CULINARY
ROOTS ® AND RECIPES
All-American
Regional Fusion Cuisine and Culture
BARBECUING,
GRILLING AND SMOKE COOKING have always been associated with
According to a Weber Grill
Watch Survey, hottest BBQ areas in the
Undoubtedly grilling takes a
gold medal when it comes to healthy, tasty, convenient, and easy to clean up
and fun food.
Grilling is the high heat
cooking that Americans do directly over flames of fire with their food set
above the direct heat.
Barbecuing works the
opposite way. It is a cooking method that uses smoldering charcoal or logs of
wood that slowly cook the food. The food is not directly exposed to the heat
but placed in a “heated environment” that gradually cooks the food.
Smoke-cooking is a type of
barbecuing that adds smoke to the heat; for the formation of the smoke most
common are natural hardwoods and herbs.
Do not use - Softwoods such
as pine, that produce an unpleasant resiny flavor, or lumber scarps that are
treated with carcinogenic chemicals and are toxic.
WHAT ARE
YOU? A GALLANT GRILLER, A CAREFUL COOK, A BUSY BARBECUER, OR A “NEED-IT-NOW”?
According to the Weber
GrillWatch Survey that studies what Americans like to cook, there are 4 major
outdoor grilling barbecuing smoke-cooking attitudes in the
The Gallant
Grillers:
Comprise one third
(33 %) of Americans who own an outdoor barbecue grilling type of cooking
implement. They usually are adventurous and love to experiment with type of
wood, spices, and types of foods.
The Careful Cooks:
They make up about
32% of Americans who love to barbecue, grill and smoke-cook; they follow
recipes carefully and are careful about the health aspect of the foods they
prepare.
The Busy Barbecuers:
Comprise
approximately 19%; included are those grill owners that like to cook food over
a gas grill because it is quick and easy.
The Need-It-Now:
Made up by
approximately 12% of Americans, this group includes cooks who want to be done
quickly with what they decided or were told to prepare. They view barbecuing or
grilling as a way to produce a certain finished food product. Surely charcoal
barbecues are not their thing.
Also according
to the Weber Grill Line Top Ten List:
Most
frequently grilled foods are:
1. Steaks; 2. Chicken;
3. Hamburgers; 4. Hot Dogs; 5. Vegetables; 6. Fish; 7. Ribs; 8.
Who
usually does the grilling?
57% Men – 21% Women
– 22% both
Wood, Charcoal
Fires and Pits, or Gas?
Cooking foods in
pits lined with hot stones and smoldering wood or charcoal and grilling or
barbecuing are the oldest forms of cooking food. However, man, over centuries,
has worked on these ways bringing forth numerous and very interesting
improvements.
Of course, we can
debate which method is the best and gives the best culinary results.
A simple and ancient
method is digging a pit, lining it with stones and fire wood, starting a fire,
letting the wood burn until it is smoldering, placing a wrapped piece of food
in the pit, and covering everything with dirt, sand, or seaweed. The food cooked
in a pit is usually a large piece of meat wrapped in leaves that cooks for
12-14 hours. Is it good? Of course it is good! It is tender but needs to be dug
out again.
Even with the
emancipation of women and their all strength fitness programs I would not call
it the modern woman’s choice type of cooking.
For a charcoal and
wood modern type of cooking then there are the famous American grills.
Charcoal grills can
be time consuming, not so predictable about heat temperature, and more or less
messy. Usually they are the favorites of adventurous cooks who have some time
for cooking, drinking, chatting, laughing, joking and for experimenting with
food. With their natural source of heat and their hard wood or herb flavored
food charcoal grills can supply wonderful aromatic foods that has been cooked
without major expense. In fact, charcoal or wood are readily available
everywhere, especially if you live or cook away from modern shopping centers or
store areas.
Gas grills are
modern and can cut a lot of time; they are more predictable, reliable and produce
clean heat that is easily monitored and controlled with a knob that increases
or decreases the flame supplied by a propane tank. They are used often by
professional chefs who cook with time requirements and by people who at the end
of a working day decide to have a quick barbecued steak and a good glass of
wine while they tend to other things on and off. On food flavor gas grills probably
produce a less grilled barbecued distinct food than the charcoal-wood grill, unless
you use the artificial food flavorings or liquid smoke products.
TEMPERATURE
CONVERSION TABLE
Fahrenheit Celsius
250 120
275 140
300 150
325 160
350 180
375 190
400 200
425 220
450 230
475 240
500 260
IS IT DONE YET?
Use a food
thermometer to be sure. Don’t tell by looking!
USDA
RECOMMENDED INTERNAL TEMPERATURES
Steaks and
Roasts 145 F.
Fish 145 F.
Pork 160 F.
Ground
Beef 160 F.
Egg Dishes 160 F.
Chicken
Breasts 170 F.
Whole
Poultry 180 F.
(United
States Department of Agriculture)
(Food
Safety and Inspection Service)
RECIPE ADAPTED FROM CHRIS
LILLY’S STEAK AND VEGETABLE SKEWERS WITH MUSTARD HORSERADISH SAUCE for Kingsford’s
Competition Briquets.
Ingredients:
2 onions
3 bell peppers
2 lbs boneless rib
eye steak, cubed
Marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cups maple syrup
¼ cup apple cider
vinager
¼ cup grated fresh
ginger
¼ cup minced garlic
Horseradish Sauce:
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup olive oil
mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. prepared
horseradish
1 tsp.
½ Tbsp. fresh lemon
juice
(Optional) 1/8 tsp
salt
MEAT AND VEGETABLES
In a bowl prepare
and mix well the marinade. Cut the peeled onions and seeded bell peppers into
large 1 inch pieces. Divide the marinade in two separate zip lock bags.
Marinate the cubed meat in one and the pieces of peppers and onions in the
other. Refrigerate for about 2-6 hours.
MUSTARD HORSERADISH
SAUCE
Before grilling and
serving with the meat prepare the horseradish sauce:
In a small bowl,
beat the heavy cream until it starts to thicken. Add the mayonnaise, the
horseradish, the mustard, the lemon juice, and if you wish the salt. Mix well.
Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
GRILLING ON SKEWERS
When you are ready
to grill, drain the vegetables and the meat cubes. Thread them in alternated
sequence on to skewers; one piece of meat, one piece of pepper, one piece of
meat, one piece of onion etc.
Build the charcoal
fire for direct grilling. When the coals are hot (450-500 degrees F) grill the
kebabs directly over the coals for 8-10 minutes turning them over once. Remove
the skewers when the meat is brown and firm and the vegetable show charring.
Serve with the Horseradish Sauce.
Product
and Information Resources
For more
information on charcoal products for grilling, such as the Kingsford
Competition Briquets, access the internet at http://www.kingsford.com
USDA Meat
and Poultry Hotline: 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854)
For more
information on where to find a charcoal or gas grill, recipes for grilling and
barbecuing, resource books, stores and communities that use and sell grills,
such as the famous Weber.
Weber’s
Grill Line: 1-800-GRILL-OUT (1-800-474-5568)
Or Welcome
to Weber Com. worldwide
www.weber.com/ and www.weber.com/us/
For more
information on outdoor cooking products including grills, fryers, boiling pots
and charcoal smokers such as the BRINKMANN Gourmet
Charcoal Smoker and Grill.
Brinkmann’s
website: www.brinkmann.net/
THE
BARBECUE BIBLE; Over 500 recipes by Steven Raichlen.
A book
that presents 500 sizzle and smoke recipes for preparing all kind of foods on
the grill. A collection of techniques, tips, and instructions that reflects a
passion for barbecuing and the expertise of a barbecue cook who has tested what
he describes.
555 pages;
drawings and black and white photographs – paperback by Workman Publishing,
THE
VEGETARIAN GRILL; 200 Recipes for Inspired Flame Kissed Meals by Andrea
Chesman.
A
collection of recipes that focuses on grilling vegetables. Recipes and
instructions on how to preoare fired up soups and salads; smoky pizzas and
pastas; kabobs and skewers; sizzling vegetable burgers; grill filled sandwiches
and more.
295
pages; drawings in brown/black and white – paperback by The Harvard Common
Press,
BARBECUE BIBLE’S
SAUCES RUBS AND MARINADES; Bastes, Butters and Gkazes and over 200 all new
recipes by Steven Raichlen.
A collection of how
to prepare seasonings and rubs, marinades and glazes for foods that will be
grilled. A book that includes sauces, salsas, relishes and chutneys that will
give a personal and special touch to your grilled food.
304 page; drawings
in brown and white – paperback by Workman Publishing,
Copyright 2009 E. Castleman;
Culinary Roots and Recipes; all rights incl electronic rights reserved; www.culinaryroots.com