Our Review Team Member, Anne, has been cooking her way through a new paleo cookbook! Paleo Grilling: A Modern Caveman’s Guide to Cooking with Fire is a perfect book to pick up for the summer grilling season! Written by our very fit friend Tony featuring recipes from some of the best paleo bloggers we know (like The Domestic Man), we hope you enjoy this review, and recipe for Spatchcocked Grilled Dijon Chicken!
Anyone who knows my family knows that we are grilling fanatics. My family’s grilling creed is similar to the the US Postal Service: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” keeps us from our grills. In fact there are photos of my step-father grilling in 3 feet of snow. But on to the more important review of Paleo Grilling: A Modern Caveman’s Guide to Cooking with Fire. There is a brief intro on “Meet Your Meat” and “History of Meat and Fire” as well as must have items for any grilling maestro. But the true meat (ha ha pun) of this book are the yummy recipes. I read cookbooks like some read books. In fact, there are more cookbooks next to my bed then books most weeks.
I am a meat hoarder (running meat shares might play into that obsession), and had plenty of grass-fed & pastured proteins that were at my disposal for trying the recipes out. We’re currently obsessed with Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken, and I was anxious to see how Tony’s Dijon Chicken compared to my usual seasoning blend. It was delicious, and both my husband and son asked me to keep this in the rotation. I served it with some mixed greens and green beans from my friend’s garden.
Photo by Anne
Photo by Anne
I am incredibly passionate about sourcing 100% grass-fed or pastured meat from local farms that care about the animals under their care. I really appreciated that there is a focus on that throughout this cookbook, and that the recipes don’t just use the “pretty parts” of the animal. There is a whole section on wild game for the more adventurous carnivores out there. The only area I found lacking was in the grilled vegetable department. I love grilling vegetables along with my meat and wished there were some grilled vegetable recipes to complement all the meat.
If you have a grilling fan in your family (whether Paleo or not) I’d highly recommend this book. I can see us going back to it for inspiration on a regular basis.
Photo from Paleo Grilling: A Modern Caveman’s Guide to Cooking with Fire
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon, 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
- 1 whole chicken
- 3 tablespoons (33 g) Dijon mustard
- 8 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- 6 ounces (170 g) arugula, rinsed and dried
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pint (300 g) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- This chicken dish brings loads of flavor, with bright peppery greens, fruity tomatoes, and salty bacon.
- Cut the bacon into pieces 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) wide. Render the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Drain the bacon and reserve the fat. Remove the backbone of the chicken by cutting on each side of it through the cavity using a stiff boning knife, meat shears, or chef’s knife.
- Cut along the cartilage between the breasts and remove. Discard the backbone and cartilage (better yet, save them for making soup or stock!) and lay the chickens open. Using a brush, apply the mustard to the inside of the chicken, but not the skin. Sprinkle the chopped thyme and pepper evenly over the mustard.
- Preheat the grill to high heat and place the chicken, skin-side down, over direct heat. Cook for 2 minutes, turn 90 degrees, and cook for 2 minutes longer. Flip the chicken, season with black pepper, and repeat. Move the chicken to indirect heat and baste with the reserved bacon fat, making sure that the dripping fat doesn’t cause flare-ups. Place the lid on the grill, only lifting it to baste every 5 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the chicken from the grill and place on a cutting board. Poke the thigh bone with a paring knife or fork. If the juices run clear, the chicken is done. Cut the chicken into quarters while still hot and top with the arugula, extra virgin olive oil, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and bacon.
Meet the Author of Paleo Grilling: A Modern Caveman’s Guide to Cooking with Fire!
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://paleoparents.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/FB-FED-Profile-pic-square.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Tony earned his degree in Exercise Science from the University of Florida and is an American College of Sports Medicine certified Health and Fitness Specialist and CrossFit Level 1 Trainer. When he isn’t busy helping busy executives, retirees, athletes, and soccer moms achieve their fitness goals, he blogs at LiveCaveman.com, writes for Paleo Magazine (PaleoMagOnline.com) and hosts the Paleo Magazine Podcast (PaleoMagOnline.com/radio) and Paleo Magazine Conversations. “Paleo Grilling – A Modern Caveman’s Guide to Cooking with Fire” is his first book.
Connect with Tony: | Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | [/author_info] [/author]
