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An Apple a Day … Keeps Boring Barbecue Away

UP IN SMOKE
An Apple a Day … Keeps Boring Barbecue Away
October 15, 2013

Dear Up in Smoke Subscriber,

Johnny Appleseed never attended Barbecue University. But if the apple evangelist lived today, we’d welcome him with open arms. John Chapman (his real name) spent 40 years crisscrossing the fledgling United States, collecting and disseminating apple seeds and building nurseries. If the apple is one of our most popular fruits and its byproducts—apple wood, apple cider, cider vinegar, and applesauce—are essential barbecue flavorings, we have this singular American folk hero to thank.

Incorporating apples into barbecue adds a subtle sweetness to meat and the meal and helps you think outside of the box when it comes to flavor. Instead of opting for the usual vegetable or starch as a side, use apples as an alternative. They’re especially tasty and abundant in October, which is National Apple Month.

There are a number of ways you can enjoy whole or sliced apples on the grill or in your smoker:

  • Make apple “steaks”: Slice a firm apple crosswise into 1/2-inch thick steaks. Brush with melted butter and crust with cinnamon-sugar or our Best of Barbecue Dessert Rub, then direct grill over a hot fire until darkly browned. Great for dessert and as an accompaniment to grilled or smoked pork.
  • Stuff whole cored apples with your favorite pork sausage. Smoke or indirect grill until the apple is soft and the sausage is cooked through (the internal temperature of the latter should be at least 160 degrees.) Use our Best of Barbecue Grilling Rings to hold the apples upright.
  • Grate a peeled, cored cooking apple like Granny Smith or Golden Delicious on the largest holes of a box grater into ground turkey or venison for burgers (about 1/2 apple per pound of meat). The apple adds an intriguing fruit flavor, and more importantly, helps keep these lean meats juicy.
  • Make “baked” apples Barbecue University-style. Partially remove the core using a vegetable peeler or melon baller (leave the bottom intact). Make a simple stuffing with butter, brown sugar, gingersnap cookie crumbs, and cinnamon. Stuff the apple and top each with a half marshmallow. Indirect grill over a moderate heat with apple chips tossed on the coals to generate wood smoke.

Check out my Cider-Grilled Pork Porterhouse, which features apple cider in the marinade and apple syrup in the sauce.

Looking for an interesting, flavor-packed slaw for a pulled pork sandwich? Make the vinegar slaw in BBQ USA, adding 1 apple, cored, and cut into matchstick slivers.

Do you have your own apple recipe you’re fired up about? Share the details and photos on the Barbecue Board!

Yours in righteous grilling,
Steven Raichlen

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