Grillin is Hot, 10 Tips to Help You Keep a Cool Head!

I absolutely love grilling as I have stated in previous post. I usually will cook the entire dinner on the grill as I did for Memorial Day. The picture here is that dinner of pineapple glazed pork chops, grilled asparagus and herb roasted potatoes. It's very easy to do if your prepared.It's not about brats and burgers, you can cook a phenomenal meal in no time. Get Grillin!

1. Be organized.

Gather together everything you are going to need from start to finish and be sure to make a trip to the restroom. Once you get started, you can't walk away -- this is live fire cooking.

• Do you have enough charcoal (or propane)?
• Do you have all the ingredients?
• Do you have a clean platter to put the ingredients on once they are cooked?
• Do you have matches? Tongs (no forks, please!)? Oven mitt? Meat thermometer? Paper towels? Marinade brush? Grill scraper? Cell or cordless phone? Margarita (you'll need to stay cool with all that heat!)
• Is the recipe ready to go?
• Meats should be trimmed of fat and removed from wet marinades.
• Do you have a metal garbage bowl or bin?

If you have space, consider storing all your outdoor grilling utensils and gadgets in a sturdy canvas bag in the mudroom -- I like to have tongs, mitts, and thermometer in the bag and the rest I gather before I go outside. Or prepare a laminated list that you can check before you strike a match.

2. Where to grill?

The placement of your grill is important -- do not place it by a door that will be open and shut during cooking, nor in a heavily trafficked spot in your yard. Open windows, places where kids are playing, and, of course, spots where flammable materials might be, are all no-nos. Place your grill on a flat, fireproof surface at least 10 feet from your house.

3. Bring on the heat.

I prefer lump charcoal -- I like the flavor, I think you get better heat, and it's more interactive. With chimney starters, you can even avoid the use of nasty canned fire starter fluids. Once you get a chimney starter going and glowing with coals, dump the coals out onto a neat pile of charcoal and let them burn until they become gray. Give the whole grill a gentle shake or carefully spread the coals out with the tongs. If you are making a long cooked roast make a pile on one side of the grill (and cook the meat on the other -- you'll form a natural convection oven).

Place the grate on top of the grill and let it heat up for a few minutes, then scrape it down with a stiff wire brush to remove any browned bits from last week (or last year). This is good maintenance and it will help keep food from sticking.

You are ready to cook (medium high heat) if you can hold your hand 6 inches over the grill for 5 seconds.

4. Lube job.

Lightly oil the grates. When you are good to go, with tongs, run an oiled paper towel or hunk of beef fat over the grill grates. This, too, will help keep food from sticking. You could also remove the grate and give it a dusting of cooking spray oil (away from the flame), use a folded paper towel soaked in oil, or rub it with a piece of fatty bacon, beef fat, or chicken skin. Be sure to let the grates come to temperature before you begin cooking.

5. Rest up.

When cooking proteins (meat, pork, chicken, fish) be sure to let them rest at least 5 (if not 10) minutes before slicing them. The juices will release while they are cooking and if you cut into them right from the grill all those flavorful juices will run. If you let them rest, the meat will absorb and redistribute the juices.

6. Think about your marinades.

Marinades with sugar should be added at the end -- the sugar will burn, not caramelize, if added too soon. Any marinades with acid (citrus juice, vinegar) will cook protein -- if you want the flavor, but not the acid, try the zest from citrus fruits and/or add such flavors toward the end of the marinating process.

Consider adding flavor to the fire with chips of dried hickory, applewood, pecan, cinnamon, or rosemary.

7. Bring ingredients to room temperature.

They cook more quickly and evenly.

8. Don't move proteins around too much.

If cooking steak or chicken, find the right spot and lay it down, then let it cook a few minutes before moving or turning. If you have oiled the grates, then chances are the steak or chicken won't stick when you move it. One turn ought to do it.

9. Fashion matters.

Be careful what you wear. You want to look good, but save heavy metal cuff bracelets and watches for another day -- they can heat up, and most likely not burn you, but make things uncomfortable. Also long, dangly necklaces could be a problem.

10. Use tongs or spatulas rather than forks or knives.

Tongs will help keep things in one piece, while other utensils will poke holes in all your hard work.

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/issues/2007-07/food/grilltips

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Betcha Didn't Know! (Peppers)

So I know you all have a lot of burning questions about peppers, and here's the real deal. There are several red hot tips to help you with everything from health benefits to cooling down your tongue after eating something hot. Check it out and comment and tell me what you think!

What makes peppers hot?
Most species of Capsicum contain capsaicin (methyl vanillyl nonenamide), a chemical that produces a strong burning sensation in the mouth. Capsaicin is mainly present in the pepper’s placenta, the white "ribs" that run down the middle and along the sides of a pepper, as well as in the seeds, and it is also unevenly distributed throughout the flesh. The amount of capsaicin in peppers is highly variable and is dependent on genetics.
Sometimes, both sweet and hot cultivars can be found within a type, and even in the one cultivar cool weather, excess water and nitrogen will increase sweetness, while stress adds pungency. The only pepper without capsaicin is the bell pepper.
In hot peppers you can see the capsaicin in the form of a shiny yellow substance on the placenta. A hot pepper can be made considerably less hot by removing the placenta.

How can I cool the heat from peppers in my mouth?
The least effective way to relieve the burning sensation in the mouth produced by peppers is to drink water. Capsaicin, the pungent substance in peppers, is poorly soluble in water, but more soluble in fat, oils, and pure alcohol. Therefore, some more effective solutions may be to cool down the mouth and throat with rice, cheese, buttered bread, yoghurt, ice cream or milk. The good news is that if nothing works, you can be sure that the burning sensation will gradually fade away by itself

What's the hottest pepper in the world?
The hotness of a chilli pepper is usually measured using the Scoville scale. The scale uses Scoville Heat Units (SHU) to indicate the amount of capsaicin present, this being the chemical that makes peppers hot.
Pure capsaicin measures 15,000,000-16,000,000 SHU, while a bell pepper measures 0 SHU. As of April 2006, the hottest pepper in the world is the Dorset Naga. It measures 876,000-970,000 SHU, some way ahead of the Red Savina Habanero Chilli, which returns a figure of 350,000-580,000 SHU. The Dorset Naga is too hot to be consumed directly, so it is used in contact with other food

Can peppers prevent Cancer? What's the benefits?
Several studies at different universities have found that capsaicin, the substance that makes peppers hot, can inhibit prostate cancer. According to the American Association for Cancer Research (www.aacr.org), researchers in the USA fed capsaicin to mice, and this caused the cancerous cells to die off. However, researchers advise that many compounds that show beneficial results in mice may not be as effective in human cancer patients. The evidence is not conclusive, and increasing your weekly intake of the hottest known chillies is not recommended

Capsicum species are an excellent source of vitamin C, and have been used extensively as a medicinal plant in different parts of the world. Some of the health benefits traditionally linked with peppers are their healing effect on respiratory problems, their ability to control and often cure sinus and nasal passage problems, and their power to reduce headaches. The pepper has been used as a digestive irritant, a stomachic stimulant, and a tonic. The plants have also been used as folk remedies for dropsy, colic, diarrhoea, asthma, arthritis, muscle cramps, and toothache. Modern Western medicine uses capsaicin, the pungent chemical present in peppers, as a circulatory stimulant and pain reliever.

How should I handle a hot peeper to avoid the burn?
You should be really careful when handling hot peppers, because they can not only burn your mouth, but your skin as well. The substance that makes peppers hot, capsaicin, is mainly present in the pepper’s placenta, the white “ribs” that run down the middle and along the sides of a pepper, as well as in the seeds, and it is also unevenly distributed throughout the flesh. Therefore, you should wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers, especially when removing the seeds and the ribs. Always wash both the gloves and your hands very thoroughly with soap and warm water, and never, never touch your eyes, nose or mouth until you have washed your hands and gloves. Dried chillies are less hazardous to handle, but you should be careful all the same.

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Wine with Game

Hey friends,

In my previous post I talked about wine with meats, this is kind of a continuation of that but I want to go into it a little more with more of our intense flavor game meat. If you're a new foodie you might not be familiar with a few of these or may never have tasted them but let me tell you, you're truly missing out on some great eats. I hope this will inspire you to step out of your normal comfort zone and try something new.

Pigeon ( Squab) - You'll need a quite powerful mature red to stand up to the rich and high fat content of roasted pigeon.Cote de Nuits - A full bodied burgundy with maturity and a powerful flavor.Tuscan Sauiovese - This is robust enough to deal with the distinctive flavor of pigeon and works well with plain vegetable side dishes.

Pheasant - Whether the pheasant is from the wild, or has been farm raised, it is best served with a fine, mature red Bordeaux.Pomerol -The richness of this Bordeaux will complement the richness and texture of the meat.St. Emilion -Go for a fine-quality aged bottle that will really do justice to your meal. Add a splash of St Emilion to the cooking juices for a delicious sauce.

Quail - Not as rich as most other game birds, quail are delicious grilled or barbequed. Choose a light red to accompany quail.Young Burgundy =Choose one that is young and fresh enough not to drown the soft and delicate flavors of quail.Rioja -The flavors of a mature Rioja will complement quail beautifully.

Rabbit - For stew , the rabbit is usually marinaded in a rich red wine for several hours before cooking, so it'll required a well matched red wine to pair with. GO for BIG flavors with this wine.Bordeaux -Choose one of the more youthful red Bordeaux.Cote' de Frontonnais - This is a more savory red, ideal for a rabbit served roasted.Chinon - This medium-bodied red with god fruit and acidity will also go very well with a fruity sauce.

Hare -The flavor of hare is stronger than rabbi, the meat is darker in color and the overwhelming flavor is "gamier". It should be served with a full-bodied red.Nuits-St.-Georges - The sturdiness of this wine will withstand the strong game flavor.Barbareso -Very powerful, full-flavored, and aromatic.

Venison - Lean cuts of venison can dry out quickly during cooking, so its best serve medium-rare with a sauce made from the cooking juices. Forequarter cuts should be marinaded in wine before cooking to tenderize the meat. Syrah - This is rich and gamy enough to take on the distinctive flavor of venison.Chianti - A 3-4 year old Chianti will have a similar mouth feel to a softly cooked tender filet.

I know a lot of people are like whoa, I never thought of eating that, but these are some of the tastiest meats when prepared properly. I have some great recipes if you want them.I hope you'll try some of these great pairings; let me know what you think!

Food of Love

Chef Tre' Donte'

*Wine Essential used as reference

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