BBQ Godfather Ted Reader Shares His Recipes

Ted Reader, known as the Godfather of BBQ, shares four of his recipes below.

GRILLED FLANK STEAK
WITH THAI MARINADE AND PEANUT SAUCE

THAI MARINADE
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
1 tbsp Madras curry powder
3 cloves garlic, minced        
1 red chile, seeded and minced     
2 lbs flank steak
Peanut Sauce

(see recipe, page 92)

THAI MARINADE: In a nonreactive bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lime
juice, peanut butter, palm sugar, curry powder, garlic, and chile.

Place the steak in a nonreactive dish large enough to hold the meat in one layer. Pour the marinade over and turn to coat the steak well. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.

Prepare the Peanut Sauce.

Pour the marinade off the steak and into a saucepan. Set the steak aside to come to room temperature. Bring the marinade to a full rolling boil for 2 to 3 minutes,then remove from the heat and set aside to use as a baste.

Preheat the grill to medium-high (450ºF/230ºC).

Grill the flank steak for about 8 to 10 minutes a side for medium rare, basting with the marinade. Remove from the grill to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Slice across the grain into thin slices.

Serve the steak slices with Barbecue-Fried Rice (see recipe, page 81) or noodles and lots of Peanut Sauce.

Serves 6 to 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Marinade Time: 4 hours to overnight
Cook Time: 30 minutes

TIP: Memorize this: Bring ingredients to room temperature. The grill is hot. Even a grill on low is hot by any other standard. Food, expeically meat, with a cold centre will never cook evenly.

Napoleon® Rib Rack and Pan

HONEY MUSTARD
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup white wine vinegar

BROWN SUGAR RUB
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated garlic
1/4 cup Rib and Chicken BBQ Seasoning
and Rub (see recipe, page 17)
2 tbsp onion salt
2 tbsp celery salt
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp rubbed sage
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
4 racks Baby Back Ribs
1 cup Hof Brau Barbecue Sauce

HONEY MUSTARD: In a nonreactive bowl, whisk together the mustard, 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar, honey, and vinegar and set aside.

BROWN SUGAR RUB: Combine the 1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar, garlic, Rib and Chicken BBQ Seasoning and Rub, onion salt, celery salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, and thyme and mix well.

Work a sharp knife under the membrane on the back side of the ribs. Once you have a piece large enough, use a paper towel to get a good grip. Gently pull the membrane away from the ribs. Trim away any large pieces of fat.

Brush the Honey Mustard over the ribs. Rub the slathered ribs with the Brown Sugar Rub and set the ribs in a pan to sit for 30 minutes before grilling.

Preheat the grill to 325ºF (165ºC). Turn off the right side and set a drip pan under the grate.

Place the ribs in the Napoleon® Rib Rack and place the rack over the drip pan (or place the ribs, bone side down, directly on the grate over the drip pan). Close the lid and cook for 11/2 to 2 hours, or until bones wiggle easily when pulled. During the last 10 to 15 minutes, brush the ribs lightly with Hof Brau sauce.

Serve racks with Hof Brau Sauce on the side for dipping.

Serves 4 to 6
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Marinade Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours

PLANKED COD
WITH CRAB AND SPINACH CRUST

2 regular cedar planks,    soaked in water
2 boneless cod fillets, skin on, 6–8 oz (175–250 g) each
2 tsp melted butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

CRAB AND SPINACH CRUST:
2 shallots, finely diced
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup frozen spinach, chopped; thawed, drained and squeezed of excess moisture
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup lump crabmeat
1/2 cup each shredded mozzarella and Cheddar cheese
4 lemon wedges    

Preheat grill to medium-high. Lay fillets on plank, skin side down. Brush each fillet with melted butter, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; set aside.

CRAB AND SPINACH CRUST: Place shallots, cream cheese, spinach and Parmesan cheese into a bowl and mix well. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Divide spinach crust evenly between fillets, gently pressing crust onto the fish to adhere. Top each fillet with 1/2 cup (125 mL) of crabmeat. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Top each fillet with shredded cheese.

Place planks on grill and close lid. Plank bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until fish is fully cooked, crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Serves 4

PLANKED MEAT LOAF
WITH SWEET POTATO ICING

1 cedar plank, 2 feet long, 1 inch thick

SWEET POTATO ICING:
4 large sweet potatoes     
1/4 lb unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
3 Tbsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper

PORK MEAT LOAF:
1/2 cup golden sultana raisins
1/2 cup Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
4 lb ground pork
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet onion, finely diced
1/2 cup Japanese panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Bone Dust BBQ Seasoning (p. 46)
1/4 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

TIP: When making this recipe, you need to make the Sweet Potato Icing recipe at least 4 hours in advance, and the day before is even better. The icing needs to be cold when applied to the meat loaf, or it will not stick to the meat but run off the plank onto the grill.

SWEET POTATO ICING: Preheat grill to medium heat. Place sweet potatoes onto top rack of grill; close lid and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until flesh is soft all the way through when pierced with a fork.

Remove sweet potatoes from grill and cool slightly. Carefully remove skin and discard (skin should be crunchy and peel off easily); ensure that no charred bits of skin are stuck to the sweet potatoes.

Place potatoes in a large bowl and mash until smooth. Add butter and brown sugar, stirring gently to combine. Season sweet potato mixture with salt and pepper to taste; set aside to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

PORK MEAT LOAF: Soak raisins in Jack Daniel’s until soft and plump. In a large bowl, combine plump raisins with the ground pork, garlic, sweet onion, panko bread crumbs, Bone Dust BBQ Seasoning and parsley.

Place plank on a flat work surface. Form a meat loaf log that runs the entire length of the plank, leaving a 11/2-inch (4 cm) border around the meat loaf to the edge of the plank. (NOTE: Tightly pack the meat mixture when forming the meat loaf, to ensure it will hold together and to create a nice finished texture.) Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, remove Sweet Potato Icing from refrigerator and warm up, at room temperature, until soft enough to spread. Stir Sweet Potato Icing to smooth out any lumps; set aside.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place planked meat loaf on the grill and close lid. Plank bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook meat loaf for 20 minutes. Open grill and remove planked meat loaf. Cool for 10 minutes.

Spread Sweet Potato Icing evenly over the top and sides of the meat loaf. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the icing. (It should be approximately 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick all the way around the meat and there should be a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border around the plank.)

Return plank to the grill and close lid. Continue to cook for 30 to 40 minutes longer or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat loaf, registers 170°F (76°C). Dust with Parmesan cheese. Remove from grill. Rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve immediately.

Serves 8