Recipes
There’s no better month than July in North America to grill or smoke. With Independence Day entertaining now in the rear-view mirror, you can now focus on what you want to grill, whether it be a Beer Can Breakfast Burger for your fishing or camping buddies, fiery Nashville Hot Wings for a tailgate party, or Grilled Key Lime Mojitos and Jamaican Jerk Chicken for an authentic Caribbean blow-out. Make this a month to remember.
Beer-Can Breakfast Burgers
Savory pork, bacon, eggs, and cheese on an English muffin—this high-energy breakfast will fuel summer adventures for hours. They’ll be a hit in your back yard or at your campsite.
Double-Grilled Summer Vegetable Frittata
Perfect for a weekend brunch or a weeknight dinner, this frittata features an array of grilled fresh vegetables that can change depending on what’s in season. Add meat, if desired—ham, cooked bacon, or chorizo or other sausage.
Nashville Hot Wings
Incendiary Nashville Hot Chicken “takes wing” in this live fire interpretation. The wings get a double blast of heat from hot red pepper flakes and a cayenne-inflected baste. Said to be invented by a woman eager to take revenge on her tomcatting partner, her plan to turn his favorite fried chicken into a fiery weapon failed when he unexpectedly loved the very spicy chicken.
Grilled Key Lime Mojitos
One theory about the origins of mojitos is that indigenous South American peoples made a medicinal concoction from limes, mint, and fermented sugar cane. Although a Havana bar disputes that. In any case, Steven’s version of a mojito, made with charred sugared limes, mint, rum, and club soda, will cure whatever ails you. Ernest Hemingway would approve.
Cherry-Smoked Strip Steak with Cutting Board Sauce
If mastering the reverse-sear method of cooking thicker slabs of meat is on your bucket list this month, start with this recipe. (If you’re unacquainted with the technique, it involves a low and slow smoke with wood chips or chunks followed by a quick sear.) New York chef Adam Perry Lang gets the credit for developing this easy complementary board sauce using chiles, herbs, and meat juices.
Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Were you aware that spicy foods actually help a body handle heat by causing it to perspire? Just look at the repertoire of hot foods in the world; they’re mostly from the steamier latitudes. Take Jamaican Jerk Chicken, for example. Steven’s version is super-authentic. Cooked over pimento wood (or alternatives), it’s a reason to party. Find pimento wood here.
Smoky Bourbon Peach Cobbler
This recipe, which came from our friend Russ Faulk, chief designer at Kalamazoo Gourmet, combines two Southern barbecue staples—fresh Georgia peaches and pecan wood. Ooops. Did we mention bourbon? Cooked in a cast iron skillet, it is a sublime example of cobbler and will wow summer guests. We’ve even been guilty of adding slivers of bacon to the filling. For more of Russ’s recipes, check out his book Food + Fire.
