Barbecue Tricks

BBQ Tips and Tricks

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What Is London Broil

london broilYou may have wondered what London Broil really is.  It’s not really a special cut of beef or from a particular part of the cow.  It’s actually a STYLE of cooking or grilling a piece of beef.  Typically London Broil is Flank steak but not necessarily.

Many times (like in the above London Broil video) the supermarket will use or label a top round steak/roast as London Broil.

So Just What Is A London Broil?

In North America London Broil is basically an affordable cut of beef – marinated – grilled and sliced thin.

In Canada London Broil is thought of as a ground meat patty wrapped in flank or round steak is known as a London broil.

Ironically, the dish is unknown in the English city of London.

In general the meat will be a tough cut, but generally affordable.

You can go from tough to tender by following a few general tricks and tips for the BBQ.

First pound it with a meat mallet.  In a way – not to be gross –  it’s almost pre-chewing it.  Break up the tough fibers a bit.  Don’t worry about the meat looking mashed.  In the end your BBQ will still look pristine.  If it’s a larger cut just hit it harder!   Good stress relief.   Tip:  wrap the meat in plastic wrap to avoid splatters.

Next, use a  marinade like this Steak Marinade to soften the newly damaged fibers.  Any high acid marinade will aid the tenderizing effects.

Then use what’s called the reverse sear – cook it slow to an internal temp of about 120 — then pull it off until the the center just starts to lower and finish the cook with a fast sear direct over red hot heat.

Finally, let the cooked meat rest for five to ten minutes or so before slicing AGAINST the grain of the meat fibers or perpendicular to the strands of beef in pencil thin slices.

For more on tenderizing check out 3 Tips For Tenderizing HERE.

GrateTV

Chicken Pops and Daylight Grilling Time

BBQ FeastTime is ready to change again and despite what some say we think more daylight is the perfect event to kick off grilling season.  To celebrate we fire up an entire meal all on the grill and have family in to chow down.  take a look at the fun HERE and above and get recipes and more from the weekly webisode HERE.

We BBQ chicken pops, pepper poppers, and rotisserie pineapple.

Like GrateTV and BBQ Tricks?  Make sure you share rate and subscribe.  We’re also Podcasting on ITunes.

Featured

Reverse Sear BBQ How To

medium rare steakThere are hundreds of ways to cook a steak.  Most BBQ aficionados and backyarders keep it simple.   Fire up high heat and sear the beef and hope the middle is still good.  The traditional thought is that the initial sear “Locks in juices.”  The reality is the sear will not lock in anything… it’s kind of BS… in fact we’ve all seen a seared steak still pool with juices.

But the fast sear is fine for most – honestly I could eat a steak no matter if you cooked it in a crock pot… even when it’s bad – it’s still pretty good….but lately there has been talk of a reverse sear method.  Here’s the deal:

It’s basically the opposite of that fast sear and bake.  In this case you START the steak off low and slow – between 250 and 300 on indirect heat.  You grill until the internal temperature reaches a temperature that is about ten degrees BELOW your final desired internal temp.

Canadian Steak SpiceIf you want it around 150 degrees Medium  -( USDA may differ) target 140 with a quick read thermometer.  Then pull it off the heat for a few minutes until it just starts to drop below 140.  That’s your cue to fire up the high heat or searing burner as you see here and blast ut on both sides to achieve the charred caramelization and crust.   Pull and enjoy.

Some xperts say the low and slow reverse sear method gives you a more tender steak allowing natural anzymes some additional time to do some magic.  Most say it wont affect flavor all that much – but I believe you do end up with a better char and crust.

For traditional flavor use a Canadian or Montreal style spice like the one below.

Print
Canadian Steak Seasoning

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 3/4 cup

Serving Size: one tablespoon

Calories per serving: 0

Canadian Steak Seasoning

For best results season 10 to 15 minutes prior to grilling.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons fresh ground black Pepper (grind it please)
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 2 tablespoons coarse ground sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dehydrated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon granulated onion
  • 1 tablespoon ground corander
  • 1 tablespoon dill seeds
  • 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Also known as Montreal Steak spice or seasoning this combination of coarse garlic, salt, and pepper is the perfect blend to compliment the best cuts of beef.

 

 

Featured

Rotisserie Roasted Spiral Cut Pineapple

spit roasted pineapple

This recipe is simple.  But you need a proper rotisserie you are comfortable with.

bbq pineappleThe trick is to give the fruit some pizzazz with a nifty spiral cut.

Peel your pineapple with a sharp knife and create a spiral pattern to remove all the unsavory “eyes” along the flesh of the fruit.  These ridges not only look really cool they act as a receptacle for the butter, sugar and cocoa “rub.”

We used a crystal cane sugar because it has a higher burn temperature and it will create a caramel crust.

Slice in rounds right off the spit or slice and serve with a dollop of ice cream.  Your barbecue guests with think you are showing off and will love this flashy and delicious desert.

 

Print
Rotisserie Roasted Spiral Cut Pineapple

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Yield: 7 thick slices

Serving Size: 1/2 inch rings

Rotisserie Roasted Spiral Cut Pineapple

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
  • 1 Large Pineapple
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 Cup Cane Sugar (Sugar In The Raw or Demerara Sugar)

Instructions

  1. Peel pineapple and carve spiral grooves for decoration and to hold sugar mixture. Rub with reserved melted butter, cocoa, and sugar.
  2. Create "pilot hole" to help drive spit through core of the pineapple and secure with probes and pliers.
  3. Spit roast over a drip pan for 30 to 40 minutes and then coat generously with warmed and combined sugar, butter and cocoa mixture. Continue to spit roast and glaze until remaining paste is gone
  4. Slice and serve plain or with ice cream..

 

Competitions

First Place Competition Chili

1st place chili recipe

I’ll be the first one to tell you I have limited experience in Chili cook offs.    But I tried my hand in a competition at my church this weekend and feel like I’ve come up with a trick for scoring first place in you next chili recipe competition.

Previously I posted a recipe for Third Place BBQ chili here.  Looking back to prep for my latest challenge I realized how lame it was.  Chili seasoning mix… pork loin… fresh tabasco peppers… It wasn’t very authentic (seasoning mix?) or practical (have you seen fresh  Tabasco peppers at the grocery?).

Chili powder ingedients

Chili powder ingedients

A quick call to Jack got me a great tip.  “Make your own chili powder.  You’ll have a better flavor profile than the store bought stuff,” he advised and sent me what had won for him in the past. I took his advice and am now convinced that using a hand crafted fresh batch of chili powder is a real game-changer.  I took first place against about twenty other chili’s I thought were really good too.

The Fist Place chili recipe is below but the real trick is the chili powder.  Fun and easy to make. Use those dried whole chilies you see at the store (you may want to mix and match if you cant find Guajillo, Arbol or Ancho) and toast /roast them briefly in a cast iron pan.  Be careful not to burn them and don’t choke on the potent fumes.  Pull the stems and grind with cumin seeds in a blender, coffee grinder, or spice grinder.  Simple.

arbol chili

Arbol Chiles

Try the recipe below and post in the comments how it fares for you.  It’s a winner. 2 oz. Ancho Chiles – dried and roasted 2 oz. Guajillo Chiles – dried and roasted 1 oz. Chile de Arbol – dried and roasted 5 tablespoons Cumin seeds – toasted and ground 2 tablespoons granulated garlic 4 tablespoons oregano 4 tablespoons smoked paprika Toast whole dried peppers and cumin seeds in a skillet until they slightly start to brown. Let cool and grind to a powder.

Add other ingredients and mix. Yields about two cups.

 

Print
First Place Competition Chili

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Yield: 7 quarts or 20 cups

Serving Size: one to two cups

First Place Competition Chili

Home made chili powder is the tricks to making this chili a winner. Find the powder recipe at BarbecueTricks.com. Substitute other ingredients as needed.

This recipe is a chili cookoff first place winner.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon Cayanne pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons salt
  • 2 pounds pork (pulled or chunked)
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 cup homemade chili powder (see above)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 head of garlic, minced
  • 3 large fresh Poblano peppers, fire roasted, seeded
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 4 beef bouillon cubes
  • 2 cans (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 bottles (12 oz) of robust beer
  • 2 cans (15.5 oz) of pinto or kidney beans

Instructions

  1. Saute garlic and onions until translucent. Add 1/4 of the meat and chili powder and brown. Salt the meat while cooking. Repeat until all meat is added. Add all other ingredients and simmer for one to two hours.

Featured

Brunswick Stew – GrateTV

souper StewSuperbowl time means parties and cooking for friends.   GrateTV put together this SOUPerbowl Brunswick Stew.  We used leftover BBQ to create a great party dish.  Watch the full episode  and see how we made Brunswick Stew step by step HERE.

[button link=”http://gratetv.com/2013/01/brunswick-stew/”]Brunswick Stew Recipe[/button]