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Part
2
Grilling out this weekend?
[SEPT.
2, 2000]
There’s
no right or wrong way to grill and there are several ways to do it —
including braziers, hibachis, kettle or wagon grills, and water
smokers.
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From
the inexpensive, basic version on three legs, which dot many
suburban back yards, to the upscale unit complete with hood,
rotisserie and air vents, braziers are basic shallow fireboxes on
legs that are designed for direct-heat cooking.
Hibachis
are miniature grills designed for direct-heat cooking and are
ideal for those without much space. Small food items, such as hot
dogs and kabobs, are perfect for this type of portable grill.
Kettle
or wagon grills are designed for closed-hood grilling. Air vents
or lid design helps control ventilation, and this variety is
available in gas, charcoal and electric units.
Water
smokers are perfect for long, slow cooking, and covered grills
allow you to cook over indirect heat. Dampened wood chunks
sprinkled on a fire cook food continuously with steamy clouds of
wood smoke for a penetrating barbecue flavor. These are also
available in charcoal, gas and electric models.
Grills
can be fueled by gas, electricity, wood, charcoal or a combination
of all. Each has its own advantages and everyone has their own
preference. Although purists turn up their noses at gas grills,
today’s versions produce results that can measure up to charcoal
cooking. Gas grills can turn on instantly with a push of a button
or light of a match. Heat can be regulated like an indoor gas
range, and most good grills also allow for the addition of wood
chips or other aromatic flavor enhancers. Charcoal is still
considered the best bet if you want real smoky, and electric
grills give the most accurate temperature control and the least
smoky results.
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Wood
chips have become very popular and can be added to burning
briquettes to achieve a special wood-smoked aroma and flavor in
the food. Woods such as mesquite, alder, hickory, oak, apple,
cherry and peach are good choices, but many will need to be soaked
before using them. Charcoal-flavored briquettes containing
hardwood such as hickory are also available for gas grills.
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Experts
say that besides a grill only a few necessary utensils are needed,
including long-handled tongs, a sturdy spatula, potholders or
mitts, basting brushes and a strong wire scraper. Barbecue baskets
help keep certain foods, such as fragile fish fillets and small
vegetables, from falling through the grill during cooking.
(To
top of second column in this section) |
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Despite
all the pleasurable aspects of grilling, some studies have
suggested that grilled foods may not be healthy. In fact, charring
meat at extremely high temperatures, which includes grilling,
produces chemical substances that have been shown to cause cancer
in some animal studies. And when meat is browned with intense heat
over a direct flame, and fat drips on the fire and coals, it
creates smoke containing carcinogens.
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Does
this mean an end to all those backyard barbecues? According to the
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., people can still enjoy their
grilled hamburger, but they need to pay more attention to how it’s
cooked. Preparing food at lower heat, more quickly and without
burning it will keep the grill from flaring up, which is when the
food becomes unhealthy.
Nutritionists
and food research scientists say high-heat cooking methods can
produce tiny amounts of harmful substances when fat from meat
drips on hot coals, but the possible health risks are very low.
The Barbecue Industry Association recommends using indirect heat
for grilling, which means simply placing a drip pan under the meat
or food you are grilling, banking the hot coals around the pan.
Of
course, after the marinating, grilling and eating are done, the
worst is yet to come — cleaning the grill. But experts say a few
easy steps will make the task easy and effective. First, remove
the cooking grates and soak them in warm soapy water. If using a
charcoal grill, remove the coal grate and brush out the inside. If
using a gas grill, remove briquettes, lava rocks or metal flame
shield to expose the burner and then clean out ash and residue
from around burner, making sure the burner is in place when you’re
done. Use a stiff wire brush and soapy water to scrub the inside
surfaces of the grill and remove any particles before putting it
back together. If using a gas grill, brush off briquettes, rocks
or metal flame shield in warm soapy water, removing cooking grates
from water, and brush clean with wire brush. Coat inside surfaces
and grates with cooking oil or spray. Place the grates back on
grill and let air dry, allowing an extra five minutes of heating
time the next time you fire up the grill to make sure cleaning
residue has burned off. Keeping grill surfaces lightly coated with
cooking oil or spray makes cleanup easier. Even though it may
sound like a lot of trouble, those who enjoy grilling say it’s
still easier than doing dishes over a sink in the house.
[Penny
Zimmerman-Wills]
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Tips for healthy
grilling
(Source: Mayo Clinic)
- Trim excess fat from
meat before cooking to minimize flare-ups.
- If meat does char or
burn, cut away blackened portion.
- Raise adjustable
cooking racks to highest position above heat.
- Brush barbecue sauces
and glazes on only during the last several minutes of
grilling; if they splatter and drip down on flames, the sugar
can cause flare-ups and smoke.
- Precook ribs, thick
cuts of meat and whole turkeys indoors before grilling; then
sear briefly over high heat to caramelize outside.
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Part 1
Grilling out this weekend?![](../images/090100pics/grilling.gif)
[SEPT.
1, 2000]
Nothing
beats a backyard barbecue. Is it the aroma of smoked wood chips
mingling with marinated meat wafting through the air? Or the sizzling
sound of a slab of steak or salmon cooking over an open fire? Maybe it’s
the informality of cooking and eating in the great outdoors, where
having a good time with friends and family is just as important as the
meal itself.
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Whatever
the reason, more than 75 percent of Americans own a grill and use
it about once a week, according to the Barbecue Industry
Association. People are firing up the grill every night of the
week — that’s 2.3 billion barbecues a month.![](../images/090100pics/guy-grilling.jpg)
People
have been cooking food over an open fire for more than 100,000
years, and the process is only gaining in popularity. The art of
cooking over fire, of course, was done by our ancestors out of
mere necessity.
There
are several theories of how it all began, but the word barbecue
comes from the Haitian word "barbacoa," which means a
framework of green sticks. Spaniards picked up both the word and
this method of cooking when they visited the Caribbean, and spread
both to Europe. There has also been speculation that the word
comes from the French "barbe a queue," roughly
translated "from head to tail."
One
of the first known grills was found around 5000 B.C. on the Greek
isle of Crete. Various grilled dishes, or yaki, have been enjoyed
in Japan for centuries — long predating Emperor Hirohito's
reign, which began in 1926.
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Whoever
discovered the method first may be up for debate, but the backyard
barbecue is now embedded forever as a part of true Americana,
right alongside apple pie and the flag.
Author
Steven Raichlen, who traveled 150,000 miles and visited 25
countries on five continents to do research for his book "The
Barbecue Bible," states a top 10 list of how to grill
properly:
1. Be
organized
Have
food, marinade, basting sauce, seasonings and equipment next to
the grill before you start.
2.
Check the fuel
Make
sure you have enough charcoal or gas. There should be enough lit
charcoal to form a bed of glowing coals three inches larger on all
sides than the surface holding the food. A gas grill tank should
be at least one-third full.
3.
Preheat the grill
To
achieve the desired seared crust of meat, charcoal flavor and
grill marks, the grill must reach 500 degrees. Let charcoal burn
until it’s covered with a thin coat of gray ash. Hold your hand
six inches above the grate — if you can keep your hand there
only three seconds before taking it away, the temperature is
right. A gas grill should be preheated to at least 500 degrees
also, which takes 10 to 15 minutes.
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4.
Keep it clean
Clean
the grill twice: once after you’re preheated it and again when
you’re done cooking. Use the edge of a metal spatula to scrape
off food and a stiff wire brush to scrub the grate.
(To
top of second column in this section) |
5.
Oil the grate
Before
placing food on the grate, spray or brush it with cooking oil.
6.
Turn, don’t stab
Use
tongs or a spatula to turn meat on the grill; don’t stab it with
a carving fork, which drains the juices onto the coals.
7.
Know when to baste
Oil
and vinegar, citrus and yogurt-based bastes and marinades can be
brushed on meat while cooking, but never use marinate that raw
meat or seafood has been soaking in, during the last three minutes
of cooking. Apply sugar-based barbecue sauce toward the end of the
cooking time, since the sugar burns easily and shouldn’t be
exposed to prolonged heat.
8.
Keep it covered
When
using the indirect method of grilling large items like a prime
rib, keep the grill tightly covered. Every time you lift the lid,
you add minutes to the cooking time.
9.
Give it a rest
Anything
will taste better after letting it stand for a few minutes before
serving, allowing the meat’s juices to return to the surface.
10.
Never desert your post
Grilling
is easy but demands attention.
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An
entire meal can be prepared and cooked on the grill — from an
appetizer like french bread topped with roasted garlic and red
peppers to a dessert of grilled peaches, bananas and pineapple
topped with ice cream. Vegetables such as eggplant, asparagus,
baby carrots, leeks, sweet peppers, new potatoes, squash, zucchini
and even corn on the cob are all easy side dishes to prepare on
the grill and are also a healthy sidekick to steak or fish
prepared over an open fire. To speed up grilling time, partially
precook chicken, spare ribs, potatoes, carrots and other
slow-cooking food in the oven or microwave.
Although
there are some people who really don’t enjoy eating outdoors,
are intimidated by the whole method of grilling, or simply think
it’s too much trouble, they are a minority. Some local residents
say they grill almost every night. Even though summer and fall are
the most popular times to prepare food and eat outdoors, many
people just can’t bear to put the grill away for the winter. And
although grilling has always been popular, people are expanding
their menu items and trying healthier choices, like fish and
seafood. They are also discovering that preparing something
besides hot dogs and hamburgers is easier than they thought.
[Penny
Zimmerman-Wills] (Note:
The second part of this article will be posted tomorrow.)
(To
Part 2 of this article)
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How to grill
a perfect steak
- Be patient and remember
that timing is everything.
- Let steak reach room
temperature.
- Trim excess fat. Strips of
fat should be only 1/4-inch thick.
- Wash in clean water.
- Season steak with fresh
cracked pepper, garlic powder or whatever you like.
- Preheat grill.
- Oil the grate. Place steak
on grill and close the lid for one minute.
- Lift lid and turn steak
over. Close lid and continue grilling for another minute.
- Turn again and continue
for two minutes, plus one minute per 1/2 inch of meat thickness.
- Turn for the fourth time
and continue grilling for two minutes, plus one minute per 1/2
inch.
- Check for doneness with a
meat thermometer: 140 degrees for rare, 150 degrees for medium
rare, 160 degrees for medium, 165 degrees for medium well and
burnt for well done.
- Remove from grill. Let
steak rest for two minutes before serving.
- Eat.
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Animals
for adoption
An
abundance of farm cats is available FREE to farmers.
These animals and
more are available to good homes from the Logan County Animal
Control at 1515 N. Kickapoo, phone 735-3232.
Fees for animal
adoption: dogs, $60/male, $65/female; cats, $35/male, $44/female.
The fees include neutering.
Logan County Animal
Control's hours of operation:
Sunday - closed
Monday - 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Tuesday - 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Wednesday - 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday - 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday - 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Saturday - closed
Warden: Sheila Farmer
Assistant: Michelle Mote
In-house veterinarian: Dr. Lester Thompson
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