With the warmer weather we had in Rhode Island on Saturday, I brought out the grill, set it up in the back yard and grilled some tasty pork chops. I used a pork rub that I sprinkled moderately on both sides before slapping on the grill, then I basted (both sides for my chops, one side for my husband's) with a sweet chipotle sauce I found at the grocery store earlier that day. It was actually in the aisle with the croutons (and salad dressing) and that's how I found it.
Sunday I grilled some of the dry aged eye round roast that I had frozen a while ago. I sprinkled with a "barbecue" seasoning mix I picked up a while ago. It's a big container so I'll have it for the entire summer. Definitely tasty - it gave the meat a little bit of a smoky flavor as if I had actually used the smoking chips. I'm thinking that maybe I'll break out the smoking chips this coming weekend after my trip to the zoo.
Showing posts with label grilling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grilling. Show all posts
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Spring/Summer Preview
I'm already looking forward to the warmer weather and all the great food-related stuff that warm weather brings. Cookouts, barbecue, grilling, gardening and fresh, local produce!
And yes - there is a difference between grilling and barbecue. Grilling is a faster cooking method at higher tempteratures for smaller cuts of meat. Barbecue is a long cooking process at lower temperatures for larger cuts of meat. Last summer I barbecued a pork shoulder on a couple cedar planks. I would have liked more of a smoky flavor to it, but my husband loved it.
To remedy the lack of smokiness, I bought a couple bags of smoking chips in preparation for grilling season! I have one bag of hickory chips, one bag of mesquite chips, tons of ideas, and an appetite waiting for the delicious results!
A smoked barbecue turkey breast is probably highest on my list, though I'm not yet sure if I want to use the hickory or mesquite on the turkey. I think I'm leaning toward hickory.
I also have a hickory smoked ham in my freezer, and I don't always find that it's smoked ENOUGH. So that's another thought for my hickory chips.
Other great things about the warm weather - planting your own veggie garden. I've already started an indoor herb garden of basil, cilantro, parsley, rosemary and thyme. I have chives and sage that grow WILD and CRAZY outside in my yard. I also plan to plant a couple varieties of tomatoes, some squash, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, and peppers, and hope to have a better harvest than last year when some sort of critters ran off with my biggest eggplant, and kept eating the zucchini and squash blossoms before they could turn into veggies! I already have my asparagus plant in the ground from last summer and need to remember not to dig it up when I plant this year's garden.
I also have a few baby raspberry bushes (more like miniature stalks) that a friend of ours gave us last summer along with one of those 'still alive but dormant' raspberry mini bushes that I happened to find one day when I was shopping recently. That one needs to be planted, though.
With the expanded 'crop' I think I will try to use the little area along my fence to plant a few of the things that spread as they grow rather than trying to confine them to the area that was my garden last year. I just need to fill in with a little dirt and I'll be ready for fresh produce in no time!
Once I get around to starting my seeds, I'll post an update with what I actually decided to plant! 'Happy Eating' until then!
And yes - there is a difference between grilling and barbecue. Grilling is a faster cooking method at higher tempteratures for smaller cuts of meat. Barbecue is a long cooking process at lower temperatures for larger cuts of meat. Last summer I barbecued a pork shoulder on a couple cedar planks. I would have liked more of a smoky flavor to it, but my husband loved it.
To remedy the lack of smokiness, I bought a couple bags of smoking chips in preparation for grilling season! I have one bag of hickory chips, one bag of mesquite chips, tons of ideas, and an appetite waiting for the delicious results!
A smoked barbecue turkey breast is probably highest on my list, though I'm not yet sure if I want to use the hickory or mesquite on the turkey. I think I'm leaning toward hickory.
I also have a hickory smoked ham in my freezer, and I don't always find that it's smoked ENOUGH. So that's another thought for my hickory chips.
Other great things about the warm weather - planting your own veggie garden. I've already started an indoor herb garden of basil, cilantro, parsley, rosemary and thyme. I have chives and sage that grow WILD and CRAZY outside in my yard. I also plan to plant a couple varieties of tomatoes, some squash, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, and peppers, and hope to have a better harvest than last year when some sort of critters ran off with my biggest eggplant, and kept eating the zucchini and squash blossoms before they could turn into veggies! I already have my asparagus plant in the ground from last summer and need to remember not to dig it up when I plant this year's garden.
I also have a few baby raspberry bushes (more like miniature stalks) that a friend of ours gave us last summer along with one of those 'still alive but dormant' raspberry mini bushes that I happened to find one day when I was shopping recently. That one needs to be planted, though.
With the expanded 'crop' I think I will try to use the little area along my fence to plant a few of the things that spread as they grow rather than trying to confine them to the area that was my garden last year. I just need to fill in with a little dirt and I'll be ready for fresh produce in no time!
Once I get around to starting my seeds, I'll post an update with what I actually decided to plant! 'Happy Eating' until then!
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