Gadgets

November 23, 2014 Gadgets

Rotisserie Chicken and Rotisserie Turkey

CLICK FOR VIDEO There’s something about a rotisserie chicken.

They’re everywhere these days in supermarkets – slow roasting by the dozen on display in industrial cookers the size of your guest bedroom. But the truth is if you have a rotisserie kit (it may have come with that fancy new grill and is now in a box in the attic somewhere) it’s actually pretty easy.

Every attempt we made with our gas powered Sam’s Club spit and electric motor set up ended with incredibly succulent and golden brown bird.

There’s only about four ingredients.

Here’s an updated video overview using turkey: http://youtu.be/xqB5mLKevxI First start with a clean bird – Chicken and small Turkey seem to work equally as well. Rub lightly (watch for too much salt) with BBQ Tricks house seasoning UNDER the skin and over the entire outer surface of the skin. Rub seasoning generously inside the cavity of the bird (remove any “spare parts.” Let the bird rest (upright if possible) uncovered in the refrigerator for about four hours to allow the seasoning to take and also to dry the skin a bit (this helps to crisp the skin later). My hunch is you could bypass all the above and still have an incredible meal but the little things do make a difference. Remove the bird and let it come to room temperature about an hour before you plan to cook. two or three hours before you plan to serve. Before you put the chicken or turkey on the spit mark the location of the grill’s burner with two marks (with a Sharpie Permanent Marker) so you’ll always know exactly where to slide the meat in the future. The most important thing to accomplish is to balance and secure the bird firmly on the rotisserie prongs so that the entire mechanism rotates smoothly on the spit. Use trussing to help if needed. Test it by rolling the spit ends on a flat surface or even on your hands. After you have it on a hot grill it’s very difficult to adjust. Also use pliers to secure thumb screws. You don’t want an end to slide.

Finally make sure the spit is secure in the motor mechanism. Confirm there is no way for it to slide out (does it sound like it happened to me?)! After you start the spin and cook come back and sight check everything after five minutes. Let it Cook til golden brown checking infrequently for one to two hours. Our 4.72 lbs chicken took just over two hours.

When golden check the temperature with a good thermometer and remove to a cutting board to rest. BBQ Tricks House Seasoning 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt 1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper (grinding is a little bit more work but worth it) 1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder add Paprika for color

September 21, 2014 Cook

Bic FlameDisk Disposable Fire Source Review

Ever need a fast source of heat or fire in a portable and disposable form? The Bic Flame Disk may be for you. This giant sterno in a pie pan is perfect for fast fire for tailgating or camping as a charcoal alternative.

I know we have a lot of charcoal purists out there. But BBQ Tricks has always been about making things a bit easier. Sometimes that MAY mean taking a short cut to really be able to enjoy the moment. Remember grilling – especially during tailgate season – can be hot and fast as well as low and slow.

The Bic FlameDisk is pretty affordable too – get it here (this is not a paid endorsement but via amazon you will support this site) BIC Charcoal Alternative FlameDisk, 10-Pack.

The fuel inside the sealed tin (like a jiffy pop full of vaseline) is a solid white sterno-like substance. It’s a corn alcohol based fuel (i’m sure sterno is a brand name but it smells the same). The flame/fuel did not add any discernible taste to the food we cooked. Unlike “match light” charcoal.

Sure you could actually save a few bucks with a few sterno tins but the form factor here was really nice. High heat and a super wide flame base due to the evenly spaced holes across the tin’s surface.

http://youtu.be/tfw0zBXLVFE

September 2, 2014 Cook

How To Roast Chicken Breast In Your La Caja China Roasting Box

By Diane Louise Villanueva

We don’t eat chicken solely because it is delicious but also it provides a lot of health benefits. First of all, it is rich in protein which makes it excellent in aiding weight loss. Chicken meat is also a natural anti-depressant; bone loss preventer and metabolism booster when taken in the right amounts. Most of all, chicken is among our children’s favorite food items! There’s just no telling why but kids are just so into them. And do you know what the most nutritious part of a chicken is? The breast! That’s because it’s the least fatty. So for today, I’d like to share with you a quick guide on how to roast chicken breast in your La Caja China. Gather up your ingredients and enjoy cooking!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, weighing about 6 ounces each, deboned and skinless

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons garlic or onion powder

2 teaspoons mustard

3 tablespoons dried herbs (oregano, rosemary, thyme or bay leaf)

2 tablespoons vinegar

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper, fresh

Cooking Instructions:

1. Get a large Ziploc bag or anything similar. Pour your vinegar into the bag, followed by your choice of herbs, garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper, your choice of mustard and your extra-virgin olive oil. You can use Dijon or whole-grain mustard, whichever you like. Once the ingredients are in the bag, shake it well to create an evenly distributed mixture.

2. Open your re-sealable bag and put your chicken breasts inside. Seal it again and shake it rigorously to coat your chicken meat perfectly. Place the bag inside the refrigerator to marinate the chicken. Leave it soaked in the marinade overnight (or longer) for best results.

3. When it’s time to cook your chicken breasts, take it out of the fridge and let it thaw under cold water. You can leave your tap running to make thawing even faster. If you’re not into using water for this task, you can thaw it in the microwave as long as your bag is microwave-friendly.

4. While waiting for your meat, go ahead and prepare your La Caja China. Put on the grid and the ash pan on the box. Place your natural charcoals and light them up when your chicken breasts are nearly ready for grilling.

5. After about 20 minutes of setting the coals on fire, they should be all ready. Spread the coals evenly on the grid while making sure that you leave a space at one end. That should be your cool section in case one or two of your chicken breasts nearly burns.

6. Start putting your chicken breasts on the grill one by one and remember not to put the lid on your La Caja China. You should also grill one side of the chicken for only 5 minutes. Afterwards, flip the chicken over on the other side and let it cook again for another 5. Repeat this process until they reach your desired result.

7. Take the chicken breasts out of the grill and let them cool down on a plate. Serve with rice or your choice of side such as corn and carrots; good old steamed broccoli or your favorite salad. Enjoy!

I hope that this article has taught you how to roast chicken breast in your roasting box. If you still don’t have one, visit La Caja China ‘s website!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Louise_Villanueva
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Roast-Chicken-Breast-In-Your-La-Caja-China-Roasting-Box&id=8682114

August 24, 2014 Gadgets

PolyScience The Smoking Gun Product Review

BBQ purists don’t get mad… we won’t argue that traditional low and slow smoking is the BEST way to go when looking for succulent – championship – style ribs, brisket, and chicken. But hey this is http://bbq.backstage.gq and we love a cool kitchen or grilling gadget. So we couldn’t resist giving PolyScience The Smoking Gun Handheld Food Smoker a quick trial run.

I actually received the gun as a Christmas gift and have been dreaming up all sorts of ways to use it. The compact battery operated (four AA) squirt gun sized piston works as promised. Spitting out a heavy stream of your favorite airborne hardwood. The gadget uses surprisingly little wood dust and the BBQ Smoking wood flavors are fairly plentiful.

I think it would be pretty easy to set off smoke alarms with the gun so use caution in the kitchen (check out the cloud I made in the video).

I still want to try a blast or two of smoke in the slow cooker but have played with a few other dishes including chicken in the oil-less fryer (smoke dissipates instantaneously: FAIL). In the video here I attempt to make a smoke infused coffee (I wanted to call it a SMOchacchino) but the smoke did not seem to penetrate the liquid dispite the nifty hose forcing the smoke bubble into the top of the brew. I’ll try smoking the steamed milk next time with hopes the fat or milk will give the smoke something to bond to. Stay tuned.

Cheese worked brilliantly.

Do you have suggestions of a food that would be better with smoke? Feel free to share it in the comments.
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September 11, 2013 Butcher's Guide

Knives: Types, Safety, and Care

By Jodi L Level

We all know it’s hard to buy knives; there are so many different lengths, materials, handles, and sets. What do I choose! Well here is a list of the different types of knives and their uses to choose from.

Paring Knife – It’s used for many small multipurpose jobs such as topping and tailing vegetables, removing skins from onions and preparing small fruits.

Turning Knife – This one has a very small curved blade used to turn vegetables for presentation.

Filleting Knife – It has a medium length blade that is thin and flexible so it can bend while cutting along the bone of fish.

Boning Knife – This one has a short to medium blade, that’s strong and has ridges, and is used to cut away the meat from the bone.

General Chef’s Knife – It has many different uses such as slicing, dicing, shredding, and chopping. It is used on fruits, vegetables, meat, and poultry.

Palette Knife – Blunt but flexible it’s used to flip things over while they’re cooking, pick things up from the pan and transfer them to the plate, and spreading butter or cream on things.

Carving Knife – It’s long and a thin blade should be sharp, and is used to cut meat.

Serrated Knife – Designed to cut certain things such as bread or vegetables with firm skins; it assists in the sawing motion that is used to cut these items.

Safety first!

Now that you know about all the different types of knives, you need to know how to be safe with them, right?! Here are some basic safety tips for using your knives:

Always place a knife on the bench to give to another person, rather that pass it by hand to the person.
Never hold knives in the air or hold them with fingers overlapping the cutting zone.
Don’t use the knife as a screwdriver or can opener.
Don’t wave a knife around, point with it or turn around with it in your hand. Place on the bench and then turn to talk to others.
Never transport food on the blade of a knife.
Never leave knives in sinks or under items. Blades are hazards when not in a visual range.
Always keep the knives separate and individually contained, wrapped or held with the point of the knives secured, this includes in your toolbox or even in the picnic basket. Never hide knives under anything.

Keeping your knives the sharpest

Last but not least, making sure you have sharp knives is very important. If they are dull, you have to apply more pressure to slice through things, which creates a higher risk of the knife slipping, and cutting you.

Storage – Don’t put your knives in a loose draw with other knives or utensils, because they rub against everything else, damaging the blade.

The best way to store them is to put them in a knife roll, or a wood block, which has individual compartments for each knife, making sure they don’t touch each other. But if you’re using a wood block, make sure the knives don’t rub against the wood sides when you’re taking them out, or putting them in. Another way to store them is on the wall, with a magnetic strip.

Cutting Boards – Never cut things on extremely hard surfaces such as glass, ceramic plates, and granite counters, as they can dull your knives. Instead, use bamboo and wood boards, because these are much softer materials.

Dishwasher – Don’t wash your knives in the dishwasher, because it can also dull the blade. Instead wash them by hand in the sink, and place in a plastic drying rack, not touching one another. If you do wash them in the dishwasher, make sure the knife is in a plastic silverware divider.

NEVER use your knives for opening cans, unscrewing rivets, or opening packages, as all these will damage the blade.

http://www.cookwareneeds.com is the place to go to find the knives you need and any cookware you might want. Make sure to check out the website each month for a new special offer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jodi_L_Level
http://EzineArticles.com/?Knives:-Types,-Safety,-and-Care&id=7891510

July 16, 2013 Featured

Choosing The Best Grill Brush For Porcelain Enamel Coated Grill Grates

Flickr/StevenDepolo

By Stanley N Lew

One typical issue when purchasing a barbecue grill brush is whether or not it will damage your cooking grid. The last thing you want is to scratch the grates of your expensive Weber BBQ. Thankfully, with just a bit of study it is really simple to ensure you purchase the best grill brush for your BBQ.

How delicate your grate is, and how susceptible it may be to damage and scratching, is based upon the material the grate is made from. The most tough material that is frequently used is stainless steel. These grates are really strong and resistant to rust and corrosion. Porcelain coated grill grates, on the other hand, are much more delicate. The porcelain coat is relatively brittle and can chip and crack. No only does this minimize the non stick capability of the grate, it also exposes the metal underneath the enamel to moisture. Cast iron grill grates are really tough, however must be kept oiled to stop rusting.

Many grill brushes are completely safe for use with most grills, however there is one noteworthy exception. NEVER EVER use a scraper on porcelain coated grill grates! That will definitely lead to you chipping the porcelain enamel. Apart from that, most brushes are fine with most grates.

The 2 most typical materials used to make the bristles for BBQ brushes are brass and stainless steel. Brass is softer, so less likely to scratch the grates, however this softness also means the bristles become flattened much more quickly. As a result, brass grill brushes need to be replaced regularly. Stainless steel grill brushes are much more long lasting, as a result of their stiffer bristles. Nevertheless, this extra stiffness means that they can sometimes scratch the grate. This is why people often recommend brass brushes for porcelain enamel coated grill grates.

So which sort of brush should you purchase to clean your porcelain enamel coated grill grate?

My recommendation is to go for a stainless steel grill brush with bristles thin enough that they don’t cause damage. The usual belief that you can only use brass bristled brushes for porcelain enamel coated grates is not in fact true. Many stainless steel grill brushes are completely safe to use. Because they will certainly last longer compared to brass brushes, my recommendation is to go with one of these. That way, you get a brush that will not only safely clean your barbecue, but will also last a very long time. To get even more life out your BBQ brush, only use it when the grate is hot. This will make it easy to clean, enabling you to use much less pressure, which ultimately means that your bristles will remain in great condition longer.

Stan Lew is a food enthusiast, with a special love of the barbecue. Visit the following site to read grill brush reviews. Alternatively you can read some grill brush reviews on Amazon here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stanley_N_Lew
http://EzineArticles.com/?Choosing-The-Best-Grill-Brush-For-Porcelain-Enamel-Coated-Grill-Grates&id=7813334

July 6, 2013 Featured

Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal Smoker Grill – Review

One Good Reason Why You Should Consider Buying a Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal Smoker Grill

By Les Fenton

If you’re a BBQ enthusiast you’ve probably used wood chips in the past to flavor the fish or meat on your BBQ grill and used marinades together with wood chips to produce many different and amazing tastes using fairly basic types of meat or fish.

If you’ve done this you’ve probably developed a taste for BBQ smoked food so why not extend your BBQ smoking skills by buying a dedicated smoker grill to compliment your conventional BBQ grill?

But although you might agree that you’ve got the space for an additional grill you may not be happy about the additional expense of buying it. (Maybe you’re already planning and budgeting to replace your current BBQ grill). But don’t worry. It’s possible to add a very inexpensive smoker grill to your garden cooking equipment without financial pain. The Brinkmann Gourmet Smoker Grill is currently available on sale on the web at a cost between $50 and $100 (depending on the model you choose).

You might think that a grill at that sort of isn’t going to be very good. You couldn’t be more wrong. The Brinkmann Smoker Grill is not only widely considered to be good value for money (by lots of different Amazon customers), but it will also enable you to produce a wide variety of different barbecue smoke grills that will wow you with their authentic smokehouse flavor.

In this article I’ll introduce you to the Brinkmann Gourmet Smoker and provide examples of how easy it is to use. At the end of my article I’ll also provide you with some tips on where to buy one at a good price.

How Does a Smoker Work?

The main idea behind a smoker grill is that the food is cooked by water (steam) and smoke not directly by heat from the charcoal (or gas burner). The fantastic flavor of the food produced on a smoker is obtained by using different types of wood chips or chunks mixed in with or replacing the charcoal.

Because of how a smoker grill works cooking is carried out at a temperature around the boiling point of water (212 degrees F), which is a much lower temperature than on a conventional BBQ grill. This constant temperature makes cooking times fairly predictable, but it’s important to remember that on very hot or cold days the surrounding temperature of the air can lower or raise the cooking temperature of a smoker that’s out in the open. These variations in temperature need to be watched because they can have a significant effect on the cooking times.

The Brinkmann Charcoal Smoker

As I mentioned above, the Brinkman Gourmet Charcoal Smoker has a tremendous reputation. It’s made of stainless steel, but it’s quite small (17″x17″x35″) and lightweight (around 30 lb.). It, but it can cook up to 50 lb. of food on two cooking grills mounted one on the top of the other inside the main smoker box.

The Brinkmann Gourmet Smoker is made of three parts

Base Pan for charcoal
Smoker Box which contains the water bowl and cooking grills/grates
Smoker box lid

The charcoal base pan can contain enough charcoal for 4 to 5 hours of cooking, but if more is needed it can be replenished through the side door of the smoker box.

The smoker box sits directly on top of the charcoal pan. The water bowl is situated towards the bottom of this box and can contain enough water for 4 to 5 hours of cooking. The two grills are situated in the box above this bowl. The smoker box has a side door through which additional charcoal and water can be added during cooking, and two insulated handles so that it can be removed safely when hot.

The lid has a temperature indicator and an insulated handle, but the lid shouldn’t normally be removed during cooking.

Using the Brinkmann Smoker

As mentioned, the Brinkmann Smoker is very easy to use. Here are the main steps involved in cooking a typical meal:

Remove the lid and the smoker box
Add charcoal to the base pan
Insert the water bowl into the smoker box and fill it with water
Insert the bottom and top cooking grills into the smoker box stacked with the food you want to cook.
Light the charcoal in the pan, and when it’s burning strongly (white ash over surface) fix the smoker box on top.

During cooking keep the charcoal and water replenished until cooking is complete. You don’t need to keep a permanent eye on the smoker grill, just pop back to see it from time to time.

A Typical Recipe for the Brinkmann

Here’s a simple smoked pork tenderloin recipe that works well on the Brinkmann Smoker. It’ll produce the most delicious pork which is great for cold sandwiches:

– Use 1.5 to 2 pounds of pork tenderloin (sufficient for 2 – 4 people)

– Prepare a marinade using ingredients such as:

Apricot nectar – one cup
Apple cider or apricot brandy – half cup
Soy sauce (two tablespoons), Vinegar (two teaspoons), Hoisin Sauce (one teaspoon)
Minced garlic (one clove)
Brown sugar (one tablespoon)
Allspice (1/2 teaspoon), ground ginger (1/4 teaspoon)
Whole cloves (one tablespoon)

– Combine these ingredients in a saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved, then cool the mixture and use it as your marinade

– Pierce the meat with a fork in several places. Place it in the marinade in a suitable dish or a heavy-duty plastic bag. Refrigerate overnight.

– Remove the meat from the marinade and place it on the smoker box cooking grid and pour the remaining marinade into the smoker box water bowl.

For cooking use 5 lbs. of charcoal, 3 quarts hot water, 2 wood sticks (cherry, hickory etc.) and smoke for 2 and a half – 3 and a half hours.

Smoker Grill Cooking Times

As you would expect, one important consequence of the lower cooking temperature on a smoker grill is that cooking can take a long time (frequently many hours, as in the recipe above), especially if you’re cooking large joints of meat. For this reason BBQ smoking requires more patience and advance planning than is necessary with a conventional family BBQ grill.

Should You Buy One?

If you’re contemplating buying a smoker grill like the Brinkmann Charcoal Smoker Grill, I recommend reading Amazon’s customer reviews. You’ll find that most customers were impressed with the quality of results they obtained using the Brinkman grill. It’s regarded as a good entry-level smoker that’s very easy to use, and it will make a great companion for your existing BBQ grill.

So yes, if you’re a fan of BBQ smoking you should consider buying a smoker grill like the Brinkmann.

Read a comprehensive review of the Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal Smoker on our website at www.barbecues-for-sale.com.

When you visit you’ll also find lots of other reviews of BBQ smokers and other BBQ grills and you can sign up for our FREE “Barbecue Secrets & Tips” emails.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Les_Fenton
http://EzineArticles.com/?One-Good-Reason-Why-You-Should-Consider-Buying-a-Brinkmann-Gourmet-Charcoal-Smoker-Grill&id=7607395

May 27, 2013 Featured

Portable Gas Grills: How to Choose Between the Char-Broil Tabletop and the Weber Go Anywhere

How to Choose Between the Char-Broil Tabletop and the Weber Go Anywhere Portable Gas Grills

By Les Fenton

Portable Gas Grills -Two American Classics

If you are thinking about buying a portable gas grill for use on the beach or for a countryside picnic there are lots of different types and brands or portable gas grill to choose from. However, two of the most popular of these grills have been around for many years. They are “classics” that have proved themselves in action at lots of outdoor party events where a barbecue grill is an essential piece of equipment.

These portable gas grills are:

– Weber Go Anywhere Gas Grill

– Char-broil Gas Tabletop Grill

On the face of it these two grills don’t look so very different, and so which one do you choose? Is one of them significantly different from the other?

Although no comparison that doesn’t set out to run these two grills head to head is going to be perfect, this article will hopefully help you choose the most suitable grill for your barbecue parties.

Factors to Consider

Whenever you set out to select a new barbecue grill there are at least three important factors to consider:

– Overall Construction – How well it’s made and the materials used

– Operation – How well it works in action

– Maintenance – How easy it is to clean and maintain

– Price & Popularity

I’ll now compare the Weber Go Anywhere Gas Grill and the Char-Broil Tabletop Gas Grill under each of these headings.

Overall Construction

Both grills are made from coated stainless steel to prevent the formation of rust. The Weber Go Anywhere grill weighs 15 lb. against the 10 lb. of the Broil-King grill, which suggests that Weber may have used slightly superior materials in manufacture.

However, the Weber grill is taller (14 ins.) than the Broil-King (10 ins.). This height difference is obviously going to contribute to a difference in weight. Both grills have folding legs which lock over the lid for travelling.

The fact that the Weber grill is a lot taller may also explain why some Char-Broil customers found the Tabletop Grill a little difficult to work with in extremely windy conditions, whereas this doesn’t seem to be a problem for customers of the Weber Go Anywhere grill. But I am only guessing here.

Both grills have handles on each side so that they can be carried easily, but the larger insulated handles of the Weber will undoubtedly make it easier to move the grill around when it’s hot (into a more sheltered spot perhaps!).

Both grills use 16 oz. disposable propane cylinders, but both Weber and Char-Broil provide Adapter hoses so that the grills can be connected to 20 lb. propane cylinders if required. Both grills also have push-button gas ignition and gas regulators.

Operation

The cooking grates on each grill are different in size. The Char-Broil grate is larger (187 sq. ins.) than the Weber one (160 sq. in.). Although this difference in size isn’t large it may be important if you have more than four people in your barbecue party.

Both grills also have flavorizer systems. A good flavorizer system will minimize flare-ups and improve the flavor of the meat, fish or veg being cooked. It does this by vaporizing the food juices that would otherwise drop down to the bottom of the firebox. The vapors produced permeate the food being cooked and improve its flavor.

There isn’t much difference in the BTU ratings of the two grills. The Weber grill operates at around 10,000 BTU’s and the Char-Broil grill around 12,000 BTU’s. In theory this means that it should be quicker to grill food on the Char-Broil than on the Weber.

Reviews by Amazon customers using both of these grills expressed overall satisfaction with how both grills worked, but a few grumbled about the length of time it took to cook food (on both grills!) This is really what you would expect from a grill that has only 10,000 BTU’s compared to the 20,000 to 30,000 BTU’s of a smallish home gas BBQ grill.

Maintenance

Both grills are cleaned in the same way, by scraping ash and food waste from under the burners after the BBQ is finished. Neither grill has a “catch tray” underneath the burners. Many customers use aluminum foil in the bottom of their grills to make cleaning easier.

Because both Weber and Char-Broil are established names it’s possible to buy spare parts and accessories for both of these portable grills. Many other inexpensive grills on sale are foreign imports and spare parts services are not available.

Price and Popularity

The Weber grill is almost twice as expensive as the Char-Broil Grill, so perhaps it’s a little surprising to discover that on the Amazon “Best Sellers” List the Weber currently stands at No. 9 and the Char-Broil at No. 56 (but bear in mind that these ratings are dynamic and can change dramatically during the course of a year).

The levels of customer satisfaction for these grills are similar, but in line with the numbers of each grill sold, the Weber currently has 320 customer reviews and the Char-Broil 32.

Summary

As we have seen the Weber Go Anywhere Gas Grill is the more popular of the two grills, but it’s almost twice as expensive. In terms of specification there’s not a lot to choose between them, but you might perhaps assume that the Weber Grill will last longer. This is quite a reasonable assumption, but if you read the Amazon customer reviews you’ll find Char-Broil customers that are still using their grills after 5 years.(Many people throw cheap grills away after 3 years because they have rusted and fall apart).

The Char-Broil Tabletop Gas Grill is slightly more compact and perhaps packs a bit more of a punch (i.e. higher heat rating), but overall there’s not much to choose between them. With barbecue grills as with many other products, brand preference may guide your choice rather than other factors.

Read full reviews (with videos) on the Weber Go Anywhere Gas Grill and the Broil-King Tabletop Gas Grill. And for lots more comprehensive reviews on the web’s best-selling gas, charcoal and electric BBQ grills and to sign up to receive regular email “Barbecue Secrets and Tips” go to Barbecues for Sale.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Les_Fenton
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Choose-Between-the-Char-Broil-Tabletop-and-the-Weber-Go-Anywhere-Portable-Gas-Grills&id=7570433

April 28, 2013 Featured

Molcajetes – Trick to Clean and Season

Photo:Flick/arantxamex

Fans of authentic salsa and guacamole are probably familiar with the historic cooking and grinding tools called Molcajetes. A Molcajete is a stone bowl used for mashing seeds, spices and herbs. A must have if you love preparing authentic tex-mex cuisine. But beware; these new bowls must be seasoned before use.

This special mortar and pestle – traditionally carved from basalt volcanic rock – is a common tool in most Mexican restaurants. In fact, many dishes like, pico de gallo, and guacamole are served right inside this rustic bowl so you’ll want it to be free of stone particles.

True molcajetes can be found from many online merchants for twenty to forty dollars plus shipping but they are likely to be delivered to you unseasoned. That means you may even see grains of rock still loose in the bowl. The rough and unfinished look of the molcajete is beautiful. However the grit and sand it could leave in your first batch of salsa or guacamole is definitely something to avoid.

Here’s how you can season your new toy. When you first receive your molcajetes clean and season the mortar and pestle thoroughly with a wire brush and then give it a good scrub with a clean damp cloth. Paper towels are not strong enough for this task.

Next start hand grinding small batches of rice in the molcajete. This will start to dislodge the loose stone and make it a bit more clean. Repeat this process with several batches of dry uncooked rice until you no longer see any grains of black sand in the rice flour. You’ll want to really use some elbow grease and grind the grain into as fine a power as you can. Again repeat. Any remaining rice sediment in the bowl is not a concern.

Then take a slice of sticky soft white bread and grind it into the bowl to dislodge and draw out more sediment. You may want to repeat this step as well before you are sure there is no more sediment to be found. It takes some people ten to twelve rice grindings before they are really comfortable grinding food to serve.

If shopping for a molcajete beware there are some imitation bowls made of concrete or pressed rock being sold as “authentic.” Look for a disclosure that they use real volcanic rock. The molcajete is a beautiful tool for your kitchen and should last a lifetime in your kitchen. It was originally invented and used by pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultures like the Aztec and Maya thousands of years ago.

Once you’ve seasoned molcajetes you can experiment and find modern and delicious recipes to prepare and serve in.

Find a few online now at the site Fundido Tex Mex.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Triebold
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Clean-and-Season-Your-New-Molcajete&id=7376479

February 1, 2013 Featured

Traveling Spice Rack

Mobile Spice Rack

Recently my family traveled to Florida and stayed in a condo with a full kitchen but, of course, there was no pantry items available for a rental. Have you ever had to buy twenty dollars worth of salt, pepper, and other spices you probably already have at home?

Here’s a simple solution… If you do a lot of traveling you’ll save some money by having a portable handy spice rack ready to go. This trick comes compliments of Chef Paul Stewart of Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe on Hilton Head SC and it’s a keeper. He says to use one of those inexpensive “day of the week” pill dispensers to act as your seven spice rack. It may not hold enough rub for a BBQ competition but it can probably store enough for a weekend at the beach.

Our suggestion: keep it in a zip-lock bag in the suitcase to keep your underwear from smelling like garlic. Unless you’re into that sort of thing.

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