# BBQ Oh Baby!



## John N.

I'm going BBQ crazy! Ah, I love the good old BBQ cooking. Summer is here! 

Who else is going BBQ wild? Whatcha eating? So far I had hamburgers and hot dogs, tonight some grilled chicken, and tomorrow I just went to safeway to purchase some steaks..yummm Rib-eye! Speaking of which, anyone care to share what's the best cut of steak, rib-eye, tri-tip, cross rib...etc. Not sure which one is good and why. But heck, I'll be BBQ all week and probably will eventually purchase each type of steak. Ah summer rocks! 

-John N.


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## trenac

Grilled some T-bone & Porter house steaks tonight at my parents house. Doesn't matter what kind of steak it is, as long as mine is well-done.


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## Gumby

Well-done! That's like eating shoe leather!

I'll take mine medium-rare, thanks


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## Raul-7

Gumby said:


> Well-done! That's like eating shoe leather!
> 
> I'll take mine medium-rare, thanks


No, there's a fine line between overcooking and well-done. I have had some tender, juicy well done steaks and I've had a fair share of chewy ones. The key is not to overcook it and to let the steak rest for a couple of minutes after its taken off the grill.

My personaly favorite though is ribs!


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## trenac

Gumby said:


> Well-done! That's like eating shoe leather!
> 
> I'll take mine medium-rare, thanks


See blood, don't eat rogar-Si

The secret to cooking a non-leather well done steak is _very slowly_. So it cooks from the inside out, not from the outside in.


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## Jane in Upton

Rib-Eye is a very tasty steak! It can be a little tough, so you might want to use a papain-based tenderizer (natural enzyme derived from papaya fruit). There is also an enzyme in pineapple (which is why FRESH pineapple will prevent jello from setting, but canned will not - the enzyme has been denatured in the cooked/canned one). Just be sure to get a tenderizer that is mostly tenderizer (not salt, which is cheaper). You'll want to control the flavorings and the tenderizer separately. Also, don't let it be on the steak too long, or it will be like someone else already chewed it for you (*shudder*). 

Look for fine marbling, evenly distributed. The marbling (fat) in the meat gives it flavor, but too much is fatty and will fall apart or burn in spots.

Speaking of pineapple, slabs of fresh pineapple grilled are fabulous! Be sure to put them on a less hot section of the grill, and let them cook slowly - the sugar kinda carmelizes, and they take on this sweet smokey quality. Yum!

How about some grilled Portabella mushroom caps? Mmmmm..... I brush them with toasted sesame oil (Trader Joe's has this for a very good price) in which I've crushed a small clove of garlic earlier in the day (set aside in a little dish so the garlic infuses the oil - real simple). I also use this to brush zuchinni (cut lengthwise into slabs) yellow squash and slabs (cut horizontally across the layers) of sweet Vidalia onions. Grilled sweet onions are good - they fall apart, but its worth chasing all the tasty morsels. The portabella mushrooms are the best though - they absorb some of the sesame/garlic oil (slather the underside, and set them on the grill with the "gill" side UP, like a saucer for the first few minutes) and then it cooks in....... mmmmmmmm. You get the lovely dusky taste of the grilled mushroom, with a hint of smell/flavor that is just perfect.

Sheesh! JOHN! Now I'm sitting here salivating profusely, and I think I'm gonna have to go out on a portabella quest and fire up the grill tonight!
-Jane


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## turbomkt

I'm sorry...but my BBQ season is year round...even if it's raining.

As for meats...I'll eat anything Costco sells. They have to have about the best quality meats for the $$ without buying your own side of beef.

So...what's the best BBQ for the money? I've got my eye on a couple of nice ones, since my wife has given me permission to get a new one for my birthday. In particular, I'm looking at the Jenn-Air BBQ from Lowes or a similar one from BBQ's Galore. I'm open to other suggestions...


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## hooha

I'm looking for a BBQ (particularly a gas grill) myself. Wanna try to make some Bulgogi, Gaibi (sp.?), and fajita steaks this summer (anyone have good recipes?).


TurboMKT, did you browse through the about.com reviews? Wonder if you thought they were any good. Looking through I'm looking towards the 4 burner 48k BTU Vermont Castings from Home depot (or specialty store if they deliver).


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## John N.

Jane in Upton said:


> Sheesh! JOHN! Now I'm sitting here salivating profusely, and I think I'm gonna have to go out on a portabella quest and fire up the grill tonight!
> -Jane


Yum Yum Yum! I completely forgot about portabella! Car keys in hands right now...foot out the door.  Thanks for the great tips! I'm so tempted to start the BBQ early and "get my eat on" before everyone else does. Whooo whooo!



turbomkt said:


> I'm sorry...but my BBQ season is year round...even if it's raining.


Yea Haw! That's pretty hardcore mike!  But I can see why. Last night's chicken was sooo tasty. Not to mention corn on the cob grilled to perfection! 



hooha said:


> Bulgogi, Gaibi (sp.?), and fajita steak


Yes! yet another thing to BBQ! Ah, Korean style short ribs! Next on the list! 

-John N.


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## hooha

If you get a good recipe for anything John let me know!

I forgot to mention my favorite cut of steak - Delmonico. It has a section of filet in the cut. Mmmm, mmm good.


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## gnatster

This is the grill I've been using lately while in Texas http://www.texassizzlergasgrills.com/html/ts-ii-lp.html

Very happy with it's performance. Been able to cook steaks, fish, chicken and veggies all to perfection. Easy to keep clean, and easy to control.

Later will be burgurs, dogs and veggies, all from the grill.


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## freydo

trenac said:


> See blood, don't eat rogar-Si
> 
> The secret to cooking a non-leather well done steak is _very slowly_. So it cooks from the inside out, not from the outside in.


 my steak has to be on the last legs of mooing :hungry: anything beyond medium rare is more carcinogenic to the system anyway.


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## turbomkt

hooha said:


> TurboMKT, did you browse through the about.com reviews? Wonder if you thought they were any good. Looking through I'm looking towards the 4 burner 48k BTU Vermont Castings from Home depot (or specialty store if they deliver).


I did look at about.com. And the Vermont Castings seems to be a good deal. But since my BBQ season is year round (I grilled 4-6 nights a week the entire year after my daughter was born), I'm pretty rough on my grills. The porcelain covered cast iron dies eventually. You also have to watch out for the little deflector that goes over the burner. My current grill has it screwed in. I have no hope at all of replacing it and it is rusting away. The Jenn-Air and BBQ's Galore models are drop in so it is really easy to replace. They both have lifetime warranty on all stainless parts (the cast brass burners on the Jenn-air fall into this category like the BBQ-Galore cast stainless). That means if I need them replaced...it's no problem. Same with the stainless cooking surface.

Worst case, I'll go get the best grill Costco carries and enjoy their no questions asked return policy later on


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## ianiwane

Any korean markets where you are at. If so there is a kalbi sauce that comes in a bigish (12.5 oz bottle) it says BBQ sauce for short rib made by choripdong (if not its pretty much just garlic, soysauce, sugar (I use a Korean corn syrup), ginger, chopped onions). But the whole secret to a tender short rib is adding kiwi. One kiwi will do about 5 pounds of short ribs. Do not add too much as you will get mush. There are some enzymes in the kiwi that break down the fat in the meat.



hooha said:


> I'm looking for a BBQ (particularly a gas grill) myself. Wanna try to make some Bulgogi, Gaibi (sp.?), and fajita steaks this summer (anyone have good recipes?).
> 
> TurboMKT, did you browse through the about.com reviews? Wonder if you thought they were any good. Looking through I'm looking towards the 4 burner 48k BTU Vermont Castings from Home depot (or specialty store if they deliver).


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## John N.

Steaks and Potatoes on the grill right now. Used Montreal Steak Seasoning from the store to give the steak and additional flavor. Not ready to experiment with the recipes yet. But was planning to use Yoshida Teriyaki Sauce from costco on my next run. 

Smells sooo good! 

Kalbi sauce is soo good with Short Ribs. I completely forgot about that sauce. 

-John N.


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## Chris S

I have not lit up the grill yet this year but looking forward to making a "Beer Butt chicken".


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## John N.

Soo juicy and tender...my steaks didn't even need A1 sauce. 
No what to grill tomorrow? 

Have to ask Chris, Beer Butt chicken?

-John N.


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## Bert H

Have you seen BBQ U? It's on the local PBS station on Saturday. The other day the guy even barbequed desert.


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## JanS

Ah, beer butt chicken. Haven't had it for a while, but we used to do it all the time before it became so popular. It just kills me to give up a beer though... LOL!

We had grilled venison chops on Sunday and burgers last night.

I agree, I like my steaks done too, and they can still be juicy and tender if it's done right.
I know a gal who even asks for her pork chops bloody. Ack....


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## Jane in Upton

Oh yeah....... Delmonico steaks! I remember as a kid if my mom mentioned there were Delmonico steaks on sale, my dad would eagerly tell her to get some extra to keep in the freezer! 

And Bert - I've seen that BBQ U guy! He's over the top! He'll have like 4 grills going at once, and I'm sure he has a fleet of prep cooks in the background!

Consumer Reports just did a ratings segment on Gas Grills. The bottom line was that the things worth paying extra for were a lifetime warranty on the burners themselves, and stainless steel grates. Vermont Castings rings a bell - it may have been one of the "best buys". 

I've determined that the next grill I get must have one of those rotisserie features. A friend of the family will get a lamb roast and slow cook it on that rotisserie - OMG! Its amazing!

*darn it!* now I'm salivating again.........

-Jane


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## ringram

We use our BBQ grill pretty much year-round, but I guess its been getting slightly more use lately. We BBQ'd pork loin recently, as well as some steak (can't remember the cut) and chicken breasts -- we buy the boneless, skinless ones from Costco, but sometimes buy the bag of wings & drumsticks. Generally for the steak, we just cook it plain w/a couple sprinkles of Montreal Steak Seasoning, although marinating it w/Italian dressing & Worchestershire sauce is good too. I also have some frozen catfish that I may break out and make something with, like blackened catfish or some Cajun recipe. As far as seafood, IMHO, there's nothing better than fresh King Salmon. I occasionally get that for free from my uncle who's a commercial fisherman, as well as abalone, dungeness crab, halibut and rock cod. All this talk is making me hungry  
Oh, and there's nothing quite like the taste of a good charcoal grill. Having said that, I use a nice stainless steel propane one that my folks bought my wife and I last summer for a house-warming gift. It's easy to use, easy to heat-up, easy to clean and no charcoal mess. I've only had to refill the tank twice in 10 months. If you still think that's a lot, consider than we use it about 1-2x a week and I generally have 2 of the 3 burners going and sometimes the side-burner(vegetable tray). Mmmmm. I know what I'm doing tonight.
My favorate things to add are simply: Montreal Steak seasoning, Yoshida's teriyaki sauce and Cattlemen's BBQ sauce (regular, honey bbq and hikory)


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## Chris S

John N. said:


> Soo juicy and tender...my steaks didn't even need A1 sauce.
> No what to grill tomorrow?
> 
> Have to ask Chris, Beer Butt chicken?
> 
> -John N.


 I hear about it all the time how good it is supposed to be. There is a rack type thing and you sit the chicken over the rack upright like the chicken is sitting up. You use a whole roaster chicken. inside this rack is a can of beer basicly. steams from the inside beer flavour. You can use other stuff instead of beer if you are afraid to waste a beer. Maybe you can use DIY CO2 concauction (JUICE) 
I guess apple juice is good and orange juice too. I am gonna try it when i get some time maybe this weekend.


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## hooha

I gotta check out the burners in the store for ease of replacement and likelihood of rusting now.

If you guys ever want to try something different, marinade your steaks for 1/2 hour with soy sauce, garlic (or garlic powder) and some pepper. It's the only way I'll make my steaks! You don't need much soy sauce, and make sure you get real soy sauce, not the La Choy stuff. You don't want to over-marinade or it will be too salty.


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## T-Bone

I haven't got a BBQ a deck or even a backyard to put one on. But I do love to grill. I BBQ every chance I get at friends houses.

Heres a quick and very easy BBQ sauce recipe.
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Easy BBQ​
1 can tomato paste "156 mL (5 oz) can"
1 Tbs of Cumin
1 bulb of roasted garlic (less or more to your taste)
156 mL of worcestershire (use the paste can)
_Optional_ 1 tsp of cracked chillies, or "sambal olek"
Salt and pepper to taste

Basically just whisk together in a bowl. It makes just over a cup, if you need more just increase the recipe.

This is also good for a marinade. Best on any kind of beef. It comes out pretty thick so if you want you can add water or better yet some good stock.
Don't let too much flame up or the mix will burn
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Heres another simple recipe. This ones non traditional, but good for something a little lighter and different. Great for chicken or pork.

Berry BBQ​
1/2 cup of fresh Blackberries or raspberries (any sour or tart berry will do)
5 leaves of basil finely chopped. fresh is best but if you must 1 tbs dry
10 leaves (not sprigs) of rosemary finley chopped or 1 tsp dry
1/2 cup of honey or "sweet chilli sauce" if you like it spicy
2 tbs of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Blend everything in a blender exept the herbs. Add the herbs into the mixture at the end or their full flavor wont come out.

If you can use this as a marinade/baste or as a sauce. Butkeep the heat down otherwise the sugars will burn instead of caramelize

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I have more recipies, I just have to remember them all. I hope you enjoy them. Stay safe, have fun, and good eats.


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## Happy Camper

Here's a good South African recipe for BBQ mushrooms.

Get some BIG shrooms, say 4 or 5. Lay them all down in a sheet of tin foil. Add spices (garlic etc etc) to taste + Nice chunks of Feta cheese. Once seasoned you can wrap it all up nice and tight (important) and its ready to go on the bbq. Takes about half an hour but the result is Delish. DO IT.......Just do it 

Regards
Cameron


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## kimbm04r

I made a Tuna steak on the grill for my husband for Valentines Day.

I marinated it in a Lemon/Pepper marinade for about a half hour (bottle called for 10 minutes). Then I grilled it for about 3 - 5 minutes per side. He has claimed several times over that it was the best tasting Tuna Steak he has ever had (restaurant or otherwise) of course I will never be able to disprove it because I can't stand seafood. :noidea: 

Also, another great thing for the grill. Baked Potatoes. Cut a potato in half lengthwise, on one half, place a couple pads of butter (margarine is okay) and a slice or two of onion, sprinkle with season salt and cover with second half. Wrap a slice of bacon around the whole potato and wrap in foil. Place on grill (or in oven, in backing dish to catch drippings) and cook until tender. This cooks in about half the time of regular baked potatoes because of the potato being cut in half.


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## ringram

mmm. some good recipes there. Ok, you guys got me started. Some other good recipes that come to mind are Tequila chicken, which a friend of mine perfected (not sure if its all his idea). Mix tequila, lemon, salt, pepper & spices to taste and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for a good 1/2 hr or longer. Baste it with the leftover marinade while cooking on the grill.
Salmon is another one that's delicious if cooked right. The best way is to either use one of those baskets so you can turn it without having to flip it (generally makes it flake apart). Melt butter in aluminum foil w/ dill, salt, pepper, rosemary(if desired)..The dill goes very well with it. If you steam the fish in the foil, only do it for 10-12 minutes at the most. If you choose to cook it on the grill, only do about 2-3 min on each side. There's nothing worse than chewy, overcooked fish.


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## turbomkt

Simple salmon recipe...
1T Brown Sugar
1T Soy sauce

Put salmon filet(s) on foil with edges turned up. Mix sugar and soy sauce and spread over salmon. Grill over medium heat for about 18 minutes. Serve. 

I will usually double up the foil so there are two layers followed by a very thin coat of olive oil or similar between foil and fish...


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## snowhillbilly

John the best cut of meat if you like marbling is by far prime rib. A porter house is a T bone with the larger cut of the strip left in it. Probably one of the best steaks because you get the most tender piece of meat there is. I myself prefer the sirloin just because I dont got for the fat and the marbling.
As for trenac and you others that like to eat well done steaks. The flavor of the steak comes from the juices left inside it. Ive never seen juices flow from a well done steak, maybe some grease from the fat LOL.
John if you like mushrooms a quick little recipe for ya is to buy some canned mushrooms as many as you want, a sweet Vedalia onion, a stick of butter and some garlic powder. I also cook with a splash white wine in this. In a sautee pan melt butter, slice onion and add mushrooms. Add the garlic in to taste. I like a lot of garlic and a splash of white wine. Cook until the onions become transparent. You cannot over cook this I dont think takes about 15 minutes depending on heat.
You should try cooking larger pieces of meat such as a brisket. It is fun taking a bad piece of meat per say and turning it into the must tender thing you have ever eaten and flavor that doesnt stop.


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## John N.

YUMMM! Sounds very good Snow. Going to the store tomorrow.

Someone told me that eatin BBQ every day is bad...true?

-John


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## cwlodarczyk

Well, I guess that since I was a restaurant chef for quite a few years I have to chime in on this.

My grill is an Ironware made by Great Outdoors - a division of Sunbeam. It was the best grill on the market last year in the $300 range and was comparable to several in the $500 range. Unfortunately the company stopped making them and they're no longer available.

For the best cuts my favorites are as follows:

1. New York Strip is be best hands down. It's firm without being tough or chewy and is one of the most robust as far as flavor. Best bet is a cut between 1 and 1 1/2 inches thick - cooked medium rare to medium.

2. Flank steak - awesome for fajitas, tacos, or sandwiches.

3. Boneless pork loin - you can do almost anything you want with it. Just be sure that you don't overcook it. Contrary to popular belief pork is just fine when cooked to medium (to be technical it's safe as soon as it hits 137 degrees).

My favorite seasoning is to rub my steaks down with a bit of kosher salt (it really does taste different), a very small splash of soy sauce, a bit of olive oil, and the secret ingredient - chipoltle Tabasco sauce.
For the pork (or chicken) I like something more sweet - glazes made from peach, apricot, or raspberry go well.


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## trenac

freydo said:


> my steak has to be on the last legs of mooing :hungry: anything beyond medium rare is more carcinogenic to the system anyway.


Mooooooo! :flock: (I think this is a cow)


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## John N.

This weekend, I'm trying a version of Snow's (Charley) mushroom steak. New York Steak grilled to perfection topped with some mushrooms, and some vegetable and a yam on the side. And for desert. Ummm...APPLE PIE! 

Oh, I think that green thing is a sheep Trenac. Though I could be wrong, it could be a cow wearing the latest Green Coat from Armani.

-John N.


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## Bert H

> This weekend, I'm trying a version of Snow's (Charley) mushroom steak. New York Steak grilled to perfection topped with some mushrooms, and some vegetable and a yam on the side. And for desert. Ummm...APPLE PIE!


You're making me hungry, John!


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## triple red

trenac said:


> Mooooooo! :flock: (I think this is a cow)


i think its a ram


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## John N.

For the record folks..Charley's mushroom steak idea was FANTASTIC!

Or maybe it's the product of the cook, and not the recipe. 

Hmm What's on the grill this weekend? I'll try T-Bone's recipes, maybe the Berry Recipe.  

-John N.


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## Bert H

> I'll try T-Bone's recipes, maybe the Berry Recipe.


Local grocery has t-bones and porterhouses on sale this wk, might have to join you...


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## gnatster

> Hmm What's on the grill this weekend?


For Fathers Day

1.5" Ribeyes from Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe in old downtown Plano. Dry aged from local steers. Rubbed with a mix made of garlic mashed with kosher salt, chipolte and cracked black pepper. Grilled Rare on a grill thats hits 1600F. Steaks get a pefectly seared crust. Topped with a quarter size round of anchovy butter and a sprinkle of Salt Gris (grey salt) after gilling during the resting stage.

Grilled Baked Potatoes. Spuds are wrapped in foil and cooked on the grill, when almost done they are split and placed right on grill. Served with Sour Cream, butter and fresh chives.

Sauteed Mushrooms Quartered Crimini, ****aki, oyster, hen of the woods and morels (if I can find fresh ones) sauteed in butter, garlic, pepper, kosher salt, a little white wine and finished with fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano.

Salad Chunks of Iceburg Lettuce hearts, tomato, and green onions with homemade blue cheese dressing.

Dessert Homemade Apple Pie and Cinnamon - Vanilla Ice Cream


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## JanS

Gnaster, are you making that for your Dad, or are you the honored Dad?

At any rate, lucky Father. 
I love all the stuff with garlic, plus it's a good bug repellent around here. 

We have some Morel's here, but they are about past their prime now. Wow are they good sauteed with a good steak though.


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## T-Bone

For the spicey lover Might I suggest Jamaican jerk chickon mon. I just made it today MmmmMmm good

Jamaican Jerk marrinade​
1 Tbs allspice 10 cloves of garlic​1 Tbs thyme 2 Tbs honey (palm sugar 'IF' you have it)​1 Tbs cayanne 1/4 cup worcherstershire​2 Tbs cracked black peppercorns 3/4 cup of vinegar (malt,cider,red wine etc)​10 large leaves of fresh sage 1/2 cup of orange juice​1 tsp cinnamon 1 lime 'juiced'​1 medium red pepper (cored) 1 large onion chopped​1/2 cup finly chopped chives 1 tsp dijon (must be dijon, or leave it out)​1 habenero or 3 thai chillies or 2 jalapeno's

Combine all the ingredients into a blender and pulse untill the onions and peppers are chopped up fine, but not liquified. (you want little bits, of onion and pepper)

Take your meat (chicken breast) and stab it repeatedly with a fork, it's just to get flavor into the chicken. Put the chicken and marrinade in a large ziplock bag and store in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Generally chicken doesn't need much time to marinate, but in this case its worth it  You can make a few breasts with this marinade. I cooked for 15 with it and had leftover sauce. You can reserve some of the marrinade and turn it into sauce, just simmer on a low heat for a half hour.

The honey can be substituted for sugar, brown sugar, even corn syrup but palm sugar is best. The vinegar can be whatever you have, but any flavored vinegars would be nice. The habenero's or scotch bonnets can be substituted if you can't find any, but they are ideal. Jamaican jerk chicken is Supposed to be spicy anything else is blasphemy. All the other ingredients are a must or it just wont be jamaican jerk. Its quite good though.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. And *slainte!*


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## triple red

i love jerk chicken.....the only problem with it is if you add too much spice.....trust me...you will be in BIG TROUBLE.......
burns goin in....and goin elsewhere....


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## John N.

*Time to FIRE up the BBQ one Last time!*

Well Holiday weekend is coming up, and time to buckle down and get dirty with work and life, etc.

We had all summer to develop our BBQ skills, and also at the same time figure out what we liked the most. For me, it was Korean Short Ribs marinated with Kalbi Sauce.

With this last fire up (or one of the last), let's hear it.

*What should be cooking!? *

-John N.


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## T-Bone

Labour day for most people = day off
Labour day for a chef = more labour

:whip: LOL

This is a great idea but I can't take credit for it. I saw it on the cooking show called "the take home chef" I may have the recipe a little wrong but it will still work. The hard part will be to find raw sugar cane. If you can it will be worth it. ( I sugest a specialty food store, as most box stores won't know what you talking about)
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"sugar cane skewered prawns"​
sugar cane cut into skewers
4-5 prawns per person 
1 lime juiced per portion
teaspoon of chopped cilantro per
1 dash of paprika
Salt & pepper

You will need a sharp knife to make good skewers. You want to make the skewers a little thicker then an average skewer ( sugar cane isn't as strong as wood.) You may be best to put holes through the prawns so the cane can go through with more ease. Then once you finished making enough skewers (make a few extra just in case) [also you might only get 1 or 2 on a skewer] you would juice the limes into a bowl add the cilantro, then marinate the prawns for a few minutes (too long and the lime will start to cook them) then skewer them add some paprika S&P then grill those babies up. The best part is the heat of the grill will partially caramelize the sugar cane, and you can eat the skewer!

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Great as an appetizer. The show had it best and served them with mohitos. I whole heartedly agree.


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