Memorial Day Weekend grilling tips
Fun fact: May is National Barbecue Month. Tony Stallone, from Peapod, stopped by ABC 7 to share some recipes and tips to keep you safe.
Five things to never do on a grill:
1. Never put sauce on your meat first! This is a common mistake. Most barbecue sauces contain high amounts of sugar that will burn when cooked for a long period and give your meat an unpleasant, charred/burnt flavor. The chef-accepted way is to sauce at the very end, or once the meat comes off the grill. I like to do it with about 5 minutes of cooking time left, this way it slightly caramelizes on the meat and acts as a light glaze.
2. Don't cook on high! Most people cook over too high of heat. That is fine if you like tough, burnt meat! If you are grilling over direct heat, medium is best. Your meat will turn out more tender and juicy. If you are barbecuing, low and slow is best! On a gas grill, leave a set a burners off; on a charcoal grill, set the charcoal to one side - this way you have a cooler section to slow down the process if you see it is cooking too fast. I will demonstrate a method to tell the temperature if you grill does not have temperature gauge.
3. Don't prod or poke your meat! The less you touch it the better. Have a game plan going in. For example: I like to cook pork tenderloin (my wife's favorite dish!), and I know it takes 12 to 15 minutes. I heat the grill to medium (300 to 350 degrees), put the meat on, close the lid, and turn it every 5 minutes until done - only 3 turns.
4. Wipe off excess Marinades! Too many times I've seen people pull meat from marinades and put it on the grill still dripping. Too much marinade not only messes up your grill, it also steams the meat and causes flare-ups that can incinerate the meat and create blinding smoke. The marinade's job is done with whatever amount the meat absorbs, so be sure to wipe off the excess.
5. Let it rest! Too often I have seen meat come off the grill and be sliced immediately. Once you remove meat from the grill it should be allowed to rest from 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size and thickness. This allows the meat to reabsorb all the flavorful natural juices that are bubbling while cooking.
Mary's Favorite Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
1 Pork Tenderloin, appx. 2 lbs
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
Preparation:
Pour oil over pork tenderloin, just enough to lightly coat (less is better), so the seasonings sticks to the meat. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Then sprinkle seasoning mixture evenly over pork tenderloin coating well and pressing into meat as well.
Light grill to 350 degrees, place on grill directly over heat, close lid and turn meat every 4 to 5 minutes 1/3 of the way. Do this 3 times or until pork reaches internal temperature of 145 and remove and let rest for minimum of 5 minutes
Old Arthur's Grilled Pork Steaks
Ingredients:
4 Pork shoulder steaks, cut appx. 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches thickness
1 Tablespoon Old Arthur Grilling Spice (if not available mix salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne)
1/3 Cup Old Arthur Original BBQ Sauce
Preparation:
Liberally sprinkle pork steaks with grill seasoning on both sides.
Light grill to 300 degrees, place on grill directly over heat, close lid and turn meat after 5 -6 minutes, cook additional 3 minutes, brush with BBQ sauce, cook additional 3 minutes or until pork reaches internal temperature of 145 and remove and let rest for minimum of 5 minutes before serving
Go To Good for Everything Marinade
Ingredients:
1 Cup low sodium soy sauce
3 Tablespoons honey
Preparation:
Pour honey into small bowl and slowly blend/stir in soy sauce until fully blended. Marinade should be slightly viscous. Pour over meat and seal in zip lock bag. Remove pat excess marinade off meat and grill.
TIP: if you would like to glaze at the very end use 1/2 cup honey and 3 tablespoons soy sauce and brush meat or seafood item last 3 to 5 minutes of grilling.
