Rubs - Enhancing The Flavor Of Your Meats

Rubs - Enhancing The Flavor Of Your Meats

You can use spices and seasonings
to add flavor to your and color to
your grilled foods. There are two
different kinds of rubs, dry and
wet. Dry rubs are made of spices
and herbs which you can sprinkle
on the meat or rub into the meat.
Wet rubs have a liquid base,
which is usually an oil, and is used
to to coat the meats surface.
How you use rubs is a matter of personal taste. A good rub should add
flavor and color to the food but not overwhelm the natural flavor of the
food that you are using the rub on. Most dry rubs contain paprika,
cayenne pepper and chili powder. You don't want to use to much
cayenne pepper and make the meat so hot that you don't want to eat
it. You should use a combination of strong and mild spices to add color
and compliment the flavor of the food. There are many recipes and
ready prepared rubs. The rub you use is really just your personal
preference.
To get rubs to stay on the meat you need the meats natural moisture.
To properly apply a rub you should work the rub into the meat evenly.
If you are applying the rub to chicken or other poultry you should try
to get the rub underneath the skin. The skin will block the flavor, so if
you don't get it underneath, you won't be flavoring the meat.
The advantage of using a wet rub is that it will stay on the the meat
better. When using rubs on foods that are naturally dry or meats such
as chicken with the skin on, you should use a wet rub. A wet rub will
help keep meat from drying out and helps keep the meats natural
juices inside. Using rubs with oil in them can help keep the food from
sticking to your grill. Wet rubs should be about as thick as paste, so
that they will stay on the food better.
You should always apply rubs at least an hour before you plan to grill.
For chicken and roasts you should apply the rub the night before. You
want the rubs to combine with the foods natural juices and penetrate
the meat.

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Searing-The Secret To The Perfect Steak

Searing-The Secret To The Perfect Steak

Let me start out this section by
saying that, for me, the perfect
steak is medium rare. To cook a
steak to well done is an
unforgivable sin. That being said,
if you want your steak well done,
then don't use the searing
method. If you do, you will end up
with a steak that is charred and
dry. Now that I have expressed
my opinion on the perfect steak,
let's get to the method.
To begin with, searing is not just for steaks. The best way to grill a
great prime rib is to start it out at a high temperature and sear the
surface and then lower the temperature to finish cooking it. Other
meats as well, such as chicken, pork chops and roast will benefit from
searing. The process of searing is essentially "browning" the meat,
which gives it a delicious flavor and a little bit of a crusty surface. If
your steak isn't browned it just isn't right.
What you want when you sear is to add that flavor and still end up
with a juicy piece of meat. How can you get your meat seared just
right? The first thing to know about searing is not to be apprehensive.
Just because the meat has started to turn brown doesn’t mean that it’s
time to turn it . You want the meat to have a dark brown color before
turning, not just a golden color. This browning is what gives the steak
the flavor you are looking for.
To get a good sear, there are steps that need to be taken before
lighting the grill. You need to have a good clean grilling surface in
order to have even contact between the metal and the meat. If you
are using fatty cuts of meat you don't need to oil the grate, but if you
do need to oil the grate, you want to use sunflower, canola or
safflower oils because these oils will not break down at high
temperatures like olive oil or lard. When oil breaks down it causes
smoke and will leave an unpleasant taste to your meat.
The next thing is to make sure the surface of the meat is dry. If you
use a marinade, make sure all the marinade is dripped off the meat
before placing on the grill.
Now that you have a dry piece of meat and a clean grill, you will need
to preheat the grill. If you are using a gas grill you will need to set
both of the grills main burners to high and close the grill cover. You
will want to let the grill get as hot as you can get it. If you know your
grill you will know how long this takes. If you are a beginner about 10-
15 minutes should do it.
If you are using a charcoal grill, you will need to build a two layer fire.
This, as covered in a previous chapter requires that you build a two
layer fire on one side of the grill and a single layer on the other. You
will then sear the meat on one side of the grill and cook it the rest of
the way on the other. Charcoal fires are ideal for searing because you
get a more intense heat. You can tell when the charcoal fire is hot
enough to sear by the hand test. You will not be able to hold your hand
over the searing fire. For the finishing fire you want it at about
medium-high heat (you can hold your hand over it for a count of
three).
The grill is now ready for searing. Have everything you need close by
because you will have to move fast. This is especially true for the gas
grill. The grill has stored up as much heat as it can by now and you will
want to keep as much of that heat inside the grill as possible. You will
now need to lift the lid and get the meat on the grill as fast as you can
and then re-close the lid.
If you are a beginner you are going to turn the meat after one minute.
As you gain experience you can adjust this time so that you get the
perfect browning. Your aim is to get a nice dark brown color to the
meat without lifting the grills lid to check it. When turning the meat
you want to act fast, as before, and position the meat as you turn it so
that it is on a previously unused part of the grill. Sear this side for 1
minute and then open the grill. On a gas grill turn the heat down to
medium-high and finish cooking , on the charcoal grill you will want to
move the meat to the side with the single layer fire to finish. When you
move the meat turn it the opposite way so that you get a criss cross
grilling pattern on the meat.
If you are searing a roast or prime rib, you will need to move the meat
to an indirect fire to finish it off.
After your meat has reached the desired doneness, remove it from
the grill and let it sit for about five minutes before serving. This will let
the juices in the meat return to the surface.
Just as with the other methods of grilling, searing will take some
practice. If you find that the meat has been overcooked you will need
to adjust accordingly. If you didn't get the dark brown sear that we are
looking for, you will need to increase the time you sear a little bit. No
two grills are the same and weather can also effect cooking times.
Experience and patience is the key to getting the perfect sear and the
perfect steak.

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Grillmaster-Beyond The Basics Direct And Indirect Methods Of Grilling

Beyond The Basics Direct
 And Indirect Methods Of Grilling

When grilling you can use two
different methods to cook, they
are direct and indirect heat. For
direct heat cooking, food is placed
on the cooking rack directly over
the hot coals or fire. The indirect
method is used for more delicate
foods and for larger cuts of meat
that need longer cooking times,
such as when you're barbecuing a
thick roast.

The grill will always be kept covered when cooking with indirect heat.
Direct heat cooking is uncomplicated. Learning the temperature of the
coals is the only real skill. If you are using a gas grill, you just need to
set the heat settings at the proper level. The coals are ready when 3/4
of them are gray and coated with ash. You can check the temperature
of a charcoal grill by very carefully holding your hand just above the
grilling surface and counting the number of seconds it takes before the
heat becomes uncomfortable enough for you to pull your hand away.

5 seconds equals Low Heat
4 seconds equals Medium Heat
3 seconds equals Medium-High Heat
2 seconds equals High Heat

You can use the following descriptions to check cooking temperature
by observing the coals:
When the ash coating thickens and a red glow is just visible this would
equal a low heat.
When the coals are covered with light gray ash this would equal a
medium heat.
When the coals have a red glow visible through the ash coating this
would equal a high heat.

The proper method for indirect heat cooking on a charcoal grill is to
place an equal number of charcoal briquettes on each side of the grill
pan and leaving a space in the center, light the briquettes and wait
until they are at cooking temperature. When you are ready to start
cooking, place a drip pan between the coals and add 1/2" of water to
the pan. Place your food over the drip pan and then cover the grill. You
will need to add 5 or 6 briquettes to each side of the pan as needed to
maintain even heat. As a general rule, briquettes should be added
every 45 minutes.

For indirect heat cooking on a dual burner gas grill, set the drip pan on
the lava rocks on one side of the grill and add water to 1/2". Preheat
the other burner on high for 5-10 minutes. Turn the temperature down
to medium, then put the food on the rack over the drip pan and cover
the grill.

For indirect heat cooking on a single burner gas grill, preheat the grill
on high for 5-10 minutes. Turn the temperature down to low, and
place a large foil baking pan on the rack. You can also line half of the
cooking rack with a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Place food in

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Grillmaster - Tips For Cooking The Food

Tips For Cooking The Food

Whether you are using a charcoal
grill or a gas grill, there are certain
tips you need to know that will
make you a better grill master.
Below we have provided you with
these tips. Follow them and you will
be forever known by your family
and friends as the"grillmaster"
The addition of wood chips and chunks to your coals can add awesome
flavor to your food. You should soak mesquite, alder, hickory and
pecan chips for one hour before scattering over the hot coals.
Soak wood skewers in water for an hour before use. They are best
used for foods that can be cooked quickly, like vegetables and fruits.
Use flat metal skewers when cooking meat kabobs. Round skewers will
let the food turn and will not provide even cooking.
You should follow the recipes cooking times carefully, and make sure
you cover the grill if the recipe calls for it.
When using sauces containing sugar and fat, apply them only during
the last 10 minutes of cooking, unless the recipe instructions are
different, or you will cause flareups and the food may burn.
Weather can affect grilling times and so can the length of time the food
is being cooked. Here are some rules for maintaining cooking
temperature:
• To lower the cooking temperature, you can raise the cooking
grate, spread the coals farther apart, or adjust the vents on
the grills pan to halfway closed.
• If you need to raise the temperature,you can lower the
cooking grate, tap ash from the coals, move the coals closer
together, or adjust the vents so that they are opened further.
You can also add more charcoal to the outer edges of the hot
coals.
• When the weather is cold, you will need to use more
briquettes to achieve an ideal cooking temperature. Grilling
will also take longer. Wind will tend to make the fire hotter and
on a humid day, the coals will burn slower.
• The thickness and the temperature of the food when it is
placed on the grill will affect it's cooking time. The colder and
thicker the food, the longer it will take to cook.
• The closer the cooking grate is to the coals, the quicker the
food will cook.
• Fires using hardwood will burn hotter than charcoal briquettes.
• Using a thermometer is the most reliable way to test when
your food is done.
• Always follow the recipes instructions for testing doneness.
• Moving the food around on the grill will give you the most
even cooking results, but don't turn the food to often or use a
fork to move the food. Using a fork will release juices that you
want in the food. Use a set of tongs or a spatula to move the
food.

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Grillmaster - Building The Fire

Building The Fire

Before you can become a grill
master you will need to know how
to properly build a fire. The fire is
the beginning of the grilling
process. Without a proper fire,
you can not expect to be a real
grill master. Even if you use a gas
grill it is an important skill that will
make you a better griller.
Building your charcoal fire is more than just opening up the bag,
dumping in the charcoal, dousing them with lighter fluid and throwing
on a match, although that is how many people do it. Then after 15-20
minutes they shake the grill to settle the coals and go to grilling. Do it
this way and you will probably end up with burned burgers or raw
chicken, but sometimes you might get lucky and your food will turn out
okay. Wouldn't it be better to know that you will get good food every
time?
The key to good grilling is to have an even fire. The only time you
should have any variation in heat is when you plan for it. If you just
dump your coals in randomly you will have hot and cool spots. If you
evenly distribute the coals you can minimize any variation and get
good, even grilling. This is very important when you are cooking a
large amount of food on the grill.
The number of charcoal briquettes you use will depend on the size of
your gill, the amount of food you will be cooking, weather conditions
and cooking time.
As a general rule of thumb, plan on using about 30 briquettes to cook
1 pound of meat. A standard five-pound bag contains 75 to 90
briquettes. You want to make sure that you have enough briquettes to
cover the grills pan in a single layer and extending out about 2"
beyond the area of the food on the grill. The first step is to place the
briquettes in the grills pan to determine the quantity and then stack
them up in a rough pyramid shape to light. Soak the briquettes with
approximately 1/2 cup of lighter fluid, and let set for a few minutes
before lighting.
After the coals have begun to burn and ash starts to form, you will
need to arrange them with long handled tongs into a single layer.
Once you have mastered even heating its time to step up to the
professional level. A Pro likes to have a controlled temperature
variation, a hot area and a not so hot area. In grilling this is called a
two level fire. If you have a dual burner gas grill just set one burner on
high and the other on medium. The advantage to this is that you will
have one area to sear foods and another area to cook them through.
For a charcoal grill you will want to set up half of your fire grate in a
single layer of coals and the other half in two or three layers of coals.
This will give you the hot and medium areas to do your cooking. This
method is also good if you are cooking different types of foods at the
same time.
For instance if you were grilling fajitas, you would sear the steak over
the high heat and cook the peppers over the lower heat. After you
have mastered the two level fire you will certainly see the advantage
of this method.
The other type of fire you need to learn how to build is the indirect
fire. The simplest form of this of this fire is to put all the coals on one
side of the grill and no coals on the other side. For a gas grill this is
equivalent to turning the burner on one side on and leaving the other
off. With a charcoal grill you can do much more than this. The ring of
fire is an excellent strategy for an indirect fire if you are using the
kettle style of grill. To build this type of fire, after you have hot coals,
push the coals to the outside of the coal grate leaving the middle
empty. This method gives you an even heat around the entire grill
and a good indirect cooking space.
When building an indirect fire one of the most common problems is
having the fire on just one side of the grill. If you are using a gas grill
there isn’t a lot you can do to avoid this. The problem with this is that
the heat will be uneven and one side of the food you are cooking will
get more heat than the other. This will require you to turn the food
often to have it cook evenly. When you use a charcoal grill you can
build the fire everywhere except under the food you are cooking and
this gives you a more even heat.
Another thing to consider when building a fire is using hardwood. Using
slow burning wood chips will add a smoky flavor to your food. If you
are going to add wood chips to your fire then you will want to have a
place to do that. For a gas grill you can use a firebox or wrap the
moistened wood chips in foil. For a charcoal fire you will just need to
leave a small area of the coal grate with just a coals. This makes a
good place to put wood chips and they will smoke but not burn away
quickly.

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Grillmaster - The Basics Of Grilling

The Basics Of Grilling

  Grilling is just like any other kind

of cooking, it is a learned art.

Keep this in mind as you are

learning. You are sure to have

some failures. The major difference

between grilling and cooking on

the stove or in the oven is that

grilling is a combination of the two.

You have direct heat from the gas burners or the charcoal and you

have indirect heat that fills the grill when the lid is put down. Grills alsohave higher heat and less control over that heat. With your oven youcan set the temperature precisely, but with a grill you either turn on orlight the fire and the heat will just keep rising.

The average gas grill can reach temperatures of 500 degrees in a just

a few minutes. This is why you can't throw the food on the grill and

walk away until the timer goes off. You must remain ever attentive.

Monitoring is the key. The high heat, both direct and indirect is the

basis of grilling.

You want to use this high heat to cook the food quickly, but, because

foods will cook fast on a grill, you will have to turn them to get them to

cook evenly and without burning. Although, if you turn the food too

often you will just slow the process of cooking and this can lead to food

that is tough and dry. The trick is to turn only when necessary. To

check when the food is ready to be turned you will need to get down

low, by the edge of the grill, being careful not to burn yourself, and lift

up the corner of the meat. When the lines from the grills cooking grate

start to turn black it's time to turn the food.

Knowing when to turn and when your food is cooked is the whole skill

of successful grilling. The rest is just recipes and tricks. This skill

however is also the hardest thing to teach, especially in a book. Ideally

a steak should be turned only once. If you are cooking a thick cut of

meat (over 1-1/2 inches) you may need to turn it three times to

ensure it is cooked through to the center.

As a beginning grill master you should start simple. Thinner cuts of

steaks, pork chops and burgers under 3/4 inches will let you get the

"hang" of grilling and still get your food properly cooked. After you

become experienced with these thinner cuts you can move on to more

difficult foods.

Here are some useful tips for the beginning griller:

Tip 1: Keep your grill clean. A clean grill will give you better tasting

food and is less likely to cause your food to stick to the grate.

Tip 2: Applying cooking oil or spray to the grill before it is lit will keep

low fat meats and other foods from sticking.

Tip 3: Allow for plenty of time. You don't want to rush your grilling or

keep your family or guests waiting.

Tip 4: Don't leave your grilling unattended for any length of time. A

flare-up can occur at anytime and leave you with burnt food if you are

not there to attend to it.

Tip 5: Flare-ups are caused by grease and heat. Trimming excess fat

from the meat and moving the meat to a different area of the grill

when turning is the best way to control flare-ups. Do not use a spray

bottle of water to control a flare-up.

Tip 6: Don't add sugary or oily sauces or marinades to meat on the

grill. This will just cause burning.

Tip 7: Apply spices or marinades to your food at least one hour before

grilling. If using barbecue sauce, you should soak the food overnight.

This will assure that the flavor gets into the food.

Tip 8: Using the proper tools is important. A fork should never be used

for grilling. A long set of tongs is the best for turning steaks, chicken

and other cuts of meat. A long handled spatula is best for burgers.

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