An unscrupulous individual is using the Charbroilgrilling.com domain name as the return to address for a spam or unsolicited email campaign. This is commonly known as email “spoofing”.

Email spoofing may occur in different forms, but all have a similar result: a user receives email that appears to have originated from one source when it actually was sent from another source. Email spoofing is often an attempt to hide the identity of the actual sender of an unsolicited email message (aka spam). More information on email spoofing can be found at the following sites:
http://www.lse.ac.uk/itservices/help/spamming&spoofing.htm
http://www.mailsbroadcast.com/email.broadcast.faq/46.email.spoofing.htm
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/E/e_mail_spoofing.html
http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.com/content.cfm?articleid=784

There is only one address associated with Charbroilgrilling.com and it is used exclusively for sending our email newsletters only to opt-in subscribers – news@charbroilgrilling.com

Please – Accept no substitutes. If you get an email using any other name associated with our return address – delete it immediately and please understand we are working with internet service providers and hosts to find the person or persons responsible.

Thanks! – CB

Over the past year or so, I’ve found a great way to enjoy the experience of a new restaurant, on a rare and well-deserved “date night, ” is to sit at the counter or bar and order single dishes to share. Sometimes we’ll order an entire meal that way. It gives us a chance to sample dishes and also keeps us connected to our conversation when sitting side-by-side.

You know I enjoy serving food for a big table of friends, but every so often I like to create a special meal for just the two of us. It’s slower paced and I get to be creative in how I prepare and present each dish. This year for New Year’s Eve we decided to stay home and spend time together. I am preparing a menu composed of single dishes for us to share. I know we’ll enjoy the time together and sharing something elegant to eat makes a quiet evening at home to celebrate the New Year even more special.

The main dish I am considering is a grilled veal chop with four tasting sauces. I tested it out this weekend and really enjoyed how it grilled up and presented.

The flavors I chose for the sauces are:

I hope you try this recipe…just click here to get the details. Let me know what you think by posting a comment below.

-CB

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) offers these suggestions for general grilling safety.*

Following a few basic steps can help ensure safe, reliable operation of your outdoor cooking appliance, regardless of what type you use. The following safety tips are designed to guide you through the grilling process. Remember, anytime you work with fire, there’s a chance of getting burned. So, take precautions. Common sense and planning will prevent injuries.

RECIPE FOR SAFETY: FIRST, BE SMART AND INFORMED
The main ‘ingredient’ for safety in outdoor cooking is common sense. Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for assembling and using your grill or smoker, and call their  – “help line” numbers if you have a problem or a question.

Read the owners manual.
Always read the owners manual before using your grill and follow specific usage, assembly, and safety procedures. Contact the grill manufacturer if you have specific questions. (Be sure to locate your model number and the manufacturer’s consumer inquiry phone number and write them on the front page of your manual.)

Grills are for outside, only!
Barbecue grills are designed for outdoor use, only. Never barbecue in your trailer, tent, house, garage, or any enclosed area because carbon monoxide may accumulate and kill you.

Use in well-ventilated area.
Set up your grill in an open area that is away from buildings, overhead combustible surfaces, dry leaves, or brush. Be sure to avoid high traffic areas and always barbecue in a well-ventilated area. Be aware of wind-blown sparks.

Keep grill stable.
When using a barbecue grill, be sure that all parts of the unit are firmly in place and that the grill is stable (can’t be tipped over).

Follow electric codes.
If electrically-operated accessories be used (rotisseries, etc.), be sure they are properly grounded in accordance with local codes. Electrical cords should be placed away from walkways or anywhere people can trip over them.

Use long-handled utensils.
Use barbecue utensils with long handles (forks, tongs, etc.) to avoid burns and splatters.

Wear safe clothing.
Wear clothing that does not have hanging shirt tails, frills, or apron strings that can catch fire, and use flame-retardant mitts when adjusting hot vents.

Keep fire under control.
To put out flare-ups, either raise the grid that the food is on, spread the coals out evenly, or adjust the controls to lower the temperature. If you must douse the flames with a light spritz of water, first remove the food from the grill.

Be ready to extinguish flames.
Use baking soda to control a grease fire and have a fire extinguisher handy. A bucket of sand or a garden hose should be near if you don’t have a commercial extinguisher.

Consider placing a grill pad or splatter mat beneath your grill.
These naturally heat resistant pads are usually made of lightweight composite cement or plastic and will protect your deck or patio from any grease that misses the drip pan.

Prior to lighting a gas grill, be sure to open the lid to prevent a buildup of gas.

Stay away from hot grill.

Don’t allow anyone to conduct activity near the grill when in use or immediately following its use. The grill body remains hot up to an hour after being used.

Don’t move a hot grill.
Never attempt to move a hot grill. It’s easy to stumble or drop it and serious burns could result.

Never leave a grill unattended once lit.

When cooking is completed, be sure to turn off the fuel supply and then turn the burners to ‘off.’

Inspect Your Grill – Often
Check your grill regularly for signs of wear and tear, particularly for hose cracks and possible leaks; also keep burners clear of dirt and insects that can block hoses or venturi tubes

Store Propane Tanks Properly
If you have an LP gas grill, always store your propane tanks outside and in an upright position.

Check Propane Tanks
Never use an LP cylinder if it shows signs of dents, gouges, bulges, fire damage, corrosion, leakage, excessive rust or other forms of visual external damage. It may be hazardous and should be checked by a liquid propane supplier

* These tips are not intended to be an exhaustive review of safety guidelines and should not be interpreted as precluding other procedures which would enhance safe barbecue grill operations. Issuance of these safety tips should not be construed as an undertaking to perform services on behalf of any party either for their protection or the protection of third parties. The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association assumes no liability for reliance on the contents of this information.

This past Saturday before Christmas my neighbor Norman called to remind me about a little get-together he was hosting that evening. We both live on the water and there is always a reason for folks who enjoy this lifestyle to gather together and have some fun. For as long as anyone can remember each December an armada of pleasure craft and tour boats parade throughout the area waterways, festooned with lights and decorations, and anchor at pre-selected spots. One of the large tour boats hosts a choir from one of the local high schools and broadcasts music to all the boats at anchor, folks gathered on shore around large bonfires and to those who live close by. It’s a happy event for the community.

I sense that Norman needed some help with his party when he said, “CB, I invited more people over today – so it’s going to be a bit crowded on my dock.” I asked if I could help by bringing some food for the party and he immediately said yes.

It was a chance to try out a party food plan I’d been thinking about. I decided to grill up different foods on my Grill2Go Advantage, and serve them as easy-to-eat bites on pieces of lettuce. I decided to grill chicken thighs, shrimp, and portobello mushrooms as the featured ingredients and accompany each with different sauces like salsa, mustards, wasabi and a special rhubarb-ginger sauce.

The idea was to cut up pieces of lettuce that would serve as easy-to-manage “plates” since everyone at the party would be standing and there were to be no regular plates or utensils. The best plans often go astray. The food tasted great – but my presentation was lacking in “eye appeal.” While I appreciated the compliments on the paired flavors and tastes of hot, spicy, sweet, sour and such of the different grilled food with sauces…I was a bit embarrassed by the look of the platter. Here’s a picture of my sad looking presentation.

This serves to remind me to try out new recipes and presentations before subjecting myself to the ultimate test – real people! Have you ever had one of these experiences? Post your comments below, puh-leez let me know I’m not the only one!

We had quite a wind storm in our area last Thursday. Giant fir and ancient oaks blew down across power lines, knocking out power to more than a million homes and businesses. Many are still without power as I write this more than a week has past.

I have a friend who is a caterer and she had several holiday parties scheduled for the weekend after the storm. Her primary kitchen was without power and the location for one of the biggest parties was also without power. All she had was her gas grill from home. She hauled that to her kitchen, set it up outside in the parking lot, and prepped food on it all day. That evening she took it to the party location, set it up on the patio, and cooked an amazing variety of food for a party of 100 people.

Here are some of the tips she past along to me:

1. Plan your menu
2. Use ingredients in several dishes with different combinations to add variety
3. Prep your ingredients in advance
4. Use the same cooking techniques applied to different dishes but that don’t turn out the same. For instance – you can grill small sandwiches on the griddle but prawns on the griddle have a completely different flavor and appearance.
5. Presentation is critical
6. One bite or two is the best party food.
7. Keep em coming hot and fresh

I tell you what, she inspires me.

She also shared one of her recipes with me and I’m working on it today, hoping to post it for you to read and use for your New Year’s parties.

- CB

A regular reader, Pat, asked me to share some recipes for duck prepared on the grill. I can’t tell you how happy I am to do just that. We’ve all seen duck offered as an elegant dish in many restaurants and noticed the price tag for them. I find this amusing since most of my hunting friends wouldn’t think twice of going to a fancy restaurant to enjoy a wonderful meal so easy to prepare on your own grill.

First of all let me share my understanding and experience with duck. And for those of you who know more than me (and I assure you there are many!) please add your comments to this post at the bottom! Share your wealth of knowledge and experience.

Choosing the duck. There are two basic sources to obtain duck: 1) Domesticated animals raised on farms and 2) Wild duck legally harvested by hunters. There are different species of duck and you may find they vary in meat yield and flavor based upon their primary diet. I won’t go into all of the various influences here so let’s just agree that usually wild duck will have intense flavors (some call that gamey – I call it robust and earthy) representative of a wild diet and domestic duck from your butcher may have a milder flavor depending upon the method by which it was raised. (By the way I have found organic duck to have better flavor and try to get it when possible.) Ask your butcher for information on the source and make your choices based upon your preference. Oh, and there is the fat. All duck meat is dark – lean and flavorful – but with a considerable amount of fat that insulates the meat from the cold water. Many cooks recommend removing the fatty layer before grilling and I don’t disagree - but in this recipe I have a method for controlling the amount of fat that drips from the duck breasts and use the duck fat to flavor the pan-fried sweet potatoes - and that is good eating!

Preparation. You can roast or smoke a whole duck; fry, grill or barbecue a split duck depending upon your taste. In this recipe I do a little of all three by skillet frying the duck breast to render some of the fat and then finishing on the grill with a sweet kiss of smoke.

CB’s EZ Seared and Smoke Kissed Duck Breasts with Sweet Potato Fries.

I start by prepping the duck breasts with a version of my rub, allowing the breasts to come to room temp before starting, browning the skin in a cast iron skillet placed on my side burner. This first cooking step helps to render some of the fat as well as create a lovely presentation on the plate…I ask you is there anything prettier than browned-to-a-crisp skin on fried chicken or, in this case, duck breasts?

Turn the breast over and quickly sear the other side with all the dry rub ingredients. Duck breast skin-side up in cast iron skillet on side-burner.

Remove the duck breast from the skillet and place on a hot grill with a touch of smoke from a combination of cherry and apple wood; this provides just a kiss of flavor to the surface of the meat. (After all – this is not a smoked duck breast.)

After a few minutes on the grill I remove and cover to allow the duck breast to rest while I finish the sweet potato frites in the cast iron skillet using the oil and duck fat.

Sliced Seared Duck Breast and Sweet Potatoes plated.

OK…this is good eating and I hope you give it a try. If you do, send me a note or post your comments below.

Get the recipe here

Happy Grilling!

In December I find myself pondering meals I’ve enjoyed with friends and family; many of which I prepared and a few I was fortunate to enjoy as a guest. Since I’ve been sharing recipes and thoughts about grilling in this newsletter – I’ve also heard back from many readers who tell me their favorites.

I wanted to share my list of recipes that made the top 10 – which became a baker’s dozen – in hopes they will inspire your holiday meal planning. Just click on any of the recipes listed below, they are all linked to the full recipe on Char-Broil web site – where you can print by clicking on the “Printer Friendly Version.”

Broiled Stuffed Lobsters

CB’s EZ Grilled Veal Chop Forestier

CB’s EZ Tri-Tip

CB’s EZ Grilled Lamb Loin Chops

Grilled Whole Chicken with Starfruit Cranberry Sauce

Spicy Smoked Turkey Breast with Cajun Gravy

CB’s EZ Grilled Turkey Breast

Alaska Scallops Wrapped in Proscuitto

CB’s EZ Smoked Salmon

CB’s  “Grilled” Fish Stew

CB’s EZ Cherry Smoked Chicken

Grilled Ham with Lemon-Orange Glaze

White House Venison with Red Sauce

I hope these ideas will inspire you to create a holiday meal on your grill. - CB

I said that today to my friend Allison. You remember Allison; she’s the excellent pastry chef who shared her recipe for Crème Brûlée (Just click on the Desserts tab on the left hand side of this page and then click on the comments under the article – it’s posted there.) We were talking about ice cream, she loves to make the stuff, and said her recipe for Crème Brûlée is exactly the same as the one she uses for ice cream; the only difference being one custard she bakes and one custard she churns as it freezes. And I said: “hmm I learn something new every day.”

Actually that is an exact quote from me to describe what I learned about the different methods of cooking we refer to as grilling, barbecue and smoking. Important to each of these techniques is the amount of heat, the way the food relates to the heat and the source of the heat. For years I actually thought charcoal added a specific taste to the cooked food, like wood smoke does when I use my smoker. This past spring I was in Columbus and met a couple of the folks responsible for designing the Char-Broil grills and I learned that a perfect charcoal fire should contribute absolutely no taste at all to the food from the charcoal…rather the taste I associated with cooking with charcoal comes from the intensity of the heat created by the charcoal fire. The red-hot heat produced when the coals have burned down is an infrared heat that sears the meat proteins on the surface and creates a flavor unlike that found in frying or smoking or the kind of grilling I do using my gas grill.

This discussion came about when I was talking with the Char-Broil product engineers and they told me their desire was to create a gas grill that produced the same intense heat as that produced by charcoal but with the convenience of gas. That’s when they invited me to cook on what they are calling the “next generation infrared grill.”

I gotta tell you it felt a little strange at first…the infrared burner is hidden beneath a high-tec glass cover and not having flame touch food was really different for me! But when I placed the burger patties, the chicken filets and steaks on the grids and first heard the sound of the meat sizzle on the grill I was hooked. It was fast, fun and the taste nearly brought tears to my eyes…because it is exactly what I want in a perfectly grilled piece of meat. There’s a link in the newsletter this week that refers to the new Char-Broil Tec Series Grills. I suggest you click on it and get more specific information on this new advancement in grilling technology. I honestly think that once you’ve seen it, tried it and tasted the results – you are gonna want to have one. I do.