The last days of summer - grilling ~ Champagne Living

Friday, August 20, 2010

The last days of summer - grilling

I have NO RIGHT to be posting about the "last days of summer" when I live in a year-round tropical paradise, but even we Floridians FEEL the change of season. Maybe it's habit, or a longing to go back to New England where the change of season is so magnificent, but I find myself transitioning from summer to autumn foods in September and October.

While I use my grill to cook, I also seek out heartier meals.

September has always felt like the gateway to the holidays. The Jewish New Year, Thanksgiving and Chanukah/Christmas are right around the corner. I find myself cooking turkey a lot more often. Mostly because it's easy to cook, leaves the BEST leftovers (salads, sandwiches, etc.), and I can grab Butterball Turkey Breast and it's just right for the two of us.

This weekend I'll be loading my kettle grill with charcoal (sorry, I'm "old school" I actually like the flavor that charcoal brings to my food), buying a Butterball turkey breast and welcome the cooking season.

Wait, you've NEVER cooked a turkey on the grill? It's actually VERY easy.

I start with a 2-4 lb. Butterball turkey breast

1. Place a pan in the center of your grill and lay the charcoal around the outside of the pan. You want to have the heat be indirect, otherwise your turkey will cook too quickly and dry out.

2. Coat the grill with some Pam Spray

3. It should take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for a 2-4 lb. turkey. You want the internal temperature to be 170 - 175 degrees (if you're using a 4-5 lb. breast it'll take 2+ hours to get to 175).

4. I make a marinade and baste the turkey during the last 30 minutes of grilling. Because it's the end of summer, I'm planning on making mine with a Caribbean sauce.

I simply combine:

1/4 c. butter, melted
1/3 c. honey
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. chipotle seasoning
2 cloves chopped garlic

The best part? Clean up is a breeze and I have food for a good part of the week!