The Kosher Chirp and Turf

As a strictly Orthodox Jew, I do not mix fish and meat together which makes the 'surf and turf' combo a little challenging. In my house, especially with my son, they are not a fan of being pigeonholed when I BBQ by either having meat or chicken. Having hamburgers and hot dogs together evidently doesn’t count as having an outside the box kind of BBQ. A perfect BBQ according to him is when you have a little of both, thus the birth of the Kosher Chirp and Turf. The challenge I have found is when I need to time the BBQ so that all the components are done at the same time because where is the joy in finishing your hamburger and waiting another 45 minutes for your wings? If up until now you haven’t been making and storing your spice rub in an empty spice shaker, now might be a good time to start.

To make the Kosher Chirp and Turf, you will need:

Your favorite spice rub

Olive Oil

1-2 pounds of Chicken Wings

1 1/2 pounds - 2 pounds of ground beef

Step 1: Clean your wings. Under running water, wash your wings and remove any excess fat or feathers that may still be attached. Although the extra fat on the wings will help 'smoke' them when you move them over to the cooler side of the grill for indirect cooking, it will also cause flare ups which will burn your wings instead of grilling them.

Step 2: Dry your wings well and place them in a bowl. I usually like to double over a few pieces of good paper towels and pat them dry.

Step 3: Add enough olive oil to coat the wings (will depend on how many wings you are making) and liberally cover your wings with your spice rub. Feel free to use your hands to mix the wings and 'rub' the oil and spice mixture over them.

Step 4: Set aside your wings on the counter to marinate while you go outside to prepare and light the charcoal and chimney. If you have charcoal left over in your grill from your last BBQ, reduce the amount of charcoal that you will put in the chimney.  When the charcoal is hot, pour the charcoal on one side of the grill to create a hot side and a cool side and cover the grill.

Step 5: While the grill is getting hot, go back inside to form your hamburger patties and place them in the refrigerator so they stay cold. When I make my burgers, I do not like to add chopped onions inside the burgers, rather I like to make the onions on the outside and use the spice rub that I made to season the burgers. If you like to purchase pre-formed burgers, use the spice rub on both sides of the hamburger patties ( I will be addressing hamburgers and the dimple in a later post).

Step 6: Grill the wings for 3 minutes on each side and then move them to the cooler side of the grill. Cover the wings and cook for 30 minutes.

If you see smoke coming out of the vents at the top of your grill, don’t get alarmed. That smoke is what Weber calls ‘the magic’ as it is the fat and juice that dripped from the wings smoking your wings and giving them some of their flavor. 

Vintage Weber commercial that explains what happens inside a grill when you close the cover.

Step 7: After 30 minutes, go outside and add 8 briquettes on top of the charcoal that is lit and cover the grill again for 10-12 minutes. This step helps bring back up the temperature of the grill so that you have a very hot grill to sear your burgers.

Step 8: Cook your burgers with the grill cover off for 4 minutes on one side, making sure that you are careful not to overcrowd the grill and that you give enough time to get a good crust on the burger. After 4 minutes, turn the burgers over and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

Step 9: Move the hamburgers over to the cooler side so that they can be covered and finish cooking. This is the secret to juicy burgers that come out perfectly. Depending on the thickness of your burger (I like to make thick 6 oz burgers), by the time the outside is done, the inside is still raw. If you leave them on the hot side of the grill too long, either they will burn, and/or they will dry out. By moving them to the indirect side and covering the grill, you allow their temperature to rise more gently while retaining their losing juices. This will also help the wings stay hot and finish cooking.

Step 10: Pull them off at the same time and give your Chirp and Turf a few minutes to rest before diving in.