Get Your Grill On

Did you know that Kingsford has a University that teaches grilling? Yup, the makers of that old standby, Kingsford Charcoal runs a University out at Rancho de los Caballeros, a dude ranch and spa set on 20,000 Sonoran desert acres outside of Wickenberg, Arizona.I wish I knew how to attend some of these classes. I would love to add a degree from Kingsford to my resume.

And I would love to get the chance to pick the brains of these fine folks. I don’t think I could find a better group of grilling chefs anywhere..

The Faculty:
–Rick Rodgers, grilling expert and the author of Kingsford Complete Grilling Cookbook.
–Corinne Trang, “the Asian Julia Child” and the author of The Asian Grill.
–Aaron Sanchez, Latin cooking expert and the author of La Comida del Barrio.
–Chris Lilly, pitmaster of Big Bob Gibson BBQ and ten-time world BBQ champion.

So what do you learn at Kingsford University? After the break, there’s a sample. It’s a great recipe for Yucatan-Style Grilled Lobster. This incredibly simple lobster dish from Aaron Sanchez comes to us from recent graduate Dave DeWitt over at Firey-Foods. He says that this dish ” is one of the best I’ve ever tasted. And it cooks up quickly.”

Yucatan-Style Grilled Lobster
Lobster on the Grill

• 1/2 habanero chile, seeded
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup sour orange juice, or 1/4 cup orange juice mixed with 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 1 1/4-pound lobster

In a blender, combine the chile, garlic, sour orange juice, lime juice, honey, and olive oil and puree until smooth. In a cast iron skillet, toast the spices until they start to smoke, and then grind them in a spice grinder. Add the ground spices to the habanero mixture and mix well.

Preheat the grill until the coals are ashy. Distribute the coals evenly in the bottom of the grill.

Split the lobster in half lengthwise, removing the roe if necessary. Spread the spice mixture over the tail portion of each side of the lobster.
Place the lobster halves on the hot grill and cook for 7 minutes per side. Remove and serve.
Yield: 2 servings
Heat Scale: Medium

Photos in this post courtesy of Firey-Foods.com