Go on—make a perfect hog of yourself. Pork is great for indoor grilling. If smoke is your thing, you’ll love the North Carolina pulled pork. If you fancy shish kebab, check out the mint-scented pork souvlaki. The grill pan is perfect for pork chops (you’ll find seasonings ranging from Greek oregano to a Southeast Asian lemongrass marinade). A countertop rotisserie turns out wondrous ginger and garlic scented Chinese barbecued ribs. From Kansas City–style rotisserie baby backs to pork paprikás, the indoor grill makes it easy to live—and eat—high on the hog.
Every region in Latin America has its version of roast pork. Here’s the Spanish Caribbean version, fragrant with garlic, cilantro, cumin, oregano, onion, and freshly squeezed lime juice. The preferred cooking method, in Miami at least, is baked in the oven or pit roasted. While locally I’ve never seen a pork shoulder cooked in a countertop rotisserie, the slow, gentle rotation turns out a textbook specimen—beautifully browned on the outside, succulent inside, and so tender you can literally pull it apart with your fingers. If you want to serve the roast with a sauce, try the Cuban sauce on page 312. SERVES 8 TO 10
• This recipe calls for a 5-pound pork shoulder roast. Choose one that’s well marbled; the melting fat will baste the meat.
• You can also cook the meat on a fireplace rotisserie (see page 11). Trim off any excess fat before placing it on the spit. Cook over a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. It will take from 1½ to 2 hours, depending on your fireplace.
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus ¾ cup for marinating the pork
1 pork shoulder roast (about 5 pounds)
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1. Place the garlic, cilantro, cumin, and oregano in a mortar. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper and, using the pestle, pound to a coarse paste. Gradually work in the vegetable oil and enough lime juice to obtain a thick paste (you’ll need 2 to 3 tablespoons). Alternatively, place the garlic, cilantro, cumin, oregano, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of pepper in a food processor and finely chop. Add the vegetable oil and enough lime juice to process to a coarse paste, scraping down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
2. Using the tip of a paring knife, make small slits on all sides of the roast about 1½ inches apart. Using the tip of your index finger, widen the holes. Using about half of the garlic and cilantro paste, place a tiny spoonful in each hole, forcing it in with your finger. Season the roast with salt and pepper, then spread the remaining garlic and cilantro paste all over the pork. Place the roast in a large resealable plastic bag or in a large nonreactive bowl and add the sliced onion. Pour the ¾ cup of lime juice on top. Let the pork shoulder marinate for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight, turning it several times; the longer it marinates, the richer the flavor will be.
3. When ready to cook, place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Skewer the pork shoulder lengthwise on the rotisserie spit. Attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn on the motor. If your rotisserie has a temperature control, set it to 400°F (for instructions for using a rotisserie, see page 14). Cook the pork shoulder until it is darkly browned on all sides and well-done. 2 to 2½ hours. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness; don’t let the thermometer touch the spit or a bone. Well-done pork will have an internal temperature of between 190° and 195°F. This may be more done than you usually cook pork shoulder, but this internal temperature is necessary to produce the requisite fall-off-the-bone tenderness.
4. Transfer the pork shoulder to a platter or cutting board, remove the spit, and let the meat rest for 10 minutes before serving. The meat can be thinly sliced or chopped.
A whole hog or pork shoulder, roasted crackling crisp on a turnspit, perfumed with garlic and Caribbean herbs, and basted with annatto oil till it’s the color of gold—if this is your idea of heaven, you’ll find paradise in Puerto Rico, where barbecued pork lies somewhere between culinary art and cultural icon. In the countryside, whole hogs are cooked over ember-filled pits. City dwellers can make do with pork shoulder. This isn’t a half-bad substitute, for what gives Puerto Rican–style barbecued pork its character is a uniquely fragrant spice paste made of garlic, the herb culentro, naranja agria (sour orange), and that golden-colored annatto oil. Annatto oil is one of the most distinctive seasonings in the Caribbean, imparting not just a golden hue but a haunting aromatic flavor. The countertop rotisserie produces a pork shoulder that’s dark and crusty on the outside and moist and succulent within. SERVES 8 TO 10
The dark green herb culentro has thumb-shaped leaves with jagged edges. It tastes like a cross between cilantro and flat-leaf parsley. True to their name, sour oranges do look like oranges, but they taste more like limes. Annatto seeds (also called achiote seeds) are hard, triangular in shape, and rust colored, with an earthy flavor somewhat reminiscent of iodine. All three ingredients are frequently available at Puerto Rican or Cuban grocery stores, as well as at an increasing number of supermarkets.
But don’t be discouraged if you can’t find them. Sweet Hungarian paprika makes an acceptable substitute for annatto seeds; you can use a mixture of cilantro and parsley for culentro (see Note); and a combination of lime and orange juice can stand in for sour orange juice.
⅔ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup annatto seeds, or 3 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 bunch culentro (see Note), rinsed, dried, stemmed, and coarsely chopped (about ½ cup loosely packed)
8 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh sour orange juice, or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 pork shoulder roast (about 5 pounds)
1. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat until it is hot enough that an annatto seed dropped in the oil will dance and sizzle. Add the annatto seeds to the skillet and cook until they start to crackle and the oil is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, gently shaking the skillet. Pour the oil through a strainer into a heatproof bowl and discard the annatto seeds. (If using paprika, cook it in the oil for 15 seconds, then pour the oil through a metal strainer lined with a coffee filter.) Let the flavored oil cool to room temperature.
2. Place the culentro, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of pepper in a food processor and finely chop. Add ¼ cup of the flavored oil and the sour orange juice and process to a coarse paste, scraping down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Set the remaining flavored oil aside.
3. Using the tip of a paring knife, make small slits on all sides of the roast about 1½ inches apart. Using the tip of your index finger, widen the holes. Using about half of the culentro paste, place a tiny spoonful in each hole, forcing it in with your finger. Season the roast with salt and pepper, then spread the remaining culentro paste all over the pork. Place the roast in a large resealable plastic bag or in a large nonreactive bowl. Let the pork shoulder marinate for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight, turning it several times; the longer it marinates, the richer the flavor will be.
4. When ready to cook, place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Skewer the pork shoulder lengthwise on the rotisserie spit. Attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn on the motor. If your rotisserie has a temperature control, set it to 400°F (for instructions for using a rotisserie, see page 14). Cook the pork shoulder until it is darkly browned on all sides and well-done, 2 to 2½ hours. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness; don’t let the thermometer touch the spit or a bone. Well-done pork will have an internal temperature of between 190° and 195°F. This may be more done than you usually cook pork shoulder, but this internal temperature is necessary to produce the requisite fall-off-the-bone tenderness. Baste the roast with the remaining flavored oil every 20 minutes.
5. Transfer the pork shoulder to a platter or cutting board, remove the spit, and let the meat rest for 10 minutes before serving. The meat can be thinly sliced or chopped.
NOTE: You can substitute ½ bunch of cilantro that has been rinsed, dried, stemmed, and coarsely chopped (about ½ cup) and ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for the culentro.
Cooking North Carolina–style pulled pork indoors may well feel right at home. That’s because so many Tar Heel pit masters have switched to gas and electric cookers, which are no different, really, than baking pork in the oven. This recipe imbues the pork with a traditional smoke flavor, in the style of the shoulders cooked by legends like Wayne Monk at Lexington Barbecue in Lexington, North Carolina. It all starts with a stove-top smoker—and the mystical properties of hickory smoke. So why is it called pulled pork? The customary way to serve the dark, shiny, smoke-perfumed, fall-off-the-bone tender pork roast is “pulled” or torn into thin meaty shreds (some pit masters chop the meat with a cleaver). The shredded pork is tossed with vinegar sauce, then piled onto hamburger buns with mounds of vinegary coleslaw. When push comes to shove, I doubt there’s a better way to enjoy this rich, meaty cut of pork. SERVES 10 TO 12
Because of the size of a pork shoulder, you’ll need to tent the smoker with a large piece of aluminum foil rather than covering it with its lid.
1 Boston butt (bone-in pork shoulder roast; 5 to 6 pounds)
⅓ cup of your favorite barbecue rub, or plenty of coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
Cooking oil spray (optional)
Carolina Vinegar Sauce (recipe follows)
10 to 12 hamburger buns
3 tablespoons butter (optional), melted
Vinegar Slaw (recipe follows)
YOU’LL ALSO NEED:
3 tablespoons hickory sawdust
There are several options for rubs here. To be strictly authentic, you’d season the pork with nothing but salt and pepper. I like to use the All-Purpose Smoky Barbecue Rub on page 362 or even the 5-4-3-2-1 Rub in Step 1 on page 126.
1. Place the pork roast on a baking sheet and sprinkle the barbecue rub on all sides, rubbing it onto the meat with your fingertips, or season the roast very generously with salt and pepper. You can smoke the pork shoulder right away, but it will have even more flavor if you let it cure in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 to 12 hours.
2. When ready to cook, set up the smoker (for instructions for using a stove-top smoker, see page 16). Place the sawdust in the center of the bottom of the smoker. Line the drip pan with aluminum foil and place it in the smoker. Lightly coat the smoker rack with cooking oil spray, or use a paper towel dipped in oil, and place the rack in the smoker. Place the pork shoulder, fat side up, on the rack. Tent the pork with a long sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, crumpling and crimping the edges over the outside rim of the smoker bottom to make a tight seal. Try not to let the foil come in contact with the roast.
3. Place the smoker over high heat for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. Smoke the pork until it has absorbed the maximum amount of smoke, about 40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F.
5. Unwrap the pork shoulder and discard the aluminum foil. Place the pork still on the smoker bottom in the oven and bake it until very darkly browned and well-done, 2½ to 3 hours. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness. Well-done pork will have an internal temperature of between 190° and 195°F (this may sound high for pork, but you need this degree of doneness for the pork to shred properly).
6. Transfer the pork to a cutting board, cover it loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then, wearing heavy, insulated rubber gloves (you’ll probably have these from your indoor rotisserie), pull off the skin and dark crust (these are called the “brownies” and they are considered the connoisseur’s morsels) and, if desired, finely chop them. Pull out and discard any bones and lumps of fat. Using your fingertips or a fork, pull each piece of pork into thin shreds. Or use a cleaver to finely chop it. Transfer the pork to a large aluminum foil pan or serving bowl and toss it with 1 cup or so of the vinegar sauce.
7. Just before serving, brush the top, bottom, and insides of the buns with melted butter, if using, and toast them in a contact grill or on a griddle until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. This step is optional; it takes a highly respectable pulled pork sandwich and transports it to the realm of the extraordinary.
8. To serve, place a mound of pork on each bun and add some “brownies,” if desired. Top the pork with some Vinegar Slaw and a little more vinegar sauce, if desired. Top with the other half of the bun and serve at once.
Red or clear? Sweet-sour or simply sour-sour? These are two of the great debates in North Carolina barbecue, and depending on where you’re from you’ll advocate one or the other with a loyalty bordering on fanaticism. What you’ll find here is a western North Carolina–style sauce, recognizable by the touch of red and sweetness provided by a shot of ketchup and brown sugar. In the eastern part of the state, the sauce would lack these ingredients and would probably be a touch saltier, hotter, and more vinegary. You’ll have enough vinegar sauce to toss with the pulled pork and make the coleslaw—and still have some left to pour on the sandwiches before serving. MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
2 cups cider vinegar
⅓ cup ketchup
1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Crystal
3 tablespoons brown sugar, or more to taste
4 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea), or more to taste
1 tablespoon of your favorite barbecue rub, such as the All-Purpose Smoky Barbecue Rub (page 362) or the 5-4-3-2-1 Rub (page 126, Step 1)
2 to 3 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Place the vinegar, ketchup, hot sauce, brown sugar, salt, barbecue rub, hot pepper flakes, and black pepper in a nonreactive bowl. Add ½ cup of water and whisk until the brown sugar and salt dissolve. Taste for seasoning, adding more brown sugar and/or salt to taste; the sauce should be piquant but not quite sour. Stored in a jar in the refrigerator the sauce will keep for several weeks. Let it return to room temperature before using.
North Carolina slaw may seem minimalist, lacking the mayonnaise, carrots, and bell peppers most people associate with coleslaw. But, when it comes to a counterpoint for the richness of pork shoulder, nothing can beat it. MAKES 6 TO 7 CUPS
1 small or ½ large green cabbage (about 1½ pounds)
1 cup Carolina Vinegar Sauce, or more to taste
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
1. Cut the cabbage in half and remove and discard the core. Cut each half into 5 chunks. Place the cabbage in a food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade and finely chop it, running the machine in short bursts. Work in several batches so as not to overcrowd the processor bowl.
2. Transfer the chopped cabbage to a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of vinegar sauce and toss to mix. Let the slaw sit for a few minutes, then stir it and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste and more vinegar sauce as necessary. The slaw can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days.
Rack of pork (also known as a pork rib roast) is one of the best-kept secrets in the meat department—impressive to look at and incredibly flavorful, in the way meat with bones always is, at a price that’s a fraction of what you’d pay for a showy prime rib or rack of lamb. This pork roast goes Asian, featuring a seasoning paste made with the “Holy Trinity” of Asian seasonings (fresh ginger, scallions, and garlic). It’s cooked in a rotisserie until it turns the color of polished mahogany. While the prep time is measured in minutes, the impact will be remembered for days. SERVES 6
• Rack of pork is how pork chops come before they’re cut into individual chops. You can buy either a rack of rib chops or a rack of loin chops. This recipe calls for a six-chop rack that weighs 5 to 5½ pounds. You may need to order it ahead from your butcher shop.
• For a Southeast Asian twist, add a couple of Thai chiles, a trimmed chopped stalk of lemongrass, and a handful of chopped cilantro to the seasoning paste.
FOR THE SEASONING PASTE:
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 rack of pork (5 to 5½ pounds; see Note)
Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette (optional; recipe follows)
1. Make the seasoning paste: Place the ginger, scallions, garlic, and white pepper in a mortar and, using the pestle, pound to a coarse paste. Gradually work in the sesame oil and soy sauce and pound to a smooth paste. Alternatively, place the ginger, scallions, garlic, and white pepper in a food processor and finely chop. Add the sesame oil and soy sauce and process to a coarse paste, scraping down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
2. Using the tip of a paring knife, make small ½-inch-deep slits on all sides of the roast about 1½ inches apart. Using the tip of your index finger, widen the holes. Using about half of the seasoning paste, place a tiny spoonful in each hole, forcing it in with your finger. Spread the remaining seasoning paste all over the pork. You can cook the pork right away, but it will have even more flavor if you let it marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 to 2 hours.
3. When ready to cook, place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Skewer the pork on the rotisserie by inserting the spit through the meat so that it is perpendicular to the bones. Attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn on the motor (for instructions for using a rotisserie, see page 14). Cook the pork until it is darkly browned on all sides and cooked to taste, 1½ to 2 hours for medium. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness; don’t let the thermometer touch the spit or a bone. Medium pork will have an internal temperature of about 160°F. You can remove the roast from the rotisserie when it has reached 155°F; it will continue cooking.
4. Transfer the pork to a platter or cutting board, remove the spit, and let the meat rest for 5 minutes. Cut the rack into chops and serve at once with the Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette, if desired.
NOTE: Ask the butcher to cut through the chine bone between the pork chops to facilitate carving when the rack is cooked.
You can also cook the meat on a fireplace rotisserie (see page 11). Trim off any excess fat before placing it on the spit. Cook over a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. It will take from 1 to 1½ hours, depending on your fireplace.
This striking vinaigrette does what any sauce should—provides a little extra flavor and moistness without taking attention away from the pork roast. As you can imagine, it’s also great with grilled poultry, seafood, or beef. MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
½ clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, both white and green parts, trimmed and minced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons rice vinegar, or more to taste
¼ cup soy sauce, or more to taste
¼ cup Asian (dark) sesame oil
½ cup unsalted chicken stock (preferably homemade), at room temperature
1 piece (1 inch) fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchstick slivers
1 tablespoon black or toasted white sesame seeds (see Note)
Place the garlic, scallion, and pepper in a nonreactive mixing bowl and mash to a coarse paste with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the rice vinegar and soy sauce and whisk to mix. Gradually whisk in the sesame oil and chicken stock, followed by the ginger and sesame seeds. Taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar and/or soy sauce as necessary; the mixture should be highly seasoned.
NOTE: To toast sesame seeds, place them in a dry cast-iron or other heavy skillet (don’t use a nonstick skillet for this). Cook the sesame seeds over medium heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, shaking the skillet to ensure that they toast evenly. Transfer the toasted sesame seeds to a heatproof bowl to cool.
If you like your pork chops small on bone and big on meat, check out the following loin chops. Quick and easy to cook and extremely lean, the loin chop is a perfect parcel of protein—not to mention a ready absorber of flavor. The caraway seeds add a central European touch. To complete the theme, serve the chops with hot sauerkraut. SERVES 4
When cooking pork chops on a contact grill, be sure they are at least ½ inch thick. Any less and the chop won’t make proper contact with the grill plates.
4 boneless pork loin chops (each ¼ to ½ inch thick; about 1½ pounds total; see box on page 105)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds or ground cumin
Lemon wedges, for serving
1. Arrange the pork chops in a baking dish and brush both sides of each with the olive oil. Generously season each chop on both sides with salt and pepper, then sprinkle the garlic, caraway seeds, and cumin all over them, patting the seasonings onto the meat with your fingertips. Let the chops cure in the refrigerator, covered, for 10 minutes.
2. Cook the pork chops, following the instructions for any of the grills in the box at right, until nicely browned and cooked through. To test for doneness, use the poke method; the meat should be firm but gently yielding. If desired, rotate each chop a quarter turn after 1½ minutes to create a handsome crosshatch of grill marks.
3. Transfer the chops to a platter or plates and serve at once, with lemon wedges.
CONTACT GRILL: Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Place the pork chops on the hot grill, then close the lid. The chops will be done after cooking 3 to 5 minutes.
GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the pork chops in the hot grill pan. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the pork chops on the hot grate. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
FIREPLACE GRILL: Rake red hot embers under the gridiron and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes; you want a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place the pork chops on the hot grate. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
In the United States, pork generally receives a sweet, smoky barbecue treatment, with the sweetness coming from a sugar-based rub and barbecue sauce, and the smoke supplied by smoldering hickory and/or liquid smoke. When Europeans grill pork they tend to use more Mediterranean seasonings, keeping the emphasis on the flavor of the meat. In this Greek recipe pork is marinated in and basted with an oregano-scented vinaigrette, which doubles as a sauce. You can use this marinade and baste when grilling beef or lamb, poultry, and even seafood. SERVES 4
For an aromatic basting brush you don’t have to wash, buy a bunch of fresh oregano, tie the stems together with butcher’s string, and trim the leafy ends straight across.
Greek oregano has a more pungent, more aromatic, and mintier flavor than the Italian or Mexican varieties—look for it at Greek markets and specialty food stores.
4 boneless pork loin chops (each about ¼ to ½ inch thick; about 1½ pounds total; see box and Tip on page 102)
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea), or more to taste
¼ cup red wine vinegar, or more to taste
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Greek)
2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano
½ teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
1. Arrange the pork chops in a single layer in a nonreactive baking dish or roasting pan.
2. Place the garlic and salt in a nonreactive mixing bowl and mash with the back of a spoon. Add the wine vinegar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and whisk until the salt dissolves. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, oregano, and peppercorns. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or vinegar as necessary; the marinade should be highly seasoned.
3. Pour ½ cup of the marinade over the pork, turning the chops to coat both sides evenly. Pour ¼ cup of the marinade into a small nonreactive bowl and set aside to use for basting. Pour the rest of the marinade into a nonreactive bowl and set aside for serving. Let the chops marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 to 2 hours.
4. When ready to cook, drain the pork chops well and discard the marinade. Cook the pork chops, following the instructions for any of the grills in the box at left, until nicely browned and cooked through. To test for doneness, use the poke method; the meat should be firm but gently yielding. If desired, rotate each chop a quarter turn after 1½ minutes to create a handsome crosshatch of grill marks.
5. Stir the ¼ cup of reserved marinade with a fork to recombine and use it to baste the chops as they grill (apply it only to cooked meat, not raw, to avoid cross-contamination).
6. Transfer the pork chops to a platter or plates. Stir the remaining marinade with a fork, spoon it over the chops, and serve at once.
CONTACT GRILL: Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Place the pork chops on the hot grill, then close the lid. The chops will be done after cooking 4 to 6 minutes. You will need to turn the chops so that you can baste both sides; use the baste sparingly.
GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the pork chops in the hot grill pan. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side. Baste sparingly, taking care not to drip a lot of marinade into the grill pan. After it has cooled down, soak the grill pan in hot water to loosen any burnt-on baste.
BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the pork chops on the hot grate. They will be done after cooking 4 to 6 minutes per side.
FIREPLACE GRILL: Rake red hot embers under the gridiron and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes; you want a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place the pork chops on the hot grate. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
I’ve deconstructed paprikás, one of the glories of Hungarian cuisine, to make a pork version you can cook on an indoor grill. The paprika, garlic, and onion become a rub; the sour cream traditionally used to make the sauce becomes a drizzle. Put it in a plastic squirt bottle, if you have one, and you can make decorative zigzags. If not, just spoon a small dollop of sour cream onto each chop. SERVES 4
I’ve called for boneless pork loin chops in the recipe here and in those on pages 102, 103, and 106. Cut from the “eye” of the loin, they’re a good chop to cook on contact grills that don’t have a floating hinge because there’s no bone to get in the way. Boneless loin chops are also the best choice for cooking in a grill pan; bone-in chops have a tendency not to cook evenly, remaining too rare by the bone in the center when the outside is thoroughly done.
If you have a panini machine or want to use a built-in grill or cook in the fireplace, you can certainly grill rib chops. They will take a little longer because of the bone; figure on 4 to 6 minutes per side. You can also grill a pork “porterhouse,” a mighty chop that has both some loin and tenderloin attached to the T-bone. These weigh about 10 ounces each and will be 1 to 1½ inches thick. They’ll take 5 to 8 minutes per side to cook and are perfect for grilling over wood in the fireplace.
Another option is small pork tenderloins. They will take 4 to 8 minutes on a contact grill or about 4 minutes per side—about 16 minutes in all—on any of the other indoor grills.
4 boneless pork loin chops (each ¼ to ½ inch thick; about 1½ pounds total; see Tip on page 102)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic salt
Onion powder
Freshly ground black pepper
Sweet or hot paprika (see Note)
½ cup sour cream
YOU’LL ALSO NEED:
Plastic squirt bottle (optional)
1. Arrange the pork chops in a baking dish. Lightly brush each on both sides with the olive oil. Generously—and I mean generously—season each chop on both sides with garlic salt, onion powder, pepper, and paprika. Let the chops cure in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 20 minutes.
2. Cook the pork chops, following the instructions for any of the grills in the box on the following page, until nicely browned and cooked through. To test for doneness, use the poke method; the meat should be firm but gently yielding.
3. Transfer the chops to a platter or plates. If using a squirt bottle, squirt zigzags of sour cream over each chop; otherwise place a spoonful of sour cream in the center of each. Serve at once.
NOTE: The quality of the paprika is paramount here. Use imported paprika—sweet Hungarian paprika if you want a milder dish; hot paprika if you crave some fire. The best Hungarian paprika comes from Szeged, and you can likely find it at your supermarket. For an interesting and esoteric twist, you could use pimentón, a Spanish smoked paprika.
CONTACT GRILL: Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Place the pork chops on the hot grill, then close the lid. The chops will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes.
GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the pork chops in the hot grill pan. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the pork chops on the hot grate. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
FIREPLACE GRILL: Rake red hot embers under the gridiron and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes; you want a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place the pork chops on the hot grate. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Turn in at 1007 Clay Street in downtown Oakland, California, and you’ll find a long line of people waiting and a cavernous dining room filled to capacity. There are at least three reasons for Le Cheval’s success: authentic and intensely flavorful Vietnamese food, mercifully affordable prices, and the watchful management of the Saigon-born Tran family, which opened the popular restaurant in 1985. These pork chops epitomize Le Cheval’s cooking. They’re crusty and succulent, fragrant with garlic and lemongrass, and grilled over a heat that’s high enough to caramelize the oyster sauce and sugar. In short, they’re everything a pork chop should be and more. Here’s my interpretation adapted for indoor grills. SERVES 4
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup oyster sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 stalks lemongrass, or 2 strips of lemon zest (see Notes)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and gently crushed with the side of a cleaver
4 boneless pork loin chops (each ¼ to ½ inch thick, and about 1½ pounds total; see box on page 105)
CONTACT GRILL: Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Place the pork chops on the hot grill, then close the lid. The chops will be done after cooking 2 to 4 minutes.
GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the pork chops in the hot grill pan. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the pork chops on the hot grate. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
FREESTANDING GRILL: Preheat the grill to high; there’s no need to oil the grate. Place the pork chops on the hot grill. They will be done after cooking 4 to 5 minutes per side.
FIREPLACE GRILL: Rake red hot embers under the gridiron and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes; you want a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place the pork chops on the hot grate. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
1. Place the sugar, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and pepper in a large shallow mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves.
2. Trim the lemongrass, removing the root ends and flexible green stalks. You should be left with a cream-colored core that is 3 to 4 inches long. Cut this into 1-inch pieces and gently crush them with the side of a cleaver to release the aroma. Stir the lemongrass and garlic into the marinade.
3. Add the pork chops to the marinade, turning to coat both sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the pork chops marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight, turning them several times; the longer the chops marinate, the richer the flavor will be. You can also marinate the chops in a resealable plastic bag.
4. Cook the pork chops, following the instructions for any of the grills in the box below, until nicely browned and cooked through. To test for doneness, use the poke method; the meat should be firm but gently yielding.
5. Transfer the pork chops to a platter or plates and serve at once.
• Lemongrass is an aromatic Asian grass with a lemony flavor but no tartness. Look for it at Asian and natural markets and many supermarkets. If you don’t find it, lemon zest (the yellow oil-rich outer rind of the lemon) makes an acceptable substitute.
• You can use a vegetable peeler to remove the lemon zest in strips. Be careful to leave behind the bitter white pith. You’ll need strips that are about ½ by 2 inches.
Oyster sauce is a thick, sweet-salty condiment made from oysters and soybeans, among other things.
You’ve seen them hanging in the kitchen windows of Chinese restaurants—pork tenderloins roasted until they’re dark and crusty, glistening with honey and hoisin sauce, and perfumed with garlic and five-spice powder, a mix of spices including star anise, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper. This is Chinese “barbecue” at its best and it’s easy to make at home. The combination of garlic and sugar with pork, widespread in Asia, may sound a bit odd, until you pause to think of the many sweet American barbecue sauces that contain garlic. Traditionally, Chinese pork is roasted suspended in a special oven. However, the rotisserie turns out a spectacular tenderloin that’s succulent, and candy sweet. SERVES 4
You can also cook the meat on a fireplace rotisserie (see page 11). Cook over a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. It will take from 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your fireplace.
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ pounds pork tenderloin (2 to 3 tenderloins)
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons char siu sauce (see Note) or hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1. Place the five-spice powder, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix. Sprinkle this rub over the tenderloins on all sides, patting it onto the meat with your fingertips.
2. Remove the silver skins (the sinewlike covering) from the tenderloins by trimming them off with a knife. Place the pork in a nonreactive baking dish or resealable plastic bag and add the garlic and ginger. Place the char siu sauce, rice wine, honey, and soy sauce in a small nonreactive bowl and whisk to mix. Pour this mixture over the pork and turn it to coat on all sides. Let the pork marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 6 hours or as long as overnight.
3. When ready to cook, drain the pork in a strainer over a nonreactive saucepan and set the marinade aside. Place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Skewer the tenderloins onto the rotisserie spit (ideally, they should be positioned so that they will be perpendicular to the spit). Attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn on the motor. If your rotisserie has a temperature control, set it to 400°F (for instructions for using a rotisserie, see page 14). Cook the pork until golden brown and cooked through, 40 minutes to 1 hour. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness; don’t let the thermometer touch the spit. When done the internal temperature of the meat should be about 160°F.
4. Meanwhile, as the pork cooks, bring the reserved marinade to a boil over high heat and let boil until thick and syrupy, 2 to 4 minutes. Baste the pork tenderloins with the boiled marinade after they have cooked for 30 minutes and again once or twice more before removing them from the rotisserie.
5. Transfer the pork tenderloins to a platter or cutting board and let rest for 3 minutes, then thinly slice them crosswise. Pour any remaining marinade over the pork and serve at once.
NOTE: Char siu (sometimes spelled chu hou) sauce is a dark red Chinese barbecue sauce sold in jars in Asian markets and many specialty food stores.
Back in the Dark Ages, when I attended cooking school in Paris, we often used a red wine and juniper berry marinade to give commonplace meats the taste of wild game. With a little imagination, the sharp-flavored marinade transformed beef into “venison,” lamb into “bighorn sheep,” and pork into “wild boar”—especially when the meat was served with a traditional grand veneur (huntsman) or St. Hubert sauce, both of which are flavored with sweet-sour red currant jelly. The sweetness of the cream sauce here counterbalances the acidity of the marinade for the pork. Best of all, you can experience the full-flavored pleasures of “wild game” without having to bag it yourself. SERVES 4
• Juniper berries are the small, round blueish fruit of the juniper tree, and the predominant flavoring in gin (the spirit takes its name from genièvre, the French word for juniper). You can frequently find juniper berries at specialty food stores or some supermarkets. You can also substitute a shot of gin.
• The marinade and sauce are also good with beef tenderloin or lamb chops. There will be enough for 1½ pounds of beef tenderloin or 1¾ pounds of lamb chops.
1 center-cut piece of pork loin, or 2 to 3 pork tenderloins (about 1½ pounds; see Note)
3 cups dry red wine
About ⅔ cup red wine vinegar, or more to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium-size carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
20 black peppercorns
10 juniper berries, or ¼ cup gin
3 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or dried thyme
1 cup beef or veal stock
3 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream
3 tablespoons red currant jelly, or more to taste
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon port or water
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1. Cut the pork crosswise into ½-inch-thick medallions. Arrange them in a nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer.
2. Place the wine, wine vinegar, olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves, cloves, and thyme in a nonreactive bowl and stir to mix. Pour the wine mixture over the pork and let marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, turning the medallions several times so that they marinate evenly. You can also marinate the pork in a resealable plastic bag.
3. Drain the pork in a strainer over a large nonreactive saucepan. Add the vegetables from the marinade to the saucepan and set the pork aside. Bring the marinade to a boil over high heat and let boil until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the stock, let come to a boil, and boil until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup, 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Strain the marinade mixture into another nonreactive saucepan, pressing on the vegetables with the back of a spoon to extract the juices (discard the vegetables). Whisk the cream and red currant jelly into the marinade mixture. Let come to a simmer and cook the sauce until the jelly melts, about 3 minutes.
5. Dissolve the cornstarch in the port, then whisk it into the sauce. Let simmer until thickened, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If a sweeter sauce is desired, add a little more currant jelly. For a more tart sauce, add a few drops of vinegar. The sauce should be highly seasoned. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.
6. Blot the pork medallions dry with paper towels and season them generously with salt and pepper. Cook the medallions, following the instructions for any of the grills in the box above, until just cooked through. To test for doneness, use the poke method; the pork should be gently yielding. If desired, rotate each medallion a quarter turn after 1 minute to create a handsome crosshatch of grill marks.
7. Just before serving, whisk the butter into the sauce, then spoon it onto a platter or plates. Arrange the medallions on top of the sauce. Garnish each with a sprig of parsley and serve at once.
NOTE: If you use pork tenderloin, remove the silver skin (the thin, translucent, sinewlike covering) by using a knife to trim it off the meat.
CONTACT GRILL: Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Place the medallions on the hot grill, then close the lid. The medallions will be done after cooking 3 to 5 minutes.
GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the medallions in the hot grill pan. They will be done after cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side.
BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the medallions on the hot grate. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side.
FREESTANDING GRILL: Preheat the grill to high; there’s no need to oil the grate. Place the medallions on the hot grill. They will be done after cooking 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Located in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean, Cyprus is home to two great grilling cultures, Greek and Turkish. According to my Cypriot grilling connection Stelios Stylianou, the traditional meat for souvlaki (shish kebab) there is pork, not the region’s ubiquitous lamb, and it’s perfumed with two unexpected seasonings: cinnamon and fresh mint. The kebabs here call for commonplace ingredients, but I’ll wager they’ll taste nothing like the souvlaki you may have sampled at a typical Greek restaurant in the States. SERVES 4
• The secret to great souvlaki is to use meat that’s not too lean—in this case, pork shoulder rather than the leaner pork loin or tenderloin. Ideally, each cube of pork should have a little fat in it. The fat sizzles and melts as it grills, basting the meat and keeping it moist.
• You can also make these souvlaki with beef, lamb, or chicken.
• If you like, warm the pita bread on the grill for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
1½ pounds boneless pork shoulder
1½ teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
2 bunches fresh mint, rinsed and stemmed, 1 bunch coarsely chopped
4 cinnamon sticks (each 3 inches)
1 cup dry red wine
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 pita breads (optional)
Cyprus Salad (optional; recipe follows)
YOU’LL ALSO NEED:
4 metal skewers (10 to 12 inches long), or 8 bamboo skewers (6 to 8 inches long)
1. Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes, leaving a little of the fat on. Place the pork in a large nonreactive bowl. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the meat, tossing it to coat all sides well. Stir in the chopped mint, followed by the cinnamon sticks, wine, and olive oil. Let the pork marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 3 to 4 hours. You can also marinate the pork in a resealable plastic bag.
2. Drain the pork well and discard the marinade. Thread the pork onto skewers, placing a whole mint leaf between each piece of meat.
3. Cook the kebabs, following the instructions for any of the grills in the box at right, until nicely browned and cooked through. To test for doneness, squeeze a meat cube between your thumb and forefinger. It should feel firm.
4. Transfer the kebabs to a platter or plates and serve with the pita breads and the Cyprus Salad, if desired. If you have used metal skewers, warn everyone to take the kebabs off the skewers before eating, as they will be very hot.
Variations of this salad turn up throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Cut the vegetables into larger pieces to make a salad or finely dice them to make a sort of salsa. MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
2 medium-size luscious ripe red tomatoes, cut into ½-inch dice, with their juices and seeds
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch dice
½ medium-size green bell pepper, cut into ½-inch dice
½ cup kalamata olives
4 ounces feta cheese, drained and crumbled (about ⅔ cup)
3 scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar, or more to taste
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
Place the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, feta, scallions, mint, olive oil, and lemon juice in a large nonreactive bowl, but don’t toss the salad until 15 minutes before serving. Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon juice, if necessary, and salt and pepper to taste.
CONTACT GRILL: Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Place the kebabs on the hot grill, then close the lid. The kebabs will be done after cooking 4 to 6 minutes. Give each kebab a quarter turn after 2 minutes so that all of the sides are exposed to the heat.
GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the kebabs in the hot grill pan. They will be done after cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes in all).
BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the kebabs on the hot grill so that the exposed ends of the skewers extend off the grate. The kebabs will be done after cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes in all).
FREESTANDING GRILL: Preheat the grill to high; there’s no need to oil the grate. Place the kebabs on the hot grill. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side (12 to 16 minutes in all).
FIREPLACE GRILL: Rake red hot embers under the gridiron and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes; you want a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place the kebabs on the hot grate. The kebabs will be done after cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes in all).
Say grillot to Haitians and their mouths will water and their eyes will light up with pleasure. These crusty pork bites—spiced with garlic, Scotch bonnet chiles, and sour orange juice—are a national snack. Traditionally they’re deep-fried, but you know Raichlen’s rule: If something tastes good fried, baked, stewed, or sautéed, it probably tastes even better grilled. Red beans and rice would make a great accompaniment for the grillot. SERVES 4
CONTACT GRILL: Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Place the kebabs on the hot grill, then close the lid. The kebabs will be done after cooking 4 to 6 minutes. Give each kebab a quarter turn after 2 minutes so that all of the sides are exposed to the heat.
GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the kebabs in the hot grill pan. They will be done after cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes in all).
BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the kebabs on the hot grill so that the exposed ends of the skewers extend off the grate. The kebabs will be done after cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes in all).
FREESTANDING GRILL: Preheat the grill to high; there’s no need to oil the grate. Place the kebabs on the hot grill. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side (12 to 16 minutes in all).
FIREPLACE GRILL: Rake red hot embers under the gridiron and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes; you want a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place the kebabs on the hot grate. The kebabs will be done after cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes in all).
1½ pounds pork loin, tenderloin, or boneless pork shoulder ( see Note)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Scotch bonnet chile or habañero pepper, seeded and minced (for hotter pork kebabs, leave the seeds in)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup fresh sour orange juice, or ¼ cup each fresh lime juice and fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
YOU’LL ALSO NEED:
4 metal skewers (10 to 12 inches long), or 8 bamboo skewers (6 to 8 inches long)
1. Cut the pork into 1-inch pieces and place it in a nonreactive bowl. Add the garlic, Scotch bonnet, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir to coat evenly. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the sour orange juice and stir to mix. Let the pork marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight; the longer the pork marinates, the richer the flavor will be.
2. Cook the kebabs, following the instructions for any of the grills in the box, until nicely browned and cooked through. To test for doneness, squeeze a meat cube between your thumb and forefinger. It should feel firm.
3. Transfer the kebabs to a platter or plates and serve at once. If you have used metal skewers, warn everyone to take the kebabs off the skewers before eating, as they will be very hot.
NOTE: If you use pork tenderloin, remove the silver skin (the thin, translucent, sinewlike covering) by using a knife to trim it off the meat.
• For lean grillots, start with pork loin or tenderloin. For richer kebabs, use cubed pork shoulder.
• The sour orange (narnaja agria) is a Caribbean citrus fruit available in West Indian and Spanish Caribbean markets and some supermarkets. If it’s unavailable, you can use a mixture of half fresh lime juice and half fresh orange juice.
Kebabs made from a mix of different meats are common currency in the Balkans. These Yugoslavian kebabs combine cubes of pork and veal that are marinated with onions and vinegar, then grilled on skewers with bay leaves. The ends of the bay leaves burn as the kebabs cook, imparting an incredible herbal smoke flavor. The traditional way to serve raznjici is with a mixture of parsley and diced onion on top. And just how do you wrap your tongue around the name of this dish? It’s pronounced “raj-NEE-kee.” SERVES 4
12 ounces pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
12 ounces veal, cut into 1-inch cubes
1½ teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 medium-size sweet onion
6 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
10 to 12 bay leaves, broken in half crosswise
YOU’LL ALSO NEED:
4 metal skewers (10 to 12 inches long), or 8 bamboo skewers (6 to 8 inches long)
CONTACT GRILL: Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Place the kebabs on the hot grill, then close the lid. The kebabs will be done after cooking 4 to 6 minutes. Give each kebab a quarter turn after 2 minutes so that all of the sides are exposed to the heat.
GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the kebabs in the hot grill pan. They will be done after cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes in all).
BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the kebabs on the hot grill so that the exposed ends of the skewers extend off the grate. The kebabs will be done after cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes in all).
FREESTANDING GRILL: Preheat the grill to high; there’s no need to oil the grate. Place the kebabs on the hot grill. They will be done after cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side (12 to 16 minutes in all).
FIREPLACE GRILL: Rake red hot embers under the gridiron and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes; you want a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place the kebabs on the hot grate. The kebabs will be done after cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes in all).
1. Place the pork and veal in a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the meat and stir to mix. Stir in the olive oil and wine vinegar. Thinly slice two thirds of the onion and add the slices to the meat mixture. Set the remaining piece of onion aside; you’ll use it when serving. Add 3 tablespoons of the parsley to the meat mixture and stir to coat evenly. Let the meat marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 4 hours, or as long as overnight, stirring once or twice.
2. When ready to cook, finely chop the remaining onion third and mix it with the remaining 3 tablespoons of parsley. Place the onion and parsley mixture in an attractive bowl for serving.
3. Drain the meat, discarding the marinade. Thread the meat onto skewers, alternating pieces of pork and veal and placing a bay leaf half between the pieces of meat.
4. Cook the kebabs, following the instructions for any of the grills in the box, until nicely browned and just cooked through. To test for doneness, squeeze a meat cube between your thumb and forefinger. It should feel firm.
5. Transfer the kebabs to a platter or plates and serve at once with the onion and parsley mixture on the side. If you’ve used metal skewers, warn everyone to take the meat off the skewers before serving, as they will be very hot.
Use veal and pork shoulder or leg for these kebabs and look for meat with a little fat to keep them moist as they grill.
Wet or dry? Three simple words, but to barbecue fanatics they speak volumes. Wet is the way most Americans eat ribs—smoky, tender, and dripping with sweet, sticky barbecue sauce. But if you really want to savor pork bones in all their primal glory, you must journey to Memphis to sample the dry rub ribs, all spice and vinegar, at the Rendezvous. For more than half a century, the Vergos (pronounced “Vargus”) family has been dishing up baby back ribs that are mopped with vinegar sauce and thickly crusted with a dry rub just before serving. But the most famous ribs in Memphis may, technically speaking, not be barbecued at all—not if you define barbecuing as slowly cooking meat at a low temperature in a pit with plenty of wood smoke. The Rendezvous grills its ribs over an open charcoal fire, with nary a log or hickory chip in sight. Well, if you’re not going to smoke the ribs, why not cook them on a rotisserie? I think you’ll find that the result is highly satisfactory. SERVES 2
Baby backs are the best ribs for spit roasting. They’re quick cooking, naturally tender, and well marbled, so they stay moist as they cook.
FOR THE RUB AND RIBS:
1½ tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 rack baby back pork ribs (2 to 2½ pounds), peeled (see box)
FOR THE MOP SAUCE:
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
¾ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons rub (reserved from above)
1. Make the rub: Place the paprika, chili powder, salt, black pepper, garlic and onion powders, thyme, oregano, mustard seeds, coriander, celery seed, and cayenne in a small bowl and whisk to mix. Place 1½ teaspoons of the rub in a medium-size nonreactive mixing bowl and set aside for the mop sauce. (This may make more rub than you need for the ribs; don’t worry, you’ll find plenty of other uses for it. Stored in an airtight jar away from heat or light, it will keep for several months.)
2. Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides all over with barbecue rub, 2 to 3 teaspoons per side, rubbing it onto the meat with your fingertips. Set the remaining rub aside. You can cook the ribs right away, but they will have even more flavor if you let them cure for 4 hours, covered, in the refrigerator.
3. When ready to cook, place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Place the ribs in the rotisserie basket (see box on page 121) and close it tightly. Attach the basket to the rotisserie spit, then attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn on the motor. If your rotisserie has a temperature control, set it to 400°F (for instructions for using a rotisserie, see page 14). Cook the ribs until they are dark brown and crusty and the meat has shrunk back about ¼ inch from the ends of the bones, 40 to 50 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the mop sauce: Place the vinegar and salt in the bowl with the 1½ teaspoons of rub. Add ¼ cup of water and whisk until the salt dissolves.
5. Transfer the ribs to a cutting board. Generously brush the ribs on both sides with the mop sauce. Thickly sprinkle some of the remaining rub over the meat side of the ribs to form a ⅛-inch crust. Cut the rack in half or into individual ribs and serve.
NOTE: You can also smoke these ribs in a stove-top smoker. You’ll find instructions for doing this on page 122.
Ribs come with a thin, translucent, papery membrane on the inside (convex) side of the bones. This membrane is perfectly edible, but it’s a little tougher than the rest of the meat. Also, it forms a barrier to rubs, preventing the seasonings from penetrating one side of the meat. For this reason, and for general pride of workmanship, I like to remove the membrane.
To do this, first place the rack on a cutting board, meat side down. Insert a sharp implement, such as the tip of a meat thermometer or a Phillips head screwdriver, under the membrane (the best place to start is right next to the first rib bone). Gently pry off the membrane to loosen about an inch of it from the bone. Using a dishcloth or paper towel to gain a secure grip, gently but firmly pull the membrane off the bones. When removing the membrane from baby back ribs, it will most likely come off in a single piece. The membrane is a little harder to remove from spareribs. You may need to pry it off the ribs with a sharp implement in several places.
Beef ribs have a similar membrane. It should also be removed.
The notion of a rotisserie rib may seem strange to many Americans, but in other parts of the world—in Europe and Asia, for example—pit masters often cook ribs on a spit. One advantage to using a countertop rotisserie is that you can cook a small quantity of ribs, enough for one or two people, something that would be impractical in a large grill or a smoker. Here’s how a Kansas City pit master might make ribs if he used a rotisserie instead of a barbecue pit. SERVES 2
1 rack baby back pork ribs (2 to 2½ pounds), peeled (see box on page 119)
About 2 tablespoons Basic Barbecue Rub (page 362) or your favorite commercial rub
1 cup Kansas City–Style Sweet and Smoky Barbecue Sauce (page 374) or your favorite commercial sauce
These ribs come slathered with a smoky red barbecue sauce. If you wish to accentuate the smoke flavor, brush the ribs with a mixture of 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and 2 teaspoons liquid smoke before sprinkling on the rub.
1. Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides all over with barbecue rub, 2 to 3 teaspoons per side, rubbing it onto the meat with your fingertips. You can cook the ribs right away, but they will have even more flavor if you let them cure in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 hours.
2. When ready to cook, place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Place the ribs in the rotisserie basket (see box) and close it tightly. Attach the basket to the rotisserie spit, then attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn on the motor. If your rotisserie has a temperature control, set it on 400°F (for instructions for using a rotisserie, see page 14). Cook the ribs until they are dark brown and crusty and the meat has shrunk back about ¼ inch from the end of the bones, 40 to 50 minutes (see Notes).
3. Transfer the rack to a platter or cutting board and cut it in half or into individual ribs. Generously baste with barbecue sauce and serve at once with the remaining sauce on the side.
• For the best results, you’d baste the ribs with barbecue sauce on both sides after they have cooked for 30 minutes, then continue spit roasting them until they’re done. This has the advantage of caramelizing some of the sugar in the barbecue sauce and cooking the sauce into the meat. But to do this you need to remove the spit from the rotisserie, remove the basket from the spit, and open the basket to baste the ribs. This is time-consuming and somewhat messy, so we’ll leave it to fanatics only.
• You can also smoke these ribs in a stove-top smoker. You’ll find instructions for doing this on page 122.
How far would you go for great ribs? To another country? Every day legions of Detroiters take the quick trip through the Windsor Tunnel under the Detroit River to enjoy some of the most famous spit-roasted ribs in Canada. They don’t have far to go, for the minute they emerge from the tunnel, the neon lights of the Tunnel Bar-B-Q are visible on the right. Once there, they watch glistening racks of ribs and sizzling whole chickens rotate slowly on spits before the leaping flames of a gas-fired rotisserie, just as I did twenty years ago, when I first visited the Tunnel Bar-B-Q. Ribs have probably been spit roasting here since 1941, when a Greek immigrant couple, Harry and Helen Racovitis, borrowed $500 to open a small eatery. It’s now a third-generation barbecue emporium that serves literally thousands of people a week. In terms of barbecue, Tunnel Bar-B-Q is a two-trick pony—ribs and chicken—both seasoned with a simple rub and roasted until sizzling, crisp, brown, and delicious. The Tunnel rub is a proprietary secret. What you’ll find here is how I imagine they make it. SERVES 2
The French do it. So do the Italians, Spaniards, and Turks. I’m talking about one of the oldest and most effective ways to cook ribs—on the rotisserie. The gentle heat reduces tough meat to pull-apart-with-your-fingers tenderness and melts out the excess fat. The slow rotation bastes the ribs both internally and externally, so the meat never dries out.
The chief challenge is attaching the ribs to the rotisserie. Various manufacturers have come up with different ways to do this. With my Showtime rotisserie, for example, the easiest way is to place the ribs in the flat rotisserie basket. The instruction manual also explains how you can weave racks of ribs onto the shish kebab attachment or even between the two central spits.
To attempt to cover all the methods of other manufacturers would be confusing and probably incomplete. Consult the manufacturer’s instructions for the best way to cook ribs in your particular rotisserie. You may need to cut the rack of ribs into more than one piece to get it to fit in a rotisserie basket.
One final note: Most rotisserie baskets come coated with a nonstick finish, so technically there’s no need to oil them before adding ribs or other meat. However, it never hurts to give the basket a quick squirt of cooking oil spray just to play it safe.
4 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 rack baby back pork ribs (2 to 2½ pounds), peeled (see box on page 119)
Your favorite tomato or mustard barbecue sauce, for serving
1. Place the paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and celery seed in a small bowl and whisk to mix the rub.
2. Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides all over with the rub, 2 to 3 teaspoons per side, rubbing it onto the meat with your fingertips. You can cook the ribs right away, but they will have even more flavor if you let them cure in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 hours.
3. When ready to cook, place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Place the ribs in the rotisserie basket (see box on page 121) and close it tightly. Attach the basket to the rotisserie spit, then attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn on the motor. If your rotisserie has a temperature control, set it on 400°F (for instructions for using a rotisserie, see page 14). Cook the ribs until they are dark brown and crusty and the meat has shrunk back about ¼ inch from the ends of the bones, 40 to 50 minutes.
4. Transfer the rack to a platter or cutting board and cut it in half or into individual ribs. Serve at once, with the barbecue sauce on the side.
• You can also smoke these ribs in a stove-top smoker. You’ll find instructions for doing this at left.
• You can also cook the meat on a fireplace rotisserie (see page 11). Trim off any excess fat before placing it on the spit. Cook over a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. It will take from 30 to 40 minutes, depending on your fireplace.
You can prepare Dry Rub Ribs on a Spit (page 117), Kansas City Barbecue Ribs (page 119), and Tunnel Bar-B-Q Ribs (this page) in a stove-top smoker instead of a rotisserie. Perfuming them with wood smoke will give you totally different ribs. Follow the directions for spreading the rub on the rack of ribs, then set up the smoker (you’ll find instructions for using a smoker on page 16). Place 1½ tablespoons hickory or oak sawdust in the center of the bottom of the smoker. Line the drip pan with aluminum foil and place it in the smoker. Lightly coat the smoker rack with cooking oil spray or use a paper towel dipped in oil, and place the rack in the smoker. Place the ribs on the rack; if you are smoking individual ribs, try to leave at least ½ inch between each.
Cover the smoker and place it over high heat for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. Smoke the ribs until they are cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. When cooked, the meat will have shrunk about 1?4 inch from the ends of the ribs and the ribs will be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers. Transfer the ribs to a cutting board. Generously brush the Dry Rub Ribs on both sides with mop sauce and thickly sprinkle rub over them. Brush Kansas City Barbecue Ribs with barbecue sauce. Serve Tunnel Bar-B-Q Ribs with barbecue sauce on the side.
In North America and Asia, ribs are treated as something of a blank canvas. The color comes from seasoning with rubs, marinades, mops, and/or sauces. Europeans take a different approach: They spit roast ribs with a minimum of seasonings—salt, pepper, maybe a little garlic, rosemary, or sage. The idea is to keep the focus on the flavor of the pork ribs themselves. SERVES 2
I’ve called for rosemary and sage here, but for a French twist, you could use chopped fresh chervil and tarragon or dried herbes de Provence.
1 rack baby back pork ribs (2 to 2½ pounds), peeled (see box on page 119)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or more rosemary
Lemon wedges, for serving
1. Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Brush both sides with the olive oil. Generously season both sides with salt and pepper and sprinkle the garlic, rosemary, and sage over them, patting them onto the meat with your fingertips. You can cook the ribs right away, but they will have even more flavor if you refrigerate them, covered, for 2 to 4 hours.
2. When ready to cook, place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Place the ribs in the rotisserie basket (see box on page 121) and close it tightly. Attach the basket to the rotisserie spit, then attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn on the motor. If your rotisserie has a temperature control, set it to 400°F (for instructions for using a rotisserie, see page 14). Cook the ribs until they are dark brown and crusty and the meat has shrunk back about ¼ inch from the ends of the bones, 40 to 50 minutes.
3. Transfer the rack to a platter or cutting board and cut it in half or into individual ribs. Serve at once, with lemon wedges.
NOTE: To prepare these ribs on a fireplace rotisserie, see Notes.
Also referred to as top loin ribs, pork baby back ribs are cut from the center part of the loin, next to the backbone. They’re well marbled with fat and very tender, which makes them perfect for indoor grilling. You’ll find them in two sizes. A rack of baby backs imported from Denmark weighs about 1 pound. Domestic baby backs tend to be larger, weighing from 2 to 2¾ pounds per rack.
For the sake of brevity, in the recipes here I’ve called for larger American-style racks of 2 to 2½ pounds. You can certainly use two of the smaller 1-pound racks in place of the larger rack. The cooking time will be about 30 minutes.
Consider the spare ribs served at your local Chinese restaurant. Chances are they’re crusty on the outside and tender but not soft, with a complex flavor that ricochets from the salty tang of soy and hoisin sauce to the sweetness of sugar or honey to the pungency of garlic and perfume of five-spice powder. The one thing they’re probably not is smoky, as the Chinese don’t generally smoke ribs. The rotisserie turns out delicious Chinese-style ribs, with a lot less fat than the original, which are often deep-fried just before serving. The rib of choice for most Chinese is the pork spare rib. I call for smaller, more tender baby back ribs, which are better suited to the rotisserie. SERVES 2
You can also cook the meat on a fireplace rotisserie (see page 11). Trim off any excess fat before placing it on the spit. Cook over a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. It will take from 30 to 40 minutes, depending on your fireplace.
⅓ cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon Asian (dark) sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and gently crushed with the side of a cleaver
2 slices ginger (each ¼ inch thick), peeled and gently crushed with the side of a cleaver
1 rack baby back pork ribs (2 to 2½ pounds), peeled (see box on page 119)
1. Place the hoisin sauce, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil in a nonreactive mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the garlic and ginger.
2. Place the ribs in a nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold them or in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the hoisin sauce mixture. Let the ribs marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 6 hours, or as long as overnight, turning several times.
3. When ready to cook, place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Place the ribs in the rotisserie basket (see box on page 121) and close it tightly. Attach the basket to the rotisserie spit, then attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn on the motor. If your rotisserie has a temperature control, set it on 400°F (for instructions for using a rotisserie, see page 14). Cook the ribs until they are dark brown and crusty and the meat has shrunk back about ¼ inch from the ends of the bones, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Transfer the rack to a platter or cutting board and cut it in half or into individual ribs. Serve at once.
• Hoisin sauce is a thick, purplish brown, sweet-salty condiment made from fermented soy beans, vinegar, garlic, sugar, and Chinese five-spice powder. You can find it in jars in the ethnic food section of your supermarket.
• Chinese five-spice powder is a spice mix frequently made with star anise, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper.
Ask barbecue fanatics about the nature of true ’que and they’ll tell you it’s all in the wood smoke. Now, there are many perfectly good ways to cook ribs indoors (several of them in this book on pages 117 through 124), but only one approximates the glory of true pit-cooked ribs: roasting in a stove-top smoker. The seasoning here is a simple 5-4-3-2-1 Rub (you’ll soon see why it has this curious name). The goal is to keep the focus on the meat and wood smoke. SERVES 4
This rub is so versatile (and downright good) that you’ll want to keep a supply on hand. To make a larger batch, for every teaspoon of an ingredient called for, substitute one tablespoon—for example, use 5 tablespoons of sweet paprika instead of 5 teaspoons. Be sure to store the rub in an airtight container away from heat or light. It will keep for several months and is good on just about everything.
FOR THE 5-4-3-2-1 RUB:
5 teaspoons sweet paprika
4 teaspoons dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 large racks (2 to 2½ pounds each) baby back pork ribs, peeled (see box on page 119)
Cooking oil spray (optional)
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (optional; for a good made-from-scratch candidate, see page 374)
YOU’LL ALSO NEED:
2 tablespoons hickory wood sawdust
1. Make the 5-4-3-2-1 Rub: Place the paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and mustard in a small bowl and whisk to mix, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar with your fingers.
2. Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides of the racks all over with the 5-4-3-2-1 Rub, rubbing it onto the meat with your fingertips. Use 2 to 3 teaspoons of rub per side. You can smoke the ribs right away, but they will have even more flavor if you let them cure in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 hours before smoking.
3. When ready to cook, set up the smoker (for instructions for using a stove-top smoker, see page 16). Place the sawdust in the center of the bottom of the smoker. Line the drip pan with aluminum foil and place it in the smoker. Lightly coat the smoker rack with cooking oil spray, or use a paper towel dipped in oil, and place the rack in the smoker. Place the ribs on the rack; try to leave at least ½ inch between each rack of ribs. Cover the smoker and place it over high heat for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium.
4. Smoke the ribs until cooked though, 20 to 30 minutes. When cooked, the meat will have shrunk about ¼ inch from the ends of the bones and will be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers.
5. Transfer the ribs to a platter or cutting board and cut large racks in half. There are two ways to serve the ribs: For Memphis-style (dry ribs), sprinkle each rack with an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of rub (if you want to serve the ribs this way, make extra rub following the instructions in the Tip at left). For Kansas City–style (wet ribs), brush each rack with 2 to 3 tablespoons of barbecue sauce, serving the remainder on the side.
A brat fry is a Wisconsin barbecue. More specifically, it’s a feast of bratwurst served with onions and Sheboygan hard rolls, which are similar to kaiser rolls. It’s customary for German Americans all across Wisconsin to grill the bratwursts and onions, but the rotisserie produces crisp-skinned, succulent sausages and sweet roasted vegetables—without the risk of flare-ups. OK, so the bell peppers are more of an Italian than a Wisconsin touch, but they make a nice combo. The bratwursts are particularly good served with Wisconsin brewery Leinenkugel’s wheat beer. SERVES 4
You can cook just about any fresh sausage on the rotisserie. You’ll find a Variation using Italian sausage on page 128.
4 uncooked bratwursts (about 1 pound)
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and quartered
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-size onion, quartered
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
4 hard rolls or kaiser rolls, cut almost in half through one side
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
German-style mustard or horseradish mustard
1. Lightly brush the bratwursts and bell pepper with olive oil, then brush the onion quarters more generously with olive oil. Season the bell pepper and onion with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange the bratwursts, bell pepper, and onion in the rotisserie basket (if possible, use a flat basket). Ideally, the bratwursts should be positioned so that they will be perpendicular to the rotisserie spit and the bell pepper and onion quarters should be placed in rows between the sausages. Close the basket lid tightly.
3. When ready to cook, place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Attach the basket to the rotisserie spit, then attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn the motor on. If your rotisserie has a temperature control, set it to 400°F (for instructions for using a rotisserie, see page 14). Cook the sausages, bell pepper, and onion until the sausages are dark brown and cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes.
4. To serve, thinly slice the bell pepper and onion. Cut each bratwurst in half lengthwise and place it in a roll. Top each sausage with a quarter of the spit-roasted bell pepper and onion and ¼ cup of sauerkraut. Slather the remaining halves of the rolls with mustard, put them on top of the sandwiches, and serve at once.
VARIATION: A favorite at street fairs and block parties in Little Italys across the country, Italian sausages can also be cooked in the rotisserie along with bell pepper and onion. Just substitute 1 pound of fresh sweet or hot Italian sausage for the bratwurst. You can use either links or coil sausage. The cooking time will be the same.
Bratwurst is a coarsely ground, mildly seasoned pork sausage of German–Austrian heritage. The Wisconsin firm Johnsonville makes some of the best. Its bratwurst is distributed nationally.
When I was growing up, ham steaks appeared on our table fortnightly—invariably served with applesauce. Here’s an update on this classic combination, featuring a fresh, quick-to-make apple salsa. I think you’ll like the way the apples counterpoint the saltiness of the ham. It should come as no surprise that, like steaks and chops, ham steaks taste best when seared on the grill. SERVES 2 AND CAN BE MULTIPLIED AS DESIRED
CONTACT GRILL: Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Place the ham steak(s) on the hot grill, then close the lid. The ham will be done after cooking 3 to 5 minutes.
GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the ham steak(s) in the hot grill pan. The ham will be done after cooking 3 to 5 minutes per side.
BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the ham steak(s) on the hot grate. The ham will be done after cooking 3 to 5 minutes per side.
FREESTANDING GRILL: Preheat the grill to high; there’s no need to oil the grate. Place the ham steak(s) on the hot grill. The ham will be done after cooking 4 to 6 minutes per side.
FIREPLACE GRILL: Rake red hot embers under the gridiron and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes; you want a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place the ham steak(s) on the hot grate. The ham will be done after cooking 3 to 5 minutes per side.
FOR THE APPLE AND PECAN SALSA:
1 large, crisp, sweet-tart apple, such as a Fuji or Braeburn
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted pecans (see Notes)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint or cilantro
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped (for a hotter salsa, leave the seeds in)
1 tablespoon finely chopped candied ginger
2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
FOR THE HAM STEAKS:
1 large or 2 small ham steaks (¾ to 1 pound in all; see Notes)
1 tablespoon butter, melted, or 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Make the apple and pecan salsa: Core the apple and cut it into fine dice (I don’t bother peeling the apple; the skin adds color and texture). Place the apple in a nonreactive mixing bowl, add the lime juice, and toss to coat. Add the pecans, mint, jalapeño(s), candied ginger, onion, if using, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar, but don’t mix the salsa until right before you are ready to serve it. The salsa can be prepared up to this stage several hours ahead of time and refrigerated, covered.
2. Cook the ham steak(s), following the instructions for any of the grills in the box above, until cooked through. Rotate the ham steak(s) a quarter turn after 1½ minutes to create a handsome crosshatch of grill marks.
3. Transfer the ham steak(s) to a platter or plates. Stir the salsa, then taste for seasoning, adding more lime juice and/or brown sugar as necessary; the salsa should be highly seasoned. Spoon the salsa over the ham, or serve it on the side, and serve at once.
• To toast pecans, place them in a dry cast-iron or other heavy skillet (don’t use a nonstick skillet for this). Cook the pecans over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned, 3 to 6 minutes, shaking the skillet to ensure that they toast evenly. Transfer the toasted pecans to a heatproof bowl to cool.
• For the absolute best results, take the time to find a Smithfield or other dry-cured ham steak; they’re frequently available at specialty food stores and some supermarkets. They’re quite salty, so you’ll probably want to soak the ham steaks in a baking dish filled with cold water for a couple hours, changing the water 2 or 3 times. Blot the ham steaks dry with paper towels before you grill them. If this seems like too much trouble, you can use regular, baked ham steaks.