There are few things better on this planet than great grilled shrimp. Tonight we made grilled shrimp, grilled asparagus and cheese grits. I think I found the best way to grill shrimp so far. I have a large barrel grill (1,000 square inches). What I do is use a heat gradient with my coals. I place the hottest or most dense quantity of coals on one end and spread them out unevenly until there is a few coals on the other end. This pretty much gives me a nice range of heat which I can move my food around and be able to find whatever desired heat I’d like. I also put some hickory chunks on the hottest side right before I cook my shrimp so that there is some intense flame and smoke from the wood. Before you start you’ll want to make sure the hottest end is at a very high temp, 300-400 F. An easy way to check this is to hold your hand about 2 inches from the grate. You should only be able to hold your hand there for about 3 seconds before it becoming uncomfortable. This is your desired heat. It’s time to start.
Place a few hickory chunks on the hottest end of the grill and let them catch fire and start to burn down a bit. We want fire and smoke so we don’t want to start cooking right as the wood catches fire. Place marinated shrimp (recipe below) directly above the fire and let sit for 1 minute before turning, you should see some grill marks and some slight charring on the smaller pieces on the shrimp. Turn and let cook for 1 minute on the opposite side. We now want to move the shrimp to a place of medium-high to high heat but only over coals. Cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes until the shrimp are no longer translucent. Of course as you are the chef you are required to eat at least one for quality control. Enjoy.
I cook the asparagus in almost the same way although they take a little longer on the grill than the shrimp and should be turned with a good 2-3 minute frequency.
Shrimp marinade
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs 12-16 count shrimp cleaned and shelled
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinagerette
1 oz whiskey
1 tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp paprika
dash cayenne (add more if you like spicy)
1 tsp Sea salt
1 tsp cracked pepper
Directions:
Peel and devein shrimp. Mix all other ingredients and whisk or blend thoroughly. Place shrimp in marinate and let sit in fridge for 1-3 hours. Skewer Shrimp. Grill. Left over marinade can be coated on asparagus before grilling.
Fontina Cheese Grits
Ingredients:
1/2 cup grits
2 cups water
dash salt
3/4 cup fontina cheese shredded
salt and pepper
Directions:
Bring water to boil. Stir in dash of salt and grits. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. When grits are completely done cooking slowly add and stir in fontina cheese. Let sit for 10 minutes to firm. Salt and pepper to taste. Place shrimp on bed of grits and serve.
Single Ingredient Project 