David Guas's Magical Roasted Garlic Compound Butter
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David Guas, host of Travel Channel's American Grilled, shares the recipes, tips and tricks he's learned during his years on the grilling trail in his new cookbook, Grill Nation. If he's got grilling advice, you'll definitely want to take it. This grilled compound butter — yes, grilled compound butter — will melt your heart and enhance your steak at the same time!
Linton Hopkins (chef-owner of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman and Finch, Atlanta) and I worked and lived together in New Orleans. One night off the line, Linton prepared rib eye steaks with rapini, and the first thing he did was slice the top off two heads of garlic and roast them in a cast-iron skillet with a touch of chicken stock, olive oil, salt and pepper. The garlic came out soft and succulently sweet, and we squeezed it all over the meal. I never looked back and made that technique a customary process in my home and professional kitchen. When I'm grilling, I'll wrap the garlic in foil and cook it directly in the coals. A garlic compound butter that melts into the steak makes you pause long enough to savor every bite.
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- coarse sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- Parchment paper or plastic wrap
- Light charcoal grill or preheat gas grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high). Cut off and discard top of garlic bulb. Place garlic bulb in center of a 12-inch piece of aluminum foil; pull up edges of foil to form a bowl. Drizzle oil over bulb, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add ¼ cup water, and double-fold top edge of foil to seal, making a packet.
- Place packet directly on briquettes or on grill grate, with briquettes along the edges but not on top of packet; cover with grill lid and grill for 1 hour. Remove packet from grill; carefully open packet with tongs to avoid being burned by hot steam. Cool for 15 minutes.
- Place butter in a small bowl, and squeeze each clove over butter, discarding skins; mix well. Place mixture on parchment paper or plastic wrap, and roll up to form a log. Refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months.