Delicious, flaky fish plus the flavor of wood smoke is a combination that few humans are immune to; even some that don’t like the fishy taste can be lured with the smoky sweetness of something properly smoked. Making smoked fish also is a great way to show off BBQ grill tool skills and take advantage of sales on fresh fish. Start the process by brining the fish; this could take up to 12 hours so this is defiantly a plan ahead BBQ adventure.

                The actual recipe to smoke fish is simple; the brine can be just water with dissolved salt and sugar. After the brine, dry the fish and let it set for at least an hour; the hardest part is making sure the temperate of the smoker stays around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. For those with many years of BBQ behind, this is easier, but those new to this ultimate form of low and slow cooking should see how best to set up the charcoal or gas grill or smoker and which wood chips are best for each type of fish. But after mastering the basic method, it is a culinary haven and thrifty paradise to buy fresh fish on sale and experiment with new brines and different kinds of wood chips. 

Smoked Fish From Home is a post from: Blog-B-Que - Barbecue Grill Tools

The hamburger is an American classic and a yardstick of the cookout. Mastering the burger therefor is an aim for every griller to ever own grill tools. What could easily be called the perfect burger is both juicy and flavorful, but still held together well. The real trick to a great hamburger patty has nothing to do with seasoning mixes or even added ingredients at all.

                A good burger, full of flavor, is little more than good beef. The more flavor the original meat has logically the more the burger will have. So pick good quality beef, preferably ground by the butcher rather than shipped ground. Pick also an 80/20 mix of lean meat to fat, this may seem like a lot, but quite a bit cooks out when grilled. This balance plus a good amount of mixing just before forming the burgers is all that is really needed apart from salt, pepper, and that wonderful grill flavor. Giving the meat a good mixing before forming it makes the fat present tackier and thus the patties stick together a little better. Some grillers also promote poking a little hole in the center of the burger to let heat flow better, but that is an option every griller can make personally.

Grill Basics, The Burger is a post from: Blog-B-Que - Barbecue Grill Tools

The chicken breast is one of the most commonly grilled, or even cooked, cuts of meat in most of America; but they can get boring. But this lean and fairly inexpensive source of protein can be made over to be exciting again with just the addition of a few novel ingredients. The addition of sun dried tomato relish can make for a sultry summer dish with a depth not usually known in chicken. It is all a matter of what the occasion is because that is how versatile chicken breast is.

                Some variations on chicken require a little skill with grilling tools. Flattening a chicken breast with a mallet will make it cook is about a minute, but makes it harder to handle without tearing. This thin piece can be rolled around other ingredients though for ease and interest. Try making it seasoned from the inside out with an herb paste for an interesting spiral pattern when cut. Just be careful about stuffing too much moisture into a chicken breast because they will either leak, fall apart or both. For the most part though, the sky is the limit with this flightless bird.

Chicken Breast Reinvented is a post from: Blog-B-Que - Barbecue Grill Tools

The change of seasons is not a reason to put away the BBQ, but there are a few changes that need to be made to accommodate the different conditions each season brings. Instead of packing up the barbecue grill tools, embrace the season. Autumn brings the falling of leaves and cooler weather. While the chilly wind can be fixed with a coat, there are some safety concerns of grilling with all of those dead leaves around. To keep any stray spark from igniting the lawn, take a couple precautions before lighting the BBQ. 

                Common sense is all that is typically needed to thwart a possible fire, but it never hurts to do a double check.  Start by clearing the area around the grill of leaves, when all fallen leaves are at least 5 feet away the risk of fire is greatly decreased. But also make sure that after grilling the coals are handled with upmost care and should even be doused with water similar to in the summer when the fire risk is high. Extra precautions can be needed, but keeping to these general bits of advice can thwart more possible fires due to fall being dryer and full of tinder.

Grilling Safety in Fall is a post from: Blog-B-Que - Barbecue Grill Tools

The perfect burger is close to an art, requiring the right meat and grilling technique. Meat with a higher fat content makes tastier burgers, but also shrinks more as they cook. So finding the perfect ratio of lean meat to fat is essential to a good burger.  Not enough fat makes for a dry, mealy burger while too much will make it shrink. Most burgers are made with 80/20 lean to fat ground beef. If a lower fat content is desired, mix an egg white in the meat to keep the patties from falling apart when handled with BBQ tool sets.  Another trick to making a killer burger is mixing some seasoning right into the meat, but keep it simple. A little pepper and paprika makes a slightly smoky and spicy addition to the flavors of the meat, but much more could easily make a convoluted taste.

                Paying attention to the meat that goes into burgers is second nature to a good griller, getting in the habit of it makes a better griller. So remember the key traits of a good burger are about an 80/20 ratio of lean meat to fat, and just a little bit of seasoning mixed into the meat for flavor.

The Best Burger is a post from: Blog-B-Que - Barbecue Grill Tools

The skill of a BBQ griller can be determined not by the number of dishes, or creativity of these meals, but by the quality of classic works of BBQ like the grilled pork chop.  This piece of meat was really meant to be grilled over any other form of cooking. However do not the simplicity of it fool one into thinking that just anyone can pull of a great grilled pork chop, they are an undertaking that shows the caliber of a griller. 

                Even though a pork chop can be one of many different cuts of meat, but it is the thickness and quality of the meat that matter more than if it is bone-in or not.  Thick cut pork chops work better on the grill than thinner ones because they do not dry out easily. It is still a good idea still to brine pork chops, they soak up the extra moisture with gusto. 

                Actually cooking the chops properly requires two zones. The first one should be very hot, as hot as possible, to sear the outside of the chops. After just searing the outside, use the grilling tools to move them to a lower heated area to cook slowly the rest of the way through. These simple pork chops are really a great way to humbly show off grilling skills. 

Better Grilled Pork Chops is a post from: Blog-B-Que - Barbecue Grill Tools

The many different names for cuts of meat can be confusing at best, and the cause of some grilling mistake at the worst meals.  Knowing not only a few goods cuts of meat, but where they are from on the cow can make grilling and BBQ much easier and fruitful of an effort.  No matter how good of grill tool sets one has, it is impossible to make a naturally sinuous cut tender under fast grilling. Learning a cuts composition and location on the animal may seem tedious, but even just knowing a few basics can make a BBQ griller better.

Many of the best steaks for example come from around the cows’ middles. This is usually in the form of flank steak and skirt steak, from just toward the rib cage of the belly, or all around the farther back middle for sirloin steaks.  Rump although usually cheaper than the more sought after fillet or sirloin, but only because of more connective tissue, it is still a flavorful cut of meat. In fact it is debated to be even more flavorful than the best sirloin.  It is suitable to fast cooking like stir-frying and grilling.

Even just knowing these little helpful facts can make a BBQ go off smoother every time. But more advanced knowledge of meat and its orgins is what makes a true BBQ master.

Know The Basic Cuts of Beef is a post from: Blog-B-Que - Barbecue Grill Tools

Instead of always standing by the BBQ let people know who the cook is with this apron.

Chicken and other fowl are typically associated more with fast grilling than slow smoky BBQ, but it is possible to make smoked chicken.  A whole smoked chicken is similar to roasted chicken but with a lovely addition of smoky flavor and crisper skin. One of the keys to a good smoked bird is finding one that is not packed with “solution” that contains salt and chemicals. This chemically brine makes them look nice and plump and stay juicy when cooked, but it can ruin the flavor and make all that work with the barbecue tools all for nothing. Instead look for fresh chicken.

Another thing to be aware of is that this is still smoking food, give about an hour per pound for the chicken.  Other than that, treat smoking chicken similar to any other meat. It will need to be cooked at no more than 185 degrees Fahrenheit though because of the more delicate nature of bird meat, the only reason why it is not done more often. The chicken will still need to be seasoned and opening the BBQ often will still lower the temperature and mess with the cooking process. Try seasoning the bird with slightly woodier herbs than usual because of the strong flavor of smoked meat.  But for the most part this task will be a piece of cake to the avid BBQ griller who knows how to accurately set the temp of the grill and wait. 

Smoked Chicken on the BBQ is a post from: Blog-B-Que - Barbecue Grill Tools

                Many grilling tools can seem more like torture devices than the useful tools of cooking that they really are to the wary beginner in the world of BBQ. But rather than being discouraged, find information because knowledge is the key. Not only will knowing how to properly use these tools make them finally useful, but it will dramatically improve anyone’s grilling skills. 

                The best tool to befriend is some long tongs.  They can do such a large variety of tasks on the grill and their reach keeps the cook’s hands far away from the heat.  Good tongs should be able to grip meat without cutting into it. But certain foods just cannot be flipped so carelessly or they will fall apart.  For more delicate things like hamburgers and fish there is the handy spatula, while it resembles one from the kitchen it should have a longer reach.  And while most BBQ wisdom says that poking grilled meat will let all of the juices run out, many cuts of meat are hearty enough that flipping and handling them quickly with a BBQ fork is often the easiest choice. Getting to know these tools are one of the things that make a true BBQ master.

Know The Tools is a post from: Blog-B-Que - Barbecue Grill Tools

Everyone loves the classic chicken wing and buffalo wing; but with fall still being a good time to grill there is plenty of time to master a few other varieties of chicken wing for extra awe factor. Flavors like honey BBQ are becoming more common in the casual gourmet climate of America’s food scene right now. Trying new flavors though is the true way to impress.  Think of favorite seasonings and enjoy the hard work of using those grill tools to make something that nobody has ever tried before.

                Making completely original and enjoyable food is the only goal of any true chef. So try to pick unique seasonings to make wings in fun new flavors, or ones that are common to other cuts of chicken. Examples are rosemary wings for the spice fearful, wasabi for an Asian inspired hot wing, or cool basil wings calm those hot wing fires. It really is a fun way to experiment with grilled chicken and entertain friends and family all in one move. It may produce a few flops, cherry wings may not be a good idea, but it is never certain until they are tried.

Grilled and Original Chicken Wings is a post from: Blog-B-Que - Barbecue Grill Tools