Barbecue Blog

Barbeques with 300-400 degrees Fahrenheit at a stretch of 8 to 18 hours generate smoke and endow the distinctive flavor one craves. The food gets separated from the source of heat, and wood-chunks or smoldering logs are utilized to generate smoke charcoal. Cooking large pieces of meat could have been nothing better than this, as there are diverse heat sources like charcoal, gas, wood etc coming into play. Regulators keep things in check and let cooking go the way it should have been.

You won’t see either filthy hot ash to be further trapped in the tedious cleaning work. The wood barbecues will carry their distinctiveness in terms of flavor depending on the wood used. The same flavor can be had in gas barbeque (barbecues) by using the smoker box. Gas barbecues come with lots of gains than the rest, as simplicity factor always remains there with ignition coming in jiffy by a touch of button. It goes to the cooking heat in almost within 10 minutes.

Gas barbecue (barbecues) is amazing as the meat juices go right back into the dish to further vaporize. That’s where the real flavor of barbeques gets realized with almost no disarray of using charcoal. Reducing air pollution, getting longer life and arranging proper maintenance are some of the gains you have with gas barbecues.

All sorts of barbeques have been like a tradition in all of Australia with national zest. People find it their best bet to have fun in weekends under the sun along with Barbequed food. BBQs (BBQ) in Sydney will be nothing less than a delight, as you won’t have to wait for anything special like days. Barbeques in Australia are all the rage and its intensity could well be measured just by looking at the Australian wives having their men alongside in a BBQ party.

The next level stuff is also there to hit the scene early, as Infrared barbeques are the real future. Get ready to dish-up more for an infrared grill or barbeque, as it might cost you anything like a few thousand dollars or more. Even besides being expensive, people are paying up for these barbecues. This is absolutely not new to the world of cooking and fine cuisines, and more and more chefs around the globe love using them for their superior cooking abilities.

Perfect Pairings

July 11, 2007 – as published in the Beacon News and Naperville Sun

By Bill Garlough

With all of summer’s festivities, like Naperville’s Ribfest, barbecue takes center stage for casual dining. If beer is too filling and vodka tonics or margaritas are too strong, wine may be your beverage of choice. With barbecue’s rich, bold and spicy flavors, a slightly chilled red zinfandel is an ideal pairing with this summer fare.

Zin city, U.S.A.

Zinfandel wine and barbecue are both American in nature.

While zinfandel’s roots may trace back to Eastern Europe, it’s presence in today’s wine world is decidedly American. Until recently, zinfandel was California’s most widely planted red grape varietal (recently surpassed by cabernet sauvignon). It is not prevalent anywhere else in the world. Zinfandels are jammy with boysenberry notes, loaded with fruit and are slightly peppery. They have soft tannins and tend to be dry in style. Zinfandel is a warmer-climate grape but is known to thrive in cooler climates such as the Russian River Valley in California.

California regions known for quality zinfandels include Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley, the Russian River Valley, Chalk Hill and Mendocino’s Redwood and Anderson Valleys. There is a trio of zinfandel vintners that consistently produce quality wine. Known as the three “R’s,” these exceptional wineries are Ridge, Rosenblum and Ravenswood. Other quality houses include A. Rafanelli, Rochioli, St. Francis, Lolonis, Gary Farrell and Nalle.

Chew on this

To fully appreciate this topic, consider the difference between grilling and barbecue. Grilling is rapid searing over high heat to seal in the juices, such as cooking a steak in 10 to 12 minutes. Barbecue is a slow process of cooking the meal over indirect heat or hot smoke. Cook times are measured in terms of hours, not minutes. 

While man has been cooking over a fire for more than 250,000 years, in the early 1500s there was an Indian tribe (the Taino Indians) living on the islands of the Dominican Republic that were first observed smoking meat and fish. They used a wooden grate called a “barbacoa” over an open flame to cook their meals. They are credited with being the first people to use a fire pit and a raised grill grate to slow cook their meals. Bold spices such as cayenne pepper also were used. In the 1700s, early Spanish explorers described the West Indies food as having intense smoky and spicy flavors.

Barbecue foods tend to be rich, spicy and full bodied. The caramelization of the sugar in the sauce and the powerful smoke flavors tend to impart a strong and distinct flavor. The jammy, slightly sweet fruit of a zinfandel is the perfect counter to these dishes. Ideal meats include:  barbecue ribs, barbecue chicken (preferably with a bold sauce), duck breasts, beef brisket, grilled steaks, hamburgers, grilled pork tenderloin with a spicy rub and grilled leg of lamb (butterflied).

A hot trend is adding zinfandel to the basting sauce, with bone-in chicken thighs being a favorite.

Clint Mitchell of Vino 100 on Route 59 in south Naperville reports that the 2005 vintage of zinfandel has received critical acclaim and recommends Deux Amis Zinfandel at $19 a bottle. So, jazz up your next barbecue with a slightly chilled glass of zinfandel and enjoy your summer.

Bill’s Picks

Rosenblum “North Coast” Zinfandel – $12

Ridge “Geyserville” Alexander Valley Zinfandel – $20

Ravenswood, Sonoma Valley Zinfandel – $15

Chateau Montelena Zinfandel – $24

Niebaum-Coppola’s Edizione Pennino – $29

St. Francis “Old Vine” Zinfandel – $15

Navarro Mendocino County Zinfandel – $15 

For more from Bill Garlough’s Perfect Pairings visit My Chef.

You can have barbecues using charcoal as the heat source, or even using an electric grill. However, the latest invention is using infrared in barbecues. It might sound silly, but the truth is there are many restaurants using infrared for their barbecues already. These infrared barbecue grills are a permanent fixture in restaurants, but they are making their way into the residential market as well. More and more people are buying infrared grillers to replace the old charcoal or electric grillers.

Infrared grillers are going to cost more than the usual griller, depending on the size. An infrared griller can cost up to a few hundred dollars more than a normal griller, so you must be thinking – why would you want to invest in such an expensive gadget? However, an infrared griller is a worthy investment for several reasons. Infrared is no stranger to the world of cooking, and has been around for some time now. It is time to take it to a higher level, and that is to integrate its function into barbecuing.

By using an infrared griller, you save more time in preparing the food. This is because the food will cook faster than the conventional barbecue. Besides, an infrared barbecue is suitable for fine dining, where you don’t have to mess with the burning charcoal and you can keep everything clean and simple. This is why restaurants love to use infrared grillers – and you will love it too, once you get to know it.

Research shows that meat cooked using an infrared griller is juicier and tender. This means the food you grill will have a higher quality after cooking. This is definitely great news, because you get excellent food within the shortest period of time. Some grillers or smokers can ruin your food, especially if you do not know how to control the fire. It means that barbecuing is an art you have to learn, but with the use of an infrared griller, anyone with or without the knowledge of barbecuing can enjoy a nice barbecue without having to risk losing the food.

Perhaps it is the temperature of the infrared griller that gives us the satisfaction of high quality cooked meat. An infrared griller cooks food at 400 – 900 degrees, whereas a normal charcoal grill cooks food at 700 – 750 degrees. After all, heat is the main factor in determining how long it takes to cook the food – and the food’s final quality. This is why if you are using a charcoal grill, you need to have a few trial runs, before you get the right way of preparing the food to its finest.

An infrared BBQ set looks appealing. With stainless steel and more space for grilling, you are bound to love this gadget. It looks like a normal outdoor cooking appliance – but with more style. An infrared griller is definitely for those who want to have a clean and hassle-free BBQ over the weekends or holidays. There is no use for charcoal, so you can save the environment by reducing the release of harmful gases that come from burning it. With the new infrared griller, you can’t go wrong with your BBQ.

Every spring, North Americans gear up their grill, stock up on the meat and prepare for many mouth-watering barbecues. But how much do we really know about the art of barbecuing? From the familiar pastime’s origins to surprising tips and tactics, this list will provide you with all the information you need to wow your friends at the next neighbourhood barbecue!

1) Barbecues originated in pig-pickin’s, feasts that were common in the Southern United States prior to the Civil War. Whole pigs were cooked and eaten by the crowd.

2) “Smoking” was used as far as 6000 years ago in order to make meats safe to eat and store. The meat was exposed to smoke and low heat in order to prevent bacteria and enzymes from growing.

3) In Australia, a barbecue is commonly referred to as a barbie. The famous statement “I’ll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you,” which appeared in Australian tourism advertisements, is often used to refer to the country.

4) What most North Americans partake in today isn’t actually barbecuing. Barbecuing is cooking at temperatures around the boiling point of water (180-220F) for a longer time period, in order to make the meat tender while preserving its natural juices. Today, the method most commonly used is in fact broiling: cooking at 475-700F in much less time.

5) According to the Barbecue Industry Association, half of all marshmallows eaten in the U.S. have been toasted over a grill.

6) For an easy way to check how much propane you have left, bring your bathroom scale outside and weigh the gas tank.

7) The origin of the word barbecue is unclear. Some believe it came from the American-Indian word barbacoa for a wood on which foods were cooked. Others say it came from the french words “de barbe à queue,” meaning “whiskers to tail.”

To add a smokey flavour to your gas-grill-cooked foods or foods cooked inside the house, use “liquid smoke.” A condensation of actual smoke, this product can be easily added to your barbecue marinade or sauce.

9) Brisket, the extremely hard cut of meat taken from a cow’s chest, takes one to two hours per pound to barbecue. That’s an average 12 hours on the grill for a basic 8-pound piece!

10) Kansas City, Missouri and Lexington, North Carolina both claim to be the barbecue capitals of the world. Memphis, meanwhile, stakes a claim to being the pork barbecue capital.

Now you’re set to impress!

In general, I am not a chef. In my house, I do very little of the cooking, although I do enjoy it when I get the chance. The one thing that I have always loves to cook, and insist on cooking every time, is barbecued meat. I love barbecuing, grilling, roasting, smoking anything that involves placing a good cut of meat over high heat and open flames.

I have to confess that one of the things I like about this form of cooking is that it is so easy to get good results. As long as you have the rights barbeque sauce, you can not go wrong. Until recently, I never had to try a barbecue sauce recipe, because there was a locally made barbecue sauce called Memphis Minnie’s that was just simply spectacular. Unfortunately, it recently went under.

I tried cooking with other locally available barbecue sauce recipes, but it was just not the same. People who had praised my cooking in the past were much less lavish with their praise. I just could not get the same results. I looked everywhere for a barbecue sauce recipe that would duplicate the flavor of Memphis Minnie’s, but it was all in vain.

Finally, I figured out that I would have to invent my own barbecue sauce recipe. I had no idea how to go about doing this, and had to learn all kinds of new things. Preparing a barbecue sauce recipe is not as easy as you might think. You have to strike a delicate balance between preserving the flavor, and creating something that is delicious immediately after it is cooked. Almost any good barbecue sauce recipe, it turns out, has to be used within a week of being prepared. Otherwise, it will become stale.

The fact that I lost my favorite recipe for barbecue sauce turned out to be a blessing in disguise. You see, once I started experimenting with barbecue sauce recipes, I found out quickly that you can make something that is much more delicious than anything you can buy in the store. As long as you are able to use it up within the next couple days, you can make something that is spectacularly flavorful and much more healthy than any commercially available barbecue sauce recipe. Knowing this, I have decided to never buy barbecue sauce again. Why would I, when I can make something that tastes much better? I never got so many compliments before…

Barbecuing, a traditional cooking process in use for centuries is a great way to enjoy tasty meals without heating up your kitchen in the hot summer months. It is a great way to gather friends and family and enjoy time together. In some areas, the term barbecuing is reserved for a slow low-heat cooking process that operates at about 220°F and the term grilling is used for a fast high-heat cooking process. The best temperature for barbecuing is between 200F and 300F.

Meat – There are three basic qualities used to identify barbecue: the sauce, the type of meat and the type of wood used to smoke and cook the meat. The meats usually used in barbecuing are tougher cuts of meat, such as the beef brisket, or pork ribs. These meats benefit from the long, slow cooking process, becoming so tender that they will just fall off the bone. Since the cooking process is slower, and the heat not as high as grilling, barbecue sauce can be brushed onto the meat through out the cooking process, forming a delicious glaze on the outside of the meat.

Take time to marinate: Some research has shown that ingredients such as vinegar in marinades can actually protect the meat and reduce the chances of carcinogenic compounds forming.

Sauce – Sauces, marinades and rubs are popular cooking ideas when barbecuing. There are a wide variety of sauces and glazes that can be made. BBQ sauce is generally a basic mixture of tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. A sauce often includes sugar, honey or preserves, which can cause the sauce to burn when cooking; a suggestion is to brush your sauce on in the last five to ten minutes of cooking when cooking at higher temperatures. Barbecue cooks have individual preferences about the proper meats and sauces to use, which differ from region to region. The advantage of a rub is that it will last in a shaker for months, while a marinade or sauce should be used the day it is made.

Wood – The type of wood you use is very important. The most popular barbecue woods are hickory, oak, mesquite and fruit woods such as apple, pear, pecan and alder. Wood is the fuel that adds the most flavor to grilled meats. Barbecuing is traditionally done with hickory or mesquite wood, which gives a nice smoke flavor to the food. Wood is place in a firebox which is usually off to one side of the cooking chamber. The cooking chamber fills with smoke, giving the food its characteristic smoked flavor, which varies depending on the type of wood that is used for the fuel. Damp wood chips added to the fire add a delicious smoky flavor to meat.

Tips – Don’t cook too hot – keep grill heat low, Turn food frequently, Don’t overcook food, Don’t precook food, Use thinner cuts of meat, Use a meat thermometer, Don’t poke your meat with a fork or ever press meat with a spatula to speed up cooking.

You want to remove the meat from the grill when it’s just a bit underdone. The meat will continue to cook, and more significantly, the juices, left undisturbed and unmolested, will redistribute through the resting meat in a natural and rewarding way. Failing to rest the meat after grilling is the number one rookie mistake-and its consequences are enormous.

Barbecuing is cooking by using indirect heat at low temperatures and long cooking times. Before you start, however, be forewarned – barbecuing is a process that takes time and patience to be done correctly. It takes time to master the methods and techniques to create the perfect barbecue. While most folks actually grill in the summer, give barbecuing a try; it is a great American pastime.

A barbecue, or BBQ, is the best way to enjoy meals – especially during holidays when the kids and adults are all gathering for some fun. Usually, summer would be the best time of year to have a barbecue. Imagine a nice sunny day with barbecue grills, charcoal and a lot of fresh sea food or steak to be cooked. Don’t forget those chicken wings, as no one can resist a juicy chicken wing on a summer holiday.

Now, as much as we love barbecues, unfortunately there are certain things you need to avoid in order that you can enjoy a nice a barbecue. These are like the ‘rules’ of a barbecue, but actually it helps to enhance the whole barbecue experience and helps to avoid little mistakes whilst barbecuing. It seems easy to organise a barbecue but without the knowledge, you won’t be able to have a successful one.

First of all, you need to realise that the barbecue is going to take some time. For instance, when you grill the meat on the barbecue, it can take about an hour to be totally cooked (depending on the type of BBQ you’re using) so it is best to be patient and have a lot of time to spare when you have a barbecue. Usually a barbecue will take the whole day, so if you are going to invite families and friends, be sure you pick the right day.

Secondly, I know that it is tempting to open up the lid and check on the food, but opening the lid too often will cause the food to cook even slower. This is because as you open the lid, the heat is released and the temperature will drop. So, be sure to keep the lid closed for a long time before you check on the food. Besides, the food isn’t going anywhere, so only check it once in a while to turn the food over.

When you are lighting the charcoal for your barbecue, be sure not to use lighter fluid to start the fire. The fluid is going to impart an awful smell and taste to your food. If you need to start a fire using lighter fluid, then allow the charcoal to burn for at least 30 minutes to eliminate the fluid’s odour. After that, you can lay your food on the grill.

For best results, always go for seasoned wood. A mix of green wood and seasoned wood is acceptable, especially if you know how to control the fire to make sure that the meat doesn’t taste bitter. Otherwise, just stick to the seasoned wood and go from there. You wouldn’t want to ruin the meat in a nice barbecue would you?

Don’t invite guests for your barbecue session when you’ve just lit your smoker or griller for the first time. Test the smoker to see how things work, and to familiarise yourself with your new smoker. This is best to avoid embarrassment, should there be any mistakes or if the smoker if not functioning properly. If you follow these rules, you are going to have a fantastic time barbecuing!