Best Burger Ever

 Easiest burger ever

I've read a lot on cooking sites about the "smashed" burgers, so I got to do my own version.

Guys, it's so good and easy. 

Get some freshly ground beef; in a perfect world, it should be 30% fat or more. You can spend the money on "ground chuck," but it, as a rule, only has 20% fat, not enough fat for this kid. Talk to your butcher. At 30% fat, you have a scrumptious burger.

Ingredients:

• Ground Beef (30% fat)
• Larry's Seasoning salt (or just salt)
• Avacado oil

Preferably, use a cast iron frying pan on the side burner of your BBQ; no side burner, just put the pan on the BBQ itself. Put a bit of oil in the pan and wipe it just to get coated. Turn up and get the frying pan "searing-smoking" hot.

While the pan is warming up, pour a bit of oil on a dinner plate. Make a small ball out of the ground beef, set it on a cutting board and press down with a metal or plastic flat spatula to about 3/8 of an inch.

Flip it into the avocado oil and coat on both sides. I do 3-4 burgers at the same time, depending on the crowd. Then flip the burgers onto the pan and listen to the beautiful sound it makes... about a minute or two on each side. I like my burger about medium.

I served this up with some homemade leftover "Pico de Gallo" that I made last weekend, with fire-roasted peppers (yummy)... add a bit of Gruyere cheese on top of the burger as soon as it comes off the pan... oh so good.

Serve up with your favourite beer, wine or whatever...

Enjoy

Grilled Pinapple

 Pineapple on the BBQ

Pineapple is so good fresh, but do not forget to stick it on the BBQ every so often. Right now fresh whole pineapple is on sale in many stores and it goes with just about anything you cook up, especially if you stick it on the grill for a few minutes.

BBQ'ed Pineapple

Over Easter, we had grilled pineapple with the smoked turkey and it was divine. The other day when we cooked up some hamburger we also had some grilled to go with it. 

Grilled Pineapple on the BBQ

Further, grill it, chop it up in bite-size pieces and stick a scope of ice cream on top. Scrumptious!

I quarter the pineapple then stick it on a really hot grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side for a total of 6-8 minutes.

Tinfoil Cooking now available on Amazon

Tinfoil Cooking; RV Cookbook

Tinfoil Cooking is the ultimate cookbook for the outdoors. Easy cooking for Camping, RV'ing, Boating and at home. Delicious meals with very few or NO DISHES! 

This book is for RV'ers, boaters, campers and at home. Easy to follow recipes that everyone can use.

Wow, it has been a fun journey getting this book up on Amazon. I sure have learned a lot about publishing. Not as easy as one might think.

Front Cover of Tinfoil Cooking

If you are looking to make your camping or boating trips a bit easier then this books is for you. 

Do you dread having a whole bunch of dishes to clean up when you are out camping or boating or even at home? Then this book is for you. Actually, it’s a silly question — of course, you do, no one wants to do dishes and clean up the big mess left behind when you cook up a big meal.

If you are like me and want to simplify the whole cooking process without sacrificing on flavour, then this book is for you.

If you like to cook up the tenderest ribs ever, then this book is for you?

If you like to make the best-tasting vegetables supercharged with flavour, then this book is for you.

If you like to cook up some pasta without a pot and without steaming up your whole camper or boat, then this book is for you. You can even cook the pasta over a campfire.

Back Cover of Tinfoil Cooking

Do you enjoy freshly baked artisan bread with your breakfast, lunch or dinner? No kneading required. Then this book is for you.

I truly hope you enjoy the recipes in this book so you can spend more time with family and friends and less time washing dishes.

Amazon #1 Best Seller in outdoor cooking.

My book is available on Amazon in all countries that Amazon operates in. For ease of ordering, here are some links, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Amazon.de and Amazon.co.uk.  You can also search the book Tinfoil Cooking or my name Anders Treiberg on your favourite Amazon site. Please NOTE, you do not need an e-reader for the digital version, you can download a free app here.

Enjoy,

Anders

Anders' BBQ Ribs

Pork Ribs on the BBQ

BBQ'd ribs in the summer is one easy and great meal. I know my grand children just love to dig into some nice and tender ribs.

What I have found works best, is to first boil the ribs. I do that on the side burner of the BBQ.

Here are the ingredients:

• Pork ribs (6-8 ribs per person)
• 2 tsp (10 ml) salt
• BBQ sauce (home made)

First, fill a large pot with water and add the salt and the ribs. Depending on the size of the ribs I cut them into pieces of 2-4 ribs. Boil on the side burner for 1-1½ hrs, they should be very tender but not completely fall apart. When you cook them, you might get a bit of foam, skim that off into a bowl and discard.

Once they are boiled and tender, drain and leave in a colander for a few minutes. After that, smother each piece in BBQ sauce as you add them to the hot BBQ. You will only need to BBQ them for about a minute or two on each side.

Regarding the BBQ sauce:  many people have asked me for a recipe, but I make it different every time. I will get my act together and measure the ingredients one day. I usually start with Ketchup, add some Maple Syrup, Niko or Teriyaki sauce, a bit of  Worcestershire Sauce, liquid smoke, lots of garlic powder or use fresh garlic and most of the time some kind of fruit or jam.... you see anything goes, just mix what you got in the fridge and there it is. Good luck.

Wine Pairing and Recommendations:

I think here I would go with a wonderful wine from Spain. Try the Manyana, it is bright red, easy drinking, fruit driven wine with herbal aromas and flavors bursting with ripe strawberries and plums.

For a white wine, try a Pinot Gris from Tinhorn Creek. This wine has a symphony of citrus fruits intermingled with peach and apple lingering on the palate.

Kiss the cook,

Anders

Leg of Lamb

Lamb Roast or Leg of Lamb

If you can get some local lamb meat it is by far the best. Here in BC many of the Gulf Islands grow some fantastic lamb.

The way I cook my leg of lamb is very similar to the way I cook my Rack of Lamb. What I mean with that is, I use rosemary and garlic in the same manner that I do with the Rack of Lamb. I will explain below.

Here area the ingredients:

• 2 Kg (4.5 lbs) lamb roast
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• fresh rosemary
• Montreal Chicken Spice (made by Club House) or some other rub.

Make cuts with a small knife and push in a piece of garlic (about a ¼ of a clove) followed by some fresh rosemary or do them both together. With a 2 Kg roast I would do this approximately  8-10 inserts. Sprinkle the Spice or rub all over the roast and rub it into the meat.

Roast in the hot 450°F oven for 30-40 minutes per pound. Use a meat thermometer to roast to desired doneness.

You can also cook this beast on the BBQ. Bring the BBQ up to heat and then cook over indirect heat. Indirect heat: the burner just below the roast is turned off. This way you will not get all the flare ups, remember the lamb meat can be pretty fatty.

Let the roast sit for 20-30 minutes before carving.

Wine Pairing and Recommendation: 

For lamb I prefer a Zinfandel, try "The 7 Deadly Zins", check out my review on this wine.

Bon Appetit,

Anders

Anders' Recipe for BBQ'd Striploin Steak

BBQ Striploin Recipe

The Striploin steak if probably my favourite cut. Striploin has many names, like New York Steak or Strip Steak to name a few. It is very tender and sits right next to the beef tender loin (Fillet Mignon). Together the Striploin and the tenderloin makes up the T-Bone steak.

Striploin Steaks Should be at Least One Inch Thick.

Everyone has a favorite way to BBQ their steak and guess what, so do I. First of all, go to your local butcher and order the steaks cut.

I have found if you order them and have them cut to your specification, often you get a better steak. The steak should be a minimum of one inch (25 mm) thick. I really like mine about 1¼ inch (32mm) thick.

I take my steaks out of the fridge one to two hours prior to cooking. I have found that if you cook the steak right out of the fridge, it does not have as much flavour and does not cook as even.

A good cut of meat like this does not need much as far as spice go, maybe just a bit of "Montreal Steak Spice" or just a bit of salt and pepper.

Your BBQ should be very hot, close to 500 F or 260 C. Put your steaks on the grill turning once half way through the cooking time. I like to move my steaks 45° after a few minutes to get the different grill marks on them.

The approximate cooking times (this depends on your BBQ and outside temperature and wind) are as follows:

• Rare 3 - 4 minutes on each side
• Medium 5 - 6 minutes on each side
• Well done 7 - 8 minutes on each side

Grilled Striploin Steaks

Keep in mind the above is just a guide, it depends on so many things. After you have BBQ'd a few times, you will be able to tell by how soft the steak is, how well it is cooked.

A good cut of meat like this should not be cooked well done in my opinion.  The important part of BBQ'd meat is to let the meat sit at least 10 minutes on a grooved cutting board after you take it off the BBQ.

The meat will continue to cook another 2-4°. Serve with steamed or grilled vegetables. Steamed asparagus goes great and maybe a baked potato.

Wine Pairing and Recommendation:

For a great cut of meat like Striploin one should drink a good hardy Cabernet Sauvignon. Try a Jackson Triggs Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc blend from the Okanagan Valley in BC, Canada.

You can try a Chilean Errazuriz Max Reserva , its a great wine with loads of tannins. If you want more body and a big wine try a full-bodied Italian wine produced from the Primitivo grapes; a 2005 Primitivo di Manduria “Tradizione del Nonno” or in English “Tradition of the Grand Father” from the Pichierri Winery in the Puglia region of Italy; This wine is incredible.

If you need more info on other wines you can go to a really neat website of Natalie Maclean a famous Wine Tasting Expert that have some interesting suggestions on her website. Check it out.

Kiss the Cook,

Anders

My New "Jackson Grills" BBQ

I'm Impressed with the New Jackson Grills BBQ

Jackson Grills Gas Grills

So I went out and bought myself a new BBQ. I have been looking for a while and looked at many different brands; like Weber, Vermont Castings, Napoleon, Broil King, just to name a few. There are a lot of them out there so it's not an easy task.

This time I just wanted one for the Condo. So in other words not as big as the BBQ we have up at the Beach House.

One BBQ that has caught my eyes for a while is the Jackson Grills. It looks great, has an ligniter for each burner, came with a rotisserie, light and a cover.

Last BBQ I bought (can't even remember the name), I had to purchase the cover etc. extra.

Jackson Grills Stainless Steel BBQ

A bit of back ground of Jackson Grills was founded in 1999.

Over the years Jackson Grills has grown to be one of Canada's leading Specialty Grill Manufacturers.

The company manufactures a high end product for every application assuring there's a grill for every event.

From Built In Outdoor Luxury Kitchens, to beautifully sculpted Cart models as well as their famous Versa Series portables grills.

Rotisserie with a lamp.

The production facility is located in beautiful British Columbia. The West Coast of BC is an ideal test ground for any stainless steel product. The harsh salt air climate will show what it is made off.

Tonight was the big night to see how it performed. Well, it's the best BBQ I have used so far.

I BBQ'd two Sterling Silver Strip Loins and they were cooked to perfection.  Will keep you posted on the performance in the months to come.

Kiss the Cook,

Anders

Jeanette's Stuffed Pork Loin

Stuffed Pork Loin Recipe

Cut Dried Fruit in to Small Pieces.

This recipe comes from my good friend Jeanette.

Jeanette is a fantastic cook, and she is also one of my greatest contributors to the blog.

This pork loin recipe takes a bit of time to make. However it is well worth the extra work.



Here are the ingredients for this  recipe.

Meat:

• 1-2 Pork Loin

Stuffing:

• 4 dried pears
• 4-6 dried apricots
• 4 dried prunes, figs etc

Honey & Soy Marinade:

• ½ Cup honey
• ½ Cup white wine
• ¼ Cup soy sauce
• ¼ Cup oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh rosemary sprigs or other herbs of choice

Stuff Pork Loin

Put Pork Loin in to Zip Lock Bag With Marinade

Carefully insert narrow knife lengthwise into the pork loin (from each end) to create a small opening.

With the end of a wooden spoon, gently push each piece of fruit into the opening…about 2-3 pieces for each side.

Combine all ingredients of the marinade and pour over stuffed pork loin in a zip lock bag.  Refrigerate for 4+ hours turning occasionally.

Barbecue (or cook in oven) on med/low until done…slice diagonally and serve with rice, hassleback potatoes or salad.

Wine Pairing and Recommendation:

Since I’m really big on red wines, I would probably go with a Merlot such as Wyndham Estate “Bin 999″ Merlot.

Kiss the Cook,

Anders

Stirfried Vegetables on The BBQ

Anders Veggies on The BBQ

Vegetables Mixed With Herbs.

Fresh vegetables stir-fried on the BBQ is a great and easy way to keep the mess out of the kitchen. Stir-frying adds some delicious extra flavours.

You can use what ever vegetables you can get fresh at the local market.

Just make sure to cut them so they are of the same thickness. This way the cooking time is more or less the same.


Here are the suggested ingredients:

• 2 sweet medium size Red Peppers
• 1 sweet medium size Green Pepper
• 10 sprigs of Asparagus
• 2 tbs (30ml) Canola Oil
• 2-3 tbsp (30-45ml) of fresh or dried herbs (any combo is fine, like Greek salad seasoning, Italian seasoning. There are lots of different kinds at the local market, alternatively you can use fresh herbs as well, but I prefer dried ones for this recipe)

Vegetables in The Wok on The BBQ

Into a bowl, cut each pepper into about 10-12 pieces and cut the asparagus sprigs in half or maybe into 3 pieces each max.


Add the Canola Oil and toss to coat all vegetables, then sprinkle in the dried herbs while tossing.




Let mixture marinate for about 2-3 hours if you have time and then but them in the BBQ Wok and cook under medium heat for about 5 minutes tossing them so they don't get burned.

Do not over cook, they should still be crisp, Remember the veggies will continue to cook for a while once removed from the heat.

The BBQ might flare up while cooking, if it does, just remove the wok or use a spray bottle with water to eliminate the flare up.

Serve with your favourite steak like my Strip Loin Recipe or seafood, it actually goes with anything.

Kiss the Cook,

Anders

Chicken Thighs on The BBQ - Anders Easy Recipe

The Easy Recipe For Chicken On The BBQ

Here we got an easy way to do chicken on the BBQ. You can of course do this on in a pan as well, but with a lot more mess.

The ingredients are:

• Boneless chicken thighs (3-5 pce per person, makes great left over chicken salad)
• Club House - Montreal Chicken Spice (also great for pork)

The Montreal Chicken Spice and Montreal Steak Spice (by Club House) are two blended spice I always keep lots off around our place.

OK, back to the recipe, trim off any excess fat that might be on the chicken thighs, then sprinkle one side with Montreal Chicken Spice. Note, both sides will make it to strong in my opinion.

Cook the chicken over medium heat on the BBQ. I close the lid for a little bit but mostly open. The chicken cook fairly fast so try not to over cook.

Once cooked, remove from heat and let sit for five minutes before serving. This is a great recipe that goes well with any type of salad.

Wine Pairing and Recommendations:

Actually a good apple cider goes well with chicken thighs, like Broken Ladder by BC Tree Fruits Cider Company.  You can also try a crisp chilled glass of Pinot Gris like Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery . Any Pinot Gris is fine. Do not serve to cold, just chilled a bit.

You can also have a good red British Columbia wine like, Gray Monk Pinot Noir or Calona-Vienyards Artist Series Pinot Noir. Further a Grand Pinot from Lang Vineyards will also work.

Kiss the cook,

Anders

Anders' Slow Cooked Prime Rib Roast Beef Recipe

Prime Rib Roast Beef Recipe - The Slow Way

This recipe is so easy anyone can do it. It can be made on the BBQ or in the oven for better control of the temperature. All you need is a bit of time and lots of patience.

Slow cooking a roast is an easy and care free way of cooking and really the only way to cook a nice Prime Rib. Now worries about burning or over cooking.

The ingredients are as follows:

• Roast Beef
• Montreal Steak Spice

Rib Eye Roast

Browning a Rib Eye Roast

Rib Eye Roast

That's it. Let's get started.

Optional. If you have a Prime Rib Roast with the ribs in it, then cut the strings and cut nicely away the roast from the ribs. Once you have done this, tie the ribs back to the roast with butcher twine. This is so when the roast is cooked you can just cut the twine and easily carve the roast.

Get a nice cut of beef like a prime rib and brown the roast over high heat. This is best done in a cast iron skillet on your side burner of the BBQ. Can also be done on the BBQ like in the pictures below. Just be carful on the BBQ, if you have butcher twine on the roast they will easily break or burn when on the BBQ.

When the BBQ or pan is up to heat put the roast on turning it every minute or so and get all the sides brown. Don't worry about if it flares up a bit, just keep moving it and don't burn your self. Use tongs to do this, not a fork. A roast should always be handled with tongs.

You can do the browning an third way; inside on the stove. The way you do this is to first turn the fan on high (it will smoke and splatter a bit) use a large pot, add about 1/8 of an inch of canola oil and 2 tbs of butter, get it good and hot then put the roast in and rotate it until it is brown all the way around.

You do not have to do the browning but it does seal in some of the moister and flavour. After the browning of the roast, put it in a roasting pan in the oven (can also be done on the BBQ, cooking in-direct, but it's easier to control the heat in the oven) at  180° F or 80° C.

Leave the roast in there for 4 - 12 hrs depending on the size of the roast. A 2 Kg roast will take around 4 hrs give or take. You can now do what ever else for chores or prep work you have to do, just forget about the roast. For a big roast it will take a lot longer, like 6-8 hrs or more.

I know you will go and look at it after a couple of hours and you will think that nothing is happening, but trust me it is. After about 4hrs or so use a meat thermometer and check for desired donness. About 140° F / 60° C for Rare, 160° F / 70° C for medium. Cooking a Prime Rib any more then medium is really illegal in my books.

When you slow cook a roast to medium for example, it will medium from the the outside to the center. Beautiful.

Once it is cooked remove from heat and put it on a cutting board, sprinkle with salt and let rest under tinfoil for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting.

A tasty option with this recipe is to insert a few halved cloves of garlic in to the roast beef before browning. This will also give fantastic taste.

Serve your roast beef with whatever your heart desires, carving at the table. Left over roast beef can be used in many ways

Wine Pairing and Recommendations:

For a roast beef, red is the only wine in my books. A good hardy Cabernet Sauvignon like Jackson Triggs from BC, Canada or try a Chillian Errazuriz Max Reserva.  If you want more body and a big wine try a full-bodied Italian wine produced from the Primitivo grapes; a Pichierri, Primitibo di Manduria "Tradizione del Nonno" or in English "Tradition of the Grand Father". If you can get your hands on a Sicilian wine, Planeta La Segreta Sicilia is great value and goes fantastic with roast beef.

Good Luck.

Kiss the Cook,

Anders

BBQ'd Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Mustard Rub

Pork Tenderloin Recipe for the BBQ

Here is an easy way to cook up a pork tenderloin and at the same time impress your friends. Pork tenderloin is very affordable and freezes well. You can use pork tenderloin for many different recipes and it is great left overs.

 There are very few ingredients in this  pork tenderloin recipe.

Here are the ingredients:

• One whole pork tenderloin (feeds 2-3)
• 2 tbs of Dijon mustard
• 1tbs of minced (chopped very fine) fresh rosemary

First turn on your BBQ.

Wash the pork tenderloin under cold water. Pad dry with paper towel and trim off any fat or strings. Put loin on a large plate or cutting board. Mix together the mustard and the minced rosemary. Spread the mustard mix all over the loin.

The bbq should now be up to heat. Add the loin to the bbq and turn the burner directly underneath down to low, keep the others on high. Keep turning the loin to cook all away around.

Most important with pork tenderloin is not to over cook, it will be very dry. Use a cooking thermometer. The way I cook pork tenderloin is to a inside temperature of 60 C (around 140 F give or take). Most people will over cook pork tenderloin and then it will really dry out. You can also broil this in the oven if you wish.

When cooked, remove to a cutting board and let rest for 5-10 minutes under tinfoil before cutting at the table. Looks great. Serve with rice, pasta, or just steamed asparagus or sugar snap peas and mushrooms. Anything goes.

Wine Pairing and Recommendations:

Pork Tenderloin goes nicely with a Merlot like Wyndham Estate Bin 999 or if you want something with more tannins and more affordable try Caliterra Merlot. Enjoy.

Kiss the cook,

Anders

Anders' Rack of Lamb Recipe - Recipe for the BBQ

BBQ a Rack of Lamb

A great way to cook up a rack of lamb is to do it on the BBQ. One of my old favourites is to cook it with indirect heat. Meaning that you first bring the BBQ up to heat, then turn off the burner (s) that will be right under the rack. This pretty well eliminates flare-ups and the rack cooks very nicely.

Ingredients for the recipe are few:

• Half a rack of lamb per person (about 4-5 ribs)
• Fresh Rosemary
• Fresh Garlic
• That's it.... easy right?

Rosemary

Slivers of garlic and rosemary

Take the fresh rosemary and strip it from the stalk. Then peel 2-3 cloves of garlic and quarter each clove lengthwise.

Take the rack of lamb and wash it off under cold water. Pad dry with paper towel. Trim off any excess fat, there should be some on it.

Take a small sharp knife and cut into the loin between each rib and then push a piece of garlic in followed by some rosemary. This will add fantastic flavour to your rack of lamb.

Repeat this for every rib. It is a bit of work, but pour yourself a glass of wine and you will get through it. I saw one logo I like "Wine a bit, it helps"

You're almost done. Now grab some tinfoil and wrap each rib - tip with it. This will help it from getting burnt on the BBQ.

Now is a good time to turn on the BBQ to high heat.  Once up to high heat turn off one or two of the burners depending on the size of your BBQ. If you can turn off one in the middle it is best.

Cut a slit between ribs

Stuff garlic and rosemary between each rib.

Wrap each rib/bone end with tin foil to avoid burn

To enhance the flavour, even more, you can add some smoking chips, this is optional though. 

An easy way to do this is to take a handful of smoking chips, say Hickory and soak them for at least ½ hr in water. One to two hours would be preferred.

Then put them on a sheet of tinfoil and wrap it up. Poke 2 or 3 holes in the foil on top so the smoke can come out. Put the foil on one of the burners on the BBQ and it will start smoking in no time.

Now put the rack on the BBQ with the burner that is directly under the rack turned off for indirect cooking. You will probably need to have the other burners on at high or close to it.

It is hard to cook a rack of lamb without indirect cooking. The meat is fatty and it will flare up a lot.

Indirect cooking will eliminate this.

Cook about 30 minutes, turning over after 15 minutes for medium. Cook with the lid closed.

Depending on your BBQ it could take up to 40 minutes for medium.

Once cooked, remove from BBQ, sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and let sit on a cutting board for 10 minutes before cutting, covered with tin foil.

Use a good sharp knife to cut the rack. Serve with rice, potatoes, pasta or whatever you like and some vegetables like Sugar Snap Peas and Mushrooms.
This recipe is very easy and your guests will be impressed when you cut the meat at the table. Good luck.

Wine Pairing and Recommendation:

With a rack of lamb, I like a nice full-bodied wine like a Zinfandel from Lodi Vineyards, The 7 Deadly Zins. You can also go with any other robust wine like a Chianti Classico or a Carmenere from Chili.

Kiss the cook,

Anders