Got guests coming over and want to impress with unbeatable flavor? Try making a delicious homemade onion soup on your KLAUWE, the BBQ & smoking drum. Impress Your Friends! Here’s how you do it.
Ingredients
General:
- Servings: 4 people
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes
- Cooking Time: Approximately 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 4 large white onions (available at the greengrocer, probably not in the supermarket)
- 4 half vegetable bouillon cubes
- 1.5 liters of water
- 5 heaping tablespoons of unsalted butter
Ingredients:
- 5 heaping tablespoons of herb butter (try varying with pesto herb butter)
- 4 slices of baguette
- 1 packet of grated cheese (slices of cheese work too)
- 1/4 bunch of chives
Instructions
Step 1: Peeling the Onions
First, peel the onions until they are completely white. Then, cut off the tops and the bottoms. Make sure to cut the bottoms horizontally so that the onions can stand upright on the grill.
Step 2: Hollowing the Onions
Next, hollow out the onions using a melon baller or a small spoon. Hollow them well but ensure the outer layer isn't too thin (hollow out about 70-75%). Once the onions are hollowed, fill them with a half bouillon cube, unsalted butter, and herb butter. Press the filling down to the edge of the onion. If you need more butter, use a 50/50 mix of herb butter and unsalted butter.
Step 3: Wrapping the Onions
Once you've prepared the four onions, wrap them in aluminum foil. Tear off a piece of foil, place the onion in the center, and fold the foil up to seal the onion completely. Ensure no air escapes and that no filling leaks out during grilling.
Step 4: Grilling on the KLAUWE BBQ
Set your KLAUWE to about 150 degrees Celsius (a bit higher is fine too). Start by closing the rear vent and opening the front vent fully. If the fire doesn't catch well, you can open the rear vent temporarily. Eventually, the rear vent should be closed, and the front vent nearly closed. The vent on the lid should be half open. Adjust airflow as needed to maintain temperature.
Grill without the water ring and water reservoir. Place the charcoal basket on the second level (from the bottom) and the grill grate on the fourth level. Close the lid and let the temperature reach about 150 degrees Celsius.
Step 5: Lighting the KLAUWE
Place the charcoal basket on the third level (from the top), or higher if you prefer not to bend too much. Fill the basket with good-quality charcoal and place a few fire starters among the coals. Light the fire starters and let the coals heat up for at least 15 minutes. Add the grill grate later.
Continuing with the Onions and KLAUWE
Your onions should be wrapped in foil with the open ends up, standing upright on the counter. Place the onions on the grill grate but not directly over the fire. Close the lid and let them cook for at least 60 minutes at a minimum of 150 degrees Celsius.
While the onions are grilling, prepare a liter of vegetable bouillon in your kitchen. Dissolve one and a half bouillon cubes in a liter of water and bring it to a boil. Once ready, cover the pot and turn off the heat.
For the last 5 to 7 minutes of grilling, place four slices of baguette topped with grated cheese (or cheese slices) on the KLAUWE to melt the cheese.
Finishing Up
When the onions are almost ready (they should be soft in the foil), add the cheese-topped baguette slices to the grill, not directly over the fire, and close the lid until the cheese melts. Meanwhile, reheat the pot of bouillon.
Carefully remove the onions from the grill, keeping them upright to prevent any filling from spilling out. Unwrap the onions and pour the filling into bowls. Chop the softened onion into small pieces (as desired), then add the hot vegetable bouillon to the bowls. Place a cheese-topped baguette slice in each bowl, and garnish with chopped chives and fried onions if desired.
Bon appétit and don’t forget: Eat with your KLAUWE and Impress Your Friends!