Grill Maestro

The other week, I tried to take a shortcut when smoking some pork ribs because it was so cold outside. The charcoal was working overtime trying to keep everything up to the safe temperature and I was getting tired of trying to regular it all so after three hours of smoking, I pulled the ribs off and brought them in. Normally in the 3-2-1 strategy of smoking you smoke your meat for three hours, then wrap them up in foil with some apple juice or water for two hours. Then you open them back up to firm up a little during the last hour.

In my shortcut, I simply popped them into the over in my kitchen for the last two hours. Big mistake.

Well, it wasn’t huge, the meat was just a little smoky and tasted a lot like they were baked in the oven at a low temperature for a few hours. My mistake was not wrapping them in foil and juice, that helps in the tenderness, so in the future I’ll know better.

The real lesson here is that smoking is a delicate process that cannot be rushed. While I’m sure the ribs would come out nicely in the oven if wrapped in foil with some juice, it doesn’t come close to another two hours of access to some nice mesquite smoke. Even a grill novice knows that!

America, and I, love our hot dogs. If you have five minutes, check out this short video on how hot dogs are made, in case you never knew. (it’s not entirely appetizing, but I still like hot dogs and sausages anyway!)

It’s the holiday season and aspiring grill maestros like myself might be thinking about giving the gift of food. Who wouldn’t love a delicious side of hickory smoked baby back pork ribs hugged in a delicious barbecue sauce just waiting for you under a tree? Well, just partially smoke those ribs (essentially do the 3-2 of the 3-2-1 ribs smoking method), wrap them up nice and tight, and deliver in a food-safe container!

It sounds exactly as easy as I’ve just described it, just cook the ribs until they’re falling off the bone (or near falling off the bone), and then provide instructions to your recipient that they just need to be popped into an oven for a little finishing. They will not be disappointed.

BurnJel Plus, the makers of a wonderful salve for burns, sent me a list of kitchen safety tips I thought would be useful even for the more hardcore grillers. While these tips are focused for the kitchen, many of them apply to the grill as well.

For example - “avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing” is something you should always be following around the grill. At best, you might get grease or marinade on it. At worse, it catches and you’re in deep trouble!

• Avoid wearing loose-fitting long-sleeved clothing when cooking.
• Have good lighting in the kitchen and work areas./li>
• Always keep pot handles turned inward, toward the back of the stove. Cook on rear burners whenever possible.
• Keep a large lid within reach when frying to extinguish grease fires, if necessary.
• Use large potholders or even mitts.
• Avoid leaving food to cook unattended.
• Use a “fill-through-the-spout” teapot, the kind without a lid and with a whistle in the spout, to prevent “spilled water” scalds.
• Avoid using area rugs in the kitchen, especially near the stove. They can cause falls and scalds.

Real Simple recently published a story about common cooking mistakes and the very first one is a mistake that I’ve made before. The mistake? Not reading the whole recipe and instructions before starting…

7 Common Cooking Mistakes [Real Simple]

On the typical BBQ plate, you have a whole lot of meat paired with a whole lot of other meat. You might slide in some potato/macaroni salad or some bake beans, but want to add something different to the flavor profile?

Well, the HPBA teamed up with the BBQ Queens, Judith Fertig and Karen Adler, to come up with some quick tips on how to spice up some of the foods you’ve been grilling. As a grill novice, I thought these tips were great because while I know what goes well in a marinade or a rub, I have less of a solid idea about what pairs well on the plate. The Queens were able to help out and give a good idea of what sorts of flavors work well with what main course item.

To help consumers add the perfect zest to grilled food, BBQ Queens Judith Fertig and Karen Adler, grilling and smoking experts, and co-authors of more than 20 cookbooks including BBQ Bash: The Be-all, End-All Party Guide from Barefoot to Black Tie, share these grilling tips and tricks to spice up grilled food year-round.

From Bland to Grand. Make chicken grand by adding a sauce of aioli or flavored mayonnaise (1 cup mayonnaise, 1 clove minced garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs) dolloped on top of the grilled chicken.
Fish with Flavor. Add some zip to grilled halibut with a roasted red pepper or tomato salsa. Try pesto or gremolata (fresh chopped herbs, garlic and lemon zest) on grilled salmon.
Just the Touch. Spruce up meaty sirloin steaks with a garlic or chipotle style vinaigrette/marinade or use a compound butter, like blue cheese butter, to top lean and tender grilled filets.
Vivacious Veggies. From zucchini and squash to red and green peppers and onions, drizzle a flavored nut oil, like walnut oil, over the veggies before cooking. Sprinkle toasted walnuts or pine nuts to finish off these vegetable favorites.
The Great Potato. Whether it’s for potato skewers or wedges, add olive oil, garlic salt and pepper to potatoes before throwing on the grill – making perfect seasonings. Finish off this classic grilled potato with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

I never would’ve thought to pair grilled chicken with flavored mayo or to use nut oils with green and red peppers (I’d always go with the classic olive), you can pick up new ideas every day! (or you can pair meat with more meat, there’s really nothing wrong with that!)

(Photo: lucianvenutian)

The HPBA (Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association) is a great organization that frequently puts out fun consumer opinion polls and this Fall, one of the questions related to the worst BBQ attendees. Can you guess the number one most disliked person is? So much so that you would choose to not invite them? It’s the control freak, the attendee who likes to boss everyone around and tell people what to do.

The Barbecue “D” List – Choosing who NOT to invite to a barbecue is easy for consumers. A quarter of respondents would not want to invite a “control freak” – someone who bosses everyone around during their backyard event. Other no-invites include:
• The Slob – Makes a big mess and doesn’t clean up after themselves (24 percent)
• The Picky Eater – Doesn’t want to eat anything that the host serves (18 percent)
• The Moocher – Doesn’t bring food to the party or doesn’t help with anything at the cookout
(13 percent)
• The Boastful Bragger – Brags too much about his or her grilling skills (7 percent)
• The Backseat Griller – Gives unwanted grilling advice (4 percent)

I think I’d let a bragger and backseat griller to the party but someone who was picky and told me about it would get the boot. (I’m just kidding, I wouldn’t kick anyone out but I certainly wouldn’t like it)

A lot of those things are pretty common sense though. Be courteous to your host, offer to help out, and always say the food tastes great.

Full Fall 2008 Consumer Opinion Poll Quick Facts [HPBA.org]

It doesn’t get simpler and easier than the Weber 18-1/2 Inch One-Touch Silver Grill (specs). When I moved into my new home, the former owners kindly left me two grills and this one was one of them. There is nothing fancy or tricky about this 18.5″ diameter grill and it’s size makes it a perfect family grill.

I’ll be honest, to the everyman, a grill is a grill is a grill. So what makes this particular grill any different? Nothing! Don’t mistake complexity and fancy scientific terms for something its not.

Another one of my favorite styles of BBQ is one I can only get from my local Indian restaurant - Tandoori Chicken (or anything). The meat is prepared in a cylindrical clay oven that’s known as a tandoor and it’s most common in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and most of the Indian subcontinent. It’s origins are in Afghanistan though but wherever you get it, it still tastes great.

The oven is fired by charcoal or wood and temperatures within that clay oven can reach 900°F! The style of cooking is mostly radiant heat cooking, meaning a fire is left to burn as a heat source within the oven.

In addition to meat, the tandoor is designed as an oven so you can use it to bake breads as well.

(Photo: diametrik)

Have you ever heard of beer can chicken? I had always known about it but have never prepared it and with a few short weeks left before it starts getting really cold, I think I might give it a try. The idea is that you take a chicken, put it on top of an open can of beer, and then cook it over a grill. The beer can acts as the third leg in a tripod and the beer in the can help keep the chicken moist (you’ll want to keep only half a beer in the can). There are full instructions at The Barbecue Bible but the idea of preparing chicken this way is intriguing.

Beer Can Chicken [The Barbecue Bible]