The BBQ Report
A barbecue blog with recipes, product reviews, and tips for better grilling and barbeque. The BBQ Report gathers barbecue information from around the country, bringing you the latest news and best tasting recipes.
Grill Daddy Cleans with Steam
The Grill Daddy is a grill brush with a twist. It has a small tank of water that is released onto the hot grill grate will cleaning to release a cloud of steam, helping to get backed on food off of the grate. The stainless steel bristles and heavy duty handle make it an all around excellent grill brush, even without the steam.
The Grill Daddy is available in two sizes, the $19.99 Grill Daddy and the $24.99 Grill Daddy Pro. The pro models is significantly longer and beefier, and adds a second handle for a better grip.
You can find the Grill Daddy online, or at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS Pharmancy and other stores.
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Best BBQ Spots in America
Where’s the best places to get BBQ across America? A debated question to be sure. Undaunted, Details magazine has published their picks for the top establishments.
They’ve picked a couple from each of the key BBQ areas of the country. Some of their choices, I’m sure you have heard of:
- Smitty’s in Lockhart, Texas
- Lexington Barbecue, Lexington, North Carolina
- Big Bob Gibson’s, Decatur, Alabama
Want to see more? Follow the link to see all the picks.
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McCormick Introduces Flavored Peppers
The spice mongers at McCormick have introduced a new line of pepper flavors that go beyond the simple “lemon pepper”, the old standby. The two new flavors, Smokehouse, and Worcestershire, are available now. The Smokehouse variety is infused with applewood smoke flavor, and you can probably guess what the Worcestershire taste likes!
They are of course both delicious on steaks and burgers, but lend some zip to other items like fries and baked potatoes. The smoked flavor in particular is delicious on chicken. Try this recipe….
Mix 3 tablespoons each oil and water, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons each McCormick Worcestershire Pepper and Minced Onions, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 1 pound steak; coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Broil or grill until desired doneness. Sprinkle with additional Worcestershire Pepper before serving.
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Grill Tamer Helps Regulate the Temperature
There’s a lot of advantage of grilling with the lid down. Namely, you keep the smoke and heat inside where they can work their magic on the food. The problem is of course that it’s hard to control the temperature, especially if you are trying to maintain a low and slow cooking plan.
The new Grill Tamer from Macken Products aims to solve this problem by combining a thermometer and an adjustable, aluminum lid lift. Basically, a sophisticated version of sticking a brick under the lid to vent out some of the heat. The big benefit here is that it’s easy to move the lid up and down until the temperature hits the desired range. The wood handle keeps you from burning yourself, which is always nice.
The initial development of the award winning Grill Tamer started over 10 years ago by inventor Mike Macken. His original design was to simply prop open his grill lid so he could see what was going on inside of the grill and extinguish flare-ups before dinner was burnt beyond recognition. After several years of development with the addition of a high quality thermometer, a hardwood handle for safety and thousands of meals later… Hence… The Grill Tamer was born.
The Grill Tamer is $39.95 and available directly on the Grill Tamer website.
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The Mother all BBQ Sauce Sites
Looking for unique and delicious BBQ sauces? Look no further than the The Sauce Hog. These guys specialize in selling those specialty, award winning rubs and sauces from top BBQ pros.
Looking for the famous Bob Gibson’s White Sauce? They got it. Willingham’s? Neely’s? They got it all. Dozens and dozens, of different sauces in every style you can imagine. Kansas City, Memphis, Cajun, whatever you’re looking for they probably go you covered.
Not sure what you want? They have a a number of assorted collections that will give you a taste of some of their best sellers.
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Grill Charms
Grill Charms are similar in concept to the wine charm. These dime-sized solid stainless steel charms are placed in your food before grilling. The stems are serrated to hold securely while grilling, moving and flipping. Grill Charm your food prior to cooking to distinguish spices and flavors, steak temperatures, or to avoid health or allergy issues. When dinner comes off the grill everyone knows which one is theirs!
They are available in several varieties, including temperature and level of spicyness. There’s even a collection of various “do your own interpretation” images like sail boats, palm trees and the like. They are easy to use, but don’t touch them till they cool down or you’ll brand yourself!
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Country Bob’s “All Purpose” Sauce
It was 1968 when Country Bob Edson perfected his steak sauce recipe and he called it an All Purpose Sauce because it was more than just a steak sauce. Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce has remained the flagship item since 1982 when Country Bob, Inc. was established. They offer customers a variety of different steak sauce or All Purpose Sauce, Barbeque Sauce, and Seasoning Salts and will anywhere in the world.
You can check out all of the offerings on their website. The BBQ Sauce is great, and the spicy hot sauce will add a kick to just about anything!
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Buccaneer Blends BBQ Sauce
The folks at World Harbors have released a new line of BBQ and steak sauces inspired by, of all people, pirates of old. The new World Harbors Buccaneer Blends line features five unique BBQ sauces and two distinctive Steak sauces. Sticky Rum BBQ Sauce is a one-of-a-kind, sweet taste of brown sugar, allspice and rum; Apple Maple BBQ Sauce features the crisp and distinctive classic New England flavors of apples and maple together in a sauce perfect for any meat; Fra Diavlo BBQ Sauce fires the grill and warms the soul with a full-bodied and spirited combination of five spicy peppers; Honey Mango BBQ Sauce brings the tropical flavor of the Caribbean to the table with delicious mango, tangy ginger and sweet honey; Mesquite BBQ Sauce takes you to the Deep South with its rich and smoky outdoor BBQ flavor; Pirates Original Steak Sauce is a blend of red ripe tomatoes and sweet fruity raisins combined with the tartness of oranges, limes and tamarind; and Swashbucklin Spicy Steak Sauce blends the same savory ingredients as Pirates Original, with a variety of pungent hot peppers, including chipotle and ancho.
I had an opportunity to sample some of the flavors this weekend after World Harbors was kind enough to send a long a sampler pack. Definitely a different combinations of flavors then the same old sauces. My favorites are the Honey Mango BBQ Sauce and the Apple Maple BBQ Sauce. I guess its the fruit overtones, something you don’t find commonly in BBQ Sauce, that make them stand out. Add these to some grilled chicken breasts or thighs for a tasty, easy treat.
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Everything Should Taste Like Bacon!
We all love the taste of bacon, and now there’s an easy way to baconify just about anything. Yes friends, Bacon Salt is upon us and it’s as delicious as it sounds. Bacon salt, which incidentally is zero calorie, vegetarian and kosher, is a magic new seasoning that adds the salty, porky taste of bacon to all your favorite foods.
I recently received samples of all three varieties – hickory, peppered, and original, and have been putting them through their paces the last few days. So far I’ve found it to be good stuff. I’ve tried it on hamburgers, spinach salad, soup, breakfast tacos, and grilled cheese sandwiches. The only thing it turns out not to be good in was coffee (not suprisingly). By far the most unexpected goodness I discovered was “bacon popcorn”.
Notably interesting is that the guys behind this great invention funded the company on prize money from Americas Home Videos. Only in America, I’m so proud…. (sniff).
Seriously, this is good stuff. I’m bringing some to the office, nothing makes left overs and cheap microwave dinners palatable like a little bacon. You can buy some for yourself on their web site.
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Rod’s Rub - A Flavor for Everyone
Rod Brown, ex-professional hockey player and ex-police officer is now making an interesting collection of tasty rubs, for sale at their website RodsRub.com. It’s great to see more and more small shops making their rubs and seasonings available. I’ve tried several of the flavors and they are great! Good on all sorts of grilled foods, but especially chicken breasts. Easy way to spice up a quick dinner is to season plain old chicken with their Citrus Tang or Sweet Mesquite flavors.
You can get creative too of course, try the original on popcorn or back potatoes! There’s a few flavors not listed on their site yet that they sent me to try. Steak Out (for steaks obviously) and “In the Black” for creating blackened chicken or fish.
If you are looking to add a little zip to your next cook out, try Rods Rub.
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BBQ Gift Baskets from 1-800-Flowers
The popular floral site 1-800-Flowers.com has just launched a new line of gift baskets in conjunction with top celebrity chefs. Paula Deen, Preston Bailey, and BBQ hero Steven Raichlen.
Raichlen has two signature baskets, including a “Beer Can Chicken” basket featuring a roaster, rub, recipes, and so forth. A unique and interesting collection for the BBQ lover on your holiday shopping list!
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The Big Easy - “Oilless” Fryer
Charbroil has sent me on of their new Big Easy Oilless Fryers to try out. They call it an oilless fryer, but it’s basically an infrared grill designed for turkeys and large roasts. The idea is that it produces the same basic results as a fryer, juicy meat and a crisp screen, without the mess and risk of a deep fryer.
It looks, nor accidentally I’m sure, like a deep fryer. It’s even got a “cage” to hold the turkey. Along the bottom is an 18,000 BTU infra-red burner that heats things up to about 360 degrees (perfect turkey roasting temperature). It’s a ring, so it should produce even heating. It’s like a rotisserie in many respects, but doesn’t need to spin.
It sure is simpler and safer then frying, that’s for sure. Pretty much drop the meat inside and turn it on. I bet this thing would work well with a leg of lamb or a prime rib as well. One big plus is that you can load it up with marinade and it’s not going to be diluted by oil or slung out by the rotisserie.
I’ll be firing up the test unit in the next few weeks and I’ll report back on my findings.
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Turducken time!
If you are going to get a Turducken for the holidays or that next family get together, you should check out Cajun Grocer.com. You DO know what a Turducken it is right? It’s a chicken stuffed inside a duck, stuffed inside a turkey. CajunGrocer.com ups the ante by stuffing sausage in as well!
You order them frozen, then make sure you give yourself 48 hours of thaw time (in the fridge) before popping them in the oven. These are ready to cook. I’ve got one coming, I will let everyone know how it is.
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My Diamond BBQ Has Arrived!
My new Diamond BBQ has arrived, all 255 pounds of it. It’s packed well, but it sure is heavy.
The goal of the Diamond BBQ is to make charcoal grilling as convenient as propane. It features an electric starter with blower, and a built-in garbage disposal for chewing up the ashes. The inside is shaped like a sink, s0 cleanout should be a breeze.
This grill is going to go head to head with my propane grill, a Grand Turbo from BBQs Galore. Both are 36 inches wide or so built-in units of stainless steel. First I’ve got to build (another) island to house this bad boy. I will probably build a “good enough for now” rig out of treated lumber and cement backer board.
Stay tuned!
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Recipe for Grilling the Perfect Burger
Learn how to grill the perfect burger with this simple recipe. Grilling a burger may sound easy, but how many times have you had to choke down a dry, tasteless burger at that family reunion or neighborhood cookout? A few simple tips will show you how to grill the perfect burger.
Burgers are not for dieters
You must start with a ground beef that’s at least 20 percent fat. Otherwise, your burger will be dry and tasteless. Sorry, this is the truth. If you want lean, look elsewhere. Much of that will cook out of course, but will keep the burger moist and tasty while cooking. Ground chuck is the label to look for. Some folks mix this with ground Sirloin, but I don’t find it worth the time. For four people, I recommend 1 1/2 pounds.
Use a gentle touch, don’t mangle your burger
It is important not to overwork the meat. For this reason, don’t attempt to mix any seasonings while forming your patties. There’s time for that later. Divide the meet into 4 portions and form each one into a ball. Then, shape into 3/4 inch patties. Again, be gentle and avoid pressing down on the meat. Make an indention in each with your thumb to keep them flat after cooking. Stacking them on wax paper makes them easy to separate later. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Season burgers last
Heat the grill to high and let it get good and hot, about 15 minutes should do it. Clean and oil the grate to prevent sticking. When ready to begin cooking, remove your burgers from the fridge and season generously with salt and pepper. Nothing fancy, but season well. Don’t do this until right before you grill your burgers, or it may suck all the moisture out of them.
Grill your burgers on high heat
Cook about 6 minutes per side for medium. If the burger sticks when trying to flip it’s too soon. As the burger crusts up it will unstick itself. Whatever you do, don’t press down on the burgers while cooking. This just squeezes the juice out of them.
Give your burgers a rest
After cooking, let your burgers rest for a few minutes to let the juices settle in. Cutting open the burger too soon may cause it to dry out. Serve with your favorite toppings!
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