Basic Barbeque Safety Tips - Part One

Barbeque used to be a once-per-year, summer activity where family and friends gathered all together and cooked tasty, meat-based food outdoors. Nowadays, barbeque has become a very common practice; it has broken the boarders of the once-a-year practice and it’s not uncommon to find families that will arrange a barbeque several times a month! However, along with all the fun that the barbeque brings you should also be careful and follow a few guidelines in order to prevent harmful bacteria from appearing on your food. This article will give you general guidelines and safety tips to follow in order for your food to be as clean as possible.

Okay, first of all when you buy food it is a good practice to buy it cold; especially if you buy meat or poultry then you should definitely buy it cold. After that, you should make sure to separate juicy food such as meat and poultry from other foods. By doing this, you are preventing cross-contamination among them. The best practice would be to place meat/poultry in plastic bags; plastic bags are 100% waterproof so you will have no problem if you pack the food carefully.

After you have bought everything, you should head directly to your home and put all fridge-preserved foods in the fridge. It’s important not to let those foods come to a room temperature because if that happens then that’s the best chance for bacteria to form.

When the time to take the meat out of the fridge so that you can cook it has come, make sure that you defrost it completely. Meat/poultry that has been completely defrosted will cook more evenly and the taste will definitely be better. Two good defrost practices are thawing the food in cold water or defrosting it using the microwave. Use the microwave approach only if you are going to grill the food immediately.

Finally, you should remember that although you can marinate food several hours/days before you cook it, it is always a good practice to marinate it in the refrigerator (so that it will be hard for bacteria to multiply). If you are going to reuse any marinade that was used on raw food then remember to boil it first; this way, any harmful bacteria that might have grown are going to be destroyed by the high temperature. After all this boring theory, I wish you to barbeque as frequently as possible and to have a great time, every time!

John Gibb is the owner of bbq food sources, For more information on bbq food check out http://www.bbq-food-sources.info.

Basic Barbeque Safety Tips - Part One

Barbeque used to be a once-per-year, summer activity where family and friends gathered all together and cooked tasty, meat-based food outdoors. Nowadays, barbeque has become a very common practice; it has broken the boarders of the once-a-year practice and it’s not uncommon to find families that will arrange a barbeque several times a month! However, along with all the fun that the barbeque brings you should also be careful and follow a few guidelines in order to prevent harmful bacteria from appearing on your food. This article will give you general guidelines and safety tips to follow in order for your food to be as clean as possible.

Okay, first of all when you buy food it is a good practice to buy it cold; especially if you buy meat or poultry then you should definitely buy it cold. After that, you should make sure to separate juicy food such as meat and poultry from other foods. By doing this, you are preventing cross-contamination among them. The best practice would be to place meat/poultry in plastic bags; plastic bags are 100% waterproof so you will have no problem if you pack the food carefully.

After you have bought everything, you should head directly to your home and put all fridge-preserved foods in the fridge. It’s important not to let those foods come to a room temperature because if that happens then that’s the best chance for bacteria to form.

When the time to take the meat out of the fridge so that you can cook it has come, make sure that you defrost it completely. Meat/poultry that has been completely defrosted will cook more evenly and the taste will definitely be better. Two good defrost practices are thawing the food in cold water or defrosting it using the microwave. Use the microwave approach only if you are going to grill the food immediately.

Finally, you should remember that although you can marinate food several hours/days before you cook it, it is always a good practice to marinate it in the refrigerator (so that it will be hard for bacteria to multiply). If you are going to reuse any marinade that was used on raw food then remember to boil it first; this way, any harmful bacteria that might have grown are going to be destroyed by the high temperature. After all this boring theory, I wish you to barbeque as frequently as possible and to have a great time, every time!

John Gibb is the owner of bbq food sources, For more information on bbq food check out http://www.bbq-food-sources.info.

How to Cook Barbeque Ribs

Nothing says barbeque quite like a rack of ribs covered in finger licking good barbeque sauce. If prepared correctly there is nothing better than bbq ribs. But for many people barbequing ribs can be difficult because they need to be slow cooked to bring out the flavor and taste. Slow cooking ribs on a grill is an art form that can be hard to duplicate if you don’t have the patience or know how to do it right. But never fear there are ways to take the guess work out of how to cook barbeque ribs.

First off let’s look at the different types of ribs you can barbeque.

• Pork Baby Back Ribs – Probably the most well known and easiest to cook. They are tender and can be cooked quickly on the grill.

• Pork Spare Ribs – These are bigger than baby back ribs and take quite a bit longer to cook.

• Beef Ribs – The largest of all ribs they take a considerable amount of time to cook, particularly if you want them to be tender as they are tougher than pork ribs. It is best to braise them before grilling

• Beef Short Ribs – Also need to be slow cooked to bring out the tenderness. Much like beef ribs.

The problem most people have when it comes to barbequing ribs is either overcooking them, which leads to dry and tough ribs, or not cooking them long enough which can be a potential health hazard. One would guess that that is why most of the time they get overcooked.

There are ways around this problem. You can pre-cook your ribs either by boiling, steaming or slow cooking them in the oven before you put them on the grill. Make sure you pre-season your ribs before using these methods as this will help bring out the flavor in your ribs. Many people boil or steam their ribs with beer which not only adds flavor but also tenderizes the meat making it fall off the bone. You can pre-cook your ribs from anywhere from 1 to 4 hours depending on which method you are using.

Once they have been pre-cooked just throw them on the grill for 5-10 minutes a side and brush on your favorite barbeque sauce. Before you know it you will have perfectly grilled ribs that are ready to eat.

Andrew Bicknell is a barbeque afficianado with a website about barbequing. For more tips and trick about how to cook barbeque ribs visit his web site Backyard Barbeque.

Blue Ribbon Barbeque - a Great Place to Eat

Are you a fan of barbeque? When was the last time that you visited a GOOD barbeque restaurant? Well, if those questions are of interest to you then I have something really interesting to talk to you about: the Blue Ribbon barbeque restaurant! Naturally, I wouldn’t spend any time writing a review about a restaurant, even if I was very satisfied with it. Blue Ribbon however, is an exception to this rule. I am more than happy that I once took the descision to eat there. After that day, I visit it as many times as possible; sometimes, several times a week!

The first thing that will strike you about this restaurant is that it’s very simple and clean. The ambience is really casual, I like it. If you are a maniac about what you eat Blue Ribbon has a great surprise for you, the kitchen is wide open so you can have a good look at what you are going to eat! I find this to be a great advantage over the other restaurants because I am always concerned about what goes down my stomach. Furthermore, the next time that you are going to hear about a restaurant where they cook/serve irresponsibly you will know that it hasn’t happened to you.

Regarding the food, it’s great and the variety is vast! Honestly, I haven’t eaten such a tasty barbeque food for years! They definitely have a very adept chef in there; I’m sure about that, my stomach tells me! The prices are very good too; you will get great quantities of quality food for a very reasonable price. In fact, most of the times not only will your stomach be full but you will also get to take home enough left over to eat the next day.

I really recommend visiting this restaurant. It’s not just one or two things that make this restaurant so great. Everything that makes up this restaurant is so beautifully linked to the other aspects of it that you will never consider going to another barbeque place. Honestly, if you are a hard – to –persuade person then you should look for yourself; I guarantee that you would thank me and buy me a dinner if you ever had the chance to meet me there (and if I had a magic, little cloud above my head signing “this is the guy who wrote that review!” of course!)!

John Gibb is the owner of bbq food tips For more information on bbq food check out http://www.bbq-food-sources.info.

Thai BBQ or Barbeque Chicken Recipes

What makes Thai BBQ chicken recipes so delicious? It is all the wonderful and unique spices and ingredients that are used to deliver a flavor that are taste buds enjoy. These recipes are wonderful and give us a new view of how we look at barbeque sauces. You will learn once you begin to try other countries bbq recipes that many spices and ingredients can make delectable sauces that everyone will love.

This first Thai BBQ chicken recipe will give you an idea of all the different items that make your own barbeque sauce liven up the dinner table.

You will need 16 ounces of cubed chicken, 2 tablespoons of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt, 1 garlic clove minced, 1 tablespoon of your favorite cooking wine, 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 small can of pineapple chunks, 1 green pepper cubed, 1 red pepper cubed, ½ cup of coconut milk, ¼ cup of soy sauce, a tad of Tabasco sauce. Mix together all ingredients except chicken, and then marinate the chicken chunks overnight in the refrigerator. After marinating, place each vegetable, pineapple chunk and chicken on a skewer and grill until done.

You can also use part of the above ingredients to create wonderful dipping sauce for your Thai barbeque chicken. Just do not use the sauce that you have marinated the chicken in overnight. Just use enough of the sauce to cover the chicken and reserve the rest for your dipping sauce. Everyone will love this tasty recipe and you will love trying coconut milk for many of your bbq sauces. Pineapple and coconut milk will give your favorite barbeque sauce a new flavor that not many people have tried, but once they do they love the flavor.

Hans is author of http://www.steaks-guide.com and the Grill and Barbeque section at http://www.patio-furniture-ideas.com

Grilled Fish with Sweet Mango Barbecue Sauce

Two favorites on the island of Barbados are fish and mango. This dish is the best of both in the Bajan world. Enjoy this dish on a cool summer evening with a glass of wine, or with friends for a backyard get-together.

This recipe is a favorite at Food Affairs, prepared by Chef David Watts.

Ingredients:

4 marlin or dolphin steaks, or other meaty fish, cut 1" thick, brushed with olive oil and pressed garlic, and seasoned with salt and pepper.

For the barbeque sauce:

1tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 hot pepper, seeded
1/4 cup pureed mango
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup beef stock
1 tsp Tabasco
1 pinch salt
1 cup beer

In a large saucepan, over high heat, saute onions and pepper in oil. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil then simmer over medium/low heat for 30 minutes. Puree sauce in a blender or food processor.

If using a barbeque grill, heat for 10 to 15 minutes on high. Or, if using a grill pan or a frying pan, heat to medium high. Sear the fish for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until almost completely opaque. Brush 3/4 of the barbeque sauce onto both sides and grill an additional 1 minute per side. For those who prefer their fish medium rare, reduce cooking time to 3 1/2 minutes per side. Top with the reaming sauce and serve.

Billy O'Dell, with his wife Carolyn, is the owner of BarbadosBarbados.com, an online concierge to Barbados. The O'Dells also run Food Affairs, a popular Bajan catering company.

Is The BBQ Apron An American Tradition?

Is it not the perfect picture of summer, the barbeque sizzling away with an array of seafood, chicken, steaks and onions, behind the table laid for lunch with salad, cold drinks and napkins and there is dad standing there in his plastic covered BBQ apron with a picture of a lady in suspenders and stockings on the front! Not really the most perfect apron for the barbeque, but the best one in the house for keeping dad’s clothes clean from flying spits of oil and marinade.

So what is the best apron to use at a barbeque? Anything really. We have had some amazing aprons in this house. Needless to say the plastic apron with the picture of a lady in suspenders and stockings (not sure about the lady bit!) is probably the most bizarre for cooking on the barbeque, but we have also had some more appropriate ones.

My favorite BBQ apron came free and was given courtesy of a wonderful magazine called The Gourmet Traveler. It was a great apron as it was black and did not show any signs of food or spatters and just on the front at chest level was the name of the magazine. Very tasteful and I have had my man in that one many a time. When we have not been able to find either of those we have to rely on the one I use for washing dishes and cooking sometimes.

This other kitchen apron is not the preferred BBQ attire of the MOTH (man of the house) as it is a short apron with frills around the outside and turquoise flowers all over it, but it does the job and keeps him clean and if we have no special guests, he is happy to wear it. Not surprisingly, he gives up the fight living with a house full of females!

So the best BBQ apron for your family barbecue is the one you can find... and in our case, the one dad will wear!

You are invited to find out more about BBQ aprons from our web site. You will find many articles and information pages about the humble and not so humble cooking apron.