Barbecue and Beyond

Gail Bellamy

Meat and fire may be an ancient and winning combination, but today's chefs are taking the thrill of the grill to the next level with grilled and barbecued specialties. And while they're at it, they've added some inspired side dishes and accompaniments to the mix. On the pages that follow, you'll find recipes for barbecued, smoked and grilled foods, including beef, pork, lamb, veal, shrimp and chicken. Whether your customers opt to wash down their foods from the grill with beer or iced tea-based drinks, you'll also discover ideas that can refresh your beverage menu.

Hot Ideas
Barbecue may be a state of mind as much as a cooking style. The following are just a few of the ways restaurants express their personalities through their barbecue menus.
• Savory meets sweet on the barbecue menu at Burtons Grill in Boston. A new summer offering includes a signature barbecue sauce made with chocolate and Coca-Cola. Denise Brown, executive chef of Burtons Grill, created the sauce, which imparts a sweet, smoky flavor for grilled meats and seafood. Menu items featuring Burtons BBQ Sauce include chicken, shrimp, ribs, chicken spring rolls made with grilled chicken, and a barbecue burger. Guests can wash it all down with a flavored mojito (pomegranate, raspberry or classic). Besides Boston, Burtons Grill has locations in North Andover and Hingham, MA and in South Windsor, CT.
• Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas in Arizona's Glen Canyon National Recreation Area hosted the area's third annual All-American Sustainable Barbecue on July 4th. Executive Chef Brandon Shubert prepared a traditional barbecue featuring sustainable foods including farm-raised striped bass and housesmoked Hearst Ranch grass-fed beef brisket, plus assorted salsas and fresh corn chips.

Featuring Fruit
Fruit and barbecue seem be quite the couple. At Hoggy's barbecue restaurants, with six locations in Ohio and one in Kentucky, the summer menu includes entree salads such as the Grilled Smoked Lemon Pepper Salmon served over mixed greens with sweet cranberries, candied almonds and red peppers, as well as the Orchard Fresh Fruit Salad. Each Hoggy's location features an applewood smoker on site.

CORBIS

NATIONAL TURKEY FEDERATION

U.S. HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY COUNCIL

WISCONSIN MILK MARKETING BOARD