Cool Weather Grilling

Even though the warm days of summer are gone, it doesn’t mean you need to say goodbye to the warm, smoky flavors of outdoor grilling. According to the Weber® GrillWatch™ survey, last year 82 percent of Americans grilled through the end of September and nearly half of Americans grilled all year long, including the winter months.

Welcome the crisp autumn days with family and friends around the grill and celebrate the beginning of a new season with grilled pork tenderloin. Pork has always been an American grilling favorite because it’s versatile and pleases every person’s tastes.


Question: What are some guidelines I should follow for grilling year-round?

Answer: There are several important things to remember if you want to be an all-season grilling guru.

Following are a few simple tips on year-round grilling:

• Maintenance is important for your grill in the fall and winter. Before the weather gets too cold, check your grill to make sure it is operating efficiently. Cold-weather grilling requires constant, even heat; so check the burner to make sure it's in good working order.
  
  
• Keep your grill in a sheltered spot away from combustible materials. If this is not possible, then it is a good idea not to cook outdoors on a windy evening.
• Check the temperature of your grill as weather conditions change. The outdoor air can have an impact on the heat inside the grill.
  
  
• Allow time for the grill to warm up. Always preheat a gas grill and start charcoal 30 minutes before you want to cook. The colder it is, the longer it will take to for your grill to heat up.
  
  
• While cooking, keep the grill covered. By limiting peaking, cooking will take less time and the meat will grill to be juicy and tender.

Recipes

Barbecued Pork Steaks

Your family will love the sweet barbecue flavor of these pork steaks. If you do not have pork steaks on hand, substitute your favorite pork chops instead. Serve chops with baked potatoes and mixed salad greens.

4 pork blade steaks, 1 to 1 1/4-inches thick
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard

Place steaks on grill about 4 inches above medium-slow coals. Cook about 8 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, stir together remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Brush steaks with sauce and continue cooking 5 minutes more, turning and brushing with sauce.

Backyard Barbecue Spareribs

These classically flavored spareribs are good any time year. Serve ribs with corn on the cob, creamy cole slaw and corn muffins.

2 slabs pork spareribs
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups cherry cola soft drink
¼ cup vinegar
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped

Prepare a medium-hot banked fire in covered kettle style grill. Cut each slab of ribs between ribs into four pieces. Place rib-side-down over indirect heat and grill for 1 ¼ hours. Meanwhile in a saucepan combine catsup, Worcestershire sauce, cherry cola, vinegar, paprika, chili powder, pepper and onion; simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Brush ribs generously with sauce and continue to cook, about 20-30 minutes, basting and turning often, until ribs are nicely glazed.
Serves 4.

Wine suggestion: Serve with a chilled rose or ice cold beer.

Spicy Beer-Brined Grilled Pork Loin

A brine—a solution of flavors suspended with salt or sugar—forces flavor and moisture into meat. This pork loin benefits from a bath in beer, corn syrup and seasonings, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth tender entrée. Serve three-bean salad and scalloped potatoes alongside.

3-pound boneless pork loin
1 12-oz can beer
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup cooking oil
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced

Place pork in large self-sealing bag. In medium bowl, stir together beer, corn syrup, onion, mustard, oil, chili powder and garlic; pour over pork, seal bag and toss gently to coat pork. Refrigerate 4-24 hours. Prepare banked, medium-hot fire on covered kettle-style grill. Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade for basting liquid. Grill pork over indirect heat, away from fire, basting every 10 minutes with reserved marinade, until internal temperature reads 150-155 degrees F. , about 1 hour. Discard any remaining marinade; remove pork from grill and let rest 10 minutes before slicing to serve.
Serves 12

Courtesy of the National Pork Board.