Everyone knows BBQ is delicious, but not everyone thinks of the dangers.
You should also be careful how you use a grill when camping as well.
January 31, 2013 by BBQ Jim
Everyone knows BBQ is delicious, but not everyone thinks of the dangers.
You should also be careful how you use a grill when camping as well.
Category Cooking, Safety | Tags: bbq,camping,heat,home,safety | No Comments
January 24, 2013 by BBQ Jim
Looks like there won’t be a class this year in the Spring. Look for class to resume again in the fall.
No worries though. I will definitely be filling that time with working on a second level for the class. This one will be a bit more advanced than the first one.
Category Class | Tags: bbq,class | No Comments
December 25, 2012 by BBQ Jim
Category Food, Holiday | Tags: bbq,chicken,Christmas,holiday | No Comments
August 29, 2012 by BBQ Jim
You may have seen those extreme couponing shows where people have huge stockpiles of food and toilet paper. They strategize and plan to amass their collections for hours on end but I’m not one of those people.
I do recognize deals when I see them and if you’re planning on grilling this weekend or even for the rest of the year then I suggest you head out to your local Lowes or Home Depot and pick up some Kingsford charcoal. Both are featuring a sale on charcoal.
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Total Weight | 40 lbs. | 27.8 lbs. |
Weight | 2-20 lb. bags | 2-13.9 lb. bags |
Price | $9.99 | $6.88 |
Price per lb. | $0.249 | $0.247 |
As you can see from the chart, you make out pretty much the same either way you go. It’s just a matter of how much charcoal you will need. I tend to go for the larger bags and plenty of them.
The sale should last until Saturday but why wait, go get yours today because I know I will.
Category Equipment | Tags: bbq,charcoal,equipment,homedepot,kingsford,lowes | No Comments
July 2, 2012 by BBQ Jim
A friend and former co-worker of mine from my catering days started his own catering company and needed my help for a job. Being that it’s been over a year since I’ve been out cooking for a large group of people I graciously accepted.
The event was a simple corporate function for about 700 people. The menu was simple; burgers, hot dogs and a leaf salad. The staff was familiar, all former coworkers that I ‘ve catered with before also.
Once the grills were lit it all came back to me like I never stopped. Suddenly there were sixteen burgers cooking on the grill at once and half of which needed cheese to melt and the other half needed to be flipped. Soon after I line of people formed and it was time to dole out the food.
Once you get going things become pretty easy and repetitive. Repetitive except for one thing; the interactions with the people. The people make it all worth while. I think I may have said this before but I’ve always believed that our style of cooking was the most rewarding type there is. We not only cook the food but we serve it also. You get to see first hand how something you produced affects someone. In my everyday job as a software programmer, I don’t get to see how my work affects people at all.
As I serve people, I try to make each encounter unique mostly because people are unique. The brief interaction is used to bring a smile to their faces as well as food to their plate. When it is my turn as a customer, to me there is nothing worse than the person serving me to be in a bad mood. It brings me down and ruins my meal. I never want to be that person to someone else.
I also try to spread that attitude to the people I’m working with. And with people like these two pictured, it becomes very easy.
Thanks to Derek, Kaitlin, Christie, Jaron, Trish, Abby, Scotty and Josh for making this long needed day a memorable one.
Category catering | Tags: bbq,catering,cookout | No Comments
June 28, 2012 by BBQ Jim
LivingSocial.com is offering a sweet BBQ related deal on meat until July 7th. Details are below:
When it comes to throwing the perfect patio party, you want to go whole hog. Serve up some tasty barbecue when you pay $25 and for $50 to spend on merchandise from Pig of the Month BBQ, which has earned attention from Good Morning America, Better Homes and Gardens, and more. This mail-order company offers everything from fall-off-the-bone ribs and artisan sausages to zesty sauces and satisfying sides. Snag a two-pound slab of the citrus-grilled, Key West-style baby back ribs or the Carolina mustard-style ribs. For something that really sizzles, try the vanilla bourbon or smoked black pepper-crusted bacon. Get saucy with the pulled pork and top it with the Love Me Tender Memphis-style sauce. Using only grass-fed and hormone-free animals, these slow-cooked meats are made to order, packaged in dry ice, and shipped for a flat rate of $14.99. Your feast will arrive at your doorstep ready to be reheated and devoured — and your guests will leave happier than pigs in the mud.
Category Food | Tags: bbq,deal,food,livingsocial,meat | No Comments
May 28, 2012 by BBQ Jim
As you fire up those grills today and take in the delicious smells of smoke and food, take a moment to think of those that fought through the fire and smoke past, present and future.
Category Holiday | Tags: bbq,holiday,memorrial day,wings | No Comments
March 5, 2012 by BBQ Jim
Where are my manners? I seem to have forgotten to give updates.
Week 3 – We took a closer look at burgers and hot dogs but more so burgers. What goes into making a good burger? The right meat/fat ratio for starters. Add to that you best seasonings or marinades prior to committing meat to heat. But it doesn’t stop there! Once the cooking is over the right condiments, toppings choice of bun or cheese can dramatically affect flavor.
Ideally condiments should compliment not season your meal. Too much ketchup or a strong flavored pickle and ruin a mouth full of juicy burger.
Week 4 – Who doesn’t like ribs? Even if pork isn’t you thing beef or lamb pack the right amount on the same sized bone.
Preparation is one of the keys to great ribs. Never broil or boil prior to cooking. Doing so only removes flavor. If you are doing so to make cooking easier try cooking your ribs with indirect heat or a lower temperature. Ribs are best when cooked slowly and covered with the grill lid. The smoke generated is the best flavoring source you have. Wood chips in this case will be your best friends.
Your other best friend will be a good seasoning. Experiment to find the right dry seasoning to your liking. Season different sections of the ribs with different seasons and have your own tasting experience.
Week 5 – There’s more to a BBQ than meat and there are more sides out there than potato salad! No meal is complete without the compliment of side dishes and BBQ is no exception.
Almost any vegetable can be grilled if it is large enough to not fall through the grates. For long vegetables, you would cut it on the bias as demonstrated in this video:
Other sides that are BBQ favorites include baked beans, Deviled Eggs, corn on the cobb, salads and casseroles. For any side that you may have out remember to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. If you are planning to be outside, keep an extra bag or cooler of ice on hand just for food purposes. Don’t leave food sitting out in the sun or uncovered under a tree.
Category Class, Food, Safety | Tags: bbq,burgers,ribs,sauce,side dishes | No Comments
February 13, 2012 by BBQ Jim
This week (actually last week by the time this is posted) we made homemade BBQ sauces. There were 4 recipes and 8 cooks (counting myself) so that we could contrast how sauces tastes with and without vinegar as an ingredient. The substitute ingredient was olive oil due to its lack of a dominate flavor and consistency.
Each of the 4 sauces that were made had a distinct flavoring to them. Our sauces covered the broad range of types from a honey barbecue to a Memphis style and even a Carolina mustard based sauce. A few even with a hint of rum or bourbon for an extra kick!
Sampling sauces with and without vinegar as an ingredient is pretty impossible in store bought sauces due to manufactures sticking to one recipe as to not to create a conflicting product within their own brands.
The exercise turned out pretty well in the class. There wasn’t a clear winner, unless you count the over enthusiasm of one student for a particular sauce, due to everyone’s unique taste preferences.
Category Class | Tags: bbq,class,sauce | No Comments
February 3, 2012 by BBQ Jim
First night went smoothly as expected. We started off with 5 students signed up and 2 walk-ins bringing the class size to 7! I’m impressed by the turn out.
The overall consensus of the students is to learn not to burn. That’s an easy thing to over come.
In the class we went over the various equipment used and I gave a few tips on choosing utensils such as make sure your tongs are constructed for stability and using a meat thermometer.
Safety also filled our discussion. Always have a fire extinguisher on hand incase of an emergency and ensure that it is in working order.
Finally we ended with a bit of a preview of next week: Spices, Seasonings and Sauces. I brought in some of the spices I use myself for everyone to sniff-test. From my view point I could see that many were experiencing them for the first time.
I just got off the phone phone with the director of the school and if the students agree, we will be adding on an extra 30 minutes to the class! Class will be starting at 7:30 instead of 8 giving us more time to cover material. It’s up to you the students so let them know if you want more time.
See you soon!
Category Class, Equipment | Tags: bbq,class,equipment | No Comments