Barbecue Tricks

BBQ Tips and Tricks

tips

Featured

Rosemary Skewers – Gettin’ Twiggy With It

rosemary.Still002
In a previous post we suggested using basil twigs as a nice addition to the smoker to add that “extra something” to your grilled meat. Here’s another barbecue trick.

 

You can use long, strong, rosemary twigs as skewers for your next elegant kebab.

 

This is a great reason to grow a large rosemary bush in your garden. They actually look and smell great and, in the right climate, they stay green most of the year. They even flower. I’ve seen many waist high rosemary bushes at restaurants and friend’s homes that produce great skewers.

 

Just strip off the leaves, except for a couple of inches at the tip. They add a rustic look and great flavor to the meat and veggies.

 

Twigs for skewers could work with many other herb plants. Experiment!

Featured

Freeze Your Rub – BBQ Spice Tips

spicet1.Still003How do you store your spices?    With a little care you can make your spices pop just a bit more according to Cheyenne Ledyard from Etsy’s The BBQ Pantry.

The tips and tricks – paraphrased below-  are basic but worth noting:

  1. Get Toasty.  Toast Your Spices and maximize the potency.  This releases oils and flavor.
  2. Stay cool.   Never store the spices above a stove.    Heat degrades flavor.
  3. Don’t store spices too long. Keep it fresh.
  4. Use your freezer.  Dark and sealed dry.
  5. Keep them in the dark.  Sunlight degrades flavor too.  See tip 2.

My favorite spice trick is using a Monday to Sunday travel pill box to store just enough spices for that trip to the beach… more here…

Got a favorite spice trick for BBQ or just cooking?  Love to hear it.  Share it in the comments.

Photo - Flickr.com/Larry_Hoffman

Photo – Flickr.com/Larry_Hoffman

 

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.

Featured

Corn Shucking Trick

 

 

 

Corn on the cob can be a hassle to get clean and free from silks.   Here’s a quick trick to get each cob super clean and – since this is Barbecue Tricks it’s nice to free up the grill for the meat!   Take a look.

cobUse a sharp knive and chop the bottom – rounded ends off each cob.   Keep on the husk and all.  Then give each cob… husk, silks and all a 4 minute zap in the microwave.  Add four minutes for each additional cob.

After heating you should be able to slowly (carefully with gloves – it’s HOT) squeeze out the cob.  Take a look at the two minute corn husk shucking video to see it in action.

Featured

Tips For Grilling Steaks on a Gas Grill


By Andre Savoie

Grilled to Perfection: Tips to Keep the Sizzle in Your Gas Grilled Steak

Are you tired of guessing the best ways to prepare the grill and the meat? Have you eaten enough over-cooked, dry steak? Have you wondered how restaurants produce those steaks with the picture perfect grilling pattern? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, then you will appreciate these simple tips. Here are some answers to common questions about grilling steaks.

  • What temperature? Before you get started, determine how everyone likes their steak cooked. Use the highest heat for rare or medium-rare, and medium heat for medium or well-done. This sounds counterintuitive, but the rarer steaks need to cook fast at a high heat in order to sear the outside and keep the inside rare. The more well-done steaks should cook slowly on a medium heat in order to avoid burning the outside and drying out the inside.
  • How to prepare the grill? Oil the grill by brushing a thin layer of oil on the grates. You can also rub the steak fat onto the grate using tongs.
  • How to prepare the meat? While the grill is heating, remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature before placing on the grill. Rinse and trim the fat.
  • How to treat the meat? Keep the steaks moist and tender by coating with a thin layer of cooking oil and the seasoning of your choice. A little salt and as much pepper as you like are good default seasonings. You can also try garlic powder, or a dash of cayenne pepper.
  • When to flip the steak? Look for signs that the steak is starting to bleed through. You’ll see small red spots, which will tell you it’s time to flip the steak over.
  • Although you only need to flip it once, flipping it multiple times will create a nice criss-cross pattern. Grill each steak for one minute. Turn on the grill on the other side for one minute. Then, turn and replace at a 45-degree angle for half of the remaining cooking time. Turn once more at a different 45-degree angle for the final minutes on the grill.
  • How long should it cook? Although a thermometer (see below) is suggested, it’s good to have a general idea of how long to cook each steak. Here are some general guidelines, depending on the thickness of the steak:
    • 1″ Thick Steaks – Rare 8-10 minutes, Medium 12-14 minutes, Well 16-20 minutes
    • 1 1/2″ Thick Steaks – Rare 10-16 minutes, Medium 16-20 minutes, Well 22-26 minutes
    • 2″ Thick Steaks – Rare 12-16 minutes, Medium 18-22 minutes, Well 24-28 minutes
  • When is the meat done? We all know the cut and look method to determine of the meat is done. This isn’t ideal, because if it’s too late, then you’ve overcooked the steak. If it’s too soon, then you run the risk of drying out the meat. This is the perfect time to use a meat thermometer, ideally a meat fork.
  • When is the meat ready to eat? The steak continues to cook for abut 5minutes after you remove it from the grill. Keep this in mind when determining the optimal temperature for your preferred ‘doneness’. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before eating.

Few things say summer like the sizzle and aroma of a steak cooking on your gas grill. Grilling the perfect steak may be easier than you realize. And if you follow these easy tips, you’ll be sure to dazzle your guests and family. Just remember that with a little preparation, some patience, and the right tools, grilling the perfect steak to please everyone is easy. Follow these tips, and you can just sit back and relax. Let your grill do the work for you.

Andre’ Savoie writes for BBQGrillCompany.com who offers high quality Lynx BBQ grills brands. We also offer articles that will teach you how to best use your grill including steak grilling tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andre_Savoie
http://EzineArticles.com/?Tips-For-Grilling-Steaks-on-a-Gas-Grill&id=2344406


Competitions

Winning Your First BBQ Cook Off

It can be a bit daunting… These BBQ competitions look kind of intense even with all the beer and funny t-shirts there is an underlying seriousness to it all.

After getting though our “first time” this past weekend at a Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned event we have a few tricks to get you through the first big cook off.

First, know all the rules. Head strait to the website of the organization putting on the event. In my case it was http://www.kcbs.us/. Read all the fine print. The K.C.B.S. site also has a great “Your First Cook-Off” article here.

Ask questions… start at your nearest BBQ joint. I was lucky enough to be warned about having a sanitation station. In our case a clean cooler filled with beach-water and clean rags for surface cleaning; plus a fresh water cooler with push-button spigot (upright Gatorade type worked nicely) over a bus-tray as a hand washing station. Don’t forget the hand sanitizer, paper towels and soap.

You’ll need to have a fire extinguisher. No one checked ours; but we were in an amateur division and it was on the KCBS check -off judges sheet.

You’ll need gear. Don’t be intimidated by the huge rigs of the regulars on the bar-be-que circuit. No doubt those guys have it down, but I’ve heard big contests have been won on a couple of small Webber bullet grills. Our team used a single Brinkmann “Gourmet” Charcoal Smoker and it worked great. We only had two divisions (chicken and ribs) so one smoker was easy. For next time (with additional categories of brisket and pork-butt) we’ll add a second “bullet” smoker.

Research presentation and “turn in.” Timing matters. Can you keep the meat hot up until turn-in? You’ll be given official numbered turn in boxes for your team’s entries. I’ve seen some teams use insulated pizza delivery delivery bags to help retain heat.

I had a tough time finding clear tips online. Here area few starting points:
Don’t get too drunk. Not a problem for us… but seeing that we were warned by more than one cooker… and looking at a few of the teams… It must be a common hazard.

Do a test run at home. Use exactly what you’ll be using at the competition. We didn’t used colored cocktail tooth picks (to pin down the skin on our chicken) at our home test. To our horror the green and red toothpicks we used on-site added big green and red spots in the flesh of the chicken. Green spots have got to cost some “appearance” points! We got creative with a knife and sauce.

Don’t forget the little things. There’s potentially a lot. Again KCBS has a great list to get you covered HERE under “First Cook off.” It’s a good idea to start with a hometown (but sanctioned) contest. Out of town travel creates another level of planning. You’ll be amazed how many competitions are in the state of South Carolina alone!

Be prepared. Anything can happen. It will probably rain. They won’t let your car back on the grounds. Through all of it take a few notes for next time. Plus get the judges score sheets to track your future adjustments.

Tricks

Perfect Measuring Trick

Creating the perfect sauce for barbecue often involves some sort of syrupy sweet ingredient that can make of break the secret flavor. I just saw Pat Neely of the world famous Neely’s BBQ on TV and he had a great trick for measuring heavy syrups and thick liquids like honey or molasses (two common sauce staples).

The next time your measuring corn syrup, honey, or even maple syrup just give the measuring cup a good spray of PAM or a similar non stick oil spray. Not only will it keep your measurements consistent… there’s less waste and it makes post sauce clean-up a bit less sticky!

Recipes

Removing That Membrane

BBQ aficiandos will argue if you really NEED to remove the membrane on the backside of a good slab of ribs.

I say it’s a nice thing to do if only to make it easier to pull apart and eat each individual rib. Some like a bit of a chew. The additional benefit is that it allows for a deeper penetration of your favorite rub or marinade.

The simple trick to removing the membrane is to use a clean paper towel to grip the slippery tissue. I haven’t met a cook that has a grip tight enough to grasp the membrane firmly enough to pull it off the slab! Simply use a butter knife to begin the peel on one end. Then grasp what you can of the tissue (the membrane is on the boney side of the rib). If you’re lucky you should be able to peel off a nice clean sheet.

It often times takes a few peels to get it all. If you can’t get every fragment – don’t sweat it. You’re guest will likely not notice smaller amounts remaining.