Next Up - First BBQ of 2012!

Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes

To brine or not to brine, that is the question

Chicken before a 2.5 hour slow cook

When you cook poultry for long periods of time, the general recommendation is to soak the bird for a while in a solution of water, salt, sugar or honey, and other spices to help maintain juiciness and impart flavor when cooking it for long periods of time. The science of it is that when you soak poultry in a mixture of salt and liquid, the liquid will go through the cell walls into the poultry which adds moisture. As a test, if you weigh your chicken/turkey before you begin the brine and after you pull it from the brine, you will see that it weighs more after the soak. Salt also has a way of breaking down proteins which also helps tenderize the poultry. In a discussion a few months ago with my brother in law, the question came up as to whether I should brine chicken before putting it on the grill/smoker for long periods of time?  After going back and forth with this and debating the issue a little longer, I decided to pose the question to Chef JeffNathan of Abigaels Restaurant in the city. Accord to Chef Nathan, since kosher poultry is Kashered in salt and water (AKA a brine), in essence it has already been brined and does not need to be brined again. However, if you want to brine the chicken to add flavor, just make sure it is done without salt.

Bring the heat and DON’T TOUCH IT!!!!

When you sear meat/chicken/fish, it caramelizes the sugars and browns the meat which although it doesn’t help retain juices, does add flavor.

Step 1: Make sure your grill is clean

Step 2: Take the meat out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature

Step 3: Fill your chimney and light it up

Step 4: Once the charcoal begins to turn white, pour the charcoal on one side of the grill and get the grill super hot.

Step 5: Brush the meat with olive oil and add a liberal amount of spice rub (fresh cracked black pepper, kosher salt, cumin, cayenne).

Step 6: Place the steak directly on top of the side with the coals at a 45 degree angle for 3 minutes. Do not cover the grill!! After 3 minutes turn the steak 45 degrees on the same side to create checkered grill marks on the meat. Next turn over the meat onto a 45 degree angle and repeat the searing on the opposite side. After you have completed searing the meat on both sides move the meat to the side of the grill with no charcoal on it.

Step 5: Check the meat for doneness. There are a couple of different ways to test if the meat is done. You can use a thermometer, but poking a hole in the meat has a habit of letting out juices that you really don’t want to lose. One other way to check for doneness is by using the finger test method as seen here: 

If your meat needs more time, just put the cover on and let temperature come up slowly using the indirect method of cooking. Just remember that every time you take the cover off the grill, you are releasing internal heat and it will take time for the temperature of the grill to come back up.

Step 6: Let the meat rest! Once you take the meat off the grill, let it rest on a plate with a tented piece of aluminum foil for 7-10 minutes.

It's all about the rub.....

Whether you are a fan of the sauce (BBQ sauce that is) or not, all food that goes on the grill needs some spice to start things off. In my house, we are not fans of using sauce on anything that goes on the grill and we use my dry rub on anything and everything all year round. I believe that every dry rub needs to have a base spice that gives the food that you are grilling a foundation for that incredible taste the spice mixture is adding to the food. The amounts of each spice are up to you (the base spice I usually add a larger quantity) and you can adjust it as you experiment with different flavors. Personally, I make a lot of it and store it in an empty dry spice container so it’s easy to reach for when it comes time to cook. Even if you are an avid 'saucer', try using this dry rub on the meat/chicken/fish when you start grilling/cooking it and add the sauce at the end for an added flavor boost.

Base Spice: Cumin

The Rest:

Cayenne Pepper

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Kosher Salt

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Smoked Paprika

You know it's time to clean the grill

...when you find yourself daydreaming about grilling dinner. The weather is getting warmer (not that it really got that cold this winter to begin with) and my thoughts are returning to heading outside and firing up the grill. While most people out there have been grilling all winter on their gas/propane grills, I have been waiting for that outside ambient temperature to hit a constant 55 degrees Fahrenheit at night after all the kids are asleep and I can finally get to the business of grilling dinner. Why is outside temperature important you ask? I grill on a Weber One Touch Gold kettle grill which means that I utilize direct and indirect heat when grilling. When the inside temperature of the grill has to compete with the outside temperature, it is hard to maintain an even inside temperature without having to keep opening the lid (and lose all that heat) to add more charcoal.

I prefer to use charcoal because I can see and taste the difference with the food. Some say that it isn’t real BBQ unless you use charcoal. I can also say from experience that there are definite differences in what you can make and how you can make it when it comes to a propane grill. My advice is that when you grill with charcoal, it is important to avoid using lighter fluid to get your charcoal going. I personally recommend a chimney and leftover newspaper (my kind of recycling).

What kind of grill do you use?

If you use charcoal, how do you light it?