Thursday, August 09, 2007

Three Secrets for Grilling



Barbecuing is in full swing! Here are three secrets to better grilling!

Nothing tastes better than a dinner grilled and seasoned to perfection.

There are actually three methods to grill the perfect barbecue meal. You can use a dry rub, marinade, or a juicy sauce. The key to each method are the ingredients or spices that you use and the form the spices take.

For example, ground pepper is much more flavorful when ground fresh and to the size indicated in the recipe. You don’t want large chunks of pepper in a sauce but you might prefer a more coarsely ground pepper if you’re placing the spice right on your meat or vegetable. Additionally, when using dried spiced, take a moment to crush the spices in your fingers or in a bowl. The crushing action releases the flavor and will enhance the meal.

When in doubt, follow the recipe. Here are a few suggestions for each grilling method:

Dry Rubs.

Dry rubs work for any meat choice whether you prefer fish, beef, chicken or pork and they do well to season potatoes and other easily grilled vegetables. For both meats and veggies garlic or freshly ground peppercorns are a quick seasoning. Consider also adding gourmet salt to any vegetable or meat.

To kick it up a notch, try this fantastic dry rub on lamb.

· 2 cloves of garlic, minced.
· 2 tablespoons of dried rosemary
· 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper.

Combine the ingredients and rub on 4 lamb loin chops. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Grill and eat!

Marinades.

Most any food will benefit from a marinade before grilling, including Portobello mushrooms. Marinades are simply a combination of three ingredients: an acid, oil, and flavorings. Acids can take the form of citrus juices or vinegars, oils and flavorings are up to your imagination. Popular and tasty flavorings are garlic, sugars, and herbs like cumin, oregano, basil, rosemary, mint, and even fennel.

Try this marinade on your choice of meat.

· 2 tbsp soy sauce
· ½ tsp ground ginger
· 1 tbsp lemon zest
· 2 tsp sesame oil
· 1 garlic clove minced
· 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
· 1 tsp brown sugar.

Mix all ingredients together. Place meat, like flank steak or chicken breasts, into a large bowl or resealable bag and add marinade. Refrigerate overnight. Discard marinade, grill and enjoy!

Barbecue Sauces.

Barbeque sauces are perhaps the most common method of flavoring your grilled meats You can make an amazing sauce at home if you have the right spices and seasonings. Mysecretpantry.com also carries a wide variety of grilling sauces.

Try this easy recipe the next time you're tempted to grill and you'll amaze your friends and family with your culinary skills.

· 1 cup chili sauce
· 1 cup ketchup
· ¼ cup steak sauce
· 1 tbsp ground tamarind seeds
· 1 tbsp minced or pressed garlic
· ¼ cup freshly grated horseradish
· 2 tbsp dry mustard
· 1 tbsp hot sauce or Tabasco
· 1 tbsp buckwheat honey.
· 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Combine all the ingredients together and brush on your grilled meats as they cook. Of course don't forget to save some for dipping.

Mysecretpantry.com has all of your barbeque items and more! Enjoy grilling this summer and don’t forget to spice it up!

1 Comments:

At 2:47 PM, Blogger Jeff Saville said...

You Guys ROCK!

 

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