The minute the sun starts to shine and the winter chill wears out its welcome the mainland exclaims its grilling time. Luckily on Maui we can celebrate our ability to grill year round. Here in my Wailuku neighborhood even in the rainy months we are grilling in our carports and under outdoor canopies.
Our small local food markets make it easy to throw your favorite local meats on, and the butchers make their own marinades. When you pick up your pau hana six pack you can grab a container of already marinated to perfection Kalbi ribs, korean chicken, teriyaki beef or chicken. Takamiya Market in Wailuku makes an awesome sweet Kalbi, you can pick from the quantities on hand or call their butcher in the morning to special order your quantity. They also have pre-made mac salad and local food favorites. You will find the same at Pukalani Superette, but I honed in on their made on Maui hot dogs, produced at Louis’s Sausages. TJ’s Warehouse’s teriyaki beef has a perfect balance of sweet, gingery and garlicly spices in their housemade sauce, their yakiniku chicken is made with boneless thighs, plus they have a Japanese food goods emporium on hand to add the right touch to your meal. Careful with the thinly sliced teriyaki beef, its easy to overcook, and don’t try to pan fry it with out patting dry or you’ll have a steamed piece of meat instead of a caramelized one.
Vegetarians don’t have to miss out on any of the fun when it comes to enjoying the outdoors over grilled proteins. I recently made slider pupus from Wild Wood organics sproutofu veggie burgers in Shiitake, found at Mana Foods. These little brown nuggets are firm enough to flop on the grill, and the shiitake mushrooms take to smoky flavors, embellish with your favorite aioli, veggies and a bun. If your in Kihei, Hawaiian Moons has lots of great soy products that are grill ready in their refrigerator case, plus lots of prepackaged ready-for-picnicking desserts and salads. Try the tempeh, its a fermented soy product that is firm and nutty, skewer it with veggies add salt and pepper and char. It won’t crisp on the outside, but it makes a tasty tofu alternative.
At Whole Foods Market in Kahului their meat department has a few ready to grill meats. I got their lamb skewers made with rosemary and mint, and the beef satay skewers. They also have dry rubbed racks of ribs, steaks, and seasoned short ribs. The skewers are fancy, and you can add them to an easy dinner of salad and pasta. They take about four to eight minutes on the grill.
Whole Foods Market Kahului recommends:
Stellar Organic Wine is the perfect refreshment for rosemary mint & lamb kebabs. At just $11.99, this South African Shiraz is not only Fair Trade certified but is also naturally sulfite free.
Radical Cab from Organic Wine Works is a nice compliment to the spicy yakiniku beef kebab. At $15.99 this California Cabernet Sauvignon is a full, dry, fruity red wine that softens the spiciness of the yakiniku beef.
All of our meat is hand selected and brought to market using best practices to ensure food safety and compassion for our animals.
Our wide selection of meat and poultry come from free range farms and adhere to our high quality standards for meat — the strictest in the industry — to provide the highest-quality meat products available anywhere. In addition, we offer an incredible variety of meats including game, duck, sausages and low-fat cuts, as well as turkey and chicken raised on vegetarian diets.
Furthermore we make life easy by creating oven-ready meals, stuffed meats and kabobs, and by providing cooking instructions and personal recommendations—not to mention complimentary services, including seasoning and marinating. Our kebabs are made fresh daily in-house using our own sauce recipes.
The Yakiniku Kebab includes: Thin cut beef steak, with soy sauce made from wheat, soybean, salt, sugar, water, garlic, lemon juice, sesame oil, xanthan gum, sesame seed, and Chinese hot pepper.
The Rosemary Mint Lamb Kebab includes: Lamb cubes and is seasoned with vinegar, brown sugar, canola oil, water, olive oil, mint, salt, and rosemary.
If you want fish for the grill the local fish markets have such great variety, and the counter people can tell you how to prepare your cut of fish for the grill. Some are firm enough to throw on, others may need shelter in foil. Fresh Island Fish in Kahului, the Fish Market in Honokowai and Eskimo Candy in Kihei all have excellent selections, don’t shy away from asking for recommendations for the grill.
Want to make your own Kalbi? Here is a great npr article and commentary on our favorite korean ribs.
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