Summer Harvest

Okay, this should give you enough time to go out and purchase the ingredients before you grill on July 4. (For those readers who don’t celebrate the 4th of July by grilling up some delicious goodness, you don’t have to celebrate July 4 to make this recipe). This recipe was passed down to me by my good friend and all-around interesting person Thom Johnson.

It’s easy to make redneck sushi, and you will be glad you did!

You’ll need: 1 bunch of asparagus, as thin and in-season as possible.
1 package of thick-cut bacon (do not worry too much if the bacon is too fatty. Try to get at least 25% fat– at least– for reasons which will become apparent).
skewers, preferably metal but bamboo will work

First of all, if you’re using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for a good hour before you start (you can do this whenever you’re worried the skewers will burn). Now, let’s prepare your asparagus– again, they should be young and fresh and fairly thin– if they’re more than about 1/2″ in diameter, don’t bother. Think of it this way: the younger the asparagus, the more of the stalk is edible. If you purchase thick asparagus, you are essentially spending money on an inch of asparagus attached to a stringy piece of wood.

Holding both ends of the asparagus stalk, gently bend and let it snap in half. Discard the blunt end; the pointy end will be completely edible and delicious. Now snap (or cut if you want to dirty a knife for no reason) the pointy parts into 1″-2″ segments. Set them aside.

Next, cut about half of your package of bacon into halves.

Now comes the tricky part. Take about four or five pieces of asparagus and make them into a packet, and carefully wrap the bacon around the packet of asparagus. It should vaguely resemble single piece of a roll of sushi. Carefully (the bacon will be slippery) insert a skewer through the whole packet in such a way that it holds the asparagus in place. Repeat this procedure until you’re out of asparagus or bacon! I can usually get about 5 skewers worth from a bunch of asparagus and a packet of bacon.

Before you start cooking, poke another skewer through each. This will keep the food on the skewers when you’re carrying it around.

Put the skewers on the grill on high-medium heat (2nd shelf if you have a 3 shelf grill) and let them cook for about 15 minutes (keep an eye out for dripping grease, though; don’t let flare-ups burn your food!). You’ll know they’re done when the bacon literally melts around the asparagus in what can only be described as a perfect marriage of form and function– beautiful and shiny little red-brown-golden nuggets of delight! Remove from heat and serve hot (don’t burn yourself, now)– heaven!
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Okay, now it’s your turn: what do you like to grill? Do you have a favorite dish for cook-outs? Share an excellent recipe in comments!