When I first moved over here we didn't have a lot of money for going out to eat. Todd was working as a parking lot attendant and I worked in a care home. If we went out to eat at all, it was a very rare treat.
There was a pub within walking distance however (we didn't have a car) that served up pretty tasty meals for pretty cheap prices. You could get a mixed grill for about £2.99, which was an excellent price. Itwas hearty and very tasty. Once you had walked all the way there, you didn't feel too guilty at ordering a hearty meal. You knew you would be burning the calories off on the way home!
This wasn't a meal I had ever heard of before I moved over here to the UK. I had never seen it in Canada, at least not in my experience. We are known for being hearty eaters in the Winter months, but three pieces of meat on a single plate. Its just not done!
A mixed grill is a plate containing a grilled sausage, a grilled chop, a piece of grilled steak, grilled mushrooms and grilled tomatoes, along with the usual chips (fries) and peas. Meaty and incredibly hearty. And quite delicious I have to say.
Traditionally, the mixed grill was cooked over charcoal in the chop houses and grill rooms of our cities here in the UK. If you have a grill don’t be afraid to use it!
Likewise if you have a griddle plate on your cooker, try using it for this dish as well, it will work perfectly! You will be in for a real treat either way, I can assure you!
As always, it's important to use the best quality meats available, and that you can afford. It is so disappointing when you realise-from that first bite-that the meat does not match the amount of effort you’ve put in to preparing the meal!
Cheap and pasty sausages are a definite NO NO! You want something rich and meaty. This is where your local butcher can become your best friend! Our local butcher makes many different kinds of bangers (as they are loving called over here.) Meaty and delicious with skins that snap when you bite into them!
You can tell a good butcher from the quality of the sausages that he produces. A good butcher will have several signature sausages on offer. Over here in the UK, a sausage/banger is much more than a piece of meat. It is a celebration for the mouth!
There really aren't any fixed rules when it comes to the meats you use, but generally speaking it will be steak, chop and sausage . . . but you can also have ham steaks, bacon chops . . . lamb's kidney's are also popular. (Not in this house though. ugh! I am not a kidney fan!)
The important thing is to have fun with this dish. If you are a drinking person, a cold ale would go well with this. An ice cold lager would as well.
The meats needn't be overly large bits. Just go with what's comfortable. I guarantee this tasty pub meal will become a favourite, and something your family will ask for again and again!
*A Mixed Grill*
Serves 44 Lamb chops, trimmed
4 Small rump Steaks
4 thick and meaty Butcher’s sausages
Butter, melted
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 Large Tomatoes
2 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
(You can also grill mushrooms, in which case you will need 8 medium sized mushrooms,Preheat your grill to it’s hottest. Brush the steaks and chops with some melted butter and sprinkle with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the sausages on a rack in a grill pan and grill for about 7 to 8 minutes, turning frequently. Add the lamb chops and the rump steaks. Continue to grill for another 5 to 7 minutes, allowing 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove to a heated plate and keep warm.
Slice the tomatoes in half and brush each half with some melted butter, along with theonions and mushrooms (if using). Place all beneath the grill and grill for about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and season to taste.
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Jacques would LOVE this;)
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely man food Monique! Xoxo
ReplyDeleteA mixed grill has to contain kidneys
ReplyDeleteI don't think that is entirely correct. I think it all depends on where you are from and where you get it. I have had a mixed grill at a variety of pubs and restaurants all over the UK, including the South East, South West, North West and Wales. I was never once offered kidney as a part of the grill. It was always served exactly as above.
DeleteWhat about the lambs liver!! That's what I would always expect ( meat wise,) along with the chop, as the 2 most important parts of a mixed grill. Used to b a cafe in the heart of Dublin with tablecloths and T served in big pots, but really only did its business in the early hrs of the morning after pubs and clubs finished. To manage to get a table there @ 3am was a joy, ahead of the queue outside. Can't recall it's name ( more than 30 yrs back when Bartley Dunnes, Peter Pub plus a host of other new trendy establishments came on the scene. Sorry I'm forgetting some of the other totally cool bars 'n clubs. Back then, the guy bars was where the fun was, gay, straight. didn't matter. Nobody wanted burger and chips after a great night out, and this particular T house ( T was the go to beverage in large pots) My good friend P.O'Reilly ( journalist) introduced me to this spot , and hope someone can jog my memory as to its name!!!
ReplyDeleteCan't say that I was ever offered lambs liver with my mixed grill. Only the above options. That's not to say it doesn't happen, just that it wasn't my experience. Interesting anyways! Sounds like you have led a busy and colorful life! How wonderful!
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