Grill TipsGrills, Barbecues & Food

There is nothing that says summer like grillin’ and chillin’ at the backyard BBQ. Steaks, chicken, ribs or burgers, they all seem to taste better when cooked on the grill. But as good as they taste now, there are a number of “tips” that can help you make the most of your summer grill

Jack Daniel’s has long been a part of BBQing in the US, sponsoring a number of BBQ contests and being a key ingredient in some of the best BBQ sauces. We’ve assembled a few of the tips that have helped past winners of those competitions, and have listed them here for you:

Start with a clean grill. Although that salmon you prepared last night was the best ever, it probably won’t enhance the taste of the hamburgers you’re having today. Scrub the grill with a wire brush and abrasive pad to remove all remnants of your past successes. You’re about to create a new masterpiece!

Oil the grill with a good vegetable or olive oil. You’ve paid good money for the food you’re about to cook. Let’s not leave part of it stuck to the grill!

Pre-heat the grill on high for at least 10 – 15 minutes, or light the charcoal about 20 – 30 minutes before you start the cooking. You want to be sure the grill is hot enough to sear the meat to seal in the natural juices.

Place a foil pie plate half-filled with extra marinade mixed with water on the searing surface (flavourizer bars, lava rocks, etc) directly under the part of the grill where the meat will be. Used with thicker cuts of meat, this will help to add flavour and keep the meat juicy.

Season the food lightly before placing it on the grill. Food has wonderful natural flavour that BBQing enhances. If you like a bit of spice, try a dry rub or a marinade (which will also help to tenderize less expensive cuts of meat).

After quickly searing the meat on both sides, reduce the heat to medium (raise the rack if using charcoal) and close the grill cover. Resist the temptation to open the grill cover more than just twice moreonce to turn the meat, and then for the final five minutes. Doing this will make the food wonderfully tender.

Put sauces on the food in the last 5 minutes of grilling time. Most sauces have fats and sugar in them which will burn if put on too early. The fire department has better things to do than helping you cook.

This sauce is great for perking up any simply grilled meats, poultry or fish. Brush it on just minutes before you pull the meat off the grill.

Jack’s Secret Weapon All-Purpose BBQ Glaze

1/2 cup Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Visit the Jack Daniel’s website at www.jackdaniels.com, to find lots of good ideas to help with your Summer Grill.

About The Author

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.

News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial “fill” items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.

Written By: News Canada

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Wow I have a hankering for some really good grill roasted chicken, the melt in your mouth variety with some fresh homemade salsa slathered right on top. Just seems that we never have time during the lazy days of summer to everything done. You know, you have to mow the grass, weed the garden and if you’re lucky harvest a bounty of fresh produce from your own little truck farm. Now you expect me to cook supper too? It’s time to tell you my secret and go hunting for my favorite “yard bird”, Capt’n Salsa’s Grill Roasted Yard Bird, to be exact.

Yes.

Delicious golden brown moist and tender some of the best melt in your mouth grill roasted chicken you will ever eat. Now, don’t let the hunting phrase concern you. The extent of hunting chicken for me is looking for a big plump 3 to 4 pounder at the local grocery or meat market. I always bag my limit of two because it is just as easy to cook two at the same time to guarantee some leftovers…

“Come on, Capt’n Salsa, quit beating around the bushes and just give us the recipe!”

Oh, Okay.

Capt’n Salsa’s Grill Roasted Yard bird is so easy you will probably laugh. Of course it goes with out saying you need to rinse the chicken in cold water before you cook it. All you are going to need is a generous amount of Lemon Pepper Seasoning. Mix up a solution of 1 part vegetable oil with 4 parts of Apple Cider Vinegar, remember that’s the brown vinegar, together in a squirt bottle, an empty syrup bottle will do just fine.

Now we are going to cook our grilled chicken whole on your favorite charcoal or 2 burner gas grill using the “indirect heat” method. Your grill needs a lid that will close, too. Most of the time now I just use the gas grill, heating the grill with both burners, then turn one of them totally off, yes, off and the other burner turn it all the way down to low.

I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Preheat your choice of grills. Then rinse and clean the birds. Now hose down the chicken with the mixture of oil and vinegar using the squirt bottle and sprinkle a generous portion of Lemon Pepper Seasoning all over the chicken. Don’t forget the body cavity.

Place the chicken breast side up on the grill away from the heat source, above the burner that is turned off, indirect heat method remember. Squirt a little more oil and vinegar into the cavity of the chicken until it “overflows.” Now close the lid. You want a low to medium low heat level. The objective is to take at least 2 to 2 hours to cook the chicken, nice and slow. Don’t worry after a couple of times you will have it “down to a science” and know what works best for you.

Once you have your chicken on the grill go mow the grass or work in your garden for the next 2 to 2 hours without even looking at the birds…well, if you insist on looking after about an hour, you can raise the lid and give the birds a good squirt of the oil and vinegar solution…Now, close that lid and get back to work…ggg.

You will know the chicken is done by grabbing the tip of one of the legs with a paper towel, careful it will be hot, and gently twist the leg bone in a circle. If the leg bone easily breaks free at the joint, the chicken is done – a beautiful golden brown, moist and tender every time.

Easy huh?

Place the chicken on the grill, mow the grass and when you are finished with your yard you have Capt’n Salsa’s Grill Roasted Chicken make that Yard Bird! Serve it up with one of your favorite homemade salsa recipes.

Roasted Corn Salsa or tasty Salsa de Tomatillos Delicious! Wrap it all up in a warm tortilla, complete with your favorite thirst quenching beverage and you will marvel about how great your yard looks.

Imagine. Mowing the grass and cooking supper all at the same time…Enjoy!

About the Author

Capt’n Salsa provides an outstanding collection of free homemade salsa recipes at his web site, Great Salsa. Submit your favorite salsa recipe for publication at: http://www.great-salsa.com/submit_your_favorite_recipe.html

Written By: Capt’n Salsa

The holidays bring with them thoughts of carving and serving delicious turkey dinners to your family and friends. Tradition has its fans, but perhaps this year you’d like to try a twist to your turkey recipe. If you have a gas grill and enjoy the smoky flavor of grilled meats, why not try grilling your turkey this year? It’s not only possible, it is rather simple. And it delivers a delicious flavored bird to your table. Plus, having the turkey on the grill instead of the oven leaves you with all the room you need to prepare the rest of your dinner in less time.

When you are ready to buy your turkey, the first thing to consider is the size of your grill. You don’t want a bird that is so enormous that it can’t fit on the grill rack. Ideally, the turkey you select should sit on the grill and the lid should close without touching the bird. If this isn’t possible, don’t worry, you can still grill your turkey. You’ll need some heavy duty aluminum foil and either a V shaped grill stand or another metal cooking instrument that you can safely use to prop open the lid of the grill.

Prepare and stuff the turkey as you normally would. Place it on the grill so that it is positioned over one burner that you can turn off. Turn that burner off and the other burner or burners on. Since you can’t really “flip” a turkey, you want the turkey to cook by indirect heat, not by a direct flame underneath it.

You get the smoky flavor by using wood chips. If you haven’t used wood chips before, they’re easy to use. You soak them in water so that as they dry out from the heat of the grill, they’ll release a flavored smoke that infuses the turkey. You can purchase a tray that is designed for putting wood chips on the grill or you can make one yourself from heavy duty aluminum foil. Take the wood chips out of the water and put them into your tray. Place the tray on the grill over the lit burner.

Next, close the lid fully if possible. If not possible, prop the lid up just enough to keep it from touching the turkey. Then cover the remainder of the opening with aluminum foil. If heat gets out you will probably have to cook the turkey longer. However, the foil creates enough of a barrier so the smoke is kept circulating inside the grill and flavoring the turkey.

The time required to cook the turkey will vary depending on whether or not you were able to close your grill completely. If you can, it will take less time. If you can’t, you might want to increase the heat on the other burner or burners to try to make up for the lost heat by having to prop open the grill. After a couple of hours, rotate the turkey 180 degrees to help ensure even cooking.

As with any method of cooking poultry, it’s important to make sure that the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideally you should use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature as you cook. If you don’t have one, then you’ll have to check the readiness by poking the thigh with a fork or skewer. If the juices that run out are clear and the turkey has turned a nice golden-brown color, then you are ready to remove it from the grill. Consider glazing the turkey with a sauce you use on other meats, or possibly adding barbecue sauce to the traditional cranberry sauce as a condiment. Don’t be afraid to experiment – enjoy the new twist you’re putting on an old family tradition.

About the author:

Mike Wolderbaum reviews natura l gas grills models and brands at http://www.Natural-Gas- Grills.info where you can learn how natural gas grills work, tips and tricks on using the grills and how to shop for grills and accessories.

Written By: Mike Wolderbaum

Using a tandoori paste from a jar makes this spicy chicken dish fast and easy. Marinate the meat at the cottage in the morning, or combine the chicken and marinade and marinate overnight in the refrigerator before leaving for the cottage the next day. This marinade is also lovely for grilled lamb chops. You can make the raita at home and bring it along in the cooler.

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1 kg – cut into lengthwise strips
2-3 tbsp tandoori paste (homemade or purchased) 25-45 mL
1/4 cup plain yogurt 50 mL
olive oil

RAITA:

1/2 large English cucumber, finely chopped
2 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt 2 mL
1 cup plain yogurt, strained 250 mL
2 tbsp chopped cilantro 25 mL
1/4 tsp roasted cumin 1 mL
1 pepper

Procedure

Marinate chicken in a combination of tandoori paste and yogurt for several hours or overnight in refrigerator.
Thread chicken accordion fashion on bamboo skewers that have been soaked in hot water for 30 minutes. Discard marinade. Preheat barbecue grill to 550 F. After pre-heating grill, adjust all burners to medium heat. Lightly brush each piece of chicken with olive oil then grill over direct medium heat for 8-10 minutes, just until chicken is cooked through.
To make raita, seed and finely chop the cucumber and tomato paste. Salt the vegetables and let stand for 30 minutes to remove some of the excess moisture. Line a mesh strainer with a coffee filter, set it over a bowl and drain the yogurt over the coffee filter and bowl in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Discard liquid and place the yogurt in a bowl. Drain the vegetables and add to the yogurt. Stir in the chopped cilantro and roasted cumin. Season with pepper to taste and refrigerate. Raita may be made up to two days ahead. Serve chicken immediately with lots of turmeric-scented basmati rice and some of the raita on the side.

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Weber-Stephen Products Co.

Easy Extras

Store-bought frozen Naan bread
Pappadums
Cold Beer
Lime pickle or hot mango chutney
Jars of shelf-stable Raita
Basmati Rice
Cooling fresh fruit like: Mangoes, Bananas or Pineapple for dessert

-News Canada

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.

News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial “fill” items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.

Written By: News Canada

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