Barbeque tips from a master
Words of wisdom that I can aspire to, but alas, not live up to, straight from
Doug Fleener, motivational speaker and retail god:
1. Get rid of that gas grill. I know, I know, you like the convenience. You like turning a knob and 10 minutes later you're ready to cook. Unfortunately, using a gas grill means sacrificing an incredible amount of flavor. If you do a taste comparison of something cooked on gas versus something cooked on charcoal, you will almost invariably prefer the food cooked over charcoal. Charcoal really is as easy to use as gas. The trick is to have a high quality chimney. Wad up some paper in the bottom, fill that baby up with charcoal, light it and walk away. Fifteen or twenty minutes later you're ready to dump the hot coals in your grill. Sure, it takes a bit more time but it doesn’t involve any more work.
2. Get rid of that starter fluid. The stuff is nasty, leaves a taste, and has a tendency to remove your eyebrows. The chimney is the only way to go.
3. Let your food come up to room temperature before grilling. One of the biggest mistakes people making is moving food directly from the refrigerator to the grill. Most meats should sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before going onto the grill.
4. Use rubs to enhance your meats instead of heavy sauces. Rubs are a mixture of different spices, sugars, and salts to enhance the meat flavor. For most meats it is best to put the rub on the night before and refrigerate wrapped in plastic wrap. This works especially well on chicken and pork. Fine pieces of beef don't need them. If you like to grill with BBQ sauce, put it on at the very end and then serve some on the side. Most BBQ sauces have sugar in them and burn easily.
5. Chicken grilled under a brick is easy, tastes great, and will impress your friends and family. Take a whole chicken and cut out the backbone with either shears or a sharp knife. Flatten the chicken. Rub the chicken with vegetable oil and add a generous amount of salt and pepper. If you're comfortable working with indirect heat, fire your grill up to high. If you want to work with direct heat then your fire should be about medium. Oil the grates and put the chicken skin down. Take a sheet pan, oil the bottom and place on top of the chicken. Add three bricks to flatten it even more. Close the lid and grill for about 25 - 30 minutes. Check for flare-ups but do not move the chicken. After 25 minutes check the chicken for doneness. I usually flip the chicken and cook for about another 5 minutes. Take the chicken off the grill and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve with a good BBQ sauce on the side. Believe me, no matter how committed you are to healthy eating, the crispy chicken skin is hard to resist.
So fire up the grill, mix up some homemade lemonade, set the table outdoors, then sit back and enjoy the rewards of your hard work. You deserve it.
