Barbecue Tricks

BBQ Tips and Tricks

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Featured

Cauliflower BBQ Pizza – Low CarbBQ

pizza2.Still003My family loves a good pizza… I’m from Chicago so it’s kinda in my DNA.   I always go for the DEEP dish heavy thick slices from Pizzaria UNO (one a pretty wide spread chain that has it’s origins in Chicago).

But, alas, the pizza caught up with me and in January of this year I signed up with MediWeightloss.   Thankfully MJ, my wife. was on board too and in the next few months I lost 55 pounds.

Part of the routine was a low carb Acute phase.    Needless to say pizza is a tough one.  However we found that on YouTube cauliflower pizza crust is all the rage and we loved it.  Watch us make the BBQ version HERE on YouTube.

No, it’s not exactly the crun-chewy crusty carbloaded bread we may be craving, but if you love cheesey toppings equally as much this faux crust should be a suitable base to curb your craving for a heavy slice.

cauliflowerHere’s what you’ll need to make the crust:

1 head cauliflower
1 egg
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup almond meal

Wash and dry the cauliflower before cutting off the florets. Discard the stems and leaves. Chop florets into small pieces and pulse in a food processor until it looks like snow (about 30 seconds).

crust2Pour cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl, cover and microwave on high 4 minutes. Let it cool slightly and pour cooked cauliflower onto a clean dish towel or cheese cloth. Wrap up tightly, and holding over the sink, squeeze repeatedly to remove as much water as possible. This is key! Dump squeezed cauliflower into a mixing bowl. Add egg, spices, cheeses and almond meal, mixing thoroughly.

Pour mixture onto a piece of parchment paper and spread out, shaping into a circle about ¼ inch thick. Press a paper towel over the top to remove excess water. Place parchment paper on a preheated grill stone on the grill, close lid, and grill approximately 10 minutes on medium heat until browned.

While it cooks, gather the toppings:

¼ cup BBQ sauce
½ cup pulled pork
½ red onion, sliced
¾ cup Mozzarella cheese, divided

low carb cauliflowerTo turn the crust, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a second baking sheet, slide the crust off the grill onto that second baking sheet. Place the parchment lined baking sheet upside down on top of the crust, carefully flip and remove the original piece of parchment paper from the top. Now using the new parchment paper, slide the flipped crust onto the grill stone. Close the lid and grill another 5-10 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Add toppings to the pizza right on the grill:

BBQ sauce
(I mixed a sweet tomato based BBQ sauce with a low fat vinegar based sauce and added a little sugar free syrup)
Mozzarella cheese
Pulled pork
Red onion
Mozzarella cheese

1pizza 1Close grill lid and cook 5-10 minutes. Remove using a pizza peel.

To cook this in the oven, preheat oven to 450° and follow the same procedure. Alternate toppings:

Marinara
Turkey pepperoni
Mozzarella cheese

You can also prepare this with frozen cauliflower florets. Thaw the florets completely and prepare the same, decreasing the microwave time from 4 minutes to 2 minutes. The turkey pepperoni will curl in the oven, so put some cheese on top.

 WATCH the BBQ Pizza video HERE

Featured

Ten Burger Tricks and Tips – Lid Up or Down?

burrgerr

hamburger tricks

Burgers are a summertime staple in the USA.   Everybody can handle ’em.   Still – your cook out might just go a bit smoother when you are ready to take on the grill with these quick tips and tricks for America’s favorite BBQ food.

1–Keep it Together…Make your patty out of
good ground beef.  Use some egg and bread crumbs too.  Not only will it add flavor and moisture but it will help the beef hold together.

2–Chill Out.   Pop the patty in the freezer or fridge for fifteen minutes before hitting the grill  The chill will also help em hold together.

3– The Dent.  You can help keep the patty from balling up by starting with a little dent in the center of the burger.   When the meat cooks the dent will diminish and you’ll have a flatter patty.

4—Plan Ahead.   Have all your supplies on hand.  Think through it before you put the meat on the fire.  A trip back
to the kitchen could mean disaster if there’s a flareup when you are gone…

5- Keep It Clean.   Start with a clean grill – fire it up, brush it clean… oil with towel.   The grill bits left over from Labor Day’s cookout are not flavor this time around!

6–Check Yer Lid.   Lid up?  Or down?… the rule is if the meat is thicker than your palm close the lid.  If thinner… keep your eye on it.

7 – Keep it simple.   Don’t over season.  But DO add a secret ingredient to a few patties for fun and conversation.

8–Get Cheesy.   Add the cheese at the very end…  I use Kraft American singles.

9–Is It Done Yet?  Go medium well.   It’s best to use a thermometer.  Should read about 140 in the middle of the thickest part of the meat.

10–Let It Rest — When you’re done… let it rest.   Cutting or biting in too soon will allow the savory juices to drain out onto the plate.  Plus the cheese is HOT!  Let it rest 15 minutes  it’s tough but  it’s worth the wait.

Cook

So Simple Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

macaroni and cheese recipeEver hear of a Mac-Off??   It’s a beautiful thing.

Recently our BBQ and Grill Show GrateTV held a little challenge.   My co-host Jack Waiboer and I made a fast wager on who could compose the best Mac and Cheese.   Like MACaroni and Cheese cook OFF or Mac-Off as we called it to kick off our series on starchy sides foe “Starch Madness.”  Fun.

I’ll let you watch and see who “won” HERE  but I think this “tricky” Mac and Cheese in the Slow cooker is definitely one to tuck away for future use.   It has become my favorite BBQ side and is sure to have all your friends asking for the recipe (you probably ought to just share it on Facebook now… I’ll wait…).

mac and cheeseBarbecue Tricks Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

12 oz can evaporated milk
1 and a half cups milk
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dry mustardmacaroni
8oz. elbow macaroini
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

This is the cure for StarchMadness (well at least temporarily). Start by using a non stick spray on the interior of your slow cooker. It will minimize the sticking as your mac and cheese set at the end of cooking.

In a bowl mix/beat/whisk eggs and then add both evaporated and regular milk. Mix in all the dry spices in to the mix mixture bowl. The trick is that you Dump UNCOOKED dry macaroni noodles into the slow cooker  and pour milk mixture on top. Stir completely and then add all of the cheeses. Mix again until fully coated. Cover Cooker and and slow cook on low setting for 5 hours. Stir one time after approximately two hours and try to resist opening the lid until done. Stealth peek in at the end if you don’t have a transparent lid.

This recipe triples nicely in a large slow cooker.Capture2

GrateTV

Pizza on The Grill – Tips and Tricks

BBQ PizzaPizza is not often associated with the world of BBQ.

However BBQ Pizza On The Grill can be an easy and fun way to show off your grilling prowess and entertain friends.

The first tip is to use a pizza stone.  That may sound unusual or expensive but they’re not really. Here are a BUNCH of pizza stones for less than 20 bucks.  In our video here we used a pizza stone for a home oven and it works great.  Just heat it up slowly to high heat to avoid cracking.

Secondly – keep it simple.  Pre made dough (gasp!!) is super easy and is usually tastier than what you can make on your own with those little yeast packets that have been in your cabinet too long.  Go to your favorite pizza joint and see if they sell dough balls.   Probably do.

grilled pizzaAlso, you can pile on the toppings if you want but try to keep your topping layer thin to allow the pizza to cook from the top down too.

Lastly, and this could or should have been mentioned first:  Dust your pizza peel, your stone and your prep board with a coarse corn meal.   It really helps the pizza slide on and off the pizza stone without stretching out of shape.

There are lots of ways to BBQ pizza (another method below) but take a look at the video and see if our tips for BBQ Pizza On The Grill can help you too!

WATCH — HERE –>>>http://youtu.be/3rYCZP5r-tU

How To Make Pizza On Your Barbecue

By Vinny DiLeo

Barbecue Pizza! Why barbecue a pizza? The simple answer is fast cooking.

To make great pizza your pizza should cook fast and fast cooking is one of the secrets to making a perfect pizza pie.The main reason is that barbecues can reach very high temperatures! Some of the best pizzas that I have tasted were cooked in wood burning ovens. For centuries people around the world have been cooking in wood burning ovens. These ovens and also, professional pizza ovens can reach the high temperatures of 800 to 1200 degrees. At these high temperatures a pizza cooks in only 2- 5 minutes.

Here are three ways that you can make pizza on a barbecue.

First, Heat your barbecue to the highest temperature that it will reach. My barbecue reaches 600 degrees. Stretch your dough out into a small circle that will fit on your barbecue.

1. Use a wooden peel. (This is a shovel like tool used to put pizza or bread in the oven) First spread cornmeal on your peel. The cornmeal acts like tiny ball bearings helping to slide the pizza off the peel on to the barbecue. Put your stretched dough on your peel and place all your toppings on it. When your barbecue is heated to temperature, use a little jerking motion to slide your pizza off of the peel on to the barbecue grill. This method cooks your pizza directly on the grill. Close your barbecue top and check your pizza in a few minutes. It won’t take long before the crust of your pizza begins to char. You want some charring all around your crust. Be sure to take your pizza out before the cheese starts to burn.

2. The second method that I use is less messy. I stretch out a large piece of aluminum foil and lightly spray olive oil on it. After stretching my dough out, I place it on the aluminum foil. Put your pizza sauce, toppings and cheese on it. Now, crimp the ends of the aluminum foil so that you can grab it and pick up the whole pizza on the aluminum foil. Carry the pizza over to your heated barbecue and place it on the grill and close your barbecue. Check your pizza in a few minutes.

3. The third way is to use a pizza stone on your barbecue. I have tried fire bricks, clay tiles and pizza stones. They all work fine. Heat your pizza stone in your barbecue for at least 30 minutes before placing your pizza on it. When your barbecue is up to temperature use the same technique of sliding your pizza off of the wooden peel as described in my first method.

Your pizza crust should slightly puff up after cooking and be a little charred around the edges. Remember, your pizza is only as good as the pizza dough that you make. To find out some of the secrets that I use to make a chewy, great tasting crust check out my web-site at http://www.perfecthomemadepizza.com

Chef Vinny DiLeo is very passionate about pizza and Italian cooking. You can find some of his award winning recipes and pictures of his barbecue pizza at his website at: http://www.perfecthomemadepizza.com/pages/recipe_resource.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vinny_DiLeo
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Make-Pizza-On-Your-Barbecue&id=1171029

 

 

Featured

Winterizing Your Grill

Winterizing Your Grill

winterize grillBy David Felt

So you’ve got your heater on and your windows draft proofed. But there may be something you’re forgetting that also needs special preparation in the winter time. Your grill will last much longer if you take these steps in winterizing your grill.

Start by thoroughly cleaning your grill. It’s a dirty job but getting all of that that grease and grime off now will be easier than cleaning it off when you go to use in the summer. Start up your grill and let it run on high for about 15-20 minutes, this will burn off any food that may have accumulated. Turn it off and let it cool, then use a good degreaser and really scrub it.

    • Clean the grates the same way. By letting them heat up it’s loosened a lot of that grease and will now be much easier to clean.

 

    • Clean the outside of the grill with a wet cloth. Clean the carbon that has built up on the inside of the lid as well. Do not use a scouring pad on the outside, this will damage the paint and thin the metal. If you are going to use an abrasive cleaner, test it on a small spot first and see how the surface reacts.

 

    • Take this opportunity to make any small repairs your grill may need. Replace any lines or washers that appear worn. Clean the lines and your propane tank as well. Find anything that needs to be replaced now, and order it. By the time you’re getting the grill ready during the summer you will have all the parts at hand.

 

    • Take a plastic bag and wrap your grill’s burners. This will prevent any moisture from settling on the element causing them to rust. Coating the burners and interior metal parts with cooking oil will also prevent moisture from building. The plastic bag will also prevent any insects or small animals from turning your grill into their winter home.

 

  • Store your BBQ for the winter. If it is moveable put your grill in the garage or shed. If not buy a good grill cover that will keep dirt, rain and snow from accumulating on it. If you already have a grill cover, check it beforehand. Make sure there are no rips or tears in the cover that can leave the grill susceptible to the elements. Spending $30 on a new grill cover now is better than spending $300 on a new grill in the summer.

Taking these steps to winterize your grill will ensure that come summertime your grill is in condition to fire up and start grilling.

David Felt is an account manager at Modern Propane and a grill master. He understands that the quality of food coming off a grill greatly depends on the grill itself. You can find out more about Modern Propane at http://www.modernpropane.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Felt
http://EzineArticles.com/?Winterizing-Your-Grill&id=8219117

 

 

Cook

Camp Trick – Soap Outside Of Pots

Soap Outside of Pots For Easy Campfire Cooking Cleanup

soot soap

Photo: Flickr/ninj4

Soap Outside of Pots For Easy Campfire Cooking Cleanup
By David Healey

The other day we were cleaning our gear here at home after a weekend camping trip and I spent a lot of time scrubbing the outside of a fire-blackened pot we had used to heat chili over the campfire. I could have saved myself a lot of elbow grease if I had bothered to soap the outside of the pot.

Using soap to create an easy-to-clean coating on the outside of your cooking pots one tip that really works when it comes to cleaning up after campfire cooking. It’s an old trick that used to be mentioned in the Boy Scout Handbook but that many campers seem to have forgotten – or maybe they were never Boy Scouts. It’s as simple as soaping the outside of your pots and pans to make cleanup easy.

Put a little liquid dish soap on a paper towel and spread the soap around the outside of the pot you are using for campfire cooking. An even film on the outside of the pot works best. Bar soap also does the trick but is harder to spread evenly. I have even seen this done with shampoo.

When it comes time to do the dishes, that black soot on the outside of the pot will come off much more easily so that you aren’t left scrubbing at a sooty mess. Just make sure you don’t get too crazy with the soap and get any on the inside of your campfire cooking pot because soap doesn’t do much to improve the flavor of most dishes!

Ian Fitzell is the editor of Camping Sky, a blog dedicated to upscale family camping. Visit [http://campingsky.net].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Healey
http://EzineArticles.com/?Soap-Outside-of-Pots-For-Easy-Campfire-Cooking-Cleanup&id=3222940

 

 

Featured

Breakfast BBQ Recipe -Avocado

egg

 

 

 

Here’s a breakfast recipe idea from the archives of our weekly Web BBQ and Grilling Show: GrateTV.

In just a few minutes we fire up live and hot hardwood charcoal and nestle a half avocado in the coals.  Add and egg and bacon and it’s the start of a protein rich breakfast that would make Atkin’s dieters proud.

avopic1

 

 

Our review: Make sure you to cover with foil to assist the cooking of the egg and consider some toast if you can spare some carbs.

Featured

Trick To Clean Your Grill Cooking Rods With Coffee

fire grill

Hot Grates

By Michelle K Patterson

We frequently start our day with a cup of coffee, to keep us awake for our activities the entire day. But cleaning the grill with a cup of coffee? Is it even possible?

It seems unbelievable, however coffee can really make easier cleaning for your barbecue grill. Because coffee is naturally acidic, it works really wonderful for cleaning grease and the process is simply as basic as any grill cleaning approach can be: Prepare your coffee in a pot, put it into a washbasin and soak your grill grates. (Same goes for barbecue utensils or oven burners.) Leave it there for almost one hour. Scrub it, then lastly rinse with warm water. Your grate is now as great as brand name brand-new. Instead of squandering your unused pot of coffee, why not utilize it for cleaning your grates? Nonetheless, if you really don`t like coffee then you can still clean a grill with an onion or a little aluminum foil.

Food and grease fragments can rust even the extremely finest quality stainless-steel given adequate time. This is typically a trouble as we have a tendency to utilize a lot of acidic marinades and sauces on the grill. These can destroy your grill in spite of how much you invested on that. If ever you can see some grease burnt on your barbecue grill, you’ll generally need to spend time dramatically scrubbing it with steel wool to remove that grease. Cleansing your barbecue grill with a stainless-steel grill brush with each use can stop you from wishing to make use of the coffee cleaning technique.

For an incredibly sensible clean, spray the barbecue grill with your usual kitchen appliance cleaner and leave it in a plastic garbage bag the entire evening. Wash it the next day, and you will have a shining grill that you can utilize once again.

Now that you know how to clean your propane grill utilizing coffee grinds, it’s time to think outside the box. There are sufficient other types of acidic meals that you can use to cheaply and efficiently clean your grill. Cleansing your grill with onions is a best example. Anytime you have the chance to clean your grill utilizing a natural meals item, it is way much better than utilizing cleaning items. The reason is because cleaning items have chemicals in them that even after you are done utilizing them, will remain on your grill grates. The chemicals will get on your meals rather of burning off prior to grilling if you forget to preheat your grill.

Michelle Patterson is an enthusiastic griller and barbecue enthusiast. She takes her background in nutrition and blogs about unique means to barbecue naturally.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_K_Patterson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Trick-To-Clean-Your-Grill-Cooking-Rods-With-Coffee&id=7896920

 

 

Featured

How To Make a Beer Shake

make a beer shakeNo. This isn’t about pranking your pals and and shaking a beer to an overflow of foam and wasted brew.  This is a quick how to on making a Beer Shake as in an Espresso Porter Beer Shake.  Our friends at Joe Riley Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina give us a walk through of the super easy recipe and technique.  The home of the Charleston River Dogs is known for some fantastic grub and this this creative taste treat hits the make a chocolate beer shakemark during a 90 degree summer ball game.

Start with two and a half scoops or 7 oz. chocolate ice cream

7 oz. beer (we used Palmetto Espresso Porter)

One scoop or a quarter cup of malted milk powder

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

Full recipe at https://barbecuetricks.com/make-a-beer-shake

Print
Chocolate Beer Shake

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 4 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 5 minutes

Yield: one shake

Serving Size: 14 oz.

Chocolate Beer Shake

Ingredients

  • Two and a half scoops or 7 oz. chocolate ice cream
  • 7 oz. beer (we used Palmetto Espresso Porter)
  • One scoop or a quarter cup of malted milk powder
  • 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

Instructions

  1. Combine cold ingredients in a blender and mix until thick and smooth.
  2. Serve immediately.
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Category
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Starring:
Bill West
Written by:
West
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