Eli Whitaker mans one of his favorite grills topped with steaks and pork chops in this picture taken in 1987.
Happy Father’s Day weekend! Can you believe it’s Father’s Day? It seems like only a year ago that I was still convinced that I could become half the grilling guru that my dad is. Everything my dad ever slapped on a grill tasted like a million bucks. He does it with ease and swagger, like a dad should. I think if I try hard enough I’ll master the secrets of Eli Whitaker and his magic grill. Wait, maybe it wasn’t magic. Maybe my dad just believes in simple things when it comes to grilling.
A picture revealed a grilling lesson to me. While my mom and I were digging through family photographs for mountains and southern life for a project I was working on we ran across several pictures of my dad and one of his grill. I noticed something… dad believes in going simple. It was a classic chef lesson. There were only a few items around the grill with the steaks and chops. A bottle of baste, salt and pepper. Let the flavor of the food shine through and add some flavor for variety. Dad did this every time the charcoal was fired up. He grilled the meat, gently made patties, turned only as needed, avoided hot spots and charring. Then he basted and seasoned.
I decided that this Father’s Day I would honor Pops across the globe by offering up a simple steak sauce baste with a citrus twist that lets the taste of the meat shine through with a nice flavor twist. Sure, it's a bit more than just salt and pepper but its good! It's almost like cheating.
Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and to Eli Whitaker and Bruce Nagem - from your kids.
Grilled Zesty Rib Eye Steaks
4 Rib Eye Steaks
1/2 cup steak sauce
1-2 tables spoons orange juice
Salt and pepper
First; gently sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper. Combine the steak sauce and the orange juice in a small bowl. Cook over medium high coals or flames to your desired doneness while basting with your orange steak sauce. Add a few drops of hot sauce if desired.
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Kent Whitaker is a cookbook author and culinary writer with 10 published books. He is also member and AUXCHEF for the United States Coast Guard Aux. Kent and his wife Ally live in East Tennessee with their son Macee and two spoiled dogs. Kent's books are available, or can be ordered at, any book store or online at www.thedeckchef.com . Look for Kent on twitter at www.twitter.com/thekentwhitaker .