# Being creative on the grill



## MostlyWater (May 14, 2012)

Last time, as I took veggies from the fridge for the kabobs, I remembered that I had fresh pears that woulodn't stay fresh forever .. so I chunked them, skewered them, and grilled them along with everything else.  they were GREAT!

Then, last night, I realized that we had some leftover apples..and hence, baked apples on the grill were born.

Anyone else ?


----------



## 4meandthem (May 14, 2012)

Any grilled stone fruit is great! serve with a little ice cream and maybe some sweet wine drizzled on it.


----------



## FrankZ (May 14, 2012)

Last year Kathleen talked me into grilling a head of romaine.  It smelled like pot while cooking, but the charred leaves we pretty good.


----------



## MostlyWater (May 14, 2012)

Now THIS is a lively discussion !


----------



## CharlieD (May 14, 2012)

I love peaches of the grill


----------



## Cerise (May 14, 2012)

4meandthem said:


> Any grilled stone fruit is great! serve with a little ice cream and maybe some sweet wine drizzled on it.


 
^^^^^

What he said.  Having grilled peaches w/ ice cream tonight.

(Tomorrow I eat light _again_.)


----------



## Cerise (May 14, 2012)

FrankZ said:


> Last year Kathleen talked me into grilling a head of romaine. It smelled like pot while cooking, but the charred leaves we pretty good.


 
Grilled (baby) bok choy is good too.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks (May 14, 2012)

It would be interesting to have an example of something that wasn't good cooked by grilling. Okay maybe ice cream or something that melts.

I've cooked almost every vegetable I like on the grill, to good results. Okay I admit I never thought of romaine lettuce. I think cabbage would be good. I've heard of baking kale.

I routinely cook almost any vegetable on the grill. I usually like the same vegetables raw, so raw + warm is good too. Some of them soften and they're good too: zucchini, cucumbers, mushrooms. Sometimes the vegetables need more cooking to be palatable: potatoes, yams.

@ Cerise, I like bok choy in salads (and of course in stir fries). Grilling them could only be good!


----------



## Skittle68 (May 14, 2012)

We put fresh pineapple on our kabobs, and marinate them with franks red hot. The spicy sweet grilled pineapple is sooooo good!


----------



## Dawgluver (May 14, 2012)

Skittle68 said:
			
		

> We put fresh pineapple on our kabobs, and marinate them with franks red hot. The spicy sweet grilled pineapple is sooooo good!



Oh, and big rounds of pineapple sprinkled with butter and brown sugar!  Will have to try the Franks!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks (May 14, 2012)

Skittle68 said:


> We put fresh pineapple on our kabobs, and marinate them with franks red hot. The spicy sweet grilled pineapple is sooooo good!



Fresh pineapple is one of the very best things to grill. (Particularly when contrasted with bell peppers, onions or hot chili peppers.)

Just trim the hulk, then slice it horizontally into perhaps 1/2 inch sections. you can marinate or baste them too.

I don't understand why ppl cut out the center. I like to eat the center too.


----------



## FrankZ (May 14, 2012)

Skittle68 said:


> We put fresh pineapple on our kabobs, and marinate them with franks red hot. The spicy sweet grilled pineapple is sooooo good!




That does sound good.


----------



## Skittle68 (May 15, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:
			
		

> Fresh pineapple is one of the very best things to grill. (Particularly when contrasted with bell peppers, onions or hot chili peppers.)
> 
> Just trim the hulk, then slice it horizontally into perhaps 1/2 inch sections. you can marinate or baste them too.
> 
> I don't understand why ppl cut out the center. I like to eat the center too.



The core is tough. I usually eat a few bites of it because that's actually where most of the vitamins are concentrated, but then I toss the rest.


----------



## buckytom (May 15, 2012)

when grill fish kebabs, i often skewer onions and pineapple with them. the idea of hitting it with some frank's sounds great!

+1 on grilling stoned fruits, also.

for breakfast, grilled taylor ham (pork roll) on an egg and cheese sandwich is delicious. the smokiness adds an umami quality to it.

thinking outside the box, use different woody herbs for your skewers when grilling. stripped rosemary stems (with a little floret of rosemary left on the end) are a great skewer, as are woody lemongrass shoots, sage branches, and mint stems all work well.

along the same lines, you can use herbs like chives or scallions to tie around protiens when grilling. this works great tying a piece of onion, water chestnut, or even fruit to a shrimp or chunk of fish about to be grilled.

i think i'll fire up the grill today, lol.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks (May 15, 2012)

Skittle68 said:


> The core is tough. I usually eat a few bites of it because that's actually where most of the vitamins are concentrated, but then I toss the rest.


The core is nice and chewy-crunchy, and probably has lots of good fiber. Some people pay extra and buy fiber to add to their diet.

Also, cooking makes the core more tender.

When you grill pineapple it should end up with good grill marks, i.e. caramelization of the sugar.


----------



## Skittle68 (May 15, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:
			
		

> The core is nice and chewy-crunchy, and probably has lots of good fiber. Some people pay extra and buy fiber to add to their diet.
> 
> Also, cooking makes the core more tender.
> 
> When you grill pineapple it should end up with good grill marks, i.e. caramelization of the sugar.



Ah I suppose the core would be quite a bit more tender cooked. I'll have to remember that next time  I always cut it off out of habit, since normally we would just eat it raw


----------



## Cerise (May 15, 2012)

One of the more creative dishes (along the line of beer can chicken), is chicken or chicken dinner in a bundt pan.  I've made it in the oven, since I don't have an outdoor grill; but think there are lots of possibilities for changing the dish out to make your own unique creation.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks (May 15, 2012)

It occurs to me that a Bundt meatloaf could be interesting too!


----------



## lyndalou (May 15, 2012)

Love the idea of the bundt pan meatloaf. maybe buy the smaller size pan for that?

Can I grill stone fruit or pineapple ahead of time and then serve it later with ice cream for a dinner party?


----------



## Greg Who Cooks (May 15, 2012)

lyndalou said:


> Love the idea of the bundt pan meatloaf. maybe buy the smaller size pan for that?


It never would have occurred to me if I hadn't read this topic. One really nice thing about meatloaf, you can make as little or as much as you want. In a way some stuffed hamburger patties are more or less little meatloafs. (Would that be meatloaves?)



lyndalou said:


> Can I grill stone fruit or pineapple ahead of time and then serve it later with ice cream for a dinner party?


Of course! I presume you'd split the stone fruit in half. I've seen many salsa recipes that rely on grilling the various vegetables and fruits that go into the recipe.

And grilled pineapple? I've already done that and served it with ice cream. It's delicious! The grilled pineapple has an interesting smoky taste and the caramelized sugar really adds flavor too!


----------



## lyndalou (May 16, 2012)

Thank you, G.G.


----------



## GotGarlic (May 16, 2012)

FrankZ said:


> Last year Kathleen talked me into grilling a head of romaine.  It smelled like pot while cooking, but the charred leaves we pretty good.



Rachael Ray has a recipe for grilled tuna served over grilled romaine that's really good. She serves it topped with bleu cheese salad dressing, which DH likes; I prefer Italian dressing.


----------



## Andy M. (May 16, 2012)

I once used my gas grill to strip the seasoning off of a carbon steel wok so I could redo it.  

I ran it full blast (lid closed) until the wok was clean.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks (May 17, 2012)

That's what I've done too, just experiment when you're grilling, particularly if you're grilling vegetables too. Go ahead and clean out those odd bits of vegetables you've been saving in the refrigerator, try them. Worst that can happen is that you'll taste them and discard them if they're not good. Best case is that you might find something new that tastes good grilled.

If you're grilling a whole chicken cut up, grill the giblets too. If nothing else they make good snacks for the grilling chef while he/she is minding the chicken. (Livers cook quickly, just add a bit of salt and they make nice snacks.)


----------



## 4meandthem (May 17, 2012)

Tater tots are better on the grill. You just need some foil or a grill pan so the don't stick or fall through.

I also like to toss some rosemary branches into the fire or on the lower grates to smoke a bit.


----------



## Skittle68 (May 17, 2012)

French fries and pizza are good on the grill too  and the second baking of twice baked potatoes- leaves a nice smoky taste. Yum!!


----------



## Cerise (May 17, 2012)

FrankZ said:


> Last year Kathleen talked me into grilling a head of romaine. It smelled like pot while cooking, but the charred leaves we pretty good.


 
Great with Buttermailk dressing (& bacon, if you're so inclined).


----------



## kadesma (May 17, 2012)

We have an artichoke that just keeps producing, so my daughter and I took some cut them in half after steaming  then put them in a marinade of white balsamic,crushed garlic, shallots finely minced, fresh shopped parsley, salt and pepper with a touch of Tabasco and Worchestershire. let them marinate overnight in the refrigerator. then put them on a med grill let them get lightly blackened then served them up. How good were they? They were really good. Planning a feast this weekend.
kadesma


----------



## Cerise (May 17, 2012)

Grilled eggplant parmesan pizza & grilled caesar salad pizzas are great on the grill.

When i get more practice with my indoor grills...

Grilled (shrimp) panzanella salad (on skewers) is on the list.

Grilled Shrimp Panzanella Salad Recipe | MyRecipes.com

Another interesting recipe...

Grilled Garlic Mussels:

Grilled garlic mussels


Or clams on the grill.


----------



## Paymaster (May 17, 2012)

Grilled peaches from last year. Butter and brown sugar in the seed/pit opening. Great with vanilla bean icecream!


----------



## Cerise (May 17, 2012)

Beautiful, PM!

Grilled Peach/Nectarine Sundaes with Blackberry Preserves on Slices of Poundcake:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f30/grilled-peach-nectarine-sundaes-79486.html


----------



## Greg Who Cooks (May 17, 2012)

Butter and brown sugar go together well!


----------



## Dawgluver (May 17, 2012)

Paymaster said:
			
		

> Grilled peaches from last year. Butter and brown sugar in the seed/pit opening. Great with vanilla bean icecream!



Ohhh.  That looks so good, PM!


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North (May 18, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> It would be interesting to have an example of something that wasn't good cooked by grilling. Okay maybe ice cream or something that melts.
> 
> I've cooked almost every vegetable I like on the grill, to good results. Okay I admit I never thought of romaine lettuce. I think cabbage would be good. I've heard of baking kale.
> 
> ...



Baked Bean Kabobs.  I want a picture of you putting the individual beans onto the skeweres, brushing them with sauce, and grilling them.

Ok, another no-no on the grill, hmmm, let me think, grilled okra.
Grilled Cucumber
Grilled celery
Grilled watermellon
Grilled summer hubbard squash slices

Just to name a few.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the Nrth


----------



## Skittle68 (May 18, 2012)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:
			
		

> Baked Bean Kabobs.  I want a picture of you putting the individual beans onto the skeweres, brushing them with sauce, and grilling them.
> 
> Ok, another no-no on the grill, hmmm, let me think, grilled okra.
> Grilled Cucumber
> ...



Hmm, grilled squash sounds good to me, and someone earlier said grilled watermelon wasn't bad


----------



## Cerise (May 18, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> It would be interesting to have an example of something that wasn't good cooked by grilling. Okay maybe ice cream or something that melts.
> 
> I've cooked almost every vegetable I like on the grill, to good results. Okay I admit I never thought of romaine lettuce. I think cabbage would be good. I've heard of baking kale.
> 
> ...


 
Everybody's talking *@* me.  I don't hear a word they're sayin'... LOL
Sorry, reminded me of a snobby SE site 

Luv Bok choy in any shape or form. Another fave is steamed salmon & bok choy.

Never thought of a bok choy salad.  Will put it on the list.  Have a recipe to share?


----------



## Claire (May 18, 2012)

I like to take spaghetti squash, pierce it a lot, then grill whole until it is almost blackened on each side.  Let cool, then do what you would anyway (seed, fork out the strands) and toss with a little olive oil and med type seasonings.  Come to think of it, haven't done it in a few years.

I pierce and grill eggplant whole then peel and make baba ganhouch (seen too many spellings to bother to try!).  Again, you practically blacken the skin.

When I grill pineapple, I just use a slight brushing of honey and use it as a side.

I was telling a vegan friend the various ways to make great dishes on the grill to add some ooomph to her cooking, and she loved it.  Hope she went home and tried some of them.


----------



## legend_018 (May 18, 2012)

I just finished cooking and eating some kabobs on the grill (red pepper, cod, pineapple, red onion). Yum


----------



## Skittle68 (May 19, 2012)

Right now I have wings, fries, and a cored apple with butter, brown sugar, and a little cinnamon on the grill. Yum!! I made home made sweet and sour sauce for my egg rolls at lunch so I'm going to use that on a couple of the wings. The rest are going to be buffalo style with my home made ranch. The bf doesn't know what he's missing


----------



## Skittle68 (May 19, 2012)

Mmmmm. I'm usually very partial to buffalo style, but the sweet and sour was so good I only ate one piece with the buffalo. 





I was hoping from the right angle you could see the steam coming off the apple, but no luck. It smells so good even golly was interested lol


----------



## Andy M. (May 19, 2012)

Skittles, the strong light source in the background fooled your camera into thinking your food didn't need as much light for proper exposure.


----------



## Skittle68 (May 19, 2012)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> Skittles, the strong light source in the background fooled your camera into thinking your food didn't need as much light for proper exposure.



Lol too bad I was too anxious to eat to worry about it too much  I had already eaten a couple before I remembered I wanted to take pictures.  But yes, I see you're right. The couch I was sitting on happens to face the sliding glass doors in the kitchen


----------



## love2"Q" (May 20, 2012)

meat loaf on the grill is great.. you dont need a pan .. just shape and put it on some tin foil .. poke holes in the foil to let the grease drain away ...


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North (May 21, 2012)

I'm suprized no one has said - Pizza on the Grill!  Pizza on the grill rivals pizza in a brick oven.  It is so good.  Top with your favorites, place on a pizza pan, or into a large CI pan.  Perfect flavor.  Of course, I'm talking a Webber Kettle, with good charcoal.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Skittle68 (May 21, 2012)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:
			
		

> I'm suprized no one has said - Pizza on the Grill!  Pizza on the grill rivals pizza in a brick oven.  It is so good.  Top with your favorites, place on a pizza pan, or into a large CI pan.  Perfect flavor.  Of course, I'm talking a Webber Kettle, with good charcoal.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



I said pizza on page 2


----------



## MostlyWater (May 21, 2012)

I'm soooo happy this is an exciting thread !!!


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North (May 21, 2012)

Skittle68 said:


> I said pizza on page 2



Oops.  You did say it on page 2.  Good job.  Sorry 'bout that.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Cerise (May 21, 2012)

See post #30 on page 3:



Cerise said:


> Grilled eggplant parmesan pizza & grilled caesar salad pizzas are great on the grill.
> 
> When i get more practice with my indoor grills...
> 
> ...


 
This is a lengthy thread with lots of ideas, but I too, sometimes miss a few posts ;-)


----------



## BigAL (May 21, 2012)

Bisquits are great on a smoker/grill.  I've made a couple apple pies on the smoker, too.  really good.

I'm too lazy to want to clean anything so it all goes on the smoker, iff possible.  

kale didn't work too good....maybe cause i forgot about it for an hr.

smoker/grill is like an oven, anything goes.  add a pan and it's like a stove top.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North (May 21, 2012)

Warning, the following may be controversial.  I tell it because it works, and my kids are proof.

A unique use for the grill.  Just as my munchkins started to crawl, I fired up the Webber Smokey Joe until it was as hot as it would get.  I then picked up teh child, and placed his or her little hand in mine, and moved it close enough to the bunrining embers that it was uncomfortable, but not yet dangerous.  I then pulled both of our hands away and said firmly, "Hot!").  I repeated the process two more times.  None of my children ever reached for anything that could burn them.  I simply pointed to whatever could be dangerous and said "HOT!)  I never pointed at something that wasn't hot and told them that it was.  They knew what hot meant, and stayed away.  A moment of discomfort saved them from the possibility of excruciating pain.

I've had my share of burns, some minor, one major.  I didn't want my kids to have to go through that.  The method worked.  It seems that the Barbecues are for more than just cooking food.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Skittle68 (May 21, 2012)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:
			
		

> Oops.  You did say it on page 2.  Good job.  Sorry 'bout that.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



That's ok- you were just going more in depth than I did


----------



## Grilltolive (Jun 10, 2012)

*Grilled cornbread cooked in a cabbage*

I came up with a pretty good one the other night. I was talking with someone about cornbread...cast iron vs Glass to cook it in. I am firmly in the cast iron camp HOWEVER..I decided to come up with in case I wanted cornbread and did not have a glass pan, an oven, or a Cast iron skillet .
I smoked a cabbage filled with my cornbread mixture...Had to go a little light on the milk to get it to set up right but it turned out great. Still tweaking it....had a great smoked flavor to it...


----------



## buckytom (Jun 10, 2012)

very interesting, g2l. that's a whole cabbage?  what kind?

care to share the recipe? tia.


----------



## Grilltolive (Jun 10, 2012)

Just a green cabbage ..and of course it was hollowed out a bit . Nothing special to the it .Just prep the cabbage and fill it with  your usual cornbread recipe ..just use a little less milk or whatever liquid you make yours with. The cabbage does not conduct the heat as well so it is harder to get the cornbread to set with a normal mix. Cook over indirect heat or smoke it ..start it early in the days cooking cause it takes a while.


----------



## Dawgluver (Jun 10, 2012)

This is intriguing!


----------

