Grill to Perfection: Exciting Recipes from International Grilling Masters

To facilitate this review, I received a preview copy of the Grill to Perfection book. The views expressed here are entirely my own.

As the polar vortex slowly lifts here in Boston, summer days beckon and along with them the excitement of firing up the back deck barbeque. At our home, we try to grill dinner whenever we can and are constantly experimenting with both new recipes, twists on classics, and new techniques. It’s a delight to discover new family favorites  on which the whole family gets to vote on a 5 star system, with 5 being company-worthy, 4 being beloved by all for family dinners, and any recipes scoring lower getting discarded.

So it’s with delight that I’ve been perusing and experimenting with recipes in Grill to Perfection, a new book out this month from international barbecue champions Andy Husbands and Chris Hart. And in it they serve up creative delicious recipes as well as techniques for passionate home grillers, such as my current favorite, “How to Build a Two-Zone Fire in a Gas Grill.” They serve up technique suggestions for both gas and coal grills, and encourage you to develop your intuitions about the heat of any given grill fire.

Best of all for me, the eclectic assortment of mouth-watering recipes, ranging from Brendan’s championship tuna to sweet onion corn cakes, spicy Sichuan chicken sticks, and Caribbean jerk ribs. This is an incredible collection of grilling recipes—perfection hot off the grill. This is a book of definite keeper recipes!

Here’s my favorite new recipe from their collection:

Curried Chicken Tenderloins with Coconut and Papaya Salad

(2 entrée or 4 appetizer servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Greek style yogurt
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 pounds chicken tenderloins, tendons removed
• Coconut and Papaya Salad

Directions:

1. Make the marinade: In a large bowl, thoroughly mix all the ingredients except the chicken and salad.
2. Toss the chicken in the marinade to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
3. Build a hot direct fire. Spread an even layer of unlit charcoal in the bottom of the grill. Fill a chimney with charcoal. Stuff two sheets of newspaper in the bottom of the chimney and light it. When the coals are fully engaged—you should see flames peeking over the top—pour them over the unlit charcoal. If using a gas grill, light the gas and adjust the temperature on both sides to high.
4. When you can hold your hands over the fire for no more than 3 to 5 seconds, clean the grill grate.
5. Place the tenderloins perpendicular to the bars and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. The goal is to get a good sear without burning the meat. Once the marinade and chicken start to caramelize, flip the chicken and continue to cook.
6. Repeat this process so the chicken cooks twice on both sides, for a total of 4 to 8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the tenderloins). Tenderloins are done when they are deep golden brown to lightly charred and have an internal temperature of 165ºF/74ºC.
7. Serve immediately over the salad, or cool and serve cold with the salad.

Coconut and Papaya Salad

(2 entrée or 4 appetizer servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe papayas, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 medium red onion, julienned
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1/2 cup coconut cream or unsweetened coconut milk
• Juice and minced zest of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly  chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed, tasted and ground

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the papaya, onion, bell pepper, coconut cream, lime juice, and zest, cilantro, jalapeño, sugar, ginger, coriander, and oil.
2. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. (Cover and refrigerate if you are using it the next day.)
3. Just before serving, sprinkle the toasted coconut on top.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.