Deep South Dining: Red, White, & BBQ!

No matter where you are on the 4th of July, barbecue will probably be within reach. Its just something how the smell from a grill can spark up nostalgia. On this episode of Deep South Dining we are talking about all the times barbecue has brought joy to your life. Championship grill master, Trudy Fisher joins the show to share her tips on cooking meat and talks about how Mississippi has a grilling style all its own. And no Mississippi barbecue conversation is complete without a stop by the institution E&L Barbecue.

Tru-que

Pork Tenderloin & Grilled Corn Salad

Grilled Corn Salad

By Trudy Fisher

Ingredients:

8 ears of fresh corn, shucked and cleaned

Directions:

Place corn over medium hot fire and let corn cook until begins to char and turn so that most of the kernels are directly over fire. Not all the kernels will char, but you want at least half of them to. 

Turn corn every 2-3 minutes so it will char on all sides. This takes about 15 minutes to grill the corn, depending on how hot your fire is. Remove corn and cover with foil which allows corn to steam and maintain moisture. 

Once corn is cool, use a knife to cut kernels off the cob. Add salt and pepper to taste, chopped fresh basil and lightly toss in olive oil. This is always a crowd favorite. You can add whatever vegetables and herbs you like. Chopped red bell pepper adds color as does chopped purple onion. For a Mexican meal, use cilantro instead of basil and add dash of cumin.

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Tru-Que Vinegar Sauce

By Trudy Fisher

Ingredients:

½ cup water½ cup brown sugar¼ cup Worcestershire sauce¼ cup yellow mustard¼ cup ketchup2 T black pepper3 cups red wine vinegar (champagne vinegar can be used for smoother taste)1 cup white wine vinegar2 T preferred hot sauce (or to taste)

Directions:

Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes. Store in glass container. Great on pulled pork, pork chops and pulled turkey. Vinegar sauce also can be added to your favorite store brand BBQ sauce to enhance flavor and make a thinner sauce.

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Grilled Ratatouille With Goat Cheese

Melissa Clark For the New York Times

Ingredients:

1 white onion (about 8 ounces), peeled and halved lengthwise through the root2 lemons, halved, seeds removed1 yellow or orange bell pepper (about 8 ounces), halved lengthwise, stem and seeds removed1 red bell pepper (about 8 ounces), halved lengthwise, stem and seeds removed2 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces each), sliced lengthwise 1/2-inch thick2 medium eggplant (about 10 ounces each), sliced lengthwise 1/2-inch thick8 slices crusty bread2 to 3 large garlic cloves, peeled6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed¼ cup chopped fresh basil2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, more for garnish½ teaspoon kosher sea salt, more to tasteBlack pepper, to taste8 ounces soft, fresh goat cheeseFlaky sea salt, for servingDirections:

1.   Heat the grill. Place vegetables and lemon on grill, making sure onion and lemons are cut side down, and cover. Grill lemon halves until lightly caramelized, 3 to 5 minutes total. Grill onion until it is heavily charred, about 7 to 15 minutes total. Grill peppers, zucchini and eggplant until charred and very soft, about 3 to 8 minutes per side total. Transfer to a cutting board. 

2.   Grill bread until lightly charred and toasted, about 1 minute per side. Halve one or two of the garlic cloves and rub cut sides on the grilled bread. Mince remaining garlic clove and set aside.

3.   Chop vegetables into bite-size pieces and transfer to a large bowl; toss with the juice of 3 of the grilled lemon halves, the minced garlic, olive oil, basil, thyme leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some black pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings as needed, adding more lemon juice (from remaining lemon half), salt or oil, or both, as needed. Set aside.

4.   To serve, arrange ratatouille, grilled bread and goat cheese on a large platter. Sprinkle thyme leaves, pepper and flaky salt over goat cheese. Or spread goat cheese on toasts, sprinkle with thyme, pepper and flaky sea salt, then top with some of the ratatouille to make crostini. 

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Tru-Que Smoked Pulled Turkey

By Trudy Fisher

Purchase a frozen turkey breast between 6-8 pounds.

For your first attempt, try to find one closer to 6 pounds ( shorter cooking time). Be sure and plan time for turkey breast to thaw – can take 2 days to thaw in refrigerator. Rinse turkey breast and pat dry. Using a disposable aluminum pan, liberally season turkey breast with garlic salt, salt and your favorite BBQ dry rub. Be sure and pull skin loose so you can apply seasonings directly on the meat and also on the skin. Place the turkey breast side down – this allows the meat to baste in the juices while cooking. It is best to let the seasonings and turkey rest in refrigerator at least an hour before smoking.

While resting in refrigerator, start your charcoal. This needs to be cooked with indirect heat, so start your fire on the far side of your grill. While it depends on type of grill you have, I usually use about 10-15 briquettes to maintain a temperature of around 250- 300 degrees on my Weber kettle grill. Once fire is ready, put ¼ stick of butter in breast cavity and ¼ stick butter in bottom of pan.  Add wood chips or whatever wood using to fire and place aluminum pan on opposite side of fire. Cover grill and check fire temperature after an hour of cooking. I typically add several pieces of lump charcoal to fire during cooking process. If turkey begins to look to dark, loosely cover with foil and let continue cooking. A 6-7 pound turkey breast usually takes 3-4 hours to smoke at this lower temperature. The turkey is done when registers 150 on meat thermometer at thickest part of breast.

Remove turkey from grill and cover tightly with foil, let rest until it cools to point comfortable for you to handle ( if you can!) Your hands are the best tools in your kitchen, so pull the skin off and pull the breast meat off the bone. While it is warm, the turkey will “pull” similar to pulled pork. Be sure and dredge the pulled turkey in the pan juices – this adds flavor and moisture. You can always add sprinkling of your dry rub on pulled turkey if you want to. You can serve as pulled turkey sandwich with slaw and a white BBQ sauce, available at most grocery stores.

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