Barbecue Best

There is nothing as great as enjoying a great meal at your own home especially when you have the company of friends and relatives. It is even greater if you make the great meal yourself and you are enjoying it with the people you love. Many people shy away from cooking because they are not sure if they will ever make a great meal for others to enjoy, but with a great BBQ sauce recipe, you will never go wrong as far as cooking is concerned. It is the sauce which will add the great flavor that will make everyone like your cooking and even ask for more. Your family will never get enough of your meal once you know how to come up with a good home-made barbecue sauce to use with your home cooking.A good barbecue sauce recipe can be learned from friends, relatives or even colleagues in your workplace. As long as it worked great for them, chances of the recipe working wonders for you as well are equally high. People will always make you know if a certain BBQ sauce recipe is great by the way they use it with their foods, so you can go for a recipe which is preferred by many people in order to impress many people with your cooking. You need to like the recipe too, otherwise you will be giving people something you cannot have yourself which is not a good thing. The rule here is to enjoy your sauce for others to enjoy it as well.There are several internet sites as well, where you can get a good BBQ sauce recipe and try it in order to tell whether it is good or not. Ensure to try several recipes in order to only adopt the best for your family and friends. This way, they will enjoy the food you have prepared and you will feel good about it. A home-made BBQ sauce is the best because you are at liberty to prepare a great sauce on your home other than relying on the purchased sauce which you are not sure what it was made of. With a home-made sauce, you already know what you have put in it and therefore you will be sure of how great the sauce is.Therefore with a great barbecue sauce recipe, you will always enjoy what you have prepared at home. The sauce is not meant only for meat but for other foods as well. Initially, the sauce was mainly used with barbecues but these days, people have realized how great the flavor of the sauce is to other foods, which is why people use the sauce on practically all food types.

Crockpots and Slowcookers are great for a wide variety of foods. These recipes highlight some of the variety of beef recipes that work great in your cooker. Chili is often considered a "crockpot recipe" but have you considered BBQ Beef Chili? This is a different twist to the traditional chili and is great for those game-watching parties. How about Beef Fajitas? Had you ever considered making them in your slowcooker? This recipe will win you over.BBQ BEEF CHILI 1 tsp canola oil 1 lb lean ground beef 1 yellow onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed 2 cans (15-oz) pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained 2 cups chicken broth or water 1 can diced chili-ready tomatoes 2/3 cup chipotle barbecue sauce 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp chopped cilantro 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheeseHeat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until the beef is browned, stirring to break beef apart; drain.Place the beef mixture into a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker or crockpot. Stir in the squash, beans, broth or water, tomatoes, barbecue sauce and salt. Place lid on cooker and cook 4 to 5 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low. Before serving, stir the cilantro into the chili. Top bowls with the shredded cheese.STEAK FAJITAS 1 (1 1/2 lb) beef flank steak 1 can (14.5-oz) diced tomatoes with garlic & onion 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 med onion, sliced 1 med green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips 1 med red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro 2 tsp cornstarch 1 tbsp water 12 (6-in) flour tortillas, warmed 3/4 cup sour cream 3/4 cup your favorite salsaSlice the steak across the grain into thin strips and place in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, with the liquid, jalapeno, garlic, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Stir to blend ingredients and then cover the cooker. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Add the onion, red and green peppers, and the cilantro; cook another hour or until the meat is tender.Combine the cornstarch with the water and stir until smooth. Gradually stir the mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened. Using a slotted spoon, spoon about a half cup of the meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Add a tablespoon of the sour cream and a tablespoon of salsa to each. Fold the bottom of the tortilla up over the filling and roll tortilla up.Yield: 12 fajitasEnjoy!

BBQ Rub RecipeA BBQ Rub recipe is fundamental to making great BBQ. Do not be intimidated by all the ingredients and how they should be mixed. Below is a brief overview of the core spices to a good bbq dry rub. Feel free to try this basic recipe and experiment with combinations of these spices and more.Core SpicesPaprikaThe spice by volume most used as a good base for barbecue rubs is paprika. Paprika is made from sweet red peppers that are dried and then powdered. Most paprika originates from Hungary but now you can get some great paprika from Spain. The author prefers 'sweet Hungarian paprika' when making his own rub. Paprika is responsible for giving barbecue its beautiful red color.Chili PowderChili powder is a spice mix usually made from chili peppers (red, ancho, chipotle and cayenne). Often mixes will include other spices such as black pepper, coriander, turmeric, mace and others.SaltSalt is in everything right? Go easy because you can easily add too much salt to a rub. Smaller cuts are very suspect to oversalting, such as ribs or chicken. Also, be careful with rubs that are high in salt content if you plan to let the rub cover the meat for long periods of time. High salt rubs can turn the meat 'hammy' if allowed to blend with the meat too long. I prefer to use kosher salt (or sea salt) with my rubs, but you may need to run it through a spice grinder if your other ingredients are finely ground.Brown SugarBrown sugar is often a hig percentage of the bulk of rib rubs, but is common in many all-purpose rubs. It may be necessary to dry out brown sugar to avoid clumping if you are planning to store the rub for some time. Also, be careful with rubs high in sugar because it can easily burn.Garlic Powder,Onion Powder,Black PepperImportant ingredients present in almost all barbecue dry rubs.Secondary SpicesThe following spices are also common in barbecue rubs and often commercial rubs will include some or all of these spices.CorianderThis is another great spice that has an identity crisis. Most of the world refers to it as coriander, but in America it is called cilantro, yet, it is also referred to as Mexican parsley, as well as Chinese parsley. Whatever you want to call it, add it to your barbecue rub. But,make sure to use ground (dried) coriander. Cilantro leaves have their purpose, but its sweet, citrus like taste of the leaves is better left for other dishes. This is another spice often used in Asian, Indian and Mexican dishes.CuminCumin is a bit more obscure than most of the ingredients found in barbecue rubs, but one that I use in all of mine. Cumin is in the parsley family and has a great aroma. If you have eaten Indian or Persian food, you have had an abundance of this spice. This is a core spice for many Mexican and in nearly all Tex-Mex dishes. I love this spice and often have to hold back to keep from putting too much in my rubs. A little known fact is that cumin is the 2nd most used spice in the world (to black pepper).Cayenne PepperTake it easy with this one unless you like your rub with some kick. Too much kick is possible even for those who dig very spicy rubs. I made the mistake of using fresh ground cayenne for the first time at a barbecue competition...and the judges must have thought it was a hot buffalo wing eating contest. I enjoyed the ribs, but the judges scored me VERY low on taste.How to MixBasically,mix your ingredients together and put on your favorite cut of meat and cook to your pleasure.A few hints. Keep in mind that ribs have a small surface area, so a little rub goes a long way. Just the opposite effect with an eight pound Boston Butt or 12 pound beef brisket. With the bigger cuts,more rub is better. Also, sweeter rubs seem to do better with ribs and chicken and less sweet for bigger cuts (they cook longer and could burn with high sugar content).Here is a great rub base for starting your own rub. Feel free to experiment.Basic BBQ Rub Recipe5 parts Paprika3 parts Chli Powder3 parts Brown Sugar2 parts Kosher Salt1 part each Black Pepper,Onion Powder, Cayenne PepperPart can be any measurement - cup, tablespoon, teaspoonHappy Barbecueing.

Improving your backyard barbecue skills can be a tough road to travel, especially when it's hard to decide which of the many books, DVDs, and accessories can really help up your BBQ game.One of the biggest challenges faced by backyard barbecue enthusiasts today is how to go about selecting the resources that can really impact the quality of what you put on the table. There are literally hundreds of books, videos, and accessories out there promising to make you the star of your next BBQ cookout. However, unless you know up front which ones have actually proven useful to folks, you can feel a bit like you're poking around in the dark.Here are some of the most popular books, videos, and accessories members of a trusted online BBQ community have found useful. Take a look, and you're sure to find some information that will head you in the right direction and have you upping your BBQ cook out game in no time.Popular BBQ BooksAmerica's Best BBQ: 100 Recipes from America's Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants by Ardie A. Davis and Chef Paul Kirk took the #1 spot (no surprise, there from these two Kansas City BBQ guys) with Real Barbecue: The Classic Barbecue Guide to the Best Joints Across the USA - with Recipes, Porklore, and More! by Vince Staten and Greg Johnson finishing at the #2 position. The Staten/Johnson book has always been a favorite among readers of The BBQ Smoker Site blog - especially those who are of the "build your own barbecue smoker" variety. Backyard BBQ: The Art of Smokology by Rich McPeake took the #3 spot and is a solid pick for backyard BBQ folks interested in learning some of the more intricate aspects of the art of barbecue.1. America's Best BBQ: 100 Recipes from America's Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants2. Real Barbecue: The Classic Barbecue Guide to the Best Joints Across the USA - with Recipes, Porklore, and More!3. BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbeque Belt4. Smoke & Spice: Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue5. Big Green Egg Cookbook: Celebrating the World's Best Smoker & Grill6. Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste, and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking7. The Cook's Illustrated Guide To Grilling And Barbecue8. The Big Book of BBQ: Recipes and Revelations from the Barbecue Belt9. Barbecue! Bible: Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes10. BBQ 25Popular BBQ DVDs Only a few Barbecue DVDs made it onto the list this time. It seems there is a lack of really up to date movies or documentaries out there about BBQ. I'd sure like to see more competition BBQ documentaries on the market. Here are a few that continue to make it into the video libraries of BBQ enthusiasts.1. Backyard Barbecue with HomeBBQ.com2. BBQ Secrets - The Master Guide To Extraordinary Barbecue Cookin'3. Inside the World of Championship BarbecuePopular BBQ AccessoriesIn the barbecue tools and accessories, thermometers and gauges took the #1 and #2 spots with the RC-T2 BBQ Grill Smoker Thermometer Gauge from River Country leading the pack as a surprise, followed by the Maverick ET-7 Remote-Check Wireless Thermometer (dual probe model). Bear Paws meat handles finished solid at #3, which makes sense as I see them in use at nearly every competition cook off I visit. Here are the more popular barbecue tools and accessories for last quarter.1. River Country (RC-T2) BBQ Grill Smoker Thermometer Gauge (100 to 550 F)2. Maverick ET-7 Remote-Check Wireless Thermometer With 2 Probes3. Bear PAWS Meat Handles4. Bradley All Weather Cover 4 Rack5. Bradley Smoker 5 Flavor Variety Bisquettes 60 Pack6. Outset QS77 Stainless Steel Wood Chip Smoker Box7. Weber 9986 Premium Cover8. Harold Imports 15-by-10-by-4-Inch Nonstick Professional Roasting Rack9. Fresh Mill 210 Herb Storage Canister and Mill10.Char Broil Silver Smoker

If you plan on getting yourself a BBQ grill, the very first thing you need to know is that there are lots of BBQ grills that are available in the market today. Aside from variety, they also come in different styles and sizes. If you want to know which type of BBQ grill will work best for you, look at the different varieties listed below.Portable Grills
These grills are smaller, which makes them easy to load into your car and bring along to the beach or park. These come in three types specifically gas, electric, and charcoal. Most of them are small tabletop grills while others are made to be bigger but are still light enough to be easily carried. Since portable BBQ grills are not that big, they work perfectly for small gatherings.Charcoal Grills
These types of grills are still available nowadays and they are considered as the best one by a lot of outdoor cooking enthusiasts. They take pride in their knowledge of the exact number briquettes needed to cook a certain type of food as well as based on the amount to be cooked in order to produce the perfect temperature. Barbecuing is an art and these people are known as experts.Gas Grills
These have become really famous within the last 10 to 20 years, which is really not that surprising since with these you do not have to worry about buying and disposing charcoal. In addition, you get instant heat, which if regularly maintained can be evenly disbursed. These types of grills can be quite deluxe and they come in different sizes.Electric Grills
These are not that common and are not designed for everybody which is why they are said to be designed to a devoted market. Most of electric grills are small and specifically designed for tabletops. However, you can purchase full-sized grills as well if you want to. These perfectly suit people who don't grill a lot but really enjoy doing occasional summer BBQs. In addition, electric grills work great for those living in apartments because they can use these for grilling in their balconies. With these types of grills, you do not have to worry about briquettes or gas since all you need to do is to plug them in.Now that you already have a good idea of the different types of grills available in the market as well as the functions and advantages that they can offer, you can now choose wisely which among these things will work best for you and your family.

One of the great things about going to a barbecue is that there is nearly always a wide choice of food on offer. No matter whether you're a meat eater, a fish-eater, or a vegetarian, there's usually something being barbecued that will take your fancy. And if there isn't, you should have a word with the chef!Meanwhile, if you are the chef, you'll need to think about what to cook. Burgers and sausages are barbecue favourites, but sometimes pushing the boat out just that little bit further will put a wider smile on the face of your diners.To help you get the most from your barbecue, here are some fantastic recipes to get the party started.Lamb Kebabs
These kebabs are very easy to make and are delicious. Serve with Pitta bread and side salads and you're guests will be queuing up for seconds before they've even polished off their firsts!Ingredients:
450g lamb mince, juice of half a lemon, 1 tablespoon of oil, fresh coriander leaves, 4 garlic cloves, 4 green chillies, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons grated gingerTo cook:
Mix the lamb and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice in a bowl. Mix together the oil, garlic, chillies, cumin, coriander, ginger, pepper, rest of the lemon juice, turmeric and salt into a paste. Stir the paste into the mince. Use your hands to create sausage shapes from the mixture. Put the meat onto skewers. Brush the meat with oil and they're ready to go on the barbecue for around 5 minutes on each side.Tofu Skewers with Satay Sauce
Vegetarians, vegans and carnivores alike will enjoy this recipe. And food preparation doesn't get much easier than this.Ingredients:
Tofu, ½ cup of coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of red curry paste (check it's the vegetarian version if you're serving this to veggies), I tablespoon Hoisin sauceTo cook:
Cut the tofu into 1 - 1 ½ inch cubes. Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, red curry paste, and Hoisin sauce to a pan and mix together gently over a low heat. Put the tofu onto skewers and then lie them in a bowl and pour over the mixture, leaving it to marinade for an hour. The marinade will thicken and once put on the barbecue, the tofu skewers should take about 6 minutes on each side to cook.Chicken and Barbecue Sauce
Barbecue chicken is always popular. Add to it a simple, tasty barbecue sauce and you've got yourself a real winner - and it won't take a lot of effort to prepare.Ingredients:
1 cup of tomato ketchup, 3 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a dash of Tabasco. Chicken pieces.To cook:
Mix the ingredients for the sauce together. Place the chicken on the barbecue and 10 minutes before you take the chicken off, coat it with the sauce. Simple and delicious.Barbecued Prawns
Meat tends to monopolise the grill at any barbecue, but it really shouldn't. There are plenty of mouth-watering barbecue seafood recipes, but here is one of our favourites.Ingredients:
1kg of large unpeeled prawns, ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of ½ lemon, 4 crushed cloves of garlic, 2 basil leaves chopped finely, ½ teaspoon sea salt, a pinch of black pepperTo cook:
Put the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Put the prawns on the barbecue and cook for one minute. Turn them over and cook for another minute. Take the prawns of the barbecue and shell them before dipping them in the oil. Eat!You can shell the prawns before putting them on the barbecue but leaving them in the shell keeps the moisture and flavour in.Beef Fillet
Barbecue beef is delicious and never more so than when it's served up with a mustard sauce. The kids may not thank you, but the adults will adore you! And you can always leave the mustard sauce off to satisfy those younger members of your barbecue party.Ingredients:
Beef fillets, 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons of white vinegar,1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon tarragon, pinch black pepper.To cook:
Mix the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, pineapple juice, tarragon and pepper. Place the mixture in a saucepan and heat gently. Thump the fillets with a kitchen mallet (or rolling pin if you don't have one) and season with salt and pepper. Put the fillets on the grill and cook for around 5 minutes on each side. Once done, take off the grill and plate up, pouring over about 2 or 3 spoonfuls of the mustard sauce.

Barbecues are a great way to entertain friends and family. You're not stuck in the kitchen away from all the fun, it doesn't matter if people turn up early or late, and if the weather's fine the eating and drinking can go on as long as you like. But what do you do if you are catering for someone with a food allergy?Some allergies are more extreme than others - nut allergies can cause extremely severe, life threatening reactions, while other people's allergies may manifest as a slight rash or headache.So how do you approach this? First, of course, you need to know about any food allergies. Anyone who suffers from a severe allergy will probably let you know so that any cross-contamination can be avoided - in fact if their allergy is serious, they may well avoid eating at your barbecue and bring their own food. It's worth asking for some recipe ideas too, as they will be expert at substituting ingredients in their favourite dishes, and know which brands are safe for them to eat.Planning ahead is the key if you're catering for anyone with food allergies - if you're cooking for children, remember that they hate to be different, so be discreet about any variations in the menu - and if they have to bring their own food, encourage them to bring enough to share, so that they don't feel too conspicuous with their 'special' food.Most guests with food allergies will ask about included ingredients if they are unsure what is in a barbecue sauce, for instance. Have packs and bottles on hand so that they can check labels, or make sure you can remember what ingredients you have used in homemade dishes.If a guest has a severe allergy to nuts, the safest approach is not to have nuts anywhere near any of the food you are preparing. Check the labels of all pre-prepared food to ensure it is nut free. To be extra safe set up a small portable or disposable grill and use it to cook their food to avoid any possible contamination.For other allergies there are always alternatives. If someone is allergic to cows' milk, you can use soya or rice milk or yogurt for dressings or marinades.If a visitor is allergic to gluten you will need to buy gluten-free bread or cakes or use gluten-free flour to make your own.Egg allergies mean homemade burgers will need to be formed without using eggs to bind them and you won't be able to use mayonnaise in pasta, potato or coleslaw salad. Consider using tomato- based dressings for pasta, crème fraiche for potato salad and yogurt for your coleslaw. Also check the packages of prepared products for ingredients. Pasta is usually made with egg so you'll have to look for an egg-free variety in the supermarket or health food shop. Wheat-free pasta is also available for anyone who cannot tolerate wheat.Dealing with food allergies is simple if you use a bit of common sense and most people are very aware of products they should avoid, and they will often bring their own choice of foods anyway. I had a vegan friend who would take her own rice milk and spread whenever she visited friends as she didn't expect everyone to go out and buy special products just for her.Pizzas are an unusual option for the barbecue, but are simple to make - and you can make a pizza base yourself, so that you know it has not been in contact with nuts. You can use gluten-free flour, if necessary and then choose appropriate toppings, so that those who cannot tolerate dairy products, or mushrooms, perhaps, can make up their own pizzas to suit themselves. Cook the pizza base directly on the grill until it is stiff, take off the grill, add your toppings and then pop the pizza back on the grill until the cheese (if used) is melting. Whizz up your own tomato sauce in a food processor with tinned or fresh tomatoes, garlic and herbs, so that you can tell your guests exactly what is in it.Anyone who is allergic to tomatoes will often find themselves out of luck at a barbecue, where there are baked barbecue beans and barbecue sauces made with tomato ketchup on everything. Dry rubs are a great alternative that give meat such as ribs flavour - and there's nothing to stop other guests adding their own barbecue sauce afterwards. Brown sugar, chilli, garlic and onion powder plus salt and pepper, can be mixed together and rubbed over the ribs before cooking.If mayonnaise-based potato salads are not an option, make a dressing of Dijon mustard, pepper, salt, dill, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to add to your cooked potatoes. Steamed asparagus and cubed chicken can also be mixed in.A few more alternatives for foods that may cause allergies:Butter: replace with vegetable oil or non-hydrogenated margarine.Mayonnaise: Alternative ingredients to add moisture to burgers include hummus or mashed avocado.Nuts: If you want to add texture to a salad for instance, try using small crunchy croutons instead.