Derrick's Barbecues & Grilling Blog

I know for many of you the one time you cook a turkey is still more than a month away (Monday for those of you in Canada), but it is never too early to start thinking about how you are going to cook this bird. Fortunately for you I have been working for years to put together the resources you need to cook a great turkey. Take a look at these:

The Science of Turkey Understand that a whole turkey is basically two kinds of meat that cook differently and you need to adjust the way you cook a turkey to get both meats done right.

Brining Turkey Brining makes a better turkey hands down. If you don't brine you really should give it a try. I promise that you will notice the difference.

Turkey Injection Want to put some extra flavor into your turkey (literally)? Try an injection marinade to puts moisture and flavor directly into the meat of the turkey.

Deep Fried Turkey Many people are afraid to deep fry a turkey, but if you are careful and do it right, you will get one of the best turkeys you have ever eaten.

Smoking Turkey A smoked turkey is loaded with flavor that makes it the most unique bird you can cook.

Grilled Turkey Depending on your grill you can cook up a turkey quickly and easily without turning on your oven once (saving it for all those other dishes you cook).

Beer Can Turkey Smoked or grilled putting your turkey on a big beer can adds loads of flavor and moisture to your bird.

Now if you think you already cook a great turkey you might want to take a stab at Kitchenaid's Turkey Recipe Contest. You could end up having your recipe prepared by professional chefs to see if you win the grand prize.

A while back one of the "industry" people asked me about green grilling. There has been some attention lately regarding environmentally friendly outdoor cooking. Some people have been concerned about all those summer cookouts causing pollution and environmental problems. Others don't think that outdoor cooking presents much of a risk. There has been some good and bad science on both sides of the argument and it is hard to tell what the truth is. One popular story concerns the total amount of energy Americans use to cook their July 4th meal. It works out to enough power to run all the households in the United States for about an hour and 20 minutes. Anyway, perception is sometimes as important as science these days and I thought I would get your opinion on the problem, so this weeks question is:

POLL: How important is "green" grilling to you?
1) I am willing to change the way I cook
2) I'm concerned and will do a little about it
3) Worried but not willing to make sacrifices
4) I don't really think my cooking affects anything
5) Grilling or smoking just isn't a significant problem
6) I don't care and I'm not changing
7) Other (please specify in the Comments)

Photo © 2008 Regarding BBQ Inc., licensed to About.com, Inc.

Our friends at the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association (HPBA) have teamed up the BBQ Queens Judith Fertig and Karen Adler to suggest some great ways to dress up some of our most common grilled foods. If you need to put some flavor into your grilling, give these ideas a try:

• From Bland to Grand. Make chicken grand by adding a sauce of aioli or flavored mayonnaise (1 cup mayonnaise, 1 clove minced garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs) dolloped on top of the grilled chicken.
• Fish with Flavor. Add some zip to grilled halibut with a roasted red pepper or tomato salsa. Try pesto or gremolata (fresh chopped herbs, garlic and lemon zest) on grilled salmon.
• Just the Touch. Spruce up meaty sirloin steaks with a garlic or chipotle style vinaigrette/marinade or use a compound butter, like blue cheese butter, to top lean and tender grilled filets.
• Vivacious Veggies. From zucchini and squash to red and green peppers and onions, drizzle a flavored nut oil, like walnut oil, over the veggies before cooking. Sprinkle toasted walnuts or pine nuts to finish off these vegetable favorites.
• The Great Potato. Whether it’s for potato skewers or wedges, add olive oil, garlic salt and pepper to potatoes before throwing on the grill – making perfect seasonings. Finish off this classic grilled potato with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Source: Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association

Rotisserie chicken in not only a popular fast food from the deli counter at your local store, it is the best way to cooking the perfect chicken. Two things you probably don't know are that rotisserie chicken is perfect 10 minutes off the grill, not hours under a warming lamp and rotisserie chicken is a lot easier than you think it is. With a grills (charcoal or gas), a rotisserie kit, and a chicken you can make much better chicken than the grocery store can.

Photo © 2008 Regarding BBQ Inc., licensed to About.com, Inc.

It's no secret that brining (soaking meat in a salt water mixture) makes poultry more tender, more moist, and more flavorful. Brining has become the key to the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. The problem is that many people wait until Thanksgiving to try brining turkey. That's a shame. Not only are you missing out on the benefits of brining for all the poultry you cook, but you are putting your first try on the most important cooking day of the year. So, why not try it early. Brining a whole chicken is an easy operation that takes as little as six hours and only costs you a small amount of salt and sugar.

Take 2 cups of hot water and combine it with 6 tablespoons of table salt (or 12 tablespoons of kosher salt), 6 tablespoons of sugar, and give it a good stir. Now add 4 cups of ice water to cool the mixture down. Pour this over the chicken in a bowl or pot large enough to hold it all. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 10 hours. After that take the chicken out of the brine and rinse it very well inside and out. Now you can cook it however you like. I promise, you will notice the difference.

Photo © 2008 Regarding BBQ Inc., licensed to About.com, Inc.

Early this year I told you about Leslie Haywood's Grill Charms idea. Basically these are like those little wine charms you dangle from your glass so you don't get it confused with someone else's glass (my rule is the fullest glass is mine). These stainless steel plugs fit into the meat you are grilling so you can tell one piece from another. Imagine that you are grilling chicken breasts. Half are marinated hot and spicy and the other are mild. These Grill Charms let you identify whose piece of meat is whose. Now, Leslie Haywood has released a special, Breast Cancer Collection with 10% of proceeds going to breast cancer research. If you are interested you can find out more at:

Grill Charms

Photo © 2008 Charmed Life Products LLC

The temperatures have started to dip and I know that while you and I are certainly not going to be deterred by the change in weather, there are those that will be packing up their grills and smokers for the winter. Of course, those of you in the warmer climates can brag all you want. Winter is real for many of us around the world and whether you pack it in for the next few months or keep grilling strong, the truth is that many of us cut back on our outdoor cooking. The obvious reason for this cut back in barbecue and grilling is due to the cold weather. However, I don't really think that explains it all. Perhaps, darker evenings, fewer gatherings, or just not thinking about it might result in the drop off. So this leads me to this weeks question:

POLL: Why do you cut back grilling or smoking in the winter?
1) I don't cut back
2) Too Cold
3) Too Dark
4) Just don't think about it
5) Don't have a reason to
6) Grill or Smoker packed away
7) Other (please specify in the Comments)

There was a time when flank steaks were cheap because few people knew how good they were. Then came the whole fajita craze and the price shot through the roof. Though not as cheap as other cuts of beef, this flat steak is certainly worth the money. The trick with this, and any great steak is to stretch the meat so you get a big meal out of a relatively small cut. That's the secret of fajitas of carne asada, one steak can feed a lot of people.

Photo © 2008 Regarding BBQ Inc., licensed to About.com, Inc.

Brisket is considered the hardest barbecue to smoke. This tough, fatty cut of beef can be a challenge to any barbecue cook, but if you plan ahead, have the right supplies, and are very, very patient you will be rewarded with a fantastic meal.

Photo © 2008 Regarding BBQ Inc., licensed to About.com, Inc.

Charcoal lighter fluid is bad, okay. Every year Americans alone pump over 14,000 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere lighting charcoal with lighter fluid. VOCs are cancer causing, noxious, smelly chemicals that cause smog and are third on the list of most significant greenhouse gases. Not only that, but lighter fluids can be dangerous, can leave bad tastes on food and are just generally a bad idea. So how do you light charcoal if you can't use lighter fluid. There are a number of alternatives like charcoal chimneys and electric charcoal starters. These options, of course require that you bring extra equipment and that can be a pain if you are camping, tailgating, or just having a picnic. For the griller on the go you need to have something you can rely on, but doesn't require planning, electricity, or a bulky charcoal chimney. Now enter One Light Charcoal.

One light charcoal is a 3-pound bag of lump charcoal that lights itself. The internal chimney design of the bag lets you set it on your coal grate, strike a match (long match included) and light the charcoal. From my trials with this product I find that you are ready to cook in about 15 minutes (the bag says 10 so results may vary). What happens is the cardboard chimney burns from the bottom up, lighting the charcoal which ultimately lights the bag. When the bag burns away (and it does quickly) the charcoal falls out to make a good, even fire. It really does work very well. What I particularly like about this single use charcoal bag is that it contains good quality lump charcoal that gives off a hot fire without a lot of smoke. It lights easily and doesn't require anything else to get a good charcoal fire going. If you are headed off to the park to use a community grill, this bag is all you need (besides the food of course). This is a good product for most grilling tasks. Mine produced a good fire for about 1 1/2 hours. This is not enough charcoal for a large cookout or for long cooking projects.

A couple of notes: When the paper bag burns off it produces a large fire. I put mine in a big green egg and the fire shot out the top vent, so watch ourself around this. I also noticed that as the charcoal was first lit that a number of sparks popped off, so watch the kids around this fire. I don't think that this is unsafe in anyway, I just think you ought to know. One Light Charcoal is currently available at Whole Foods Stores, but will be available online and in other retail outlets soon. A 3-pound runs around $3.50, so the price is actually very reasonable.

Photo © 2008 Regarding BBQ Inc., licensed to About.com, Inc.