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CLARKSON POTTER

Copyright 2014 by Chris Lilly

Photographs copyright 2014 by Ben Fink
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/
Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing
Group, a division of Random House LLC, a
Penguin Random House Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.clarksonpotter.com
CLARKSON POTTER is a trademark and POTTER
with colophon is a registered trademark of
Random House LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lilly, Chris.
Fire and smoke / Chris Lilly.First edition.
Includes index.
1. Barbecuing. 2. Cooking (Smoked foods). I. Title.
TX840.B3L55 2014
641.7'6dc23
2013026050
ISBN 978-0-7704-3438-0
eBook ISBN 978-0-7704-3440-3
Printed in China
BOOK & COVER DESIGN by Laura Palese
COVER PHOTOGRAPHS by Ben Fink
10987654321
First Edition

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 8
FIRE IN THE GRILL 10

GRILLED COCKTAILS 34
APPETIZERS 50
SALADS & SANDWICHES 72
GRILLED PIZZA 92
BELLIES & BACON 104
STEAKs 114
MAINS 128
BARBECUE LEFTOVERS 176
SIDE DISHES 190
GRILLED DESSERTS 216
SAUCES & DRY RUBS 226
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 252
INDEX 253

PAN-SEARED

NEW YORK
STRIP
WITH BOURBON CREAM SAUCE

Some of my favorite wine country memories are of time spent at the

house of Pete and Kathy Seghesio outside of Healdsburg, California. Most
often their parties start with a wine and charcuterie tasting in their tower
overlook, and as the night progresses, the gathering ultimately finds its
way to the kitchen, where they have an indoor wood-fired oven.
Dont make the mistake of thinking that wood-fired ovens are only
good for pizza. Fact is, anything you can cook in a standard, less flavorful
oven can be cooked in a wood-fired one. This is about the only indoor
substitute for the outdoor grill. It was at the Seghesios that I had my first
steak cooked in a wood-fired oven. I found a way to re-create that amazing
flavor on my grill back home, and trust me, its worth a try.

4 (1-inch-thick) New York strip

steaks

cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and coarsely ground

black pepper
cup bourbon
cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoons minced garlic

Pitmaster Tip: Seasoning steak is

SERVES 4

SUGGESTED WOOD:

COOKING METHOD:

Hickory, oak,
mesquite
(see page 22)

Direct heat

COOKING TIME:
8 to 9 minutes

1 Build a charcoal fire for direct grilling. Put a cast iron skillet
on the cooking grate, close the grill lid, and preheat it to 500F.

2 Coat the steaks with the olive oil. Season them generously with
salt and pepper.

3 Put the steaks in the skillet, close the grill lid, and cook for

a little like mixing a bourbon drink. You

dont dilute 30-year-old top-shelf bourbon
with a bunch of mixers. You drink it
straight or, at the most, with a touch of
water or an ice cube. Treat nice steaks
the same way, using only coarse salt and
some freshly cracked black pepper. An
average grocery store steak needs a little
more help and a few more ingredients to
maximize its flavor. Remember, the better
the steak, the fewer the seasonings.

4minutes on each side for medium rare, or 4 minutes on each

side for medium. Remove the skillet from the grill and set it on a
heatproof surface. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let
them rest for 10 minutes.

4 Pour the bourbon into the hot skillet. Stir in the cream, soy
sauce, and garlic.

5 Serve the steak whole or cut each into -inch slices. Drizzle
generously with the bourbon cream sauce.

steaks 119

CHARCOAL-SEARED

TROUT

FILLET
WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO BROWN BUTTER
9 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 (6- to 7-ounce) trout fillets

Kosher salt and freshly ground

black pepper
cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly
sliced
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh

parsley

cup dry white wine

Juice of lemon

By this point, youve probably picked up on my love for cooking in a cast

iron skillet. Whats so great about it is that it catches the juices rendering
from the meat so that you dont lose them to the fire. And cast iron is so
strong that it can easily handle high grill heat over coals, and even in the
coals. Thats right, when ripping-hot pan temperatures are needed to sear
fish, scallops, or any other meat, there is no better way than to nestle the
cast iron directly into a pile of white-hot charcoal.

SERVES 4

SUGGESTED WOOD:

COOKING METHOD:

Alder, oak,
maple, hickory
(see page 22)

Direct heat

COOKING TIME:
5 minutes

1 Build a charcoal fire for direct grilling. Put a cast iron skillet
directly in the hot coals.

2 In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter.

Dredge the trout fillets through the melted butter and season each
with salt and pepper.

3 Put the trout fillets, flesh side down, in the hot skillet and cook
for 1 minutes. Flip the fillets and cook, skin side down, until the
fish starts to flake with pressure, about 1 minutes. Remove the
pan from the coals and set it on a heatproof surface. Transfer the
trout to a plate.

4 Wait 1 minute for the pan to cool slightly. Add the remaining
6tablespoons butter and cook until the butter starts to brown,
about 30 seconds. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and
parsley to the pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Pour in the
white wine and lemon juice and stir for 1 minute, scraping up
any bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the sauce has
reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

5 Drizzle the sauce over the trout fillets and serve.

166 fire & smoke

GRILLED

RATATOUILLE
One of the questions most asked of me is, Can you do more than just
meat on the grill? Outdoor cooking is not always about meat. As in this
recipe, sometimes its the vegetables that are the star of the grill. I like this
recipe because it can be served as a side dish or as a main course. Grilled
ratatouille is the perfect example of how you can cook anything outdoors
that you would cook in an indoor kitchen, but with more flavor.

SERVES 10 TO 12
COOKING METHOD:
Direct and
indirect heat

SUGGESTED WOOD:
Fruitwoods,
hickory
(see page 22)

COOKING TIME:
1 hour

SERVE WITH:
Cowboy Ribeye
(page 116)
or Peach Tea
Smoked Rack of
Pork (page 148)

1 Build a two-zone fire in a charcoal grill by situating the

coals on only one side of the grill, leaving the other side empty.
Preheat the grill to 450F.

2 Put the sausage over direct heat and grill until its well

1 pound Italian sausage

3 yellow squash, cut lengthwise
into -inch-wide slabs
2 zucchini, cut lengthwise into
-inch-wide slabs
eggplant , cut lengthwise into
-inch-wide slabs
2 yellow bell peppers, quartered
2 large green bell peppers,
quartered
2 medium onions, cut into
-inch-thick slices

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
1 cup tomato juice
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans,
drained
4 garlic cloves, crushed

browned, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the sausage

from the grill and set aside.

2 thyme sprigs

3 Lightly drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with

1 rosemary sprig

salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables over direct heat until they
soften and brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the
vegetables from the grill and chop them into -inch chunks.
Putthe vegetables into a 9 13-inch baking pan.

1 bay leaf
3 plum tomatoes, chopped

4 Cut the sausage into -inch diced pieces and add to the baking
pan. Add the tomato juice, cannellini beans, garlic, thyme,
rosemary, bay leaf, and tomatoes.

5 Reduce the grill temperature to 300F. Put the baking pan

over indirect heat, away from the coals, close the grill lid, and
cook until the juices begin to bubble and steam, about 35 minutes.
Remove the baking pan from the grill and pour the vegetables into
a colander set over a bowl to catch the juices. Pour the juices back
into the baking pan, put the pan over direct heat, and simmer until
reduced by half, about 12 minutes. Return the vegetables to the
baking pan and stir well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
side dishes 203

Pur
chas
eacopyof

F
I
RE& S
MOKE
atoneoft
hes
er
et
ai
l
er
s
:

CLARKSON POTTER