Tuna Melt Recipe

Get going with a grilled tuna melt! Here is a simple recipe. Well, do you want all recipes you run across to be complicated?

I have been using a rather large ribbed fry pan. But, it's too small to hold over two sandwiches, and there's not really enough space in the pan to turn them over easily.

Better would be some thing like the Lodge cast iron reversible griddle like below. These sandwiches are just to messy to put directly on a grill.

Besides with a cool cast iron griddle you can be grilling things like pancakes, eggs on the smooth side and hamburgers, sausages, steaks on the ribbed side.

Make enough tuna that it’s worth your while. One can of tuna doesn’t get it. You can inhale one can of tuna all by your lonesome.

Here we go:

• Two to five cans of tuna
• Mayo to taste
• Chopped dill pickle to taste 
• Chopped dill weed to taste
• Yellow or white cheddar
• Frozen bread, preferably sour dough
• Butter or substitute

Mix all the tuna ingredients and put in the fridge for at least two hours prior to making up the sandwich. Lay out the bread and lay the cheddar on all the slices.

Use a soup spoon to scoop the tuna onto one side of the bread and press down to firm it up a tad. Make sure you have the cheddar on the outside of the tuna and not in the middle of the sandwich or you'll be grilling till doomsday to melt the cheese.

Put the sandwich together and butter the outside.(lately I have been brushing on EVOO and skipping the butter. It works fine!) Use frozen bread. It’s much easier to butter (spread EVOO on) and to handle the sandwich….any light bulbs beginning to light up?

Grill away! The tough part is turning the sandwich over as you grill. Use a nice big sturdy spatula for the job.

You can add chopped celery, onion or anything you want to the tuna melt….there are no rules, only that you enjoy your creation. As a family, we have a tendency to pour on the cheese and pour on the tuna.

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! Jeez, 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.

Grilled Corn On The Cob Wrapped In Foil

The sun is bright!

The corn is ripe!

Deep In the Heart of Oregon!

Microwave corn, you got to be kidding sport fans? We Oregonians grill our Oregon grown corn on the barbie. Real guys and gals grill corn on the barbie.

First though, and for the uniformed: Oregon is located in the “Real West”….located just west of the Snake River. (It got its name because there’s a whole lotta mean snakes in it to keep tourist from swimmin’ across and sneakin’ into Oregon.)

Ok, here we go! Grilled corn on the cob:

There are choices when cooking corn on the grill. You can cook it with the husks on, or you can cook it wrapped in aluminum foil.

I prefer cooking it wrapped in foil because I pre-butter each ear of corn (you can substitute EVOO). I use foil because there is less chance of leakage, and foil keeps the corn hot, hot, hot.

After pre-buttering you can put any kind of spice you like, but I prefer shaking on “Emeril’s Original Essence”. It’s a very mild spice, but adds a lot of flavor to veggies or meat.

Set the grill at a medium temperature, lighting only one side and placing the corn on the other either in husks or foil. Shut the hood! Cooking time is thirty minutes, or until the corn is soft.

Optional: (How to grill corn.) If you want, you can remove the corn from the aluminum foil, or peel back the husks and place directly on the hot side of the grill. Rotate until you have some nice grill marks on all sides. (Be careful, you are going to have some real hot corn, use mitts and tongs.)…

Return the corn to the foil, or pull the husks back over the corn.

Grilled corn on the cob is literally no hassle. It’s an impressive and healthy “side” to anything you care to serve it with. This may sound corny, but you’ll never boil corn again!

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! Jeez, 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.

Frittata Recipe

Although this recipe was made entirely on the grill, it can easily be made on a stovetop, and using the broiler in the oven.

This is an easy frittata recipe (Could it be Italian?)…don’t make it complicated. The hardest part is cleaning the pan. Get a life, Dude! Make your "Significant Other", the kids clean it.. Bet, they will just love it!

I have a Calphalon pan that I specifically use for the oven or the grill. It has two aluminum handles....the pan and handles won’t melt when you stick it in the oven.  Got it?

Basic Frittata

• 2 Tablespoons of EVOO (An abbreviation made famous by the fastest cook on the planet)
• 2 gloves of chopped garlic
• ½ chopped small onion
• 8 eggs
• 2 or more ounces of cream cheese
• Whipping cream (optional)
• 12 ounces of shredded medium white or regular cheddar cheese

Frittata Add Ins

• Mushrooms (To enhance the taste drown 'em with a cool spice such as Emeril's Original )
• Bunches of fresh spinach to taste (it'll cook down, Dude!)
• Hash browns or cottage potatoes (Same: To enhance the taste drown 'em in Emeril's Original)
• Precooked breakfast sausage to taste, or Italian Sausage is an absolute"Gas"
• Precooked crumbled bacon to taste
• Precooked chopped ham to taste
• Feta cheese
• Sliced black olives, sun-dried tomatoes (Maybe you're starting to get a clue? Geez!)

The Frittata you end up with can be a veggie one (Not bad!), or meat oriented. You will find out that the vegetable one can be super exciting just by adding mushrooms and/or fresh spinach, potatoes and just Feta.  I have even done numerous Frittatas using "fake eggs"....works to perfection. It doesn't hurt to do the health thing, Dude.

So Let’s Have A Go:

In a large oven proof dish, or skillet: Caramelize the onion and garlic in the EVOO.

Then, add and cook whatever you want in your Frittata....except, later with the spinach.

Egg Time: Cool the pan and add the eggs. If the pan is too hot you’ll fry the eggs. (This is not an egg frying contest!)

Meanwhile Back At The Ranch: Turn the broiler to high.

Cut up cream cheese into small pats and add. Stir a little crazy to mix in the cream cheese. Add a small amount of whipping cream to give the eggs some consistency and /or some of the shredded cheese. Again stir, but we are not making scrambled eggs. So cool it! Things should be a little runny at the top.

Now, let the eggs start to coagulate (big word) a tad. Now's the time to do the spinach thing.  Remember that spinach cooks down....so, don't be a stupid, stir a slug of it in with the eggs.

Note: that the eggs will not be fully cooked on top…stick ‘em under the broiler for a minute or two to get them cooked, Duh! Once cooked on top it’s time to cover the top with Feta and shredded cheese. Stick back under the broiler again until all the cheese has melted.

On the grill, I simply place the pan on the cool side of the grill to cook the top, melt the cheese. To master this complicated procedure: Shut the hood, have a brew, open the hood, and guess what?

Once done, let things firm up for awhile, and then it's time into eight equal slices…like a pizza, man.  In closing: You’ll find that this recipe for a Frittata is perfect for "Something"!....



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Grilled French Fries Recipes

Grilled French Fries make a good “side” for just about anything that comes of the barbecue grill, period!  But, can fries possibly taste good, and maybe be a lot healthier for you at the same time? Yes!

First, sure you can go out and buy frozen French Fries and stick them on the grill…but “Holy Cow, dude”, get a grip! The whole idea is to find out what happens when you make these puppies from scratch and grill ‘em! Delicious is what happens!

For this recipe I used Russet potatoes. You can use any kind of potato you want. Sweet potatoes, red and Yukon are more than excellent choices.

You will find out that one medium size potato is about all you need per person….for “lunchers"…maybe two.

I placed four medium potatoes, with jackets, in cold water, brought them to a boil and par boiled them for ten minutes ( really speeds up the cooking process), drained those suckers and poured in cold water and some ice cubes. Let ‘em sit around for a while.

When they cool down, slice the potatoes up kinda like what you would want a French Fry to look like, with or without the jackets, and place them back into cold water and ice cubes…ideally for about an hour. This helps remove the starchy taste. Rinse them!

I set the heat to high on the grill and brought it down to medium temperature. You can place your cut French Fries directly on the grill (medium heat) by rubbing EVOO on them, but I prefer using a ribbed grill pan, preferably like a Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron one. See Below!

A Good cast iron ribbed pan like the Lodge brand will pay dividends. You can not only do the French Fry thing, you can grill steaks and hamburgers and a multitude of other things. Oil and grease sinks to the bottom of the ribs. Maybe take it camping with you, too!

Place the cut fries into the pan and generously cover them with EVOO. Next, lightly sprinkle on something like Chef Paul Prudhomme's Vegetable Magic (mild ) or Luzianne Cajun Spice for a bolder taste on the fries and toss.

Place on burner and let them cook. You’ll get some nice grill marks with the ribbed pan, although the above photo doesn’t show this because they are not fully cooked yet.

Once the fries are a golden brown, pat them with a paper towel to remove excessive oil.

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!

BBQ Gift Ideas

BBQ gift ideas for Xmas, Birthdays, Fathers Day, Mothers Day...Any Day:

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If your significant other’s BBQ comes off the grill so bad that even the “dog” won’t get in line, maybe it's time to step in and give them some help!

The goal is to get them happily involved with the right BBQ books, accessories, or whatever tools it takes to get them to “Rock Star” status on the grill.

Here are some of the best BBQ books out there:

How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques...."Steven Raichlen might as well be called the guru of grilling, so well versed is he in every aspect..." -- Family Circle

Next: Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue Sauces: 175 Make-Your-Own Sauces....If you are really serious about barbecuing, Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue Sauces will help you learn about slow-cooking meat over smoke and teach what you need to know to start approaching barbecuing like a pro.

Next: Barbecue America: A Pilgrimage in Search of America's Best Barbecue ....This is a delightful read for those who submerge themselves in the lifestyle of the BBQ-er, and even those who merely observe.

You have to have a super Meat Thermometer! I have had a Taylor Theomometer for years. You can easily carrying around in your pocket and it is reasonably priced.

Sure, you can go out and buy a cheap set of barbecue tools! Don't! Theses are heavy duty and will last for years. Plus, they come with an awesome carrying case.

There are marinating sauces and then there are sauces. Next to beer (just kidding), there are no better sauces made than what Fischer and Wieser make!  You buy them in six packs...6 twenty ounce bottles. They come in a variety of flavors...I kind of like the Raspberry-Chipotle, especially over pork. It also makes for an awesome salad dressing. I use it as a marinade and finishing sauce. You can even use it as a dipping sauce.
 

I can give you a lot more BBQ gift ideas with books and grilling accessories, but this should get you started in the right direction. If you have any questions, please leave a comment on my blog.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef, best griller in the world, 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!