps all eyes on the grill and provides that “wow” factor for any cookout you host.

Sure, it’s called “beer-can chicken,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to use beer. There are tons of flavorful canned beverages out there if you are so inclined to something else. Any soda will make your chicken pop, or even an empty can with a little water and garlic. Beers like imperial stouts, pilsners, or lagers are great, but some other fun ideas include orange soda, cola, or root beer. Regardless, pick your favorite beer or soda. The first key to sitting your bird on top of a can is to make sure you start with room temperature beer or soda. You want that liquid to steam and if you start off with a cold beverage, it just might not get hot enough. Second, don’t use a full can. It takes a lot of heat to get that liquid to steam, so empty at least half the can prior to inserting it into the cavity of the chicken.

Tips and Tricks infographics

Beer Can Chicken- Two Recipe Choices:

For those of you who choose not to grill with beer, the first recipe choice offered here is a BBQ root beer chicken. This flavorful bird has a classic BBQ dry rub on the outside and root-beer-infused sweet flavor and moisture on the inside. The bird is brushed with any BBQ sauce you like toward the end of the cooking. After cleaning out the chicken, mix these dry ingredients together and heavily apply this simple BBQ dry rub all over the bird.

Rub infographics

1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder

Place the chicken on top of a can of root beer and grill as instructed below. If root beer isn’t your thing, orange soda can be substituted in this recipe.

The second recipe is more of a classic beer-can chicken that has a spicy dry rub applied to the outside. A classic pilsner or lager is used to provide moisture and flavor to the bird. The ingredients for the spicy dry rub recipe are as follows:

1 tablespoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons black pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

Clean out the bird and heavily apply the dry rub all over the outside. For an extra pop, a poultry butter injection inside the bird is fantastic. Most grocery stores sell a food injection needle set. Melt some butter and inject it into the thickest part of the breast and into the legs and thighs. The buttery flavor can’t be beaten.

Now that you have applied your dry rub to the chicken, set up the grill for indirect heat. For indirect heat, place charcoal on half the grill and cook the bird on the other half, above an aluminum tin to catch drippings. Grilling the chicken at a more moderate temperature reduces the chance of scorching the bird on the outside and undercooking the inside. On a gas grill, ignite the burners on only one side to medium-high heat. You want the grill to be at about 400-425 degrees for grilling a beer-can chicken.

Grilling infographics

It’s easiest to insert the can into the bird right at the grill to avoid it tipping over inside the house. The legs of the chicken extend down toward the grill and the can is inserted into the cavity between the drumsticks. After the grill is pre-heated, set the chicken, neatly propped up on top of the can, on the indirect heat side of the grill and close the grill dome. After about 45 minutes, check the internal temperature of the bird. The chicken will be done when the internal temperature is 165˚F. It should take about 1 to 1-1/2 hours to fully cook the bird, depending on your grill temperature.

Once your chicken reaches 165 degrees, you’ll need to remove the can and the chicken from the grill. Take some extra care to safely remove the bird from the grill. Use grill tongs placed in the neck cavity to secure the bird from the top while carefully holding the bottom of the can with some oven mitts or pot holders. The can will be hot and you can burn yourself and you don’t want to spill any liquid from the can. Get a solid grip on the can with your oven mitt/pot holder and slowly pull the chicken off the can with your tongs, then place it on a plate or cutting board. Leave the can on or near the grill and allow it to cool. Bring the bird inside for a quick 10-minute rest followed by carving.

Beer-can chicken is a fun way to grill an entire chicken. The method places the bird in an ideal position for grilling while providing a flavorful, inventive moisture source underneath. Try experimenting with any soda or beer you might like. You’re guaranteed a juicy chicken with a unique grilled flavor. Hope you enjoyed the bloggers Grilling a Beer-Can Chicken!

Source: eReplacementParts Blog

Author: John Thomas

Our culinary crew tested this recipe on open fire pit! Below are our results:

The culinary crew tested this recipe on an open pit cooking area! We were satisfied with the outcome and are passing on this recipe to you!

The culinary crew tested this recipe on an open pit cooking area using Smokinlicious® Double Filet! We were satisfied with the outcome and are passing on this recipe to you!

Smokinlicious® Double Filet

 

 

Dr Smoke

Dr. Smoke- Our team found this to be an easy recipe “grilling a beer-can chicken” submitted to us as a “guest” blogger! You should try it!