Evolution of outdoor Grilling

The evolution of outdoor grilling

Read more »

Grilled Chicken

Making houses is easy, but making it a home is much more difficult and tedious. It is only dedicated and loving wives that can do it. We shifted into our new house almost a year ago, eleven months to be exact, but add ons continues. One of the recent add ons was an oven we had been wanting for long. And the moment it arrived, the cooking instinct of my wife took a new turn. She started off with mouth watering pizzas and cakes (unfortunately I could not preserve what came out of the oven), and latest was her grilled chicken.

So yesterday I went and bought chicken for grilling and it was at night that the preparations started for its grilling. The marination and its refrigeration commenced in the evening and finally it was time to skewer it in the turn-strip and place it inside the oven. Then we all watched it slowly moving in the feint oven light as seen above. I shot the chicken in the oven by my cell phone and waited for it to be roasted and served.

Finally it was time and there it came out - steamy and sizzling hot with its beautiful aroma that made it simply irresistible. But before it could vanish into our hungry tummies, I just had the time to snap it when it was being trollied into the dinning room. Thereafter, it was only bones in our plates as it was devoured instantly, served with hot brown baked potatoes. 

Read more »

Grilled Jerk Chicken Wings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Caribbean jerk seasoning
• 18 fresh chicken wingettes (2 to 3 pounds)
• 2 cups honey barbecue sauce
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

• Place jerk seasoning in a large re-sealable plastic bag; add chicken
• wings, a few at a time, and shake to coat. In a small bowl, combine
• the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard and ginger; set aside.
• Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and
• lightly coat the grill rack. Grill chicken wings, covered, over
• medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 12-16 minutes, turning occasionally.
• Brush with sauce. Grill or broil, uncovered, 8-10 minutes longer or
• until juices run clear, basting and turning several times. Yield:

6 Servings - Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Recipe Courtesy: Taste of Home

Read more »

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 chicken leg quarters (8-1/2 ounces each), skin removed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

• With a sharp knife, cut leg quarters at the joints if desired. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the remaining ingredients; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
• Drain and discard marinade. Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 35-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180°, turning occasionally. 

Prep Time: 15 min. + marinating Grill: 35 min
4 servings.

Recipe and Photo by: Taste of Home

Read more »

Grilling

Grilling and barbequing are very close to each other. While in barbecuing, highly seasoned meat is grilled over hot coals, grilling is the form of cooking by the application of direct heat. In other words, grilling involves dry heat applied to the surface of food from below. This form of cooking generally involves lot of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking quickly meat. Grilling is often presented as a healthy alternative to cooking with oil, although the fat and juices lost by grilling can contribute to drier food.

Grilling involves a grill (an open wire grid with a heat source above or below), a grill pan (which is like a ordinary frying pan), or griddle (a flat plate heated from below). Heat is transferred to the meat or anything being grilled thermal radiation.  Sometimes people grill sandwiches in a skillet on the stove. 

Direct heat grilling can expose food to temperatures often in excess of 260 °C (500 °F). Grilled meat acquires a distinctive roast aroma from a chemical process called the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction only occurs when foods reach temperatures in excess of 155 °C (310 °F).

And while talking of grilling, one also comes to broiling. In broiling, the food lies directly under a continuous heat source. Thus the main difference between grilling and broiling is only the direction of heat. Meat can be broiled by placing it on a rack in a shallow broiler pan. The surface of the meat lies 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 centimeters) under the flames in a gas range broiler or below the broiler heating unit in an electric oven. Usually the door of is left slightly opened when using electric oven to prevent the air in the oven from becoming too hot.

However, scientists and nutritionists warn against that cooking beef, pork, poultry, and fish at high temperatures can lead to the formation of heterocyclic amines, benzopyrenes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are carcinogens (is any substance, radionuclide or radiation, that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer). Therefore proper and extensive marination is recommended which may reduce the formation of these compounds.

Read more »