Today I’m super excited and happy for various reasons, first my darling friend Marnely Rodriguez from cooking with books is celebrating her 100th blog post, so after you are done here check out her especial post by clicking her name!
And secondly, I’m excited because we are just a couple of days away from the 4th of July! And that could only mean one thing, BARBECUING baby!
And it doesn’t matter if you are celebrating independence day or not (so don’t get jealous my fellow Dominicans) it's all about enjoying this lovely weather and getting to soak up the sun while having your friends over and getting that grill going! So starting today I’m doing a 2 day post series of BBQ tips on how to get ready for the big day. So lets get started!
![]()
Charcoal. Make sure you get real natural coals that look like they came from an actual tree, they burn faster and last longer then those almost plastic self burning ones. You want your food to taste like it was grilled not like chemicals.
Smokey yummy flavor. If you are a smoked flavor lover like me get wood chips like mesquite, apple and other popular woods that are going to add a beautiful smoked flavor to your meats. You can also use herb stems to aromatize.
Condition it before using it. Take a minute and make sure your grill is clean. Take old ash out so it doesn’t come out flying off when you start a new fire, wash and scrape off the rods of your grill so there’s no old food residues. After it dries use a rolled up cloth soaked with oil and pass it trough the rods to lubricate them.
![]()
Also have in mind soaking wooden skewers if you are thinking of using them, this is going to prevent them from catching fire.
Temp up. Lets face it, not all of us are grill masters, so be sure to get a thermometer to measure the right temp for the different meats and terms. Go to http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/meat_temperatures.html to learn about the right temps.
Grill up. Once the fire is on, make sure to identify your cooking zones. This means finding those really hot spots you can mark and sear your meats, and those less hot for slow cooking (or finishing cooking) meats as for holding them hot too.
Its also good to set zones for all the different types of meat you are grilling so they don’t carry undesirable flavors.
Heat it up. Once the fire is on let your grill get as hot as possible. The hotter the grill the less of the items you grill are going to stick to the rods. Already hot, separate the coals with the help of tongs to spread the fire around.
Well guys how are all these tips for starters! Although I wanted to given them all away today, I have to continue tomorrow. In our 2nd part of this bbq series of posts, were we are going to talk about the best cuts of meat to use when grilling, best seasonings spices, marinated recipes, and more fun tips for you to have the best barbecue weekend ever!
I'll leave you with this one tip so you come back tomorrow looking for more!
Season up. When it comes to seasoning I am old school, I like using salt and pepper. Use coarse salt before and after meat is done. Fresh ground pepper is perfect to give that spicy and crunch bite to your favorite cuts of meat. Make sure you season your meat even if you marinaded them all night... but more about that tomorrow.
‘till next time
Fran
And secondly, I’m excited because we are just a couple of days away from the 4th of July! And that could only mean one thing, BARBECUING baby!
And it doesn’t matter if you are celebrating independence day or not (so don’t get jealous my fellow Dominicans) it's all about enjoying this lovely weather and getting to soak up the sun while having your friends over and getting that grill going! So starting today I’m doing a 2 day post series of BBQ tips on how to get ready for the big day. So lets get started!
bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq-bbq
Smokey yummy flavor. If you are a smoked flavor lover like me get wood chips like mesquite, apple and other popular woods that are going to add a beautiful smoked flavor to your meats. You can also use herb stems to aromatize.
Condition it before using it. Take a minute and make sure your grill is clean. Take old ash out so it doesn’t come out flying off when you start a new fire, wash and scrape off the rods of your grill so there’s no old food residues. After it dries use a rolled up cloth soaked with oil and pass it trough the rods to lubricate them.
Also have in mind soaking wooden skewers if you are thinking of using them, this is going to prevent them from catching fire.Get your tools out. Be sure to have: a long handle tong, platters, a big metal spatula, a brush; these are all must haves to be able to handle the grill.
Temp up. Lets face it, not all of us are grill masters, so be sure to get a thermometer to measure the right temp for the different meats and terms. Go to http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/meat_temperatures.html to learn about the right temps.
Grill up. Once the fire is on, make sure to identify your cooking zones. This means finding those really hot spots you can mark and sear your meats, and those less hot for slow cooking (or finishing cooking) meats as for holding them hot too.
Its also good to set zones for all the different types of meat you are grilling so they don’t carry undesirable flavors.
Heat it up. Once the fire is on let your grill get as hot as possible. The hotter the grill the less of the items you grill are going to stick to the rods. Already hot, separate the coals with the help of tongs to spread the fire around.
Well guys how are all these tips for starters! Although I wanted to given them all away today, I have to continue tomorrow. In our 2nd part of this bbq series of posts, were we are going to talk about the best cuts of meat to use when grilling, best seasonings spices, marinated recipes, and more fun tips for you to have the best barbecue weekend ever!
I'll leave you with this one tip so you come back tomorrow looking for more!
Season up. When it comes to seasoning I am old school, I like using salt and pepper. Use coarse salt before and after meat is done. Fresh ground pepper is perfect to give that spicy and crunch bite to your favorite cuts of meat. Make sure you season your meat even if you marinaded them all night... but more about that tomorrow.
‘till next time
Fran
Barbecue Baby!! I'm with ya! =) You're a brave girl delving into the sacred grounds of BBQ. Maybe it's cause I'm from S.C. where whole cemetaries have been filled b/c of BBQ feuds! =)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more tips.
@alanecooke
you're gorgeous. I love you.
ReplyDelete