Articles Index
Steak Doneness - From Rare to Well, How to Cook a Steak
Everyone likes their steak cooked a little different. Warmed through or burnt dry, there is a science to the perfect steak and knowing how to grill them to everyone's preference can be a challenge. Know the difference between medium and medium rare and you'll be ready to make everyone happy.
Smokers - By Type
There are many different types of smokers on the market. To find the one that is right for you, we need to sort them all out first. Barbecue smokers come in a wide range of prices, fuels, sizes, and construction. This can be very confusing, but with a little help, you should be able to find the one that is meets all your needs.
Brining Turkey - Step by Step
Brining a turkey is a simple process, but you need to start a day before you plan to cook. A whole turkey can take up to 24 hours to properly brine depending on the size so, plan ahead. Brining makes the most of a turkey. It adds moisture and tenderness to the meat. Throw in some herbs and spices to enhance the flavor. All you really need to brine a turkey is the bird and some salt and water. Step one is determining how much water you need.
Alabama Barbecue Chicken with White Sauce
In Northern Alabama, barbecue means pork and chicken and barbecue sauce is white. Down here, barbecue joints, like Big Bob Gibson's have been keeping this tradition alive for decades and continue to draw fans from around the world to this truly unique form of barbecue. White sauce is a concoction of mayonnaise, cider vinegar, lemon juice, black pepper, and salt. If you have never tried this kind of barbecue there are three reasons you should; it's easy, it's inexpensive, and it's delicious.
Grilling Steaks - Step by Step
Steaks are amongst the most popular meat to hit the grill and the one most people have trouble getting just right. The trouble is, everyone seems to want their steak cooked differently and since the cooking time is so short it is easy to get it wrong. Knowing your steak and how the feel of it changes as you grill it is the most important part. Yes, this means practice is the key to the perfect steak. Follow these steps and you really can get a great steak every time.
Smoking Turkey - Step by Step
Smoking turkey is an easy and fantastic way to make your holiday meal all that better. By cooking your turkey low and slow with a big dose of smoke, you get a tender, flavorful bird that people will talk about for the next year. Follow the steps, take your time, and you will truly have one of the best turkeys you have every eaten.
Making Pastrami
Making your own pastrami is an easy thing to do if you have a smoker and you start with a store bought corned beef. The result is a wonderful pastrami that you flavor and smoke to your own liking. This is a great thing to throw on the smoker when you are smoking something else because it doesn't take a lot of time or space. So start making your own pastrami, get something wonderful, and save yourself some money.
Making Chipotle Chilies
Chipotle chilies are smoked and dried jalapeņos. The unique combination of smoky flavor with peppery heat makes, these perfect for so many uses. They can be put in soups, sauces and beans. Ground into powder they can be added to spice rubs or sprinkled over virtually anything.
The Perfect Restaurant Steak
The best steak restaurant steak isn't grilled, it's fried. Yes, what you need is a flaming hot, heavy, cast iron skillet. You'll also need a hot grill (or oven), a good steak, butter, salt, pepper, herbs and a meat thermometer.
Roasting Chestnuts
In olden times chestnuts, a holiday favorite, were roasted over an open fire. The high, intense heat cooks the chestnuts and they literally pop open. Now you may not be practiced in cooking over your fireplace but your backyard grill, whether charcoal or gas, will do a great job. Prepare the chestnuts and grill them hot and you will be enjoying these great morsels with your family in less than 30 minutes.
Grilling Eggplant - Making Baba Ghanoush
Baba Ghanoush is a traditional Middle Eastern dish that is so beloved it traveled the ancient world from India to Morocco. While recipes will vary the basics of this fantastic dish remain. Roasted eggplants, olive oil, tahini (kind of a sesame butter), garlic, and lemon juice. The base for this dish is fire roasted eggplant. To get these eggplants just right you need a lot of heat, not the kind of heat your oven can pump out but the heat of your grill.
Grilling Ham - Step by Step
Many people seem challenged by cooking their Holiday Ham (or Easter, or whenever) which is ironic since Hams don't need to be cooked. What this means is that Ham is about the easiest meat to cook. I don't really need to worry about the internal temperature other than getting it warm and you can cook it by most any means. What you do need to be careful with is overcooking. Ham is great out of the package and pretty much useless if its dried out.
Making Beer Can Chicken
Beer can chicken, also know as beer in the butt chicken, is a great method for roasting a whole chicken on the grill, in a smoker or even in your oven without the chicken drying out. Basically the method requires a can of beer and a chicken. Open the beer, drink half of it, set it on an even cooking surface and then set the chicken over the can so it looks like the chicken is sitting down. The can should be inside the chicken now. Cook until done and you are ready to eat a great chicken.
Making Hamburger Patties
There are a lot of ways to make a good hamburger patty. You can choose ground beef, pork, lamb, sausage, turkey, or more. You can stuff the patties full of garlic, cheese, spices, peppers, or virtually anything small enough to fit. You can mix into the ground meat, eggs, bread crumbs, cream, and everything but the kitchen sink. Regardless of what you put in (and simpler is usually better), you need to make the right patty.
Trimming Steaks
Steaks start out virtually perfect, especially when you get a good steak. One rule about the way steaks cook is that the fat is going to shrink faster than the meat. This can cause the fat to fold or compress the meat. This pressure can squeeze out the juices and make the steak more difficult to eat. So sometimes you need to trim a steak to make it cook better. You will also reduce the risk of flare-ups by reducing the amount of fat.
Making a Flower Pot Grill
In this day and age it's almost hard to think of grilling without a grill. Once, long ago you could cook a meal with a good fire and a trusty stick. Of course, most people don't have space to light up a campfire in the yard and sit back to cook threaded foods on sticks. Just too messy. A great, fun way to cook up a special meal is with a flower pot.
Barbecue & Grilling 2011 Readers' Choice Awards
From the hundreds of nominations received between January 13th and February 4th I have found the top five nominees in each of six categories: Charcoal Grill, Gas Grill, Backyard Smoker, Competition Smoker, Barbecue Sauce, and Barbecue Rub. Now it is time for you to vote for your favorites and give a years worth of bragging rights to the winners. Winners will be announced on March 15th.
Grilling Corn on the Cob
There are few things better than fresh corn on the cob. As a kid we grew a small patch of corn in the yard because Dad wouldn't eat corn that wasn't as fresh as possible. Now why would you want to boil all the flavor out of corn that fresh. Roasted on the grill you preserve the freshness of the corn and add the smokiness of the grill. So next time you find yourself with some really fresh corn on the cob, try grilling it for the best flavor.
Trimming a Whole Pork Spare Rib Rack
The typical rack of pork spare ribs has a lot more than just the ribs. The actual rib section, what you might get at a restaurant or see in barbecue competitions is a portion of the whole spare rib section. If you get to know your ribs and know how to trim them you will be able to smoke or grill great barbecue ribs without any trouble. The trouble comes from the uneven cooking that this big sheet of meat is going to give you, so you need to know how to trim.
Rotisserie Chicken - Step by Step
Rotisserie chicken in not only a popular fast food from your local deli counter, it is the great way to cook chicken. Two things not commonly known about rotisserie chicken is that it is best fresh and delicious 10 minutes off the grill, not spending hours under a warming lamp. Also, preparing a rotisserie chicken is quite simple. With a grill (charcoal or gas), a rotisserie kit, and a chicken, we can achieve a much tastier rotisserie chicken at home than available at most grocery stores.
Brisket - Step by Step
Brisket is considered the hardest barbecue to smoke. This tough, fatty cut of beef can be a challenge to any barbecue cook, but if you plan ahead, have the right supplies, and are very, very patient you will be rewarded with a fantastic meal.
Making a Halibut Packet
Packet cooking is a great way to grill almost anything and a perfect way to prepare a whole dish all at once. These simple Halibut packets will hold the fish together while providing loads of flavor. The secret is to prepare individual servings and grill them quickly. You can prepare these ahead of time and freeze them or simply arrange the packets just minutes before they hit the grill.
Barbecue Ribs on a Gas Grill
Cooking ribs with a genuine barbecue flavor using a gas grill is often a challenge. Gas grills are great for hot and fast cooking but, not so good when you need to turn a rack of ribs into tender, smoky barbecue. However, there are some tricks you can use. To get the best possible ribs from your gas grill, all you need is this three step process.
Grilling Chicken - Step by Step
Chicken is one of the most popular foods to hit the grill and one of the ones that gives people the most trouble. What you need to get is even, complete cooking of different sized pieces, prevent burning and flare-ups and end up with chicken that is flavorful, tender, and moist. To do this, we are going to plan out a method that accomplish all this simply and with the least effort. Once you have mastered this you will be grilling chicken as frequently as you do burgers or steaks.
Pulled Pork Step by Step
Pulled Pork is the cornerstone of American barbecue, dating back to well before the Revolution. In the old days whole hogs were were slow roasted to perfection and shredded by hand to be served to the hundreds that showed up to these old style barbecues. These days pulled pork can be easily prepared on a small scale for any need. Follow these simple steps and you, a pork shoulder and a smoker will be making great barbecue.