Last weekend, some pretty nasty storms ripped through the area, leaving my front porch a mess of sticks and assorted sticky seed thingies from a nearby tree. While cleaning it off, I was forced to move this 50-pound bag of charcoal my dad bequeathed me when he got his new stainless-steel supergrill. As I washed off my blackened hands after the chore, I realized how criminally underused my own grill has gone this summer.
Sure, it's no supergrill - merely a tabletop charcoal grill barely big enough for a steak and a few hot dogs - but it's mine, and we've had some good times together. We made our first attempt at grilled shrimp together (and it was delish). We've gone on road trips to the lake, where we learned we could flip burgers using an old plastic CD case because we left the tongs at home. We almost set the porch on fire. Ah, good times.
So, in these last dregs of August, I wanted to give the grill something good to go out on before it's relegated to the basement for the winter. Of course, you can't go wrong with steak. A nice, thick ribeye was what it needed, and I found one on sale. With my buggy pulled safely over to the side of the butcher counter, I quickly Googled some steak recipes, and found a nice balsamic vinegar glaze that would top it off.
Article Photos
To celebrate the end of summer, the grill gets one last hurrah with grilled steak and peaches. BELOW?LEFT:?The steak and peaches were accompanied by sauteed greens. BELOW?RIGHT:?Grilled peaches are shown.
Beneath that Google result was another for a steak and grilled peaches recipe - and wouldn't you know, peaches were also on sale. I've tried grilled peaches before, but they were a little mushy and basically disintegrated when I tried to remove them from the grill. I found three nice, firm specimens that would survive the grilling process. As not to forgo the vegetable category, I got some nice turnip greens to serve on the side.
The balsamic glaze was very simple, and could go with practically everything - chicken, salmon, bruschetta, whatever. You merely sautee some garlic in olive oil, then add the balsamic vinegar and some brown sugar and let it reduce. This stuff could make Styrofoam peanuts seem palatable. I let the greens cook down over some more sauted garlic until they were nice and tender, topping them off with some salt and pepper. The peaches were simple - scoop out the pit, and fill it with brown sugar and a little cinnamon apple butter. They grilled up nice and juicy.
I've been blessed by the grilling gods, so my ribeye came out nice and med-rare, just like I like it. It may be too bloody for some people, but hey, that whole vampire thing is what's in now, right? I still haven't mastered the art of quarter-turning the steak for those perfect grill marks. My dad still has stuff to teach me.
Fact Box
Balsamic-Glazed Ribeye
1 12 oz ribeye steak
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil
Chop and sautee garlic in oil over medium heat. Add vinegar and sugar and simmer until reduced to half a cup and thickened. Cook steak over medium heat on grill, topped with half the glaze, and brushing throughout until done, about six minutes per side.
Grilled Peaches
4 large yellow peaches
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Apple butter
Slice peaches in half lengthwise, and remove pits. Fill core with a tablespoon of brown sugar, and spread top with apple butter. Top with sprinkled cinnamon. Grill over medium heat , about three minutes per side, until just warmed through.
Sauteed Greens
2 cups turnip greens
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper
Sautee garlic in skillet with butter, then add chopped turnip greens. Cook down covered over medium-low heat until tender. Season with salt and pepper.
So in the end, my little grill served me well one more time, and if it survives the winter, perhaps many more. Hopefully my dad will bequeath me his supergrill someday, so I can cook for more than one person at a time.