Morning Wood...

Choose Your Wood:

The type of wood chunks you select for smoking meat will play a large part in the taste of your finished product. Some wood options taste better with specific cuts and types of meat. Here is a small list of wood options for you:

• Cherry: Sweet and mild flavor; great for unseasoned meats, especially turkey, beef or pork.
• Hickory: Strong and smoky flavor; works well with lamb and beef.
• Mesquite: Extremely strong and smoky–recommended for short grilling over long smoking; best with beef or pork, especially ribs.
• Oak: Slow cooking, strong and versatile; recommended for beef, lamb, pork or wild game.
• Apple: Sweet and mild flavor; works well with poultry, fish or pork.
• Alder: Light and sweet flavor; suitable for fish and poultry.
• Maple: Sweet and smoky taste; works well with poultry or pork.

Happy BBQ folks...

Recipe of the Week

Happy Belated Mothers Day. I am going to make salmon on the grill tonight for my mom so I thought I would share this with the class...There are many ways to cook salmon but my favorite way is to grill it. The natural oils in the salmon keep it moist but also create a slight crispiness on the outside of the fish.

There are just a few basic steps to the perfectly Grilled Salmon: 

Preheat Your Grill

You want to preheat your grill to a high heat so that you can burn off whatever may be left on it. After the grill has been on high for a couple of minutes, use a grill brush to clean the grate thoroughly. Turn the heat down to medium high heat for grilling your salmon. This will give the salmon those nice grill marks without burning the outside.

Prepare Your Salmon

Salmon has such a wonderful natural flavor on its own so all you really need to season it is a sprinkle of salt and pepper. I follow the Weber method!!

1. Prep the salmon by lightly brushing it with olive oil and season it evenly with salt and pepper.
2. Place the salmon at an angle over direct high heat with the flesh side of the salmon on the grates
3. Close the lid and let the salmon cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Before flipping, check to see if the salmon is sticking to the grates. If it is sticking, then it needs to cook a little longer. Check back in another minute.
5. Flip the salmon to the other side using tongs and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes.
6. When the salmon is done, the flesh will flake off and you will be able to take it off the grill using a new tong to lift it and a spatula to get underneath it.
7. Scoop the flesh off the skin and transfer your filets to your plate.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Sunday Funnies

Recipe Of The Week: The Classic Cheeseburger

In my inaugural recipe of the week I want to start off with the classic cheeseburger.
According to "Wikipedia", Americans contend they were the first to combine two slices of bread and a steak of ground beef into a "hamburger sandwich" and sell it. Part of the controversy over the origin of the hamburger is because the two basic ingredients, bread and beef, were prepared and consumed separately for many years before their combination. Shortly after its creation, the hamburger was prepared with all of the now typically characteristic trimmings, including onions, lettuce, and sliced pickles.

There are as many hamburger recipes as there are hamburger joints across this land we know as the USA. Just as anything else in the food world, you can do whatever turns you on. That's the beauty of cooking...I like to do my burgers simple. I use 80/20 ground chuck, salt, pepper,  a little Worcestershire sauce, a little cheese and a great toasted bun and that's it. I'm making a burger not a meatloaf.



Ingredients:

                2 lbs 80/20 ground chuck 
                4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
                2 tsp kosher or sea salt
                2 tsp cracked black pepper
                4 hamburger rolls
                4 slices of your favorite cheese. I prefer cheddar or pepper jack
                lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle slices or whatever you like to add to your burgers!

• Pre-Heat your grill to a medium high heat. Place meat in large bowl; pour Worcestershire sauce over beef and gently mix with hands. Divide meat into 4 very loose balls, then gently shape into patties 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and about 1/2 inch in diameter larger than your hamburger buns. Slightly press center of each burger patty making a small well (This is to prevent your burger from swelling up).
• Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on 1 side of each burger. Place burgers, seasoned side down, on grill over medium heat. Sprinkle top of each burger with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover grill and don't mess with it, and especially don't ever ever ever press your burger down with your spatula. If you do you will lose all of those flavorful juices. Cook 5 to 6 minutes the juices will start to push up to the top of the burger. Turn the burger once and only once. After about 3 minutes (for med rare) add your cheese and cover the grill again for about 1 minute to get the cheese perfectly melted. Take the burgers off the grill and let them sit while you place your split hamburger rolls on the grill to toast. This should take about a minute. Add your favorite condiments lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo, mustard, ketchup or whatever makes you happy. Enjoy with a cold beverage and great friends.
• Happy Grilling!!
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Grilling 101: How Do I Get Those Awesome Grill Marks On My Steak

Here we are on May 1, you know what that means don't you? Right you are Capt. Obvious, Grilling Season is upon us. If you love to cook outdoors like I do, grilling season never ends. But, to the casual backyard cook May starts it all off, especially if you live in the upper Midwest like I do. 
One of the many questions that I have been asked is how do you get those awesome grill marks on your steak? Let's go through the process, It's so easy anyone can do it.

As a backyard cook you know that perfect grill marks are like a badge of honor. Kind of like home run, a touchdown or a goal. You get that euphoric feeling in the pit of your stomach, you stand tall, your shoulders are back and your chest automatically puffs up...Stop looking at those marks we are not finished cooking yet. Here are the easy steps that you need to follow to make the perfect marks every time! 

1. Get your grill HOT: make sure you preheat your grill for at least 15 minutes on high with the cover on before even thinking about cooking. Grill grates that are not hot will not sear the meat.

2. Get your steak to room temp. Make sure you take your steak out of the fridge and get it to room temp. before cooking.

3. Oil your meat: There are 2 different thoughts on this. Some say oil the grates.That is a whole other thing that we can get into at another time. I prefer to oil the meat itself with a bit of olive oil. 

4. Start the cooking process: Place your steak on the hot grate and let them cook til the meat tells you it's ready. Phil, what the hell are you taking about? Well grasshopper I will tell you. Food will release from the grill naturally. Meats release collagen, fruits and veggies juices, and, once those sear marks have done their job and sealed in the juices, your food will be ready for a quarter turn to get the hash marks perfect. After the quarter turn keep on the grill for about 2 minutes then flip.

5. Finish Up with style: After you have flipped the steak use the center as an axis point if you will to keep those grill marks lined up. Remember, your steak is almost done, so you don't have to keep it on as long as you did the first side. After about 2 minutes your steak should be a perfect rare.

6. Rest before cutting: It is crucial to rest the meat for about 5 minutes (for the perfect medium rare) to insure that you don't lose those juices. This is when I add a bit of garlic infused butter on top of the steak (remember the steak will continue to cook). Viola the perfect steak. 

Sunday Funnies

Grilling 101: Lumpwood Charcoal vs Charcoal Briquettes

Just as the debate rages on about gas or charcoal, there are differing opinions about the type of charcoal to use. Briquettes burn more consistently, but they contain additives and generate more ash. Lump charcoal can burn hotter (which is cool if you're searing meat) and can be made with specific woods that leave a trace of their essence on the food. But the bags can contain excess dust that may block the flow of oxygen in a grill.
If you're looking for a smoky, authentic BBQ flavor, Lumpwood Charcoal is regarded as the most flavorful and authentic.
"Pros: Lights quickly, burns hotter, little ash production, easier temperature adjustment, all natural.
 Cons: Burns faster, more expensive, less consistent (bags can contain unusable small pieces of charcoal)"

The most common for the backyard cooks are the briquettes.  Unlike it's counterpart (Lumpwood Charcoal), Briquettes are all about consistency, convenience, and accessibility. You can find them at just about any store and you know exactly what to expect from them when you light up the grill. They'll cook your food evenly because they're packed with additives and chemicals ( mostly coal, limestone, borax and cornstarch) that allow for that even burn. While breathing in too much smoke may cause adverse health effects, there isn't much evidence that the additives in the briquettes have any impact on food. What they do impact, is control over the cooking process. Controlling heat is really vital, and briquettes are just a rock-solid heat source. DON'T EVER use the lighter fluid like instant-light briquettes. Way too many chemicals and leaves a nasty aftertaste.