Showing posts with label polar bear barbecue club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label polar bear barbecue club. Show all posts

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Grilling in the Snow - Polar Bear Barbecue Club - Join Us


Yes! We do grill in the snow. In fact, last year I grilled almost every night all winter to test grills for Consumers Digest. But, I always did some cold weather grilling and smoking, and today was no exception.

The coals were super easy to get started with a chimney starter. If you don't own one, I strongly suggest it. You never have to buy lighter fluid again, and the coals are hot and even in 15 minutes or under. A chimney starter is a simple but great invention for charcoal grillers.


We went with steaks tonight, since it was my son's first day back from college for the Christmas break. We had no fatted calf for his homecoming, but that steak the meat man sold me off the truck worked fine. It was a little thin cut for grilling, but I watched close and nailed it. Normally I would suggest about 3/4 inch on the steak cut (or a little thicker). These were probably less than 1/4 inch New York Strip Steak. It worked out, but you have to be really good at eye-balling for doneness to do thin cuts of steak on the grill.


We used Wild n Mild for our marinade and barbecue sauce mop. That helps on thinner cuts, as Wild n Mild adds moisture as the steak is grilling. Wild n Mild is not tomato based, so it can be slathered on all during the grilling. And, it adds an excellent flavor. I love Wild n Mild.


Grilling out in cold weather is not must different than grilling in the summer. You do want to warm the grill up well with the lid on, and you likely want to use the lid on part of the time to contain the heat when the temps outside are below freezing.


You also want to bundle up good - of course. I go with layers in case it gets hot next to the grill. I also like loose clothes, so it's easy to move around which means that I often grab some of the boys' sweat shirts and jackets. So - I do want to note that I am not XXX Large from Sports Illustrated like it says on that shirt. It must be a guy thing, because the shirt is actually a small large. I guess guys like to think big huh? Trust me. Girls would never want the size, especially a large one, printed on the front of a sweat shirt. But, it's a nice thick and warm one, so I can't complain.

Oh yeah, please leave a message if you too are a Polar Bear BBQer! We need to unite.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Break out the Barbecue Grill for the Holidays


One of my friends, Make Over Momma, was asking for our favorite and most sinful holiday dishes.

I knew, of course, that I had to sing the praises of grilling or smoking over the holidays. As far as one specific grill recipe or smoker recipe, that would be a hard call. Everything just tastes better cooked outdoors as far as I'm concerned, and firing up the grill or smoker makes cooking fun even when it's cold outside. More and more people are discovering this, so year round grilling is getting more popular every year.

Smoking meats frees up kitchen space, so that's a double plus with large cuts like turkeys, hams, and barbecue shoulders. Those take up the whole oven, meaning that side dishes are hard to juggle along with holiday main dishes.

Men are more likely to grill or smoke, so ladies . . . hint . . . if you plan to include outdoor grilled holiday dishes, you're more likely to get help. Then again, more women are grilling and smoking these days, so it can be a nice break to take it outside and enjoy the crisp air. If the house is packed full of relatives, it can be a little peace and quiet too.

If family tradition calls for doing the holiday meal inside, then polar bear barbecue or grilling means a change of pace the days before or after the main holiday splurge. Stick some steaks on the grill or some crab legs, and give the leftovers a break for a meal. Or, if you want something inexpensive and tasty, grill some chicken and lather it with Alabama White Barbecue Sauce.


Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Healthy Cooking on the Barbecue Grill




All my Southern cooking and eating finally caught up with me. My doctor told me straight up that I'd have to eat healthier, since my cholesterol was high and my tri levels were absolutely awful.




On the plus side, grilling is healthy. Now I'm not going to be able to eat those rib eye steaks every night, but chicken and fish are wonderful on the grill as are vegetables.




Many of the grill sauces are also fine. Much better healthwise than the creamy dressings with mayonnaise.




For anyone dealing with health issues that require low fat cooking, I'd say - Buy a grill. The food is so good with the smoke flavor that you won't feel like you're eating special diet foods.




Even though it's winter now, we still love to grill. I say that we're members of the Polar Bear Barbecue Club. Chicken and fish grill up so fast, that it's not bad being out in the cold long enough to have a special grilled meal.