ok, wich Steak & BBQ Sauce ?

[Maverick]

Why anyone would think a steak needs to have sugar and raisons spread on it is beyond me. YUCK!

BBQ sauce on the other hand can enhance the taste of the meat by blending with it during cooking.

After last September I have to admit that the KC area has the best handle on BBQ i the US. Smoked meat is a real treat and Toad and Rude can do wonders with their smokers.

[Gh0stFT]

thank you all so far for the infos!
First about the steaks, usualy i preffer steaks medium with a little
seasoning, and sometimes a little of parsley-butter(sp?), nothing more.

But BBQ is a different taste, i especialy like the Hickory taste.
What we like to grill over real fire (just wood burning), is this:
Pork
Ribs
Belly bacon(sp?) she is crazy after this
Turkey & Chicken breast (i think every woman likes this, thats not much my thingy)
and simple steaks, beef.
(+ for me, fresh chopped onions is a must when grillin)

Dinger i would love to hear your own BBQ recipe!

And Toad we grill when the coal glow(sp?) and no fire visible more.
Btw. soon i will try my first Burgers over fire, maybe you have some tips
for this challenge too

[Monk]

I like all the Jack Daniels - see if he has or can get the Tennesse/Hickory sauce.

What shop is this, does he have a website?

[Dinger]

Sorry, never had any cooking classes or worked as a chef.
My snobby brother does do some writing on cooking; and I cook quite regularly for quite a few people. So I can't offer any useful advice, beyond the usual snobbery:

What I do, is select an area I want to gain expertise in (grilling was one of the first, obviously), read up a bit on it, and practice, practice, practice. After each meal, I assess what went right, and what went wrong, and how to improve for the next time.
You've got to mix study with practice in the field; because you can read all you want about marbling on a steak, for example, but you're not going to really "get it", until you slap a couple on the grill, and observe the different results. With experience under your belt, you can go back and appreciate some of the finer points (or spot the outright BS, like some pompous bellybutton talking about "The spirit of the steak").


So I can't offer much practical advice here; but I'd recommend this:

First, what does she exactly want to learn? Cooking is a huge field; what sorts of dishes is she looking to prepare?

Second, before spending money on a cooking school, invest in a good kitchen reference work. Believe it or not, I find the third edition of the "Joy of Cooking" very handy -- it doesn't contain merely recipes, but detailed descriptions of A) What to look for in foods (which ones are good/ripe/quality) B) how to prepare them (someone drops a duck on your doorstep and you've got to carve it up) C) detailed descriptions of physical and chemical processes.  It's a great starting place for the basic "how tos" of cooking, explaining what happens and why. Of course, other texts can be useful -- but this depends on their style. For me, a good cook book doesn't necessarily have pretty pictures or fancy recipes: just good techniques, technical discussion and artistic crap.

Third, before going to classes, try to cook some in the style to be studied: basic instruction and advanced training cost the same, but one can be done at home.

Fourth, don't listen to people like my brother who might write fancy articles for fancy magazines. Don't listen to me either.

Fifth, quality ingredients and simple preparation are 95% of what you need. A good steak requires very little to make it great.

And remember, eat your mistakes

So sorry I can't be much more help.

[parker00]

Originally posted by Maverick
Why anyone would think a steak needs to have sugar and raisons spread on it is beyond me. YUCK!

BBQ sauce on the other hand can enhance the taste of the meat by blending with it during cooking.

After last September I have to admit that the KC area has the best handle on BBQ i the US. Smoked meat is a real treat and Toad and Rude can do wonders with their smokers.

Must agree with ya, I think KC has the best BBQ i have ever had and the top of the list would have to be:

Jack Stack BBQ

[Toad]

Ghost, the general principle of BBQ is indirect or offset heat and smoke.

I'm going to clip some stuff to save time and direct you to a few helpful sites:

Cooking With Indirect Heat

Indirect cooking simply means that the meats and other foods being barbecued are not placed directly over the flames during cooking. Instead, they are placed over a different area of the grill or in a separate, connected cooking chamber. This allows for slow cooking and greater control of fire, temperature and smoking technique.

It would help if we know what type of cooker you have.

Do you have a "kettle" type?



Or a gas grill?



Or do you have a smoker?



Note the offset firebox on that one for indirect heat.

Here's a "general" BBQ website that talks about all the kinds of grills and has recipes and "how to" information.

Babecue'n on the Internet

Burgers are really simple, no real mystery.

You can flavor the ground meat before grilling to vary the taste. Experiment. I often put onion and garlic powder in the mix before I make the patties. Sometimes I'll also mix in a few tablespoons of the BBQ sauce, like Jack Daniels. Be careful though.. the sugars in the sauces carbonize and can be bitter, so don't use much. Some folks put dry onion soup mix into the ground meat and let it sit overnight. Then make the patties and grill. You can try any meat flavoring you like; it's up to you.


Here's a clip that pretty well describes the process; it's pretty much what we all do without much variation.

Grilling the Perfect Burger

I usually toast the burger buns on the grill very lightly just before the meat is ready. In the US, putting a slice of cheese on the burger just before you take it off the grill is common; just let the cheese melt a bit and pull the burger off the grill. Swiss, Cheddar, American... just about any cheese is good on a burger.

Dressing the bun? We often use lettuce, tomato, onion slice, pickle slices, ketchup, mustard.... it's only limited to what YOU like!

Have fun! It's all good.

[DieAz]

Originally posted by Dinger


And remember, eat your mistakes

 

that is the number one rule, right there.
eat the mistakes you make, bet ya don't ever make that mistake again.

experience is the best teacher, when it come to cooking, grilling, or whatever you wanna call, what it is you trying to do.  

[Raubvogel]

Sweet Baby Ray's is the best BBQ sauce evar.

[kevykev56]

Originally posted by Raubvogel
Sweet Baby Ray's is the best BBQ sauce evar.

I will second that!

[whels]

Tony ROma's original and then Carolina Honey's


whels

[Gunslinger]

JACK DANIELS BBQ SAUCE - Original No. 7 Recipe_

This is my absolute favorite.  Sometimes I add a touch of honey to it for more stickyness.

there smokehouse one is good as well as their more spicy one.

The one form them that I HATE is their honey version.  I cant recal the exact name but My wife baught a bottle of that instead of the number 7 because it came with a free brush.  Nice gesture but I sent her back to the store for the right stuff cause it tasted like ass.

Steaks I don't use a sauce I preferr MCormicks montreal steak seasoning.  I like a spicy pepper steak.

My wife puts seasonall on hers and I want to smack her every time I see it.

[tapakeg]

Stubbs has the best overall lineup period.

The beef marinade rules

It makes for great hamburgers



Tapakeg

[Gh0stFT]

Originally posted by Toad
Ghost, the general principle of BBQ is indirect or offset heat and smoke.

Hi Toad!

first thanks for all the BBQ tips, i didnt knew what a smoker is
until you showed me. Very interesting. I found a  seller
here in de Planet BBQ
but this things are not cheap!
i have to study this whole smoking/BBQ thing now, ah and i
will start with stubbs. They even have liquid smoke, i read
on the web about, looks like thats an interesting marinade.

R
Gh0stFT

[Tumor]

Ketchup

[Toad]

Ghost, you don't have to have the fancy smoker.

For years and years I cooked on an "El Cheapo Brinkman" that I bought for $25. It turned out very, very good BBQ.

You can do indirect heat on just about any grill. The techniques are on the net.

Can you take a pic of what you are cooking on? If we can see it, I think we can get you started.

In the meantime, see if you can order one of these for delivery in Germany. If not, I'll be happy to buy you one and ship it over if you're willing to pay for it.

As I said, these are pretty cheap and work far better than most people suspect. I used one for over 10 years.

Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal Water Smoker