Inspiration & Recipes Archives - Page 12 of 12

How to Pair Wines to Your Favorite Meals

The perfect wine pairing can make your dinner complete, whether it’s a full-bodied red for your Porterhouse or a buttery white for your roasted pork tenderloin. Butcher Boy keeps more than 1,000 varieties of wine in stock, so you can find what you need.

When pairing wines to dinners, your most important consideration is flavor intensity. A rich entree is best matched to a dry, aromatic wine. Lighter foods, particularly chicken, need lighter wines, or they’ll quickly become overpowered. Think of it like finding a dance partner — you wouldn’t match a linebacker to a tiny ballerina.

Here’s a handy guide to wine pairing, created by the team at Wine Folly:

While charts like these are a great place to start, it’s important to remember that they don’t take into consideration the marinades, sauces, spices, and rubs you might use to flavor your meal. These elements can radically change the intensity of your dish. Use this guide as a starting point, but don’t be afraid to be your own sommelier. If it sounds like a satisfying combination to you, it’s worth giving a try.

Not a wine person? Beers and cocktails can also pair nicely with your favorite meats. Once you’ve paid a visit to our famous 60-foot butcher counter, take a stroll through our spirits section and see what excites you. We have something for even the most discerning palette.

Whether you’re seeking a spicy Malbec or a crisp Pinot Gris, our store in North Andover has more than 1,000 varieties of wine to choose from.

4 Innovative Ways To Grill Chicken

Chicken is only as boring as you make it. Today we’re sharing 4 exciting ways to grill
chicken that will give you a newfound love for poultry.

1) Wrap it in foil

Chicken-Fajita-Foil-Packet_content-1 — Via Real Housemoms

Toss your chicken with peppers and onions and a blend of spices to create a unique all-in-one dinner. The flavors meld together beautifully on the grill. Get inspired with this easy chicken fajita foil packet meal from Real Housemoms, and then start making your own creations.

2)Stick it on a skewer

Kabobs are a quick, simple, and wholesome summertime dinner. Chunks of chicken breast, or vegetables, and a good glaze are all you need. We love My Organized Chaos’s recipe for honey sriracha grilled chicken skewers.

3) Wrap it in bacon

When in doubt, wrap in bacon. TableSpoon has a delicious recipe for bacon-wrapped chicken kabobs. These kabobs include some yummy vegetables, and pineapple to compliment the meat-on-meat. Serve with extra barbecue sauce on the side for dipping.

4) Grab some marinated Butcher Boy chicken

Butcher Boy’s marinated chicken is freshly prepared in-house, with our quality cuts of meat placed in easy grab-and-go bags. We’ve got a wide variety of flavors to choose from, including Lemon Pepper, Teriyaki, Barbecue, and Buffalo. Bring your favorite home, cut the bag, and toss it on the grill. It’s the easiest delicious dinner you’ll ever make.

Want more dinner ideas from our butchers? Visit our store in North Andover. We’re always here to answer your questions.

For more dinner know-how, follow Butcher Boy on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

5 Surprising Foods That Are Amazing on the Grill

As butchers, we love a good burger, steak, or sausage. But once
you’ve nailed these grilling staples, we encourage you to get experimental.

Grills bring intense, smoky flavors to everything they cook. You’d be surprised by how many dishes you can make on them. It’s summer. Wouldn’t you rather cook outside?

1) Watermelon

Cilantro Lime Grilled Watermelon — Via The Stay At Home Chef

Grilling watermelon brings out surprising, versatile flavors that can be used in both savory side dishes and desserts. This recipe for cilantro-lime grilled watermelon by The Stay At Home Chef is simple, innovative, and pretty enough to post on your Facebook page.

2) Meatloaf

People think of meatloaf as a winter food, but this grilled recipe by The Meatwave begs to differ. You do need a wooden grilling plank to make it, but the rich, smoky flavors will be well worth the investment.

3) Avocado

Grilled-Avocados-with-Herbs — Via Chimera Obsura

When it comes to avocados, you know you’re always in to have a good time. This grilled avocado and lemon combo from Chimera Obsura puts an interesting twist on this superfood favorite. Top with herbs, nuts, and tomatoes and you are ready to feast.

4) Bacon

bonappetit_the-ba-summer-grilling-manual-grilled-bacon — Via Bon Appetit

Bacon is delicious in any context, and the grill is no exception. Just be sure to thread your slabs onto skewers so they don’t fall into the fire. Bon Appetit’s video on grilling bacon is a great tutorial for first timers. Give their ginger-scallion topping a try, too.

5) Caesar Salad

Grilled-Caesar-landscape — Via A Whole New Twist

Gently charred romaine develops complex, earthy flavors you won’t find in a raw salad. Check out A Whole New Twist’s grilled caesar salad. The recipe is great on its own — but for a little protein, throw some chicken or salmon on the grill, too. We’re butchers. We had to say it.

Want more inspiration?

For more dinner know-how, follow Butcher Boy on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

5 Patriotic Dishes For Your 4th of July Barbecue

With the 4th of July just around the corner, we’ve compiled a few savory dishes that put a little red, white, and blue on your plate.

1) Patriotic Chicken Kabobs

This recipe by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife makes for a fast, delicious, and simple main course. Blue potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and chunks of tender chicken. Put them on a skewer and cook. Angie sticks them in the oven, but they’d be great on the grill, too. Just be sure to partially cook your potatoes before grilling.

2) Blueberry Caprese Salad

We love this merican twist on a summer dinner classic by Love & Olive Oil. Blueberries, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and adds great color to your table.

3) Red, White, and Bleu Sliders

There aren’t too many naturally occurring blue foods in the world, and even fewer that you’d want to put on a burger. If your guests are willing to get a little creative with the definition, these bleu cheese sliders by Lauren’s Latest are fantastic.

4) Bacon Flag Pizza

Here’s a pizza by Tablespoon that would make Betsy Ross jealous. The recipe instructs you to bake it in the oven, but for a slightly smokier flavor, try throwing it on the grill.

5) Star-Spangled Potato Salad

A mix of red-skinned, white, and blue potatoes gives this barbecue staple a patriotic update. Bon Appetit’s recipe is quick and easy. Make it a few hours ahead of your party. The flavors need a few hours to sit, and it’s one less dish to worry about while you’re grilling.

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Father’s Day Gift Guide: 7 Ideas for the Grilling Dad

1) Do-It-Yourself Steak Kit

Pick up Dad’s favorite steak from our meat counter, with or without one of our famous marinades. You can cook it for him, or let him do the honors, depending on how protective he is of the grill.

2) Maverick BBQ Organizer

Good grilling requires uninterrupted focus. If Dad is constantly running back and forth between the backyard and the kitchen, this BBQ Accessory Organizer should come in handy.

3) Make Your Own Dry Rub

Dry rubs are an easy and inexpensive way to season meat, and there’s plenty of room to get creative. At Butcher Boy, we carry the spices you’ll need to make endless combinations of dry rubs. If your Dad likes a little heat, we love this recipe for Buffalo Spice Rub. And this Sweet Rub would be perfect on one of our pork tenderloins.

4) The Great Scrape All-Natural Grill Cleaner

Wire brushes can leave metal bristles on your grill. You don’t want those in your steak. The Great Scrape’s all-natural wood develops custom grooves to clean your grill perfectly, and lasts for years.

5) The Perfect Beer Pairing

What’s the perfect beer pairing for Dad’s favorite dinner? Butcher Boy keeps plenty of delicious classic and craft beers in stock, and we love helping you match them to your meals.

6) Grilling Gift Basket

There are plenty of little tools and gadgets worth having if you want to be an expert griller. Why not bundle them into a personalized gift basket? This basket covers all the bases, and is perfect for a father just starting to build his grillware collection. We carry a few of these essentials at our own store.

7) Butcher Boy Gift Card

Send Dad to Butcher Boy’s famous 60-foot full-service meat counter and let him pick out whatever he wants. Our butchers love sharing their know-how. They will help him find the perfect cut, and give him the advice he needs to cook it just right.

6 Easy Tricks For Grilling A Perfect Steak

1) Do Nothing

Let your steak sit on the counter for 20 minutes to an hour before cooking. Meat brought to room temperature cooks faster and more evenly. If you’ve got a salad to prep or a last-minute Father’s Day gift to wrap, now would be the time.

2) Forks Are For Eating, Not Cooking

Use tongs when moving your steaks around the grill. Forks pierce the meat, losing all that delicious juice and flavor.

3) If You Can’t Stand The Heat, You’re Doing It Right

You want your grill to be hot. 450 degrees, to be exact. But you don’t need a thermometer to tell you when the grill is ready to go. If you can hold your hand directly over the grill for more than 1-2 seconds, it’s not hot enough yet.

4) Stand Guard Over Your Meat

Flare-ups on the grill burn your meat. Gently move your steak around the grill as needed to keep it out of direct flames. Only you can prevent steak fires. Which reminds us of our next point…

5) Grilling Demands Your Full Attention

Prep your appetizers, side dishes, and cocktails before cooking your steaks. Once you’ve started grilling, you’ll need all eyes on the meat.

6) You And Your Steak Need Rest

Grilling is hard work for both you and your steak. Let the meat sit for about 10 minutes off the grill before eating. A short resting period allows the meat to relax, and the juices to spread evenly. You can use the time to set the table, or get Dad a beer.