As the dog days of summer fade into fun-filled fall weekends, I couldn’t be more excited for the long-awaited arrival of football season! And, whether you’re in the backyard hosting a hard-hitting “homegate” for family and friends, or parked stadium-side throwing down a tailgate fit for a rowdy crowd of the hungriest home team fans, all agree – good games require great spreads!

To kickoff this cookout I’m grilling a grid iron feast alongside my friends from Eckrich Meats, featuring their Original Skinless Smoked Sausage Ropes, because not only are they entirely gluten-free, versatile and easy to cook, but made with the perfect balance of toasty spices and all-natural flavors.

The kettle grill was loaded with a full chimney of lump charcoal, cherry and oak wood, then I charred these sausages to tender, smoky perfection. In the final moments of cooking, each sausage was brushed in one caramelized layer upon another of a sweet and tangy Carolina-style wholegrain golden mustard barbecue sauce. Stuffed in a buttered and toasted artisan brioche bun, then dressed with charred summer corn, pickled shallots, and freshly prepared kale slaw. Plated with two handfuls of crispy salt and vinegar kettle chips and served with a handcrafted, ice cold northern Michigan lager! Life definitely doesn’t get much better than this!

To be the MVP of your next homegate or tailgate, visit www.eckrich.com for this recipe and hundreds more! Also, click here to find where you can buy a variety of Eckrich products locally. -Cheers, David

p.s. I’d love for YOU to win Eckrich’s “Road to the National Championship” Sweepstakes. As the Official Smoked Sausage and Deli Meat of the College Football Playoff, Eckrich is inviting fans to enter for the chance to make a 15-yard throw for $1MM during some of the biggest football games of the season, including the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship. Visit www.eckrichfootball.com for details and to enter for a chance to WIN!

RECIPE: Carolina-Style Sausages with Charred Sweet Corn and Tangy Homemade Kale Slaw
6 Eckrich Smoked SausagesHomemade or your favorite store-bought brand of golden barbecue sauce  
2-4 ears sweet corn on the cob, husk removed, par-boiled and seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper
6 artisan-style brioche buns, lightly buttered
10-12 shallots, dicedHomemade or your favorite store-bought kale-based coleslaw

1. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high heat. If cooking with charcoal, ignite a full chimney of briquettes  – when coals are glowing and just ashed over, dump into a pile on the bottom of the grill floor and spread out evenly. Allow the grill grates to warm for 10-15 minutes prior to cooking.
2. Lay the sausages evenly across the grill grate. With the grill lid open, char on all sides until just cooked through. In the final minutes of grilling, caramelize layer upon sweet and tangy layer of barbecue sauce over the sausages. Remove sausages from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Simultaneously, grill the par-boiled and seasoned sweet corn on all sides, rotating intermittently, until charred evenly on all sides. Set aside to cool. Then, carve the kernels from the cob and fold into the prepared coleslaw.
4. Lightly grill the brioche buns directly on the grill grates, 30-60 seconds per side.
5. Load the sausages into the buns, dress with additional barbecue sauce, shallots and coleslaw. Plate alongside your favorite flavor of fried kettle chips and serve!

After a long, hard winter, the first spring weekend in Michigan has arrived and it’s all the reason I need to get outside and fire up the barbecue! Sunshine, blue skies and the essence of smoky hardwoods in the air – outdoor cooking season has formally arrived. And, what better way to open up our backyard kitchen, then by throwing down a grate full of gorgeous Australian grassfed racks of lamb.

These beautiful hunks of lamb were frenched across the bones and scored in cross-hatch fashion through the trimmed fat cap. The lamb was then rested at room temperature for 2 hours, then seasoned in a homemade activated charcoal-coffee-garlic rub – yielding an incredible, rustic presentation, layers of brilliant texture and a unique flavor profile complimenting the mildness of the grassfed lamb.

With the grill lid open, the racks were positioned, fat cap-side down, directly over a thick bed of glowing charcoal and smoky hardwoods, searing and encrusting the exterior of the lamb for 4-6 minutes. Once encrusted, the racks were flipped bone-side down and positioned to the cooler, indirectly heated portion of the grill with the bones situated away from the heat source. Over the next 10-15 minutes, the lamb was basted in olive oil and slowly prepared to sweet, tender perfection.

Carved into chops, garnished with an aromatic parsley chimichurri and a birchwood-smoked fleur de sel, then plated for a crowd and served with two handfuls of ice cold Pure Michigan lagers! -Cheers and long live the adventure, David

For more great Simply Spring Recipes visit, True Aussie Beef and Lamb

Print Recipe

Charcoal-Rubbed Australian Grassfed Rack of Lamb with Parsley Chimichurri

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 racks Australian grassfed lamb, frenched and trimmed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional to baste
• 4 tablespoons activated charcoal powder
• 2 teaspoons black sea salt and freshly ground black peppercorn
• 1 teaspoon finely ground coffee beans, unflavored
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Fleur de sel, to garnish
• Homemade or store-bought parsley chimichurri, to garnish

Instructions

• Remove lamb from refrigeration up to two hours prior to grilling and rest on the counter, elevating to near room temperature. 30 minutes before laying lamb to flame, preheat grill to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, score the fat cap in crosshatch-fashion, brush entirety of the rack with olive oil, then generously season with charcoal, salt and pepper, coffee and garlic powder. 
  
• Position lamb fat-side down over direct heat and with the grill lid open sear until nicely charred. Flip rack to bone-side down and move lamb over to indirectly heated portion of the grill. Close the grill lid and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, basting intermittently with olive oil, until internal temperature reads 125-130F. Remove lamb from heat, transfer to a cutting board and rest for 5-10 minutes before carving.
  
• Slice the racks into individual chops and dress with parsley chimichurri. Plate for a crowd alongside and serve with an ice cold lager.
  

The crown jewel of American summer cookouts – heirloom whole chicken, brined, stuffed with aromatics and barbecued upright over a… beer can. That’s right, a beer can!! These beautiful birds are not only show-stoppers atop the grill grates, but if simply prepared following the easy-breezy instruction below, I guarantee juicy, succulent and smoky chicken, every single time!

These chickens were marinated overnight in a brine bath of lager beer, brown sugar and kosher salt. Hours before hitting the grill, the chickens were removed from the brine, rinsed, patted dry with paper towel, rested upon the counter until near room temperature, then rubbed in a a robust olive oil and bold blend of kosher salt, ground black peppercorn and toasted cumin seeds, dried chilies, roasted garlic and onion, smoked paprika, brown sugar, lemon zest and a garden of minced fresh herbs.

Perched comfortably over a craft-brewed Belgian-style Ale, both birds were rested carefully upon the indirectly-heated grill grates of my Twin Eagles Grill, then slowly barbecued and intermittently basted in browned butter until sweet and savory, tender perfection. This Twin Eagles Grill is perfect for beer can chicken because of it’s broad capacity to cook low and slow or high and hot. Also, it’s ultra-efficient briquette-cooking system distributes heat consistently and evenly from side to side and wall to wall, while the below-grate burner dividers allow for control of heat distribution across multiple cooking zones. And, that’s a recipe for success!

These beer can birds were rested after cooking for 15 minutes, carved in half, served with the crispy skin on, over skewers of charred seasonal vegetables and all washed down with an ice cold and golden Pure Michigan brew. Life just doesn’t get much better. -Cheers, David

Print Recipe

Beer-Brined and Barbecued Beer Can Chicken

Ingredients

Beer Brine

• 8 cups water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 cans cheap beer

Beer-Brined and Barbecued Beer Can Chicken

• 2 4-5 pound whole chickens, trimmed and giblets removed
• Olive oil
• Your favorite homemade or store-bought BBQ rub
• Kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorn, to taste
• Browned butter
• Fresh parsley and thyme, to garnish
• Zest of 2 lemons

Instructions

• In a large heavy-bottom pot bring water, salt and sugar to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and allow the water to cool to room temperature. Immerse chicken in the cooled water, pour in beer, cover and refrigerate for 8, up to overnight. Remove chicken from brine at least 3 hours prior to cooking, rinse under cold water and pat entirely dry with paper towel. Discard brine. Place chicken uncovered back in the refrigerator for 1 hour to further dry and tighten the skin.
• Remove chicken from refrigerator 2 hours prior to grilling and rest on the counter to begin returning the bird to room temperature. Meanwhile, drizzle the chicken with olive oil inside and out, then massage a liberal amount of dry rub, salt and peppercorn into all portions of the chicken. Open a room temperature beer, drink (or discard) half the contents, then slide the whole chicken onto the beer can.
• Preheat the grill to low-medium heat and simply place the beer can-stuffed chicken over the coolest, indirectly-heated grill grates – balancing the bird upright upon the beer can and it’s 2 legs. Slowly roast the chicken for 60-90 minutes, intermittently rotating and basting the bird every 30 minutes with browned butter, until internal temperature in the dark thigh meat reaches 165F and juices run clear.
• Carefully remove the chicken from the grill (attentive to the scolding metal beer can positioned inside the chicken) and transfer to a cutting board. Tent with tin foil and rest for 15-20 minutes before discarding the beer. Carve in serving portions, season additionally to taste, garnish with lemon zest and fresh herbs, then plate alongside seasonal vegetables and an ice cold craft brew.

What an awesome weeknight backyard barbecue. Two dozen freshly-harvested Australian grassfed lamb loin chops prepared for a small gathering of family, friends and close neighbors! I love this recipe, both for it’s simplicity in preparation, incredible flavor and beautiful presentation.

These double-thick lamb loin chops were brought to room temperature, rubbed in a sweet and spicy homemade wild game dry rub, then grilled to medium-rare perfection over a smoldering inferno of charcoal and smoky oak wood embers. In the final moments of cooking, the lamb was finished in a basting of butter, an aromatic garden of fresh herbs and dusting of birchwood-smoked fluer de sel.

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Just Aussome!! Nearly two dozen double-thick freshly-harvested Australian grassfed lamb loin chops!! Click #VIDEO Rubbed in a sweet and spicy homemade wild game seasoning and grilled to sweet, tender perfection over a smoldering bed of charcoal and smoky oak wood. Then, finished in a basting of browned butter, a garden of fresh herbs and dusting of birchwood-smoked fleur de sel. Perfect weeknight cookout!! -Cheers, David . #LiveFireRepublic #LiveFire #Spring #MyFoodEastsYourFood #OutdoorCooking #FireCooking #LiveFireCooking #Grill #Grilled #Grilling #BBQ #Barbecue #Barbeque #AustralianLamb #BeAussome #SimplySpring #Feast #Lamb #Holiday #Easter #EasterSunday #LambLoin #LambChops #FeedMe #GetInMyBelly #FireMakesEverythingBetter . 🔥🔥🔥 #livefirerepublic @livefirerepublic 🔥🔥🔥

A post shared by Chef David W Olson (@livefirerepublic) on Apr 17, 2019 at 8:31am PDT

This dish was plated atop a bed of charred wild asparagus dressed with crumbled creamy goat cheese, bright local blueberries, toasted walnuts and freshly ground peppercorn, then best paired alongside a crisp northern Michigan ale, family and best of friends. -Cheers, David

Print Recipe

Dry-Rubbed Australian Grassfed Lamb Loin Chops

Ingredients

• 2 dozen Australian grassfed lamb loin chops
• Unsalted butter, melted
• Wild game dry rub, pre-made or store-bought
• Fleur de sel, birchwood-smoked or your favorite flavor
• Pink peppercorn, crushed, to garnish
• Fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish

Instructions

• Remove lamb from refrigeration up to two hours prior to grilling and rest on the counter, elevating to near room temperature. 30 minutes before laying lamb to flame, preheat grill to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, and brush entirety of the lamb with butter, then generously season with the dry rub.
• Position lamb over direct heat and with the grill lid open cook 3-4 minutes per side until nicely charred. Reposition the lamb away from the direct heat source (charcoal, gas and/or wood), basting intermittently with butter, until internal temperature reads 125-130F. Remove lamb from the grill, transfer to a cutting board, finish with a dusting of your favorite fleur de sel (I used birchwood-smoked fleur de sel) and crushed pink peppercorn. Rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
  
• Dress with fresh herbs and plate over a bed of charred greens. Pair alongside an ice cold ale or IPA.