Grilling Good Eats

By Mike Thayer

The tang of Dijon mustard, the sweetness of brown sugar, the smokiness of bacon, juicy-tender pork and of course, the kiss of a bourbon glaze....  It's another dose of YUM!  And yes, you guessed it, the Triple 'B', is Brown sugar, Bacon and Bourbon....  What's NOT to like, right?  This is a crowd pleaser and you'll come off like a real grill master.

Ingredients for the pork loin:

• Center cut pork loin, about 3-4 pounds
• 3 Tablespoons of your favorite bourbon
• 2-1/2 Tablespoons of Cookies Flavor Enhancer, or your favorite rub
• 3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• Four slices of thick cut bacon
• Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Ingredients for the bourbon glaze:

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 Tablepoons light brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 Tablespoons of your favorite bourbon
• A dash of Cayenne pepper
• The juice from one lime

Directions:  Butterfly the pork loin by cutting it almost in half lengthwise through one side, stopping about one inch short of cutting completely through.  Open up the roast like a book.  Sprinkle the inside of the loin with one tablespoon of the bourbon, perhaps take a shot yourself and let that soak in for about five minutes.  Sprinkle about 1/3 of the Cookies Flavor Enhancer or your favorite rub over the inside of the loin. 

Using a spatula, spread on the Dijon mustard, then sprinkle on the brown sugar.  Sprinkle the remaining bourbon over the brown sugar.  Fold the loin back together and sprinkle the remaining rub on the outside of that beautiful pork, set aside on the work surface.  Cut four 12-inch pieces of butcher's twine and position the strings roughly two inches apart and parallel to each other, just wide enough to accommodate the thick cut bacon.  Place the bacon across the strings, perpendicular to and in the center of them.  Set the roast on top of the bacon so the bacon is on the opposite side of the fat cap.  Tie the strings together holding the bacon to the loin, hit the bacon with the fresh ground black pepper.  Grill the Triple 'B' over indirect heat for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until an instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees.  While the pork is starting to get happy on the grill, make the glaze by combing all those ingredients in a saucepan until it comes to boil, about 4 to 6 minutes, set aside.  Start basting the loin after the

30 minute mark and every 15 minutes until done.  Pull the pork from the grill and rest it for five minutes, then remove the strings.  Slice the roast for serving and drizzle with the remaining glaze and another squeeze of lime juice.  Excellent served with a rice pilaf.  Enjoy the Triple 'B'!

 

Grilling Tip #10:  How do you know when your steak is done? Give it the finger. No, not the middle one, well, you can use that one if you want….. Poke the steak with your finger. If the meat is soft to the touch and doesn’t bounce back, it’s still pink inside. If it’s got some give but bounces back a bit, it’s medium. If it’s firm when poking, it’s well done.

By Mike Thayer

BBQ, bacon, meatballs and cheese...  What's not to like?  Onion bombs make for great appetizers and party time conversation pieces.  And of course, everything's better with bacon!  These things are great for backyard parties, tailgating, or if you're just simply looking for something a little bit different to do on the grill. 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound pork sausage
• 1 Tablespoon seasoning salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

• 5-6 large yellow or white onions
• 1 lb. bacon
• Additional BBQ sauce

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients together until well combined and refrigerate for at least one hour.  You want the flavors of those ingredients to get all happy and that meat cold to form the meatballs.  To assemble the bombs, slice off the stem and root ends off the onions, then slice the onions in half creating 'tops' and 'bottoms'.  Peel off the outer skin and separate the onion layers to create matched top and bottom pairs.  Stuff the mated top and bottom onion halves with a meatball sized to fit.  Wrap each 'bomb' with 2-3 slices of bacon and secure with water soaked toothpicks.  You don't want the 'bomb' to fall apart on the grill.  Grill over indirect heat, rotating every 15 minutes and until the internal temp of the meatball reaches 155 degrees with an instant read thermometer.  Brush the bombs with additional BBQ sauce and let that glaze for another five minutes then sprinkle on a little more shredded cheddar and serve.  Enjoy!