Here are some excellent grill recipes that pull rich fall flavors in the spotlight, reprinted with kind permission from Scott Thomas of GrillinFools.com. As always, be sure to practice grill safety. Enjoy!
Apple wood smoked corn on the cob
Ingredients:
Four ears of corn, shucked
Apple wood
1 1/3 sticks salted butter (sub infused olive oil for vegan)
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp minced garlic
Directions:
1. Combine all but corn and wood in small sauce pan and melt butter.
2. Set up grill for indirect grilling. If using a charcoal grill with a chimney, put charcoal on the side without the chimney so the smoke has to travel across the corn on its way out of the grill chamber. Once grill reaches 275 - 300°, add a couple chunks of apple wood on heated side.
3. Place corn on side without direct heat and brush with the herbed garlic butter. Rotate corn 180 degrees every 15 minutes, slathering again with the butter. Don’t be alarmed when the corn starts to darken quickly. The darkest kernels are the best.
Apple-pumpkin ribs
Marinade ingredients:
Apple cider (preferably the dark, fresh kind from local farms)
½ cup brown sugar
Few tsp minced garlic
Rub ingredients per slab:
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp granulated garlic
1 tsp paprika
Black and white pepper
Salt
Directions:
1. Skin membrane off ribs, seal ribs in plastic storage bags overnight with marinade, using just enough cider to cover meat.
2. Remove from marinade, pat dry, apply rub.
3. Indirect grill (heat on one side, meat on the other) 2 hours at 275 - 300° with apple wood.
The cider really soaks into the meat and gives them a full-bodied flavor, and that distinct pie-spice taste combines to give a real bang, but the garlic balances so they’re not too sweet. Two hours will yield moist ribs just short of falling off the bone. If you want them to fall off, after two hours, put them in foil with a little beer and toss them back for 30 more minutes. Serve with pumpkin ale. This recipe, by the way, also works great for pork chops — for those, try throwing some rosemary into the marinade.
Prosciutto wrapped pear and cheese skewers
Ingredients:
1 pear, ripe
12 slices of prosciutto
12 slices of smoked gouda
24 walnuts or pecans (optional)
12 skewers
Directions:
1. Prepare grill for indirect grilling.
2. Core the pear, and slice into 12 or 24 even strips
3. Grill slices over heat for 1-2 minutes to soften and caramelize.
4. Lay each piece of prosciutto flat. Place a pear slice inside. Atop that, a slice of gouda. Atop that, two walnuts, and finally (if you made enough pear slices) another slice of pear.
5. Wrap the prosciutto around and insert skewer through the middle.
6. Clean the grill: Take 5-6 paper towels, fold together down to size of a cocktail napkin. Pour vegetable oil liberally in the middle, fold in half so oil is on outside, and use tongs to rub napkins across grill. Follow up with wire brush and the pad that’s on the other side of most brushes. If grill is not clean, prosciutto will stick.
7. Grill skewers indirectly at 325-350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. You just want the cheese to melt and the prosciutto to warm up.
Careful! Don’t overdo the cheese or underdo the pear. Sliced too thinly, the pear is overpowered by the cheese, and vice versa.