Your Ultimate Summer Cookout Solution

We asked the West’s best chefs to tell us how to eat well in the wild. We didn’t want to hear their impossible fantasy of hand-caught trout and foraged berry clafoutis served on tables lined with beeswax candelabras. We wanted to know how they really cooked, without a battalion of prep cooks to back them up, equipped with just a cooler, a pot, and open flame. We’re happy to report that not one chef offered up ideas for artisanal s’mores or gourmet hot dogs. Their advice was refreshingly, resoundlingy, emphatically the same: prep, cook, and, yes, bag what you can in advance. While a vacuum sealer certainly helps, you can go the more eco-friendly route and use washed ziploc bags or reusable silicone bags such as those made by Stasher.

It turns out the chefs' advice also happens to apply perfectly to the home front. Now that we're shopping less frequently and cooking more than ever, meal planning and prepping in advance can make our lives so much easier, and our meals more enjoyable. Whether you're making stews in advance and freezing them for an easy mid-week meal or pre-marinating meat and vegetables on Saturday for a lazy Sunday cookout, the solution is in the bag.

Grilled Berkshire Pork Chops with Thai Black Mustard Glaze

SERVES 4 / 45 MINUTES

We all know food cooked over the open fire in the wild tastes amazing, even humble burgers and brats. You know what tastes even better? An exceptional cut of heirloom pork, like this Berkshire bone-in loin chop. The marbling on this cut is exceptional, but the complex, deeply flavored glaze from Juan Rendon, chef de cuisine at Gwen is Los Angeles, would make even a humble supermarket chop sing. Squid ink gives this mustard its deep black color. Squid ink is available online, though the mustard is delicious with or without it.

4 1 ½ inch bone-in pork loin chops

1 large shallot (about 3 oz), halved, peeled

6 garlic cloves, peeled

6 Thai chiles

1 serrano chile

1 tsp coriander seeds

3/4 tsp cumin seeds

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup rice vinegar

½ cup Dijon mustard

4 limes, juiced

1/4 cup fish sauce

8 cloves black garlic

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

2 ½ tsp kosher salt

1 bunch Thai basil, leaves and tender stems only (about 4 loosely packed cups)

1 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems only (about 4 loosely packed cups)

1 tsp squid ink, optional

1. To make the sauce, preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add shallots, garlic cloves (not black garlic), Thai chiles, and serrano chile, and cook, turning occasionally, until charred all over (about 4 minutes for Thai chiles, 6 minutes for garlic, 8 minutes for serrano chile, and 12 minutes for shallots). Transfer charred shallots, garlic, and chiles to a blender.

2. Heat a small heavy skillet over medium heat, add coriander seeds and cumin seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add toasted seeds to blender.

3. Add sugar, vinegar, mustard, 1/3 cup lime juice, fish sauce, black garlic cloves, ginger, and salt to blender. Blend until mixture is completely smooth, scraping sides as needed. Add basil, cilantro, and squid ink, if using, and blend again until completely smooth. Check seasoning and add more salt and lime juice, if necessary. Let cool, transfer to a shatterproof container, and store in the refrigerator for up to five days.

4. To make the pork, build a two-zone fire in a charcoal or gas grill, or fire ring. For a gas grill set half the burners to medium-high heat and the other half to low. For a charcoal grill or fire ring, bank the hottest coals up and to one side of the cooking area.

5. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook for three minutes on one side, brush the top with sauce, and turn over. Cook for three minutes more. Brush the top with sauce and flip pork chop. Cook three minutes more. If the sauce begins to burn or flare-ups occur, move the pork to the cool side of the grill. Repeat until the pork chops are burnished a deep golden brown and the internal temperature reads 125 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Transfer pork chops to a cutting board. Let rest ten minutes and then slice into ¼ inch slices against the grain.

Charred Spicy Broccolini

SERVES 4 / 45 MINUTES

Partially cook this spicy cruciferous side dish in the kitchen before finishing it on the grill for more smoke and char.

4 bunches broccolini, about 3 pounds

2 tsp kosher salt

5 cloves garlic, sliced

3 Thai bird chiles or 1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add broccolini to a pot and cook until crisp-tender and still bright green, about three minutes. Transfer broccolini to ice water to chill. Once broccolini is cool, transfer to a colander and drain.

2. Add garlic, chiles, fish sauce, sugar, and sesame oil to a large bowl and stir until thoroughly combined and sugar has dissolved. Combine broccolini and fish sauce mix in a large resealable food storage bag or vacuum food bag and seal. Refrigerate immediately.

3. Build a two-zone fire in a charcoal or gas grill or fire ring. For a gas grill set half the burners to high medium-high heat and the other half to low. For a charcoal grill or fire ring, bank the hottest coals up and to one side of the cooking area.

4. Place broccolini on the hot side of the grill.

Packable Pozole Rojo

SERVES 6 / 90 MINUTES ACTIVE TIME

Brett Cooper, Culinary Director of Sightglass in Los Angeles, loves camping in Big Sur with his family. To make his outings hassle-free he cryovacs and freezes much of his food in an advance, including this hearty, smoky, pozole rojo. If you want to skip the added time and effort of cooking dried hominy, feel free to use canned.

6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on

16 oz dried hominy (can substitute 32 oz canned/cooked)

2 tbsp smoked paprika

4 guajillo chiles, dried, stems and seeds removed

4 ancho chiles, dried, stems and seeds removed

6 cups chicken stock

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 yellow onion, peeled

2 dried bay leaves

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground toasted

cumin

salt

black pepper

1. The night before you want to cook the pozole, soak the dried hominy in water, covered by at least 3 inches. This can be done at room temperature. Season the chicken thighs with salt, black pepper, and a dusting of smoked paprika. Place them in a container covered in the refrigerator.

2. The next day, make the hominy. Drain the hominy and discard the liquid. Place the hominy in a pot and cover it with water. Add a pinch of salt and simmer aggressively over medium-high heat until they are all splitting open and tender, about 2 hours. Remove from heat and let stand in the cooking liquid.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425. Place the chicken thighs into a high-sided baking pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and lower the temperature to 375. Carefully add 1/3 of the chicken stock, 2 cloves of garlic, half of the onion, and the bay leaves. Cover with foil and return to the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is falling off of the bone. Let it cool for a while in the liquid, then remove the skin, bones, and bay leaves and discard. Strain out the garlic and onion and place it in a blender. Shred the chicken meat and return it to the cooking liquid and set aside.

4. Place the chiles on a pan and toast in the oven at 375 for 4 minutes. Place them in the blender with the cooked onion and garlic. Add the rest of the raw garlic and onion, the oregano, cumin, and the rest of the chicken stock. Blend on high until very smooth, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Strain through a fine sieve (optional). Add the blended ingredients to the shredded chicken and its cooking liquid. Add as much hominy as you'd like and season to taste.

5. If you're saving this to cook later, allow the posole to cool completely before transfering to a large resealable food storage bag, or into a vacuum sealable bag. Freeze flat. When ready to eat, thaw bag in a 5-gallon bucket of water, transfer to a pot, and simmer over medium heat until hot. Serve with cilantro, diced onion, and lime wedges.

Base Camp Birria

SERVES 8 / 90 MINUTES ACTIVE TIME

When we asked Wes Avila of Guerilla Tacos to host a camp cooking workshop last year, his advice was “don’t cook” and then taught us a killer 5-minute recipe for salmon ceviche. For this feature he shared a slightly more involved but still easy slow-simmered take on ubiquitous birria, albeit made with lamb rather than the traditional goat or recently trending beef.

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large white onion, diced

1 tbsp kosher salt

10 guajillo chiles

4 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded

2 morita chile, stemmed and seeded

10 cloves garlic

1 cup roma tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tbsp cumin seeds

6 allspice berries

1 tsp sansho pepper or sichuan peppercorns

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups orange juice

2 cups water

1 tbsp kosher salt

6 lbs boneless lamb rump, cut into 4-6 inch pieces

24 corn tortillas

Garnish:

2 cups chopped white onion

2 cups chopped cilantro

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, heat oil over medium high heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add onions and cook until translucent and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Add chiles and garlic, cook for another 5 minutes. Add chopped tomato, cumin, allspice, sansho or sichuan peppercorns, and cook for another 20 minutes over medium high heat stirring frequently. Once aromatic, add orange juice, water and vinegar and let cook five more minutes. Transfer to a blender, blend thoroughly, and set aside.

2. For the lamb, preheat oven to 325. Season lamb liberally with salt. In a very large pot over medium high heat, cook lamb until browned, about 7 minutes a side. Add blended sauce to pan, cover and cook in oven at 325 for 2 1/2 hrs.

3. If you are packing this to cook later, cool completely. Transfer to a large resealable food storage bag or vacuum pack it and freeze flat. Keep frozen until ready to eat. When ready to eat, thaw bag in a 5-gallon bucket of water, transfer to a pot, and simmer over medium heat until hot.

4. Serve with diced onion, cilantro, and warm corn tortillas.

Granola Berry Barb Crisp

This easy fruit dessert from Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections in Los Angeles comes together in minutes. Use your favorite granola for the topping alongside the berries of your choice. Bonus: It’s also incredible for breakfast.

2 1/2 cups rhubarb, cut into ½-inch pieces

2 cups mixed berries

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 cups granola

4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and diced

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter an 8-inch cast iron skillet.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine rhubarb and berries, sugar, and cornstarch. Pour into prepared skillet.

3. In the same bowl, toss granola, chilled butter, sugar, and flour. Cover the fruit mixture with the granola mixture and bake for 45 minutes or until fruit bubbles up on the sides and topping appears crisp but not overly browned.