Photo by Aleksandar Kamasi – Fotolia
Show of hands, who is crawling the walls with summer vacation anticipation? I’m not even sure when or if I’m going anywhere, but there will be cabin time, I-35 headaches, and a bevy of grilled meats. The summer season kicks off this weekend and I’m firing up the grill for the first time. I suggest you don your best “Kiss the Cook” apron and get with me.
Lamb Sausage from Lowry Hill Meats
For me the summer kick off is the Solo Vino Rosé tent tasting in mid-May and this year’s festival did not disappoint. What was different this time around were the grillables served to the wine slurpers. Area chefs (including Matt McArthur formerly of Cheeky Monkey) were turning sausages from Lowry Hill Meats. The merguez, a spicy lamb offering, was heavenly. Bust these out at the next backyard cookoff and see what kind of friends you make. The exotic spices make for an alluring perfume and the juicy snap when biting into them is irresistible. Now, the sausages and seasonings inside the meat case change often, so if you don’t see what I’m talking about, just go with your gut on the seasoning. lowryhillmeats.com
Kill Dem Wid It! from Pimento Jamaican Kitchen
Sometimes actually grilling something is a pain and a mess—better to leave the work to the experts. The folks in the kitchen at Pimento Jamaican are masters of manipulating smoke and oh, my—their succulent pork and expertly jerk-ed chicken are a hot bite of heaven. There are sauces available in a variety of flavors, but the hottest, Kill Dem Wid It! is a fantastic slow burn packed with flavor with lime, charred scallions, habanero, and soy that deepens the flavor further and adds a mahogany hue. pimentokitchen.com
Joy Summers with the Pimento Jamaican Kitchen crew and hosts of Twin Cities Live
Indurrito from Hot Indian Foods
Rather than working over the grill this Sunday, I’m attending an annual party at a close friend’s home. She’s a chef herself, so of course the food is going to be killah. (I’m also planning on a couple of bourbon slushes being poured in my direction. She’s a lovely host.) I’ve heard that the Hot Indian truck will be arriving to feed us and I am already planning on crushing an Indurrito—that’s the beautiful messy lovechild of a burrito and an…Indian? I’m not sure how that really worked, but there is spice and chickpeas and it’s all cuddled up inside their naan. hotindianfoods.com
