MEN OF IRON

A must have for the grill is a good sized cast iron skillet. When you need to sear a steak or a chop, nothing works like cast iron. A key to this cooking utensil is seasoning the skillet. Seasoning is not herbs and spices here. Seasoning is about caring for the skillet to allow the metal to actually impart a flavor to the meat. First - NEVER clean with soap. Only wipe clean with a wet towel and dry completely. Second, after using, cleaning and drying (iron will rust if water remains - not a tasty thing), oil the skillet with a vegetable oil (not olive oil) and let sit (I actually slightly heat the skillet after applying the oil). Wipe out any excess oil to leave a clean coating. Do this every time you use.
Using the skillet on the barbeque reqires that you get the skillet very hot before you put the meat on. Also, be very careful since the handle will also get burning hot - only handle with gloves if you need to move it - otherwise, just let it cool on the grill after it is off.

MEXICAN CORN ON THE COB

So, twist up your side on your next BBQ this summer. Instead of butter, try this - grill the corn on the grill (I actually grill corn in the husk, then pull it back with gloves after they are cook - it keeps the kernels from burning - also have a spray bottle of water around to allow for steaming). Then, shmear with a little mayo, dust on a little chili powder, sprinkle some parmesan cheese and serve with a wedge of lime to be drizzled on while eating. Or use with your shot of tequila.

FUN PLACE TO BUY INTERESTING FOOD PRODUCTS

Next time you are having a party and want to try something different (and you are somewhat creative in the kitchen) try shopping at BIG LOTS. Not only can you find some interesting food products (a lot of discontinued products and the like), but there are also a lot of service products (pans, cooking utensils, etc.). Give it a try - given the price, you can play a bit with the different products.

Handling your Meat

One of the most important things to remember when you cook is proper food handling. Flavoring and cooking is almost secondary to proper working with food. Avoid cross contamination when dealing with raw meat (use different cutting boards and utensils), keep and continuously clean work areas (hot soapy water or disinfectant spray) and cook all foods to proper tempetures (learn proper internal temps for different meats and always check with probe thermometers).

Memorial Day BBQ tips

Marinate your Meat- Give your meat for tomorrow's bar-b-que a day of chilling with your favorite marinade in the coldest part of your refrig (the lowest bin). Then, a couple of hours before you start to cook the mighty meat, bring it up to room temp. unless you are going to cook it to rare at most (the cool center will hold better if the meat remains cool).

HOT TOMATOES

For an added kick to your next Bar-B-Que, grill up some tomatoes. Select firm, large tomatoes and slice thick or skewer cherry tomatoes. It has been reported that heated tomatoes release lycopene more efficiently, which is believed to assist in the heart benefits of tomatoes. So, when eaten with a fat (steak/ribs/chicken), you are actually following the Mediterranean diet.

FRUIT FOR A BAR-B-QUE SWEETNESS

Rather than using traditional BBQ sauces that contain huge amounts of processed sugar (and will give you a burnt taste if the sugar goes beyond carmelization), try using different fruits. Pineapple skewered with chicken is pretty straight forward. But how about mashed blueberries as a coating ?? Fresh sour cherries on pork is wonderful. Stay with the fresh stuff, rather than the canned products, otherwise, you are back on the sugar track.

BAR-B-QUE CHICKEN

Forget about beer chicken (where you stick a can of beer up the chicken's . . . ). Next time, show some culinary skill by butterflying the chicken before cooking. To butterfly, cut the backbone out of the chicken with kitchen/poultry scissors (the toughest part is when you reach the hip bones).
The technique requires that you cut along each side of the backbone, cutting through the ribs. After removing the backbone, you can also remove the breastbone by pressing the chicken down after splitting it open and pulling it out with your fingers.
Bar-B-Que skin side up with planks. Drink the beer. Enjoy.

CREATING A BAR-B-QUE OUT OF A GAS GRILL

Oh, the great fight. How to get the flavor of bar-b-que (charcoal/wood) from a gas grill, which has the speed and convenience. Smoke boxes and wood chips in the grill do work, though care has to be taken not to over-smoke the food, which will leave the meat bitter.
Couple of tricks. Start off the grill hot with the smoke box loaded with your wood chips in place. Once the wood chips start to smoke, drop the meat on above the smoke box, turn the flames to their lowest setting and let it cook slow. Do not turn the meat (the smoke crust will form on the top side of the meat, while a sear will develop on the bottom).
Experiment to learn your grill.

Cutting Carbs in Baking

If you are carb-sensitive (personally or for health reasons) try substituting about 1/3 of the flour in a baking recipe with Almond meal/flour. While you will not get the same texture/rising out of your baked products, you will significantly reduce the carb count (and you get the heart benefit of eating almonds).

Pickle Your Salad

As a side salad for your bar-b-que, a great way to cut dressing calories without cutting taste is to add pickled vegis to your fresh salads. Pickling can be as easy as storing vegis is a vinegar and herb mix (white wine vinegar and dill works - though you can also buy commercial pickling spices). Choose firm, root type vegetables, and make in small batches, refrigerate and enjoy quickly, since they will sour within the week.