Planning The Perfect Barbeque
So you think you're ready for a great weekend featuring your own unique talents at the barbecue grill. Before you even think about throwing a slab of meat on smoldering briquettes, there are important steps to follow in preparation for that special cookout; steps that could make the difference between success and failure! You gotta have a plan! Nothing great has ever been accomplished without some kind of a plan! You should have everything in order before you start, getting all your ducks in a row as it were. Outdoor grilling can be an awesome experience but you have to get it right the first time, because each time you step in front of the grill, spatula and tongs at the ready, you're putting your barbequing reputation on the line. The beginning of any weekend grill fest starts with a quick look at The Weather Channel. It's best to consult weather experts on such an important matter a couple of days before the big event. It wouldn't do to put in the time on strategic planning, only to be forced inside at the last minute by a steady rain. We, who have survived many battles fighting the rain on Saturday afternoons, think of such things as this! Next you have to decide just who will be invited and how many there will be at your cook out. This is a critical part of the planning exercise. The number of people attending dictates whether you will have steaks, burgers or chicken! It would cost a small fortune to provide enough steaks for twenty people. Odds are there would be someone in the crowd that you didn't really like, anyway, so why would you feed this person a sizzling, delicious and scrumptious steak? Barbequed chicken or hamburger is the answer. They're both reasonably cheap! Either chicken or a lot of burgers will satisfy a lot of people. There is no need to spend a lot of money on meat for someone you don't really like. Either one of these meat ideas will satisfy a crowd without breaking the budget. Basically what it comes down to is this: Do you like the people in your party enough to buy rib eye steaks for everyone, or would it be better to have a lot of hamburger meat or a box of chicken quarters to throw on the coals. Whatever you decide, this is one of the first steps in planning for the backyard cookout. After the difficult decision of deciding on the meat that the occasion deserves, you can then decide how much to buy at the market. IMPORTANT! Before you get too far along in the planning, it's wise to decide on the appropriate time to serve beverages. Adult beverages should be left in the cooler until after the flames have died. The festivities should never be interrupted by the sound of fire engines. I've heard that sound before at one of my cook outs and it's not pretty! You've selected the meat and now you have to determine how much you're going to buy. If you buy too little, your guests will think you're a cheap skate. If you buy too much and have a lot left over, they'll think you're throwing money away and you're just showing off. Of course the amount of meat you buy depends on the number of people invited to your cook out. A rule of thumb I use is to multiply the number of people times one and a half if it's chicken, burgers or steaks. Sometimes there are leftovers. If such a thing actually happens, that's great. Almost anything off the grill tastes great the next day, unless it's smoked sea urchin, but then no one in their right mind would serve smoked sea urchin in the first place. Yeech! Hamburgers: I like to keep my burgers simple. I usually sprinkle a little salt, pepper and finely ground garlic on the meat about an hour before I start cooking. Although that's exotic enough for me, some folks like to stuff them with all kinds of things such as onions, peppers and even cheese. I'm old fashioned. I think cheese should remain on the top of the burgers where they belong. Burgers can be cooked to all degrees of readiness; I like mine cooked well with just a hint of pink in the middle. Pepper and salt to taste. (Try using garlic salt on the burgers instead of regular salt. It adds a little character to the meat.) Chicken: For me, a good hot marinade on the chicken I cook on the grill is a must. Some folks however like it mild, so I always have some of both sauces ready to use after the cooking is ¾ done. You can make your own sauce or buy it at the store. The hotter marinades you usually have to make yourself. I know you can't please everyone but your friends will continue to come over for a free meal if you don't sear their esophagus with a fiery chicken leg hot off the grill! Give them a choice! Cooking chicken over a charcoal grill is not difficult. The fire can't be extra hot because flames from the fat dripping onto the coals will burn your chicken to a crisp. Better to keep the fire at medium heat and add charcoal as you go along to maintain the proper temperature. When a meat thermometer is stuck between the joints of a leg quarter reads 175 degrees, it's time to take the chicken off the grill. When the leg pulls easily away from the thigh, I say it's done. That's the lazy way of doing things. Steaks: It's easy to mess up a good steak by cooking it too much. Don't do that! A good sprinkle of garlic salt, a little pepper and you're off to the races. Throw the steaks on the grill and cook them one side for about two minutes them flip them, sealing in the juices, making the meat more tender and delicious. Depending on how thick the steaks are, cook them five to six minutes on one side. Leave them on longer if you want them well done. While there are many kinds of grills to choose from, I prefer to use the old fashioned charcoal type. I get a sense of history every time I smell the smoke emanating from burning charcoal. Maybe this was how they did it back in the old west when cowboys huddled around the campfire after a hard day on the range punching cows. The cook, who had cool nicknames like "cookie" or "biscuit" would divvy out steaks, biscuits and scalding black coffee to the cowhands. Those were the good old days.
Other Articles
How to Thicken Soups with out the Fat Smooth and creamy soups are so pleasing to the pallet with there smooth texture and buttery taste. However these types of soups are often times high in fat and cholesterol. There are easy ways to still be able to enjoy hearty thick soups with less fat and less cholesterol.Here are four alternatives to heavy cream, butter or coconut milk ...Picnic Tips and Tricks The most difficult task of a picnic is remembering everything. Make a list on the computer of everything you might need for a picnic. Then as you pack, check off the items that you really need. Save the list for the next picnic or camping trip. When you return, add items that you wished you had taken. Eventually, you'll have the perfect lis ...Iron Chef Chen Kenichi If there's one chef who has made his mark on television, it's Chen Kenichi, the only Iron Chef to have been on the hugely successful "Iron Chef" television series from its start in 1993 to 2002. With 300 episodes in the can, the show a is still in syndication today. Known for his role as Iron Chef Chinese, Chin won the Iron Chef competition 67 t ...Host Your Own Ice Cream Sundae Party Are you looking for a unique family friendly party idea? How about throwing an ice cream sundae party? It doesn’t have to be only for the kids. What a perfect way to spend an evening or afternoon during any time of year. This could be a great half time show during football season or a child’s birthday party. Make it just like an old-fashion ...Oven Mitts - Space-Age Materials for Safer Cooking It is Thanksgiving morning and an absolutely beautiful autumn day. Even though it is cold, the sun is shining brightly and the kids are bursting with energy. However, you have been in the kitchen since 5 a.m. and it is getting awfully warm in there. Perspiration is dripping down your face, splashing on your arms. Suddenly, you see smoke seeping ...How to Smoke a Brisket A brisket is known to be the toughest cut of meat from a cow, though when prepared and cooked correctly it can be the best tasting and most tender meat you will ever eat. In this section, I will teach you how to choose, prepare, and barbeque a brisket, Texas style, to achieve the best results possible. Please notice the other smoker recipes l ...Season Your Pans for Non Stick Cooking Nothing is more frustrating than trying to cook a delicious meal and having it stick to the bottom of the pan. A well season or cured pan will make cooking more fun, easier to clean and create better tasting food. There is a saying in the restaurant business; Hot pan – Cold oil. Meaning never put the oil in a cold pan and then heat it up. By hea ...Choosing and Using Your Pumpkin It’s officially fall, the pumpkins have arrived. Our local pumpkin patch is in full swing. Its time to pull out the carving tools and pie recipes. Here are some tips to help you choose the right pumpkin for your purpose.For cooking and pie making, choose a pie pumpkin or sugar pumpkin variety. These pumpkins are not as fibrous as the ...Homemade Whipped Cream Most grocery stores carry cans of whipping cream ready to spray onto your favorite desert. Some of these cans even come in chocolate flavor. But, instead of choosing to use canned cream how about whipping your own.In the dairy case of your local grocery store you will find cartons of Ultra-pasteurized whipping cream, whipping cream, and ...Cookie Sheets Are the Key to Cookie Success There is no guarantee that great ingredients will make your cookie recipe a hit with you’re family if you overlook the most important tool of the trade: the cookie sheet. Years ago, kitchens were equipped with only one choice of cookie sheet when it came to baking cookies. Luckily today’s technology has opened up a whole new world of possibili ...Turn a Plain Piece of Meat into a Succulent Entree Can’t remember what you had for dinner last night?Make the meal served at your family table a memorable one. Chicken, beef, pork or fish, whichever is your favorite, don’t settle for a plain meal ever again. With a few simple ingredients that most of us probably have in the cupboard, you can dress up a simple meal and make your family say ...Turkey Gravy Secrets Revealed To make the best tasting turkey gravy you need three things; well-seasoned fat, flour, and a good rich broth. For each cup of finished gravy you will need one tablespoon of fat, one tablespoon of flour and 1 cup of broth.Start by making up some rich turkey broth. You can use the turkey neck, heart, gizzard or other parts usually found pac ...Baking Tips Most people have a real basic idea about what they need when they set out to do baking at home, but most people don’t have the background to know what works well and what does not, in the baking tips and tricks that I am going to show you will make your baking experience much more interesting and your work easier.Baking Tip #1. Using tin ...Grilling Isn't Just For Summer Grilling for PleasureGrilling is a passion for many, not a fad. It's a popular method of cooking outdoors and it's not just a summertime activity… it's a year round pursuit… even in winter. Grilling is a quick cooking process done over high heat. You can cook vegetables, poultry, fish, steaks, and burgers on a grill. Most grill ...Cooking - The Gadgets I love kitchen gadgets, not only do they speed up the cooking process, but they extend one's ability to cook certain dishes.Food Processor - I consider this to be a must have because it can do so many tasks. It will slice, grate, chop, mince and mix. It cuts the time by about ten times for making pastry or mixing dough and you can't be ...How to Cook Canned Crab Meat Fresh crab meat is a delight, but if you don’t have it available, you can use canned crab meat instead to make a host of delicious recipes. Some are so good that you won’t even miss having fresh crab.An important thing to remember when using canned crab meat is to carefully look through it and remove any fragments of bone or shell you fin ...Grilling The Perfect Steak The Perfect, Grilled SteakThere is not much better in this world than sitting down to eat a perfectly grilled, tender, and juicy Porterhouse or T-Bone steak. There are many opinions and techniques available regarding the best way to master cooking a steak including whether or not to marinade or use a rub, how long the ...Great Tips For Maintaining Your Outdoor Barbecue Gas Grill Cooking and grilling on a barbecue gas grill is fun: cleaning up after the cooking is done is not fun. However, it is not fun nor good practice to cook on a dirty grill. Like all appliances - your grill needs to be cared for in order to function properly and efficiently.Since most grills are stored outside there is a tendency to get dir ...Barbecue for You In may just be in human nature to barbecue. Well, we have been doing it as far back as time can denote. In the Stone Age, man hunted for food and cooked it over an open flame. And while we still cook over flame today, there are actually two different types. True barbecue requires a sauce. If not, you are just grilling. While both are good, barbe ...
|