Saturday, April 9, 2016

Is barbecuing a guy thing?





















30 Minute BBQ Recipes

47 comments:

chickelit said...

Some of those look quite yummy. I'm especially intrigued by the cilantro pesto and the watermelon feta salad.

ndspinelli said...

I know quite a few couples where the guy does no cooking but always does the grilling. I know only 2 women who enjoy grilling. Neither love it like men, however.

Trooper York said...

It is a guy thing because it is messy work. It is almost impossible to be neat when grilling. The hot grease. The smoke. The dripping juices.

Yeah it's a guy thing.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Everybody wants to grill, but nobody volunteers for cleaning the grill.

It's really no biggie. Apply some easy-off, let it sit, spray some general purpose detergent to soak it again, scrape off food particles and rinse with a fireman hose nozzle.

You don't even have to get your Trump manicure dirty.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

BTW. You can find the fireman hose nozzle using our Amazon portal.

AllenS said...

Wow! So many nozzles, so little time.

AllenS said...

Lem, there isn't an Amazon portal anymore. I bought some stuff on Amazon and didn't see, and could use your portal.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

We both like to BBQ but divide the types of BBQ.....

Dumbplumber excels at steaks and burgers. Cooking a ribeye steak terrifies me. I'm afraid I'll ruin it. He does it to perfection. Rare to medium rare, just the way I like it. I always overcook the burgers.

On the other hand, I cook the pork ribs, chicken, pork roasts, leg of lamb. I'm also in charge of marinading the various meats, and of course making the side dishes, cornbread,salads etc.

So...it is really a joint effort.

No one likes to clean the grill or get rid of the ashes. So....he cleans the ashes and the webber...I clean the gas BBQ. Greased Lightening.....buy some from Lem's portal!!!!!

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Women eat what we barbecue as readily as we eat what they bake.

It's been asked just as often, is baking a woman thing? I can see that metaphor just as easily.

Eating ribs is not just a black thing, and barbecuing them makes it so.

It's thought that fire and cooking is what foretold the explosion in our ancestors' brain size and capacity almost a million years ago. I'm inclined to think we cooked meats before anything else.

If you want an unabashed link between masculinity and barbecue, try reading the Rufus Teague slogan slapped across the front of every bottle they make. That gets me every time.

As straightforward as Old McDonald had a Farm. "Rufus Teague made some sauce..."

ndspinelli said...

Ritmo, Good point about Qing and baking. As Emeril says, cooking is art, baking is science..following a formula. I never bake. My bride does all the baking.

Gas grilling is OK for burgers and steaks. Charcoal is better. But, cooking over hardware fire is like Viagra.

ndspinelli said...

DBQ, My brother, the chef, taught me the simple steak done test. Make a tight fist and then fell the area between your thumb and index finger. That's what a well done steak feels like. Loosen your fist a bit, that's medium. Make a gay or girly fist[that's hardly @ all] and that's rare.

ndspinelli said...

I know too many people who eat their steak well done.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

I'm still too po (or geographically hemmed in, really) to outdoor barbecue, nd. But I've got some mean roasting, braising and grilling methods. Barbecue is best because there's something about the directness of an open flame and the wood you can smoke into it that hits you right in a primeval bloodlust center. Half of my walks back from the grocery are accompanied by laments that I'm not in a loincloth with a bunch of guys wielding spears and savagely taking down a lumbering hunk of megafauna.

Every girl I date who bakes something I remind of the metaphor to pregnancy. Sometimes I extend this metaphor in slightly more detailed ways. They all smile very widely and knowingly.

Alas, I have to make due with what I can through the sauces. But there's no guesswork about barbecuing, you see what's going on right in front of you.

Someday I'll actually get around to reading Michael Ruhlman's Ratio, and at least minimize all the damn guesswork I have to put into the non-open-flame-based cooking that sadly still dominates my kitchen.

I've got a lifetime of memories of backyard grilling growing up, though - so I'm up for it. Give me my forty acres and I will get out there and smoke all you bastards out.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

I know too many people who eat their steak well done.

I was a health freak as a kid so it took a few eyewitnessed years of college debauchery until I figured out that at least with a hamburger, you've got to get it down to medium or thereabouts. The best methods for steaks you can watch from Jamie Oliver's visit to a school in London, where he re-establishes in those poor little bastards an appreciation for traditional butchery. I superstitiously go for as well a medium-well as I can get, but actually got as insanely delicious a well done bison strip(?) as you can imagine last month. I peppered the hell out of it and added half a lime to the thing as it cooked, along with everything else (salt, oil, butter, garlic clove and rosemary). The result was something straight out of a South American gaucho scene, and not too tough at all. They're lean as hell so you almost have to see what you can do away from the rare side.

Trooper York said...

I freak everyone out about how rare I eat my steak. The wife loses it.

I want to hear it go moo.

Trooper York said...

Nothing is better than a chimichuri sauce on a nice skirt steak. Man that's eating.

I serve it with black beans and rice.

An appetizer of yucca fries and chorizo sausages.

Capirinha's.

Best part? No gluten. So we can both enjoy it.

(Use brown rice of course)

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

AllenS said...

Lem, there isn't an Amazon portal anymore.

If you use Chrome as an internet browser, you might be able yo see it.

Internet Explorer is dying.

ndspinelli said...

All the bad bacteria is on the exterior in beef. So, you can eat a steak rare safely, the sear killing the bacteria. Hamburg, w/ the bacteria ground throughout, is a crap shoot under medium.

ndspinelli said...

Skirt steak was cheap until gringo hipster NYers started eating it.

Chip Ahoy said...

For rare steaks take them out at least an hour beforehand to room temperature. Turn the heat to high and brand them. Imagine setting your own hand on the grill and your hand burning. Scream a silent scream as an animal being tortured by red hot irons. Flip. Do it again. Lift pan off the heat and insert in the whole pan into a warming oven for carryover heat to creep through without cooking any further, just warming to the point of denaturing.

That's how chefs do it. Insanely high direct heat to soft gentle ambient heat. Two heating methods each time.

For medium rare, double brand your hand in your mind and that will assure you don't overcook it. There really is a lot of carryover heat.

ndspinelli said...

Chip, My brother taught me all meat should be brought to room temp prior to cooking. But you're right about steaks. I have a friend in KC who loves his steak so rare he says, "Just run it through a warm room a couple times."

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Chip's method is similar to ours for steaks except we do it backwards. Room temperature. Marinated in garlic, cracked pepper, some kosher salt and olive oil. Cook at a low temperature and then at the last quick sear on the outside if you like....we just pull it off and let rest a bit before eating.

Steak should be at body temperature of the creature you are eating. Blood red all the way through, cooked and tender and just the same temperature as the freshly killed....ok....maybe too much detail. But really....body temperature. The same for rack of lamb. People who overcook lamb are responsible for the bad reputation that lamb gets. Overcooked...gross Rare.....heaven. And you do NOT need that nasty mint sauce. That is for MUTTON, not lamb.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

WE have an inside joke in our marriage about the steaks. When we were first dating, Dumbplumber invited me to his house to have some cocktails and BBQ steaks for us. He asked how I liked my steaks and I said rare. Not believing me or thinking that like most other women, I probably really meant medium....he cooked the steaks how he "thought" I would like.

So..."How is it"....he asks. "Overdone a bit. I like mine more rare." I answered honestly.

Ever since he makes a joke on how he effed up the steaks on our first date.

I'm like...WHAT? You think I'm going to lie and say I liked the steak medium and then spend the rest of my life eating overdone meat? Nope. You asked. I answered. Why would I lie? The steaks have been perfection ever since. Get over it. (Its a joke between us. But at least he learned that I am honest and what I say I mean. NO hidden agenda :-)

ndspinelli said...

I had never eaten mutton until I saw it on the menu @ the famous Arthur Bryant's BBQ in KC. Cooked in his famous hickory slow ovens. Pretty good. But, not as good as the brisket or ribs.

DBQ, You are a breath of fresh air in a world of BS.

deborah said...

DBQ, mutton sounds like venison steaks. If cooked through (broiled) they're ruined. Must be at most medium.

Chick, the grilled watermelon hit me the opposite, didn't tempt me. At first I thought it was barely grilled salmon.

But, yeah, I'm not big on grilling.

Methadras said...

I hate you all for making me hungry or as one of my idiot retard friends now says, "Hangry!" fucking idiot.

Some Seppo said...

The chicken shawarma recipe looks good, but I would caution against their baby back ribs recipe unless you follow their instructions to the letter. Pork, and especially ribs, require low heat and slow cooking (low and slow, which fits our Southern lifestyle perfectly). This recipe is essentially braising the ribs in a watered down BBQ sauce under medium heat, keeping the ribs very wet or they'll become shoe leather.

My wife likes her steaks medium, so I put hers on the heat and set the timer for 2-3 minutes, depending on thickness, and then put mine on. They both come out at the same time and how we like them, mine rare to med rare and hers medium.

AllenS said...

Lem, I have Google Chrome. Just to make sure, I downloaded it again. No can see portal.

Anybody know what could be wrong?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

but I would caution against their baby back ribs recipe unless you follow their instructions to the letter.

I agree. Their recipe is much too fussy. We had a smoked foods deli and restaurant about 15 years ago and here is how we did pork ribs and still do at home.

Using a big pot with a steamer insert like this but smaller for home use. We used 4 of the big ones at a time in the deli. Rub the ribs with some garlic powder, cracked pepper, seasoned salt or just kosher salt with a touch of MSG mixed in...really. Score the back side of the ribs where the tough membrane is with a sharp knife. Season that side too. (Important.) Let the ribs sit for a while. Roll the ribs up loosely and/or cut into manageable pieces where you can stand them on end in the steamer basket. Try not to have them touching much or leaning against each other if you can.

Steam covered over a LOW simmer for several hours. At home I do one whole rack of baby backed ribs for about 2 hours and then just turn off the heat and leave covered with the lid slightly ajar until we are ready to bbq in a few more hours or so. They will still be warm and flexible. In the deli we would cook them a bit longer, flatten out and then wrap and refrigerate in big stainless deep trays, to cook later in the day or the next day when Friday and Saturday were rib nights. If refrigerated remove them and bring to room temperature.

Baby back ribs don't require as much steaming time. St Louis style or thicker ribs require longer. Practice practice practice. Even your failures will still be good :-)

To BBQ, takes not much time since the ribs are already cooked and really just require heating (more time if prepared the previous day less if they are still in the steaming pot. and crisping. BBQ just a few minutes on each side basting with the sauce you like (we like J Leroy's because it was easier to buy by the gallons than to make our own sauce for ribs and is damn good). Baste and turn about 2 to 3 times, depending on how thick the ribs are.... baby back or St Louis style, starting with the bone down and ending with the meat side down to crisp just a bit. All together less than 15 minutes.

The meat falls off the bones and you don't have to stand over the BBQ for a long time. You can cook anytime you are ready, even the next day, and you can cook A LOT of ribs in a short time if you are having a big crowd.

Meade said...

Real men like TRUMP eat there meat cooked all the way thru. All you girlymen and mannishgirls probly have worms in yr brains. Witch explains your exploding rage disorders. I just read about it over on that evil leftist lady's blog. LOL!!!

GO TRUMP!!!

AllenS said...

I don't eat rare steak. If the middle isn't raw, it's over done.

deborah said...

Same here, Allen, I like a nice pink center...mmmm.

DBQ, I know some people boil chicken a while to speed BBQ. Man, I'm getting in the BBQing mood.

deborah said...

Allen, I can see the portal in both Explorer and Chrome. Do you maybe need to decrease the magnification... Hold Ctrl down and tap the minus key.

Some Seppo said...

I just nuke chicken pieces then grill them. I hate black on the outside, raw on the inside grilled chicken.

If I had a large enough steamer I'd try your method DBQ. Of course, if I wanted to fuss with a water smoker all of my pork would be done that way. What I do is as blasphemous in these Southern parts as steaming: I add whole cloves, garlic, and dried hot pepper flakes to a pot of water, bring to a boil, and cook the ribs until done. Then I let cool, dry them off put on a cumin/garlic/chile powder dry rub and grill on low heat, adding BBQ sauce after the rub gets cooked on each side.

Alton Brown showed a method of removing the tough membrane on Good Eats. You peel back some membrane with a paring knife, enough to grab, then fold a paper towel and grab the membrane with the towel and just peel it off.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

@ Deborah.

Boiling chicken first!!! Heresy :-)

I prefer to BBQ chicken thighs because they are more flavorful and have some fat. Save the breast for something else. It is too dry for good BBQ. IMHO anyway. Bank the coals on either side and cook over indirect heat, turning about every 8 to 10 minutes, until the last when you put them directly over the heat. Long and slow cooking. It takes a long time, at least 1/2 hour or more for chicken to be cooked through, especially with the Godzilla sized chicken thighs we have anymore. The indirect heat avoids the char/raw syndrome. It just means that you have to have that extra glass of wine, beer or scotch while waiting :-D

Country style pork ribs, which are basically not ribs at all just hunks of pork, I par boil like Seppo describes.......and then rub down while still warm with mustard and brown sugar on a wax paper lined baking sheet. It is really messy rubbing in the mustard and melting brown sugar. Let cool.... and then BBQ with our favorite sauces.

BBQ is great. Everyone has their own style and technique....none are wrong.

AllenS said...

Nothing is magnified. I'm at 100%, and I can hardly read the page as it is. I do see something up there that tries to open, but soon disappears. I'm going back to 110%.

AllenS said...

Right above "blog archive"

Trooper York said...

I cook chicken in alumin pouch. I add olive oil, Rosemary, garlic and lemon slices. I cook it on the grill and at the end take it out of the package and sear it on the grill to get grill marks but not enuogh to dry it out. It is pretty popular.

ndspinelli said...

I grew up out east, the least knowledgeable area of the US vis a vis BBQing. Most there think you have to boil chicken prior to cooking on the grill. That is A FUCKING SIN. I learned about BBQing from old black guys in KC.

Paco Wové said...

AllenS, do you have an ad blocker running? I didn't see the portal box until I turned the blocker off.

ndspinelli said...

Chicken thighs have the most flavor. One of the many things I love about DBQ is she is atypical. Too many women only eat chicken breasts. I get the health aspect. But, at least once in awhile eat some thighs, backs, or gizzards. LOVE gizzards.

ndspinelli said...

You will hardly ever see sofrit on an Eyetalian restaurant menu. Where I grew up it was found fairly easily, but no longer. It is a stew made w/ gizzards. Eat it w/ a peasant, crusty bread and you will slap your mama. My grandma made it as did my dad.

AllenS said...

Yes, Paco, I do.

Adblock Plus

Poper Blocker

Which one is doing it?

Paco Wové said...

I only have Adblock Plus, so that implies that it is the culprit. I disabled it for Lem's main page and the Amazon thing appeared (as well as some ads).

Trooper York said...

I can't get into the burned style barbecue that seems so popular. It just doesn't do it for me. I love to grill and have one set up in my backyard. I grill every other day in the summer. But I marinate and strive to not dry out the meat. The tough leathery overdone barbeque stuff is not something I enjoy.

You can't beat some grilled hot Italian sausage with peppers and onions in crusty Italian bread.

ndspinelli said...

Amen to the sausage/peppers and peasant bread. When I taught, I would get to know my students different ways. If I had a group that was quiet I would use food. Our kids got to pick anything they wanted for their birthday meal. Some interesting meals. One year my son picked my pizza fritta and cole slaw. The students would have varying degrees of enthusiasm. Some, you could tell, came from processed food families and almost always, "Mac and cheese" and that meant that Kraft shit. But, some kids would really get into it, give details about how they liked their meal cooked. They would talk about grandparents who made their b-day cakes. Good food cultures not only love to cook and eat good food. They love to talk about it. My old man and his buddies would take me and my brother out clamming. We carried burlap bags as they raked up steamers and quahogs, all the time talking about how they would cook them.

deborah said...

Agree about chicken thighs. They're my fave piece...moist, tasty, and a lot of meat on a central bone.

Thanks for the tips everyone.