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The thrill of the grill
marin county, ca ^ | 21 May 2003 | Debra Hale-Shelton

Posted on 05/21/2003 12:17:26 PM PDT by stainlessbanner

GET OUT YOUR apron, dig out Dad's favorite barbecue recipe and fire up the grill. Grilling season is here.

Whether you cook with charcoal, gas or a bit of both, guests will crowd around your picnic table if you follow a few simple grilling tips, not to mention recipes, from some top chefs and cookbook authors.

To many, Dad's barbecued ribs, whether dry or wet, spicy or mild, are every bit as American as Mom's apple pie. Indeed, Abraham Lincoln's parents celebrated their wedding with a barbecue, and George Washington loved to go to barbecues and even wrote about them in his diary, according to Steven Raichlen, author of "How to Grill," "The Barbecue! Bible" and his newest, "BBQ USA" (Workman, 2003, $19.95 paperback).

"Barbecue is very deeply imbedded in our national psyche and has been since even before we were a nation," says Raichlen, speaking by phone from his home in Martha's Vineyard, Mass. He expects to be grilling lobster, corn-on-the-cob and peaches or pineapple for Memorial Day there - not to mention a smoked potato salad.

From ribs to lobster, corn-on-the-cob to bread pudding, grilling can be an innovative yet easy way to cook.

Food Network chef and cookbook author Gale Gand, for example, enjoys grilling fruit on a propane grill on her screened-in porch outside Chicago. Grilling, she saiys in a phone interview from New York, "really intensifies the sweetness without adding extra sugar. The hotter the grill, the more caramelization you'll get" when cooking fruit, says Gand.

Gand, co-owner of Tru restaurant in Chicago, takes part in neighborhood grilling parties and believes grilling holds "the same emotional tie as a hearth or fireplace." People seem to gather around a grill "as if some kind of magic or alchemy is going on," she says.

"You hear that crackling sound of the flames, and you know something great is about to happen," adds Gand, who was planning to try grilled crawfish for Memorial Day.

Advice from Gand: Cooks should be sure to clean the grill once a year and keep an extra tank of propane handy so they won't run out of fuel while cooking dinner.

Raichlen has about 30 grills altogether, between his two homes, one in Massachusetts and one in Florida.

In his household, "Everything from the appetizer to dessert tends to get cooked on the grill," he says. "We allow for the occasional green salad or steamed fiddlehead ferns, however."

Raichlen advises home chefs to keep their grills hot, clean and well-oiled. "Food is less likely to stick to a hot grill grate, and you'll get better grill marks," he says.

To clean a grill, Raichlen recommends using a stiff wire brush or crumpled aluminum foil. He suggests oiling the grate before turning on the grill.

"To do that, you take a paper towel, fold it into a little pad, then dip it into a bowl of vegetable oil and rub it across the bars of the grate."

Rick Bayless, chef-owner of Chicago's highly rated Frontera Grill and Topolobampo restaurants, cookbook author and host of the PBS-TV series "Mexico: One Plate at a Time," calls himself "an inveterate barbecuer."

Bayless puts his charcoal and gas grills to good use every February when he invites friends over for a huge barbecue just to remind them "summer is going to come."

Bayless, whose parents ran Hickory House, a barbecue restaurant in Oklahoma City, says he grew up on the flavors of grilled and smoked meat.

"I don't like charcoal. I like to burn logs," he says. Bayless says it's fun to play around with other woods, "But, man, when I get a hankering for that Oklahoma stuff, it's always hickory."

One of his favorite grilled foods is pizza, particularly one topped with melted goat cheese and bacon. And, of course, he likes to slow-cook pork ribs in the middle of his grill, with the coals banked on either side.

Bayless thinks a common grilling mistake is that people get their fire too hot, causing food to cook too quickly on the outside before it's done on the inside. In fact, Raichlen suggests setting up three grill zones: hot, medium and cool. Then if something is cooking too fast, you can quickly move it to the cool zone.

Bayless also suggests brushing or spraying oil on the food rather than on the grill unless the grate is cast iron.

Cookbook author Rick Tramonto, Gand's partner at Tru, also loves to grill, in fact "almost every night in the summer."

Tramonto plans to grill for about 12 family members on Memorial Day, when he'll also celebrate his 40th birthday (he explains the birthday is actually May 30).

"We're hoping to do some half-lobsters, some shrimp, steaks and some lamb chops," he says. "We'll do corn on the cob. I even do baked potatoes on the grill."

Tramonto believes the most common grilling mistake people make is turning the food too soon. "People don't let stuff cook; they can't just start flipping. They don't let it develop a crust. They don't let it develop a good sear, which seals in all the juices and all the flavor," he says.

Tramonto, who owns one gas and one charcoal grill, says he enjoys grilling because of the great flavor and "the whole ambiance of being outside and cooking outside."

He's adventuresome, too. He says he loves grilling frog legs, he cooks outdoors even when it snows, and hopes others will grill more, too. "It brings family together; it brings friends together; it's a great social setting."

He's particularly fond of his Tramonto Potato Wedges. He says one potato should serve two people. For each potato, this informal recipe calls for a half cup of olive oil, two cloves of minced garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste, and one teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

Wrap each potato in aluminum foil and bake it in a 400 F oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Let it cool about an hour. Make a marinade of the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Quarter the potato into wedges, then cut each wedge in half before dressing the potato with the mixture. Allow the potato to marinate about 10 minutes, then grill on both sides for about 3 minutes each side.

Recipes

Rick Bayless, Chicago chef, cookbook author and TV food-show host, recently shared his recipe for barbecued ribs, which serve six.

Barbecued Ribs

3 large slabs (about 5 pounds total) baby back ribs, OR 2 medium to medium-small slabs (about 5 pounds total) spare ribs

1/3 cup barbecue spice

About 2 cups hickory wood chips

About 1 1/4 cup barbecue sauce

Lay ribs on baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides evenly with spice. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 5 hours or up to one day.

One hour before cooking, place wood chips in bowl and cover with water.

About a half hour before cooking, heat half the burners on one side of the gas grill on high. (If your grill has three burners, heat two.)

To set up the grill, pour 1 inch of water into a baking pan (a 13-by-9-inch pan works well) and set over hot part of grill, the lighted burners. Drain wood chips. Wrap in foil. Poke six holes in foil, and set next to water pan directly over high heat.

When wood chips begin to smoke, lay ribs curved-side up over cooler part of grill (unlighted burner). Use a rib rack to stand up ribs when doubling or tripling the recipe so all will fit. Close grill. Turn temperature to medium. Cook 1 1/4 hours for baby back ribs, 2 for spare ribs, until beautifully reddish-brown and meat is tender when tested with fork. If grill has thermometer, it should stay about 325 F during cooking. Brush ribs with barbecue sauce, close grill and cook 10 minutes longer.

To serve ribs: Remove ribs to cutting board. With large knife, cut between bones. Serve with remaining barbecue sauce. Heat barbecue sauce in microwave, so it does not cool off the ribs.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe from Rick Bayless.

Bayless says the following is the barbecue sauce recipe from his parents' Hickory House restaurant in Oklahoma City.

Hickory House Barbecue Sauce

2 garlic cloves

1 cup ketchup

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar, preferably the smaller amount

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar, well packed into cup

1/2 to 1 teaspoon barbecue spice, store-bought or homemade (you can substitute chili powder)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salt, if necessary

Peel garlic cloves and press through garlic press into small saucepan. Add 3/4 cup water and all remaining ingredients. Gently simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. The sauce is then ready to use.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Recipe from Rick Bayless.

lll

Chef Gale Gand, co-owner of Tru restaurant in Chicago, created the following recipe.

Note: Gand advises that you keep the clams chilled until you are ready to clean them.

Grilled Clams With Drawn Garlic Butter

5-pound sack cherry stone clams

2 sticks of unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic, crushed

Rinse the clams in the sink under cold, runny water and scrub with a vegetable brush if needed then drain. Keep chilled till ready to grill.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, adding the crushed garlic. Heat the butter a little hotter over medium heat to clarify it. Once the butter is totally melted, skim the foam (salts) from the top. Ladle out just the clear yellow butter fat, leaving the garlic and milky dairy liquid and water in the bottom. Keep this clear butter warm.

When you're ready to serve, just pour the clams onto the grill, spread them out on the grates and close the lid. In about 2 to 4 minutes, they'll open up and they're done. Serve on a big platter with small clam forks; drizzle a bit of the butter over, and serve with more drawn butter on the side to dip.

Makes about 20 servings.

Recipe from Gale Gand.


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1 posted on 05/21/2003 12:17:26 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
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To: Rebelbase; WorkingClassFilth; ctlpdad; Constitution Day; Yeti; dogbyte12; Sender; sweetliberty; ...
Got BBQ?

Freepmail to get on/off bbq list

2 posted on 05/21/2003 12:18:14 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
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To: yall
here's another one friends

Boneless BBQ Ribs

Ingredients

3 tablespoons chili sauce
1 tablespoon mild molasses
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless pork ribs
Instructions

In small bowl, stir together all ingredients except pork ribs. Add 1 tablespoon water to sauce mixture; set aside.

Heat nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork ribs and cook until they are lightly browned on the outside and just lose the pink color on inside, about 5 minutes, turning once.

Reduce heat to low; add sauce to pork, and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until sauce bubbles and thickens. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Note: If you can't find boneless pork ribs at the market, use the following easy instructions for cutting a 1-pound boneless pork loin roast into ribs.

Holding sharp chef's knife parallel to work surface, cut a well-trimmed 1-pound boneless pork loin roast horizontally in half. Cut each half crosswise into 8 strips (or 10 strips if thinner "ribs" are desired.)

3 posted on 05/21/2003 12:19:21 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
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To: stainlessbanner
I just got 2 1 gallon jugs of liquid smoke.
4 posted on 05/21/2003 12:21:56 PM PDT by BrooklynGOP
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To: stainlessbanner
I thought the pollution control people had outlawed BBQ in California. Most especially in politically correct Marin County.
5 posted on 05/21/2003 12:24:24 PM PDT by Whispering Smith
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To: All
One more here Cookbook authors, chefs talk about grilling
6 posted on 05/21/2003 12:25:33 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
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To: stainlessbanner
Yummmmmm....ribs. We grilled them shrimps down east in NC this past weekend. Half on skewers with a lime-butter brush and the other half mixed with oil and Old Bay and cooked in a pan on the grill.
7 posted on 05/21/2003 12:27:31 PM PDT by AppyPappy (If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
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To: Whispering Smith
When BBQ grills are outlawed... outlaws will still be cooking on BBQ grills.
8 posted on 05/21/2003 12:27:55 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: stainlessbanner
Alternative ketchup-based sauce: One bottle ketchup (24 oz), 1/3 cup light Karo, 1/4 cup vinegar, one lemon, tablespoon garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco to taste.

Smoke, braise or grill meat until almost ready. Brush on sauce and grill over high heat to carmalize the sauce. Serve with extra sauce for dipping. This is especially good on chicken.
9 posted on 05/21/2003 12:28:18 PM PDT by js1138
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To: stainlessbanner
The BGE twins are scheduled for a good work out this weekend!

LVM

10 posted on 05/21/2003 12:31:11 PM PDT by LasVegasMac
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To: stainlessbanner
Phillipino BBQ Ribs:
Marinate pork ribs in Soy Sauce with a touch of vinegar, seasoned with ground pepper, onions, and garlic. Grill over charcoal. Gas is a blasphemous abhomination. And boneless ribs are no fun.
11 posted on 05/21/2003 12:34:01 PM PDT by ArrogantBustard
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To: AppyPappy; stainlessbanner
My shrimp, oyster, and fish grilling sauce...

2 sticks real butter

2 sliced lemons

2 shots of good beer(Shiner Bock for us).

Old bay

Sliced clove of garlic

Simmer ingredients in sauce pan at low heat.

This sauce is especially good for oysters malibu.

12 posted on 05/21/2003 12:37:30 PM PDT by Vigilantcitizen
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To: stainlessbanner
Bump and mark for recipe culling... :)
13 posted on 05/21/2003 12:38:37 PM PDT by kevkrom
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To: stainlessbanner
Grilling season is here.

At my house there is no season, it's all year long, nice post.

14 posted on 05/21/2003 12:39:00 PM PDT by Mister Baredog ((They wanted to kill 50,000 of us on 9/11, we will never forget!))
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To: BrooklynGOP
I just got 2 1 gallon jugs of liquid smoke.

Did you notify the EPA? LOL

15 posted on 05/21/2003 12:40:56 PM PDT by Mister Baredog ((They wanted to kill 50,000 of us on 9/11, we will never forget!))
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To: stainlessbanner
Please add me to your list! Didn't know there was a bbq list. FreeRepublic just keeps gettin' better n better!
16 posted on 05/21/2003 12:41:25 PM PDT by realpatriot
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To: AppyPappy; Constitution Day
Try skewering the shrimps with rosemary branches and spraying with the garlic flavored olive oil spray. You'll love the smell and the taste.

'La bonne cuisine est la base du véritable bonheur.' - Auguste Escoffier
(Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.)

LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

17 posted on 05/21/2003 12:42:14 PM PDT by LonePalm (Commander and Chef)
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To: Whispering Smith
I thought the pollution control people had outlawed BBQ in California. Most especially in politically correct Marin County.

SHHHHHHH!

18 posted on 05/21/2003 12:42:52 PM PDT by Mister Baredog ((They wanted to kill 50,000 of us on 9/11, we will never forget!))
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To: LasVegasMac
I wonder how many Freepers have BGE's (I do!)
19 posted on 05/21/2003 12:43:14 PM PDT by realpatriot
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To: ArrogantBustard
Charcoal is mandatory. The shrimp mentioned above sounds great !
20 posted on 05/21/2003 12:45:32 PM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks
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