Friends, customers and grilling enthusiasts,

Welcome to the 4th of July issue of Hot Off the Grill! Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet is continuing its 100th anniversary celebration with another great holiday grilling menu created by Chef Michael Chiarello. We hope you enjoy this menu with your family and friends as they gather around your grill for your July 4th barbecue.

We created Hot Off the Grill! to help you maximize your outdoor grilling and entertaining experiences. Thank you for your warm response to previous issues; please keep your stories, suggestions, and comments coming to hotg@kalamazoogourmet.com.

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July, 2006
Inside This Issue...

Master Grilling

Grilling the Perfect Pizza

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Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet in the News

May and June were busy months for Kalamazoo. Just as grilling season was getting underway, we found our company and products featured by The New York Times, Good Morning America, Food & Wine Magazine and MSNBC.

The New York Times
The most emailed New York Times article of the week was "Pimp My Grill," which described Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet grills at the forefront of a new breed of supergrills. Kalamazoo customers Connie Dove and Mo Houde (pictured below) were interviewed about the grill they have proudly nicknamed named Big Bertha.
Read more...


Robert Spencer for The New York Times

Good Morning America
In a special grilling edition of their "Sensible Shopper" segment, Good Morning America picks the Kalamazoo Steadfast® Two Dual-Fuel Free-Standing Hybrid Grill as the "Most Versatile Grill" you can buy in 2006. Thanks to its ability to cook with any combination of charcoal, wood and gas, we have to agree with their decision.
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Food & Wine Magazine
Steven Raichlen, author of over a dozen barbecue cookbooks and host of Barbecue University, is asked to name his top seven grills for a variety of price ranges and purposes. He recommends the Kalamazoo Bread Breaker® Two Dual-Fuel Free-Standing Hybrid Grill, saying, "The most remarkable feature of this machine is its fuel system, which can burn gas, charcoal and hardwood."
Read more...

MSNBC
Recommending "Only the Best for Dad" on Father's Day meant choosing the ultimate grill, which meant a Kalamazoo.
Read more...

These stories as well as other news and announcements can be found in our up-to-date news section.

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July 4th Holiday Grill Menu from Michael Chiarello

Chef Michael Chiarello, of NapaStyle and Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello fame, cooks on his very own Kalamazoo Steadfast® Two Plus Smoker Box. This is the third signature menu he is sharing with Hot Off The Grill! readers as part of Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet's 100th Anniversary celebration. Enjoy! Prosciutto Wrapped Figs and Blue Cheese Grilled Gaucho Steak with Chimichurri Sauce Barely Smoked Salmon with Pea and Potato Salad Back to top

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs and Blue Cheese

Author:	Michael Chiarello
Servings:	4
Ingredients:	8 Black Mission figs
	1/2 cup blue cheese, cut into cubes
	8 slices prosciutto (thinly sliced, cut in half lengthwise)
	2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
	Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat grill. You will need medium to high heat for grilling. The key is to crisp the prosciutto quickly and leave the blue cheese just melted with the inner part of the fig cool in temperature.

Cut the figs in half and place a piece of blue cheese on each fig half. Wrap the prosciutto around each fig half, covering the cheese. The ends of the prosciutto should overlap.

Grill each piece until the prosciutto begins to color and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill, lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Serve warm.

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Grilled Gaucho Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Author:	Michael Chiarello, Recipe from Tra Vigne Cookbook
Servings:	8
Ingredients:	3 red onions, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
	1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
	3 pounds skirt steak
	Chili Water (see recipe that follows)
	8 fresh pita breads
	4 vine-ripened tomatoes
	1/2 pound blue cheese
	1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon Chimichurri Sauce (see recipe that follows)

Directions:
Prepare a medium-hot fire in the grill.

Lightly brush the onion slices with olive oil. Place on the grill and cook about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter and reserve. Place the steaks on the grill. Baste a couple of times with Chili Water and cook until done, about 4 to 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter.

Lightly brush the pita bread with olive oil and grill for 1 minute to heat through.

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices and then cut the slices in half. Lay out the pita bread on 2 sheet pans and crumble the blue cheese on top. Transfer to the oven to keep warm. Slice the meat lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices and put into a bowl. Toss the meat with 1/2 cup Chimichurri Sauce. Remove the pita from the oven and divide the meat between them. Place the sliced tomatoes on the side of the meat and top all with rings of grilled onion. Spoon the remaining 1 teaspoon of Chimichurri Sauce over top and serve.

Chili Water

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.

Chimichurri Sauce

Directions:
Place the parsley, bay leaves, garlic, paprika, oregano, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Put the sauce in a glass or plastic container, using as needed. Chimichurri will last for up to 1 month, refrigerated.

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Barely Smoked Salmon with Pea and Potato Salad

At Tra Vigne, we developed techniques that allowed us to serve dishes efficiently without compromising quality. This salmon dish is a good example. The individual elements, salmon, vinaigrette, and pea and potato salad, can all be made ahead, leaving only the assembly for serving time.

Author:	Michael Chiarello
Servings:	4
Ingredients:	1 to 1-1/4 pounds thick salmon fillet, skin intact, cut into 4 equal pieces (4 to 5 ounces per serving)
	Gray salt
	Extra virgin olive oil for brushing on grill and salmon, plus 1/2 cup (see Chef's Note)
	Soaked wood chips for smoking
	2 cups diced potatoes, peeled if desired (1/2-inch dice)
	2 cups shelled English peas (about 1-3/4 pounds unshelled)
	1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
	2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar or champagne vinegar
	1-1/2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh tarragon (if using champagne vinegar)
	Freshly ground pepper
	2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
	4 large handfuls salad greens

Directions:
Prepare the grill for medium-low heat. Sprinkle the salmon all over with salt and let rest for about 25 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Brush with olive oil.

Add a handful of soaked chips to the coals or smoker tray, oil the grill rack, if necessary, and place the salmon, skin side down, on the coolest part of the grill rack. Cover the grill and cook, without turning, until the salmon is opaque through, about 20 minutes (for 1-1/2-inch-thick fillets).

Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a pot of cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon and spread on a baking sheet to cool. Return the water to a boil, add the peas, and cook just until bright green and tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well and scatter on the baking sheet with the potatoes to cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, the tarragon, if using, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the 1/2 cup olive oil while whisking to form an emulsion.

Put the peas and potatoes in a large bowl and add about 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Toss and taste for seasoning. Add more of the vinaigrette, if needed. Toss well with 1 tablespoon of the chives and divide among 4 plates. Pull the skin off each piece of salmon (reserve, if desired), then place on top of the salads. Dress the greens with another tablespoon of the vinaigrette and arrange around the salmon. Sprinkle the salads with the remaining 1 tablespoon of chives.

Stand the salmon skin against the side of the salmon as a garnish, if desired.

Chef's Note: A lightly flavored olive oil, such as a Spanish or French one, is better here than a Tuscan or other strongly flavored olive oil. I do not mean the so-called light olive oils in supermarkets, specially blended to have little or no flavor at all.

Find out your preferred balance for vinaigrettes. I like to use a ratio of about ten parts oil to one part vinegar for a dinner when the wine is a star, and four parts oil to one part vinegar for "all-purpose" vinaigrettes, such as this one. If you like a more pronounced acidity, do not be afraid to decrease the ratio to equal amounts oil and vinegar.

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Master Grilling

Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet's Guide to Perfect Grilling: Pizza

Freshly made pizza off the grill makes for a fantastic meal or appetizer, and it is quite easy to do. We recommend using a gas grill because you will need to maintain a consistent temperature for over an hour (1 hour to pre-heat and about 10 minutes to cook).

Following are the basic instructions. A pizza dough recipe and a sample pizza recipe are available in the Recipes & Tips section of our website. You can buy fresh pizza dough at many markets, or you can make your own. We do not recommend using frozen pizza dough from your grocer's frozen food aisle.

What You'll Need:
A pizza baking stone that fits your grill over an indirect cooking zone.
A pizza peel.
Pizza ingredients, including extra flour and corn meal.
Wood chips or chunks.

Step One: Pre-heat the Pizza Stone
Place the pizza stone on the grill over an indirect cooking zone and preheat the grill to 500 degrees. The pizza stone will require about an hour to thoroughly come up to temperature.

While the stone is heating, set out the cheese, pizza dough and any other ingredients to bring them to room temperature before assembling the pizza.

At the one-hour mark, you should have wood smoking or about to smoke (See wood notes that follow).

Step Two: Cook the Pizza Ingredients
While the pizza stone is preheating, any raw ingredients, such as sausage, chicken or shrimp, should be cooked. No raw meat should be assembled on the pizza. You can grill food alongside the pizza stone as it pre-heats.

This is also a good time to roast garlic or grill onions, if you are including them on your pizza.

Step Three: Assemble the Pizza
All ingredients should be chopped, sliced and otherwise prepared before rolling out the pizza dough.

Roll out the fresh pizza dough using plenty of flour to prevent sticking. You can use a rolling pin dusted with flour or simply use your hands to stretch, flatten and shape the dough. The pizza crust should be a maximum of 1/4" thick, and sized to fit your pizza peel and stone. Sometimes it is easier to make a rectangular pizza.

Sprinkle the pizza peel with corn meal so that the pizza will slide off easily when you move it to the grill. Transfer the rolled-out pizza dough to the pizza peel before assembling the pizza.

Lightly brush the edges of the pizza crust with olive oil, then add the ingredients. Do not overload the pizza.

Step Four: Cook the Pizza
Wood smoke should be going strong at this time (See wood notes that follow).

Bring the assembled pizza on the peel to the hot pizza stone. Maneuver the peel over the pizza stone, and gently shift the peel with a sliding motion to get the leading edge of the pizza crust just off the end of the peel. Touch the crust down to the stone and then quickly and smoothly slide the peel back from under the crust like a magician pulling the tablecloth out from under the place settings.

Close the grill lid and cook the pizza at 500 degrees for about ten to twelve minutes or until the crust is browned. After the fist five minutes, use grilling tongs to rotate the pizza one-half turn (180 degrees) on the stone to help it cook more evenly.

When the pizza is done, use grilling tongs once again to lift the edge of the pizza and pull it back onto the pizza peel to remove the pizza from the grill.

Sprinkle with any finishes, like fresh basil, parmesan or finishing salt, then slice and serve.

Wood Notes:
For Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet Hybrid Grills: Preheat the pizza stone with the solid fuel drawers (not the ceramic-lined gas drawers) over the active burners. You can pre-heat using gas alone or gas with charcoal or wood. After the ingredients are prepared, but before the crust is rolled out (about ten minutes before the pizza goes on the grill), put fresh wood into the solid fuel drawer over the active burner. Be careful not to cause a temperature spike, as a pizza will burned if cooked at over 600 degrees.

For Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet Smoker Box Grills: We recommend having hot charcoal at the ready in the smoker about five to ten minutes before the pizza will go on the grill. At that time, add a generous number of large, dry wood chunks to the coals and close the smoker box door. The baffle to the cooking chamber should be wide open, and there is no need to snuff the fire in the smoker box.

For gas grills with smoking trays: The indirect cooking zone where the pizza stone is should be setup on the opposite side of the grill from the smoking tray (so that the burner under the smoking tray can be used). Ten minutes before the pizza goes on the grill, load the smoking tray with dry wood chunks (chips are alright, but chunks are better). There is no need to soak the wood chunks, because the pizza will only cook for ten minutes.

Look for more in our series of "Guide to Perfect Grilling" articles in future issues of Hot Off The Grill!

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We Want to Hear from You

As we continue our efforts to help our readers maximize the joy and satisfaction of their outdoor grilling and entertaining experience, we would love to know what you think:

• Share with us your favorite grilling recipes or outdoor gourmet entertaining tips.
• Provide us with pictures of your grill or grill setting.
• Tell us what you like most about your Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet product.
• Tell us which product features you would like to see added to or improved on our products.
• Let us know if there are any services Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet should offer.

Feel free to drop us a line at hotg@kalamazoogourmet.com with your thoughts on any of the above, or just to say hello.

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