Be a BBQ Hero
Posted by Alayne Gardner-Carimi on
Be a BBQ Hero
Summertime is a great time to roll out the grill and give your inside oven and stovetop a rest. Grilling can feel a little intimidating if you’re new to the game, but once you know a few basic techniques, it’s one of the easiest ways to get dinner on the table. Here’s a few tips to make grilling easy and help you make delicious barbecue in your own backyard, celebrate the season, and feed the people you love.
Grilling gives you a unique cooking method that can involve everything from vegetables to meats to fruit, regardless of what type of grill you are using. While each food group has its own techniques and tricks for grilling perfection the basics are easily mastered. So, fire up the grill and amp up your regular cooking routines.
Gourmet Flourishes
Regardless of what you’re grilling, mix it up by serving an interesting dipping sauce like homemade Balsamic & Bourbon Ketchup, Chimichurri, or a Citrus Aioli or make it simple with FassZination Plum Walnut Mustard, Smoked Salt, and BBQ Spice Rubs available at vomFASS-Madison. We make it easy to enhance the grill’s natural ability to add flavor to foods.
Seven Simple Steps for Grilling Success
We invite you to feel the thrill of the grill, and the charge of the perfect char, with your own BBQ hero moment as you lay platters of smokey deliciousness on the table for family and friends...
Rub it in:
A dry rub is a blend of dry spices and herbs that is liberally applied and rubbed onto the surface of food to add flavor before cooking. Depending on the flavor profile, rubs can work on meat, poultry, fish, and even vegetables. On top of making everything delicious, dry rubs can also create a crust on food that adds beautiful texture and a burst of flavor, even if they are applied just before cooking. Pat food dry with paper towels and then apply rub. Try our FassZination BBQ rubs and Smoked salt.
A dry rub is a blend of dry spices and herbs that is liberally applied and rubbed onto the surface of food to add flavor before cooking. Depending on the flavor profile, rubs can work on meat, poultry, fish, and even vegetables. On top of making everything delicious, dry rubs can also create a crust on food that adds beautiful texture and a burst of flavor, even if they are applied just before cooking. Pat food dry with paper towels and then apply rub. Try our FassZination BBQ rubs and Smoked salt.
Chill out:
When it comes to chicken, beef, or pork, remove it from the 'fridge 30 minutes before cook time. You don’t want to throw a cold piece of meat onto the grill — the outside will char while the inside will still be underdone since it started off so cold. When you slowly let meat come closer to room temperature, it’ll cook more evenly.
Make it H-O-T:
There are four main reasons preheat your grill. First, it helps remove some of the residues from prior use. Second, not doing so means that the grill won't be at its ideal cooking temperature when you put your food on it, and it will take longer to cook. Third, putting raw protein on a cold grill means you won't get those sought-after sear marks on your burgers, steaks, and pieces of eggplant — and you also won't get the smoky flavor that comes along with them. Lastly, preheating decreases food sticking to the grate.
There are four main reasons preheat your grill. First, it helps remove some of the residues from prior use. Second, not doing so means that the grill won't be at its ideal cooking temperature when you put your food on it, and it will take longer to cook. Third, putting raw protein on a cold grill means you won't get those sought-after sear marks on your burgers, steaks, and pieces of eggplant — and you also won't get the smoky flavor that comes along with them. Lastly, preheating decreases food sticking to the grate.
A good guideline is to allow about 15 minutes for maximum temperature or searing. After the grate is hot, brush the hot grates with a steel brush and apply a light coating of seed oil with a with a high smoke point like vomFASS Grape Seed Oil
before placing the food on the grill. When food can sear and caramelize on a nice hot grate, it will release itself easily and make flipping a breeze.
Get in the zone:
Create two zones of heat in the grill, one where the heat element (charcoal, gas burner, or electrical element) is concentrated below the grate, and one where the food may be cooked indirectly from the heat source. Sear proteins on grate above the direct heat to seal moisture in and create grill marks. Then move to indirect area to complete cooking to proper internal temperature. Most veggies take less time to cook than proteins and can be grilled above the direct heat while the proteins finish cooking indirectly.
Create two zones of heat in the grill, one where the heat element (charcoal, gas burner, or electrical element) is concentrated below the grate, and one where the food may be cooked indirectly from the heat source. Sear proteins on grate above the direct heat to seal moisture in and create grill marks. Then move to indirect area to complete cooking to proper internal temperature. Most veggies take less time to cook than proteins and can be grilled above the direct heat while the proteins finish cooking indirectly.
Killer Veggies:
First, you want vegetable and fruit pieces to be large enough to not fall through the grill grate (or you can use a basket or skewers). In any case, veggies should be cut in similar sizes so that everything cooks in roughly the same amount of time. Tossing them lightly in vomFASS Garlic Herb Oil or Sun Meadow Oil adds flavor and aids in the caramelization process. Space out the veggies—if they’re crowded together they get “steamed” rather than grilled. Asparagus and green beans get left whole (just snap off the woody ends), zucchini and eggplant are cut into long spears that look so pretty when they’re plated, and tomatoes, bell peppers, and peaches can just be halved and placed face down on the grates.
First, you want vegetable and fruit pieces to be large enough to not fall through the grill grate (or you can use a basket or skewers). In any case, veggies should be cut in similar sizes so that everything cooks in roughly the same amount of time. Tossing them lightly in vomFASS Garlic Herb Oil or Sun Meadow Oil adds flavor and aids in the caramelization process. Space out the veggies—if they’re crowded together they get “steamed” rather than grilled. Asparagus and green beans get left whole (just snap off the woody ends), zucchini and eggplant are cut into long spears that look so pretty when they’re plated, and tomatoes, bell peppers, and peaches can just be halved and placed face down on the grates.
Let it be:
Allowing the surface area of your food to stay in one spot for a while is what creates that delicious caramelization, which is the whole point of grilling in the first place. Resist the urge to turn your food more than once, and you’ll be rewarded with gorgeous grill marks and sweet crunchy crust. Keep the lid down as much as possible to get max heat retention and max flavor. The closed lid is what traps that yummy smokiness that happens when the fat and juices vaporize.
Allowing the surface area of your food to stay in one spot for a while is what creates that delicious caramelization, which is the whole point of grilling in the first place. Resist the urge to turn your food more than once, and you’ll be rewarded with gorgeous grill marks and sweet crunchy crust. Keep the lid down as much as possible to get max heat retention and max flavor. The closed lid is what traps that yummy smokiness that happens when the fat and juices vaporize.
R&R:
After meat comes off the grill, let it rest on a foil-tented plate for 5 – 10 minutes. This gives time for the juices to redistribute and stay in the meat before you cut into it, giving you more tender and moist rewards.
After meat comes off the grill, let it rest on a foil-tented plate for 5 – 10 minutes. This gives time for the juices to redistribute and stay in the meat before you cut into it, giving you more tender and moist rewards.
No Smoke—No Worries!
Even if you don't have a grill, you can still enjoy great grilled flavor! FassZination Rauchsalz to the rescue—our pure Dead Sea Salt has been prepared according to a traditional recipe from the Vikings. Cold-smoked over hickory wood, it adds a natural, rich smoky flavor to meats, fish, and vegetables.
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