Smoke That Coconut

Just saw Coconut Charcoal offered at the Whole Foods Market andhad to find out more.  Although we have not tried it on the test grills it sounds like coconut coal could be as clean burning as it gets.  Let us know what you think!

Have You Tried Coconut Charcoal For Your Family Barbecuing?

By Jeco J

For centuries, people in Indonesia have recognized the use of coconut shells not only as a natural raw material to produce handicrafts, but also as an alternative and / or supplement to traditional lump charcoal, to improve and prolong the heat produced for cooking.

Coconut charcoal is an environment-friendly green alternative charcoal with many advantages that will make your barbecuing experience fun and help protect the environment. No single tree is cut to produce coconut charcoal. The characteristics of charcoal vary from one product to another. Charcoal variation results in different burning times, odor, and ash produced. Nevertheless, it is a common misconception that all charcoal is roughly the same. Coconut shell charcoal burns at 7,000 kilo calories. The unique manufacturing process of Coconut shell allows the charcoal embers to produce very little, to no smoke, and no more than 4% ash waste is produced when all the embers are burned completely.

Depending on air exposure and the type of barbecue grill you will be using, one kilogram of coconut charcoal (about 33 briquettes) roughly provides the same cooking “power” as produced by 2 or 2 ½ kilograms of traditional lump charcoal. Additionally, barbecuing with coconut charcoal, which has a very low content of volatile matter, ensures that soot formation, if any, will be minimal. This in turn reduces the cleaning time considerably.

With relatively stable heat created over approximately 2 – 2.5 hours duration, family barbecuing becomes environmentally friendly, more convenient, enjoyable, and more economical as less charcoals needed for replenishment during cooking. Have you try to use coconut shell charcoal for your barbecuing?

Jungle Notes was set up as a green article resource site so that readers across the world can come together and share this information. Visit Jungle Notes now and read more green article!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeco_J
http://EzineArticles.com/?Have-You-Tried-Coconut-Charcoal-For-Your-Family-Barbecuing?&id=4760312

Chicken Your Guests Will Crow About

By Tauqeer Ul Hassan

BBQ chicken that has been cooked perfectly will taste delicious. Although it seems that with its increased popularity and careless manner of BBQ cooking, many people cannot enjoy this.

When the chicken has been barbecued improperly, it looks still pinkish in the center and burnt on the outside. Not only it will affect the taste but it also becomes unhealthy.

Here is a guide to BBQ chicken in a good way it can be enjoyed.

Things Needed:

- Chicken pieces

- Gas grill or charcoal grill

- Brush for the sauce

- Meat thermometer

- Marinate

- Rub or seasonings

- Side dishes

- Oven

- Sauce

BBQ Chicken

Procedure:

Step 1:

First, select the type of chicken which has to be barbecued. Legs and thighs are preferred by some while others like skinless and boneless chicken breasts. If barbecuing more than one chicken part is desired, then the cooking times would have to be adjusted. White meat like breasts and wings cook faster than dark meat like legs and thighs.

Step 2:

Now, pick the grill which is desired to be used. This will rely on how one wants to cook the barbecue. This will also depend on the neighborhood one is living in plus the lifestyle. If a person is a beginner at grilling, then the gas type is recommended. However, this might not be easy to use during the holidays.

Step 3:

The chicken has to be marinated. This process will allow the flavor to sink in to the chicken making it taste great after it is grilled. A marinate flavor can be selected as preferred. There are variations available from lemon pepper to teriyaki. If the chicken is marinated in the fridge, it has to be made sure that it is not left in there for more than 48 hours. At room temperature, it has to be leaving it for an hour.

Step 4:

When the chicken has been marinated, it can be now rubbed with the seasonings. This will depend on the type of flavor which is needed to be given to the BBQ chicken.

Step 5:

The chicken has to be pre-cooked by pre-baking. The ideal temperature for baking it is 360 degrees in the oven until partially cooked. This will seal in flavors and will ensure that the chicken has been cooked before it goes to the grill. Others do boiling. However, boiling takes away the flavor and makes it taste weak.

Step 6:

Now the grill has to be made ready while the chicken is baking. If a charcoal grill is being used, ignite the coals and they should be left to burn until a white coating of ash appears on the coals. In case of gas grill, it has to be preheated to a medium heat temperature of 360 degrees. The grate also has to be sprayed.

Step 7:

Put the seasoned chicken on the rack and cover it with the grill lid. It should be given at least half an hour to cook. With time, it has to be checked and turned after every five minutes for ensuring that it is evenly cooked. The pieces can also be rotated to balance the cool and hot spots on the grill.

Step 8:

The BBQ has to be glazed again with the seasoning nearly 10 minutes before taking chicken off the grill.

Step 9:

After grilling, the chicken pieces can be checked with a meat thermometer. The bone should be never touched when the thermometer is inserted. The internal temperature of the meat must be 175 degrees.

Step 10:

Finally, the BBQ chicken is ready. It can be served with delicious side dishes like coleslaw, pasta salad, potato salads, baked beans and biscuits.

Preparing BBQ chicken is not a boring work, it is fun and these easy steps will help to make a perfectly barbecued chicken that everyone will love!

You might also be interested in learning how to can fruits and vegetables and how to BBQ chicken.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tauqeer_Ul_Hassan
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-BBQ-Chicken&id=4014080

London Broil – Three Keys to a Most Economical and Flavorful Meal

By Bill Purkins

London Broil

London Broil is probably one of the best kept secrets of the budget minded cook and grocery shopper. Consider that ground beef currently runs about $2.99 a pound on sale (prices last checked May, 2010), while London Broil can be had on sale and with a store shopper card for just $1.69 a pound! That’s just 42.2 cents a serving, which makes it a star baby in our show, truly one of the cheapest cuts of meat you can find.

Yes, you’ll probably have to wait for it to go on sale to get a deal like this, and you’ll also likely have to buy a several pounds, but a price like that, it’s well worth it, and the obvious thing to do is to cut it up into meal sized pieces and freeze them. One key to a successful London Broil experience is to tenderize it. This cut can be tough by nature and if you spend a few good minutes pounding it with a mallet it helps break up some of the muscle. Avoid scoring the meat or stabbing with a fork though. This will result in too much of the good juices being lost to the cooking pan.

Another key to making this cheap cut of beef shine is to marinate it. And there are a million London Broil marinades out there on the web, so here at Dollar a Day Gourmet we’re not going to try to shove one down your throat. Ideally, if you come to enjoy London Broil and make it a frequent feature at your dinner table, you will try different marinades until you find one or two you like best, and after a couple of successes we advise you to be adventurous and modify one until it becomes your very own.

Many recipes call for you to marinate 4 to 6 hours or so, but strongly advise you to marinate your London Broil overnight. In either case, in the refrigerator. But please heed the overnight advice. The extra time is well worth it for a more flavorful dish. Use a gallon sized ziploc bag. It’s simple, economical, super easy, and there’s no mess to clean up. Just toss the bag afterwards and there’s no pan to wash.

Finally, before serving be sure to cut into thin slices, across the grain. This will contribute to more tenderness. So, three secrets for a good London Broil:

1) Tenderize

2) Marinate overnight

3) Cut across the grain

Otherwise? Follow your recipe and enjoy this economical and flavorful dish.

Was this article helpful, or do you have a helpful suggestion or recipe?

Visit http://www.dollaradaygourmet.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Purkins
http://EzineArticles.com/?London-Broil—Three-Keys-to-a-Most-Economical-and-Flavorful-Meal&id=4227144

Smoking wood for barbeque is a must if you are cooking low and slow.  The only question is “what kind of BBQ wood do you use?”

The answer is a matter of taste and what’s available.   In the South East the mainstay is Hickory.  In Texas it’s all about Mesquite.     Some swear by Oak or the sweet smell of Apple wood.   To make it even more complicated others will mix a combination of woods or use aged oak whiskey barrels!

Here’s a quick guide on where to start when you’re picking wood.

	Cooking Wood Chart
Acacia	Mesquite Family – Strong	Most meats, beef, vegetables
Alder	Delicate with a hint of sweeness	Fish, pork, poultry, light meat game birds, great with Salmon
Almond	Nutty & sweet smoke flavor, light Ash	Good with all meats
Apple	Slightly sweet, but dense, fruity smoke flavor	Beef, poultry, game birds, pork and ham
Apricot	Milder flavor and sweeter than Hickory	Good on most meats
Ash	Fast burning, light but distinctive flavor	Good with fish and red meats
Birch	Medium hard wood with a flavor like Maple	Good with pork and poultry
Cherry	Slightly sweet, fruity smoke flavor	Good with all meats
Cottonwood	Very subtle in flavor	Good on most meats
Grape Vines	Aromatic, similar to fruit woods	Good with all meats
Grapefruit	Medium smoke flavor with a hint of fruitiness	Excellent with beef, pork and poultry
Hickory	Pungent, smoky, bacon-like flavor, the most common wood used	Good for all smoking, especially pork and ribs – Most popular in the South
Lemon	Medium smoke flavor with a hint of fruitiness	Excellent with beef, pork and poultry
Lilac	Very light, subtle with a hint of floral	Good with seafood and lamb
Maple	Mild smoky, somewhat sweet flavor	Good with pork, poultry, cheese, vegetables and small game birds
Mequite	Strong, earthy flavor	Most meats, especially beef, most vegetables – Most popular in Texas
Mulberry	Sweet smell and reminds one of apple	Beef, poultry, game birds, pork and ham
Nectarine	The flavor is milder and sweeter than Hickory	Good on most meats
Oak	The second most popular wood, heavy smoke flavor, red oak is considered the best by many Pitmasters	Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game
Orange	Medium smoke flavor with a hint of fruitiness	Excellent with beef, pork and poultry
Peach	Slightly sweet, woodsy flavor	Good on most meats
Pear	Slightly sweet, woodsy flavor	Poultry, game birds and pork
Pecan	More like Oak than Hickory, but not as strong	Good on most meats
Plum	Milder and sweeter than Hickory	Good on most meats
Walnut	Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter wood, like Pecan or Apple. Can be bitter if used alone or not aged	Good with red meats and game
NOTES:	New Variation: Whiskey Barrell – Aged Oak from Jack Daniels barrells