Happy 4th of July!

I can hardly believe that it’s already the 4th of July! Then again the last two years have been kind of a blur for me. Independence Day for America has many meanings for many people. One thing is for certain, most people love to get outside and celebrate with a good BBQ. Much like Memorial Day, the 4th of July has also become associated with grilling. I have written a few posts on BBQ in and around the country and at the end of this post I’ll share a few links, especially for those in the Rockland County area who might wish to purchase their BBQ already made for them!

Today I just wanted to give you all a few tips and tricks on grilling. I’ve made these mistakes myself so I know from experience how to avoid having a good time ruined from poorly cooked meat and vegetables. Yes I said vegetables! Which is where I’ll start.

1. Feel free to grill your vegetables! Make a shish kabob of a selection of peppers, onions, mushrooms or any vegetables that you like and brush with olive oil that has been spiced with your favorite herbs. Rosemary works nicely with salt and pepper. Try grilling Portobello mushrooms, again brushed with Olive oil. Ever had grilled Beets? Grill them whole or sliced and be amazed at how the grilling brings out the flavor. Corn may be the most grilled vegetable (although it’s technically a grain)Soak the whole unhusked cob in water for about 20 minutes. Open the husk and remove the silk, then rub your favorite spiced butter all over the cob and wrap the husks back up and tie the tip with a piece of the husk or a string. To make a spiced butter use minced garlic, a little cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Be sure to turn the corn often to evenly heat it and avoid burning. Let it set for 10 min before serving as it’ll be hot!
2. Marinate your chicken before putting it on the grill. Marinating does a couple of jobs. First it adds flavor to the meat. If you use a vinegar base, it’ll help tenderize the meat also. Marinating keeps flair ups from happening. This little trick comes from John the 2nd to last owner of The San Juan Cafe in Nyack. He marinated his chicken in Italian dressing overnight in the refrigerator. Super simple and delicious.
3. Instead of making the same old boring hamburger try adding the cheese to the inside of the burger before cooking it. This one takes a little practice but once you get it down the flavor of the cheese melts throughout the entire burger. Try using Blu cheese with cooked bacon crumbled into it.
4. This one is super important! NEVER smash your burgers with the spatula while cooking over a grill. I’ve seen people do this all the time, probably because they’ve seen it on tv or something. All this does is take all the juice out of the meat, leaving you with no flavor. They do this at many fast food restaurants but that’s because they cook on a griddle not a grill and all the grease is trapped and comes out of the burger and frys the outside of the burger.
5. Hot dogs and sausages should be turned evenly and across the grill to give them nice grill marks.
6. If using charcoal or wood make sure the coals have all gone to gray and that you leave a little space without any coals so you can move foods that are cooking faster than your other stuff. To avoid flair ups try moving the food around to various parts of the grill. As a last resort keep a spray bottle filled with water handy. Also the lid of the grill will reduce oxygen causing most fires to go out. Flair ups usually happen when the fire is too hot and fat from the meat drips onto the coals. Once you start grilling don’t leave your post!

You can have a successful BBQ with just a little planning. Most important in my mind is the heat of the grill when using charcoal or wood. Gas grills give you a little more control but don’t always impart that woodsy taste. Marinades and rubs can also be used on fish but for most grills you’ll have to use a fish basket to keep it from falling apart and into the fire. Shrimp are another seafood that does well marinated and placed on skewers. Grilling and BBQ’n are two great ways to get inventive. Experiment and try cuisines from other countries, especially when choosing the spices. Another fun thing to do is make dessert on the grill. You can simply grill some slices of pineapple. I have a fondness for a thing called the Pie Iron. These gained popularity in the Midwest, they’re essentially two 4 inch square pans attached to a long metal handle. You use two slices of buttered bread and your favorite pie filling to create a delicious grilled handheld fruit pie! They’re fun to use and keep the kids busy. If you’re adventurous, my all time favorite dessert cooked over and open fire is a Dutch oven peach or blueberry cobbler. Very easy to prepare, place a few slices of butter on the bottom of the Dutch oven, add your favorite pie filling to cover the bottom by about 2-3 inches , cover the pie filling with biscuit dough and add more slices of butter on top. Some folks like their cobbler a little sweeter and will add yellow cake mix and a can of lemon lime soda. Personally I like using the biscuit dough. Place the lid on the dutch oven and place the whole thing directly into the coals and shovel a good amount of coals on top of the lid as well. Takes about 20-40 minutes check after 20 minutes. Be sure to completely remove the coals from the lid before opening!

A good cookout can be as simple or complicated as you make it. The sides are important, but those would be an entire blog post or more! To keep it stress free, keep it simple. If cooking this weekend isn’t possible then checkout a couple places in the Rockland area, Finks or Bailey’s Smokehouse. If you’d like a taste of the deeper south with a culinary twist I recommend Big Daddy’s Home plate BBQ.

I wish you all a safe and happy 4th of July. It’s our Independence Day, so get out there and celebrate it in any fashion you wish! Until next time Boone Appétit!