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Annual Re-Post


It’s About Time to Fire up the Grill 
Coming together with friends and family for the Memorial Day Weekend is one of life’s enduring annual pleasures. The tradition of Grilling or a Barbecue is a very big part of the social gathering. Good food, cooking or smoking for hours, while enjoying family, friends and stories of life.

I personally love the smell of food cooked on charcoal. When you’re cooking with charcoal, food is cooked in a way that it creates a flavor that gas grills just can’t begin to match. The unique smell and flavor that is produced as the juices of the meat drip onto the hot coals, that it is cooking at its best.

People wonder about the difference between grilling and barbecuing. Grilled foods (veggies, burgers, steaks, and fruit) cook quickly over the direct heat with gas or hot coals. The outer surfaces become seared, creating a caramelized crust that helps seal in the juices and flavor.

Barbecuing is a long, slow cooking method that can take hour after hour over the low dry heat of smoldering charcoal with soaked, aromatic hardwood chips added as it burns. “Low and slow” is the pit master’s mantra. In The Northeast, its often apple, cherry or peach wood that add a light smoky flavor.

What else to have with all those grilled foods? Pasta salads, fresh salads or some hearty sides. We are here to help you decide. There are a lot of very good choices to choose from in the links below. 

55 Barbecue Recipes that will make you feel like a grill master (tasteofhome.com)

77 Best BBQ Side Dishes - Grilled Side Dish Barbecue Recipes (countryliving.com)

And Because I'm impartial and always seem to have a rack of ribs going with everything else. my go to link is right here. Our 30 Best BBQ Ribs Recipes—Messy and Perfect for Summer (tasteofhome.com)


In the Interest of Grilling Safety
This weekend, the grills will be fired up and all the Master Chefs like me will be hard at work. Few people realize that there is a big danger involved in outdoor cooking. What I consider the biggest threat in grilling is not the flame, but a grilling instrument. The grill brush can really screw you or your guests up.

A study conducted at the University of Missouri School of Medicine identified more than 1,600 injuries from wire-bristle grill brushes reported in emergency rooms since 2002. Loose bristles can fall off the brush during cleaning and end up in the grilled food, which, if consumed, can lead to injuries in the mouth, throat and tonsils. I was personally at a cookout where that happened to one of the guests and have never used a grill brush since. Our advice, consider alternative grill-cleaning methods like any bristle free or wood scrape grill cleaners.

Grill with caution: Wire bristles from barbecue brushes can cause serious injuries | ScienceDaily