Summer Grilling Favorites, just in the time for the Fourth of July!

 Spatchcock Chicked (Butterflied Chicken)

Craig and I just returned from a week long trip to Central Texas. In short, we had a great time. We had a chance to see my son, and meet his new friends (all with great approval).  We took a family trip to Texas Hill Country for a quick tour of San Antonio, New Braunfels and Austin Texas. 

We wanted to experience some Texas Barbeque, while we were there, and so we did. Our favorite kind of barbeque is smoked meat, and there are plenty of those places to be found wherever we visited. 

 Beef Brisket from a place in San Angelo, Texas

We tried some Texas smoked brisket and pulled pork. I don't want to mess with Texas-- but I'm going to be honest.  The places we tried were "good".  The brisket (pictured above) looks dry, but it actually wasn't.  It had that smokey taste we hoped for, and the barbeque sauce was quite good.

 Beef Brisket from our own backyard in Salinas, California

My husband and I agreed that our own Slow-Grilled Smoky Beef Brisket was just as good, and you can make this at home yourself.  (I think this is what we'll be making this weekend.)

We felt the same way about the pulled pork we had in Texas.  The Pulled Pork Recipe that we've been making for a few years, is just as good as any we had in Texas!  (I love the burnt ends... those crusty, charred bits. Yummy!)

Now, here's a cut of beef that isn't so easy to find in Texas-- and this is one of California's pride and joy.  Hello Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip!  

The night before, I prepare a paste of fresh garlic-salt-oil paste, and seal it with plastic wrap.  Salt & Pepper are the only added seasonings.

We like ours medium-rare-- but I won't judge if you like yours more well done.  I like to layer mine on some garlic bread and enjoy it with a side of pinto beans.

 

These Grilled Steakhouse Tips are one of my personal all time favorite recipes.  This recipes uses an inexpensive cut of steak, and caramelizes beautifully from the brown-sugar that's in this easy marinade. 

This Smoky Grilled Chicken is brined for an hour with a combination of sugar and salt.  It is then slow-grilled for about 1-1/2 hours with wood chips-- yielding a beautiful golden brown color with plenty of smoky flavor.

We've made this Spatchcock Chicken several times.  I prepare the chicken with plenty of lemon slices and rosemary with an aromatic garlic paste that is rubbed under the skin (and chilled for about an hour).  The skin turns out crunchy and flavorful-- and the chicken is really moist.

 

This Cedar Planked Salmon with Tarragon Herbs is also a memorable summer grilling recipe.

Last, but certainly not lease, is this Chinese/Asian-Style Glazed Grilled Pork Tenderloin recipe.

There are plenty of other grilling recipe ideas on my Recipe Index, but these are a few of our very favorites.  We will be hosting a small gathering of friends and family this weekend, that always gives us a chance to fire up our grill.

So, we toast you, Texas!  We only got to see a teeny tiny section of this huge state.  I will say that the Texas hospitality we received exceeded our expectations.   My son will be living there for at least a few years, as he completes his electrician apprentice program.  That just means that we'll be visiting there again.  The next time, we will visit in the Spring-- where the temperatures are a bit cooler, as we are used to on the Central Coast of California.  Hopefully, I get to try some Bluebell Ice Cream (which was on "recall") and some Texas Pecan Pie-- both of which eluded me this time.

I'm on summer break for three more weeks-- and this time, I really and truly hope to be posting recipes more often.

Happy 4th of July!