Italian Grill - Mario Batali [53]
Place the ribs on the cooler part of the grill, lay 1 bunch of wet rosemary on the hot part of the grill, and immediately cover the grill. (If your grill isn’t large enough to arrange the 3 racks in a single layer for indirect cooking, place 2 of them on the grill and put the third one on top of them.) Cook the ribs for 5 hours; the temperature in the grill should be roughly 250°F. Every 30 minutes, place another bunch of wet rosemary on the hot part of the grill and immediately cover the grill to keep it smoky. Thirty minutes before the ribs are done, brush a light coating of barbecue sauce over them, and then repeat every 10 minutes.
Transfer the racks to a carving board and cut them into individual ribs. Serve with the remaining barbecue sauce.
These ribs are cooked “low and slow”—for five hours—but they are still juicy when they come off the grill. Stoking the grill with damp bunches of rosemary throughout the long cooking time creates the smoky environment of an outdoor smoker in a regular grill.
MARIO’S KICK-ASS
BARBECUE SAUCE
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups ketchup
¾ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
COMBINE all the ingredients in a large heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. (The sauce will keep for at least a week tightly covered in the refrigerator.)
This sauce works on almost anything, wherever you want a sweet spiked punch—eggs, chicken or other grilled meats, ham sandwiches, etc.
SAUSAGES
AND PEPPERS
SERVES 6
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large red onions, cut into ½-inch chunks
3 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch squares
2 large yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch squares
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch squares
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 pounds sweet Italian sausages
5 or 6 fresh marjoram sprigs
PREHEAT A GAS GRILL or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and salt and pepper to taste, then add the rosemary sprig and cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers are very tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and check the seasoning. Transfer to a large serving platter and set aside.
Using a sharp knife tip, prick each sausage seven or eight times. Place them on the grill, cover, and cook, turning them occasionally with tongs and moving them around as necessary when flare-ups occur, until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.
Arrange the sausages on top of the peppers. Pull the marjoram leaves from the sprigs, strew them over the sausages, and serve immediately.
A street-fair standby, in a slightly more refined version (although the sliced sausages and the peppers would still make a great sub filling). The quality of the sausages is paramount—find an artisanal butcher or someone who’s using something different from the standard pork mix, and you will be rewarded.
VEAL CHOPS
WITH FLASH-PICKLED MUSHROOMS
SERVES 4
2 large heads garlic
4 large veal loin chops (about 12 to 14 ounces each)
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 shallots, finely chopped
1½ pounds chanterelles, brushed clean and halved
¾ cup red wine vinegar
Scant 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350°F.
Slice off the top ⅓ inch of each garlic head, exposing