'Tis the Season... for Barbecue
By Elizabeth Dougherty
This is the time of year I love to get out the BBQ
and cook outside nearly every day. The weather
here in Lee County has been pleasantly mild, the
spring vegetables look fantastic and I found the
perfect grill (for me, anyway).
Finding the right grill is such a personal choice.
There are those who want the most BTUs possible.
Those are the people with the giant size grills
complete with propane tank ready to fire up at
a moment's notice. Some folks put their meats
and fish in a smoker and don't mind having a
few beers while they wait for dinner. They are
obviously in no hurry. I'm somewhere in between.
I like a smoky taste to my food and I'm not in too
much of a rush, but I can't wait forever. After all, I
have a hungry husband and two-year-old to feed.
I settled on a Weber charcoal kettle. It's the 22
1/2 inch version and it has all the limited features
I need to do some grilling relatively quickly. It
has an adjustable vent at the top and one at the
bottom. There's a grate to put the charcoal on
and a big enough grilling area to cook a huge
amount of food. A guy named George Stephen
invented the Weber grill about 50 years ago. The
name "Weber" comes from the place he worked
for at that time, Weber Brothers Metal Works.
George was supposedly an avid BBQ guy and was
frustrated with the design of the backyard grillers
that were being used back then. He decided to
cut a buoy in half at work, and made a lid that fit
on top. Folks thought the shape was a little odd,
to be sure. But after they saw how well it grilled,
they were hooked.
One of my favorite meats to throw on the grill is
pork tenderloin. First, be sure to trim off all of the
silver skin or the pork will be tough. I marinate
a couple of tenderloins in about 1/4 cup of soy
sauce, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of toasted
sesame oil, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a
teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic
powder, 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger, and
1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Put it in the
fridge to marinate for at least an hour, overnight
is better. Take it out of the fridge and let it come
to room temperature for about ten minutes before
putting on the grill. I cook it for about ten minutes
on each side over direct heat, being sure it grills
to a beautiful bronze color without burning. If you
can't finish it all at one meal, it's even better the
next day sliced and put on a sandwich.
Some partially steamed asparagus finished on the
grill is great with the pork. Finish it over indirect
heat for a few minutes until you have some nice
grill marks. Season with a little salt and pepper
and serve.
Another great accompaniment is Mandarin orange
cole slaw. This is an easy recipe that I took from
the back of the ready-to-use cut cabbage for cole
slaw at Publix, believe it or not. The only difference
is I use champagne vinegar (for its elegant
flavor) instead of white vinegar and homemade
mayo. Combine 1 12 oz. bag of finely shredded
cabbage, 1 cup of mayo, 1/4 cup shredded
carrots, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt,
1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon white vinegar
(or champagne vinegar), and one 11 ounce can
Mandarin oranges, drained. They also specify
reduced calorie mayo in their recipe, but in my
mind, if I'm going to use mayonnaise, I'm going
all the way, baby! I make mine with an egg yolk,
3/4 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt,
a pinch of white pepper, and the juice of half a
small lemon. SLOWLY, whisk in 1 cup of canola or
sunflower oil (olive oil is too strong) a few drops
at a time. I use this in everything from chicken
salad to a garnish on steamed vegetables.
Also, try using lump charcoal instead of briquettes.
Lump charcoal is hardwood that has been charred.
It imparts a naturally pleasant smoky flavor
without overpowering the food, and it burns really
hot for those times when you want direct heat.
Enjoy the great weather and happy grilling!
Liz Dougherty has been a freelance food
writer and culinary consultant through
her company, Culinary Pursuits, Inc., for
the past six years. She trained under a
maniacal Swiss-German chef and later
received her Bachelor's degree, Magna
Cum Laude in Hospitality. Prior to that,
she was a licensed real estate broker and
mortgage broker with a total of over
ten years experience in real estate and
finance. She can be reached at
EADougherty1@aol.com
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