Tags: BBQ

How to Grill Fruit

Posted on by

Delectable, easy to prepare and high on the “guest impress” factor, grilled fruit offers the magical taste of natural caramelized sugars for melt-in-your-mouth satisfaction. It makes the perfect dessert or summer salsa to serve over grilled chicken, pork or seafood.

Fruit is composed of mostly water and sugar – it’s the heat of grilling that reduces the water, concentrates the natural sugars and creates the divine sweetness of caramelization. However, these natural sugars can burn quickly, so it’s important to watch fruit closely on the grill.

Grilled Fruit

1. Choose Your Fruit — When choosing fruit for grilling, select firm but ripe pieces. Firmly textured fruits such as apples and pears tend to retain their structure during grilling. Softer fruits like plums, nectarines, melons and bananas – even grapes on their stem – will soften quickly. Leave the fruit unpeeled to help retain its shape while grilling. Most fruit can simply be washed, halved and pitted or cored. If you want to grill sliced fruit, it helps to use a hinged grill basket, perforated barbeque topper or place a sheet of nonstick aluminum foil directly on the grill. Fruit may also be threaded on bamboo skewers for kabobs to serve with a dipping sauce.

2. Prepare – All leftover grilling residue and drippings should be removed to ensure the best fruit flavor. When ready to grill, it helps to lightly brush fruit with a mild cooking oil or melted butter.

3. Grill Away — Grill fruit over medium direct heat just until fruit softens and browns slightly, turning once halfway through cooking. For a sugary-crisp coating, sprinkle brown or granulated sugar on the cut side of the fruit; let stand 10 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve; grill fruit, cut side down, several minutes. If using a glaze, brush it on fruit near the end of cooking so the sugars don’t burn.

4. Experiment — Sliced pineapple and halved stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots and apricots are perfect candidates for grilling, but branch out and try some unexpected fruits on the grill. Cut unpeeled mango lengthwise along the seed, then grill, cut side down. Scoop fruit from peel to serve. Place peeled bananas or a small bunch of seedless grapes on their stems directly on the grill and cook just until they soften slightly, about four to five minutes. Sliced honeydew and cantaloupe melons are also great options for the grill. They can be cooked with or without their rind intact.

Barbecue How To: Flavors across the U.S.

Posted on by

Barbecue is as American as “mom and apple pie”, but have no doubt, there are fierce opinions about which region serves the best barbecue. Geography plays an important factor in determining how we come to favor certain sauces (sweet, spicy or tangy); how it’s cooked (over wood or charcoal in pits or on spits); and whether it’s served with a bun or plain white bread. Regional variations all have distinct flavor and meat preferences, with recipes as vast as the Texas landscape.

Texas-style barbecue is for the cowboy in the crowd. Chicken, sausage and pork all take a back seat to beef brisket. Basic seasonings like salt and pepper with a sprinkle of cayenne are the norm. The sauce is a mixture of ketchup, vinegar and meat drippings, usually served on the side in a plastic squeeze bottle. The whole meal is served up on butcher paper with a cup of beans and white bread.

Memphis barbecue features pulled pork sandwiches and ribs. The pork sandwich is made from the pork shoulder that is slow roasted over charcoal, served either with pulled white meat, the chopped crispy outer pieces or a combination of the two. All of this is piled on a hamburger bun and topped with slaw. Ribs in any form are often mopped with a medium-bodied, tangy, tomato-based sauce and a layer of dry rub on top.

North Carolina barbecue features pork. The Western part of the state prefers pork shoulder, while the Eastern half likes to roast the whole hog! The pork is cooked over wood or charcoal and chopped or shredded, guaranteeing the maximum absorption of the thin vinegar and hot pepper-based sauce.

St. Louis barbecue uses a special rib cut – spareribs with the brisket bone removed, but more often it’s the “pork steak” that distinguishes the St. Louis style. One method of preparing “pork steaks” is to slowly grill until done, then simmer in a pan of sweet-tangy sauce. The result is a tender steak full of flavor. Baked beans, grilled sweet corn and cole slaw complete the menu.

Leftover barbecue is always welcomed as a quick meal. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator up to three days. Leftover pulled pork freezes quite well; store in a zip-tight plastic bag for two to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator, remove from plastic and place in oven-safe pan. Cover and reheat at 250°F until heated through and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.