Friday, June 19, 2015

Barbecue Can Be Better!


Grilling Fresh Chicken!
 This might sound weird, but I’ve heard that the best barbecue you can get is with a chicken that’s fresh. By fresh, I don’t mean just purchased from the grocery store. I mean that it’s head and feathers were just removed moments ago and prior to that it was running around in your yard eating bugs and grass. If that grosses you out, then maybe you shouldn’t eat chicken. Because the huge commercial chicken farms that you get your grocery chicken from are filled with disease and filth. So raising and butchering your own is not only healthier, it’s better for the chickens too. On a lighter note, you can find some great tools for outdoor celebrating such as wine accessories and bbq grill mats at Amazon.

Neighbors
On the other hand consider your next-door neighbors. Ask how they feel about chickens next door. Some people are bothered by chicken clucking or the scent wafting into their backyard causing asthma attacks in those who are allergic to aromas or to chickens or eggs. If your next-door neighbors do not mind, still "stroll a mile in their shoes," so to speak. And if you wish to share eggs with your next-door neighbors, ask how they feel about it. You might trade your chicken's eggs for some of the oranges or lemons from your next-door neighbor's trees. Or you could just use fresh eggs as “hush money” so they don’t complain about the noise.

Doing it with a Charcoal Grill
Let’s continue with this imaginary scenario. So imagine you’ve decided to raise a few chickens and now, you’ve just finished killing and cleaning a couple of them. Let’s move on the barbecue preparations. Spread a layer of charcoal briquettes on your charcoal grate in your barbecue. Next off, lay the metal loop of your electrical charcoal starter on top of this layer of charcoal. Then cover the starter with more charcoal. Plug in the electric starter and wait. After about 8 to 12 minutes, the coals around the starter will have actually sparked adequately, getting a gray ash covering their surface, causing the rest of the coals around them to light. Disconnect your charcoal starter. You may have to wait a while longer prior to the rest of your charcoal taking hold and most types of briquettes have a layer of gray ash on their surface area. Another option, for those of you who have gas grills, is just turn them on and you’re ready to go. You can read more about that on this barbecue mat post.

Smoke it Baby
One of my favorite methods though is to smoke a fresh chicken, whole. By “whole” I don’t mean totally whole, more like not cut into pieces yet, but with the guts, head and feathers removed. Some smokers have a connected firebox for indirect heat smoking. The smoker flows from the smaller box on the side to the larger box to properly smoke the meat. If you’re thinking about buying a smoker, look for one made of good quality steel with cast iron grates. You’ll want some space in there, like at the very least 500 square inches of cooking space together with a developed in hood thermostat to ensure the correct temperature is maintained. Also, look for easily adjustable vents.

BBQ Grill Options
One great idea, if I do say so, is to purchase a BBQ grill that is also a smoker or that has a smoking feature included. Some barbecue grills come loaded with a lot of features such as a smoker, indirect grill, rotisserie grill and baking. These are all functions you just might need in the future from your BBQ.

Of course, you’ll need to consider your budget plan. You can find gas grills at prices ranging from $ 150. If only cooking for 2-4 people, these smaller grills can meet your needs extremely well. If you do a lot of grilled meat or cook for a greater number of people you will want to buy something a little bigger. More than $ 350 or more, you can find many options, with the  qualities mentioned earlier, such as smoking, smoke boxes, and a side burner for pans and pots.