BBQ Recipes Charlotte NC

Two award-winning barbecue recipes from grill master Mike Wozniak. They adapt easily for the oven, but cook on a wire rack in a pan. Use the same grill and internal temperatures.

Rack of lamb

2 racks of lamb, approximately 7-8 bones each

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

5-6 cloves sliced garlic

5-6 rosemary sprigs

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Additional pepper and kosher salt, no more than about a teaspoon of cracked pepper and a tablespoon of kosher salt.

Remove any silver skin, or membrane, on the racks. Remove meat and fat from between the top few inches of bones to create a crown. Clean bones as best as possible.

Mix all ingredients, except lamb, in a one-gallon plastic bag. Place lamb in bag, squeeze out excess air. Refrigerate overnight.

Before cooking, wipe off excess oil. Sprinkle lightly with fresh ground pepper and a heavier sprinkling of kosher salt.

Cook over a very hot grill, about 550 degrees. It should take somewhere between 6 to 9 minutes, depending on the grill temperature. Remove from grill immediately when the thickest part of the lamb reaches 140 degrees internally. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice between the bones and serve individual chops.

Note: Wozniak prefers American-raised lamb. New Zealand lamb is common, he says, but has a gamier taste.

Serves 6 to 8. Per serving: 423 calories; 26 grams protein; 35.1 grams fat (74.7 percent of total calories); 0.7 gram carbohydrate; no fiber; 87 milligrams cholesterol; and 1,103 milligrams sodium.

Pork loin

Pork loin, about 5-6 pounds

Rub, such as Durkee's Chicken and Rib Rub

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2-3 tablespoons yellow mustard

Optional:

1/2 cup each, apple and apricot jelly, mixed and melted in microwave.

For brine:

1 cup kosher salt

1 cup turbinado sugar

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

3 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 pounds ice

Remove fat and membrane, or silver skin, from the loin.

Brine the loin overnight by placing brine ingredients and loin in a 1 gallon plastic bag. If loin is too long, cut it in half.

Approximately four hours before cooking, dry loin off and sprinkle cayenne pepper and kosher salt over the outside. Slather loin with yellow mustard, then coat with pork rub.

Like lean meats in general, pork loin should be cooked hot. Cook over a grill temperature of approximately 550 degrees. Rotate the loin to develop a crust on the meat. When internal temperature reaches about 135 degrees and a crust has developed, move the loin to a cooler area of the grill, approximately 250 degrees. Watch as internal temperature rises to 145 degrees, then pull off the grill.

The loin will continue to cook. Rest for approximately 15 minutes, then slice and serve.

Note from Wozniak

"Once we move the loin to a cooler area of the grill, we often glaze it with a mixture of melted apple and apricot jelly. This adds a pleasant sweetness to the rind of the loin and adds sheen to the presentation."

Serves up to 12. Per serving: 426 calories; 41 grams protein; 29 grams fat (61.4 percent of total calories); 0.1 gram carbohydrate; no fiber; 131 milligrams cholesterol; and 1,283 milligrams sodium.