Barbecue Grilled Pears

For a long time, people have thought of barbecue grills as places to cook meat only. There are many other things including vegetables that are very tasty when grilled. Fruit is also delightful when cooked on a grill and here is a fabulous recipe for grilling pears.

**Grilled Pears with Raspberry Sauce

Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 25 min
Makes: 6 servings

3 firm large ripe pears
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 package (10 ounces) frozen raspberries in light syrup, thawed (don't drain)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons hot fudge sauce, heated, if desired

1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Peel pears; cut lengthwise in half and remove cores. Brush lightly with oil. Cover and grill pears, cut sides up, 4 to 6 inches from medium heat about 10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes, until tender.
2. While pears are grilling, place raspberries with syrup and lemon juice in blender or food processor. Cover and blend on medium speed, stopping blender occasionally to scrape sides, or process about 30 seconds, until smooth. Strain to remove seeds if desired.
3. Serve hot pears with raspberry sauce. Drizzle with fudge sauce.

**Source: Betty Crocker.com

In recent years, barbecue grills have become so much more than just an item for outdoor cooking. There has been a major revolution both in features and style (see picture at left). A post I did on 8/31/09 on "Green Eggs" and Ham, features the fabulous "Green Egg Grill" that comes with many options. This grill and others have lifted "tailgating" to a new art with amazing gastronomical creations that have been featured on the Food Network. The pre-game preparation and fun is as important to football fans as the game itself and many people go to great lengths to make it a true celebration of the game.

The popularity of the BBQ Grill gained a following in the mid 1950's for outdoor fun whether camping, picnicking or barbecuing in one's own backyard. With grills ranging from charcoal to propane and wood burning, chefs now can have an outdoor gourmet kitchen in a small space.

"Green Eggs" and Ham

The only green eggs that I knew about until recently, were in the story of "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss. Then I discovered a Big Green Egg. It's the most awesome smoker barbecue grill and it's large enough to cook a couple of meals at a time (even a 20 pound turkey). I normally don't get too excited about something that requires work, but this is the greatest thing I've come across in ages.

Apparently a lot of other people think so too. An annual "EGGtoberfest" is held. Last year's event was in Atlanta, Georgia. This year the event is going to be at the Big Green Egg Corporate Headquarters in Tucker, Georgia October 16th & 17th. Believe it or not, tickets for the "Saturday Event's and Cooks' Registration" are sold out; there's a limit of 1500 attendees for that event and a 500 person limit for Friday.(I saw an add for "tickets wanted" on Craig's List). It's such a overwhelming success each year that they don't allow walk-in registration. There's a meet and greet with catered food where EGGheads get to chat. During the day, food is available as dishes are cooked on site by cooks who have registered for the honor.

Here's a fast and easy Smoked Garlic Chicken Recipe for your Big Green Egg Grill (from Better Homes and Gardens). Soak wood chunks 1 hour before needed. Drain water. In the smoker, arrange preheated coals and drained wood according to manufacturer's directions.

10-12 wood chunks
(1) 6-7 pond chicken
1 lemon2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

Rinse inside and outside of chicken. Pat dry. Shred enough lemon peal to make 2 teaspoons. For the rub combine lemon peel, parsley, salt, pepper and garlic. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze juice from 1/2 over the surface of the chicken. Use fingers to apply the chicken rub. Place the 2 lemon halves into the chicken. Tie legs to tail and twist wing tips under back.

Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the inside of the thigh muscle (don't let it touch the bone). Place chicken, breast side up, on a grill rack over a pan of water. Cover and smoke approximately 3 1/4 hours to 4 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees. Remove, let stand for 15 minutes. Then ENJOY!