Tag: bbq

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

Recipes

BBQ Beef Ribs with Memphis Dry Rub

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date January 12, 2021

Ribs need to be cooked slowly to become tender and juicy. While one might think that BBQ beef ribs need to be smoked, that isn’t the case. In this recipe, you use your oven.

Beef Ribs with Memphis BBQ Dry Rub

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword barbecue, bbq, beef, ribs

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 2

Servings 4

Ingredients

8 Tablespoons paprika
4 Tablespoons powdered garlic
4 Tablespoons chili powder
3 Tablespoons black pepper
3 Tablespoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoons celery seed
1 Tablespoon oregano
1 Tablespoon thyme
1 Tablespoon all-purpose Greek seasoning, Cavender's Seasoning is a good option
Your favorite BBQ sauce, homemade or store-bought (optional)
2 slabs beef ribs, for BBQ

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
In a medium-sized bowl, add all spices and mix them together.
Rinse beef ribs and allow excess water to drip away.
Line a flat baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier cleanup. Lay ribs on sheet.
Thickly coat both sides of ribs.
Place them on a cooking sheet and cover tightly with foil, sealing the edges.
Place an oven-safe pan of water next to or below the ribs on another rack.
Bake at 250 Degrees for 2 hours, turning once halfway through.
For wet ribs, after 2 hours, add a generous coat of your favorite BBQ sauce and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Notes

You may have more rub mix than necessary for your ribs. If so, save it in a Ziploc bag or sealed container for another time.

Note: If you can’t find Cavender’s Seasoning in your local grocery store, you can buy it on Amazon.

How to Cook BBQ Beef Ribs

There are several methods for producing mouthwatering barbecued ribs without the expense of buying a smoker. Here are a few tried and true options.

Cooking in an oven at low temperature: Place ribs in a roasting pan with 1/2 inch of water in the bottom. Cover with foil and seal the edges. Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours, turning over once after an hour.
If you don’t have a roasting pan, simply use a cooking sheet and cover tightly with foil. Place an oven-safe pan of water next to the ribs or on another shelf in the oven.

For wet ribs, after two hours, add a generous coating of your favorite BBQ sauce and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Grill over low heat: Wrap the ribs tightly in foil and grill over low heat (around 250 degrees) for 3 hours, turning once half-way through.
For web ribs, during the last 15 minutes of cooking time, coat them with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Make wet ribs in a Slow Cooker: Place the ribs in a slow cooker, cover with your choice of sauce and cook 8 to 12 hours on low.

One thing to remember about cooking BBQ beef ribs is you need to set it and forget it. No matter which way you’re cooking them, it’s important that the temperature remains steady. The more times you peek at the meat, the more heat is released and the less tender and juicy the ribs will become. In addition, it will take longer to cook — something the family will not like!

Creativity in the kitchen doesn’t stop at the recipe itself. You can have all sorts of creative culinary fun with leftovers! Here are some ideas for what you can do with BBQ beef ribs leftovers.

BBQ sandwiches: Of course! Slice open a hoagie roll, slather some BBQ sauce on it, pull the meat off the ribs, and stack on the bread. That’s your basic recipe. However, you might also enjoy adding some grilled onions, coleslaw, or plain shredded cabbage.
BBQ casserole: Toss the meat into a casserole dish. Add some bacon and Monterey Jack cheese, top with mashed potatoes, and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Yum!
BBQ Pot Pie: Using store-bought pie crusts, add your favorite veggies and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown.
BBQ pizza: Start with a store-bought crust, top with more BBQ sauce, meat, veggies, and cheese. Bake according to crust directions.
BBQ Burritos: Wrap beef and 1 Tablespoon BBQ sauce in a flour tortilla, ensuring the ends are sealed. Deep fry (or bake) until golden brown and crispy. Excellent when served with ranch dip.
BBQ Macaroni: Cook macaroni and cheese according to directions on the box — or make your own. Warm the meat in the microwave, adding more BBQ sauce if necessary to keep meat from drying out. Mix the warmed meat into the prepared mac-n-cheese. Sprinkle with bacon bits and your favorite shredded cheese.

Tags bbq, Beef, ribs

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

Image Credit

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

Image Credit

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