grilling

Gettin’ All Up in My Grill

Everyday Adventures

This post is sponsored by Mean Green Degreaser.

Labor Day marks the unofficial end to summer–I can only hope the thermometer gets the memo. And even though we here in the Deep South have the luxury of using our grills pretty much year-round, it feels a little more natural to use it more in the summer. And a well-used grill tends to show it.

When Todd and I moved in together back in 2009, my family gifted us with a lovely gas grill for our housewarming party (that we immediately put to use). That grill is still hanging with us, though we had to get new grill grates a couple years back because the set that came with it had been cooked and scraped through in places. Now, I’d like to see the replacement plates last at least as long as the originals, so a little maintenance is in order.

We try to remember to give them a once-over with the wire brush before each use, but it’s more like every 2-3 uses if we’re being real. Now that prime grilling season is over, though, it’s a good time for a deep clean.

The Before: Not Too Pretty

The Before: Not Too Pretty

Oh, wait, let’s get a little closer so you can see the true extent of what we’re working with.

jvanderbeek_meangreen_grillcleaning_superstrength-2

Yeah… kind of a mess, right?

First I hit it with the wire brush to knock any larger particles loose and then shook the plates out before hitting them with the hose.Then a liberal application of Mean Green Super Strength Cleaner & Degreaser, let it soak in for a minute before giving it a scrub. Rinse and repeat because, well, it’d been a while.

jvanderbeek_meangreen_grillcleaning_superstrength-3

Once they had a chance to air dry, back into place they went–not quite good as new but definitely a vast improvement. Even Todd was impressed!

The After: you could totally eat of this grill (which is sort of the point, right?)

The After: you could totally eat of this grill (which is sort of the point, right?)

This clean-up was simple and painless and didn’t ruin my nails, not something I usually associate with grubby tasks like cleaning the grill or anything else. It all comes down to the right tools, you know?

So before you put away your summer gear, make sure it’s ready and waiting for the next season by cleaning it up before you store it.

And with that, let the autumn fun begin!

 

Not Exactly Beer Can Chicken

Nibbles

While discussing what we’d like to grill for the recent holiday we really were thinking a nice duck but said duck could not be easily found (is it not in season, perhaps?). Instead we brainstormed a bit and, on a laugh, I suggested beer-can chicken.

As these things tend to do, the silliest of ideas take hold and suddenly don’t seem so silly.

Only I don’t particularly like canned beer (enough to buy a 6-pack for a single use) and I still didn’t want just plain chicken. So I wondered, aloud, about game hens? And then, because a standard-sized can inside a poor little game hen seemed ludicrous, the small 6-oz cans of juice on the bar seemed ideal.

Pineapple juice, in particular. Which led to somewhat tropical thoughts, line and cilantro joining the mix.

And that’s how our 4th of July grill became:

Pineapple Can Game Hens

Pineapple Can Game Hens

Pineapple Game Hen

1 stick (4 oz) butter, softened
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 Tbsp lime zest (approx. 1 lime)
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp rubber sage
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Cornish game hens, approx. 1 pound each
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
olive oil
2 6-oz cans pineapple juice

While the hens are defrosting, combine the butter, lime zest, cilantro, salt, sage and pepper in a small bowl, transfer to a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a cylinder. Chill until firm (about an hour or so).

Prepare your pineapple cans by removing the paper labels and scrubbing off any glue left behind. It took a combination of hot water and steel wool to get the job done, but not much time. Open each can and pour out about half, then punch 2 more holes in the top.

Rinse and pat dry the hens once they’re removed from their wrappings. Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder inside and out of each bird. Slice coins of the chilled butter and slip them under the skin all around the bird–don’t forget the back, too. Tuck the wings back, drizzle the birds with olive oil before settling them over the pineapple cans.

Carefully transport each vertical bird to the grill and cook over indirect heat for 45 minutes (in my case this meant cranking up the flame on either side, leaving the middle off and setting then hens there; if you’ve got a charcoal grill, scoot the briquettes over to one side or the other).

We paired them with grilled corn and blue-cheese potato salad (the latter we picked up from Fresh Market). They look small, but half a hen is totally enough for one person with the usual sides.

Pineapple Can Game Hen, Blue Cheese Potato Salad, Grilled Corn

Best Of: Grilling Tales

Nibbles

Later today I’ll be announcing the winner of the What’s New, Cupcake? book giveaways over at Circle of Food (hope you entered when you had the chance). Since it’s a holiday and my schedule always gets a little screwy on these long weekends I thought I’d pull this post from last year on grilling to share.

However you choose to spend the day, I hope it’s a good one. We’ll be grilling brats and hot dogs and having Mom & Molly over for dinner.

* * *

Ah, yes, weather permitting (and even sometimes not), thousands (millions?) of grills across the country will be fired up to char something with family and friends.

My first tip for the grilling-minded is for barbecue chicken and it comes from Mom. She takes leg quarters and marinates them in Italian dressing (straight from the bottle into a large baggie and if you can let it sit overnight in the fridge, even better), to start, and then pre-cooks them a bit in the microwave. Now, don’t shriek, it’s actually an excellent idea since it’s SO tough to get the chicken to cook evenly on the grill without one part getting over cooked or it taking forty forevers. So you par-cook the legs in the microwave and THEN put them on the grill to finish cooking and get that lovely caramelized finish and a good brush with the barbecue sauce of choice.

Did you know that chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees? Now you do. Get out those meat thermometers and make sure the fleshiest bit is up to temperature before serving yourself or your guests. Pork should also always be cooked fully (no pink!) to reduce the risk of trichinosis. Beef and lamb can be cooked anywhere from 140 (rare) to 170 (well done) without too much worry (though why you’d want well-done lamb is beyond me!).

Most recipes suggest throwing out the marinade once it’s been used but you can actually use it for a sauce IF you bring it to a boil and keep it boiling for several minutes (5 is a good number) to “cook” any of the raw meat juices that are in there.

Finally, a true tale of grilling no matter what. It was my high school graduation party and the house was pretty full of guests. The plan had been to grill but the weather was atrocious: rainy and grey. But, the show must go on so Mom changed into her swimsuit and shorts and went outside with an umbrella to tend the grill as needed. Of course, if you’ve got the grill lid in one hand and tongs in the other, how are you going to hold the umbrella? In your cleavage, of course.

So don’t let a little water dampen your party this Memorial Day weekend.

The Best Burger

Nibbles

This weekend I was craving a nice, juicy hamburger and while I would have settled for take-out, Todd was nice enough to make a trip to the store (while I slept off another dose of cold meds) for the necessary ingredients to make them at home.

It’s not enough to just form some ground chuck into a disk and toss it on a grill or in a frying pan.

First of all, you have to have the right mix of meat to get good results! Too much fat, like in straight ground chuck, and your burgers shrink to half their size or bunch up in the middle and don’t cook evenly. Too little fat and you wind up with a dry, mealy burger that falls apart on the grill. A 50/50 mix of chuck and lean seems to work best and results in a juicy burger that still fills out the bun.

Secondly, salt enhances flavor, as do other seasonings; don’t be afraid to use them! Salt, pepper, garlic and onion all go into our burger mix. This time we also dashed in a bit of paprika for fun. One thing I do tend to go back and forth on is whether to go powdered or fresh with the onion and garlic. On the one hand, fresh is generally best but it can be tough to finely mince the onions enough that the flavor is evenly distributed. Onion and garlic powders allow, I think, for a greater distribution throughout the meat. We also add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce, too.

Finally, help the meat stick together by adding some binding agents. Just like you do with meatloaf, an egg and some breadcrumbs certainly won’t hurt the burger and can help a too-lean mix hold up to being flipped over flames. I’ve used oatmeal in the past, instead of breadcrumbs, and Todd’s used crushed potato chips and even rice cereal! As long as it’s fairly finely crushed (a rolling pin and a plastic bag will do if the food processor’s too much of a hassle) it’ll work!

Stove versus Grill

There’s just something about a grilled burger than one done in a frying pan or skillet can’t match. If you have a gas grill, like we do, firing it up (even in January) is no sweat. Charcoal takes, I think, a little more commitment but the flavor is often worth it (though I think having a second item–like some chicken quarters or a pork roast–to cook while the coals are still live is the most efficient use of a charcoal grill). An indoor grill is somewhat superior to a skillet but if you really have a hankering and a frying pan is all you’ve got, then go for it!

What are your qualifications for a really good burger?

Grill Mastery

Nibbles

Ah, yes, weather permitting (and even sometimes not), thousands (millions?) of grills across the country will be fired up to char something with family and friends.

My first tip for the grilling-minded is for barbecue chicken and it comes from Mom. She takes leg quarters and marinates them in Italian dressing (straight from the bottle into a large baggie and if you can let it sit overnight in the fridge, even better), to start, and then pre-cooks them a bit in the microwave. Now, don’t shriek, it’s actually an excellent idea since it’s SO tough to get the chicken to cook evenly on the grill without one part getting over cooked or it taking forty forevers. So you par-cook the legs in the microwave and THEN put them on the grill to finish cooking and get that lovely caramelized finish and a good brush with the barbecue sauce of choice.

Did you know that chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees? Now you do. Get out those meat thermometers and make sure the fleshiest bit is up to temperature before serving yourself or your guests. Pork should also always be cooked fully (no pink!) to reduce the risk of trichinosis. Beef and lamb can be cooked anywhere from 140 (rare) to 170 (well done) without too much worry (though why you’d want well-done lamb is beyond me!).

Most recipes suggest throwing out the marinade once it’s been used but you can actually use it for a sauce IF you bring it to a boil and keep it boiling for several minutes (5 is a good number) to “cook” any of the raw meat juices that are in there.

Finally, a true tale of grilling no matter what. It was my high school graduation party and the house was pretty full of guests. The plan had been to grill but the weather was atrocious: rainy and grey. But, the show must go on so Mom changed into her swimsuit and shorts and went outside with an umbrella to tend the grill as needed. Of course, if you’ve got the grill lid in one hand and tongs in the other, how are you going to hold the umbrella? In your cleavage, of course.

So don’t let a little water dampen your party this Memorial Day weekend.