Karen Adler and Judith Fertig have written a lot of cookbooks, but this is the most useful one for those short on time. A lot of grilling gets reserved for weekends and parties, but weeknight grilling can save on cleanup time, making it an especially appealing and festive way to get dinner on the table any time.
Tips for Weeknight Grilling
There are ten helpful tips for making good use of the barbecue grill. These wise suggestions include cooking for two meals at once, organizational tips on getting your ingredients to and from the grill with ease, making use of grocery store shortcuts, and thinking of sauces and vegetables in the same category. The tips are all ingenious time-saving solutions.
Help for Women Grillers
The savvy lady authors are wise when it comes to women. They know that many women have relegated grilling to the boys, and that leaves them feeling intimidated with barbecue grilling, no matter their culinary skills. A short chapter on techniques, the basics of different grills, and instructions on getting the fire going will have every barbecue newbie feeling comfortable outside.
Charts for the Organized Cook
Smart little charts highlight the pages of Weeknight Grilling making fast work of key information you'll need, such as grilling time and temperature charts, useful pantry staples to keep on hand, and one-sentence suggestions for great dinner ideas. These blocks of information are very useful to the cook who's short on time.
Recipe Excerpt:
Wood-Grilled Brie Burgers with Grilled Onions and Tomato-Avocado Relish
Serves 4
Tomato-Avocado Relish
Makes about 4 cups
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 large ripe avocado, pitted and diced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup finely minced fresh Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Fine kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Grill:
- 1 cup wood chips or 1/3 cup wood pellets
- (gas grills: use foil packet w/holes and dry wood chips or pellets;
- Charcoal grills: add moistened wood chips or a foil packet with dry wood pellets directly to the coals after fire is hot)
Burgers:
- 1 pound ground chuck, formed into four 1-inch-thick patties
- 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- One 6-to-8-ounce wheel of baby Brie cheese
- Olive oil for brushing
- Fine kosher or seat salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 seeded hamburger buns, Kaiser rolls or ciabattini
Instructions:
- Combine the Tomato-Avocado Relish ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and set aside.
- Prepare a hot fire in your grill. Oil a perforated grill rack and place on the grill. If using a charcoal grill, throw moistened wood chips or a foil packet poked with holes containing dry wood pellets directly on the coals right before you want to grill. If using a gas grill, enclose dry wood chips or pellets in a metal smoker box or in a foil packet poked with holes. Place on the grill grate directly over the fire. Heat for 20 minutes until the wood beings to smoke, then you're ready to wood-grill.
- Place the patties on a plate on a baking sheet. Brush the red onion slices and the Brie with olive oil on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Place on the baking sheet to take out to the grill.
- Grill the onions on the prepared perforated grill rack, turning once, for 8 minutes. Grill the burgers directly on the grate, turning once, for 7 minutes for medium. Grill the Brie on the prepared perforated grill rack for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the cheese is just beginning to ooze out of the rind.
- Place each burger on the bottom half of a bun and top with the grilled onions. Cut the Brie into 4 wedges and place a wedge on top of each burger. Cover with the top portion of the bun and serve immediately with the relish on the side.
Title: Weeknight Grilling with the BBQ Queens
Author: Adler & Fertig
Publisher: Harvard Common Press, 242 pages, $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-55832-314-8
