Grilled Pork Loin

Marinating the pork for a few hours lets it absorb all the wonderful flavours it's soaking in. Then cooking up the remaining marinade gives you a fabulous serving sauce! 

1 3/4 lb pork loin

2 tbsps ketchup

2 tbsps Dijon mustard

2 tbsps soy sauce

2 tbsps olive oil

3 tbsps apple cider vinegar

1 tsp dry thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp celery seed

1/4 cup brown sugar

Mix everything together except the brown sugar. Place in a ziplock bag with the pork and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to cook, remove the meat from the bag and pour the marinade into a saucepan. Add the brown sugar to the pan and bring to a boil for 1 minute, then simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside. Grill the pork loin at 350°F for 15 minutes, turning over once. Next, move the pork to indirect heat for another 15 minutes. Using 1/2 the sauce, baste the meat and grill 5 more minutes. The internal temperature should read 145°F. Let rest 10 minutes then slice and serve with the rest of the sauce. Serves 4  

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Lemon Lime BBQ Chicken

Such a fresh, bright citrusy flavoured marinade keeping moisture locked into these barbecued chicken breasts.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1/2 lb each)

Zest of 1/2 lemon

2 tbsps lemon juice

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsps olive oil

2 tsps minced garlic

1 1/2 tsps balsamic vinegar

1 tsp grainy mustard

1 tsp dry oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp dry minced onion

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

 

Place chicken in a plastic bag or between 2 sheets of waxed paper and roll out to even the thickness of the breasts to about 3/4". Whisk the ingredients together and marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour. Set the BBQ to 400°F and grill 6 minutes per side to an internal temperature of 160°F. Let rest 10 minutes. Serves 2   

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Herbed Lime Cod

Bursting with the flavours of lime, garlic, fresh basil and your favourite hot sauce, this light and flaky cod will please even fussy fish eaters. 

Ingredients:

4 cod fillets

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

4 tsps minced garlic

1 tsp lime zest

1-2 tbsp hot sauce

2 tbsps fresh chopped basil

2 tsps capers

1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix the lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic, lime zest and hot sauce together. Divide in half. Place one half in a resealable bag along with the cod in a single layer. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes maximum. To the second half add the chopped fresh basil and capers and set aside. When ready to cook remove the fish from the marinade and discard that marinade. Oil the grill and season the cod with black pepper. Heat the barbecue to 450°F and cook 3-4 minutes per side or until an internal temperature of 130-135°F is reached. Serve drizzled with the rest of the marinade, basil and capers. Serves 4

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Salted Caramel Sauce

Umami richness drizzled over ice cream? You'll just have to try it to know why this soy caramel thing has been going viral. And if you aren't adventurous enough to try it for dessert then use it as an umami-kissed glaze for chicken.  

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbsps soy sauce 

First off, using light soy sauce is actually saltier than the dark. The dark is less salty and a bit sweeter. So the saltiness of your caramel will depend on your preference of soys. Mix the olive oil, maple syrup and soy in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then simmer 5-8 minutes stirring or swirling the pot regularly until slightly thickened. It will thicken more as it cools. Trust me you don't want to over cook it or you will end up with toffee. Unless toffee is what you like... it does make a nice salty sweet chew. (That was my first batch!) 

This recipe made about 1/2 cup of sauce. But make as much as you like, just remember 2 parts olive oil, 2 parts maple syrup and 1 part soy sauce. What else will you use it on?

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Balsamic Dijon BBQ Pork Tenderloin

The juiciest, most tender pork tenderloin is right here with a tangy, flavourful balsamic glaze that you'll want to make again and again! 

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins

2 tbsps soy sauce

2 tbsps grainy Dijon mustard

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbsps olive oil

3 tbsps maple syrup

4 tsps minced ginger

salt and pepper to taste

a dash of hot sauce

1 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp dry thyme

fresh parsley to garnish 

Combine everything except the fresh parsley and place in a plastic bag, saved waxed cereal bag or plastic wrap along with the pork. Remove as much air as possible and refrigerate a minimum of 6 hours or overnight, turning over every now and then. Take the meat out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Oil the grill and set heat to medium high. Remove the meat from the marinade and place on the oiled grill. Reserve the marinade. Barbecue 12-15 minutes turning the pork over every 3 minutes. While the meat cooks bring the reserved marinade to a boil in a small pot for 5-8 minutes, whisking every few minutes until the marinade is reduced to a glaze. The internal temperature of the pork when ready should read 140°F. Brush glaze over the tenderloins and let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing in 3/4 - 1" pieces. Serves 4-6

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Hot and Sticky Chicken Wings

To borrow from KFC's trademark line... They're Finger Lickin' Good!

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken wings

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 - 3/4 cup of your favourite BBQ sauce

We used this one:

https://www.hotandcoldrunningmom.ca/2025/03/johns-homemade-all-purpose-bbq-sauce.html 

Take the wings and separate drumsticks and flats. We left the wing tips on the flats. Pat the chicken dry then place in a bag with the baking powder. Shake to coat. Line baking sheets with foil and sit racks on top. Spray the rack with cooking oil and place the wings on top leaving space between each piece. I used two pans. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Now brush with sauce and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Flip them over, coat with sauce again and back in the oven for a final 10 minutes.

Serves 2-3

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John's Homemade All Purpose BBQ Sauce

My cousin is a heck of a barbecue cook! And we've always loved his BBQ sauce. I decided to ask him for his recipe, thinking he might not want to share it. But it turns out it was a recipe he had found in a book (sorry I can't give credit to the original author of the recipe). And it's pretty customizable. You can change the type of vinegar or mustard, use more or less Tabasco for heat and whatever barbecue rub you use will have an impact on the sauce as well.

Use it on literally anything! 

Ingredients:

2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tbsps molasses

2 tbsps prepared mustard

1 tbsp Tabasco sauce

1 tbsp of your favourite BBQ rub

2 tsps liquid smoke

1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium to medium high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer for 15 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars and store in the fridge for months (if it lasts that long!)

Makes 2 1/2 cups 

Used it here in How to Cook a Frozen Chicken:

https://www.hotandcoldrunningmom.ca/2021/11/how-to-cook-frozen-chicken.html 

And here on Make Ahead BBQ Pork Ribs:

https://www.hotandcoldrunningmom.ca/2018/05/make-ahead-bbq-pork-ribs.html 

Or just slather it on anything you've got on the barbecue or frying in a pan!

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Chicken and Rhubarb Packets

Another savory rhubarb recipe. Chicken turns out tender and juicy when wrapped together in foil with rhubarb, tomato, onion and lemon. And it can be barbecued or cooked in the oven. 

Ingredients:

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 onion, sliced thinly

1 lemon, half juiced and half sliced

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp dry oregano

1 tsp minced garlic

8 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup sliced young rhubarb stalks

Salt and pepper again

Cooking spray

First combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper and marinated the chicken in it for 15 minutes.

Take a length of foil large enough to wrap the chicken. Lay it out and spray with a little cooking oil. Layer sliced onion and lemon and sit the chicken on top. Mix the chopped tomato and rhubarb together and place on top and around the chicken breast. Salt and pepper again if you like. Bring the foil up on each end and seal.

Bake or BBQ at 450°F for 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Serves 2

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Grilled Acorn Squash

Acorn squash is labeled as a winter squash, but why should zucchini get all the summer love? Change it up with these barbecued squash slices.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

1-2 tbsps olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

a few drops of hot sauce and any seasonings you want like:

cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, basil, brown sugar, cinnamon

 

Wash, scoop out the seeds and slice the squash. Peel it if you like but there's no need as the skin is edible. Toss with oil and hot sauce, then seasonings and place on a 350°F grill. Cook 2 minutes on each side over direct heat, then move over to indirect heat and cover for 30-35 minutes. They are done when fork tender. 

Serves 2-3

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Jamaican Jerk Chicken

This classic recipe seriously brings the heat, but if you're "chicken" replace the scotch bonnet peppers with jalapeños. The perfect blend of seasonings, especially the Jamaican allspice, still give the chicken huge flavour!

Ingredients:

 4 chicken legs

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic

1 - 2" piece of ginger

juice of 1 lemon

4 green onions

1-2 scotch bonnet peppers, halved and seeds removed

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tsps dry thyme

1 tbsp allspice

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tsps salt

2 tsps cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

 

First, pat the chicken dry.

Then add everything else to a food processor and whirl until smooth. Reserve about 1/2 the marinade to a container in the fridge. Now, using gloved hands because of the scotch bonnet, rub the rest of the marinade into the chicken legs. Place them in a plastic zip bag and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook bring them to room temperature. 

You can either oven bake or BBQ these legs.

If using the oven, bake at 400F for 40 minutes, flipping once. For the barbecue, set the grill to 400°F and flip halfway just like in the oven. For either method baste with reserved marinade a few times and the finished internal temperature should read 165°F. Also, you can bake it in the oven ahead of time then give it a quick grill on the BBQ to heat through and serve.

If you want to go traditional, serve these Jamaican Jerk Chicken legs with rice and peas (which is actually red kidney beans).

Serves 4

Adapted from: cookingwithclaudy.com

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Garlic Lemon Green Beans and Chicken

Summer's not over yet! With the last of those garden green beans and cherry tomatoes here's a packet meal that's sure to please!  

Ingredients:

1/2 lemon, sliced

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes

2 tsps minced garlic

8 oz (1 cup) green beans

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Toss the lemon slices, cherry tomatoes, garlic, green beans, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Then divide the mixture onto 2 large sheets of foil. Place the chicken breasts on top and season with salt and pepper. If your foil is large enough, bring the sides up together to seal. Or use a second sheet of foil on top of each and seal the edges well.

Place the packets on the grill over direct heat in a medium high preheated barbecue. Close the cover and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 2

Adapted from: thekitchn.com

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Grilled Zucchini and Shrimp Kebabs

Got more zucchini in the garden? Just thread them onto skewers along with shrimp, onions and pepper and grill 'em up!

Ingredients:

300 g (2/3 lb) medium to large shrimp

1 medium zucchini, sliced 3/4 - 1" thick in rounds or half-moons

1 onion, cut in 1 1/2" squares

1 bell pepper, cut in 1 1/2" squares

1 tsp lemon juice

4 tbsps worcestershire sauce

2 tbsps olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp lemon pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chopped chives and lemon juice to serve

Combine 1 tsp lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Feed the shrimp and vegetables onto skewers then spoon the sauce over each one. Marinate for 20 minutes. Spray the barbecue with cooking oil, then heat to medium temperature. Grill 4-5 minutes per side, then plate topped with chopped chives and a squeeze of lemon juice.

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