Tag: barbecue

Sweet or Savory? How to Create the Perfect Summer Experience

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date June 30, 2021

Food has a way of uniting and bringing joy to people. It is an art that uses scientific methodologies to create a unique result that tantalizes the taste buds. During the summer, people like to experiment and spend quality time with the family as they take time off from their busy schedules to create the perfect summer experience.

Whether you have a sweet tooth or prefer the spiciness or tartness, there is always something for you on the menu. You can apply various techniques and ingredients to get the perfect flavor bomb in your mouth. Here are some of the summer favorites in a three-course meal that you can try this summer.

The Perfect Summer Salad Experience

Summer is all about the freshness and brightness of colors. So what better way to start your meal than having a bright and tasty salad? A salad that represents the summer is one with corn, strawberries, and avocado. The freshness and sweetness of this dish make it perfect to be your first course.

It is an easy starter to prepare since you only have to steam the corn. The other ingredients (cherry tomatoes, avocado, and strawberries) remain fresh to provide freshness to the dish. The ruggedness of the plate because of the avocado chunks and roughly chopped and diced strawberries is synonymous with the lazy summer feel.

Once the corn is ready, you shred the kernels from the cob and let it cool. You then mix it with the other ingredients and sprinkle with feta cheese, olive oils, finely chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and lime juice for acidity.

BBQ Chicken Summer Style

What perfect summer experience would be without a BBQ? With the perfect glaze on crispy chicken skin, you are sure to have a good feast. But, first, you need to ensure that you barbeque the chicken to perfection. The trick is to choose the right equipment, grill, or smoker and pay attention to the time and heat source. Patience is vital in grilling; thus, ensure you check on your chicken to avoid overcooking.

Most people have their BBQ sauce recipe that features their favorite ingredients for a personal touch. However, the most common elements will often include apple cider vinegar, ketchup, honey or/and brown sugar, and an acidic flavor like lime juice. The trick is repeatedly tasting while adding the ingredients to ensure it has the perfect consistency and taste.

Summer Cake with Fruits and Cream Conclude the Perfect Summer Experience

Every celebration needs a sweet ending. Summer can especially present a challenge in choosing a flavor combination that works with the heat. Fresh fruits, acidity, and a refreshing cream usually do the trick. And cake is a good summer dessert choice because it stands up to the heat better than other dessert options.

It would help if you baked the cake perfectly by using the correct measurements and additives. Always use a parchment lining to avoid having your cake stick to the baking pan. However, if you run out of it and are stuck wondering what to use when parchment paper is not available, you can explore different aluminum foils or silicone mat to remove the cake once it is ready.

Finally, having a moist lemon and lime cake topped with vanilla whipped cream and fresh fruits like strawberries, kiwi fruits, nectarines, or peaches will bring a colorful conclusion to the day.

With such a complete meal, you only need your summer cocktail or drink of your choice as you watch the sunset. It is vital that you showcase and hero each dish in the summer experience.

Tags barbecue, bbq, summer cooking

Cooking Techniques

Tips to Make Your Barbecue the Best

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date May 15, 2017

If you love dining outdoors in the sunshine, but you find that your barbecue food isn’t quite as good as you’d like it to be, check out the tips below. They’ll help you improve your technique when cooking over a fire and ensure that your barbecue is the best around.

Source: Flickr

Buy the Right Barbecue

It all starts with the right equipment. If you want to make the best possible barbecue food – charcoal bbq smokers are the best. Gas versions may work fine, but they won’t give you the all important smoky flavor that makes a truly delicious BBQ meal.

You should also aim to buy a barbecue that features a lid. This will help you to maintain a constant cooking temperature and help you do things like melting cheese onto your burgers and smoking ribs, that you just can’t do without a lid. Look at any BBQ vendor worth his/her salt, and they’re using a lidded device.

Choose Better Fuel

If your barbecue food is lacking that smoky, woody taste that you find in BBQ joints, it’s probably because you are using cheap charcoal. Instead, go for hickory, apple or oak wood chips, combined with more expensive charcoal for a taste sensation that’ll get rave reviews from your guests.

Don’t Cook in the Flames

Although barbecue dishes are often referred to as ‘flame-grilled’ that doesn’t mean that you should actually cook your food when the flames are high. To get the best flavor, and meat that is perfectly cooked, wait until the coals are burning white and the flames have died down. The heat will be even then, which will help you to avoid burnt or undercooked food.

Make Your Own

If you really want to wow at the barbecue, instead of cooking pre-made burgers and sausages, make your own. The simplest burgers can be made with just high-quality meat and seasoning, and they will taste much better than the average store-bought products. Just make sure that you buy ground meat that has lots of fat running through it because this will make the juiciest, most flavorsome burgers possible.

When I make my own burgers, I like mix in a variety of flavor boosters such as garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce and A-1 Steak sauce.

Long, Slow Marinade

When you’re barbecuing, it’s even more important than usual that you let your meat marinade overnight. The longer you can leave your meat to marinade, the more moist and delicious it will be when you take that all-important first bite. As well as leaving your meat to marinade, you should also give it an extra brush for every 10 minutes of cooking time, while it’s on the grill.

Don’t have time? You can speed up the marinating process using a vacuum packer. An hour or so vacuum packed with marinade can give you close to the same results as letting sit overnight.

Carefully Grill Vegetables

Although meat is usually the star of the show, expertly grilled vegetables can give them a run for their money and make your barbecue offerings a bit more interesting. To ensure that your veggies are perfectly cooked, slice them thinly and grill them immediately without adding any oil or seasoning of any kind. Aim to gently char them and only add extra flavors once they’ve been removed from the grill.

Kill It with Sides

Once you’ve got the grilling down, you need to create some killer side dishes that will blow your guests away … and ensure that you all eat a more balanced meal that isn’t just meat, meat, meat. Some good side ideas include grilled corn on the cob, potato salad or flatbreads cooked right on the barbecue.

Tags barbecue, bbq

Special Occasions Well Stocked Pantry

Food You Need To Have A Great Summer BBQ!

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date May 3, 2016

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As the days get longer, many a mind is dreaming of that quintessential American activity: The Summer BBQ.

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The summer months are ideal for making use of your back yard. The weather is warm and the sun is out till late. It’s an excellent time to get your BBQ out and get it lit … and cookin’. Why not organize a BBQ for your family and friends? It can be a great event that will end up lasting till the early hours.

First, you need to arrange seating outside for everyone. Then you can sort out games and music so that everybody has a good time. You will then need to buy food and drinks for your guests. Here are some food items that you need to get to have a fantastic BBQ.

Salad Fixings

If you want to have a great summer BBQ, you need to prepare salad that you can have with the meat you cook on the grill. It’s a great accompaniment to meat, and it’s also healthy. As well as a traditional salad, which you can make with lettuce, tomatoes and onions, you could also go for pasta or potato salad. These are all top choices for a BBQ, and you will notice that they will go down quickly. If you choose to make these two, keep them in the fridge till you are ready to serve the meat. You can buy them ready made, so you don’t have to go to the extra effort of making your own. Check out these salad recipes for some unique ideas.

Summer Salad Recipes

Summer BBQ Seafood

A lot of people cook meat on their summer BBQ, as is traditional here in the States. But they forget to try and cook fish on the grill, too. Salmon is a delicious choice to try on the BBQ, and you could even serve it as chunks in the salad. Prawns are also a top choice for BBQ as they grill nicely. It’s best to BBQ King Prawns as they are big enough to cook properly, and they taste great. Serve them with sweet chili sauce for extra flavor (if you’re lucky, you can find some at your local 99¢ Only store!). Crab is also a good choice that people don’t realize tastes good on the BBQ. You can try some on the grill by ordering it off websites such as http://www.citarella.com/shop/crab. It’s also quicker than cooking meat on the BBQ.

And, of course, if you’ve got a fisherperson in your home … fresh fish grilled in your backyard beats anything you can buy in a store or online.

Kebabs

Another top choice that is perfect for parties is the kebab, or skewered food. They cook so well on the BBQ, and you can do a few at once. Decide if you want to make your own or buy them ready made. When making your own, you should decide which meat you want to use first, and then you can cut these into chunks. Most people then add peppers and onions to the kebab as they complement the meat. As it says here, you could even add fruit such as pineapple, peach and mango to make them even more exotic. Don’t forget to marinate the kebab before adding it to the BBQ.

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Sausages

A traditional choice, sausages make a summer BBQ complete as they are so tasty when barbecued. To make it more interesting, why not choose different types of sausages to cook on the grill? There are a variety available, including ones which have apple or even tomato inside. Remember to check if any vegetarians are coming to your BBQ — you may want to buy some veggie sausages for them. Just make sure to cook them first, so they haven’t touched any meat. A lot of people pre-cook sausages before putting them on the BBQ, so they don’t poison their guests.

Burgers

If you are looking for another food item which will be amazing on the BBQ, you should consider cooking some burgers. They are so tasty after being barbecued, and you can get so many different types. Why not choose to cook some turkey and pork burgers, as well as the traditional beef burgers? You should also get some cheese which people can add to the burger. Burgers are another thing you should cook in your kitchen first before putting on the BBQ. Just don’t pre-cook them for too long otherwise, they will become rock solid once cooked on the BBQ.

Bread Rolls

Bread Rolls are an essential if you want to have a great BBQ with friends and family. It’s a great accompaniment when eating meat and fish. You can also use the bread rolls with the sausages and the burgers. To spice things up, why not get different bread rolls which are topped with cheese or tomato. It gives more people a choice, as well as making the food taste even more delicious. I’m also partial to Hawaiian sweet rolls.

Sweet corn

You might be surprised to know that healthy sweet corn is delicious on the BBQ. It is quick to do; just make sure you keep turning it over so that it all gets barbecued. You can then serve it for people to have alongside their meat. It’s great also to provide some butter so that it isn’t too dry.

Potato Chips

While people are waiting for the summer BBQ food to be cooked, it’s an excellent idea to put out some potato (and other) chips to keep pangs of hunger at bay. Choose a few different types so that there is a choice for everyone. Fill the bowl to the brim and then once it’s gone, you can refill to keep your guests satisfied. Put it outside on the table and keep it covered till your guests arrive.

Bananas

Another exciting — and unusual — food item you might try at your summer BBQ is the banana. This fruit is amazing once cooked and can be a great dessert option for everyone. As discussed here, all you have to do is chop off the ends of the banana and then place it on the grill to cook for at least 10-15 minutes with its skin still on. Once it’s cooked, you can carefully open the skin and eat the hot banana. It’s even more delicious if served with ice cream or, my favorite, whipped cream. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top, and you’ve got a world-class BBQ’d dessert!

Want an extra-special grilled banana dessert?
Add some chocolate to melt in while grilling!
Image from Pixabay

Don’t forget to start up the BBQ awhile before people start arriving, for it does take a bit of time to get it going and be hot enough to cook on. And for safety reasons, don’t leave it unattended just in case a child wanders over there!

Tags barbecue, bbq, summer

Cooking Techniques

Cooking Outdoors 101: How To Do It Successfully

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date April 28, 2016

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Summer is almost here: Are you ready for some cooking outdoors? The tools we use to prepare and cook food outside is different that what we use indoors, and so requires a slightly different skill set.

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As Summer approaches, the barbecue beckons. Cold beer, balmy Summer nights and sizzling food are all reasons that barbecues are something we return to time and again. But unless they’ve hosted, few people realize the skill and effort that goes into cooking outdoors. With a changeable temperature, difficult equipment, and sometimes several guests to cater for, it can be a major feat. But pull it off, and you’re a neighborhood hero.

There are few better sensations than sinking your teeth into a hearty, flavorful meal that you’ve cooked yourself. If you’re a seasoned pro or want to give outdoor cooking a try, you can always benefit from tips. Follow the suggestions below and you will never go far wrong.

Know Your Methods for Cooking Outdoors

Cooking outdoors can be as rustic as over a fire on a stick. Or as extravagant as on a state of the art barbecue complete with luxury accessories. Some ingredients may even require some oven time during the day and then will later crisp up to perfection outdoors. Whatever your method, know it well. Consider what ingredients will suit your meal and how to get the best flavor effect. It can be tempting to think of outdoor cooking in terms of sheer spectacle. But the fact is that we want great tasting food, no matter how it was cooked.

Stone grill cooking is gaining popularity for both its style and substance. Food looks inviting and attractive while sizzling in plain sight on the grill. But the stone grill method also achieves succulent, tasty results. Investigate methods of outdoor cookery and never be afraid to experiment.

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Cover Your Food

This isn’t a glamorous or exciting tip and that’s probably why it is so often overlooked. But covering your food before and after cooking is an essential part of achieving great results outdoors. Hygiene can be difficult to manage outdoors. We should always ensure that our utensils and equipment have been thoroughly cleaned and then kept in a clean area. There is no sense in cleaning utensils but then leaving them on a dirty outdoor bench, for example. But our food should be kept equally hygienic before serving. Leave ingredients in the refrigerator or indoors for as long as possible before needing them. If they have to be close at hand, then keep them in a sealed container. Servings can be covered by extra plates or tin foil. It may not look pretty and stylish. But it ensures that no-one leaves sick. Only the flies will go hungry!

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Give Yourself Enough Time for Cooking Outdoors

It is a common mistake to think we can slap something on the grill and it will soon be cooked. The nature of being outdoors can mean that a well-ventilated area distributes the heat. We do not get the same results as we would from using a sealed oven, for example. Things can take longer and certain ingredients should be cooked slowly to achieve the tastiest results. We can cook some things ahead of schedule or begin them indoors. We can always mix a few Summery drinks for any impatient guests too!

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Use A Variety of Ingredients

Outdoor cooking isn’t just for meat, fish and steaks. We should consider all the flavor possibilities we can unlock. We can create marinades for tofu, grilled fruit, and crunchy vegetables. Not only are these better for the waistline, they pack a major flavor punch. Give your meal a taste of Summer and added dimension by using a wide variety of ingredients.

Tags barbecue, cooking outddoors, grilling