Archive for: February 2008

Don’t put chicken on a grill and then start constantly turning it. No no no!

First, most of the skin will be left behind on the grates as turning the chicken too quickly will cause the skin to stick to the grates. We’ve all been there.

You want to put the chicken, if it has a bone, onto direct or high heat and close the lid and let that side grill. When you go to turn it, it should lift easily. If it doesn’t, it’s not ready to turn.

Do the same thing on the other side. Again, it needs to lift easily. If you have done this correctly, your chicken will have a nice golden brown on both sides. When it does, you want to continue grilling it, but under indirect or low heat.

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To really get that smokey flavor in your meats, using wood chips is the way to go. If you have a smoker already built into your barbecue grill, you are on your way to great smoke flavors.

What about the rest of us? No problem!

Get yourself a foil pan. I like to keep a few around anyway as they are excellent for heating up beans and such.

Place pre-soaked wood chips inside (dry them first - hardwood works best). Cover with aluminum foil and poke holes in the top to allow the smoke to escape.

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Why not experiment a little and make your own marinade?

A marinade is basically made up of
* an acid to break down the meat and tenderize it
* an oil to replace the moisture the acid draws out of the meat\
* seasonings

The acid can be vinegar, red wine, lemon juice; on that order. Personally I prefer a red wine or lemon juice as it not only helps tenderize your meat, it adds a flavor at the same time.

If you use something like a nut oil or a flavored oil, you can add flavor as well. Olive oil is very popular.

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This is important to remember. After you marinade your steaks, take them out of the marinade and pat them dry on both sides before putting them on the grill. Wet steaks tend to steam and not sear. There is a big difference in taste and texture.

Put your steaks on the grill and close the lid and don’t turn them constantly. Ideally you will only flip them once, maybe a couple times at the most. You will get a richer flavor not turning them. After you grill for awhile, you’ll get an idea as to how much time a steak is going to take, according to thickness.

And, I hope I’m not too late on this one, when it is freezing outside, it will take your steaks and any other meat longer to cook. Adjust for the temperature.

As I write this, the temperature here in Ohio is 10 degrees, so I don’t think I’m too late.

When we speak of barbecue, we automatically think of an outdoor grill.

Not always. You can do some succulent barbecue indoors in a crock pot or in the oven, maybe a dutch oven.

OK - I made barbecue wings for a super bowl party. I make them every year and they are always a hit and I’ll give you my recipe but . . . (more…)