Standing Rib Roast Smoked on the Grill

A standing rib roast is similar to prime rib, although prime rib refers to a specific cut that’s available mostly to restaurants and high-end butchers. They don’t have it at most grocery stores, and they certainly didn’t have it for half-price last week at Harris Teeter. So, rib roast it is.

I started with a Dijon, garlic and herb rub, and then smoked it over indirect heat, using hickory wood chips. You don’t want to go too heavy on the rub or the smoke, because you don’t want to overpower the flavor of the meat.

Enjoy!



Ingredients (serves 4):

1 standing rib roast, approximately 4 pounds

Dijon rub ingredients:

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon each: sea salt, black pepper, dried rosemary, dried thyme


Total time: About 2.5 hours

Directions:

1.    Mix all rub ingredients, coat rib roast with mixture. Let sit for 30 minutes to reach room temperature.

2.    Soak wood chips in water.
3.    Heat about 15 charcoal briquettes in a chimney starter. Prepare grill for indirect cooking. Place hot charcoals on one side of grill and top with pre-soaked wood chips. Put drip pan on other side of grill. The grill should be at a temperature of about 250 degrees. Add hot coals as needed to maintain that temperature.

4.    Place rib roast over drip pan. Cover grill with lid, with air holes above roast.
5.    Grill for about 2 hours, until the middle of the roast reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees. Let rest for about 10 minutes. During the resting time, the internal temperature will reach 135 degrees, which is a perfect medium rare. For rare, remove from grill at 115 degrees. For medium, remove at 135. If you want it cooked more than that, then you don’t like rib roast and should eat something else. #Fact
6.    After letting the meat rest, carve into thick slices and serve.

We ate this with grilled winter vegetables – sweet potatoes, butternut squash and carrots.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!  

Cherry Cola BBQ Sauce

One of the great things about barbecue, and especially barbecue sauce, is that there are seemingly infinite different options. I love experimenting with different sauces and getting completely different flavors, all of which still count as “barbecue sauce.”

My latest creation is a cherry barbecue sauce, flavored with cherry cola and cherry preserves in addition to the usual suspects (like ketchup and apple cider vinegar). It combines sweet and a little heat, with a cool kick from the cherry flavor. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

½ stick butter
1 cup ketchup
1 can cherry cola

3 tablespoons cherry preserves
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon each of the following: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion salt, ground red pepper (add more or less depending on your taste)
2 TBSP lemon juice

Directions:

1.    Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
2.     Stir in all other ingredients.
3.    Simmer 30-40 minutes, until reduced. Enjoy!

Goes great with any of these grilling recipes!

Smoked BBQ Pork

Fall-off-the-bone Ribs

Beef Brisket

15-minute BBQ Pork

BBQ Beer Can Chicken

Be sure to try these other sauces to compare and find your favorite:

Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce

Carolina Style Mustard Sauce

Ketchup and Molasses Sauce

Mango BBQ Sauce

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!   

Yeah, You Can Grill That – Thanksgiving Recipes!

I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner almost as much as I love eating it. I start planning my menu and shopping list weeks in advance. I print out and write down recipes, and write up a game plan to make sure everything gets brined, rubbed, chopped, mixed and put in the oven and just the right time so that it’s all ready to go when dinner is served.

Unfortunately, like most of you, my love of cooking seriously outmatches my kitchen space, equipment and manpower. If I had two or three ovens, eight stovetop burners, and a few assistants, I could probably have everything ready to eat at precisely 7:00 PM. Instead, I can’t start cooking the dressing, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes or anything else that goes into the oven until the turkey comes out – which means it has to sit for about an hour and a half. I have potatoes boiling, vegetables steaming and gravy cooking on the stove, and there’s always at least one more pot than there are burners. Something is going to have to go in the microwave.

So this year, I’m taking advantage of my outdoor cooking space – my grill and my smoker. I’m going to smoke the turkey and ham over apple wood. I’m going to grill the macaroni and cheese, the Brussels sprouts with bacon and blue cheese, and the asparagus. And that will leave plenty of time and space for everything else to cook inside.

If you’re looking to free up some space in your oven or on your stovetop, or you just want to add some grill flavor to this year’s Thanksgiving, you can’t go wrong with any of these recipes:

Turkey breast – I haven’t cooked a full turkey on the grill yet (I’m sure it’s possible, and will attempt when the stakes aren’t quite as a high as Thanksgiving). But in the meantime, if you’re cooking for a smaller group, you can’t go wrong with this recipe for grilled turkey breast. It’s juicy and tender, with a great (but not overpowering) smoky flavor.

 

Sweet Potatoes – They may get overshadowed by the turkey, stuffing (or in the south, dressing) and gravy, but it just isn’t Thanksgiving without sweet potatoes. These sweet potatoes can be made quickly and easily on the grill, with the delicious brown sugar sauce you’d expect.

Macaroni and Cheese – Gooey, cheesy, bubbly and delicious, this recipe for macaroni and cheese cooked on the grill simply can’t be beat.

 

Potato and Sweet Potato Gratin – Want to mix things up? Instead of (or maybe in addition to) traditional mashed potatoes in one bowl and candied sweet potatoes in another, combine them, add a ton of cheese, and enjoy this awesome recipe for potato and sweet potato gratin.

Vegetables – You can’t go wrong with vegetables cooked on the grill. Any of these grilled vegetables – carrots, asparagus, green beans, corn on the cob, or Brussels sprouts – won’t just taste a lot better than their steamed or boiled brethren, they’ll also free up much-needed space on your stove.

 

Lobster tail – Lobster was on the menu for the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth in 1621, so if you want to go truly authentic this year, try this recipe for buttery, tasty grilled lobster tail.

Chocolate Pecan Bars – Pecan pie is a staple dessert at most Thanksgiving dinners in the south. This recipe has all the sweet, chewy, gooey goodness of pecan pie, plus CHOCOLATE. Oh, and it’s grilled.

 

Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Blue Cheese

As the temperatures drop, many people cover and close their grills for the fall and winter. Huge mistake! Not only does your grill work perfectly fine this time of year, I’d argue that it almost makes more sense to grill in the fall and even winter than it does during the summer. Think about it. When would you rather stand around a hot grill and reach over hot flames, when it’s 100 degrees outside, or when it’s in the 40s or 50s?

There are also a number of great fall and winter harvest vegetables that are perfect for grilling, and over the next few months, and I’ll post recipes for as many of them as I can. On tap today: Brussels sprouts. But not just any Brussels sprouts – these ones are grilled, then topped with crumbled blue cheese and fresh-cooked bacon bits.

Brussels sprouts have a bad rap, and I’m not sure why. I guess if you over-boil them, they smell (and taste) like bad eggs. That’s obviously gross. But when prepared right, they’re delicious. And they’re perfect for grilling – they get nice and crispy on the outside, soft on the outside, and have great flavor.

So keep your grill going this fall, and give this recipe for Brussels sprouts with bacon and blue cheese a shot – you won’t regret it.

Ingredients:

1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Approx. ½ teaspoon dry mustard
4 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled (the thicker the better)
About ¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

1.    Wash Brussels, chop off the stems, remove outer layer of leaves, and cut in half.
2.    Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and dry mustard. The easiest way to do this is to put them in a large re-sealable bag and shake them up.
3.    Place Brussels on skewers.

4.    Place skewers over direct heat and cook for five minutes on each side. If they begin to get too charred, move them over and let them cook indirectly (will take a little longer than 10 minutes total cooking time if you need to do this).

5.    Remove from skewers, place in bowl and top with crumbled blue cheese and bacon. Enjoy!

Dry Rub BBQ Beer Can Chicken

In my ongoing quest to grill as many different varieties of beer can chicken as possible, I realized that I haven’t really done a classic barbeque dry rub. This recipe is great on its own or with BBQ sauce (like my favorite Dr. Pepper sauce).

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (about 4.5 pounds)
Approximately one tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Dry rub ingredients (these are all approximate. Add more or less of each to get the flavor you want):

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon ground red pepper

Directions:

1.    In a small bowl, mix all dry rub ingredients.
2.    Remove chicken neck and giblets (I try to freeze them to save for stocks). Rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.
3.    Coat chicken with vegetable oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then cover with dry rub.

 
4.    Fill your chimney starter with charcoal and light. Soak some wood chunks or chips.
5.    While your coals are getting hot, drink half a can of beer (soda is fine too).
6.    Set up your grill for indirect cooking, with all of the coals and wood chunks on one side, and a drip pan on the other. Or, place the coals in a ring along the outer edge of the grill, with the drip pan in the center.

 
7.    Shove can with remaining beer into the cavity of the chicken, and place on the grill above the drip pan. Use the legs and the can to form a tripod to hold the chicken upright.

 
8.    Place the lid on the grill. Smoke, covered, for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. The chicken is ready with the temperature reaches 165 degrees in the breast and 180 degrees in the thigh. Juices should run clear and skin will be nice and crispy.
9.    Let chicken rest at least 10-15 minutes before carving.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it - and don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

Ingredients (serves 2)

8 large scallops
8 pieces bacon
Sea salt
Pepper

Directions:

1.    If you’re going to use wooden toothpicks or skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes before you put them on the grill. This will prevent them from scorching.
2.    Lay the bacon flat, over wax paper, on a baking sheet, and cook for 12 minutes. Remove and pat dry with paper towels.
3.    Wrap each scallop with one piece of bacon, and hold it together using a toothpick or skewer. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

4.    Place over direct heat on grill.

 
5.    Cook for about 90 seconds on each side. Don’t overcook, or they’ll be chewy! Basically, one they have grill marks, they’re ready to go.

 
6.    Remove and enjoy!

Grilled Cheese steaks – Whiz Wit!

One of the things I love about living in DC is that not only do we live in a great city – which has in recent years become a great food city – but we’re also a quick drive, bus ride or train from other great places to visit and EAT. Case in point: Philadelphia.

I’m a Georgetown grad, and Villanova fans will tell you that we’re rivals. I’m not so sure about that, but I will say this – when Georgetown plays at Villanova, I always try to go up for the weekend. We usually get a group of friends together, pack into a couple cars, and crash on our friends’ (or our friends’ parents’) couches and floors. Side note: I know that I’m rapidly approaching the day when I’ll be too old to do that. Some might say that day has already passed. I’m OK with that.

The game is always a blast. I’ll never forget Jessie Sapp stunning the home crowd with a half-court three as the first half buzzer sounded, and then joining fellow Georgetown fans in singing “You wish you had Jessie Sapp” to the tune of “Jessie’s Girl” as we waited in the beer lines.

After the game is when the real fun begins, because Philly is an awesome place to go out. When you’re used to D.C. bar and taxi prices, you feel like a millionaire in Philly. Everything is so cheap! A Yeungling and a whiskey shot for $3? Yes, please.

But the highlight is always the cheese steak. I’m a Pat’s guy myself. Pat’s is the original and still the best. Thin-sliced steak, gooey melted cheese, and onions on a soft roll. Pat’s doesn’t need the flashy neon signs that you see across the street at Geno’s. They just make great cheese steaks. And, of course, they top them in the classic way – with Cheeze Whiz. Whiz wit (with onions) for me, every time. 

If you love this classic Philly dish as much as I do, you have to recreate it at home on the grill. It’s really easy. You just need a few ingredients. And it tastes freakin’ awesome.

Note: I used “London Broil,” which isn’t really a cut of meat but a way of preparing flank steak or skirt steak. But since flank steaks are almost always labeled at the grocery store as “London broil,” I’m calling it that in the ingredient list to keep things simple.

Ingredients:

1 London broil
1 ½ cups London broil marinade (recipe here) or any marinade of your choice. I’d recommend something that won’t overpower the flavor of the meat.
1 onion
1 green bell pepper (optional)
4 Hoagie rolls
1 jar Cheese Whiz
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

1.    Pour marinade over meat and let sit overnight, or at least two hours. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before you plan to grill so it can reach room temperature.
2.    While your coals are getting hot, chop the onion into quarters and place on skewer, like so:

 
3.    If you’re using a bell pepper, cut that into quarters as well.

4.    Grill the meat over direct for 5 minutes on each side, then remove from grill and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

5.    While the meat is resting, grill the onions and peppers for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until they get a little char.

 
6.    Slice the meat diagonally, against the grain, as thinly as possible.

7.    Chop the grilled onions and peppers.

 
8.    Place a cast iron pan directly on the grill. Heat the vegetable oil, heat, then add sliced meat and chopped peppers and onions. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, until hot.

9.    Toast the hoagie rolls for about two minutes on the grill.
10.    While the rolls are toasting, microwave the Whiz for about a minute, until it’s piping hot.
11.    Serve the meat, onions and peppers onto the toasted rolls, then top with cheese. Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it - and don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!

Beer Can Chicken – Asian Style

One of the great things about beer can chicken is that you can take the basic principle – plop a chicken on top of a can, grill it over indirect heat, and get moist, delicious chicken – and add whatever flavors you want. So far, I’ve posted recipes for beer can chicken with Buffalo and Indian flavors (along with a great curry chicken salad recipe for leftovers), and I’m always looking for new themes.

This week, I cooked an Asian-style beer can chicken. I soaked it overnight in a homemade marinade with soy and ginger, then slow-cooked it on the grill. It was (as beer can chicken always is!) very juicy, and it really soaked up the awesome flavor of the marinade.

And, of course, I served it with my grilled fried rice. The timing works out perfectly. Just steam the rice while the chicken is grilling, then fry it over the grill while the chicken rests. Makes a great meal! (Yes, Mom, we got our veggies - started the meal with a side salad.)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, about 4.5 pounds

Marinade ingredients:

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey (Tip - Measuring honey is a pain. Just give the bottle a good squeeze for a couple seconds)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1.    In a large bowl, mix all marinade ingredients.
2.    Remove chicken neck and giblets (I try to freeze them to save for stocks). Rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.
3.    Add chicken to bowl and cover with marinade. Refrigerate overnight.
4.    When you’re ready to grill, fill your chimney starter with charcoal and light. Soak some wood chunks or chips.
5.    While your coals are getting hot, drink half a can of beer (soda is fine too).
6.    Set up your grill for indirect cooking, with all of the coals and wood chunks on one side, and a drip pan on the other.
7.    Shove can with remaining beer into the cavity of the chicken, and place on the grill above the drip pan, opposite the coals. Use the legs and the can to form a tripod to hold the chicken upright, like so:

 
8.    Place the lid on the grill, with holes above the chicken. Smoke, covered, for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. The chicken is ready with the temperature reaches 165 degrees in the breast and 180 degrees in the thigh. Juices should run clear and skin will be nice and crispy:

9.    Let chicken rest at least 10-15 minutes before carving.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it - and don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!

How to Smoke a Turkey Breast on the Grill

Looking for a slice of Thanksgiving any time of the year, in less than two hours?

Cooking a whole turkey is an ordeal. There’s a lot of prep work, it takes days to thaw (while it consumes your entire refrigerator), and then it takes hours to cook. Done right, it’s delicious and totally worth the effort. But still, an ordeal.

A turkey breast, on the other hand, thaws overnight, doesn’t take up too much fridge space, and can be smoked in less than two hours (just enough time to make corn bread dressing while it smokes, but that’s a recipe for another day . . . stay tuned).

With just a little prep work, you can have a moist, juicy, flavorful smoked turkey any day of the year – give it a shot!

Ingredients:

1 turkey breast (about 4-5 pounds)
2 tablespoons butter

Brine ingredients:

Water (about 2 quarts – enough to cover the whole breast)
½ cup salt
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup lemon juice (or two lemons, cut in half and squeezed)
1 tablespoon dried rosemary (or 2 sprigs fresh rosemary)
1 tablespoon dried thyme (or 2 sprigs fresh)

Rub ingredients:

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon herbed poultry seasoning

Directions:

1.    The night before you’re planning to smoke the turkey, mix the brining ingredients in a large bowl and submerge the turkey. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2.    When you’re ready to cook, fill a chimney starter with charcoal and begin to heat the coals. Soak wood chunks in water.
3.    While the charcoal is getting hot, prep the turkey. Remove it from the brine, and discard solution. Pat the turkey dry. Rub it with the butter, then sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, herbed poultry seasoning and paprika (feel free to mix up the spices to get the flavor you want).
4.    When the coals are ready, set up your grill for indirect heat (like you would for BBQ pork shoulder). Place charcoal on one side of the grill. Place a drip pan on the other side, next to the goals. Place soaked wood chunks directly on the charcoal, then add the grill grate.
5.    Place the turkey above the drip pan, on the opposite side of the grill from the charcoal and wood. Cover the grill, with the holes in the lid directly above the turkey.

6.    Smoke turkey, covered, for 40 minutes. Rotate the turkey 180 degrees, add newly soaked wood chunks, and recover.
7.    Smoke turkey another 40 minutes. Rotate turkey again, add more wood chunks, and insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, not touching the bone.
8.    Continue smoking turkey until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove turkey from the grill. Let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!

Pulled Pork Leftover Edition – Carnitas Burritos!

I’ve been smoking A LOT of pork shoulders lately, and while I could eat BBQ pork sandwiches just about every day, it’s always nice to have a little variety. Of course, when you’ve already done the work of smoking the shoulder, you’re looking for a recipe for the leftovers that’s quick and easy. For leftover pulled pork, it’s hard to beat carnitas burritos.

I’m going to keep this recipe pretty vague. In fact, it’s not really a recipe so much as a suggestion – if you have leftover pork, make some burritos. That said, here’s what I used:

Ingredients

Leftover smoked pork shoulder (here’s my recipe for smoking BBQ pork on the grill)
One can of black beans
1 cup of white rice, cooked according to package directions
Shredded cheese
Salsa of your choice (here’s a great recipe for salsa with grilled corn)
Plain Greek yogurt – a tasty, healthy substitute for sour cream. Bet you won’t taste the difference!
Tortillas, warmed on stove, grill, or in microwave
Lettuce (grilled if you want!)

Directions

1.    Directions? Seriously? Ok, I’ll play along. Place tortilla on plate. Pile all other ingredients high. Wrap up in tortilla. Eat!

If you like this “recipe,” please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!

Peanut Butter, Apple and Oatmeal Cookies – for Dogs!

When I grill, my dog Mollie is always my number one grilling buddy. Don’t worry; she doesn’t handle the food, though not for a lack of trying. Her primary jobs, in addition to keeping me company, are protecting the grill from squirrels, making sure that anything I spill gets cleaned up right away, and barking at any potential intruders into our backyard.

However, she’s always devastated when the food comes off the grill and she doesn’t get to eat. The unfairness of it all! She toils away for hours helping prepare what certainly smells like a delicious meal, and she doesn’t even a taste? That’s just wrong.

So for her birthday, I cooked some cookies on the grill that were just for Mollie. These are really healthy treats for dogs, and she LOVED them. I’m sure your four-legged friends will too.

Mollie attacking her kong to get a cookie out!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 egg
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 tablespoons molasses
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 apple, cored and finely chopped (or grated)
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

1.    Mix the peanut butter, egg, apple sauce and molasses well.
2.    Add the apple and dry ingredients and mix well.
3.    Spoon cookie dough onto well-greased baking sheet (one you don’t mind putting right on the grill).
4.    Heat your charcoal and spread the coals into one layer covering the bottom of the grill.
5.    Place the cookie sheet in the center of the grill. Cook for about 5 minutes, covered. Flip the cookies over, and cook for another 5 minutes. They should be nice and crispy on the outside, but still chewy on the inside.
6.    Remove the cookies from the grill, and let them cool for at least 20 minutes. Then serve!

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!

Curry Chicken Salad (aka, Indian-Style Beer Can Chicken Leftover Edition)

Looking for a way to stretch your leftovers after making an Indian-style beer can chicken? This curry chicken salad is light and healthy but packed with delicious flavor. It’s perfect to pack for lunch or enjoy on a hot summer day.

Ingredients:

2 leftover chicken breasts from Indian-style beer can chicken

2 cups grapes, sliced in half

1 tablespoon lemon juice

6 oz plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon curry powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.    Shred chicken breasts.
2.    Combine all ingredients and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy – it’s that easy!

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!

Chocolate Pecan Bars – On the Grill!

Looking for another awesome dessert you can bake right on the grill? Try these gooey, chewy, delicious chocolate pecan bars!

Crust ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened
1 ½ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
Quarters-worth of salt

Filling ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups pecans, halved
3 TPSB butter, melted
¾ cup Karo syrup
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 TBSP bourbon (optional)
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.    Beat crust ingredients together.
2.    Press crust into heavily greased cast iron pan.
3.    Stir filling ingredients together.
4.    Pour filling over crust.

5.    Set up grill so that coals form a ring around the outside of the grill, leaving the middle of the grill empty.
6.    Place pan in middle of grill. Grill, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until filling is completely melted.
7.    Let cool for at least 30 minutes, preferably at least an hour. It’s going to very tempting to cut in early, I know, but if you do, it’s going to fall apart. After 30-60 minutes, cut into bars and enjoy!

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!

Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs Stuffed with Ham and Cheese

I LOVE grilling boneless chicken thighs. They’re so much moister and more flavorful than their white meat brethren (yes, I know they’re not as lean, but that’s why they taste so good . . . ). 

They’re also much more forgiving for amateur cooks like me. Chicken is so difficult on the grill because you can’t undercook it without making your guests sick, but if you overcook breasts even slightly, the meat gets really dry, really fast. So there’s a pretty tight window to get them off the grill. But since thighs are so much juicier and tenderer to begin with, you can still have a great-tasting meal even if you leave them on the grill a minute or two too long.

I usually just cover thighs with salt and spices and throw them on the grill, and they always taste great. But for this recipe, I decided to step it up a notch and stuff them with some ham and cheese. The ham adds great flavor, and the cheese is gooey and delicious. Give it a try!

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 boneless chicken thighs
4 thick slices of ham
4 slices of cheese (I used provolone, but feel free to mix it up)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1.    Open up the boneless thighs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.
2.    Lay one piece of ham across the middle of each, and then place a slice of cheese over the ham. Fold like so:

 
3.    Grill for about 10 minutes on each side. Watch for flare-ups! Flip them once carefully using a spatula; otherwise, leave them alone. Thighs should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.Remove and enjoy.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!