After a long winter, the time has finally come to fire up the grill and start cooking. Here are a few tips and tricks to practice this year:
1. Always use two plates for your food - one for the raw product, and one for the cooked product. Never mix the two.
2. Once your grill his hot, try rubbing the grill with a raw onion (cut in half) just before you put the meat on it. This prevents food from sticking. A raw potato cut in half works too.
3. Here is a simple rhyme to help you remember how high your fire should be for cooking different cuts/types of meat. “The smaller the meat, the higher the heat” This is true 95% of the time.
4. One of the most common grilling errors I see is over flipping the meat. Let the grill do its job when cooking. The best way to tell if meat is ready to be flipped is when you notice the edges cooking.
5. Next time you are at Canadian Tire or Home Depot, stop by the BBQ section and buy a bag of smoke chips… even if you don’t have a smoker, they work good when grilling steak or chicken. Simply drop a few chips on the coals just under your meat. Nice flavor!
Don’t forget the veggies!...dip any or all of the following into this marinate and grill slightly…you want good crunchy vegetables:
Asparagus, Thick Sliced Carrots, Sliced Zucchini, Red Onion Rings, Egg Plant, Bell Peppers, Portabello Mushrooms….
Marinade Recipe:
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp sesame oil, juice from one lemon or lime, 1 tsp salt and pepper, 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil, 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano, 1 tsp sugar. ( you could also add a touch of Tabasco and/or Worchestershire if you like a little zing.)
Mix all ingredients well then dip the vegetables in. You can do this about 2 hours prior to grilling. Just be careful when grilling as the oil could flare up. Cook veggies on medium low heat. Serve them hot or at room temperate. I like to grill them just before I cook my meat.
This marinade can be saved and re-used a week later, provided it was used for raw vegetables only. Keep refrigerated.
Happy Grilling.
