'Meal on the Grill' Recipes
Make your entire meal -- start-to-finish -- on the grill. With these easy-to-make, time-saving summer recipes, you can whip up delicious side dishes alongside your meat, so you can grill and entertain guests at the same time.
By Robyn Medlin, GrillGrrrl.com
Apricot Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients (Serves 4):
2 (1 lb) pork tenderloins, fat trimmed off
Spice Rub:
1 tbsp chipotle powder (or other type chili powder)
1 tbsp garlic powder
½ tbsp turbinado or brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
Glaze:
1 ½ cups apricot preserves (fun variations would be: peach, guava)
½ cup BBQ sauce (I prefer Stubb's)
1-2 tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely minced garlic (1 tsp garlic powder can be substituted)
½ teaspoon hot sauce
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon lime zest
Directions:
Combine spice rub ingredients in a jar or Tupperware container and shake until the mixture is uniform.
Rub spice mixture onto the pork tenderloins and let the tenderloins marinate in the rub mixture for at least 2 hours and maximum 24 hours.
Before Grilling- Apricot Glaze:
Melt preserves in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add additional ingredients. Reserve half of the glaze in a bowl to use later. The remaining glaze in the pot will be used to glaze the pork.
Prepare the grill to medium high heat (375 degrees+). Grill the pork for 15-20 minutes, in the last 4 minutes, put the glaze on the pork and let grill 2 minutes each side. Using an instant read thermometer, check to ensure internal temp has reached 160 degrees. Take off the meat and tent it for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining glaze.
Grilled Romaine Hearts
Serves 3-4
Grilling romaine is a super-easy way to get a ton of flavor without needing to add a lot of ingredients. The grill adds a nice smoky char to the hearts, while helping them wilt and caramelize. They're the perfect addition to your favorite meat on the grill, and you can put them on during the last 7-10 minutes of the pork tenderloin grilling time.
Ingredients:
3 Romaine Hearts
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Prepare grill for direct heat, medium temperature, about 350 degrees.
Rinse romaine hearts and pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle in olive oil. Add generous amounts of salt and pepper.
Grill the romaine hearts for 3-5 minutes per side, or until char marks form and lettuce begins to wilt.
Serve with generous amount of fresh grated parmesan or hard cheese.
Basil Butter Texas Toast
Texas Toast on the grill is always a crowd pleaser. Put the bread on near the end of grilling the tenderloin and romaine until it forms char marks on both sides.
Ingredients:
1 large baguette, sliced into 2" pieces
1 batch compound butter (recipe below)
Directions:
Take a loaf of your favorite type of bread and slice 4-6 (or more depending on how many pieces you want to make) 2" inch pieces. Spread them generously with the compound butter.
While grilling your other items (tenderloin and romaine) put your toast slices on the top shelf of the grill. They will get toasted from the heat of the grill. If your grill doesn't have a "top" shelf then put the bread on indirect heat on the grill.
Texas Toast is done when the bread starts to get slight grill marks and butter turns golden brown. Bread can be put directly on the grates for quick grilling but watch them so they don't burn!
Basil Compound Butter
A compound butter is simply butter whipped together with your favorite ingredients. Get creative and use your own herb/ingredient combination to complement your meal.
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
3 garlic cloves
1 heaping tablespoon of fresh basil
Sea salt to taste
Directions:
Let butter come to room temperature. DO NOT melt in the microwave, it will change the texture of the butter. Combine butter and the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to puree the ingredients. Put in an easy to access container and store in the refrigerator.
Congratulations, you just made your first compound butter!
