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Grilled Fish on Your BBQ

Credit: John Harvey / Wikipedia

How to Cook Fish on the Grill By Brent Nelson

Grilling is an ideal way to cook fish, producing quick, easy and delicious results. In most cases, you can watch it happening before your eyes, and pop it onto a (warmed) plate the instant it is cooked to perfection. As pretty much any fish of a suitable size can be grilled, these guidelines should help you whatever your choice.

As there are far too many species to consider for this short article, your main choices can be broken down into flat fish, round fish, and oily fish. Then you can chose to have the fish filleted or cooked on the bone. Large fish can, of course, be cut into suitable sized portions, again on or off the bone.

If there is a secret to successful fish cookery, it is to cook the fish for as little time as possible. Fish needs to be heated through just until the point the flesh has “set”; cook any further and you lose moistness and flavor. We are usually talking just minutes here.

Some fish need scaling, and some need to have the skin removed before cooking. If you are not sure, ask your fishmonger, and they will prepare it for you. Even if the skin is inedible it is often better to leave it on while cooking, after which is will easily peel off, or you can just eat the fish from it and leave it on the plate.

If you are cooking whole round fish, such as herring, bass, trout etc, cut a few diagonal slashes in the flesh, right down to the bone, just before cooking. This helps the heat penetrate so that the fish can cook evenly.

The final consideration before you begin cooking is simply how thick is your fish? A thin fillet of sole will obviously cook much more quickly than a thick tuna or cod steak, for example. The basic rule is the thicker the fish, the lower the heat, or the further away from the grill.

    • If it needs it, oil the fish, not the pan or grill. Season liberally with good salt and freshly ground black pepper, and by all means rub in some chopped herbs if you like them.

 

    • Pre-heat the grill before you start to cook – wait until it is at the full required operating temperature.

 

    • If cooking filleted fish, place the skin-side toward the heat first (unless, of course, you have had the fish skinned).

 

    • Indicators that the fish is ready are when the skin starts to slightly char and become golden, or the flesh becomes opaque rather than translucent at the thickest part, or that the flesh can be easily pulled from the bone.

 

  • Turn, if necessary to finish the other side – it will generally not take as long as the first side.

Fish, when grilled simply, is so delicious that it rarely needs elaborate or fancy sauces – often just a little melted butter or a squeeze of lemon is the perfect finish.

Brent Nelson writes The Guerilla Griller, one of Europe’s top 500 food blogs. On a mission to demystify food and cooking, with clear step-by-step recipes, and here for the newbie and experienced cook alike. Find The Guerilla Griller at: http://guerillagriller.blogspot.com/

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5 Grilling Tips To Make Your Cookouts Rock

Grill

BBQ or Grill

By Jason Westwood

It doesn’t matter if you are grilling over charcoal or gas… if you want to make your cookouts rock then you need to master some basic skills first. I have seen many people who love to grill but just don’t know how so I figured I would take some time to talk about some things that can help them go from an amateur to a grill master. Keep in mind that these are only 5 things that you can improve on but there are many more. After you start getting the hang of things you will learn more and more techniques that you can use, but for now let’s just start with some basics.

Avoid Lighter Fluid Like The Plague

If you have a charcoal grill and use lighter fluid to get it going then you are probably not going to agree with me here. The truth is though that lighter fluid gives your food a sort of chemical taste and if you did not use it you would notice an increase in flavor in everything that you cook. Instead try using a chimney starter to light your grill. These are really cheap and can save you a lot of money in lighter fluid over the course of a year so they are definitely worth the investment. I find that this gadget is an essential tool for any avid griller and the coals get hotter and cook food much better thus making you look and feel more like the grill master you are.

Keep Your Grill Surface Clean

This is very important because without a clean grill surface to cook on, food will stick to it and it will make it harder to flip things like burgers and chicken. You also won’t get the great looking grill marks on your meat that you would with a clean grill grate. This is an easy fix though and one that can make your food really stand out. To clean your grill properly you just have to heat up the grill surface and scrape it clean with a wire brush or grill stone. I personally like using the grill stone because I think that it cleans better, but it depends on the grill grates you are using. Just make sure that the surface is clean before you start cooking and you will look like a pro.

Don’t Squish The Burgers!

One thing you will see many people doing is squishing down their burgers as they grill them. This is a bad thing to do as you can imagine because it lets all the juices escape the meat and get burned up by the flames. Not only does this make a burger dryer then a piece of old shoe leather, but it also causes flare ups which can char your meat and make it look like a burnt piece of old shoe leather as well. Instead you should only flip your burger once during the cooking process and then leave it alone until it is ready to come off the grill. This works very well and will keep the juices locked in your burger which will make it taste much better.

Avoid Poking Holes In Your Steak

Like the above tip, poking holes in your steak is a bad move because it allows the juices to drip out instead on keeping them locked in. People usually do this with a fork or other utensil when they go to put it on the grill or flip it. You will be much better off using a set of tongs. Every griller should have tongs and a good spatula in their toolbox anyway because it helps out quite a bit and really separates the pros from the amateurs.

Keep An Eye On The Heat

Heat can be your best friend or your worst enemy. You can easily overcook a steak by leaving it over to high of heat for too long so you will really need to watch the heat. At the same time you will need to make sure that you have enough heat or your food will come out undercooked. There is a balance and you will have to do some experimenting to find it but once you do you will know because your food will come out just the way you want it.

This article turned out to be a little longer than I expected but I hope that you got a lot out of it. There is a lot more to grilling then I mentioned here though so if you are really serious about learning to grill you may want to check out www.avidgriller.com where you will find more tips and tricks to help you out. Lately I have been cooking some great things on my Weber Genesis e-310 and I will be sharing some recipes real soon so be on the lookout for that as well.

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Hummus and Grits Bruschetta

Hummus and Grits Bruchetta

 

 

 

What do you get when you cross a Middle Eastern dip with a Southern staple?    This is what the Barbecue Tricks kitchen came up with… a Hummus and Grits Bruschetta.

Recently, we were selected to participate in a Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Sabra.   Having only recently discovered that I LOVE hummus, and needing a new appetizer for cookouts, this was a challenge I sank my teeth into.

The following is a delicious way to serve Sabra Hummus at a cocktail party.

I make the grits squares in advance and pull out and top with the hummus and veggies to serve. EASY and delicious!

The little squares were a hit after a recent GrateTV taping with Jack and Mary Waiboer.

Hummus and Grits Bruschetta

3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
1 cup water
2 cups quick-cooking grits

cutting grits

Slicing Chilled Grits

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 container Sabra Supremely Spicy Hummus
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
2 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Yield:  Approx.70 pieces

 

 

Jack and Mary Waiboer, MJ Triebold enjoy

To prepare grits, bring broth and water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Stir in grits and return to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 5-7 minutes or until thickened – stirring occasionally.  Stir in Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and salt, and remove from heat. Spray a 13x9x2 dish and a 9×9 dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour grits into prepared pans. Spread evenly and shake to level out. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Invert grits onto a cutting surface and cut into 1-inch squares.  Place squares onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake 15 minutes on 400°.  Turn grits squares over and bake another 45 minutes.  Squares will be crispy and brown. After they cool, place in an airtight container to store in fridge or freezer until ready to serve.

To prepare Bruschetta appetizers, stir together tomato, cucumber, olive oil, salt and

pepper, and set aside. Allow grits squares to achieve room temperature. Spread each square with Sabra Supremely Spicy Hummus. Top with chopped mixture, sprinkle with cilantro and serve. Great party food – yum!  Try it and let me know what you think in the comments below.

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BBQ Sauce Canning Tip

canned barbecue sauce

Photo: Flickr/davef3138

The Canning How-To on Barbeque Sauce

By Todd Mohr

These canning how-to tips came out of necessity. You see, I’ve been making my own barbeque sauce since I was a kid, but it caused conflict in my household.

I loved using the sauce as a grilling marinade so I’d make gallons of my “New York Attitude” Barbeque Sauce and portion it into used plastic Wonton Soup containers. The shear number of containers would fill my Mom’s refrigerator.

I had to find a better way to preserve my sauce without taking up the whole fridge. “People have been preserving food for generations,” I thought to myself. “They didn’t have refrigerators or Chinese take-out containers, how did they do it?”

At the time, I probably had to go to the library and look through the encyclopedias. That seems laughable now, but even as a child, I knew there was a better way waiting for me. I found it with a 125 year old device, the two-part lid canning jar.

The inventors of these jars are really the creators of every canning how to instructions from that day forth. The idea is simple. Their jars consist of a flat lid with a rubber washer to seal the jar. A band fits over the lid, securing it to the jar but also allowing air to escape.

Under boiling water, air leaves the jar between the two parts of the lid. When it’s cooled, it creates a vacuum, sealing the jar in an anaerobic environment. This not only preserves the sauce, but keeps it safe from bacterial growth as well.

Hot water canning is meant for highly acidic products like tomato sauce, marinades, and perfect for my barbeque sauce. At sea level, water boils at 212F or 100C. This is certainly hot enough to let the two piece lid do its job, and the acid content of the sauce will keep it safe.

The Precise Canning How To Steps:

  1. Inspect all jars, lids, and bands for defects.
  2. Wash all jars, lids, bands, and any other equipment that will come in contact with the sauce.
  3. Place a round cake cooling rack in the bottom of a very large stock pot and fill with water.
  4. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil.
  5. Place the empty jars in the boiling water to sanitize them.
  6. In a small saucepan or bowl, remove some boiling water and place the flat lids in the hot water.
  7. Prepare your barbeque sauce and keep it very hot.
  8. Remove the jars from the water bath, one at a time, and fill with barbeque sauce
  9. Be sure to leave 1-2 inches of “head room” between the sauce and the lid.
  10. Wipe the rim clean of any spilled sauce
  11. Stir the jarred sauce with a wooden stick to drive out excess air
  12. Remove the flat lid from the warm water and place it on top of the jar.
  13. Secure the lid with a band and hand-tighten only.
  14. Place the filled jar, standing up, into the boiling water canner.
  15. Wait 15 minutes and remove the jar to cool.

(Add 5 minutes for every 3000 feet above sea level)

As the barbeque sauce cools, you’ll hear the vacuum created as the jar lids are sucked toward the interior of the jar. Soft “ping”, “ping”, a symphony of suction is created and the jars are now safe for storage. Any jar lid that still yields to pressure when pressed with a finger has not sealed correctly. It should be refrigerated and not stored at room temperature.

The canning how to instructions are different for low acid products, because there’s greater risk of bacterial growth. Items like vegetables or protein-based soups must be canned in a high-pressure canner because the boiling water bath does not get hot enough to assure the safety of the food.

As a child, I simply wanted to preserve refrigerator space. What I discovered is a process that’s been around for more than a century. Home canning saves money, preserves fresh ingredients, and is a fun and easy hobby when you know the canning how to steps.

See the entire Canning How To video here.

Chef Todd Mohr’s passion for cooking with fresh ingredients has improved the health and well being of thousands all over the world. His FREE video seminar, How To Cook Fresh, reveals the top 3 mistakes everyone makes when choosing fresh ingredients.

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Grill Choice: Natural Gas vs Propane

Propane Gas Barbeque GrillNatural Or Propane Gas Grill: Know Which Is The Better Choice

By Linda Henry

If you are looking for gas grills, the first thing you should bear in mind is the specific type or model that’s going to meet your needs. You need to determine whether you like a propane-powered grill or a natural gas grill. So what are the basic things that you should know about these two grilling appliances so that you can properly choose between the two of them? The most important thing to consider is the advantages and disadvantages of each of the two types.

For a natural gas grill, one of the utmost advantages that you can enjoy from choosing this is its affordable cost. Everyone wants to save money but be sure that you choose a model that’s made with durable material so you won’t end up with regrets later on. Aside from cheap prices, these types of grills are also cost-efficient because of the type of fuel that they use. In addition, natural gas has cleaner burn leftovers compared to propane-powered models.

A propane-powered grill on the other hand is more expensive. However, if you really love cooking outdoors, then this type is good for you. This is because this type of grill will allow you to have a gas supply that’s extended to your backyard area through the help of a licensed gas fitter.

BBQ grills come in many different makes and models. The most common materials used in making these cooking appliances include aluminium, stainless steel, porcelain-coated steel or cast iron, and plain cast iron. Among these different materials, stainless steel is considered is the top choice. It is simply because with stainless steel models are really easy to clean and maintain. They are easier to clean compared to their contemporaries. Stainless steel is hard and sturdy. In addition, it heats up faster and rarely develops rust.

An important aspect to consider in choosing a good model is the BTU. The BTU is the power centre of your grill. This is vital as it determines the heating capacity of the grill. The most widely used for home is a grill with a total of 600 square inches and a heating capacity of around 10,000 BTU. That one already sounds ideal for most home users.

Always take a closer look in at the material of your grill. Some grills have a superficial stainless steel appearance. Be sure to check the rest of the model’s body because it might be made out of only cast iron or aluminium. The ideal choice is one that’s purely made from stainless steel and comes with a built-in ignition system and a couple of burners.

Make the right choice in purchasing gas grills with high quality features by browsing the pages of the Georgetown Fireplace & Patio website.

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ABC’s of BBQ – Info Graphic



Thanks to RetailMeNot.com for this fun infographic.

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Control Your BBQ Zone

bbq grill knobControlling Temperature Zones in Your Outdoor Gas Grill
By Marsha Hinde

Today, the best outdoor gas grills have a cover or lid. You can leave the cover up while grilling or you can leave the cover down. When the cover is down, you turned your outdoor gas grill into an outdoor oven – you’re using indirect heat to cook your food in a 360 degree grid pattern. The only difference is that your indoor oven does a much better job of maintaining even heat than your outdoor grill. So how do you gain control over the temperature in your gas grill?

Creating delicious foods on your grill, even if it’s only hot dogs, requires precise temperature control because the compounds in the food react differently at different temperatures. “For example, meats are composed of protein, water, fat, collagen, and some sugars, and each component changes drastically at different temperatures. Fats render at one temp, water evaporates at another, collagens melt at another, sugar caramelizes at another, the Maillard reaction (a.k.a. browning of proteins) occurs at another, and carbonization (a.k.a. charring or burning) occurs at yet another temp.” ( Meathead Goldwyn)

With today’s modern gas grills with multiple burners, it is much easier to set up temperature zones for cooking your food perfectly. High end grills, such as the SUN 5 Burner Infrared Gas Grill, have gone a step further to help the grill master achieve perfect temperature control. They have incorporate Gourmet Heat Separators between the individual Flavor Zones, enabling you to shield the heat produced by one burner from the remainder of the grill. Thus, you can have the left hand side of your grill cranked up all the way, producing excellent direct (or radiant) heat while you have no burners lit on the right hand side, producing indirect (or convection) heat. (See the directions at the end of this article on setting up your grill depending on the number of burners it has.)

This set up provides an excellent way of running a sear grill on one side and a finish grill on the other. The most common mistake made in grilling food is to cook meat over direct heat until it is considered done. This produces a charred, tough piece of meat. All the juices have dried up from the direct heat. That’s what direct heat does. When using an internal grill thermometer (not the one built into your grill) the indirect heat side should produce a temperature between 200 and 225 degrees. This will slowly finish your meat without drying out the flavorful juices we all look forward to,

To avoid the catastrophe or ruined meat, sear both sides of your meat on the direct heat side of the grill and then move it to the finish side of the grill – where the indirect, convection heat will cook it to perfection, retaining those juices that run down your chin as you eat that perfect steak – one that you can now produce over and over again.

For the best chicken you ever ate, do the opposite. Cook the chicken over indirect heat until it’s almost done. Then transfer it to the direct heat and watch as the fat under the skin renders into the chicken and the skin crisps up to golden perfection. You’ll have your family begging for more!

All beef and pork roasts should be cooked over indirect heat to prevent loss of moisture and flavor. It you like the outside crisp, place the roast over direct heat for the last 10-15 minutes. You’ll have a roast that will have everyone begging for more.

And fish – fish should always be cooked only over the indirect heat since it has less fat than other meats. Cooking over indirect heat will retain its delicate taste and moisture. Just don’t forget to baste it once or twice during cooking.

The two zone method of grilling is an excellent way of grilling multiple foods at the same time. Start your steaks over the direct heat and your vegetables and fruit over the indirect heat. Most vegetables and fruit contain a high quantity of natural sugars and will burn or char when placed over direct heat. Indirect heat will grill them to perfection. Most fruits and vegetables will also benefit from a light basting or two during the grilling process.

As you get ready to move your meat to the indirect heat side, place your fruits and vegetables on the warming rack to finish cooking. And voila! When the meat is done, everything else is ready too! No more eating your barbeque meals in stages as the food is ready. You can now enjoy it all at once – just like a five star dining room.

Grill Set Ups for Direct and Indirect Heating (indirect heating on the right).

(2) Two Burner Grills: Left Grill on High; Right Grill Off

(3) Three Burner Grills: Left Grill High; Middle Grill Medium; Right Grill Off

(4) Four Burner Grills: From Left to Right – High, Medium, Off, Off

(5) Five Burner Grills: From Left to Right – High, Medium, Low, Off, Off

Practice the art of indirect heat next time you grill. It’s a technique well worth learning. Remember, practice makes perfect. Happy Grilling…

Marsha Hinde

President of Great Joys Enterprises, LLC in Tampa, FL http://www.TheBestOutdoorGrills.com http://www.PerfectOutdoorGrilling.com

Marsha Hinde is a business owner, teacher and designer. She has taught “How to Conquer Your Barbeque” and specializes in creative and unique outdoor entertainment. She designs Custom Outdoor Kitchens and sells the components needed to create the barbeque island of your dreams.

Marsha owns The Best Outdoor Grills.com which provides the finest gas grills available on the market today. With a Lifetime Warranty and a 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee we provide great value for our customers. Add to that free shipping and you know you are dealing with a No Risk vendor.

Be sure to visit her site to subscribe to her newsletter and recipes. Get new recipes and entertaining ideas weekly.

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The Best 10 Tips for Smoking Meat and Using BBQ Smokers

smoked meat

Smoke Is Good

By Luther Caddell

In the near future the seasons will change and spring & summer will be here once more. Accordingly, the chance for relaxing outdoors and igniting the grill is just around the corner. You, as a your family’s skilled grill expert, are expected to cook up some mouth-watering, delicious grub. Relax, we are on-the-spot to lend a helping hand. Thus, the most helpful ten pieces of advice for smoking food and grilling with BBQ smoker grills. this advice is certain to have your meals worshiped by all.

Plenty guess that smoking food can be an awfully arduous and daunting affair. Smoking food is something that everyone can pull off. But few have the perseverance for. firstly, you need the right equipment. You have your pick of a wood smoker, charcoal, electric or gas smoker A modest upright smoker may be priced at less than fifty dollars online. However you Will not be capable of using it for much food.

Finally for the ten tips:

1. When you originally shop for your portions, go over with the butcher how long to smoke and grill and also what kinds of wood they suggest. They ARE the meat professionals and can give you helpful guidance.

2. You have got to carefully pick the flavor of wood you will grill with. There are available a few great cooking chips. Apple, Alder, Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Oak and Pecan and even more. An individual Wood chip contains its peculiar unique taste, thus select intelligently as which wood would compliment the meat the greatest.

3. As you are setting up the barbecue smoker grill you will need to build your fire pile on one side and position the food on the other side as far as you can do from the embers. Try to remember smoking your food is all about cooking the meal at a very,very slow pace. Consequently causing the great flavor to go completely within the food.

4. When you are using coal, it sometimes takes forty five minutes to burn down before you can rest your food in the grill. Thirty minutes for a self lighting charcoal. You should always use brand-new coal.

5. Leave all the fat on the food as you are smoking and grilling meat. It will up the great flavor to the food and this fat melt off into the pit or grill.

6. Keep the heat low in your smoker. This will usually serve to keep the portions tasty.

7. There should not be any flames as you are smoking your meat. If it flares up, take off the food and increase the rack distance above the flames. Or, spray down the flames using water.

8. As you smoke make sure to get a sear on the meat. Don’t flip it over till the surface is a crisp dark brown or almost black.

9. Before serving briskets, roast turkeys or chickens, allow the meat to sit and rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve steaks and pork chops right after cooking.

10. Don’t leave your meat to remain in the smoker when it is done or it will dry out.

OK finally,, always remember to cook more than you intend to eating for one meal. Due to your great cooking, all are certain to return for more than two servings. And so, put your smoker grills, BBQ smokers and electric smokers to full use. Undoubtedly, everybody loves smoked and grilled meat.

in order to discover the smoker grill BBQ chefs are raving about check out these popular [http://bestbbqsmokergrills.com]BBQ smokers.

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