Grilling

July 6, 2014

#HotDog Tips

Here are some tips from Nowcado to make the best possible hot dogs.

  1. You can season your hot dogs in a mixture of onions and beer to see the effect on your hot dogs. Try experimenting with different flavors and brews!
  2. Pre-cook the hot dogs at 350 for 4-5 minutes in order to make the casing crispy, and then finish them off on the grill.
  3. Top with different items, such as with the chili recipe we provided earlier. Sauerkraut, relish, mustard, ketchup, chopped onions, garlic, old bay, and peppers are all possibilities!

July 5, 2014

#Burger Tips

Here are a few tips from Nowcado for making better burgers as you #grill this #summer.

  1. Grind your own beef – besides the fact that you can choose the quality (e.g. age, cut, handling of meat, etc.) of your food, you can have complete control over things like fat content and grind size.
  2. Keep the meat cold until you cook it so that the fat stays in the meat.
  3. Carefully weigh patties to ensure consistency.
  4. Using our earlier meat cooking guideline, use a thermometer to be sure you get the meat to your desired level of cooking.
  5. Season well with salt and pepper, but only at the last minute. If you do it too much earlier, the salt will dissolve muscle proteins and you will lose the nice, crumbly texture that you expect from your burger.
  6. Flip the burger often so that you cook it evenly (up to once every 15 seconds).
  7. Don’t play with the patty much besides flipping it (unless smashing in the beginning). Also, don’t add anything (e.g. onions, eggs, breadcrumbs, etc) to the meat besides a few seasonings – you can add toppings later.
  8. Pick a bun that doesn’t have too tough of a crust. You can toast it, but want a soft interior.
  9. Top with anything you like, such as the chili recipe we described earlier.

June 6, 2014

Grilled Citrus and Grape #Sangria

Here is another #recipe nowcado.com can help you with to cool off this #summer while grilling. It involves grilling some of the ingredients prior to making the drink!

Recipe adapted from foodandwine.com

Ingredients

  • 3 cups stemmed seedless red grapes
  • 2 oranges, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch wheels
  • 2 lemons, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch wheels
  • 1 bottle red wine
  • 1 bottle white wine
  • 8 ounces simple syrup
  • 8 ounces brandy
  • Ice

Directions

  1. Light a hardwood charcoal fire. Put the grapes on a perforated grill sheet or in a grill basket and grill over high heat, tossing occasionally, until they just start to burst, about 6 minutes. Transfer the grapes to a plate to cool completely.
  2. Meanwhile, grill the orange and lemon wheels over high heat, turning once, until lightly charred, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool completely.
  3. In a large pitcher, combine the wine with the simple syrup, brandy and grilled fruit and stir well. Refrigerate until the sangria is chilled and the flavors are blended, at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Serve the sangria over ice.

June 1, 2014

Grilled Pineapple with Chocolate Sauce

Here is a great #recipe for a #dessert you can make with your grill using ingredients you can get with nowcado.com.

This recipe was adapted from food.com

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe pineapple, skinned, core removed and cut into wedges. Reserve juice.
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup rum
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 14 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions

  1. Preheat the broiler or grill.
  2. Thread the pineapple onto the skewers. Lay the pineapple kabobs on a sheet of foil and sprinkle them with brown sugar. Grill the pineapple until it caramelizes and scorches along the edges.
  3. While the kabobs are grilling, boil a bowl of hot water, then remove it from the heat. Place the chocolate and the rum into a bowl over the hot water.  Stir melted mixture thoroughly, then add the cream plus the reserved pineapple juice. When the sauce is thick, smooth and hot, remove the chocolate sauce bowl from the hot water bowl.
  4. Take the kabobs from the grill and serve. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over each kabob with a spoon.

May 30, 2014

Charcoal Grilled Pizza

#Grilling is great for #pizza because it requires very high heat – one of the most important factors when making pizza. Here is a simple way to make great grilled pizzas on your charcoal grill.

1) Get your ingredients (use nowcado.com for the best deals!) ready as you will need to work quickly. Pick toppings like cheeses, sauces, meats and vegetables and have them all ready to go by your grill.
a) If you want to use any vegetables or cured meats as toppings, you may want to par-cook them prior to putting on the pie. Simply grill by themselves prior to continuing to the next steps.
2) Use your favorite dough recipe and roll the dough out by hand into a round shape. Cover with light coating of olive oil and hint of salt and pepper.
3) Get your grill hot and put the dough over the hot coals, oil side down. Rotate every 15 seconds. You can optionally flatten the largest bubbles if you like. While it cooks, lightly oil the top side.
4) Flip the dough when the bottom is cooked (it will happen fast!) and move it to the cool side of the grill. Top quickly with not too much cheese (about 2 oz cheese for a 12 inch pizza) first, then dot with sauce, and add any other toppings last. If you want the cheese extra melted, cover the grill and cook for 30 seconds now.
5) Move the pizza over to the hot charcoal side and finish cooking, rotating as with the first side.
6) Remove from grill, slice, and enjoy!