Grilling and You ...

Summertime, and for some (Dylan) even the dead of winter, is the best time for grilling.  There is something truly visceral about stepping outside, exerting your dominion over fire, feeling the wind on your face, and of course cracking open a beer!  We feel connected to our food.  And yes there is also that connection to an intricate meal that was perfectly prepared indoors ... but this is different.  This is carnal.  We are cavemen.  This is GRILLING!

Ever since our South Boston roof deck grill became "legal" by converting it to natural gas and having it hooked into the house gas-line (I think the legality has something to do with holding that ticking time bomb of a propane tank on a city roof ...) I have been obsessed with grilling everything and anything.  Meat, Fish, Vegetables, Cedar Planks, Par-Baked Breads, Searing, Roasting ... you name it and I've probably tried to grill it.  Heck, I have even grilled Dylan's famous spinach and artichoke dip!

Now I know that in Texas when you grill you think beef, but for this post I'm going the Carolina route and I'm talking about grilling pork.  If you think back to the colonial days, when pigs and cattle were the main sources of meat imported to the growing american colonies, there were a lot of slaves to be fed in the Carolinas.  One of the reasons that pork was so popular in that region at that time was due to the fact that pigs, unlike cows, were valued for being such low-maintenance animals.  Two great things about fast forwarding to today ... no more slavery AND we love to grill pork!

Grilled Pork Loin

Ingredients:

1 meat thermometer

1 roll of butchers twine

1 medium pork loin (5 lbs)

1 Tbl garlic

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp salt

2 tsp cracked black pepper

2 tsp chopped thyme

2 Tbl chopped rosemary

1-2 Tbl truffle oil

Directions:

You want to rinse and pat your pork loin dry with a paper towel or two before laying it down on your PLASTIC cutting board that is never used for food you will eat raw.  In my home, and most restaurants, all foods that are consumed raw like veggies and cheeses or previously cooked meats that pose no threat of contamination can be placed on wooden cutting boards.  Anything that has a harmful "bug" in it like raw meats and fish GO ON A PLASTIC CUTTING BOARD and placed into the dishwasher afterwards! Ok ... I'll stop yelling at you.  Now that you have your cleaned loin resting on the plastic cutting board it needs to be trussed.  If you've never trussed anything before then watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWxOJbMdU48

Now that you are an expert at trussing and your pork loin has been trussed, combine all of the other ingredients into a rub and generously coat all sides of the pork.  Turn one side of your grill to high heat and let it preheat with the cover closed.  Once searing hot, place your pork loin over the heat to sear all sides for about one to two minutes per side.  Once seared, move the pork to the other side of the grill (the indirect heat side) and turn the burners on the other side to low and close the lid.  The pork should take about one to one and a half hours to roast.  Remove from the grill when the interior temperature reaches 145 degrees and set aside to rest for ten to fifteen minutes.  This allows the juices to redistribute and calm down and also allows the internal temperature to climb to 155/160 degrees.  Once rested, remove the butchers twine and slice to serve!  ENJOY!!

Don't forget to pair the pork with a light to medium bodied earthy wine, such as a pinot noir from the Pacific Northwest region ... especially if you're special someone's alma matter is from that region!  ;o)

Truffle and Bacon Mac-n-Cheese

Who doesn't love a great mac-n-cheese?!?  I'm not talking about Kraft (no disrespect to Kraft of course) but this mac-n-cheese is for adults!  Where did this soothing and homey concoction get its start?  According to Wikipedia, pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded in cookbooks as early as the Liber de Coquina, one of the oldest cookbooks from the medieval times. A cheese and pasta casserole known as "makerouns" was recorded in an English cookbook in the 14th century.  It has also been said that Thomas Jefferson first served Macaroni and Cheese at the President’s House in 1802.  Wherever it's beginnings began one two things are true: Macaroni and cheese in some form or another has been around for a very long time, and it's DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

Mac and Cheese

1 lb. cellantani pasta

6 strips of bacon

1.5 cups of gourmet mushroom blend (roughly chopped)

7 oz. each of shredded, smoked gouda, fontina, and gruyere

2.5 cups half and half

3 Tbl butter

2 Tbl flour

1 t nutmeg

1 Tbl truffle oil

Bread Topping

3 pieces of toast with the crusts removed (sometimes I leave them on actually)

tons of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley, etc)

parmesan cheese

Description:

Sautee butter and flour over medium high heat for about 3 minutes.  Add heated half and half, lower heat to medium low, and simmer for 5 minutes.  After rue thickens add nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cheeses.  Remove from heat and stir to melt together.  Once melted combine in a large bowl with pasta, mushroom mixture, and cooked and chopped bacon.  Place into a baking dish, sprinkle (kind of heavily) with the bread topping, and bake at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes.