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Monday, July 4, 2011

It's Grilling Time!!!!!


Wow, it's July 4th already! Fire up the grill, it's time to dine out in the great outdoors. Invite some friends over and enjoy the longer summer days and warmer nights.

Few things spell s-u-m-m-e-r like the smell of hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. For Americans, grilling could easily be described as a national pastime -- nearly 70 percent of the population grills outdoors, and 41 percent do so year-round.

Time to get out of the kitchen and outside on to my deck with my brand new grill!! With grilling the options are only as limitless as your imagination! From veggies, steaks, hamburgers, BBQ chicken, pork chops seafood, pizza, and many more!!!!!

Grilled Ribs....The easiest way is to cook them ahead low and slow. Choose your favorite Rub. I prefer cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, minced garlic, brown sugar, and some kosher salt and pepper. You can choose how much to your taste. Mix these together and rub all over the ribs. Preheat the oven to 225. Cover the ribs completely in foil and allow to cook for 7-8 hours. Once the ribs are almost falling off the bone, preheat your grill to medium. Coat your ribs with you favorite BBQ sauce. I like to cut my ribs into sections so they will be easy to turn on the grill. Close the lid, but keep a close eye on the ribs so they do not burn. About 5-6 minutes per side.

Grilled steaks are amazing! If you are on a tight budget you can use a braising steak but you will needed to marinade the steaks for at least 6 hours. You can use italian dressing, teriyaki sauce, or be creative. I used this one last time.

1 1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tsp. salt and pepper

Place you steaks in a large zip lock bag. Add the marinade and make sure all the meat is covered. Try to lay the bag flat in your refrigerator. Turning several time to be sure the meat is all coated. Pre-heat your grill to Medium High. About 5 minutes per side depending on the thickness and how you would like your steak done.

Resist the urge to cut into your steak, as you will lose all their precious juices. If you have a meat thermometer, of course this would be a great choice. If not these tips will help:

Touch your thumb and your index finger together in the "OK" sign, and then press the fleshy part of your palm right below the thumb with your other hand. Feel how soft and malleable that is? That's the way rare steak feels when you press it!

Now touch your other fingers to your thumb, one at a time. As you move from your index finger to your pinky, the pad of your thumb will get progressively more firm and resistant. This feels similar to steak as it cooks, moving from rare (index finger) to medium-rare (middle finger) to medium (ring finger) to well-done (pinky).

As your steak is cooking, occasionally press its center and then compare it against this finger test, taking the steak off the heat as soon as it feels as done as you like it. Try it for yourself!

Touch your thumb and your index finger together in the "OK" sign, and then press the fleshy part of your palm right below the thumb with your other hand. Feel how soft and malleable that is? That's the way rare steak feels when you press it!

Now touch your other fingers to your thumb, one at a time. As you move from your index finger to your pinky, the pad of your thumb will get progressively more firm and resistant. This feels similar to steak as it cooks, moving from rare (index finger) to medium-rare (middle finger) to medium (ring finger) to well-done (pinky).

As your steak is cooking, occasionally press its center and then compare it against this finger test, taking the steak off the heat as soon as it feels as done as you like it. Try it for yourself!
Tip Courtesy of :
ttp://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/quick-tip-how-to-tell-when-your-steak-is-done-044839