We here at The Hot Line test kitchen generally use bamboo skewers to do our… uh, skewering. Other than the inconvenient scorching, they work just fine and; the price is definitely right. However, we have our covetous little eyes on these new skewers from the Stephen Raichlen stable of barbecue nerdosity. They’ve got nice, wide blades on them so, when you’ve got your food skewered, it won’t slip and spin like it often will with round grills. They’re also brawny enough to…
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A well-oiled grill is a happy grill, and a happy grill will treat you and your food well. Isn’t that sweet? Now you don’t have to oil it all the time, but it’s a good idea to give it a little coat after cleaning it, before cooking on it. If you’re cooking something that’s already got a coat of oil on it (or has a lot of fat), don’t worry about it. But if you’re not, just pour a little…
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Ah, February. It’s a time for love, it’s a time for chocolate, it’s a time for hearts. Real, actual, blood-pumping hearts. Now, before you have images of Montezuma flashing through your mind, or Bon Jovi and his leather pants singing, “Shot through the heart etc”, just give this some thought. Have you ever eaten a heart? You might come from a family that fights over the organs at a turkey dinner. You might have grown up on dishes like liver…
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This is Eddy. He’s the ‘fireplace coordinator’ for our Calgary stores. We sell a LOT of fireplaces and it takes someone like Eddy to make it all run smoothly. He makes sure our gasfitters are scheduled for the right day, that the city has all the permit information they need, and that anybody around the office that needs to be shot with a nerf gun gets a full blast. Eddy is a family man. Two young boys running around the…
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Barbecued Cabbage Recipe Courtesy of How to Grill by Steven Raichlen Ingredients: 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 4 slices bacon (or 8 slices if you love bacon like I do!), cut crosswise into ¼” slivers 1 small onion, finely diced 1 medium green cabbage (about 2 pounds) ¼ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (we used Wicked Gourmet rib and chicken sauce and it was yummy!) Coarse salt and black pepper 2 cups of wood chips soaked in cold water,…
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Next time you’ve got your head stuck in the fridge thinking “I really should eat a vegetable but the carrots are all gone and I have NO idea what to do next”, how about simple grilled cabbage? With a liberal dose of charring and some oil, salt and pepper, you can make a cabbage taste pretty scrumptious. Quarter the cabbage, brush with oil, salt and pepper and grill on medium until the leaves start to char and wilt. A little…
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Welcome to 2013. First the good news: that Mayan prophecy thing turned out to be a load of horse manure. While it’s a shame that the grocery store wouldn’t allow me to return all those cases of powdered milk, I am happy that civilization will continue to plod along. The bad news: we went considerably ‘over budget’ during the holidays (see above comment regarding purchase of non-perishable case goods), and so, instead of a newsletter full of tasty and expensive…
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Turkey Wings with Pineapple Sage Sauce Recipe Courtesy of James Ducs of Mountaintop Foods Sometimes a whole turkey is just too damn much. We were thinking about trying something for Christmas that involved turkey but didn’t involve so much work. And then we thought “wings!”. Wings are the answer. This recipe is dead easy so give it a try whether it’s Christmas or not. Ingredients: Turkey Wings – 8x 1.5 cups pineapple juice One small onion Two cloves garlic Fresh…
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This is George. He’s our hero this month because he gets up at 05:00 in the morning if it has been snowing, rolls into the office before any of the rest of us, and then plows the parking lot so that we all have a nice, smooth place to park our cars. He is our cold-weather hero. So much so that he was recently presented with a rare and coveted “Barbecues Galore Certificate of Excellence” (see above). George, originally from…
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Every year at this time, our select team of barbecue elves are busy assembling a variety of barbecue baskets. We’ve got all kinds of creative, classy baskets to choose from. They’re all chock-full of fun, interesting grilling gadgets of all shapes and sizes. We can even do custom orders if you’ve got a special request. So, if you’re tired of giving away baskets of cheddar cheese and stale crackers — give us a call.
We have the world’s coolest wood burning firepits. Thick, rusted steel with the map of the world hand-cut into the perimeter. For more pictures see our 100% organic (and gluten free!) Facebook Page.
Ok, here’s the tip: look outside. That’s right, look outside. See that black thing on the deck that’s covered in snow? That’s your key to a successful Christmas. That grilling machine that you’re probably planning on ignoring until April, can turn your Christmas-frown upside down. That’s because a barbecue is a perfect place to cook your holiday turkey. Thereby freeing up a load of room inside for all the vegetables and stuff that need to stay warm (even though nobody…
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For us here at Barbecues Galore, 2012 was a great year. Dry, warm weather that lasted for months kept all of you folks grilling well into Autumn. It was fun to see people excited about cooking outside for so long. Keep it up Canada! In this post (still, Canada’s number one, free, amateur, online, original, ‘have we mentioned free?’, barbecue, smoking and grilling blog), we’re talking about Christmas. For our stores, Christmas is a slower time of year so, on a…
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Pablo is a friend of ours that is spending some time in Chile this year. He graciously offered to send us a primer on grilling in Chile and here it is…(by the way if anyone else out there wants to send us some information on grilling around the world, we’d be happy to hear about it). Content warning: the word “thymus” is used in the following article – you’ve been warned. BBQ lessons from Chile – courtesy of Pablo…
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This is one of Ted Reader’s recipes. He and his buddy Dave ‘invented’ it during a warm summer evening that involved a (luckily) non-fatal combination of dark rum, “surplus” prescription medicine and what we now suspect was a carbon monoxide leak. Check out Ted’s fine cookbooks for other memorable recipes. 2 regular cedar planks, soaked in water for 4+ hours Smoky Mashed Potatoes ingredients: 8 Large Yukon Gold potatoes, Peeled and quartered ½ cup Table cream 2 Tbsp Butter, softened…
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A reminder: we are the reigning world champion/belt-holder for fireplace accessories. We’ve got a HUGE selection of toolsets and firescreens and every other kind of fireplace part and widget you can think of. If you’re gathering around the fireplace this Christmas, you should probably come and see us first.
A reminder, we have beautiful gift baskets available in our stores for those folks on your Christmas list who love to cook outside. They’re professionally wrapped, they’re well priced and they’re available without any lineups or parking hassles. So, swing by soon and buy a few hundred of them.
You know, not everyone cooks a turkey at Christmas. Some people cook ham. Some people cook a nice plump goose. Why, I’ve even heard of people who don’t eat meat at all – even at Christmas. However, it occurs to me that everyone I know does eat potatoes of some kind at Christmas. Maybe they’re mashed potatoes, maybe they’re sweet potatoes, maybe they’re in a bag and end up with their business end in a vat of French Onion Dip…
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As we mentioned, you can bake anything in your barbecue. This month we’re doing bagels. We call this particular bagel recipe ‘Beekeeper’s Bagels’ because it uses a hell of a lot of honey and makes beekeepers wealthy (not that they need the help – those folks are already rolling in it). Anyway, cozy up to your local apiarist, load up on honey and make some bagels… Ingredients: 1.5 cups room temperature water 4.5 tsp quick-rising yeast 1 tsp white…
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And, from the ‘you get what you pay for’ file, we present to you the pizza stone from Big Green Egg. The Hot Line test kitchen went through at least three cheaper pizza stones before we wised up and took one of these home. They hold the heat much longer than thinner stones and do not crack like other stones when they experience large fluctuations in temperature. Well worth the money.
Any type of baking you can do inside can also be done on your barbecue outside. Now, to be fair, you sacrifice a fair amount of control and consistency when you move your baking outdoors but, hey, you probably need a little chaos in your life anyway. So get outside and do some baking. Keep the following in mind: Before you bake in your barbecue, make sure to give your grills a thorough scrubbing. If you make someone a…
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For some reason, a lot of our customers have trouble imagining using their backyard grills for more than just grilling steaks and hamburgers. The truth of the matter is that these hot and loyal machines behind our homes are good for so much more. In addition to being great at grilling they’re also terrific as ovens. Cookies, pies, lasagna, pizza – you name it – it can all be baked in your barbecue. You might have to modify your recipes…
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Meet Gilles. That’s him on the left (the guy on the right is Herbert – we’ve talked about him before). Gilles is one of our master gasfitters in Calgary. It is with total confidence that I tell you we have the best fireplace installers in the city of Calgary and Gilles does a great job installing fireplaces for us all year long. He is also a complete professional when it comes to running gas lines in backyards for barbecues, patio…
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Here’s the tip: cook outside. No need to cook the turkey inside. You’ve got a superior turkey cooking machine just outside the back door. Last year the door fell off of our oven at The Hot Line test kitchen, we already had the barbecue full of non-turkey goodies and we ended up cooking the turkey in the pizza oven. Best turkey ever. So yeah, cook outside. Last year we opted for the turkey breasts only. A bit pricier than buying…
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My grandma used to love eating the turkey neck at Christmas. She’d stake a claim to it early on Christmas day. “I’ll be having the neck”, she’d say. Ok, grandma, whatever. You go ahead and have the neck – we’ll eat the real food. (Grew up in the depression my grandma, her favourite trick as a hostess was serving horsemeat and not telling anyone until after dinner. Lots of laughs). Anyway, this year, when you’re up to your elbow in…
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A reminder, we have beautiful gift baskets available in our stores for those folks on your Christmas list who love to cook. They’re professionally wrapped, they’re well priced and they’re available without any lineups or parking hassles. So, swing by soon and buy a few hundred of them.
At this time of year our stores are relatively quiet but our fireplace installers are running around like mad trying to get fireplaces (both gas and wood) installed before Christmas so that Santa can come down the chimney. And so it’s time for a reminder: 1.) Winter is cold, 2.) Heating a small part of the house that you use most frequently (zone heating) is more economical and more comfortable than central heating, 3.) A fireplace performs this job…
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Ingredients: Some big russet potatoes Cheddar cheese (we used Springbank’s nine year old cheddar, older than most house-pets and sharp enough to raise the dead) Melted butter (3 Tbsp or so) Bacon Chives Sour Cream Assemble your ingredients. Roast your potatoes in the grill using indirect heat (that’s important) until they are soft enough to eat but firm enough to withstand a bit more grilling. While the potatoes are baking, prepare some bacon bits. Remove the potatoes and let cool….
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If you have a barbecue (you DO have a barbecue right?!) and you also have one of those panini press machines, you should immediately return it to Consumers’ Distributing and get your money back. You don’t need a special machine just to grill paninininininininis (I believe that’s the plural for Panini), you just need this handy, cast-iron grill press. Simply turn your barbecue on ultra-high to heat up both your grill and the grill press, then turn the barbecue down…
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If you’re looking for a complete selection of cheese in Calgary (or Woodstock, Ontario!), you can’t do any better than the Springbank Cheese Company. They’ve got it all: from dainty little Spanish cheeses to soft, runny cheeses that smell like a Frenchman’s sock drawer. Linda runs their impressive Crowfoot location and we asked her a few questions about grilling with cheese: The Hot Line: Are people eating more cheese these days? Springbank Cheese: I think they’re eating a larger…
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Of course, we all know that we can use a huge variety of cheeses to put into something or onto something that we’ve grilled, but how often do you grill cheese all by itself? You should. It’s easy and it’s delicious. You need a hard, salty cheese that will retain its shape when it’s subjected to the high heat of the grill. Maybe the most famous example of this is halloumi from Cyprus. Assemble your ingredients. We’ve been using a…
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It’s November. And what does that mean around here in barbecue-land? Well for us, it means that we get to see how serious you people were when you told us “What, me? Oh, I grill all year round, yes sir, twelve months of the year. Rain or shine, hot or cold. That’s how I roll with my protein: all grilled – all the time.” You see, we hear that a LOT in the stores during the spring and summer when…
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Ok, a “recipe” for hot dogs…uhhh…we’re sort of at a loss here. This is really just one of those: “Put it on the grill, cook it, put something you like on top of it, eat, and repeat” type deals. So, we’d be wasting everyone’s time by having a recipe here right? Right. (If you just HAVE to have one check out our Chimichurri recipe from a few years back. Delicious.) However, because we are always keen on giving you, our…
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Calgary has some great hot dog restaurants (Tubby Dog, and Fat City Franks just to name a few), but Burlington Ontario has a legendary hot dog eatery named Easterbrooks you’ve got to try. Easterbrooks opened in 1930. They currently have two locations in Burlington. Ray Easterbrook is the current owner – he’s following the wiener tracks put down by his Grandmother and then his mother. There are 24 (!) choices of hot dogs. Many have unique ingredients….
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For about twenty or so years we’ve been selling ‘pie irons’ from a company called Rome Industries. They’re a small, family-owned business in Peoria, Illinois that makes the world’s best pie irons which (as if you didn’t know) is one of the best ways ever invented to cook something using a campfire. We carry just about every shape and size of pie iron they produce and they have a newer model that is germane to today’s topic: the “Dog’n Brat…
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Winter is coming. Very soon our industrious little fireplace installers will be busier than the Kardashian’s PR team. If you need your gas fireplace serviced – call us NOW. Our service experts are good at what they do but they’ll be booked solid before you know it. Beat the rush and book a service appointment before the snow flies.
Now, we could be accused of over thinking the grilling experience from time to time. So, occasionally we need to remind ourselves that there’s nothing wrong with a simple grilled hot dog on occasion. After all, we’re simple people – the hot dog is a simple food; it’s a perfect fit. For an eerily detailed history of the world’s most proletarian food click here. If you’ve been with us for awhile you know we love our on-theme knitting patterns (who doesn’t?)….
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The Risotto recipe is also borrowed – this time from Nathalie Maclean. Ingredients: • 20 each 10-20 count sea scallops • 1 shallot, minced • 1 clove garlic, crushed • 6 oz. smoky bacon, minced • 4 oz. dry white wine • 3/4 cup superfino arborio or caranoli rice • 3 cups chicken stock • 2 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp butter • 2 tsp salt • 2…
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Heating season is upon us here in the Great White North and our customers are busy preparing to keep their homes warm. Besides offering the world’s highest quality gas and wood fireplaces, we also stock more fireplace accessories than anyone else. We’ve just received a shipment of the sharpest looking wood racks we’ve ever seen. Come in and check them out. They’re nice to look at, built like tanks and hold a LOT of wood.
We “borrowed” this recipe from a 2009 version of the City Palate. They’ve got lots of recipes on their website which are worth checking out. Even though, they refuse to ‘like’ our (potentially) award-winning Facebook page they’re still (mostly) good people and know a thing or two about food. • 4 Tablespoon maple syrup • 2 lb. pork belly, any ragged edges trimmed, rind on • 4 oz. kosher salt by weight (about 1 c.) •…
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Heating season is upon us here in the Great White North and our customers are busy preparing to keep their homes warm. Besides offering the world’s highest quality gas and wood fireplaces, we also stock more fireplace accessories than anyone else. We’ve just received a shipment of the sharpest looking wood racks we’ve ever seen. Come in and check them out. They’re nice to look at, built like tanks and hold a LOT of wood.
Have you been enjoying our late summer? Ours has been fantastic. Oh sure, the weather this spring was only a few degrees shy of apocalyptic but the end of summer has been outstanding. Can’t remember better weather in August and September. Lots of heat and plenty of sunshine. Perfect grilling conditions. And now, October is upon us: the creepy month with all the dried leaves skittering along the sidewalk. The Halloween month. The bacon month. That’s right the bacon month. …
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Calgary has some great hot dog restaurants (Tubby Dog, and Fat City Franks just to name a few), but Burlington Ontario has a legendary hot dog eatery named Easterbrooks you’ve got to try. Easterbrooks opened in 1930. They currently have two locations in Burlington. Ray Easterbrook is the current owner – he’s following the wiener tracks put down by his Grandmother and then his mother. There are 24 (!) choices of hot dogs. Many have unique ingredients. The…
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For about twenty or so years we’ve been selling ‘pie irons’ from a company called Rome Industries. They’re a small, family-owned business in Peoria, Illinois that makes the world’s best pie irons which (as if you didn’t know) is one of the best ways ever invented to cook something using a campfire. We carry just about every shape and size of pie iron they produce and they have a newer model that is germane to today’s topic: the “Dog’n Brat…
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Winter is coming. Very soon our industrious little fireplace installers will be busier than the Kardashian’s PR team. If you need your gas fireplace serviced – call us NOW. Our service experts are good at what they do but they’ll be booked solid before you know it. Beat the rush and book a service appointment before the snow flies.
Now, we at The Hot Line could be accused of over thinking the grilling experience from time to time. So, occasionally we need to remind ourselves that there’s nothing wrong with a simple grilled hot dog on occasion. After all, we’re simple people – the hot dog is a simple food; it’s a perfect fit. For an eerily detailed history of the world’s most proletarian food click here. If you’ve been with us for awhile you know we love our…
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Ingredients (Sean is kind of a ‘eyeball’ sort of cook so you’re on your own for quantities. It is possible that, like any great art, this is something that cannot be duplicated by anyone excepting the original artist.): ground beef sausage onions green pepper mushrooms spices (editor’s note” This, I admit, is a bit vague. I know you’re thinking about emailing us to investigate and possibly complain. Don’t.) pasta sauce lasagna noodles cottage cheese eggs spinach parmesan cheese Brown the…
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Pork Loin Ingredients 1 bottle Sauza Tequila Sunrise Marinade (available at the world’s best barbecue stores) Fresh grated ginger or ginger from a squeeze tube to taste 5lbs pork loin roast Assemble your ingredients. Mix marinade and ginger in marinating container sized to be a close fit to the size of the roast. Remove netting/string ties from roast. Use a bamboo skewer or similar and put it all the way through the roast many times (perforate for marinade penetration). Place…
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Pork Loin Ingredients 1 bottle Sauza Tequila Sunrise Marinade (available at the world’s best barbecue stores) Fresh grated ginger or ginger from a squeeze tube to taste 5lbs pork loin roast Assemble your ingredients. Mix marinade and ginger in marinating container sized to be a close fit to the size of the roast. Remove netting/string ties from roast. Use a bamboo skewer or similar and put it all the way through the roast many times (perforate…
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You have met our two duelists in this space before. (Shawn, Sean). These are two seriously seasoned members of the grilling community. Between them, they have cooked on dozens and dozens of different grills. So, when they pick a favourite machine, it is something the rest of us listen to. They’re sort of like EF Hutton. Shawn says of the Broil King Keg: “It’s the total package. It’s efficient with charcoal, it’s reliable and it can do everything from super…
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Now, probably the coolest grilling accessory available for one of our two contestants is the Keg’s trailer hitch adaptor which allows you to (remarkably easily) slide your Keg onto the back of your vehicle and drive it all over Hell’s half acre. You’re not supposed to have it fired up and cooking while you drive…
A wise person once said “Buy the best, cry once”. A fine sentiment. However, I might tweak it a bit. I’d say something more like “Don’t buy garbage and expect your friends to put up with you complaining about it.” (I admit that, as a proverb, this needs work.) In the last thirty years of selling barbecues, we’ve learned that it’s not always necessary to buy the best in order to realize true value from your purchase but, neither is…
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. This is a tale of two cities, two men and, two types of barbecues. Sean works for us in our Oakville store. He’s a family man with over two decades of experience in the grilling industry, an Irish temper and a beautiful Big Green Egg barbecue machine. Shawn (see how the spelling’s a bit different there?) works for us in our South Calgary store. Also a family man….
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As we mentioned, you can bake anything in your barbecue. This month we’re doing bagels. We call this particular bagel recipe ‘Beekeeper’s Bagels’ because it uses a hell of a lot of honey and makes beekeepers wealthy (not that they need the help – those folks are already rolling in it). Anyway, cozy up to your local apiarist, load up on honey and make some bagels… Ingredients: 1.5 cups room temperature water 4.5 tsp quick-rising yeast 1 tsp white sugar…
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Jody had an old RV and a dream. Now Jody is the kingpin (“queenpin”?) of a thriving barbecue enterprise on wheels that churns out some tasty, lip-smackin’ barbecued food. “Jojo’s” barbecue is parked in our Calgary North parking lot on a regular basis (see her website for schedule) and, at times, the lineup snakes down the block. We thought we’d ask Jody a few questions about barbecue… The Hot Line: How did you get into the barbecued food business? …
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Any type of baking you can do inside can also be done on your barbecue outside. Now, to be fair, you sacrifice a fair amount of control and consistency when you move your baking outdoors but, hey, you probably need a little chaos in your life anyway. So get outside and do some baking. Keep the following in mind: Before you bake in your barbecue, make sure to give your grills a thorough scrubbing. If you make someone a birthday…
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The theme of todays post is “tentacles”. Yes, tentacles. Those ropy, limb-esque things that stick out of the side of an octopus. Not sure how we got ourselves into this one. I suspect it has something to do with one of those 1.5 litre bottles of retsina and some particularly good calamari. “I can do that. In fact, I can do that on the barbecue!” That’s probably how the train of thought left my boozy little station. Anyway, now that…
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I like meat as much as the next guy. In fact, it’s fair to say that I like meat more than the next guy – maybe even the next two or three guys. But, as I believe the old saying goes, “Man does not live on meat alone.” So, every once in awhile we have to put down our cleavers and grill something else for our friends and families to eat. Vegetables yes, I hear that they’re important. Also, as…
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If you live on the business side of the 49th, chances are good you’re bracing yourself for the incoming chill already. Some people even put their barbecues away at this time of the year. Nonsense. If anything, we should be encouraging each other to fire up our barbecues every night and help stave off winter as long as possible. Here at Barbecues Galore we’ve got lots of little ways to get just a few more days out of summer. Some…
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Planked salmon has a wonderful aroma, delicate texture and rich smoky flavor. The Planked Salmon cooking method was originated by the First Nations People.
I remember the first time I had grilled fish. Uncle Larry had caught a salmon (actually I suspect someone else caught it and Larry took the credit – but maybe I’m being overly cynical). Anyway, it was on a sunny, Sunday afternoon. The salmon was on the barbecue, nestled in tinfoil, floating in butter and lemons. Being eight, I was naturally suspicious of the pink colour but, it wasn’t green, so I was at least willing to give it a…
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There’s a Greek restaurant near our north store (Calypso’s — it’s good, you should go), that makes a super tasty red-pepper dip. We thought we’d try one of our own on the barbecue. Turned out great; easy, quick and tasty. Try it. Ingredients Four red peppers ¼ cup olive oil 1 ½ cups feta cheese 2 cloves of garlic Directions Ingredients at the ready. Roast the peppers directly over high heat. You can even put them on the charcoal if…
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My side of the family loves, loves, loves eggplant. Fried, baked, poached or boiled is good. Grilled is heavenly. The famous roasted eggplant dip ‘Baba Gonoush’ (closely related to Baba O’riley) is a quick easy way to satisfy the family’s cravings for aubergine goodness. Ingredients: 1 large eggplant (did you know it’s a fruit?) ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed 1 pinch ground cumin salt, to taste 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup tahini 3…
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If you’re looking to add a little romance to your backyard, we’ve got heaps and heaps of firepits to choose from. Both gas and wood. The latest offering in store is from an outfit in Burlington names Gardenflame. Sleek, contemporary units with a big, chunky flame that looks great at night. The rocks are all the way from Peru where, I’m told, they grill Guinea Pigs on a regular basis. An appetite for guinea pigs is not required in order…
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Don’t sweat the small stuff but definitely sweat the peppers. Once you grill a red pepper to within an inch of its peppery little life, you release a truckload of sugar and end up with an incredibly sweet, earthy flavour. The trick is that you have to get the skin off of the pepper before you serve it. Otherwise it’s like eating something coated in burnt leaves. Yuck. The trick is to put the peppers in a sealed plastic bag and…
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As you know, we here at Barbecues Galore believe that almost all foods should be grilled prior to consumption. Oh sure, you’re allowed to deep fry the odd thing but, in general, grilling is better. Weather permitting, boiling, baking and braising should be avoided in favour of grilling. It’s tastier. It’s more social. We even expect that it’s healthier somehow — although we haven’t got any scientific proof of that yet. Because we want people to push the grilling envelope…
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PLANKED PEARS WITH BLUE CHEESE and MAPLE RUM SAUCE MAPLE RUM SAUCE Ingredients: 1/3 cup Dark Rum 1/3 cup Maple Syrup 1/3 cup Unsalted Butter PLANKED PEARS with BLUE CHEESE Ingredients: 4 Large Ripe Pears 1/2 cup Blue Cheese 1 Cedar, or Apple Plank (Soaked in water 4 to 24 hrs.) Vanilla Ice Cream 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar 1/4 cup Port, Sherry or Brandy 1/4 cup chopped Walnuts (optional, but really tasty) First, the rum sauce; In a saucepan,…
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Star fruit. This funky little fruit is a perfect addition to your next fruit grilling session. Just add them to whatever mixture of fruit you’ve got on hand and WHAMO – you’ve got star power! This native of the Phillipines tastes a bit like a cross between a green apple and a grape. With a little bit of grilling they become a bit sweeter and, more importantly, they look really cool and exotic sitting in a bowl next to your…
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Sure, you could just eat fruit raw; nothing wrong with that. But, grilling fruit, concentrates the natural sugars and makes something sweet even sweeter. If you add some additional flavours to the mix (like fresh mint, nutmeg or cocoa), you can make a really fresh dessert in just a few minutes and look like a grill-guru in front of all your guests. Just about any fruit can be grilled. Obviously, the softer fruits can tolerate less heat and need to…
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Before you buy a wood-burning firepit and start burning those old railway ties that have been piling up in your backyard, please consider local bylaws concerning firepits. Rules change depending on where you live. In Calgary, open firepits are allowed. See the city’s rule’s concerning proper use of firepits here. Firepits are also allowed in Oakville (http://www.oakvillefire.ca/openairburning.htm). But, in Burlington, you need a permit to operate a fireplace – so check with The Man before you burn anything. Mitigate your…
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Now we’re talking old school barbecue. Real old school. Biblical old school: make a fire, then, cook over it. Not much control over your heat and it’s a lot harder to turn ‘off’ than your Weber, but cooking over an open fire in the backyard is still a great way to grill your meal. Mind you, the backyard firepit isn’t often about cooking anymore. It’s about being outside with friends and family; eating, drinking, socializing and filling fragile little minds…
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Rubs. You know, when you take a piece of meat and rub some flavours into it until it’s perfectly tasty and succulent? Yes, rubs. Remember when we promised to avoid any sexual innuendo when talking about rubs? Yeah well, we’re trying. Likely failing, but we’re trying. When you’re talking about grilling, the rub concept is one that is quickly gaining in popularity. It’s simple, it’s quick and it can provide loads of flavour. There are dry rubs and wet rubs. (I’ll…
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Hot out eh? So what are you going to do about it? Sit inside with the air conditioning blasting while you watch reruns and complain about the humidex; getting more and more hungry while you wait for the pizza guy to show up? Hell no! You’re going to lose some clothes, get outside, fill a tub full of ice, fill it with beer and bellinis, fire up your barbecue, grill up something tasty and eat it outside where the delicious…
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Many of our customers are buying a charcoal barbecue as a second barbecue. One to use when time isn’t so tight and the weather forgives a few extra hours out on the patio. We’ve heard tell of some spouses that don’t like their patio or deck covered with different types of barbecues. Weird. Well, if you happen to live with someone like that, we assume it might be hard for you to convince them that you need a secondary, charcoal…
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When I think “July” I immediately think “Crab Cakes”. Don’t you? Thought so. These delicious little fellas are great as an appetizer or as the main course. Recipe courtesy of the good folks at Napoleon Grills. Ingredients 1 or 2 untreated cedar planks, soaked for 4 hours or overnight 2 lbs. lump crab meat, picked over for shells 2 large eggs ½ cup crushed soda crackers 3 tbsp. Dijon mustard ½ cup mayonnaise (real, not whipped salad dressing) 2 tsp….
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He’s our mascot. Other companies have talking geckos or cuddly critters or fresh-faced schoolgirls with gravity defying red-hair as mascots. We have a stick-man with a chef’s hat. Not very exciting we realize. But, I’ll tell you this: Sparky comes in under budget every single time he makes an appearance. And we, being the high-minded retailers that we are, pass the savings on to you. So, next time you see Sparky, you can thank him for the great deal on…
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Our line of backyard patio coolers (handy in a “heat-wave”!) has expanded and is currently more colourful than a Pride parade. Some colours are selling faster than others so hurry in to get the one you want. .
What would a Canadian summer be without papadums? Those tasty lentil-flour crackers you know and love from Indian restaurants are, I’m sure, an absolute MUST for all Canadians this summer. Sure, you could make them from scratch but, if you’re in a hurry, the prepared papadums can be super tasty. A barbecue with a griddle is the ideal way to prepare papadums – way less hassle than pan frying them in oil. Meet our papadum griller. He’s wearing one of…
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Question: Hi Doc, We are in the witness protection program (long story) and travel with our RV a lot. We’d like to plug a portable barbecue right into the quick disconnect in the RV but can’t figure it out. Can you help? Regards, S. Kwatch Answer: Dear S, We get that question a lot around here. The challenge is that the gas flow in an RV is regulated at the tank once already. So, if you plug a portable barbecue…
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PEANUT SAUCE Ingredients: 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup coconut milk 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice Zest from 1 Lime 1 Tbsp Sriracha (garlic-chili sauce) 1/2 cup fish sauce CHICKEN SATAY Ingredients: Bamboo or metal Skewers (if bamboo, soak in water for awhile so they don’t burn so easily) 4 Large Chicken Breasts 1 Tbsp Sriracha (garlic-chili Sauce) 1/3 cup Peanut Oil 2 Tbsp Fish Sauce 1 tsp. ground Coriander 1 tsp. ground Cumin Directions: For the…
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Keep foods warm at a picnic with rock salt. Heat the rock salt (you’ll need lots) using your barbecue before you cook your food. Then, when finished, put your hot food in a smaller bowl in a larger bowl of heated rock salt. Should keep your food warm for 1-2 hours. (Full disclaimer: I’ve never actually tried this as I don’t have a salt mine in my basement but it sounds cool. Give it a try and send us a…
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Hello, hello. July is here and that means a few things; #1) it probably won’t snow in the next two months and 2.) it’s Stampede time in Calgary. Like many civic events across Canada, the Stampede started off as an agricultural fair and livestock exhibition. Being Calgary, the rodeo was a natural addition. Since the first Stampede in 1912 the event has morphed into a weird, unique opportunity for the staid, conservative city of Calgary to blow off a lot…
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Do me a favour – don’t poach anything this month. Or boil anything. Or steam anything. Or fry anything. Well ok, you can fry things, I’m not some kind of monster. But I’m serious about the other stuff. I mean, what’s the point? Oh, it may be “healthy” but come on, having your food taste good is healthy too right? Let’s face it, we’ve only got a few months of summer coming our way. So, for the next month or…
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Beer and barbecue: a natural pairing at least as old as fermentation, if not fire. So it’s a fitting subject for the Hot Line, especially during the long hot month of July. Maybe you think beer and barbecue and you picture your weather-ready griller, enduring the blazing sun, beads of sweat on the brow, finding what refreshment he or she can in a favourite beer. But — and this may come as a lightening bolt out of the blue for…
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Howdy. Canada Day has come and gone which means we’re truly into the Canadian summer. Make the most of it while you can – you know it will be over before you have a chance to finish rubbing your suntan lotion into your skin. And with summer underway we turn our barbecue minds to the important things in life. Things like grilling up a huge rib eye steak before watching grown men wrestle steers and get stomped on by bulls. …
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Have you been grilling all your meals lately? Breakfast, lunch and dinner? Remember that feeling you had this past fall/winter when you thought “Golly, I’d really like to go outside and grill a steak but, since it’s minus five billion Celsius and my barbecue is covered in 16 feet of snow, maybe I’ll have some more pasta”? Remember that? Sure you do. So, now that it’s at least above zero – get outside. Grill everything. Meat, vegetables, cheerios – the…
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No, not the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis – that’s next month. This month we’re talking about Memphis, Tennessee: home of the blues, birthplace of rock and roll and cradle of American barbecue. Memphis is not Disneyland. It is not manicured, lacquered, pasteurized Americana. In fact, it’s a bit scruffy. However, if you are at all interested in the roots of American music or great barbecued food, I would HIGHLY recommend you check it out. (If you’re interested in both…
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Attention purists: no, there are not poached eggs involved in this recipe. You’ve been warned. Trying to poach an egg on a barbecue seemed as silly as frying a steak so we avoided it. Hardware English muffins Slices of bacon or ham Tomatoes – sliced 4-6 eggs, whisked for scrambling Software ¼ cup water four egg yolks (you can whisk the whites in with your scrambled eggs above so don’t toss them) ¼ cup melted butter 2 tsp lemon juice…
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(well, maybe not ‘ever’ but it’s pretty good) Ingredients Pineapple – mandatory Mango – mandatory Fresh Mint – super mandatory Assorted fruit hangers-on (we used raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and grapes) Assemble your ingredients. Important note: don’t include any sucky melons in your fruit salad. Putting melons in your fruit salad is basically saying to mom: “We don’t love you.” Mango slicing. We’re going to assume you know how to cut fruit but, if you’re grilling it, there’s a certain way…
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We’ve grilled asparagus with bacon before in the Hot Line. This combination of the salami with cream cheese adds a luxurious twist (thanks to Zena for showing us this little trick). You can prepare these rolls the day before and have them ready to hit the grill in the morning. Ingredients A couple of bunches of asparagus Cream cheese of your choosing Some tasty salami (we used hot calabrese which pairs nicely with the comforting, soothing cool of the cream…
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The sine qua non of grilling breakfast is the griddle. Without one, just stay inside with Count Chocula at breakfast time. Luckily, there are lots of griddles to choose from so there’s no reason to live without (exclusive tip: check out our Deal of The Week during June 19-25 for an unbeatable bargain on a cast iron searing pan). Some barbecues (Napoleon and Broil King for example) have griddles available that are made to replace one or more cooking grills….
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This is a terrific way to cook your bacon outside. Now, there’s nothing wrong in my opinion with cooking bacon inside the house. However, if you’re short on indoor cooking space or just want to enjoy the great outdoors with your pork products – this is a great way to get it done on the grill. Grant used to work for us. I don’t know if he came up with this idea himself or stole it – but it’s a…
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Barbecues: not just for dinner any longer. Cooking breakfast on the grill is fun to do because people just don’t expect it. You can get some early morning fresh air AND make yourself look like a creative culinary genius just by grilling something before noon. Most breakfast items lend themselves perfectly to a bit of grilling: eggs, bacon, hash-browns, pancakes, French toast – all of these are ideal for the grill. Cereal’s tough though – we tried Cheerios once and…
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We do a roaring trade in outdoor coolers. They’re just the thing to keep cold drinks close to you when you’re an unbearable 30′ or more away from your fridge. This year we have a few new colours available. One of the choices is a red body with a white top. Would that be perfect for Canada Day or what? Finally, a truly patriotic way to get hammered in your own backyard.
A Duck Race I’ve never cooked duck before. I like it when I eat it but, for whatever reason, never tried cooking it. That is, until Leslie’s husband had some frozen ducks available on the same day I bought a new bottle of Five-Spice powder. That, dear readers, is a classic case of barbecue kismet in action. I had two ducks. And what does any reasonable person do when presented with two nearly identical objects at the same time? That’s…
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So, one of the best tips for grilling I’ve heard in a long time comes from Colin at The Silk Road. He said that, when grilling with spice mixtures with no salt in them (such as curry powder or five-spice) you should add a goodly dose of salt to them before applying to the meat you intend to grill. Otherwise, he told me, they can taste ‘flat’. I tried it and he’s right – salt really helps to give the…
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Dads and barbecues. A combination for the ages. Alternatively a source of frustration, entertainment and, if we’re lucky, food too. Some of us dads are pretty good at the grill. All of us think we are. We have to think that way. It’s not something we can admit that we’re not good at. “What me? No, I don’t do the grilling – I leave that to the kids – their nimble hands are just so much better at it.” Incomprehensible….
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The rotisserie, once properly set up, is arguably the easiest way to cook on your barbecue. And the results are predictably delicious. As your food cooks, the juices in the food will try to escape. Think of the juices that pile on top of your hamburgers and steaks as you’re cooking; that’s the tasty food-juice making a break for it. However, if you are constantly turning your food, the juices cannot escape as easily and your food literally self-bastes. That’s…
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I like Chinese Five Spice Powder. Always have. It’s complex, flexible and just a teensy bit exotic. To get the skinny on this spice I wandered down to Calgary’s The Silk Road in Inglewood. A store that looks gorgeous and smells even better. These folks know a freakish amount about spices. Here’s what they told me about Five Spice Powder: There are many variations of Chinese Five spice powder. Most iterations include more than five spices (apparently labelling laws in…
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Tuna is one of the most delicious things you can cook on the grill. Most people seem to prefer it ‘seared’ so the time it spends on the grill is very limited. Mind you, if you’re going to sear a tuna steak you need to make sure that you have a barbecue that will get hot enough to do a proper job of searing the fish. An infrared searing burner is a perfect piece of equipment for this. Many barbecues…
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Lots of fun, new products in the stores these days. We’re particularly excited about the new Pecan and Apple chunks from Weber. As you may know we stock a large assortment of various fruit woods but finding them in larger chunks such as these is a tall order. We’re not sure if these chunks will be regularly available or not so, if you’re interested, you should grab them while you can…
‘Chimichurri’ is the sauce, ‘choripan’ is the simple sandwich involving chorizo sausage, chimichurri sauce and a fresh bun. There are approximately fifty trillion variations on chimichurri. This one is FABULOUS. Incredible flavour. Simple to make too. Ingredients Some tasty chorizo sausages ( in general shoot for a dry, mild chorizo sausage) Fresh buns shaped like giant, fat cigars 1/4 onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely diced 4 tsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 3 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped…
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It’s a two piece cast iron cooking grill for a 22.5″ Weber kettle. Those of you that cook on the Weber kettles know that the design of the barbecue itself is peerless but the construction of the cooking grill is uh…not peerless: it’s chrome coated, doesn’t hold the heat and is too lightweight for some heavy grilling. Enter, our new, rugged, cast iron grill. If you’ve got a Weber kettle, this grill is a must-have.
You have to go all the way to Argentina to find people as crazy about meat as we are. So… you like to get together with a few friends on the weekend and grill up some grub do ya? Well you haven’t got anything on the Argentines. When it comes to chewing the fat, Argentina ranks numero uno in the world, no one eats more meat than they do. We Canadians rank a mere 7th eating only about half…
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Another Argentine import: this rugged outdoor pizza oven. Built like a tank for outdoor use. Produce true ‘forno’ style pizza for a fraction of the price of an indoor pizza oven. Trust us, if you love pizza, you’ve got to have one of these. A heavy duty burn chamber and a ceramic lining on the cooking chamber are the keys to a crisp bottom crust and an evenly melted top (on your pizza).
We know that a lot of steel firepits get pretty beat up during use in your backyards. All that flame, heat and smoke residue is a toxic combination. Did you know that, with a can of high temperature paint you can make them look new again? Yep. Check out Trevor’s handiwork above. He chose ‘Dusty Rose’ for the legs and firescreen. If you’re not quite as comfortable with your feminine side as Trevor, you can just use black. Before During…
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For a well-written and constantly updated view into the world of Argentine grilling check out the Asado Argentina website. I know you’ll be impressed.
Keep your eyes peeled in our four stores for our ‘Deal of the Week’. Every week for the spring and summer we’re offering a different eye-popping discount on a specialized barbecue gadget. A terrific opportunity to save a few bucks off of our already low prices. Come into our stores or check out our facebook (yes, facebook – please become a fan and fuel our vanity) page if you want to know what product is on offer during a particular…
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Jojo’s BBQ will be at our Calgary North Store most Wednesday now that barbecue season is upon us. The staff are all quite excited and the building typically smells of her tasty barbecue creations. For her updates and schedule check her website http://bbqcalgary.com, or she is on Twitter and Facebook as well.
The cliché thing to do for Easter would be to talk about grilling cute little spring animals. Things like lambs and rabbits and ducklings. But, we’re above that. So we’re sharing our favourite recipe for grilled carrots. Last year, Radha in our accounting department made these carrots for lunch one day. Honestly, they’re the tastiest carrots we’ve ever had here at The Hot Line. The recipe is from Weber’s cookbook ‘Weber’s Way to Grill’ by Jamie Purviance. The book, of…
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A few years ago, during the worst days of the labour shortage in Calgary, we hired a young man to help us in our parts section. Let’s call him “Trevor”. Seemed like a nice enough guy and claimed to have an aptitude for mechanical things and working with his hands. Trevor bolstered his claims of aptitude by spending his first morning on the job manufacturing a hash pipe out of the brass fittings we normally use to hook up barbecues….
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Meet Clifford. He’s our new red chair at our Calgary north store. He weighs about 900 pounds and can hold at least fifteen of us with no problem (and a few of us are packing a little ‘winter-weight’ if you catch my drift). He’s made out of recycled plastics by the good folks at CRP. He has a whole herd of little brothers and sisters, that are just as tough as he is, in a wide variety of colours.
Our Calgary stores have swanky, new branding irons. Handmade in Calgary by a nice man named Art. Lots of letters to choose from. In addition you can custom order any letter or brand that you’d like. So if, for example, you wanted to get your dad’s initials on a custom-made branding iron for father’s day; you could do that. Better hustle in here though – these things take a bit of time to make.
I’m sure you’ve been using your barbecue all winter (right?) but, if you’re like most of us, you’ve been sprinting back into the house after a quick check on the grill outside. Cleaning your grill has been secondary to preventing frostbite. We understand. But now, spring is here and it’s time to clean your barbecue. Check out this article on our website for a primer on how to get your barbecue tidied up for the grilling season. A lot of…
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My First Bacon – Plush Toy from Thinkgeek In this section we usually list a product that we carry in our own stores. Today we had to defer to a higher power: bacon. Also available from the same supplier: Canned Unicorn Meat.
Today we’re letting Doctor McGrillemup catch up on his thriving medical practice (mostly ‘expert opinion’ work at high profile malpractice cases). Instead of the good doctor we’re having a chat with a rabbit expert. Teresa is the owner/operator of ‘SeanAnam Rabbit Producers’ in Erskine, Alberta: I started raising rabbits myself as I had originally wanted to try rabbit, and could not find any. I thought to myself that if I wanted to try it, maybe others did as…
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Linda is one of our ‘Friendsters’ on our Facebook page. She’s nice (well, she seems nice, I suppose she could be a complete nutcase or a panda killer or something. We’ve never met her. It’s the digital age after all. But really, she seems very nice.) In fact, she’s so nice, she volunteered her rabbit recipe for this newsletter. Here it is: Ingredients: 1 rabbit (1 kg or a bit more), jointed into legs and shoulders, saddle and ribs, and…
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Furniture Tip: If you want high quality patio furniture. Get it now. Seriously. Now. Not next week. We have limited stock available for immediate delivery. Of course, you can special order something from the factory at any time but be aware that lead times for that sort of order are about 8 weeks. And, in this part of the world, that’s about twice as long as summer lasts. So yeah, act now.
Happy April everybody. This is the month that, around here at least, we consider to be the start of the true barbecue season. With spring comes Easter and rejuvenation and all that business. Really, I guess what we’re talking about here is ‘breeding’ (sure, lots of words could be used there instead of breeding – feel free to use your own). Considering that nothing breeds like a rabbit we’ve made them our theme. Now, we’re not cooking Hasenpfeffer on…
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Courtesy of Matt Dunnigan and www.foodnetwork.com Ingredients 18 Large scallops beard removed 2 teaspoons garlic 9 pieces of prosciutto very thinly sliced 2 lemons cut into small wedges Olive oil Pepper to taste 6 bamboo skewers soaked in cool water for 30 minutes Directions Assemble your ingredients. Tip: cut the lemon wedges a lot smaller than we did in the picture. Ours were so big they ‘lifted’ the scallops too high off the grill. Remove the mussel attached to the scallop…
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Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse and www.foodnetwork.com Ingredients for Grilled Artichokes 4 large artichokes, rinsed well, top third removed, and leaf tips trimmed 1/4 cup salt, plus 1 teaspoon 2 lemons, cut in 1/2 1 cup olive oil 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 ounces herbed goat cheese, crumbled Grilled Lemon Mayonnaise, recipe follows Ingredients for Grilled Lemon Mayonnaise 2 lemons, halved 1 large…
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For a simple vegetable dish on the barbecue, fill a grill topper with sliced, mixed vegetables (carrots, peppers, mushrooms etc.) and grill for about twelve minutes. Coat with olive oil and salt. Juice a few lemons on top of the vegetables after twenty minutes and leave the juiced lemon in the basket with the vegetables. You’ll get a fuller, ‘more lemony’ flavour if you leave the lemon rind in the basket while the vegetables grill for another ten minutes or…
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Full disclosure on this one: grilled pineapple is delicious, cooking pineapple on skewers is fun and the coconut marinade was super tasty BUT marinating the pineapple overnight was a waste of time. The pineapple just didn’t absorb enough of the marinade’s flavour to make it worthwhile. Save yourself a bit of time and use the coconut mixture as a finishing/basting sauce only. Ingredients: One can coconut milk 1/2 cup sugar pinch of salt 1 tsp vanilla 1 whole pineapple Directions:…
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This recipe is drop-dead easy and incredibly tasty. Everyone loves the taste and serving it right on the skewers is always a hit – especially with the kids. Ingredients: 2 lbs chicken thighs 1/2 cup dry sherry or sake 1/2 cup soya sauce 2 tbsp onion or chives 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp ginger (fresh, diced) wood skewers (soaked) Directions: Assemble your ingredients Place about two pounds of chicken thighs in re-sealable freezer bag. Add ½ cup dry sherry –…
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Lots of recipes call for grilled, sweet onions. Grilling the onions brings out the natural sugars and, with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, is a scrumptious addition to almost any grilled meal. The challenge is to grill the onions without them falling through your cooking grills. You can do this with a grill topper, a cast iron griddle OR for something more dramatic you can make onion lollipops. Just skewer your onions before you grill them and…
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For a Valentine’s day treat Shannon makes these tasty cupcakes that look like burgers. Obviously, we love them. Especially when Shannon is doing all the fiddly work. This week, because of some harried domestic scheduling, the recipe was completed with some instant ingredients. The recipe below is the ‘from scratch’ version. Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 1/3 cups sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 large…
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One of our favourite menu items here at The Hot Line is mole. That is, the Mexican sauce which contains chocolate, and not the tiny shrew-like creature that wrecks your lawn (our discussion on grilling and how it does involve the tiny, shrew-like creatures is a totally separate one and is found here). Mole, the Mexican sauce, is pronounced “mole-eh” as in: “Look at that guy’s face, he’s got one huge mole, eh.” Mole sauce almost always contains chocolate….
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I was looking for a sexy recipe for Valentine grilling. I decided on ‘Grilled Chicken Hearts’ which, although a tad obvious, would make for a fine Valentine meal. Problem is – my own sweetheart wasn’t ‘in love’ with the idea of eating chicken hearts (good thing I didn’t tell her about my prairie oyster idea). So, we settled on bananas… Muay Thai Bananas Grilled bananas are pure awesomeness. Also, they are scientifically proven to get you more lovin’ so, this Valentine’s…
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Another way to get more meat onto your sticks is to use wider sticks. Barbecue-nerd extraordinaire, Stephen Raichlen, has a line of extra wide metal skewers available that give you lots of surface area to work with. Yes, we carry them. We carry everything.
Being February, there are traditionally a lot of people making shish-kabobs (seriously). A common problem when making a ground-meat shish kabob is getting the meat to stick to the skewer and not your hands. Here’s the tip: constantly dunk your hands in cold water before handling the meat to put on your skewers. Major reduction in stickiness. Another tip (full disclosure – I haven’t tried this) is to use metal skewers and to pre-heat the skewers by themselves before you…
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This is a rack for grilling jalapeno peppers (see yesterday’s recipe). Why would you need one of these? Well “need” is one of those subjective words we all overuse and, to be brutally honest, you don’t really “need” one of these racks like you would “need”, say, water or oxygen or red wine. But, if you’re grilling some jalapenos on your barbecue – and you should – then this little rack makes the job a LOT easier (and looks cool…
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A few years ago a good friend of mine had an embarrassing accident involving jalapeno peppers. My friend (who shall remain nameless but, if you saw him walking down the street and shouted “Hey Tom”, he would likely turn his head and look at you), was cutting up some jalapenos for dinner. It was summer; he was wearing shorts and got an itch. Not an itch in the arm or leg. Not an itch behind his ear or on top…
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Folks are getting creative with wood chips these days. Instead of using just one type of wood chip to add flavour when grilling, they’re combining a variety of chips to create unique smoke tastes. Some of the companies that package wood chips are getting in on the act and creating ‘blends’ for particular types of meals such as seafood, chicken or beef. In general, stronger woods such as oak and mesquite work well with red meats, fruit woods work well…
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We carry a huge range of accessories for both gas and wood fireplaces. Everything from decorative tool sets to functional wood holders in a wide variety of designs and styles. One of the most popular items these days is a firescreen. Many people are buying these as child guards to prevent children from burning their hands on the hot glass of a fireplace. We’ve got a great assortment to choose from and can custom order an even greater variety if…
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The theme of this issue of the Hot Line is fireplaces right? So, we tried to include a recipe in tune with the theme. Admittedly this is probably more of a “technique” than a “recipe” but, hey, why quibble? The beauty of this recipe is not so much the results (frankly you can do this on the barbecue easier than in a fireplace), it’s in the reactions from your guests. You will just plain freak them out with this one. …
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But first a little history: We have one company but we’ve got two names: Barbecues Galore and Woods Fireplaces. This wasn’t planned – it just sorta happened. The two names came about after we bought the Woods fireplaces company in 1996; we originally intended to use the Woods name for a few years and then let it fade away into retail history. Trouble is, the name wouldn’t die – it’s been in the fireplace business for so long that people…
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Rotisserie BalanceThese cunning little fellas, keep your spit rod turning evenly when you can’t figure out how to perfectly balance your roast – which is always. Forks Look, you’ve got the rotisserie all set up anyway – you might as well cook two chickens instead of one. And two chickens takes four forks. Mega Motor If you want to rotisserie something heavy like a turkey then you need a tough motor. This is the best one we’ve found. …
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Check out this humbly titled recipe from Alberta Pork on your rotisserie. For more terrific recipes see www.albertapork.ca/recipes. Yield: Serves 12 Cooking Time: 2 – 2 1/4 hrs Preparation Time: 12 min Ingredients 12 rib Pork loin rib half, crown roast, about 6 lb/3kg Glaze 2 cups (500 mL) pineapple jam 1/3 cup (75 mL) corn syrup 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cloves Apple Nut Stuffing 5 cups (1.25 L) soft bread crumbs 1 tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped…
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Balance. Essential to life, but even more important for the rotisserie. Those heavy silver things they put in with the rotisserie – they actually aren’t ‘extras.’ They keep the food you’ve got on the rotisserie balanced, which means the motor isn’t working harder than it has to, and also it means your dinner will turn evenly and consistently. Important if what you’ve got on the rotisserie is the family’s Christmas turkey! If you have a very powerful rotisserie motor (our…
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Tongue is the Rodney Dangerfield of beef cuts and that’s a shame – it’s tasty, it’s relatively easy to prepare and it doesn’t cost very much. Ok, admittedly, it’s not the prettiest girl at the dance, and it doesn’t have the advantage of a pseudonym like “steak” or “prime rib” or “New York Strip”; it’s just “tongue”. And all of our brains have plenty of mental baggage when we hear the word tongue. So, I propose that we all adopt…
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One of our favourite spices around the store these days is Back Eddy’s seasoning salt. It’s one of those seasonings that seems to work on just about anything. If you’re going to throw some meat on the grill and would like a bit more than just salt and pepper on it, but don’t want to alter the taste with a marinade or rub – Back Eddy’s is perfect.
We’re shedding a bit of light (not too much) on The Variety Meats (say…wouldn’t that be a good name for a band?). Now, nobody likes a good premium cut like yours truly. You’ll never see me say no to a rib-eye. But, if we all only eat rib-eyes, what happens to the rest of the critter? If we’re going to take our status as omnivores seriously, don’t we have an ethical obligation to make sure that the entire animal is…
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Whew. We’ve been busy over here in the land of Barbecues Galore. These pesky fireplaces that, from a business perspective, started off as a bit of an ‘amuse bouche’ have really started cutting into our hibernation time during the winter. Seems like, more than ever, people are interested in heating their homes efficiently. Go figure. Our fireplace installers (who, by the way, are the best in the business) have been seriously busy trying to keep people warm.
Whether you are looking at gas fireplaces or wood fireplaces, as a gift or for yourself, we invite you to take a look at our extensive selection of accessories. We’ve got everything from grates, brushes and pokers, to gloves, ash bins and surround ideas. Why shop where the selection is limited (or where the store also sells garden hoses and snow shovels), when you can shop with us and know you’re getting the biggest selection of accessories available from a…
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If you can feel a draft on your toes if you’re reaching for aunt Jennie’s home-knit afghan to cover your shoulders, or you’ve taken that last desperate measure and police-taped your ENTIRE basement because it’s too deadly cold to use, we would like to take the opportunity to remind you that WE SELL FIREPLACES! What difference can a fireplace make, you say? And well you might, if your only experience with fireplaces is with ones that are all light and…
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Most of us are used to this pork being chopped into bite sized pieces and served over rice noodles as part of the delicious ‘bun’ served in Vietnamese restaurants. For the purposes of this exercise we decided to serve larger pieces over rice – that way we get to eat more pork.So, I asked our expert about how we get that salty / sweet, delicious taste on the Vietnamese pork and this is what he said: “Take some soy sauce,…
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You’ve probably been using your fireplace quite a bit during the latest cold weather. You’ve also probably neglected to clean the glass. And now you’re wondering how to get the scummy glass clean again. The answer is: special goop. An efficient gas fireplace that has ceramic, heat-radiating glass requires specific ceramic glass cleaner to remove the white haze. A wood burning fireplace with glass doors requires a special specific wood burning glass cleaner to remove the creosote and black…
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Doing some grilling in really cold weather? Be careful when you’re turning on your barbecue. The brass valves have stems that can snap if you force them too hard when they’re brittle from the extreme cold. When you first turn your barbecue on, start with one burner and one burner only. Assuming you get it working, put the lid down and let that one burner warm up the entire barbecue for about ten minutes before you try to turn the…
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You can make pizza on any barbecue. The high heat produced by a barbecue is ideal for quickly melting cheese and baking crust. HOWEVER, a ceramic pizza stone (see yesterday’s post) makes the process easier and the pizza tastier. For this recipe we used an outdoor, wood-fired pizza oven which are available for purchase at the world’s best barbecue stores. The pizza oven has a large, rectangular ceramic stone in the middle oven. The middle oven is completely insulated and…
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Pay attention, this one is important: When you’re cooking pizza outside on a barbecue you need a ceramic cooking stone. Ok, you don’t really ‘need’ one. Not like you ‘need’ oxygen or water or red wine. You can, after all, get a pizza completely cooked on a barbecue without a cooking stone. BUT, your pizzas will taste way better with the stone than they will without it. You see, the stone absorbs a terrific amount of heat and transfers it…
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And now for something completely different: It’s time to put the “O!” into protein: the Turducken. A combination of a turkey, duck and chicken as the name suggests. And, just in case you didn’t get enough meat, sometimes bacon or sausage is also included. Basically it is a de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned chicken which is, in turn, stuffed with a de-boned duck. Sausage or dressing is placed between the layers of bird. This is all done up like…
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Have you cooked on a charcoal barbecue lately? Remember how, once the coals were uniformly glowing, the heat that came off them was intense and even? That’s the type of heat you always want when you’re grilling quickly. And, now there’s a way, outside of using charcoal, to get it. Many barbecue manufacturers are putting “infrared burners” in the bottom of their barbecues. These barbecues use the same amount of fuel as ordinary burners but they get very hot, very…
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Bottom line here? You don’t want to be outside for too long so plan on something that grills quickly. One of our favourites is flank steak. Here’s a recipe that we got from www.cooksrecipes.com. Ingredients 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup bourbon 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 garlic cloves, finely minced Freshly ground pepper to taste 1 (2-pound) flank steak Directions 1. Combine first 8…
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Brrrr. Cold outside right? Well maybe not – but it should be and, if history holds, it will get cold again before too long. And, when it is cold, we don’t want to see you light-weights running inside and forsaking your grill-friends. Nothing makes us madder than seeing a faithful, trusty barbecue left to freeze for an entire winter. Covered in snow, unloved and unwanted. They’re like instruments; they need to be played. Tips: Plan on foods that grill quickly –…
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Taken from Stephen Raichlen’s ‘Sauces, Rubs and Marinades’ 1/2 cup lemon juice 3 cloves minced garlic 1 tsp coarse salt 1 tsp black pepper 2 tsp dried oregano 1 cup extra virgin olive oil Chicken pieces (we used breasts) Assemble your ingredients. Try to use Greek oregano. Apparently there are dozens of types of Oregano; think of it as a flavour instead of as a particular herb. “Greek Oregano” is stronger and sharper than many other varieties. Look for…
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A fireplace is an important part of Christmas. If you don’t have one, we can help: we carry a wide assortment of high quality wood, gas and electric fireplaces in all four of our stores. If you already have a fireplace and you need some accessories to make it more fun or functional, we’ve got that too. We stock more fireplace accessories than anyone else in the country. Do you need a fireplace screen to keep little hands away from…
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We sell Valor fireplaces. They’re made in North Vancouver by Miles Industries. These clever British Columbians have found a bunch of Vancouverites that aren’t too busy tending their “gardens” (how?!) and currently build the best gas fireplace in the world. Don’t believe me? Come into one of our stores and check it out for yourself. They’re built out of first-class materials, are as efficient as a Swiss railway and can be dressed up in a variety of styles that range…
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This recipe is dead easy but different enough to make your guests think you might actually know what you’re doing. Skip the Baked Alaska and serve something simple for dessert this Christmas. Ingredients: – Firm, ripe pears, – Melted butter, – Large grain sugar, – Lemon juice, – Cinnamon, – Some clean, food-grade planks. Pre soaked. – Ice cream to finish the dish. Assemble your ingredients. Cut the pears in half and scoop out the centers. Brush with lemon so…
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It’s cold out. You need to heat your home. Maybe you’ve got a bunch of extra cash floating around (adopt me!) and you don’t care about your heating bill. Probably though, you DO care about your heating bill. If that’s the case ask yourself: are you heating your entire house when you spend the majority of your time in just a small part of it? Central heating is a great concept but, for most of us, using zone heating to…
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True, the sight of it invites the odd slightly off-colour comment… but the turkey cannon is to turkey, what a beer can is to chicken, which, as anyone who has tried beer can chicken can attest, means a reliably delicious, moist, succulent bird. Because the heat and moisture are ‘delivered’, as it were, right to the centre of the bird, turkeys cooked on the barbecue this way tend to cook more quickly, so be aware and watch that thermometer. No…
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By: Chef Harold Seranda is a sweet young lady who is in charge of our purchasing department here at Barbecues Galore headquarters. Her husband Harold is a talented chef. One night, after working through the business end of a bottle of Drambuie (ugh!), we dared him to come up with a barbecued cranberry sauce recipe for Christmas. To be honest we didn’t think he’d pull it off. After all, this is a world first; uncharted territory. But, the man came…
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What else could one of recipes be, except barbecued turkey using a turkey cannon? It really is a delicious way to prepare the centrepiece to the festive feast, and the advantages of using the cannon include more moisture within the bird, less cooking time, and an oven freed up for other things. You will need one bird, some herbs and melted butter to coat it, a turkey cannon, and some liquid to fill it – the best use yet for dad’s…
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Brine your bird. The latest buzzword in the barbecue world is “brining”. Trust me: everybody’s doing it. The brine is basically a flavourful, saltwater solution that locks moisture into your grilled meats. It apparently (and I have to say “apparently” here because I haven’t actually tried this yet. I will though. Of course I will. It’s on my list. Hey, I’ve been busy ok?! Oh, and I suppose you’ve tried everything you’ve ever written about at work have you? Ok…
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The turkey is roasting on the barbecue outside. You’re drinking rum and egg nog like it’s water inside. How good is that? A wireless remote thermometer is the key to that happy little scenario. You insert a metal probe into your meal. The probe connects to a transmitter that rests on the shelf of your barbecue. You have a receiver inside the house that tells you the exact temperature of your meal as it cooks outside. We have several different…
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What could be sweeter than freeing up the oven for dessert AND having a beautifully flavorful barbecued turkey to show for it this festive season?! Here’s a recipe that’s tried and true. Barbecue-Roasted Turkey 1 turkey (14lb or smaller) ¾ tsp each salt and pepper 6 sprigs fresh sage, rosemary or thyme (or all three if you’re a Simon and Garfunkel fan, and parsley if you must) 1/3 cup each white wine vinegar and vegetable oil 2 tbsp chopped fresh…
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Here’s the tip – barbecue your bird. That’s right, get out there and grill that turkey, there’s plenty of ways to do it. In all cases, your bird will have more flavour and character than if you simply used the oven. The secret is to keep your bird moist as turkey can easily dry out. Rotisserie turkey. The simplest way to barbecue your turkey is to use your rotisserie. It’s particularly easy if you have a rear rotisserie burner in…
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Ingredients: • 1 pound salmon • 1 Tablespoon soya sauce • 2 Tablespoons pickled ginger • 2 Tablespoons wasabi (more if you like it or less if you don’t) • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil • Nori sheets • Some other burger fixin’s (you know, buns and stuff) Directions: First, catch a salmon… Lay out your ingredients. Filet your fish. Remove the skin, bones, fins, guts and stuff. Although, these are burgers after…
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Today we’re focusing on Salmon. Why Salmon? Well, because Salmon is the king of fish of course. It’s the tastiest fish there is. If you don’t like grilled salmon well then, you probably don’t like any other kind of grilled fish either. To get us started here are a few bits of salmon trivia for you (courtesy of this odd website) : 8 Things You May Not Know About Salmon Pacific salmon die after their first spawning…
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The interesting thing about the umami taste is that it can be exponential. Salt, on the contrary, is straight addition; as you add more salt to your food, the salty taste increases. Umami works differently; as you combine ingredients with high umami quotients you can leverage the ingredients so that the umami-whole is greater than the sum of the umami-parts. That’s grilling synergy folks. So we challenged ourselves to create the ultimate umami-burger. We started with the idea of adding…
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If you have a gas fireplace that’s causing you some troubles, give us a call. We’ve got experienced fireplace technicians that can get your old fireplace up and running within days.
Today we’re talking about “umami”. That mysterious ‘fifth taste’, that foodies and cooking shows love to wag their jaws about these days. For you old-schoolers, think of this as roughly equivalent to ‘savory’ – a meaty, fulfilling taste. However, there’s no doubt about it that the current word is “umami”, a word borrowed from Japanese to mean the ‘meaty’ or ‘brothy’ taste (umai meaning delicious and mi meaning essence). It is considered the fifth of the five basic tastes which…
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This is the last time we’ll talk about the Turkey Cannon. I promise. But listen, it’s too late to save your Thanksgiving turkey but you’ve got lots of time to set things right with the Christmas bird. This rude looking gizmo does for turkeys what a beer-can recipe does for chickens. You won’t believe how much more moist and flavourful your turkey will be when you use this thing. And (as if you need more reasons to get one), you completely free up…
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Ingredients: ~ Whatever root vegetables turn you on. We used carrots, parsnips, beets, potatoes, garlic and red onions ~ Olive oil ~ Salt ~ Lemons Assemble your ingredients. Important: let your vegetables soak in cold water for half an hour. This helps keep them moist in the dry environment of the barbecue. After soaking I recommend you par-boil or microwave any of the denser vegetables such as potatoes or parsnips for a few minutes. You don’t want to ‘finish’…
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Here’s a green tip from the barbecue world: buy a barbecue that is built to last. And, better yet, buy a barbecue that is manufactured in North America if possible. As with many products these days, a huge portion of the carbon footprint is created through shipping and the eventual disposal of the product. A complete barbecue thrown in the landfill takes a considerable amount of space and isn’t the most compostable item around. Ask yourself what’s better for the…
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Seems like everybody’s going all Kermit on us. It’s like a new wave of political correctness, except this time the social pressure is all about your carbon footprint. Drive a Hummer and you’re bad. Drive a Prius and you’re good. Trouble is, there’s a lot of shades of green aren’t there? We’ve been getting a few questions about ‘green grilling’ lately so, we’re going to add our measly two cents to the pile of information about grilling and the environment. …
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Smoking Wood for the Grill, $11.99/box Reduce, reuse and recycle never tasted so good! Steven Raichlen – famous grill master and author of the Barbecue Bible – has packaged chunks of wine barrels as smoking wood for your barbecue. You can see the taste with each little inch of square chunk stained red with flavour. Just soak them for about an hour for maximum smoke output, toss a handful on your fire (or in a smoker box) and prepare for an…
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INGREDIENTS: Roasted Stuffed Pears 6 firm fleshed Bartlett pears 5 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (75ml) 5 tablespoons gingersnap cookies crumbled (75ml) 2 tablespoons brown sugar (30ml) 2 teaspoons chopped lemon zest (10ml) 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (2.5ml) 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (1ml) 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (2.5ml) 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (15ml) 1 vanilla bean scrapped vanilla extract 1 lemon cut into wedges 3 cups apple wood smoking chips (750ml) Whipping Cream 1 cup 35% cream (250ml) splash of Orange liqueur 1/2…
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In the last few years, the selection of patio heaters has exploded. There are many reasonable options available including units powered by wood, gas and electricity. In our stores the classic ‘mushroom’ heater continues to be very popular. They’re relatively inexpensive, cheap to operate and portable. Our “Brander” patio heater is all stainless steel, includes a piezo ignitor for easy lighting and a safety valve that shuts the unit off if it gets tipped over. All of this, and our…
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How about heating things up starting from the inside? Fire up the grill and try these sexy and spicy ribs! Ingredients 2 racks baby back ribs, 1-1/2 to 2 pounds each Rub 2 teaspoons light brown sugar 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons pure chile powder 2 teaspoons paprika 2 teaspoons dried oregano Sauce 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/4 cup tequila 1/2 cup tomato sauce 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 2 tablespoons fresh lime…
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TIP # 1 If you have a wood burning fireplace – have your chimney cleaned. As wood burns in your fireplace, a layer of black, shiny creosote builds up on the chimney walls. Risk of a chimney fire is much higher in a chimney that has a layer of creosote in it. A professional chimney sweep will quickly and safely remove this creosote. Remember: A clean chimney doesn’t catch fire. TIP # 2 If you have a gas burning fireplace…
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I decided to take things a bit easier for this recipe. Something easy. Low maintenance. Therefore we have this month’s recipe of Boerwors and Pap en Jus. The “pap” is a cornmeal porridge, sort of like polenta, eaten as a staple during South African barbecue events (a “brai”). It is made out of fine, white cornmeal. Not yellow cornmeal. White. The Jus (that’s Afrikaans for “sauce” and probably Dutch for “jus”) is designed to flavour the pap because it tastes…
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A reminder that we have a dizzying (yes, dizzying; ‘vertiginous even’) selection of fireplace toolsets and accessories at this time of year. Tool sets, safety screens, log holders, wood carriers, we’ve got it all. All of it is top quality and made for years of hard work.
This recipe was officially tested ‘in the field’ by Scandia Honey. Ingredients 4 pounds of chicken wings ½ cup honey ½ cup white sugar ¼ cup gin 2 tablespoons mashed garlic cloves ¼ cup ketchup ¼ cup soy sauce 1 cup oyster sauce ½ cup teriyaki sauce Directions First thing’s first – have a drink. We started with “Killer Bee Dark Honey Ale” from Penticton’s Tin Whistle Brewery. Don’t think you can get this in Alberta or Ontario which is…
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Honey is sticky. Oh sure, it’s water soluble. But it’s still sticky. So when you brush your honey-based grilling glaze all over your dinner, you want to be brushing with a serious brush. And that’s where silicon basting brushes come in handy. The silicon bristles are securely attached so you don’t have to worry about rogue pig-hair appearing on your dinner. Furthermore, you can easily clean a silicon brush by tossing it in the dishwasher and, you don’t have to…
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This month’s tip: get a fan for your fireplace. If you have a Valor fireplace you won’t need a fan as those fireplaces radiate the heat well. Do you have a Valor? No? Then get yourself a fan. Obviously, a fan doesn’t create any heat but it can move the heat away from most fireplaces and warm your room up quicker and more efficiently. Assuming you already have an electrical outlet underneath your fireplace, installation of a new fan is…
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(from Hot, Sticky and on Fire – Ted Reader) 3 tbsp. olive oil 2 shallots, diced 3 cups sliced oyster mushrooms salt and pepper 2 small brie wheels (each 125g) 1 head roasted garlic 2 green onions, finely chopped 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper 1 cedar plank, soaked in water for 2 hrs. 1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high…
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This month’s ‘Tipster’ is brought to you by our very own Roscoe from the Calgary North Store. Roscoe loves to grill stuff. In particular he loves planking salmon. He’s the expert so listen up: This technique is sound and delivers a fun cooking experience and unmatched flavour. It’s easy and we can provide help to ‘go where no fish has gone before.’ Enjoy, Roscoe Cedar Planked Salmon The Plank Soak in water as long as you can. At least…
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No self respecting griller should be without some type of grill-topper. These handy gadgets allow you to grill the un-grillable: those tiny little pieces of food that would ordinarily fall through your cooking grills. Things like chopped vegetables, shrimp and cubed meat. The grill-toppers come in many shapes and sizes. There are stainless steel versions which will last a long, long time and withstand a lot of abuse. There are porcelain coated versions which are easy to clean. Food doesn’t…
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Okay, here it is – our grilled pumpkin recipe. The recipe that got us going on all of this “harvest” nonsense. And, if we do say so ourselves – it’s worth the wait. There’s something about plopping a pumpkin full of grilled vegetables down on the table in front of your guests that is immensely satisfying (and tasty too). We stole (oops, pardon me: ‘borrowed’) the recipe from www.recipezaar.com Ingredients 6 lb pumpkin OR 6 – 1 lb white striped OR 2…
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Certainly without the equipment, you can inject and marinate all you want – you still won’t get a deep fried bird. You’ll need a few more items in your kit to really do the trick. To start with, you’ll need a turkey frying kit. Most kits consist of a burner element, a big ‘ol pot with lid, a hook or cage to hold the turkey and a high temperature thermometer. Our kit has a painted black stand and an aluminum pot and…
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So, you’ve thawed, dusted, marinaded and injected the poor bird – the moment is here to FRY THAT BIRD. Here’s a how-to: Set Up Measure the amount of oil required; generally 3 – 5 liters. Place turkey (while still in packaging) in pot and fill with water until the turkey is completely submerged. Remove turkey and make a note as to the level of water in the pot. Empty and dry the pot then fill to the same level with…
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• Do not stuff turkeys you plan on frying, it just doesn’t work. • Be sure to measure for the amount of oil you’ll need BEFORE you marinate or bread the turkey. • Immediately wash hands, utensils, equipment and surfaces that have come in contact with raw turkey to avoid cross contamination. • Keep an eye on the time, fried turkeys cook quickly. It only take about 3 minutes per pound. Overcooking is one of the biggest mistakes beginners make. We should know, we…
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Surely recommending you deep fry your turkey is enough of a tip for today, but wait, there’s more. A tasty, hidden secret of turkey frying, and that is: Injecting. There’s tools for this too, special injectors, which, all easy gags aside, really do a great job adding juices to your turkey (or any other meat). Here’s a few ‘home-made’ marinade recipes from Grant our North Calgary manager (see below). If you don’t want to make your own marinade there…
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From Stephen Raichlen’s ‘How To Grill’ (page 378) Ingredients 4 large portobello mushrooms (8 to 10 ounces each) 2 large garlic cloves (cut into slivers) 1 ounce Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano or other firm cheese (cut into slivers) 1 sprig fresh rosemary (leaves stripped off the stem, or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary) 2 tablespoons pine nuts 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 1/3 cups extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed 12…
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Grilled Squid and Vegetable Salad Truly, there is nothing we won’t do for you dear readers. Oh sure, I know that you spend a fortune on this newsletter every month and have high expectations but still, this month’s recipe has pushed us to our emotional limit. It wasn’t so much the evisceration of the squid – it was the shrill “eeeewww” and “yuck!” and “oh god!” that came out of the mouths of people wandering through The Hot Line test…
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A reminder: we’ve got hoses. You need a short hose for your RV? We’ve got it. How about a natural gas hose for your barbecue? Got that too. A propane hose for your firepit or patio heater? Check. Plus, we’ve got all the brass fittings you could ever want to get your gas appliances properly hooked up. If you’re trying to get this gas thing hooked to that gas thing – come and see us.
Tip # 1 If you cook a squid head/body/thing whole, like a cutlet (or “squidlet”), the heat will make the meat curl, rendering it nearly impossible to cook evenly. This happened to me once with a Tilapia (aka “the hippo poo fish”) and I could have used the thing as a boomerang after I grilled it. Horrible waste. If you want to keep the squid from curling up on you, score it deeply with a knife diagonally in both directions….
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Whenever you’re grilling small items such as smaller mushrooms or mushroom pieces, you can never go wrong by using a ‘grill-topper’. These handy trays let the heat from your grill come up without letting your food go down. We’ve got them in various shapes and sizes. The porcelain coated toppers are easier to clean, the stainless steel toppers will last longer.
Most of us are familiar with a few kinds of commercially available mushrooms. We put them in our brown paper bags at the supermarket and they’re delicious. But did you know that Canada is a terrific place to hunt and gather wild mushrooms? Yep, true. The world, as they say, is your oyster (mushroom). Remember that scene from ‘The Road’ (http://www.cormacmccarthy.com/works/theroad.htm) where the man and his son find some wild mushrooms inconceivably growing in the grey, miasmic, post-apocalyptic world? Well,…
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Question: Dear Dr. M: What’s the difference between “grilling” and “barbecuing”? C. Fused Answer: Dear C, Many people have varying opinions on this topic but, in general, most people agree that “grilling” is the process of cooking food quickly over relatively high heat. “Barbecuing” is the low-and-slow process of cooking meat at low temperatures for long periods of time. Think of things like Texas brisket and pork shoulder that sit in about 225 degrees for hours and hours at a…
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Check out these griddles we have in all four stores. These all-stainless griddles are a joy to cook on. Perfect for bacon, pancakes, bacon, quesadillas, bacon, Panini sandwiches, bacon, stir-fries and bacon. These are tough little griddles that are built to withstand lots of use and abuse outdoors. They’ve got cross braces on the underside of the griddle to prevent warping. And there’s a grease channel along the front of the griddle to catch any extra fat that might drain off…
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This one’s a keeper. Even Aunt Edna said so and she knows her way around an appetizer. Similar to a pizza dough, this bread is slightly puffier and sweeter. The grill added just the right amount of smoke and ‘grilled’ flavour to the bread. Simple toppings of grilled onions, feta cheese, oregano and olive oil highlight the puffy bread perfectly. And, as a bonus, this recipe is easy to put together. Having a bread machine to knead the dough sure…
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Yes, you can bake a loaf of bread on your barbecue. In fact, a barbecue can be an ideal place to bake your bread. The heat is dry and intense which does a wonderful job on most breads. A few things to keep in mind before you try: 1.) Use indirect heat – most breads will suffer from high-heat directly underneath the loaf, 2.) when you open the lid of a typical barbecue, there is a lot of heat loss…
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This recipe was created by Sean with his kids. This is one of those times when it is good to bring work home. Ingredients hot Italian sausage veal pineapple green and red peppers mushrooms 1/2 cup pineapple juice concentrate 2 Tablespoons each soy sauce and brown sugar 1 teaspoon cumin cayenne pepper to taste Directions Combine marinade ingredients. More cayenne can be added if you like a lot of heat, less if not. Pour over veal cubes; stir to coat. …
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Loyal reader Bonny (hi Bonny!) asked if we’d provide a summary of the different types of patio heaters so here’s a few tips to get you started: Wood burning firepits. These firepits come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are made out of a variety of materials such as cast iron, ceramic, stainless steel and sheet metal. Many have cooking grills. The heat provided by these units is directly related to how much wood you put into them. …
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Serves 4 8 whole cleaned trout 1 c chopped green onion 1/2 c butter or margarine 1 salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste 2 tb dehydrated parsley flakes I don’t know if this recipe is common knowledge or not, It tastes so good it’s hard to believe it is so simple. When you go camping and you catch fresh trout this recipe is an absolute must. Clean and rinse the trout well, don’t ask me why but if you leave…
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Serves 4 “Basa” fish is you don’t know (I didn’t) is a firm, white–fleshed fish known by several names. My favourite name is “The Vietnamese Catfish”; sounds like a pro wrestler. Grant swears by this fish and tells us that it’s available at many large supermarkets. Give it a try. 1 to 1 1/4 pounds Basa fish (or other white fish) 2 cups of fresh diced tomatoes OR 2 cans canned diced tomatoes 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 12 garlic…
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For the tastiest grilled salmon you’ve ever had – get some planks! ~Cooking Instructions: Soak the cedar plank for a minimum of 2-3 hours. Preheat Grill on high. Lightly sprinkle plank with coarse salt. Heat plank with cover down for 2-3 minutes. Place salmon fillets on smooth side of plank. Cook salmon with cover down for 10-12 minutes, at approx. 450 F until fish flakes easily. Squeeze fresh lemon over salmon & serve. ~ soaking your plank prior to use is important. …
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This is a continual favourite in The Hot Line test kitchen. The rye/soy marinade flavours and tenderizes the beef beautifully. We like to use a ‘marinade turbo charger’ which is basically a set of thick needles that help break up the meat so that the marinade can soak into it a bit better. This gadget is available at, yes, you guessed it: Barbecues Galore. Ingredients 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup chopped green onions 1/4 cup rye whisky 1/4…
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Recipe courtesy of Ted Reader for Jack Daniel’s Ingredients 16 slices Canadian peameal bacon or back bacon 1/2 cup Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey 1/2 cup cold water Maple Jack Grilling Sauce 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey 1/4 cup grain mustard 1 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp chopped fresh sage Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese 4 Kaiser rolls, sliced…
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If you’ve been into one of our stores you know that we carry an exhaustive supply of wood chips. One of the most popular ‘flavours’ is whisky. These compressed, pelletized wood chips start out as Jack Daniels whisky barrels and are pressed into rabbit-refuse shape. Sprinkle these right over hot coals or place a handful in a smoker box over your gas burner for heavenly smoke flavour (YouTube video demo here). Don’t add water, these pellets turn to mush when…
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Ok, before we get to this month’s real recipe, here’s a few rules about cooking over (or in) an open firepit: 1. Pick your spots – there’s always a hot area and a cool area; act accordingly. You don’t want your sensitive trout fillets over the blast furnace portion of your fire. 2. Tools good – fingers bad – fire is…well, it’s hot. So keep your fingers out of it if possible. 3. Marsupial meals – you can make a…
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Before you buy a wood-burning firepit and start burning those old railway ties that have been piling up in your backyard, please consider local bylaws concerning firepits. Rules change depending on where you live. In Calgary, open firepits are allowed. See the city’s rule’s concerning proper use of firepits here. Firepits are also allowed in Oakville (http://www.oakvillefire.ca/openairburning.htm). But, in Burlington, you need a permit to operate a fireplace – so check with The Man before you burn anything. Mitigate your…
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“The Spacegrill” is the newest addition to our growing selection of charcoal barbecues and it kicks pork rump (or shoulder or loin or whatever). This is not a ‘low and slow’ covered grill – this is an open top, testosterone drenched, ‘light it and fight it’ grill full of cool features and gadgets. The solid stainless steel rod grills move up/down and turn sideways. Cool. There’s an ash catcher for easy cleaning. There are neat-oh hooks on the side for…
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For an introduction to dessert from the grill it doesn’t get any easier than this.Ingredients ~ 4 bananas – not too ripe ~ 4 Tablespoons butter ~ ½ Teaspoon cinnamon ~ ½ Teaspoon allspice ~ ¼ Teaspoon ground cloves ~ 4 Tablespoons brown sugar ~ 2 Tablespoons dark rum ~ Juice of one lime ~ Ice cream~ A few berries to make things look real purdy. Step One: Assemble your ingredients. Step Two: Melt the butter Step Three: Add…
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Here’s the tip: grill some fruit and put some ice cream on it. Sounds easy right? Yeah well, it is. Just about any fruit can be grilled and will taste fantastic, especially if there is a reasonable amount of sugar in the fruit. The heat from the barbecue caramelizes and enhances the natural sweetness and brings your dessert to smoky new heights. And what’s the biggest upside to grilling your fruit for a barbecued dessert? Simplicity? Cost? Fun? Fibre? No,…
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Do you know who Stephen Raichlen is? He’s this nut from the states that has made barbecue his life’s work. He has a handful of cookbooks that we consider the best grilling books available. What’s more, he’s got a line of unique barbecue accessories that includes a handful of different rubs. They’re all good but you’ve really got to try his grilled dessert rub. Rub a little on grilled pineapple before it hits the grill – absolutely fantastic. You can…
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Dry Rub Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons sugar 3 teaspoons ground black pepper 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper 3 Tablespoons onion powder 3 Tablespoons ground thyme 3 Tablespoons kosher salt 3 teaspoons allspice 1 ½ teaspoons nutmeg 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon 3 Tablespoons chives (we used fresh) Assemble your ingredients. Add everything together and stir it up. (How do you like the recipe so far? Easy eh?) Rinse chicken wings under water. Dry your wings using a paper towel. Cut the wings in…
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Here’s tip #1: Make sure that the rub you’re going to use is in a shaker jar or easy to handle container BEFORE you start rubbing. Once you start rubbing, your hands will soon be coated with fat, juice and well, ‘stuff’ from the meat you’re rubbing; it’s a bit of a mess. So you don’t want to be grabbing your main rub container with your mucky mitts. Tip #2: Plan on giving your meat two coats of rub. Once…
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This “Gotta Have It” product is the ‘Tel-True’ Barbecue temperature gauge. And, to be honest, you only really “gotta have it” if you’re a dedicated charcoal griller. This gauge gives you an astonishingly accurate temperature reading of the inside of your charcoal barbecue. And heat matters – do you want to sear your steak or roast your pork? With the ‘Tel-True’, you leave behind translating “cold/warm/hot/way too hot” from your conventional gauge.
There are many ways you can start your charcoal. Several of them are even legal. Several more are even safe. Let’s concentrate on the methods that are both legal and safe: ~ Easy-light charcoal. This is usually an inferior grade charcoal (see below) with flammable bits added (Uranium? Plutonium? Who knows?). You can do better. ~ Charcoal lighting fluid. This is basically using gasoline to start your fire and is just borderline safe and legal. It’s simple, effective and takes…
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If we could just get off-a that beat little girl Maybe we could find the groove At least we can get a decent meal Down at the Rendezvous ~ Memphis in the Meantime, John Hiatt This recipe is patterned after the rib-recipe at the world-famous Rendezvous restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee. If you’re anywhere near Memphis, you have to make it to the Rendezvous. If you can’t make it to Memphis, then this recipe is the next best thing. The recipe…
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Lot’s of great barbecued food gets eaten in Memphis. However, the calling card of this barbecue city is the pork rib. Ribs are tasty. Ribs are good. And that’s why some genius invented ‘the rib rack’. This handy wire gizmo allows you to – get this: cook more ribs with the same space. Basically turning something great into something that is 100% super-awesomeness. Easy to use, inexpensive to buy – if you like ribs, you should have a few of…
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And for dessert…. This recipe is a bit fiddly but check out the results! If this isn’t a perfect dessert item for a backyard barbecue I don’t know what is: Recipe stolen borrowed from: www.verybestbaking.com Ingredients: 1 box (12 oz.) vanilla wafer cookies, divided 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels 1/3 cup milk 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut 1/2 teaspoon water 3 drops green food coloring Red and yellow decorating gels (for ketchup and…
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This is the Sizzle Q griddle. It’s a pitch-perfect tool for cooking pancake breakfasts on your barbecue. Heavy duty stainless steel construction complete with a grease channel up front just in case you get carried away with the sausages you’re cooking. My favourite part is the 3” tall sidewall which routinely saves your bacon – seriously.
Barring any July or August snowstorms you can probably turn the pilot light on your gas fireplace to ‘off’ now. Why waste gas and money keeping the pilot going? They don’t use much gas but you likely don’t want the heat generated in your house these days anyway.
Infrared burners come in many of today’s barbecues. There are a few different twists on their design but essentially the all work the same. When choosing one try to get the burner with the largest surface area possible. The heat from these burners goes straight up so the most effective cooking surface is directly over top of the burner. The back and sides of these burners are not nearly as effective for high-heat grilling. Also, keep in mind that these high…
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Rhubarb; the prairie pineapple. The fruit beloved by grandmothers and, well, other grandmothers. Next time you’ve got people coming over, serve them one of these unique cocktails and watch their eyes light up. This is NOT for those of you that like your drinks to taste like they could be served at 7-11, this one’s got some bite. The sour tang of the rhubarb pairs very nicely with the martini concept. Grilling the rhubarb brings out the trace amounts of…
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Taken from Allrecipes.com, submitted by McCormick & Co. We’re using an infrared burner to cook the steaks for out recipe. Any other barbecue with decent heat output can be used as well. Ingredients 4 (1/2 inch thick) tenderloin steaks 1 & 1/2 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp parsley flakes 4 tsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped Mix olive oil, parsley and rosemary in ziplock bag. Add steaks. Refrigerate 1-2 hours. Sprinkle steaks with steak seasoning. Cook…
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Don’t forget that, when grilling or roasting meat on your barbecue, you need to take it off of your grill before it hits your desired temperature. All meats, especially large roasts, will increase in temperature after you take them off the barbecue. This occurs as the heat migrates from the outer layer of the meat to the cooler interior. For a more detailed, if slightly nerdy, explanation go to: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/meatrest.html
This recipe is from Cameron’s Brewing Company of Oakville, Ontario. Cameron’s Brewing Company has an uncompromising dedication to brewing extraordinary beer, which is why their tag line is “Brewed by a connoisseur…not an accountant.” They brew their beers by hand in small batches using the finest hops and barley and refuse to use additives or preservatives. In addition to enjoying fine beer, the folks at Cameron’s also like to eat. And eat they do! Here is one of their favorite recipes using…
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This recipe is courtesy of www.ontariocraftbrewers.com. This recipe features a brown ale from Ontario’s Neustadt Springs. Neustadt Springs is a small craft brewery located about an hour North of Guelph. Yummy stuff – check it out. If you can’t find Neustadt’s beer then use any mild, dark ale. In Alberta it should be easy enough to find Big Rock’s Traditional or, better yet, their Black Amber Ale….yummy. (Cripes, and I thought writing about barbecued food was hard on the willpower…
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This delicious steak can be served alone or the slices can be tossed in a salad with the hot marinade sauce used as dressing. This month’s recipe is courtesy of www.beefinfo.org PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes COOKING TIME: 10 – 12 minutes MARINATING TIME: 12 – 24 hours INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 lbs 750 g FLANK MARINATING STEAK (or Inside Round, Outside Round, Sirloin Tip) 1/2 cup 125 mL beer (either ale or lager) or sherry 1 1 small onion, finely chopped…
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And now, here’s two words that will pay for the price of this blog: flank steak. That’s right, flank steak. If you haven’t tried this on your barbecue yet – get thee to a butcher. It not only has a deeper, richer taste than other cuts but it will save you money. The catch? It takes a little extra time to prepare. You need to make time to marinate flank steak for at least a few hours before you cook…
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SCALLOPS with GREEN CHILE SAUCE GREEN CHILE SAUCE Ingredients: • 3 Long Anaheim Peppers (jalapeno will do, not so hot) • 3 Green Onions • 1/4 cup Mayo • 1 tsp. Lime Juice • 1/4 cup fresh Cilantro • 1 Garlic Clove • 1/4 cup Sour Cream • Zest from a Lime • Pinch of Sea Salt SCALLOPS Ingredients: • 24 Large Scallops (1.5 oz each) • Juice of…
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Look, I realize that the sun has forsaken us forever. I also realize that our climactic future is full of nothing but cold, wet, apocalyptic ‘seasons’ that will make ‘The Road’ look like Sesame Street. But. But. But. If (big ‘if’) the clouds and rain ever do lift. If the sun ever does come out. If it actually gets…hot. Then you’ll need an umbrella. And, oh brother, do we have umbrellas. We’ve got all kinds of colours, we’ve got all…
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Ok, dads, here’s a great tip for you (again, at no cost to you): A rib rack makes a great cookbook holder. “What”, you say, “a thing that already provides boundless positive energy by allowing us to cook more ribs at the same time, is also capable of further benefit? Impossible.” Yep, it’s true. Just as the plains Indians derived maximum utility from the bison, we can now benefit twice from one simple object. Available, of course, in all…
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Question: Dear Doctor M, What is the difference between a banana and a plantain? Signed, Mr. Musa Crop Answer: Dear Musa, The plantain, while related to the banana, is a much starchier, less-sweet variant. More like a potato that just happens to be shaped like a banana. Or, if you prefer, a banana that happens to taste like rice. A raw plantain is too fibrous and starchy to enjoy much. Cook it though and it can be quite tasty. The…
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Taken from ‘Jerk From Jamaica: Barbecue Caribbean Style’ by Helen Willinsky Ingredients 1 onion, finely chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, including green parts 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves 2 tsp salt 1 tsp ground Jamaican allspice 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 4 to 6 Scotch bonnet or habanero chillies, minced fine 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper Assemble your ingredients. In our case, we didn’t have Jamaican allspice so we used ‘regular’ allspice which, by all…
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We sell a lot of patio heaters. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that many of us Canadians are outside trying to enjoy our backyards during parts of the year that are also good for ice-fishing. Whatever the case, they’re very popular. Many of the problems we see over the life of a patio heater are caused by exposure to the elements. Blowing dust, pollen and sand are big culprits. The largest problem is spiders nesting in…
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Paul from our Ontario stores claims to have ‘developed’ this recipe himself. When he describes it he begins to weep – it’s that good. So try it. Tortillas Cream Cheese (herb & garlic) Onion Red Pepper Cheese – grated Oil Raw Shrimp – deveined and shelled Seasoning Salt Caramelize the onions in a frying pan. Place shrimp on skewers. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Grill until pink on high heat (do not overcook). Grill peppers. Roughly chop shrimp. Assemble quesadillas by…
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Mario Batali, a man that can still rock a ponytail, has a book of tailgating recipes that is “essential” for Nascar fans. If I was a cynical person (which I’m not – honest) I would say that this tie-in with Nascar was a bit of a stretch for New York based, Italian obsessed Mario. However, the recipes are solid. For the rub: 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon freshly ground…
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This is Shawn. Don’t confuse him with the world famous snowboarder Shaun White– he doesn’t work here anymore. This ‘new’ Shawn is into a different kind of ‘smoking’ than the snowboarder Shaun. This one is all about low and slow cooking. Brisket, pork shoulder, ribs – that stuff. Get him talking about what he’s planning for dinner tomorrow and he’ll have your mouth watering within minutes. Shawn is currently cooking on a four burner “gasser” (that’s what us barbecue…
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Here’s a tip: read “Sunday Money” by Jeff Macgregor. A book about Nascar for people that have never shown any interest in Nascar. Jeff (journalist) and his wife (photographer) took a year off and followed the Nascar circuit. This book is a fascinating read whether you’re interested in Nascar or not. It’s got it all: speed, money, fame, sex and, most surprisingly, people falling headfirst into their own deep fryers. It’s a funny, literate take on America’s self-proclaimed “fastest growing…
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In the spirit of our Nascar we decided to ‘race’ two barbecues. In particular we were curious if the brand new, “Broil King Keg” could keep up with the legendary “Big Green Egg”. We measured the temperature of the interior using the cookers’ indigenous thermometer. We measured the temperature of the cooking surface using a Maverick laser (“look out – he’s got a laser”) thermometer (http://www.maverickhousewares.com/LT02.htm). Grillers, start your charcoal… We loaded both machines with four pounds of “Wicked Good”…
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Ingredients • 1 cup espresso style coffee • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion • 1/4 cup brown sugar • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce • 1 teaspoon salt • 3 cloves garlic, minced • 1 Teaspoon cayenne • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon • 3-4 pound bison roast Directions As with any bison meat, make sure that you do not overcook it. It is so much leaner than beef that you need to be very careful about drying it out. If you take this roast off when the internal temperature hits 135…
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Ok, strictly speaking this isn’t a “barbecue” tip but, as we hope you know, we’re in the fireplace business too. And, we don’t think you’ll complain about this tip because we’re sure it will save most of you some money. You ready? Ok here goes: Turn off the pilot light in your fireplace. Good eh? Yeah, we thought so. A pilot light in a gas fireplace doesn’t use a lot of gas and the gas it does burn is…
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One night, after twelve peach bellinis and 65 extra-hot chicken wings, our top barbecue people decided we needed our own barbecue sauce. Something sweet, something special and something crammed with garlic. We wanted a sauce that would transcend its host and taste scrumptious on almost anything that we decided to barbecue. Oh, and kids had to like it too. The result? Doctor McGrillemups old tyme, all-natural, fortified grilling tonic. It’s a near perfect finishing sauce on whatever you’re grilling. Like…
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This recipe is adapted from one of Ted Reader’s (www.tedreader.com). In honour of this month’s theme we made the burgers out of ground buffalo instead of beef. A few of us have tried this recipe and it is YUH-MEE. If it was a lily, it would be well and truly gilded (not gelded – gilded – look it up). Because of the cheese stuffed into the middle of the burgers they end up BIG. So, skip lunch and be prepared…
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Here are a few things to know about buffalo, care of the good folks at Canadian Bison (www.candianbison.ca): ~ What we call ‘buffalo’ is properly known as ‘bison’ but, people generally get the drift when you say ‘buffalo’. ~ Buffalo meat is lower in fat and higher in iron than beef. ~ Buffalo meat is similar to fine beef with a slightly sweeter and richer taste. It’s also denser and dryer. ~ Buffalo meat cooks faster than beef so don’t…
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We’ve been seeing a lot of interest in the patio furniture we carry from CRP Products from Ontario. Their Adirondack chairs, benches, and other furniture is made from recycled plastic. This heavy, comfortable furniture never needs painting or refinishin and comes in twelve co0l colours that will never fade. Check out this conscientious Canadian success story at www.crplastics.com.
To start this month we have a few tips to pass along which should make your grilling more enjoyable this summer: Tip #1: Clean your damn barbecue! We’re not saying you have to make it look brand new or anything. Just get rid of the majority of the residual grease now and then. A build-up of grease greatly increases your risk of flareups which can ruin a perfectly good meal. Unless you have a truly horrible barbecue (many of you…
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‘Chimichurri’ is the sauce, ‘choripan’ is the simple sandwich involving chorizo sausage, chimichurri sauce and a fresh bun. There are approximately fifty trillion variations on chimichurri. This one is FABULOUS. Incredible flavour. Simple to make too. Ingredients Some tasty chorizo sausages (in general shoot for a dry, mild chorizo sausage) Fresh buns shaped like giant, fat cigars 1/4 onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely diced 4 tsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 3 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped…
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We regularly stock several all-natural, hardwood charcoals from Argentina. Right now our most popular is ‘Wicked Good’. It smells like heaven when starting to burn and provides beautifully consistent heat. Furthermore, it’s 100% natural. Not stuffed with vile, satanic, tumor-causing, puppy-hating, canto-pop loving, ‘mystery’ ingredients. Live longer: use natural charcoal. Another Argentine import: this rugged outdoor pizza oven. Built like a tank for outdoor use. Produce true ‘forno’ style pizza for a fraction of the price of an indoor pizza oven. Trust…
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In our constant quest to provide optimal value for our cherished readers, today we bring you not one, not two, but three barbecue tips: For a well-written and constantly updated view into the world of Argentine grilling check out the Asado Argentina website. I know you’ll be impressed. I have it on great authority (from the Argentine Consulate no less) that THE best place to get authentic Argentine chorizo sausage is: ‘ Marcelleria Baby Beef’ at 1654 Saint Clair Avenue…
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Brine is a salt, water and seasoning solution used to preserve and flavour foods. Brining increases the amount of liquid inside the meat cells and helps the cells retain moisture for a juicy moist chop. don’t be afraid of the amount of salt in this recipe – salt’s your friend. 4 Pork chops 2 cups (500 ml) Water 1/4 cup (50 ml) Alberta Whiskey – your favourite brand 3 tbsp (45 ml) Brown sugar 3 tbsp (45 ml) Honey 1/4…
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When just salt isn’t good enough, reach for some seasoning salt. There are loads of different versions out there. Almost all of them add a bit of punch and zip that regular salt doesn’t provide. A perfect way to add some last minute, no-time-to-marinate flavour to your pork chops, burgers and so on. We like Back Eddy”s Salt. http://www.backeddys.com/ It’s from Hay River – how often can you say that? We’ve said it before, we’ll say it…
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Ok, here’s the tip: let your steaks sit in loads of salt prior to grilling, rinse them off and then grill them. I know, this sounds like It’s right out of the Hunter S. Thompson recipe book but trust me on this. For some reason, this method tenderizes a steak and bumps it up a few grades. There’s definitely a salty flavour to the finished product but It’s, you know, a good saltiness. here’s our recent experiment with this method…
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Every so often Kevin from J.Webb wine merchants (www.jwebb.net) helps us find some wine to drink with our meals. This month he answered the challenge of finding the right wines to drink with grilled foods that have been kissed with smoke… Ok, so you’ve mastered the art of flavoring with smoke. What are you going to drink? Sure you could pop the top on a couple of lagers and contrast those big smoky flavors with a cool, refreshing beer…
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Wood chips; yes we have wood chips. The selection and styles of wood chips available in our stores these days is incredible. We’ve got wood that you can sprinkle like pixie dust on your grill. We’ve got baseball sized chunks that take awhile to burn. We’ve got grape vines, whisky barrels, sassafrass, peach, pecan, almond, alder, white cedar, red cedar, hickory, mesquite, apple, cherry, olive, persimmon and more. The bottom line: there are some amazing tastes and fun, fun…
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This month we’re cooking up some pork tenderloin using a simple spice rub and we’re adding some cherry wood smoke to the mix. The rub has lots of flavour but is low on heat. It’s interesting enough for the adults but basic enough for the kids. We’re using cherry wood because pork works so well with the flavour from fruit woods. Also, cherry smells fantastic as it’s burning. Vaguely Exotic, Tasty Spice Rub 3 Tbsp brown sugar 1 Tbsp kosher…
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Most folks add water to their wood chips when they’re getting ready to put their smoker boxes on the grill. That’s a good idea as it means that your wood chips will smoke and not burn. However our friend Gerry who knows a thing or two about barbecue and admittedly, “…didn’t get this big eating carrots”, suggests putting a handful of dry wood chips on top of your moist chips. That way you’ll quickly get some of the wood chips…
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Throw the French’s out. Brassica mustard is made in Calgary from fresh, Canadian mustard seed. It is a high-quality product from a local producer. Something about this all-natural whole grain mustard makes burgers absolutely sing. You can check them out at www.brassicamustard.com. Q&A with Brassica Mustard This is Desmond and Karen. They are the owners of Calgary’s Brassica Mustard. Desmond is a fancy, shmancy chef, a culinary instructor at SAIT and knows a thing or two about mustard so we’ve…
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This recipe and the one below were graciously submitted by some of our readers. In appreciation of their submissions they eached received a $25 gift certificate. Thank you to everyone who submitted recipes. Stilton Bacon Burger Written by another loyal reader, Nick. “Here is what you need: 93 kg stilton cheese (to be added once the patties are made) 3 lbs burger (I use lean) 1 red onion cut in half (half the onion is chopped and put in the…
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This recipe was graciously submitted by one of our readers. In appreciation of their submissions they received a $25 gift certificate. Thank you for the submitted recipes. Topless Burger Created by Abilene a reader of our newsletter in Ontario. “I have been waiting for this food item to come up on your website so I could show everyone my recipe that I like to make. My Aunt and Uncle do so much BBQ things that I have come up with my…
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Here’s a Tip: Cold, wet hands are rarely a positive thing in one’s life. But, when forming burger patties, cold, wet hands help ground meat stick together. Another way to keep the burgers stuck together is to keep the meat itself cold before forming into patties. Yes, this does sound a bit counter intuitive – but trust us, it works.
Did you know that May is national barbecue month? Well it is, and here’s proof: And in honor of this prestigious month, here’s some bbq facts from the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association (The HPBA) – a trade organization for barbecue manufacturers and retailers: ~ The most commonly prepared side dishes are corn, other vegetables and potatoes. (Yes, it does rather beg the question of what exactly are ‘other vegetables’?) ~ Barbecue Sauce is the most popular condiment followed by…
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Want to look like a pro? One trade secret is to use indirect cooking. That means, you don’t always have to hearken back to your caveman roots and cook right over the flame. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to take the food off the flame – keeping the outside burners of a three burner barbecue on, for instance, but turnibng the middle one off. Bigger cuts of meat – whole chickens, roasts, ribs – benefit most from indirect…
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I say “bulgogi”, you say “pul-kogi”. Truthfully, I’m not really sure how you’re supposed to say it but, no matter how you say it, it’s tasty. Apparently ‘Bulgogi’ translates as ‘fire-meat’ in Korean (which incidentally was my nickname in College – strange world). The Hot Line test kitchen loved the flavour in this dish but it’s definitely not ‘subtle’. You know you’ve had something to eat after you’ve had this – lots of salt, garlic and soy combine for mega-umami….
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This is the Sizzle Q. With the Sizzle Q, you can easily grill small pieces of food that would ordinarily fall through your typical barbecue grills (like the meat in the Korean Bulgogi recipe that is coming soon!). Also perfect for fajitas, pancakes, French toast and a big, orld stir-fry. They’re made out of rugged stainless steel and feature high side walls that allow you to keep your food on the griddle and out of the flame.
Tip #1 (BBQ related) If you need a natural gas line – call us. That’s right; we can come out to your house, and make sure that you have a never ending supply of nature’s wonder fuel, zipping out to your deck so that your barbecue can run 24/7. Or, we can extend gas lines in your house for your fireplace, oven, or your natural gas powered popcorn popper. Surprised? Don’t be. Our installers go away to school for what…
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Today we’re talking about Korean barbecue. This despite the fact that, until now, everything I knew about Korea, I learned from M*A*S*H and movies with marionettes. After some research I have learned the following about Korean bbq: #1 In North America, most people associate Korean barbecue with restaurants where you go and cook, as a group, on a barbecue placed in the table in front of you. Why you’d want to do this instead of cook on your own…
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Based on a recipe from www.barbecuebible.com. For the marinade: 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup boiling water 3 cloves garlic, peeled 1 large bunch fresh basil, stemmed 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 chicken Mix all your ingredients (well, ok, not the chicken – everything else though) in a food processor. Set aside. Now, onto the spatchcocked chicken: flip the chicken onto its back and slide your sharp knife along…
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Check this out. A low-tech, low-cost way of cutting your marinating time and increasing your meal’s flavour! This little gizmo, appropriately – but not humbly – named “The Marinade Turbocharger” puts thin holes into your meats which allow the marinade to penetrate quicker and deeper into the muscle tissue. Easy to use – just stamp your meat all over with the Turbocharger and then use your marinade as you usually would. Simple and effective.
Meet Evan. He’s “retired.” Once he retired he took it easy for a grand total of 14 minutes and then started working for us. And, he’s been with us for fourteen years now – lucky for us he was too old to work! Evan has been an incredibly valuable addition to our South store. He works in the back assembling barbeues, troubleshooting and doing anything else that needs doing. He’s a Yoda-like mentor to the younger staff who often seek him…
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Thick and Juicy New York Striploin Steaks marinated in Bloody Caesar Marinade (vodka, tomato juice, clam juice and horseradish). Serves 2 to 4 Recipe from Ted Reader’s Website Ingredients 2 New York Strip Steaks, 8 to 10 oz each 2 bottles Mott’s Clamato ready made Caesars 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tbsp garlic, chopped 2 tbsp BBQ seasoning Hot sauce 1/2 lb sliced bacon, cut in 1″ pieces 1 large onion, sliced 1/2″ thick rounds 2 cups button mushrooms 4…
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When marinating don’t use a plain steel or aluminum container to hold your food. Prolonged exposure to the aluminum can discolour your meat and give it a slight metallic taste. Use ceramic, glass or stainless steel containers whenever possible. Many use the resealable freezer bags for marinating and these do a wonderful job as they allow you to expose all the meat to the marinade. Marinate in the fridge. The acidic elemetns of your marinade (juice, wine, vinegar, etc)…
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Most of our staff are big boosters of the Char-Crust line of rubs. There unique rubs do a terrific job of sealing in the juices on just about any grilled meat (including, of course, pork). Maybe the best part about the rubs is that you can add these unique flavours with very little prep time. So, if you’re often in a hurry and are looking for a quick, gourmet hit of flavour, keep some Char-Crust in the pantry. For recipe…
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Submitted by a loyal reader of our newsletter, Muffy, who ccoks on a Big Green Egg charcoal barbecue. She says that her rub recipe below works well on both ribs and ham. Take special note of the ‘apple juice’ tip at the bottom of Muffy’s recipe – this is a technique used by many competition barbecuers and can be very effective in keeping your ribs moist. Muffy’s Rub Recipe 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup of turbinado sugar 1 Tbs….
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Alberta Pork offers this tip about pork tenderloin: “Pork tenderloin is the leanest cut of pork, with only 3 grams of fat per 3 oz. serving. A whole pork tenderloin cooks quickly on the grill in about 15-20 minutes. Try the following recipe as it features the healthy, all-Canadian duo of pork and beer!” BREW M QUE Yield: 8 Cooking Time: 15 minutes Preparation Time: 10 minutes Ingredients 8 Pork loin steaks or chops, boneless 3/4 cup (175 mL) beer…
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You thought you had it all. You were in last year, you got those cute picnic tablecloth weights, you bought some plastic dishes and some super sauces to try… But do you have a rib rack? You don’t? You NEED one! Rib racks let you cook more ribs with the same space, and more ribs is better. Of course. Actually, we have racks for everything from fish to foul, so be sure to check out the food stability and stacking…
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Trevor has been with Barbecues Galore for umpteen years. He’s dedicated. He’s efficient. And, right about now, he’s working so hard as the general manager of our Calgary stores, from customer service to product display and staffing, that we had to profile him! Plus, if being an expert in barbecues and fireplaces can’t get you featured – where will they write about you?
Yield: Serves 6 Cooking Time: 30 – 35 minutes Preparation Time: 10 minutes Ingredients 3 lbs (1.5 kg) Pork back ribs 1 jar (250 mL) Currant or grape jelly 1 can (5 1/2 fl oz / 156 mL) tomato paste 1/4 cup (50 mL) water 1 tsp (5 mL) chili powder 1/2 tsp (2 mL) garlic salt 1/4 tsp (1 mL) dried oregano 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground black pepper 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) bottled hot pepper sauce Cooking Instructions…
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Think pork has to be so overdone it flakes like fish? Think again. Of course, safe handling and cooking of food is always a priority, but this ain’t your grandma’s pork! Today’s pork is lower in fat and cholesterol than ever before (oh, but still so delicious). And, trichinosis, the bug that cooking was meant to destroy is virtually nonexistent in today’s pork, and in any case is destroyed in any meat cooked to an internal temperature of 137 degrees…
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Eventually, sooner or later, in due course, at some point, you have to clean your barbecue. Hey, we’re not saying you need to make a second career out of this. We’re just asking you to give it a thorough cleaning once or twice a year. If you do, your barbecue will last longer and you greatly reduce your risk of a grease fire. When you’re cleaning the inside of your barbecue you should use a degreaser. Our favourite is…
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At Barbecues Galore we love cooking our salmon filets on cedar planks. Customers new to this technique often ask us how it’s done so we put together the following picto-recipe. There are lots of variations on this simple technique so feel free to experiment. Soak plank for at least half an hour. Preheat BBQ. Place salmon on plank, on BBQ. Use medium / high heat. Cook until flaky in centre. Remember, the plank is supposed to burn and smoke. Enjoy.
