Archive for July, 2005
Recipe: BBQ Pirates Jammin’ Jerk Pork
How can a recipe from a group calling themselves the BBQ Pirates possibly be bad? This recipe for Jammin’ Jerk Pork features a homemade Jerk Sauce Marinade (with the deadly Scotch Bonnet!) and pork tenderloin.
Despite the comic possibilities behind the name, Jerk sauce is a spicy marinade of Jamaican origin. It is used on numerous kinds of fish and meats. In the United States, commercial jerk sauce is readily available, but this is generally much sweeter and less spicy than the more authentic Jamaican versions.
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Grilling with a twist
In this article from Southern Voice Online columnist George Oliver highlites some alternatives to burgers and steaks, with an emphasis on healthier and more creative fare.
Traditionally, barbequing and grilling are only done by “real men” in the summer and involve slathering large slabs of red meat with secret sauces.Luckily, most of us pay no mind to that tradition. Grilling is evolving to be less about hamburgers and steaks and that tired BBQ chicken from a bottle, and more about healthy and creative outdoor cooking, including grilled pizza and grilled fruit.
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The Martin Grill Gadget
Here’s an interesting little tool that aims to make cleaning your grill fast and easy. The Grill Gadget consists of a solid brass “Universal Disc” (patent pending), a steel shaft, a wooden handle, a leather hang, and an acorn nut. The “Universal Disc” has different size slots which will fit almost any grill. This tool has a life time warranty. It will not scratch your grill. Ladies, it will also clean the racks in your oven. It is long enough so you can clean your grill while it is still hot, or wait until you are ready to grill out next time. The Martin Grill Gadget is easy to clean…just wipe the “Universal Disc” with a paper towel.
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Grilling the perfect burger
Epicurious has posted a pretty good guide for grilling the perfect burger, with input for some heavy hitters in the grilling business.
The ultimate hamburger. It’s an elusive creation: the perfectly charred crust; the juicy interior with the ideal amount of fat; the full, beefy flavor. To help you get it just right, we consulted two guys who really know burgers: Steven Raichlen, host of Barbecue University on PBS, and Chris Schlesinger, coauthor of The Thrill of the Grill and How To Cook Meat. Read on for their secrets to producing perfect patties.
You can read the article at their website.
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Recipe for Grilled Bologna
Who says grilling has to be gourmet? Try this recipe for Grilled Bologna, also known as Kentucky Round Steak. No, it’s not fancy, but its pretty good and you can’t beat the price.
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Save 15% on any one item at Cooking.com
Use this coupon link to save 15% on any one item at cooking.com. They’ve got pretty much everything related to cooking, including an excellent selection of knives and gadgets.
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How many BBQ ribs can you eat?
I guess I’m only slightly surprised that there is an organization called the I.F.O.C.E — The International Federation of Competitive Eaters Association. The upcoming Smokin’ at the Ocean BBQ Fest is adding a number of eating related competitions to its normal round up of BBQ cookoff events. The leading contender for the Competitive Rib Eating Championship seems to be IFOCE member Richard “The Locust” LeFevre:
LeFevre is the number three competitive eater in the world and ate more than 5 pounds of birthday cake in only 11 minutes on May 10, 2005. Last year, local favorites Scott “The Pork Slayer” Sayer of Albany, and Tom Jones of Mulino went on to challenge the professionals. This will be their third year in the eating competition and they’re getting themselves in shape for the contest.
You view the full results on the I.F.O.C.E. website, apparently this is a particularly challenging event:
“The rib, the most elegant of the debris foods, presents a distinct challenge to all eaters,” said George Shea, chairman of the IFOCE. “This event requires jaw strength, stomach capacity and sturdy orthodonture.”
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Grilling causes cancer?
According to this article by Dana Farber eating grilled food can increase your risk of cancer. Isn’t that just peachy? I mean what doesn’t cause cancer these days?
Research has shown that high-heat grilling can convert proteins in red meat, pork, poultry and fish into heterocyclic amines, chemicals that have been linked to a number of cancers. Also, the smoke generated when fat and juices drip on the hot coals or rocks can contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, another potential cancer causing chemical. As the smoke rises up past the food it can deposit PAHs on the surface of the meat.
The aticle goes on to present a number of tips on helping avoid the suspected risks. Of course, most of them involve distancing your grilling from anything remotely resembling grilling such as wrapping up your food in foil, avoiding smoke exposure, and removing all of the fat from meat before cooking.
I think people take this whole cancer risk too far. Stop smoking? Of course. Avoid exposure to asbestos? You bet. Worry about remote possibilities of exposure to burn pork fat? I don’t think so.
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Buying a Barbecue Grill: Gas or Charcoal?
When it comes to buying a grill, the first big decision is choosing between gas and charcoal. Many grilling purists will argue till the cows come home that if you are cooking on gas grill you aren’t really grilling and might as well be using a microwave. I think that’s silly, in this article we’ll consider some of the important difference between the two.
Continue reading “Buying a Barbecue Grill: Gas or Charcoal?”
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Some tips from the BBQ Queens
“Men have one wowie dish,” Fertig says, basing her conclusion on years of observation. “They rarely plan a meal or prep any of the other dishes.” When Adler and Fertig cook outdoors, they prepare every course on the grill.
The pair share some tips and recipes from their new book.
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Grilling fruit
In this article, Mary Ellen Rae gives a great overview of how to cook fruits such as peaches, plums, and apricots. She also includes a couple of recipes. Grilled fruit makes a great dessert, and is easy to prepare. Here’s an excerpt:
When they’re ripe but still firm, stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines and apricots take well to grilling. Slice them in half, remove the pit and place them cut side down directly on the rack over the coals. When grill marks appear (the fruit caramelizes at these hottest points of contact), flip them over to continue cooking. Don’t let them fall apart; remove them from the heat as soon as they’re tender.
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Summer grilling has become high tech
Lee Adams lusts over a new infrared grill in this article…
It’s the Star grill with infra-red cooking grids at 1,050 degrees that sears the meat to hold in the juices, with a LCD displaying timers and temperature, a meat thermometer, halogen lights, and a grilling surface with chain-drive rotisserie that can hold up to 60 pounds of meat. This baby has 650 square inches of grilling space, a 252 square inch warming rack, infrared searing device that puts out 23,000 BTUs, smoker that puts out 5,000 BTUs, and the rotisserie gets 13,000 BTUs. Now that’s cooking with gas.
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Slicing the costs of a backyard barbecue
Yahoo! Finance has an article up discussing some pointers on saving money when shopping for your next barbecue. I guess the guys at Yahoo! don’t have enough cash to buy the good stuff? But seriously, this is pretty good article with some good, practical advice.
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Using a BBQ Grill as a Pool Heater
Now this is just a bad idea, horribly wrong, or maybe just really clever. This guy has converted a BBQ into a pool heater. I guess you have to admire his engineering skills, but it sure seems to me like there is an easier way.
I like swimming in about 80F to 85F myself, if it’s sunny and warm out. I created a prototype heater coil that seemed to work for its size. I then create a large heater coil out of 180 feet of copper tubing that connects to my pool pump using a garden hose and fits inside the grill. The hose runs from the pump through the grill heater coils and then into the pool. I heated my pool from 68F to 89.4F in 48 hours using 3.5 tanks of propane.
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Food Network: The BBQ Circuit
Upcoming episodes of the Food Network Chanllenge will follow the former US BBQ Champions, Lee and Bobbie McWright as they defend their title through one of the toughest BBQ Competition circuits in the US! See if these reigning champs can successfully defend their title, or lose to a new US BBQ Champion!
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