Archive for: January 2008

Next barbecue - try a change of pace by grilling up some of these delicious combo burgers.

Don’t be afraid to experiment either, by swapping ingredients for other ingredients you think might work.

However, I like to test these things myself before serving them at a barbecue party.

1/2 pound lean ground sirloin
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1/2 pound lean ground veal
2 tablespoons ice water
1/4 cup ground oats
1/4 cup bottled chili sauce
onion powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Fresh ground pepper and salt — to taste

Toss them on the grill and grill until the juices run clear.

Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside. Use a meat thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe internal temperature.

Whole poultry should reach 180o F; breasts, 170o F. Juices should run clear. Hamburgers made of any ground meat or poultry should reach 160o F. Beef, veal and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to 145o F. All cuts of pork should reach 160o F.

NEVER partially grill meat or poultry and finish cooking later. Cook food completely to destroy harmful bacteria. When reheating take-out foods or fully cooked meats like hot dogs, grill to 165o F, or until steaming hot.

I don’t know. I won’t eat this but this was recommended to me so, I thought, some of you may like it.

5 plum tomatoes, quartered and seeded
1 ½ lbs Japanese eggplant, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 yellow bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup (1oz) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat grill.
Arrange first 5 ingredients in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush vegetables evenly with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place eggplant, onion, and peppers in a single layer on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 4 minutes on each side or until charred. Remove from grill. Place peppers in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel peppers, and cut into thin strips. Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch pieces.

Arrange first 5 ingredients in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush vegetables evenly with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place eggplant, onion, and peppers in a single layer on grill rack coated with cooking spray.

Grill 4 minutes on each side or until charred. Remove from grill. Place peppers in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel peppers, and cut into thin strips. Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch pieces.

With health concerns at a all time high, many people are cutting down on their red meat intake. OK - Us real men continue to include red meat in almost every meal, but it doesn’t hurt to make a change occasionally.

I make certain to include chicken in my diet, but I do that because it tastes good. But many people have been telling me to try the turkey burgers so . . . . .

8 oz. 99% lean ground turkey
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Hand mix the egg and the ground turkey. Season to taste with pepper.

Grill patties with top closed until browned and cooked throughout, 5 to 6 minutes per side, brushing cooked sides with barbecue sauce during the last couple minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in center of patties should register 165 degrees. About 1 minute before patties are done, place buns, cut side down, on grill grate until lightly toasted.

1 cup Prepared barbecue sauce of your choice
1 cup Ketchup
2/3 cup Beer
1/4 cup Honey or Molasses
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
2 tablespoons Red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder

In a large bowl, combine the barbecue sauce, ketchup, beer, honey, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, pepper, garlic and onion powder.

Drink the remaining beer. Hey - you ain’t gonna throw it away, right?!

Place your ribs or chicken or other meat in the marinade and let it stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours or in a refrigerator overnight. When ready to cook, remove the meat and discard the marinade.

I like to make an additional helping of marinade and, when ready to grill, you boil this marinade in a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes until thickened. Do not use the marinade the meat was in!

Use as sauce for basting or serving while grilling or barbecuing.

Some recipes state to marinate meat and poultry for several hours or days, either to tenderize or
add flavor. Always marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

If some of the marinade is to be used as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade. Don’t put raw meat and poultry in it.

Never re-use the marinade used on raw meat or poultry.

When you marinade, you want the entire meat to absorb the flavoring. Puncturing the meat doesn’t do the trick as it will be uneven and you also will lose some of the juices when you grill.

Put the marinade in a heavy zip lock bag and place the meat inside. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Place in the refrigerator and turn every so often. Flat cuts of meat actually work best to get the full flavor of the marinade.