Category: Barbecue

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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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…)

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.

Grilling slowly over indirect heat in a closed charcoal cooker is called “smoking.” It is used to add flavor to large cuts of meat and keep them tender. It can require up to 8 hours, depending on the meat’s size and the outdoor air temperature.

Use high quality charcoal to build a hot fire. Pile about 50 briquets in the center, and when they are covered with grey ash, push them into two piles. Center a pan of water between the two piles.

Wood chips such as mesquite are used for additional flavor. Using dry chips at the start creates a fast smoke;wet them later for sustained heat.

Center the food on the grill over the water pan, close the lid and keep the grill vents open. The temperature in the smoker should be maintained at 250° to 300° F for safety. Add about 9
coals every 1 to 2 hours.

1 sm Onion; chopped
1 tb Brown sugar
1/4 c Cider vinegar
2 tb Catsup
2 tb Dry mustard
1 ts Worcestershire sauce
1/4 ts Ground cloves
1 ts Chili powder
1/4 ts Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 lb Firm, whitefish fillets( such as Red Snapper or Halibut)

Combine sauce ingredients in a pot and place over medium heat, boiling until the mixture is reduced to a thin syrup. Pour the syrup through a strainer and discard the cooked ingredients in the strainer and chill the syrup.

Place fish steaks or fillets in a baking dish and spoon some syrup over. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Cook the fish on a hot grill, basting with a teaspoon of barbecue syrup on each side.