There are probably five or six weeks remaining for really good grilling. All depends on when winter decides to show up this year. But this weekend seems exceptionally promising not being too hot, not much wind expected and the smoke should still be North of most of us.
With that perspective, here are three grilling recipes to try.
Grilled Bone-In Rib Eye
Let it rain with the kosher salt—for the best flavor, you want to season these simple steaks really well before they get grilled.
Recipe information
- Yield 8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 (2-inch) bone-in rib-eye steaks (about 2 pounds each)
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- Flaky sea salt (for serving)
Preparation
- Step 1
The night before you plan to cook the steaks, pat dry with paper towels and put on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Season generously with salt and pepper and chill, uncovered, until about an hour before you want to cook your steaks. Pull steaks from the refrigerator and let sit on your counter at room temperature.
Step 2
Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Grill steaks over direct heat, turning, until nicely charred, about 4 minutes per side. Move steaks over indirect heat and continue grilling, turning halfway through, until browned all over, about 4 minutes per side. Using tongs, hold a steak perpendicular to grill and sear bone side and fat-cap side of steak to render out some of the fat, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining steaks. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of steaks; if it registers 120°F for rare (steaks will carry over to 125°F, or medium-rare, as they rest), they’re done. Continue to cook over indirect heat if needed—another 2–4 minutes should do it. Transfer to a cutting board; let rest 20 minutes before slicing against the grain.
Step 3
Arrange sliced steaks on a platter and sprinkle with sea salt.
Chi Spacca’s Bistecca Fiorentina
If you don’t enjoy very rare meat, keep these steaks on the grill until they reach 120°; they’ll still be rare, but less aggressively so.
Recipe information
- Yield 8 Servings
Ingredients
- 2½–3-pound bone-in rib-eye steaks, 2–2½ inches thick, preferably aged
- Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil (for serving)
- Flaky sea salt
Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare grill for high, indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Season steaks generously with kosher salt and pepper. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, until browned and lightly charred all over, 10–15 minutes.
Step 2
Move steaks to indirect heat, balancing on one side so only the bone is making contact with the grate. Grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of steaks registers 100° (this is very, very rare), 20–30 minutes.
Step 3
Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Cut meat from the bones. Grill bones over direct heat, turning often, until crisped and well charred, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Slice meat ½” thick and transfer to a platter. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with bones alongside.
Step 5
Do Ahead: Steaks can be grilled 2 hours ahead. Do not cut meat from bone; hold at room temperature. Grill over high to reheat, about 5 minutes, before finishing as directed above.
Classic Barbecue Pork Ribs with Smoky Bacon Barbecue Sauce
Classic Barbecue Pork Ribs with Smoky Bacon Barbecue SauceLara Ferroni
Recipe information
- Total Time 4 hours plus 12 to 24 hours for the ribs to sit coated in the rub
- Yield Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
For the ribs:
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, preferably Diamond Crystal
- 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, preferably Pimentón de la Vera*
- 2 teaspoons ancho or New Mexican chile powder
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard, preferably Colman’s
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 slabs St. Louis–style pork spareribs (about 7 pounds total) or 2 slabs pork spareribs (about 8 pounds total)
For the barbecue sauce:
- 6 ounces bacon, diced
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, preferably Pimentón de la Vera*
- 1 tablespoon ancho or New Mexican chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, plus more to taste
- 1 cup ketchup
- Few dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco, plus more to taste
- 3 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves
- Kosher salt
*Smoked paprika is available at most supermarkets. Pimentón de la Vera is a sweet red chile grown in the La Vera valley of western Spain, and slowly smoke-dried before being ground into a powder. It’s available at specialty food stores. Hungarian smoked paprika is a good substitute.
Equipment: Large, rimmed baking sheet; flat metal cooling rack
Preparation
- Prepare the rub and bake the ribs:
Step 1
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, chile powder, black pepper, sage, thyme, dry mustard, cumin, coriander, ginger, and cayenne pepper if using. Generously coat the ribs with the rub then wrap each slab in a double layer of plastic wrap and let them sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours. DO AHEAD: To develop maximum flavor, place the ribs, coated in the rub, in the refrigerator and chill at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Step 3
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. If you have a flat metal cooling rack, arrange it in the baking sheet and place the ribs, bone side down, on the rack. If you don’t have a rack, place the ribs, bone side down, directly on the foil-lined baking sheet. Bake the ribs until the meat is tender and starting to pull away from the bones, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. At this point, the ribs are ready to be served, but we recommend taking the time to finish them on the grill (or in the broiler), while glazing with homemade barbecue sauce.
- While the ribs are baking, make the barbecue sauce:
Step 4
In a heavy, medium saucepan over moderately low heat, cook the bacon until the fat renders and the bacon starts to brown, about 10 minutes—do not let the bacon get crispy. Add the onions and continue cooking, covered and stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add the smoked paprika, chile powder, cumin, black pepper, and ginger and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the coffee, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar and stir well to combine. Raise the heat to moderate and bring the sauce to a boil, scraping the saucepan with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits from the bottom. Add the ketchup, hot sauce, and bay leaves, then lower the heat to moderately low and simmer the sauce until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but isn’t as thick as ketchup, about 30 minutes. Taste the sauce and add more vinegar or hot sauce to taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Grill the ribs:
Step 5
While the barbecue sauce is simmering, prepare your grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat: If using a charcoal grill, open the vents on the bottom of the grill and light a large chimney starter full of charcoal (preferably hardwood). When the coals are covered with white-gray ash (about 20 to 30 minutes later), spread them out on the grill’s bottom rack, leaving a space to one side that is equal to the size of the food to be grilled so that it can be moved there in the case of flare-ups.
Step 6
If using a gas grill, preheat all burners on high, covered, for 10 minutes, then adjust the heat to medium-high.
Step 7
Depending on the size of your grill, place 1 or 2 slabs, bone side down, over the heat and brush the fat-covered side generously with barbecue sauce. Grill the ribs, covered, for 2 minutes. Flip the slab over, brush the bone side with sauce, and grill, covered, until the sauce on the fat-covered side is caramelized and lightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the slab over and continue grilling, covered, until the sauce on the bone side is caramelized and lightly charred, 1 minute. Transfer the ribs to a cutting board and let them rest for 10 minutes. If necessary, repeat the grilling and glazing process with the second slab of ribs. Cut between the ribs and serve immediately with plenty of barbecue sauce on the side.
