Reposted from Ooni.com
If, as food culture writer Alicia Kennedy recently proclaimed in Bon Appétit, the old way of entertaining — perfect, coiffed, anxiety-inducing — is dead, then something’s got to take its place.
We’d advocate for the pizza party.
The opposite of a cloth napkin Martha Stewart dinner, a pizza-based meal is messy, fast and communal. There will be cheese pulls and toppings on the floor, beers beading next to sweating dough, and, no matter how hard you try to avoid it, flour on your trousers. But that doesn’t mean it has to be mayhem. Here are our tips for throwing a successful (and stress-free) pizza party.
**More pictures to be added soon**
Ingredients:
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Hey there, barbecue lover! In this blog post, we'll be discussing a delicious and easy recipe for 3 2 1 BBQ Smoked ribs. This recipe is perfect for the every grill enthusiast regardless of experience level and it's sure to please a crowd. So fire up your smoker and let's get cooking!
The 3 2 1 method for cooking ribs is simple: you cook the ribs for 3 hours, then wrap them in foil or pink butcher paper and cook them for another 2 hours, and finally remove the foil and cook them for an additional 1 hour. This method results in perfectly cooked ribs that are tender and full of flavor. Trust us, your guests will be impressed!
Here's what you'll need to make 3 2 1 BBQ smoked ribs:
-2 racks of pork ribs
-Your favorite BBQ sauce
-Dry rub of your choice (we like to use a mixture of Meat Church Holy Gospel and Holy Voodoo)
-Charcoal or wood pellets for your smoker
-Foil or pink butcher paper
Serves: 2 racks, enough to feed 4 adults (or 2 really hungry adults)
Prep time: 15 minutes to remove the membrane from ribs and season with rub
Cook time: 6 hours
1. Prep your ribs by flipping them over meat side down and sliding a butter knife under the membrane that is on the back. Loosen the membrane with the knife before using a paper towel to grab the membrane and rib it off in (hopefully) one smooth movement.
2. Dust each rack of ribs with the rib rub. You can immediately put your ribs on the grill or you can leave them in the refrigerator for as long as overnight. If placing in the refrigerator, rub rubs on a large roasting pan and cover with food wrap.
3. For the first 3 hours you'll want your smoker set to 200°. We like to use fruit wood like an apple cherry blend but hickory is darn tasty too. Place your seasoned ribs on the smoker with the meaty side up. The desired internal temp is 160°F
Tip: At the end of hour 1 and hour 2, spritz the ribs with a mixture of apple cider vinegar and apple juice.
4. Remove the ribs from the smoker (we use a baking sheet) and increase the temperature to 225°F.
5. It's now time to wrap the ribs. Tear of a healthy sheet of heavy duty foil wrap (we prefer to use pink butcher paper) and place it on a flat surface. Add a few pads of butter, some brown sugar, a bit of honey, and some of the delicious BBQ sauce. Place the ribs meat side down on top of that delicious mixture. Repeat the layers on top of the ribs and wrap tightly.
6. Return the wrapped ribs to the smoker placing them meat side down and let them smoke for another 2 hours or until they reach internal temperature of 205°F.
7. Remove the ribs from the foil and add your favorite BBQ sauce like Blues Hog Champions Blend. Place them back on the smoker for another hour. Your looking for the meat to pull back from the bones about 1/2" or so. You'll want to adjust this time depending if you like the meat to tug from the bone or if you want them to fall of the bone.
Tip: Add some Craigs Rib Candy to this final step to give your ribs an extra punch of flavour.
8. Remove from the smoker and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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1.Determine how the charcuterie board will be used. Will it be used as a grazing board before dinner? Will it be an entree or maybe a late night snack.
2. Use this determination to decide how large the board will be and also use it as a budget guide. For an appetizer or late evening board I usually allow a budget of $5 to $7 per person. For an entree board allow $12 to $15 per person.
3. Before you shop the stores, shop your pantry. Do you have any fillets? Nuts, crackers, vegetables, olives, pickles etc. This could help you save money.
4. Go to the store with a clear picture of what you would like your board to look like. Randomly picking up odds and ends can lead to an overly expensive charcuterie board.
5. Follow the rule of three. Have a thriller, a filler, and a Spiller. The thrillers are usually higher and items like meats and cheeses, fillers help keep the cost of the overall board down, this is your baguette, crackers, and vegetables. The spillers are the items that finish the board and make it look appetizing and well-rounded. Consider things like grapes and small fruits.
6. consider putting some of your items into interesting vessels, this will give your board visual appeal, it will give you height variances, and they will fill space. Use mason jars, small bowls, and antique dishware.
7. Provide your guests with plenty of utensils so that no one is left using their fingers. A particularly like to use antique utensils as I find they really suit the look of the wooden boards. I also keep a variety of skewers, of different sizes, on hand, I use these for smaller fruits and vegetables like blueberries and tomatoes.
Place plates beside your board, this will discourage people from eating directly off the board.When building the board I like to start with my cheese., I like to have a minimum of three types of cheese, I always have Brie that I accompany with chutneys, jams, or honey. I offset this with two other types, such as mozzarella and havarti, I like to cut these in different ways so that my board has texture.
Once I have my cheese down I add my meats, again I like the rule of three. I tend to snuggle my meat up against my cheese. These are my thrillers. Next I add my fillers, these will go a long way to covering the board without having to spend a lot of money, when I do a charcuterie board I like to set it out without any of the board showing, personally I prefer the visual interest that this provides.
The first fillers I put down are crackers and baguettes. I like my boards to make sense so I put these items near other food items that I think they would compliment, I'll put the bag at near the meats the crackers near the cheese etc.
The next thing I add are my jars. Some of these will have sauces in them, some will have olives, some will have pickles, and again these fill space. once these are in place I like to start filling in the gaps with fruits and vegetables. Cut the fruits and vegetables in a way that offer visual appeal. I particularly like Spears when doing a charcuterie board, this is how I tend to cut my peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. Another unique way to serve a dip is just enough off the bottom of a pepper so that it stands upright, remove the top and all of the seeds and use that to hold the dip.
Once my board is all filled in I like to take more fruits such as blueberries blackberries and raspberries and just Nestle them here and there for pots of color. My favorite thing to use on a charcuterie board is figs, once you cut them in half they're visually stunning. Strawberries cut in half work well
8. When you're preparing your meats and cheese, cut extra so that you can refresh the board
9. Once you refresh your board once or twice begin to downsize it, remove the board to the kitchen and move the contents to a smaller board. If you don't have smaller boards on hand move it to a plate. The idea is always to keep it looking fresh rather than picked over.
10. A Charcuterie board can be made ahead of your guests arrival, cover the contents with a damp paper towel and loosely top with Saran wrap and place in the fridge until ready for service. Once the charcuterie board has been set out it should be finished or removed on or at the two-hour mark.
Tangy mustard sauce
1/2 cup of prepared mustard
1/4 cup of HP sauce
1/4 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp of black pepper
1 pinch of salt
Combine all of the ingredients and refrigerate for 1/2 hour before service
Creamy Parmesan Mayo
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese
The juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
One pinch of salt
One pinch of pepper
Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate for at least one half hour before service.
Both are excellent for adding to a charcuterie board.
]]>This delicious meal serves 6. It can be prepared in just a few minutes and is ready to serve in about an hour.
Ingredients:
1. Combine the ingredients in a bowl mixing well and season to taste with your favorite BBQ seasoning.
2. Form the ingredients into a rectangle and wrap firmly in saranwrap. If time allows, place in the fridge for an hour.
3. While your allowing your meatloaf to firm up, prepare your smoker for a 350 degree smoke. You can experiment with the smoke flavors but we recommend using something like apple or cherry wood chunks or pellets.
4. Unwrap your meatloaf and place on a layer of tinfoil. We do like to add a lip to hold in the juices. This is also a good time to add a little more of the BBQ seasoning to the surface of the meatloaf.
5. At about the 30 minute mark we like to add a good helping of our favorite BBQ sauce. This adds flavor and also keeps the meatloaf from drying out. It's not an absolute requirement but it does taste delicious.
6. At about the 1 hour mark, the internal temperature should reach 165 and that's the magic number. Remove from the smoker and let rest for about 10 minutes.
7. Slice and serve with your favorite sides.
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The BBQ Emporium is a BBQ lifestyle store offering a wide array of BBQ products including items like BBQ Seasonings, BBQ Sauces, BBQ Accessories, BBQ Fuels, and BBQs. We have Louisiana Grills, Green Mountain Grills, Weber Grills, and Pit Boss griddles in stock.
We also have a selection of steaks and sausages from Countryside Farms.
As we move into summer, we plan to offering BBQ classes hosted by well known chefs as well as having weekly cookouts.
Come visit us at The BBQ Emporium.
Wednesday - 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Thursday - 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Friday - 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Saturday - 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
9 Lake Side Drive, Deer Lake, NL.
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Traditionally, steakhouses like Peter Luger in New York City will quickly sear their steaks over incredibly high heat, then transfer it to an oven to slowly bring up the internal temperature to the desired doneness. The reverse sear is the same, but backwards.
By slowly raising the internal temperature in the steak and searing at the end, you can guarantee that your steak will be a perfect medium rare all the way through.
First, ensure you’ve got a clean grill. Juniper BBQ Scraper offers sustainable wooden scrapers that get the job done. Then, aside from a grill that can easily be set up for two-zone indirect cooking, you will also need a quality digital thermometer. I highly recommend the Thermapen, which is an instant-read thermometer and is extremely quick and accurate.
Not all steaks are created equal. You are going to need to choose a steak that is at least 1” thick for the reverse sear to work. Traditional steakhouse cuts like tomahawk or ribeye, striploin, t-bone, and filet mignon will be your best bet.
You will also want a steak that has a higher level of marbling and is graded as being at least “AAA” or “Choice”. In short, the higher the level of marbling, the more flavorful the steak will be. Never forget fat = flavor.
Without fail, there will be someone at every party I go to who has some perfect way of knowing when his steak is cooked. It usually involves touching the palm of his hand and comparing it to the steak or something like that.
Let me tell you to know: unless you are using a quality digital thermometer to read your steaks internal temperature, anything else you are doing is merely guessing. A digital thermometer will always tell us what the temperature is inside your meat if it is done, almost done, or done every time.
When you cook your steak you’re going to want to check it frequently to make sure you don’t go past your desired temp. Then once it is close, you will remove it and crank up the heat to finish.
Rare: 125°F
Medium Rare: 130°F
Medium: 140°F
Well Done: 160°F
Serves: depends, but typically 1 steak per person
Prep time: 5 minutes to season the steaks, up to 24 hours to dry brine them
Cook time: 30 – 45 minutes
Lay your steak on a raised rack on a baking sheet and sprinkle the kosher salt on both sides. Place the steaks in your refrigerator for at least 6 hours and as long as overnight. This is called “dry brining”.
The salt will draw moisture out of the meat, dissolve the salt, then be reabsorbed into the meat; ultimately giving us a juicier, more flavorful steak.
Set up your grill for two-zone indirect cooking. Prepare to initially cook at 250° - 275°F and place your steaks on the “cool” side of the grill.
Check your temperature every 15 – 20 minutes. When your steaks are 5° - 10°F below your desired finished temperature, remove them from the grill.
With the steaks off the grill crank the heat up. If using a charcoal grill, light more charcoal and dump on top of what you already had burned. Ultimately you want your steak to be at least 500°F.
When your grill is at the desired searing temp, place your steaks back on the grill. Every 30 seconds or so, flip your steak. After 2 minutes, check your internal temperature and remove once you have reached your desired doneness.
Season your steak with a little fresh cracked black pepper, and serve.
Enjoy your perfectly cooked steak!
]]>When handling food you want to avoid any forms of contamination throughout the process. Make sure you throughly wash your hands with warm soap and water and be sure to use heat protective gloves when handling cooked food. Meat should be properly thawed in the refrigerator, avoiding cross contamination with other meats. And always make sure you are cooking on clean grill grates.
We tend to rely on our Big Green Egg for these types of cooks but you can use any type of barbecue or grill you like. You just need to make sure you're using indirect heat. We have a couple of blog posts on indirect heat and smoking on a gas grill that may be of interest.
First you're going to want to make sure your grill grates are clean. Using your favorite wood BBQ scraper - we prefer the Juniper BBQ Scraper - scrape the grates clean of any debris from the previous cook. Next you'll want to get the heat regulated at 275 to 300 and add a few wood chunks (hickory or apple) for flavour. Once the smoker reaches temp, add the wood chunks and set the grates for indirect heat.
Place the chicken legs on the grate and let them do their thing for 35 to 40 minutes. You're looking for an internal temperature of about 165.
When handling food you want to avoid any forms of contamination throughout the process. Make sure you throughly wash your hands with warm soap and water and be sure to use heat protective gloves when handing cooked food. Meat should be properly thawed in the refrigerator, avoiding cross contamination with other meats. And always make sure you are cooking on clean grill grates.
Finding these beef ribs could be the hardest part of this recipe but even this part shouldn't be too bad. Luckily we have a local butcher that keeps them in stock but if not your local grocery store meat departments may be able to help. Most will sell these as beef short ribs cut into 2" to 3" sections with the meat on top of the bone. When you see these, you're getting closer. Go to the butcher and tell them you want beef short ribs before they cut them into smaller pieces. These will usually be in a cryovac packaging of 3 or 4 bones.
Once you have them home and properly thawed, you will need to prep the ribs for the smoker. First you'll trim any excess fat of the meaty side. You don't have to remove all the fat, just any chunky fat and unlike the secret to pork ribs, you don't need to remove the membrane from the bone side. Next you'll want to rinse them and pat them dry with a paper towel.
Now, for the real secret that we've already alluded to, keep the seasoning simple. No need to worry about complicated rubs or marinades. Just your favorite salt and pepper blend or something like Meat Church Holy Cow is all you need. A little goes a long way so no need to lay it on thick.
We tend to rely on our Big Green Egg for these types of cooks but you can use any type of barbecue or grill you like. You just need to make sure you're using indirect heat. We have a couple of blog posts on indirect heat and smoking on a gas grill that may be of interest.
First you're going to want to make sure your grill grates are clean. Using your favorite wood BBQ scraper - we prefer the Juniper BBQ Scraper - scrape the grates clean of any debris from previous cook. Next you'll want to get the heat regulated at 275 to 300 and add select a few wood chunks (hickory or pecan) for flavour. Once the smoker reaches temp, add the wood chunks and set the grates for indirect heat.
Place the ribs on the grate and let them do their thing for 3 hours. If you are use to indirect cooking, you'll most likely know that there's no need to peek until the 3 hour mark.
Now it's time to wrap. Not everyone performs this step but we find it makes for juicer ribs. Hear us out and then decide. Tear off a large piece of heavy duty foil and place the ribs bone down on the foil. Bring up the sides to form a pouch and pour beef broth around the meat (not over it). Wrap the tinfoil over the ribs and place it back on the grill for another 2 hours. If you don't want to wrap, just leave the ribs on the grill. The goal is to achieve an internal temperature of 205 degrees.
No not you. It's time to let the meat rest for another hour (or up to 4 or 5 hours if you like). We use a cooler for this process. Simply place the meat in the cooler and open the tinfoil to allow the steam to escape. This is also a good time to open the drain plug, not to let the juices run out but to allow the temp to stabilize in the cooler because we don't want the meat to continue to cook.
This is also the time to take your Juniper BBQ Scraper and co scrape the grill grates clean. Yes we clean the grill before and after every cook.
These tasty dino ribs don't really need any side dishes. Just hungry, watering mouths to feed. You may want to provide a few napkins as utensils are not needed for this feast.
get your grill hot, place the scraper on the grill so that you can still see the logo, and gently but firmly push the scraper from the front of the grill to the back of the grill. Repeat this a few times, taking care to ensure the grooves are aligned with the grill each time.
Over time these groves will get deeper, wrapping around your bbq grate. It is these grooves that remove the dirt from your grill.
We created the following short video to help demonstrate.
We've also created these handy inserts that are included with online orders.
]]>They also mark the return of barbecue season! So if your grill has been in hibernation over the winter, here is a great checklist to make sure it is in top working condition.
Lots of modern grills come with some form of grease collection. If you haven’t replaced the grease trap, now is a great time to do it.
Now is also a time to look and see if there is any way of improving the grease trap. Does the grease tend to pool in the bottom of your grill before falling into the trap? Maybe you can lay down aluminum foil so you can easily collect the grease every couple of cooks and avoid a grease fire down the road.
I’ll be honest, I don’t tend to clean my grills enough considering the abuse they get all year round, but I do try to give them a good thorough cleaning every spring.
For my gas grills, I’ll break out the shop vac and suck up any leftover pieces of carbon or built up gunk inside them. For my charcoal grills, I’ll also use my shop vac to suck up any leftover ash or charcoal. Any hard to get out bits will usually come free with a plastic putty knife. For my pellet grills, I'll empty out the pellet box and run the auger to remove any left over pellets. Next I'll use the putty knife to remove any chunks and finish up with the shop vac.
Next, I’ll remove my grill grates and give them a good cleaning in hot, soapy water.
A leak test should be performed any time your propane grill has been in storage for a prolonged length of time or when you are changing any components on your grill. For complete leak test information, take a look at this leak test video.
Many of us take for granted that when we cook with our grills we are literally playing with fire. In the case of a gas grill, we are playing with fire on top of a 20-pound propane cylinder, just meters away from our home. A leak test should be performed any time your grill has been in storage for a prolonged length of time or when you are changing any components on your grill. For complete leak test information, take a look at this leak test video.
Needless to say, it is important to inspect your grill for any damage that has gone unnoticed. Make sure your burners are not rusted out and that the hose that connects the tank to the burners is not torn or broken anywhere.
Then move on to make sure everything else is working as it should. Easy things to overlook are broken hinges, damaged handles, and broken side tables.
If anything is broken, please resist the urge to replace with generic parts from the same place you buy toothpaste. Most modern grill manufacturers have fantastic customer service. You should always call with your serial number and order the correct fitting replacement parts. It may even be covered by your warranty!
No matter if you prefer charcoal or propane, you should make sure you have enough; because there is nothing worse than getting your grill ready for spring and then running out of fuel during the first cook of the season!
So take the tank to the closest gas station and get it filled, and make a run to the hardware store for a bag or two of charcoal.
If you’re still using a bristle barbecue brush, do yourself a favour and throw it out! The bristles can come loose and be ingested, and if that happens it can result in surgery to have it removed.
Luckily for you, we have the perfect replacement solution: the Juniper BBQ Scraper, a handcrafted product made in Canada. As you use the Juniper BBQ Scraper, grooves will naturally form to match your grate and leave you with a cleaner grill than ever!
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]]>As spring approaches and the days get longer, many of us start thinking about firing up the BBQ for the first time in a few months.
However, before you strike a match or click the ignitor, take a few minutes to review some safety Do’s and Dont’s.
Do:
1. Check for gas leaks. Freezing and thawing can damage rubber hoses and valves. Make sure there are no gas leaks before you spark up the grill. Use soapy water to check for gas leaks.
Lift the lid, turn on the gas and put the half water half soap solution over the hose and fittings looking for obvious signs of bubbles. Tighten and loose fittings and replace any damaged parts if necessary.
2. Throughly clean your BBQ. Remove any fat and grease that may have collected. This can be a major fire hazard. Thoroughly wash away any mold or other contaminants that may have collected on the inside of the BBQ.
That stuff is nasty and can ruin your food. Make sure your grilling grates are clean and free of dangerous bristles. We recommend using our Juniper Wooden BBQ Scraper to keep your grill clean all year long.
3. Move the BBQ away from the side of your house. A good rule is to keep the BBQ at least 10 feet away from your house. The last thing you want is melted siding or something worse.
4. Be prepared for flareups. We like to keep a water bottle and a fire extinguisher nearby just in case. The water bottle helps control minor flare ups that can ruin your food and the extinguisher can help prevent a catastrophe.
Don't:
5. Ignore food safety. It’s important to know the basics of food safety so you don’t get sick or make your guests sick. There are numerous websites and government agencies dedicated to food safety so spend some time getting familiar
6. Use your BBQ indoors. It’s not safe to BBQ indoors, not even in the garage with the door open. Only BBQ in a very well ventilated area. Your BBQ emits carbon monoxide which is odourless but deadly.
7. Turn the propane on with the lid closed. This is very dangerous. Gas builds up and can cause an explosion. DON'T DO IT, EVER!!
8. Take your eye off the BBQ. Sure, you may need to grab a refreshment or even some extra BBQ sauce but don’t leave the BBQ unattended. Fire spreads very quickly and in just a few minutes you can go from a fun family BBQ to a house fire.
SHOWCASE YOUR CREATION
Once you have grilled the perfect meal, it’s time to show off your creation for you and your family to enjoy. Highlight your cooking and enjoy food with the whole family by checking out our charcuterie boards. Our boards are hand-crafted from sustainable Tamarack (Juniper) wood. Our boards are great for family gatherings and come in sizes from small to extra large.
Finish off your board with some other cured meats, soft cheeses, fresh fruits and nuts, and so much more for you and your friends and family to enjoy!
Checkout our wide range of BBQ accessories from our wooden BBQ scrapers, varying sizes of charcuterie boards, digital thermometers, Pit-master aprons, and more!
When life gets stressful, a good meal can often bring about some peace and relief.
]]>There is a whole load of steak cuts out there, from tri-tip to filet mignon. All cuts of steak are delicious, but each cut is suitable for a different purpose. Some cuts are better suited to be the star of the show, while others make a great addition to a dish.
The beauty of steak is that it can be made into any sort of dish you’d like. You can pair it with potatoes if you’re looking for a hearty meal, or with a salad for a lighter course. No matter what you choose to pair it with, the end result is sure to be a meal that satisfies.
Not only does it taste great, but it’s also a joy to cook as well! Whether you’re a grill master or more of a chef, cooking steak doesn’t have to be stressful. Just remember to season lightly and use a meat thermometer, the rest is easy. Looking for inspiration? Check out our Reverse Seared Steak post.
This Superbowl party favorite can and should be enjoyed all year long. Easy to eat and even easier to make, wings can instantly remind us of fun gatherings. Wings can be made in the oven, a smoker, or even on the grill. Ceramic construction grills are a great choice for making wings, as their versatility makes them perfect for getting the perfect temperature.
This gives you plenty of options for how you’re going to make dinner.
You can choose to flavor your wings in a barbeque style, teriyaki, or even a simple dry rub. With so many recipes available, you can find one to please any crowd on any occasion. It’s also difficult to make wings dry, taking the stress out of cooking chicken.
Burgers are another meal that can be as versatile as your imagination. They remind us of family meals and backyard barbeques, all the times we find the most joy in cooking. Whether you prefer grilling your burgers or frying them in a skillet, they are sure to turn out delicious. There is an infinite number of ways to customize them with toppings, seasonings, and sides.
Consider pairing a classic burger with fries for a meal that will remind you of childhood summer days. You could also whip up a cilantro-lime chicken burger that could be paired with rice or beans. The options are truly endless with burgers, a fact that makes them an easy-to-make family favorite.
The best burger is one that is simple enough to be stress-free, but delicious enough to satisfy the craving. This kid-friendly option is perfect for families looking for a meal that everyone will enjoy.
If you’re a seafood lover, foil packs are sure to become your new best friend. You can use any catch you like, whether salmon, tilapia, or another fish. You can also throw in other seafood if you like, as crab, shrimp, and crawfish make excellent additions. These easy meals can be seasoned simply or made with more complex recipes.
The best part of foil packs is that you can pair them with virtually anything. Most vegetables are good for foil packs, including carrots, broccoli, and brussel sprouts. You can also toss in sliced lemon or lime for a flavor boost.
Foil packs are a great option for nights when you’re looking for a healthy meal that can be made with little effort. It’s one of the easiest ways to get a protein-packed, nutritious meal that only needs to be tossed on the grill or in the oven.
The beauty of kebabs is that they can be made of anything you choose. They’re also incredibly easy to assemble, making them perfect for quick dinners. Despite being of Middle-Eastern origin, kebabs can be made with ingredients from all around the world.
All you need to do is prep the ingredients and attach them to the skewers. From there you can cook them either in the oven or on the grill. This is a low-effort meal that takes only a short time to cook from beginning to end. Parents will be happy to know that kebabs are kid-friendly, especially for those that like to eat with their hands!
These are some of the foods that can give you the most peace, both in cooking them and eating them. Doesn't feel limited to these, though, grilling is a great stress-reliever. Anything you can make on the grill is likely to give you some peace after a long day’s work.
Guest post by Buddy Murphy
Buddy enjoys meditation, healthy living, and hiking. He owns three websites, including https://watersofteners.
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There is probably no greater debate in the world of barbecue than “Lump vs. Briquettes.” They are two sources of charcoal that are used to create similar results on the grill.
Made by burning wood in a low oxygen environment, lump charcoal is the choice of traditional grillers. Lump burns hotter than briquettes and creates less ash. The downside is that it burns quickly and is usually more expensive than briquettes.
Made from wood by-products like sawdust that is compressed together using glue and other binders, briquettes certainly don’t sound as nice as lump charcoal. Their benefits are that they are cheaper than lump and burn longer.
Stop! Slowly and carefully put the bottle of lighter fluid down. There’s a safer and easier way to light the coals; it’s called a Chimney Starter. There are several on the market, but many consider the Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter to be the gold standard.
A chimney starter is used to light charcoal quickly and easily. Dump your charcoal into your grill and light some combustible material underneath it (something like a newsprint or a fire starter cube – available at any hardware store). After about 15 – 20 minutes, your charcoal will be completely ashed over and ready to cook!
Once you lit your charcoal, dump the charcoal into your grill and prepare to grill on it. We’ve already learned the importance of a two-zone setup – with a “hot” side and a “cool” side, and that still applies with charcoal.
Pile your charcoal to one side of your grill to create the “hot” side, and the side of the grill without charcoal will be your “cool” side. It’s great to have a spare set of tongs around to help you stack and move the lit charcoal inside your grill. Make sure you clean the grill and tongs you are using before cooking your food.
Using a two-zone setup, you can quickly sear food like steaks over direct heat and then move them to the indirect side to finish coming up in temp. You can also add wood chips or chunks to your charcoal and smoke food on the indirect side.
One downside to using a charcoal is that it is more complicated to change the cooking temperature of your grill.
Most grills will have vents on the top and bottom of their grill. These vents allow air in and out of the grill. Since we’re cooking with fire, the rules are simple: less air = less fire = less heat.
If you need to increase the temperature, open the vents to allow max air in and out of your grill.
If you need to lower the temperature, close the vents to allow less air in and out.
Bottom line: this is one area where you will need to practice using your grill to learn what works best for you.
While your grill is still hot, use your Wooden BBQ scraper to clean your hot cooking grates. When you have finished cooking, close all the vents to restrict airflow and allow your charcoal fire to slowly choke itself out. Do not throw out any charcoal ash for at least 48 hours to ensure the fire is completely out.
Once you have grilled the perfect piece of meat, it’s time to show it off and share it with family and friends. Highlight your cooking and enjoy food with the whole family by checking out our charcuterie boards. Our boards are hand-crafted from sustainable Tamarack (Juniper) wood. Our boards are great for family gatherings and come in sizes from small to extra large.
Finish off your board with some other cured meats, soft cheeses, fresh fruit, and so much more for you and your friends and family to enjoy!
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May is National BBQ Month, so what better time to take some pointers from the professionals and up your grilling game?
Like many, when I bought my first el cheapo gas grill from the hardware store, I thought hotter = better. I would turn both burners to max heat and close the lid to preheat for 10 minutes or so.
Then I would throw down my meat, and begin the dance of constantly flipping my meat over, jockeying it from hot spot to cold spot, all while it burned and stuck to the grill grate. In the end, I would usually have a mangled, burned piece of animal flesh.
Does this sound familiar?
After a few years of trial and error, I finally came across what I consider to be the number one piece of advice for anyone who wants to improve their grilling skillset: learn how to use a two-zone fire when cooking.
Basics of Two Zone Cooking
Just as the name implies, you will be setting your grill up so there are two zones: a “hot” zone (aka direct heat), and a “cool” zone (aka indirect heat).
If you are using a gas grill, it will be as simple as turning on one burner while leaving the other turned off. If you are using a charcoal grill, you will bank all your charcoal to one side. Checkout our last blog to learn more about cooking with charcoal.
Benefits of Two Zone Cooking
A two-zone setup is ideal when cooking on your grill because it allows you to have much better control over your temperature, and you will always have a “cool” side where you are not exposing your food to direct heat and risking it burning.
Cooking on the Direct Side
Foods like hamburgers do not need a lot of time and can be cooked at high heat. You can place your meat on the direct side and cook for 5 – 10 minutes without issue. Once you are done searing the meat, you can check its internal temperature and if it is not cooked to your liking, you can always move it to the indirect side until the temperature rises.
Cooking on the Indirect Side
This is my personal favorite way to cook pretty much anything. Foods that are coated with a sugar based rub can be cooked on the indirect side without risk of burning.
Large roasts can be cooked on the indirect side and allow their internal temp to slowly rise without the outside burning.
Any meat that is skin on is allowed to slowly cook and the fat that is in the skin can render out and become crispy without the skin sticking to the grill or burning.
Play with Your Grill
Now that you understand the basics of two zone cooking, the only thing left to do is break out some meat, fire up your hot grill and find what works best for you!
When you're finished grilling, don’t forget to clean your grill grates. When you're planning your grill cleaning don’t forget to grab one of our bbq accessories including our Juniper wooden bbq scraper.
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What You’ll Need
Grill Set-up
The key to smoking any meat regardless of the type of grill or smoker we are using is your ability to cook at a constant, low temperature. Usually, we aim to smoke food around 225°F - 250°F, but that may be difficult with a gas grill. So long as you can keep it under 300°F, you should be okay.
In our last blog post, we spoke about the importance of two zone cooking. The lessons we learned there play an important part in smoking on a gas grill. Most gas grills have at least two burners, meaning you can easily have a “cool” side to cook your food on, and a “hot” side to provide heat. You’ll need to play around with your grill to find a good combination that works for you.
Get Some Wood
Obviously, if we’re smoking we’re going to need some wood. Most any hardware store will carry bags of wood chips; these work great on a gas grill. There are lots of different types of wood you can buy, but my recommendation for anyone starting out is to stick with a mild wood like hickory, or a fruit wood like cherry or apple.
Some strongly recommend soaking your wood in water before you use it, but I disagree. Wood simply does not absorb much water (that’s why boats were made from wood for centuries), and I just feel it is an unnecessary step.
If you don’t believe me, just try smoking with soaked chips, and then dry again with dry chips. I’d wager a large sum that you don’t notice a difference.
Next, grab some aluminum foil and fold it into a pouch and add about a ½ cup of wood chips. This will be all you’ll use the first time you smoke anything. If after you’ve cooked your meal you feel that you could have used a little more smoke flavor, feel free to add more wood next time. Trust me on this one, there’s nothing worse than an over-smoked meal.
Once you have your pouch filled with the wood chips and your grill up to temp, simply lift the grill grate and place the pouch over the lit burner. The wood will catch and smolder inside the pouch, allowing smoke to escape and flavor your meat.
The Water Pan
When you get your grill up to temp it would be no surprise that it is hotter the closer you get to the heat source. By filling a pan with water and placing it underneath the grill grate on the “cool” side of your grill, you are able to heat up the water and create even heat underneath the food you are cooking.
Another added benefit is that as you cook water is slowly evaporating, helping you cook in a moist environment, and keeping the meat from drying out.
Monitoring Temperature
To make it easy to monitor the temperature inside your grill, I strongly recommend using a quality digital thermometer like the Thermoworks Smoke.
The beauty of a thermometer like this is that it can measure the temperature at the grill level thanks to the help of a probe with a clip that connects it to the grill grate. When you begin cooking with this device it is easy to monitor the temp inside your grill and you can simply raise or lower your temp by turning the propane up or down.
Play With Fire!
Now that you know the basics it’s time to get in some practice! Try smoking with different woods and at different temps to find out what works best for you!
Showcase Your Creation
Once you have grilled the perfect meal, don’t forget to clean your grill grates with one of our wooden bbq scrapers from Juniper BBQ Scrapers.
Once that’s done there’s no better way to enjoy your grilling than with one of our charcuterie boards. Our boards are hand-crafted from sustainable Tamarack (Juniper) wood and are great for family gatherings and come in sizes from small to extra large.
Finish off your board with some other cured meats, soft cheeses, fresh fruits and nuts, and so much more for you and your friends and family to enjoy!
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]]>One thing I’ve learned over time is that ribs are dead simple to make. You need a good spice rub, a good sauce, some smoking wood and a grill you can easily set up to cook indirect with and the rest is easy!
Some people will swear that you need to use a certain commercial sauce or they may have some trick they saw on BBQ Pitmasters, but at the end of the day, this is all you need to know.
Serves: 2 racks, enough to feed 4 adults (or 2 really hungry adults)
Prep time: 5 minutes to make the rub, 20 minutes to make the sauce, 15 minutes to remove the membrane from ribs and season with rub
Cook time: 3 – 4 hours
Add all the dry ingredients for the rib rub into a bowl and whisk until combined. Break up any clumps of spice with your hands. The unused rub can be stored in an airtight container for months.
Dice onion and mince garlic. Heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onion and garlic for 3 – 4 minutes. Add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard onion and garlic. The unused sauce can be stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Prep your ribs by flipping them over meat side down and sliding a butter knife under the membrane that is on the back. Loosen the membrane with the knife before using a paper towel to grab the membrane and rib it off in (hopefully) one smooth movement.
Dust each rack of ribs with approx. 2 tablespoons of the rib rub. You can immediately put your ribs on the grill or you can leave them in the refrigerator for as long as overnight. If placing in the refrigerator, rub rubs on a large roasting pan and cover with food wrap.
Prepare your grill for two-zone indirect heat. Aim for a temperature of 250°-275°F. Once the grill is preheated, add your smoking wood. My preferred wood to use for ribs is hickory and apple. Use either ½ cup of wood chips, or 1 fist sized wood chunk. If you think you would like a stronger flavor next time, feel free to use more wood.
Place ribs bone side down on the indirect side of your grill. After 2 hours remove your ribs from your grill and wrap them in a double layer of tinfoil. Add ¼ cup of apple juice to each rack of ribs and place them back on the indirect side of the grill meat side down.
After the ribs have cooked for an additional hour remove them from their tinfoil pouches and place them back on the grill. Once they have “tightened up”, give them a generous coating of barbecue sauce and leave on the grill for 15 – 20 minutes to allow the sauce to get tacky.
Remove your ribs from the grill and serve!
]]>Hosting a party can be stressful, so we’ve created this list of things you should consider when planning your party to make sure it goes off without a hitch.
In our house, it is super common for us to have more food on hand than we would ever need. As a matter of fact, we only recently finished the frozen burger patties my wife bought for Canada Day 2017 – a whole 11 months ago!
The easiest way to overcome this is to write out a menu of the food you plan to serve a couple of days before your party. If you only plan to keep it simple with burgers, sausages, and chicken wings; then only buy as much as you’re going to need to serve your guests.
There’s nothing worse than when you run out of charcoal or propane after your guests have arrived but before the food is cooked! Avoid this potential catastrophe by always having an extra bag of charcoal or an extra tank of propane on hand.
Consider the food you plan to serve your guests and make sure you have enough time to cook your food to serve your guests, while still being able to enjoy yourself at the same time.
If there is a lot of prep work involved in getting the meal ready for the grill, do that ahead of time and keep it cold in the refrigerator until it’s time to cook.
If you’re planning on smoking a pork shoulder that is going to take 8 hours to cook, make sure you get up early enough to have it ready for when your guests arrive.
Reserve an area of your patio for your food with lots of napkins, paper plates, and plastic forks. Make it obvious that your guests can serve themselves and just keep the food coming!
Let your guests help with the cleanup by placing a few garbage bins outside. That way when they’re done eating, they can just toss their plates and napkins into the waiting bin. Boom! One less thing to worry about.
While you can spend hours planning the perfect playlist for the gathering, there’s nothing wrong with just breaking out the radio.
There are some great, simple ways to finish off your evening with dessert on the grill! You can experiment with fruit kabobs drizzled in honey, or you can try grilled banana boats – literally, just banana’s left in their peel and sliced lengthwise with chocolate chips/marshmallows/peanut butter added. Oh yes, it’s good.
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]]>Last year during the Saltscapes Expo event, we met many members of the Saltscapes team and continued to be in contact over the following months. In early December we received an email from Darcy asking if we'd be interested in an interview for an upcoming issue. Of course, we said yes but we didn't know the full scope. We were very excited to see the full article when it hit the shelves in February. Please pick up the issue and check out the full article.
By Darcy Rhyno
📸:Scott Grant of Ronin Photo
If you'd like to know more about the Juniper BBQ Scraper, take some time to browse our website and please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
]]>©Diane Crocker/The Western Star
Jason Janes took a problem, found a solution and turned it into a marketable product all in the span of a weekend.
That’s something Janes, co-founder of StartupNL, has perfected in his business endeavours. He enjoys looking for niche products or niche problems that can be solved and applying a Newfoundland focus to that solution whenever possible.
]]>In June 2014, I had the opportunity to attend 48 Hours in the Valley, the two-day mentoring event hosted by C100, the Canadian support network in Silicon Valley. While in San Francisco, I attended many fireside chats and several private events, such as Happy Hour with Don Mattrick, CEO of Zynga, and dinner at the home of Don Listwin, former executive VP of Cisco.
What an amazing opportunity to meet such influential and driven individuals while surrounded by the positive energy of other motivated entrepreneurs and mentors from Canada. I’d name some, but there are simply too many to mention.
When C100 wrapped up, I decided to relax on Venice Beach in Los Angeles for a few days. Considering that I had traveled all this way, I thought I may as well look up a few friends from Newfoundland and Labrador, so I made a phone call or two. Sure enough, as is the case from every other Newfoundlander, the answer was, “Sure b’y, come on over.” (Not exactly those words, but you get the point.)
A few hours later, I was having coffee with Shannon Tweed at her beautiful Beverly Hills home.
We were chatting about all things Newfoundland, such as the success of Republic Of Doyle and her appearances on the show. The Newfoundland- born model, actor and former Playmate also shared her successes and aspirations for her latest project, Shannon & Sophie, a show for W Network she has undertaken with her daughter. I shared our goals for the StartupNL entrepreneurial community.
Shannon then asked if I’d like to see the famous Gene Simmons office and of course I jumped at the opportunity to visit the sanctum of the KISS bass player. She said, “One sec.” She hit speed-dial on her phone and said, “Hubby, I have a friend here that would like to see your office.”
Two minutes later, we were in the famous office taking selfies and exploring everything KISS. You’d think this would be enough excitement, but not when you’re at the Tweed/Simmons home. Minutes later, who should appear but Mr. Gene Simmons himself. For the next 30 minutes or so, I had the chance to talk to the Marketing and Finance Wizard himself about all sorts of things such as his new book, upcoming TV shows, and everything else that I could think of. Platform boots and makeup aside, he is a shrewd businessman.
What’s important about all of this? Of course it was an experience that I’ll never forget. But more importantly, if you desire to learn from a mentor, just ask. Don, Don, Gene, and Shannon are indeed influential but they are all reachable if you try hard enough.
Sometimes we just have to ask!
Jason Janes
Founder, Juniper BBQ Scraper Ltd.
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