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Are you grilling anything unusual this Independence Day weekend? —Jack W., Wilmington, NC
Summer holidays are for backyard grilling, and in spite of the ongoing pandemic, this one will likely be no different. The usual suspects will show themselves for sure—brats, burgers, dogs, pork steaks, ribs—paired with cold, frosty beverages. I’ve maintained an ongoing, categorized list of different items to throw the grill, and below I’ve supplemented it with options from several of the meat markets around town.
Courtesy Truffles
Dry-Aged Tomahawk Ribeyes.
1. Steaks and Chops: Anyone who hasn’t experienced the wonders of grilled tri-tip steak (available at meat markets and some grocery stores) absolutely should. A staff favorite at Truffle’s Butchery (besides the large bottles of Duke’s Margarita) is the coppa chop (a shoulder cut), which the butcher compares to a pork rib eye. (Truffles is a snout-to-tail butcher and gets its high-quality, heritage Berkshire hogs from Newman Farm.) Premium dry-aged steaks are also available.
Kenrick’s Meats & Catering offers three cuts of bison steak, which is lower in fat: T-bone, porterhouse, and sirloin (all sold frozen). And you can always count on Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions, another nose-to-tail butcher located in Maplewood, to have something different; this week, there are ranch steaks (a shoulder cut), sirloin flap (looks like a giant skirt steak), and beef necks, a substitute for brisket and cooked the same way. (Bolyard’s is open July 4 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m.)
2. Burgers: Kenrick's sells several premade varieties, including a salcissia burger, brat burger, bison burger, bacon burger (50 percent ground pork, 50 percent bacon), and the butcher’s fave, a pork burger made with ground pork butt, barbecue sauce, and seasonings (which he recommends topping with cole slaw and fried onions). My personal fave is an 8-ouncer made from beef tenderloin trim that you season your way, and it’s only $4. Most grocery stores carry premade options as well (recommended is Straub’s Black and Bleu burger), but also consider homemade non-meat burger options made from minced ahi tuna, salmon, or shrimp. Bolyard’s always has a blended burger available; this week it’s the Omniburger (made with 20 percent roasted mushrooms) and a bacon cheddar burger. One day, I will try my luck grilling Impossible Meat burgers and see if family and friends can tell the difference.
3. Kabobs: Consider alternating fresh vegetables (corn, onions, bell peppers, squash) with Bread Cheese or Halloumi, which melt at a higher temperature (or just grill the cheese by itself). Skewers of cubed watermelon and pineapple are fine as is or served with a dipping sauce. Just as festive are spears of pineapple on skewers (a few wraps of prosciutto is a worthy option) or watermelon cut in batons with the rind left on. Still on the to-do list is a BLT arrangement with cherry tomatoes, cubed sourdough, and bacon on the skewers and grilled hearts of romaine on the side, served with an aioli dressing/dip. (Chef Cary McDowell told SLM that once you try Burger’s Pork Jowl, you’ll never go back to regular bacon again. I need to test that theory, too.)
4. Grilled Fruit: The sky’s the limit here. Summer melons, peaches, nectarines, plums, pears, apricots, bananas—all good. The popular summer go-tos are still pineapple and watermelon. (See above).
5. Vegetables: Grilled cauliflower “steaks” have seen their prime, but not so well known are sweet potato steaks, in which the high-sugar content makes caramelization easy.
Courtesy Bolyard's
6. Cased Meats: Kenrick's sells 80 (eighty!) kinds of sausage and brats. The big seller this holiday is the Firecracker Brat, made with hi-temp hot pepper cheese, colorful bell peppers, and hot link seasoning. Bolyard’s is offering a philly cheesesteak sausage this week (pictured at right), and it's been "selling like crazy.”
7. Charcuterie: Truffle’s Butchery sells a sliced, smoke-roasted pork belly, which was recently added to the must-try list, as was its housemade pancetta.
8. One-offs: Popular at Truffles is grilled, cut corn sold in a vacuum-sealed bag with butter, a simple (and versatile) heat-and-serve option. The big seller at Kenrick's is the Ozark Griller (bacon-wrapped sirloin or chicken bites with cheese). Several kinds of Sizzlers (thin-sliced, pork or chicken kabobs) are available, one flavored with Red Hot Riplet seasoning. Also available are bacon-wrapped cheeseburger bites and several kinds of bacon-wrapped bratwurst bites.
Grill on this weekend...and dare to be different.
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