Sunday, April 24, 2011

Tips For Great Fish On The Grill


Along with meats, vegetables and poultry, fish is also one of the most popular items anyone can put in on top of the grill. This is because fish has a very pleasant flavor, is quite easy and fun to cook and would offer a healthier option than most other items that are usually grilled. However, there are different methods and approaches to cooking different sorts of fish. Following these methods correctly would make your fish taste much better than how it has always been.

Take note that fish is to be classified into some categories when it comes to grilling and these are whole, fillet, firm and tender fish. These categories are what you should use as a basis to know how to cook it. So to further educate you with other guidelines you must follow when grilling fish, here are some helpful tips to guide you through.

Direct Grilling

Firm fish such as swordfish and tuna are much easier to grill since they do not crumble or break apart as easily as how some other fish would. Being that, you can have them cooked right on top of the fire, just make sure that there isn’t too much fire that it would overcook it. Make sure the fire is set on medium when first having the fish grilled and you can later set it higher so that there would be pretty grill marks on the sides of your fish, these of which are the signs of a grill master.

It is also very important that you know how your fish should be. In being so, choose cuts that are at least 1 inch thick and are quite wide. Also when grilling those nice fillets, make sure that you turn them every once in a while or every 2 minutes or so. While you would want to have those nice grill marks, it is more important to have the fish cooked well.

Grilling Hygiene

When grilling, you would not want to have a nice sea bass on top of the grill cooked perfectly and later have it taste like steak. To avoid this, you should practice good grilling hygiene that is you should always see to it that your grill is clean and is fit for use. In grilling hygiene, there are three main guidelines to remember. The grill must be cleaned, it must be hot and it must be oiled too. Take note that fish could stick to the grill’s surface and damage it easier compared to other items.

First is you have to keep it clean, make sure that you scrub the grill’s surface each time before you use it and you have to make sure that there are no remnants of any food items on top of it. Another is that you have to keep it oiled. Before grilling, spray a small amount of vegetable oil on the grill’s surface to keep the fish from sticking to it later on. Last is you have to keep it hot, or pre-heated. Never toss fish on the grill’s surface right after setting the fire, wait for 15 minute before doing so.

Make Use Of Accessories

Accessories are now widely available to make grilling fish much easier and taste much better. A famous example of this is the fish basket which is a device which puts the fish into a cage like grill and makes it cook evenly on all sides easier. To enhance the fish’s flavor, you can also add herbs, lemon and spices with the fish inside the grill for the vapor to sink deep into the fish.

There are a lot of accessories and you can use them depending on how you want fish to be prepared.

The Perfect Prime Rib


The Prime Rib Cut

When it comes to items on the grill or anything that the average American would think of when it comes to food, one of the most legendary items is the prime rib. Not only is prime rib one of the best cuts of beef there is around but it is also commonly associated with outdoor grilling we had as kids, restaurant dates and many other factors that would make it significant.

So if you happen to be into grilling, you can make this more meaningful by grilling prime rib yourself. With the wonders that you can make out of it, you as well as everyone who will get a taste of grilled prime rib is sure to be delighted by it aroma, its taste and is sure to be very full after having a full serving. Meanwhile, here are some tips on how to grill prime rib.

Picking The Cut

Because of its fame, people would tend to think that prime rib is quite difficult to cook, also considering that it is a favorite dish to be served by some of the best restaurants and chefs in the country. The truth behind this is that prime rib is not hard to grill at all in fact; people who are new on the grill could even have prime rib as some of their first few dishes. Prime rib does not only taste good but is also easy to grill, while that would also depend on the meat you get.

When picking a prime rib cut, choose one that has a good marble of fat in the meat. This marble of fat makes the meat tenderer when being grilled and another advantage of that is that it also adds a savory flavor to the meat itself. Lean meat is also good but it wouldn’t be advised for grilling but rather for other dishes.

Marinating Prime Rib

To give your prime rib the best flavor possible, you have to marinate it for at least 30 minutes. A good example of a marinade would include tomato soup, water, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. To marinate it, put the mixture along with the beef in a container and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, only bring it out when everything is ready for grilling prime rib.

If you should use the marinade later for a sauce or if you should reapply it to the prime rib, have it boiled for at least 5 minutes by itself. Since the meat was still raw when it was soaked in the mixture, it could carry some amounts of bacteria. Boiling it for at least 5 minutes would eliminate the bacteria in it thus making it safe to use again.

Serving Prime Rib

Prime rib is just like any other cuts of meat, it can be served well done, medium-well, medium-rare or rare. For medium-well and well-done meats, it would be more appetizing to serve the prime rib with nice grill marks on the side. Not only are these done to make the meat look nicer but it is also an indication that the meat is cooked well.

Prime rib can be served at almost any occasion or even if there actually isn’t any. Prime rib, since it is a heavy cut most of the time is served alone but to make the dining experience more meaningful, you could serve it with a nice salad, soup and red wine to make the event more romantic.