These hot summer days are just perfect to enjoy fresh vegetables. And there’s no better way to enjoy them then using your MAK to smoke and grill them. Our friends at Vindulge used their MAK 2 Star to develop this delicious, healthy and “cool” summer salad. We think it’s a winner!
Grilled Beets Salad with Rose` Infused Cranberries and Smoked Bacon
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup rose` wine
6 medium-large golden beets
3 slices thick cut bacon
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved
Citrus Dressing:
2 TBSP fresh squeezed orange juice
2 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 TBSP olive oil (extra virgin preferred)
2 TBSP honey
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground pepper
Use a large bowl to make the citrus dressing. If should be large enough to hold the cooked and cut-up beets.
Preparation:
Place the cranberries in a small bowl and pour the rose` over them until they are submerged. Allow them to infuse for 2-24 hours. Wash the beets and cut off the top of each beet.
Smoking/Grilling:
Start your MAK and adjust to 250F. Allow the grill to come to temperature. For grills with the FlameZone set-up, keep the covers on. Smoke the bacon for 2 hours, or until crispy. (optional: grill the bacon with the beets.
If smoking the bacon, when done, remove and allow to cool and chop into pieces. Once bacon has been removed, raise grill temperature to 425F. Allow grill to come to temp.
With the FlameZone covers still in place.Put the unpeeled beets on a cookie sheet or baking pan and place inside the grill. Cook until soft, approximately 45-60 minutes. Test softness with a bamboo skewer or thermometer probe. The beets are done when the skewer or probe easily slides into the beets.
Once cooked, remove the beets and allow to cool. Then remove the skins and put them into the citrus dressing. Allow the beets to marinate for 20 minutes. Remove from the dressing and grill the beets them for approximately 2 minutes per side. Once grilled, remove and allow them to cool. Then, cut into bite sized chunks.
To make the salad:
Place the beets in a serving dish, top with the rose` infused cranberries, chopped bacon and shaved Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with the citrus dressing you used for the beets. Toss and serve.
