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Picnic Week: Rubs, marinades and meat grilling tips

 

Outdoor Grilling Tips

Safety Tips

To prevent flame flare-ups on the grill, trim excess fat from steaks and chops, leaving only a scant 1/4-inch of fat. This is sufficient to flavor the meat and makes cleanup easier, too.

Keep a lid on it!  Keeping the lid on the grill allows heat to circulate, cooking food evenly and without flare-ups. Every time you lift/open the lid, you add extra cooking time

If a flare-up should occur, turn all burners to OFF and move food to another area of the cooking grate. Any flames will quickly subside. Then, light the grill again. NEVER USE WATER TO EXTINGUISH FLAMES ON A GAS GRILL.

Always keep the bottom tray and grease catch pan of your gas grill clean and free of debris. This not only prevents dangerous grease fires, it deters visits from unwanted critters. A sprinkle of red pepper is another safe way to discourage animals.

Use the right utensils. Long-handled tools and long barbecue mitts protect you from the heat.

Take the guesswork out of grilling. Use a thermometer and a timer that lets you know when the food is fully cooked and when it's time to take it off the grill.

When you're using a recipe, remember that cooking times in charts and recipes are approximate and based on 70°F (20°C) weather with little or no wind. Cooking times for meat, poultry, and fish have been tested with the foods at refrigerator temperature. Allow more cooking time on cold or windy days, or at higher altitudes, and less in extremely hot weather.

Cooking Tips

Warm your favorite bar-b-que sauce before slathering it on your ribs. Cold sauce makes for cold food.

When dry coating a piece of meat, make sure to cover it thoroughly. You want it to look like a sandy beach.

Use hardwood chunks, chips or briquettes whether using a gas or charcoal grill to give food a smoky flavor.

Use forks only to lift fully cooked foods from the grill and tongs or turners to turn them over -- forks pierce food and flavorful juices are lost.

It's a good idea to follow recipes carefully at least the first time you try them to learn how a food should be grilled, how it should taste, etc. Then, if you want, you can customize the dish to your own unique tastes.

Let food sit before serving. A few minutes for small cuts and up to 15 minutes for larger steaks and roasts.

 

Tips on Creating the Perfect Dry Rub:

• Create your rub using your favorite seasonings and a little bit of liquid.
• Using the rub make sure to cover then entire piece of meat you are cooking, including the bottom.
• Place seasoned piece of meat in the roasting pan and cover with plastic wrap.
• Allow to sit at least 4 hours refrigerated

 

Perfectly Seasoned Chicken Rub

 

Ingredients:

3/4 C. paprika

1/4 C. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 C. celery salt

1/4 C. sugar

2 tbsp. dry mustard powder

2 tbsp. onion powder

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tbsp. finely minced lemon zest

 

Instructions: Combine in a bowl and rub into chicken and let marinate. Cook however you like.

 

 

Important Tips on Marinating Meat

 

  • A marinade makes meat better by adding moisture, increasing tenderness and adding flavor. It can transform a tough piece of meat to a tender and tasty one.

 

  • As a general rule, use 1/4 cup of marinade per pound of beef or meat.

 

  • Make sure that you turn the meat periodically so that the marinade works evenly.

 

  • Meats like beef and pork should be marinated from 1 to 10 hours depending on the thickness of the cut and the strength of the marinade.

 

  • Poultry should be marinated from 30 minutes to 3 hours.

 

  • Fish and seafood should spend no more than 30 minutes in a marinade. (Be particularly careful with shrimp that can actually cook in a strong marinade.)
  • Make sure you keep the meats refrigerated as you are marinating them. Never leave food at room temperature any longer than absolutely necessarily. When marinating take your food straight from the refrigerator to the grill or it can spoil.
  • If you plan to use your marinade as a sauce after you have taken the meat out, you must bring it to a complete boil for 5 minutes before it is safe to use again. (For some marinades this can actually ruin the flavor so make sure you are following your recipe's instructions.)

 

Orange Cilantro Marinade for Chicken

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1/2 an orange, juiced
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 jalapeno fresh, seeds removed

Preparation:

Blend all ingredients in the blender for 30 seconds or until almost smooth.

Place fish in bowl or large baggie and pour marinade over. Make sure the marinade coats the fish or chicken completely. If using chicken, spear with a fork several times to allow marinade to penetrate.

Leave in the refrigerator overnight. When it's ready, bake or grill fish until it is no longer translucent and is flaky. Bake or grill chicken until it reaches 170 degrees.

 

 

Tasty Chicken Marinade

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons minced onion
  • dash salt and pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using. For grilled or broiled chicken, pour marinade over 2 to 3 pounds of chicken pieces; refrigerate for 4 hours or more. Do not re-use marinade

 

Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.