Plank Grilled Steak and Bacon Bites
Wow – is it already Friday!?!?
This week has been jam packed and here are the first four recipes I revealed. If you have not been following this challenge on Twitter, check it out here – #OGBChallenge – there you will be able to see all the great recipes the others have shared as well!
Day 1 – Grilled Sicilian Swordfish with Smoker Box.
Day 2 – Shrimp and Pesto Pizza
Day 3 – Grilled Fruit with French Vanilla Dip
Day 4 – BBQ Venison Shanks
Throughout this week I am revealing a total of five recipes I submitted for the Ontario Gas BBQ Recipe Challenge.
If you want to read up on the competition you can find it here.
After all the recipes have been revealed one recipe from each of us will be chosen by the Ontario Gas BBQ judging Panel. Then, throughout the month of July, anyone can vote on which recipe they think is best. I will be calling on my family, friends and readers to head over to the website and vote for my dish. That includes you! Along with supporting me with your vote, there are also prizes available to you. Each week during the month of July, a $100 gift card will be awarded to one lucky voter.
Each recipe is made with a grilling accessory that the World’s Largest BBQ Store, Ontario Gas BBQ sent me to use. For today’s recipe I was sent some wood planks. I use wood planks all the time and it is a great way to cook some of the more delicate food. I love using wood planks for grilling fish, cheese, mashed potatoes and even preparing dessert on the grill.
I was not given any of those options for this challenge. Instead, I was told to plank grill some steak and prepare is as an appetizer. Along with that, I was to use Middle Eastern spices and flavours. So, this was a real challenge, but in the end, I am THRILLED with how the dish turned out. I love beef shish kebabs and usually make my own marinade. The marinade for these steak bites is similar and the combination of fresh mint, parsley and garlic worked really well along with some brown sugar, oil and Worcestershire sauce.
Regarding the steak, there are many options from striploin, ribeye, sirloin and others. I actually used a tenderloin and cut it up into 1 inch cubes.
As I was developing this recipe, I decided to wrap the steak cubes in bacon. It did not take much convincing, because, everything is better with bacon, right?!?
Using wood planks is a simple method of cooking on a grill and it can produce consistent results. One step that is extremely important is to soak the wood planks in water. A minimum of 30 minutes is necessary, but I like to let it soak for at least an hour.
While the planks are soaking, it is the perfect time to make up the steak and bacon bites. I cut the bacon in half which worked out to be the perfect length to wrap around the cubed steak. Spearing a toothpick ensured that the bacon stayed in place.
It is essential to keep the lid closed as much as possible in plank grilling. This type of grilling has a roasting effect as the wood protects the food from charring on the bottom and the ambient heat does the cooking. After about 15 minutes, the steak should be perfectly cooked and the bacon rendered. If desired, throw the bites on the hot grill for no more than a minute to crisp up the bottom of the bites.
Plank Grilled Steak and Bacon Bites
Ingredients
- 450 g (1 lb) 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick steak (striploin, ribeye, tenderloin, etc.)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley , minced
- 1 tbsp fresh mint , minced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 10-12 bacon slices , cut in half
- 2 tbsp water
- Toothpicks
- Wood planks
Instructions
- Soak wood planks in water for at least 1 hour.
- Trim steak of any fat and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Make the marinade by mixing together the oil, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, parsley, mint, garlic, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add the steak cubes and toss them so they are all coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Take one steak cube and wrap it with half of a slice of bacon. Spear it with a toothpick to hold the bacon in place. Do this with the remaining meat.
- Preheat the grill to 400-450F.
- Remove the wood planks from the water. Place the bacon wrapped steak bites onto the wood planks, ensuring they are not touching each other.
- Place the wood planks on the grill and close the lid. Check every few minutes to ensure that the wood has not caught fire. Keep a glass of water next to the grill to put out any flames that start on the wood planks.
- After about 15 minutes on the grill, the steak bites should be fully cooked and the bacon should be starting the crisp up.
- Remove from the grill and serve immediately.
