I hope you get to enjoy some of this wonderful weekend with your friends and family and, of course, I hope you are enjoying some great food prepared on the grill, in your smoker or the barbecue. [What's the difference? CLICK HERE]

I plan to enjoy some relaxing time with my best friend and my son, preparing lot’s of great food on the grill and having neighbors over to share our bounty.

Did you know the most popular foods to cook outside in America are burgers, hot dogs and chicken? If one or more of these is on your weekend menu I’ve put together a list of recipes that may just help you fix up a delicious treat for your meal. Just click on the recipe and it will link you to the page displaying it on the Char-Broil recipe catalog. You can also search for recipes and create your favorites folder online. All of the recipes have a “print” button at the bottom of each page.

CB’s Bite-Size Burgers

Bistro Cheeseburgers

CB’s EZ Garlic-Herb Cheeseburger

Crunchy Onion Burgers

CB’s EZ BBQ Bison-Burgers

Burrito Turkey Burgers

Cheesy Chicken Burgers

Brie Burgers

Burger Bacon Dogs

CB’s EZ Grilled Bratwurst Recipes

Brats with Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Buns

CB’s EZ Smokey Chicken Drumettes Party Platter

CB’s EZ Grilled Chicken

CB’s EZ Huli-Huli Style Grilled Chicken

CB’s EZ Moroccan Spice Grilled Chicken & Peaches

CB’s EZ Roast Chicken on the Grill

CB’s EZ Cherry Smoked Chicken

CB’s Classic Rotisserie Roasted Chicken

Drunk Chicken

And a couple of extra favorites!

CB’s EZ Pork Baby Back Ribs

Texas Smoked BBQ Brisket

Happy Grilling! – CB

This past weekend I attended a reception catered by one of those upscale swanky restaurants. I always enjoy great food and was happy to try the appetizers. One really got my attention because it tasted wonderful and it was grilled!

After enjoying quite a few, I followed a waiter to the kitchen and introduced myself to the chef, complimenting him on the great food. Evidently I pushed the limit with him when I asked for the recipe of the delicious grilled pork treats. He declined. ahem. Rather forcefully. Hey, I thought I was complimenting him – I always share recipes for food I make when someone asks! Who knew? He couldn’t have been that offended by my request as he ordered an “honor guard” of waiters to escort me from the kitchen. I’m sure the other guests were curious as to why I was getting such “special treatment.” I just figured the chef is a reader…

I took his silence as a challenge and asked the waiter to bring me several more to “sample.” (OK, about ten more) and with each bite I attempted to ascertain what ingredients he’d used in the recipe…folks, I tell you this is tough duty and I’m happy to undertake it on your behalf!

Well, I think I’ve come up with a reasonable idea and I’m going to experiment this week to see if I can recreate this treat to share with you. If I do a good job – I’ll be sure to send that chef a copy!

Happy Grilling! – CB

Each spring the good folks in Alaska harvest wild salmon from the Copper River and have become world famous for the quality of the fish. Rich and meaty, flavorful and delicious is the only way to describe it. I’m fortunate to live in a port city that receives some of the first catch from the Copper River. It’s such a big deal even the local TV stations cover the arrival by private jet.

Well it’s not just hype in my experience; the quality of wild fish and seafood from Alaska is outstanding and I really enjoy preparing fresh wild Alaska salmon, halibut, crab and other seafood species on the grill or in the smoker. (Take a look at this recipe for CB’s EZ Smoked Salmon.)

This week I was cooking dinner at my friends houseboat and wanted to fix something special. I was able to find a good size fillet of wonderful Copper River Silver Salmon that had been flash frozen immediately after harvest. I am always open to try different cuts of meat that are frozen by this method, because they often provide good quality at lower prices. I thought I’d give it a try – and glad I did.

One important thing to remember when preparing any meat on the grill is to pay close attention to variances in thickness. A pork tenderloin, for instance, often has a thicker end that will cook slower than the thin end. I generally try to prepare meat by cutting it into pieces that are similar in thickness to provide consistency in my recipe. This is especially true of fish. After rinsing and patting dry with paper towels, I trim the salmon fillet to remove the thinner part of the belly and treat it as a separate item when grilling – because it will finish first. With fresh fish I might freeze this portion for use in a stew (see CB’s EZ Grilled Fish Stew) or other recipe, but since this fish was purchased frozen I didn’t want to re-freeze it as that really messes up the quality of the flesh of fish. In my experience I’ve found that fish that is flash frozen at sea or immediately after harvest is a better quality than the fish I slow freeze in the freezer compartment of my fridge!

I placed the salmon pieces in a non-reactive glass dish, seasoned the flesh with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper then turned the salmon fillet flesh side down and added about 1/2 cup of dry white vermouth. I covered the dish and placed it in the cooler while I prepared the other parts of the recipe. My best friend had given me a fresh pineapple the day before and I had a medium-sized sweet onion – so I decided I wanted to make a sauce or “salsa” using these two ingredients. I peeled and sliced the onion and placed the slices into a shallow pot into which I’d added about 3 Tbsp of grape seed oil and preheated to medium. I sweat the onion slices to release the moisture and then turned up the heat just a bit while stirring to caramelize the onions. When they were ready I placed them aside and trimmed the pineapple (in the sink to keep the juice under control) and made it ready for the grill in large pieces.

When I got to the houseboat they already had the propane Patio Caddie preheated for about 15 minutes on high (about 300 – 350 F degrees) and I simply placed the room temperature (warmed up during the car ride over) salmon directly onto the clean grill, skin side down (NOTE: You may wish to give the skin a very light coating of cooking oil before placing on the grill) and the pineapple pieces as well. I covered the grill and turned the heat to medium-high and let it all cook for about 7 minutes. Then I lifted the cover, turned the pineapple to fresh spots on the grill, covered for another minute or so and then flipped the small piece of salmon. Covered and waited a minute, then removed the small piece of salmon and the pineapple from the grill and turned the large piece of salmon flesh side down and covered for another 2 minutes.

To turn the fish I used a metal spatula and slid it between the skin and the flesh and inverted the fillet in one movement back onto the skin. The skin protected the flesh from potential sticking and also got crispy from the exposure to direct heat while the flesh got a little extra heat. I covered the grill and left it for about 3 minutes while I reheated the onions for about 30 seconds in the microwave. I added the grilled pineapple to the bowl with the onions and cut it into smaller pieces, allowing the juice to mix with the onions and create a delicious elixir! When the fish was done (You can use a thermometer to get an internal reading of about 130 F degrees or I like to use the visual test of looking at the flesh by inserting a knife into the thickest part and gently moving it aside to see if the flesh is opaque.) I removed the large salmon fillet from the grill and placed it on a platter and spread the grilled pineapple and sweet onion salsa onto the fish. I removed the now crispy skin from the grates of the grill using the metal spatula and placed it on the presentation dish. (if you like crispy skin on chicken or the crunch of pork rinds you will enjoy crispy fish skin right off the grill!)

We presented the fish on a platter and folks just served up the portion they wanted, with a side of Caesar salad and a helping of crispy fish skin. Oh my goodness…yummy! Get the recipe CLICK HERE.
Happy Grilling! – CB

To learn more about Alaska Seafood, CLICK HERE

A lot of people ask me about infrared and wonder why its use in grills is so popular these days. First of all infrared has been around for ages and it’s the main reason we all enjoy a great seared steak at a fancy steak restaurant or when cooked on a well prepared charcoal fire. There have been infrared grills in the marketplace for a number of years, all priced in the thousands of dollars. Recently the patent lapsed on the original infrared technology (invented by TEC) used for grilling and there have been a flood of grills showing up offering infrared in their higher priced units. The major problem (and difference) between these old-technology infrared grills and the Char-Broil TEC Series infrared grills is the new patented technology offered EXCLUSIVELY in TEC and Char-Broil grills. We can honestly say our new advanced infrared technology has a difference you can taste!

Here’s how it works:

Using the science of radiant energy to prepare the best-tasting food!
Although highly familiar to us, the concept of infra-red radiant energy still mystifies many people. First, it’s not nuclear radiation. While it works a little like a microwave, it need not be electric. It works like the sun. The fact is, infra-red radiant energy is among our most widely experienced sources of energy. In scientific terms, infra-red is a form of electromagnetic energy found in the same spectrum that includes visible light, radio waves and microwaves. It can be generated with electricity, gas, wood and by other means. Infra-red energy is extremely beneficial in cooking because it does not dry food out the way hot air does. There is a scientific reason for this: In nature everything is surrounded by a boundary of stagnate molecules of air and water. Infra-red can penetrate this boundary without disturbing it, directly transferring the energy to food with minimum moisture loss.

However, hot air can not deliver its energy to food without displacing this boundary layer which results in drying and consequently dries food out as it cooks by draining it of its natural juices.

Let’s explore two very familiar examples of infra-red:
Warmth of the sun and the intense cooking capacity of glowing charcoal. Everyday the earth is warmed by radiant energy from the sun. Infra-red energy is transferred directly from its source to the object being heated. The sun’s infra-red energy radiates through the cold vacuum of space and penetrates our skin. Electrons in the skin’s atoms begin to move fast, creating friction which generates heat and causes us to feel warmth.

Glowing charcoal produces this same molecular activity in food. The glowing coals radiate energy, which cooks food with very little drying effect. And as the juices that do escape and drops onto the coals, they are vaporized into smoke, which rises back up to the food, giving it that great outdoor grilled taste.

However, there are crucial differences between TEC infra-red grills and charcoal grills. Most importantly, although charcoal radiates infra-red energy, this radiant heat consists no more than 25% of the energy produced in charcoal grilling. The remaining 75% or more of the heat generated is hot air and hot air dries out food as it cooks it. But TEC grills cook with 100% infra-red energy so even well-done meat remains tender and juicy. They also reach full cooking capacity in about 7 minutes. Charcoal takes about a half an hour.

With TEC infra-red grills, there are no flare-ups or charring of food as with charcoal grills. TEC grills distrubute heat with absolute uniformity – and they do it the same way every time! You know how difficult it is to regulate heat from charcoal. Finally, TEC infra-red grills burn very cleanly and don’t add dust to food the way charcoal does. And there is no ash to clean up and throw away later.

Want to learn more? Visit the TEC website for a complete explanation of their system. CLICK HERE

I talk to many people every day. A topic they all want to discuss with me is grilling. But I guess that’s to be expected when wearing a T-shirt that says “I Grill – Therefore I Am.”
They share their latest recipe or what they cooked the night before; describe the marvelous flavors and beam with pride or quietly share their disappointment in a hushed voice. At some point they’ll pose a problem and then ask, “Sooo, CB, what do you think I need to do?”

My answer is the one I recall receiving when visiting New York City for the first time I asked the doorman at the hotel how to get to Carnegie Hall. He looked down his nose at me and said one word: “Practice.”

Good grilling is a function of mastering the fundamentals and you can only become good at something by practice. I consider the fundamentals to be:

1. Quality Food Product
If you start with a better quality meat, fish, fowl or vegetable – you improve your chance of ending up with a better tasting meal. I believe in this and also do as little as possible to the food product to ensure the natural flavors and textures are enhanced, not masked. Personally I’ve started looking for locally grown and organic meats – not for any reason other than they just seem to taste better, more like the flavors I remember growing up.

2. Quality Equipment
If you invest in quality equipment you will get better results and spend far less money in the long run because it lasts. I don’t necessarily associate highest quality with the highest price. I believe you need to get to know your equipment and understand how it works, the features it offers for you and to master the techniques it supports. And you need to keep your equipment in good repair. Regularly clean the grates and boxes, de-grease the hood and other areas and for goodness sakes operate gas or propane safely by checking the lines and system. I insist on preparing food on clean equipment as a fundamental element to good grilling.

3. Know Your Own Tastes
Some folks like salty, some like sweet. Some like hot and some like mild. Some like smoky and others like spices, while some like strong sauces of vinegar or mustard and others enjoy only tomato or sugar glazes. The only taste buds you need to please are yours and your friends and family. Learn what you like and how to use your equipment to achieve the results you want.

4. Learn About HEAT!
A factor as important as the quality of the food product is the quality of the heat you use. It must be consistent, it must be managed and it must be the appropriate temperature for the product you are cooking and the results you desire. Learn about the cuts of meat you prefer and how they are best cooked and apply that knowledge to your grill, smoker or barbecue.

And how do you master the fundamentals?

Practice. Practice. Practice. – CB

A picture is worth a thousand words…

Here’s all that Bill had to say when he sent me this picture:

“We dug a trench to the grill and used it several times.” Bill P

I think this certainly qualifies Bill as a true Keeper of the Flame!

Folks, I get quite a few press releases each week. This is one worth passing along!

Leading National Consumer advocacy magazine raves about the “abundant shelf space, side burner and lifetime burner warranty.”

Columbus, Ga. (May 10, 2007) Testing more than 30 products in its annual gas grill review, a leading national consumer advocacy publication has named the Char-Broil Commercial Series Grill (model 463268007) one of two “Best Buys” among mid-sized grills.

The product-testing and consumer-advocacy magazine independently tests various products available to consumers and reports its findings in the magazine. A “Best Buy” is a product that the magazine’s editors deem to be high quality at a reasonable price.

The June 2007 gas grill report rated grills in three categories “ mid-size, large and small “ and tested each on a variety of factors including cooking evenness, low-temperature grilling, convenience/features, burner warranty and grates. The Char-Broil Commercial Series Grill, sold at Lowe’s stores nationwide for $299, received the highest ratings (excellent) in both low temperature grilling and convenience/features.

In the study, the leading national consumer advocacy publication also offers consumers tips on how to select which grill is the best fit for them, how to keep their grills cooking and looking better longer, and the top accessories that count.

Happy Grilling! – CB

• It weights approximately 7,700 pounds.
• It’s 18 feet long and 8 feet wide.
• It’s 12 feet high (lid closed) and 15 feet high (lid open)
• It is the GIANT GRILL!

And it’s coming soon!