Tips For Combo Grilling & Cooking In Clay Pots

For nearly thirty years my wife and I have been using SchlememmerTopf Clay Pots to make a variety of recipes (We have more than one pot). They are super vessels to cook a fabulous meal in all by themselves.

Further, when it comes to cooking indoors, it very hard to beat a clay pot, why? Simply because cooking in one helps retain the moisture in food, is self-basting, and food tastes phenomenal after it’s cooked. Plus, it cooks super fast.

Schlememmer literally means“to feast”! They kid not! Why they haven’t caught on like a “slow cooker” has I don’t know. But, for clay pot fans here’s just a couple of tips for making even more delicious dishes using a Schlememmer.

So, let’s get creative. What happens when you combine grilling on the BBQ with clay pot cooking? The answer is: “Awesome”!

Anything grilled outdoors just seems to taste better. Grilling meats and vegetables, and then to finish cooking in a clay cooking pot is where the awesome lies and can make for an exciting dish.

This is a modified a recipe for a Chicken and Asparagus Casserole right out of the SchlememmerTopf Recipe Book. Since it involves cooking the chicken and the asparagus ahead of time, it was a no-brainer to grill those two ingredients on the BBQ.

• One pound of asparagus
• One pound of chicken (Use chicken breasts)
• Small can of Cream of Chicken Soup (Try low-sodium)
• Half Cup of grated Parmesan
• Quarter Cup of heavy cream
• Tablespoon of butter
• Paprika

I added Balsamic Vinegar, Spice Rub and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Also, I doubled up on the chicken but not the asparagus.

The condensed chicken soup was salty. Next time I will opt for a low-sodium substitute, or dilute the chicken soup.

Cut off the none-essential ends of the asparagus. Now, the basic recipe doesn’t call for marinating the asparagus in Balsamic Vinegar and Extra-Virgin-Olive Oil. Do it anyway! A tad of each goes a long way. Marinating the asparagus in this concoction for thirty minute will suffice.

I applied a “Spice Rub” to the chicken breasts. Most any quality Poultry Rub will do. Apply a generous amount of Rub, along with a little EVOO and set aside for 30 minutes.

Fire up the grill to a moderate temperature and then grill the chicken and asparagus. Keep turning the asparagus on the grill until you have nice grill marks on all sides. The asparagus will be fairly limp when it’s done.

You are going to cook both the chicken and the asparagus some more in the clay pot. So, I didn’t get too testy with the internal temperature of the chicken.

Meanwhile, we are going to make a sauce. Get yourself a fairly large sauce pan and combine the soup, cream, butter and half the Parmesan in the pan.

Hey, you can do this on the grill….there’s no rules. Stir it until it’s all mingled, heat it up and set aside.

Fill the lid of the SchlememmerTopf with tap water for ten minutes, and then pour out. Place a layer of the asparagus at the bottom of the pot. Place two chicken breasts on top of the asparagus.

Place another layer of asparagus on top of the chicken, and then the remaining chicken on top of that. Pour the sauce over the chicken and asparagus.

Put the Schlememmer in a cold oven and set the temperature to 425 degrees. Cook for 25 minutes.

The recipe calls for sliced chicken. I opted to slice up the chicken after it came out of the oven. This works real well.

You can eat this dish all by itself, or you can put it over pasta. If you go this route, cut everything into bite-size chunks.

I would also dilute the Cream of Chicken Soup to give you more sauce. Add the remaining Parmesan. Sprinkle with Paprika.

All this sounds terribly complicated. Actually, it’s simple, fast and is fun to fix. If you don’t have access to a grill, I would still add the Rub, EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar as outlined.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef and friend, George Hirsch would say, “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's OK if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

Weber Baby Q | A Real Tailgator

Weber Baby Q is just the right grill for taking to the game, and of course, a picnic or camping. It gets up to temperature fast and cooks evenly.

The grill weighs in at 29 pounds. This means it won’t just blow with in a wind storm. The Weber Baby Q is designed to sit on a table top, but a stand is also available.

The Weber is cast aluminum and has 189 square inches of cooking area…..this translates to grilling four steaks at a time, or ten hamburgers. The dimensions are: 14 1/8 high, 27 ½ inches wide and 16 inches deep.

A push-button ignition makes it easy to light at the game, or the picnic and the campsite. You can also use the Weber Baby Q as your main grill at home. You'll be thrilled with the performance of this little guy.

The Baby Q also features a large, heat-resistant lid handle and a porcelain-enameled cast iron cooking grate. The grill is fueled by a standard 14.1 ounce propane cylinder which is sold separately.

The small propane tank can be a drawback, but they are readily available in most hardware and big ticket stores. A conversion kit is available if you wanted to go to a full size tank.

The Weber is built of solid cast aluminum. It's not going to rust out on you. It’s sturdy and won't fall apart like a lot of other grills do.

With the Weber Baby Q you are going to get those great grill marks too, not to mention great tasting food…so have at it!



Don’t forget to check out Lil Mo’s Barbecue Shoppe. Believe me Mo knows BBQ!

Grilled Vegetable Soup Recipe

It’s that time of the year to start thinking about a nice steamy bowl of soup, and I think you are going to find out that a grilled vegetable soup recipe is at the top-of-the charts. Well, just maybe because most of it is grilled outdoors on the BBQ.

Grilling vegetables gives the soup a unique taste that’s hard to duplicate indoors. It’s ironic, but things kind of taste better when done outdoors.

Ok, this soup recipe involves quite a few steps. If you are in a hurry, this may not be the recipe for you.

If you want to present an exciting vegetable soup to family and friends, this may be just the right soup. Give it a try!

I have a wire mesh pan for grilling cut up vegetables so they don’t fall through the grill. If you don’t possess a mesh pan….no sweat.

You will have to cut the veggies up in such a way that they do not fall through the grill. Rub a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil on them, and grill until you get a nice grill mark on both sides. Then cut them up into small bite-size chucks.

And, the idea is to have the vegetables as “crunchy” as possible. So, don’t over grill them.

Here are some sample ingredients for you to try: 3 stalks of celery, 1 small zucchini, 3 large carrots, 1 small onion, 1 Anaheim Pepper, 5 red potatoes, 1 Red Bell Pepper, 4 lg. gloves of garlic, 1 Beef Kielbasa sausage, Five 14 oz cans of Chicken Broth, One 14 oz can of Beef Broth, 8 drops of Tabasco, 1/2 teaspoon of Chipotle Dried Pepper (More for real boys and girls), Extra Virgin Olive Oil. (You can switch these ingredients around any way you want.)

Set the grill to a medium temperature. On one side of the grill the vegetables and the Kielbasa. On the other side have your stock pot.

Cook the Kielbasa until you have nice grill marks on both sides. Do not puncture the sausage. Cook about five minutes on each side.

The potatoes were nuked for five minutes. Don't over microwave. Slice them into about half inch to three quarter size slices.

Roast the Anaheim and Red Pepper until you have grill marks on both sides. The peppers will start to deflate when done. I like caramelized garlic and onions. This adds yet another dimension to your soup.

Add a lot of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a tad bit of butter to your stock pot. Coarsely chop up the onion and mince the garlic. You want enough oil and butter in the pot so that the garlic and onion float.

Make sure you cook the onion and garlic by themselves, first Let part of the onion and garlic turn a nice, almost dark brown. You will get a very nice aroma when it's caramelized.

Rub a little EVOO on the potatoes and put them on the grill. When you get nice grill marks on each side, you know you are getting there.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, on the other side of the grill you can be adding the chicken and beef stock to the pot.

Cut up the grilled baked potatoes, Kielbasa into bite size chunks and add them. Finely chop the Anaheim Pepper and add also. It will dissolve into the stock.

Add the cutup grilled vegetables. No need to simmer the soup. It’s done. I like to let it sit in the fridge over night. This allows all the flavors to mingle.

This can be a recipe for a super diet type of soup. You can make it with or without meat and you can substitute water for the broth. You can switch the vegetables around, or substitute barley, rice or noodles for the potatoes. Just remember it's better grilled!

Don’t forget to check out Lil Mo’s Barbecue Shoppe. Believe me Mo knows BBQ!

Beer Can Chicken Two - Upright Delight!

I don’t post every time I barbecue a beer can chicken, but there are a bunch of cool recipes to be had. So here is another to confuse the devil out of you!

If you remember from my last post...(you do don't you?), what the “beer can, or chicken throne, roaster” idea accomplishes, whether it is the brew, or other cool liquids, is to add moisture to the chicken. It also adds great flavor.

A lot of moisture comes out of the bird, and you want it to get as much liquid back into whatever you sit the chicken on, plus, not just have a messy mess onto you're cool grill. So, leave room!

How hard can that be? We'll have a test later to see if your brain is around.

As “Foghorn Leghorn would say, “If you can, can to catch all that steamin' heavin' liquid from that chicken!"

Man, I don't mean that! No chickens, dude!  I mean "Beer Can Cow, Man"!
Overview Time: Add a “rub” and/or marinate the chicken beforehand over night, insert a chicken throne, with about half a throne container of brew into the cavity of the chicken. Barbecue it in an upright position, cooking approximately two hours until the bird reaches a 190 degree internal temperature.

(Please note that in a post of May 11, 2010 I no longer recommend using a beer can...they can be toxic...please use a stainless steel chicken throne...they are economical too)

To make this whole thing work you need a big chicken. Remember you are inserting something that has to fit into a rather small cavity. Notice: Please note I have made zero, nada smart remarks here!

 Prep Time, dude: We are going to apply a “Rub”. See my prior post on making your own. Or, you can simply buy a superior pre-made one like Chef Paul Prudhommes Poultry Magic (Below). Make sure you apply plenty of Rub into the cavity. Rub it in with your hands.

You will find that “Catalina Dressing” makes an excellent marinade. This is not "Duh Time!". It has all the ingredients you need to give your chicken a super, duper, awesome fabulous flavor.
Spread a generous portion of Catalina Dressing over your entire chicken, including the cavity. Sprinkle more Rub on the chicken, but don’t rub it in this time.

Marinate the chicken over night in a marinating pan or plastic bag. Take it out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before putting it on a pre-warmed grill.

Beer can chicken is easy to do on a gas, charcoal or a wood pellet grill and get excellent results. In this session, I barbecued the chicken on my Traeger Grill. I have a built in pan that eliminates the dripping from the grill and runs them into a bucket.

You will want to set your gas or wood pellet grill to a medium temperature of around 325 degrees. With charcoal, you want a 3-zone split fire. If you don’t know what that is, leave a comment.

Cooking time is about two hours, or 190 degrees. Make sure you have reached the 190 degree mark.

Be careful when it’s time to get the chicken off the grill. You don’t want to be spilling hot liquid all over yourself.

Using a Chicken Rack, Throne, Vertical Chicken Roaster makes thing simpler, really because it is easier to balance the chicken. Take a look at one!

If you don't care about impressing  family and friends with a Beer Can Chicken, well just impress yourself!
Enjoy! Like my favorite chef and friend, George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!