Thursday, January 29, 2009

Become a BBQ Master with Competition BBQ Secrets

Get your BBQ sauces right. Competition BBQ Secrets is just the tool to make a difference. Discover inside information for preparing the Chathan Artillery BBQ Team's prize winning ribs.  It's more of a barbeque instruction manual than a recipe cookbook, so don't be surprised if there is no grilling information and there is not a lot of useless sauce and rub recipes.

Become a champion at barbequing brisket, rib, chicken or pork with this manual. "Competition BBQ Secrets" will allow you to become a top BBQ chef at smoking pork, beef, briskets and ribs.

This book will also tell you how to properly use finishing sauces and glazes on your barbecue recipes - the raspberry vinagrette based "secret" recipe for chicken is worth the price of the book by itself. It's by far the best chicken I have ever tasted and took 9th place out of 50+ of the best teams in the Country - not too shabby! Just like most diners, comptetition judges prefer a sweet barbeque sauce!  Your family and friends can share in these trophy recipes."

When judging a contest you can certainly sympathize with the judges who have to repeatedly sample the same sauces. How you present your ribs is number one on the judges scoring pad. Combine your beans, coconut milk, bacon, green onion, thyme and habanero in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer. Ideas for sauces, rubs, marinades and meat choices as well as cooking preparation suggestions and much, much more.

This is What You Get:

  • Very detailed and exact barbecue recipes to cook championship ribs, butts, chicken and brisket.
  • One chapter for each type of meat with different barbecuing techniques wrtten precisely for them.
  • Cookers - the different types and how you can slowbarbecue rib recipe smoke on anything from a professional offset smoker to your old trusty Weber kettle grill and everything in between.
  • Suggestion for smoking a turkey.
  • Proper wood selection will produce the top smoke flavor for your meats.
  • Marinades, brines and injections for enhancing the flavor.
  • Rubs are mandatory... leaving these out will produce boring meats. You will be educated on all there is to know.
  • Your new book will also tell you how to properly use finishing sauces and glazes on your barbecue recipes
  • You will get some great information on competitions, how to prepare for competitions, and even a checklist of what to bring to a competition.
  • Information about all the well known BBQ organizations with their e-mail and website addresses.
  • Each BBQ Association has it's own contests and you can find their schedules easily with the information in your new book. Easy to locate list of all competitions. How to trim spareribs St Louis Style and how to trim a brisket.
  • A whole chapter on barbecue science - smoke rings and maillard reactions.
  • Discover where to locate the best smokers, rubs, sauces, online sites and more!

Your favorite BBQ hot spots will be history after you become a BBQ master with this book. Now... collect inside information that only the blue ribbon winners know. Become a competition level BBQ king or queen in just one reading.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Best Ways To Learn How To Cook

People universally love good food.We enjoy a good meal and good conversation and some of us aspire to become chefs someday.We like watching the cooking shoes on Food Network and Bravo.  We love seeing those amazing creations they make out of the simplest of ingredients.  In this article you will learn about how to start your own culinary adventure.  If you want to learn how to cook, there are plenty of options available to you. 

Ways to learn how to cook.

If you want to learn how to cook, you can certainly go to culinary school.  You can learn from professional chefs and learn how to prepare those fancy dishes that come on those fancy plates and cost so much.  You can become a pastry chef or personal chef and make a good income.  A culinary program can take a couple years in school and cost several thousand dollars.I would select this option if you want to run your own diner or restaurant.

Another option if you do not want to go to culinary school or do not have big aspirations, you can watch how to cook videos on all the free video sites.YouTube hosts tons of free cooking videos filled with cooking tips on all kinds of dishes.  Many are from amatuer chefs who just love to cook and want to share their recipes.  Others are from professional chefs and they can teach you how to make the fancy dishes for free.  Check out the free cooking videos to learn how to cook for free.

The last option is to buy a cookbook and start experimenting.  You can learn through trial and error and perfect your dishes.  You can use your friends and family as guinea pigs until you get better and better at cooking.  In this day and age, people get fast food more than cook for themselves because we are all pressed for time.  But, if you learn how to cook you will experience more joy and satisfaction in your meals and your family will eat healthier.  Unless your idol is Paula Deen.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Smoked Pork Butt – A Classical BBQ Dry Rub Recipe



If you are wanting to do something different but at the same time well known a smoked pork butt with bar b que dry rub is a great means to deliver smoked meat with wonderful flavor affodably and easily.

All that is necessary to make this recipe work is some basic fixins for the barbeque dry rub, wood chips and charcoal, a smoker, and about an 8 to 9 lb pork butt.  Despite what individuals reckon, a pork butt is not the rear end of the pig. In truth it is the shoulder where the leg “butts” up against the shoulder blade.  The meat here is exceedingly flavorful and works very well in a smoker.

Steps To Making The Ideal Barbeque Dry Rub

First off what you have to do is set up the barbeque grill dry rub for the meat.  This is not a difficult recipe but, it must be followed precisely to realize the most superb results.  You will need :

2  tablespoonfuls of kosher or coarse salt,
2  teaspoonfuls of ground black peppercorn,
2  teaspoonfuls of paprika,
1  teaspoonful of red pepper,
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2  teaspoonful of ground cumin

Combine them in a good sized mixing bowl.   When these are thoroughly mixed take the barbeque dry rub and rub the butt down thoroughly.  Then stick it in a pan and allow it to sit in the refrigerator for the night.  This will greatly enhance the taste of the meat and is a crucial step.

Once you are satisfied that the pork butt has absorbed as much season as possible, ready your smoker.  If this is your first time doing this realize that it isn't difficult process, but one that will take some time.  Be sure that you pick up a smoker that possesses a temperature guage on it.  You need to get your smoker up to around 225 nominal.  For me the best spot is right around 240 degrees. When your smoker comes up to the desired temperature, seat the butt in the smoker fat side up and keep it in there until it is nice and soft.  By placing it fatty side up you grant the fat juices a chance to soak all through the meat.  You may want to turn it and swab it every couple hours or so.  Average smoking time is an hour and 10 minutes per lb, or anywhere from 8-10 hours.  You can tell when your meat is done when it is tender to the fork.  You'll want to check the temerature and check for tenderness in the area around and especially below the bone.

Once you have pulled it out, let it cool for roughly thirty minutes then with two forks pull the prok apart.  Blend with bbq sauce to taste and it is done.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

What Are The Best Foods For Dieting?

frozen foods

The best foods for dieting don't come in a can or a frozen foods container. They're found right in the produce section, the canned good aisles and the refrigerator sections of your local supermarket. It can be tempting to use frozen Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig meals to jumpstart weight loss, but too often these food snacks contain extremely high sodium levels and extremely low nutritional value (compared to their raw foods counterparts). Time and time again, processed foods disappoint us by containing harmful elements like trans fats or acrylamide. Eating healthy and losing weight isn't rocket science; it is knowledge that we must take a moment to assimilate.

Generally, health foods are filling and delicious. Oatmeal with cinnamon sprinkled on top is one of the best foods you can eat for breakfast. Not only will you be filling your body with whole grains, fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, phytonutrients and antioxidants, but you'll also be ingesting just 110 filling calories and 2 grams of fat. A recent study found that eating two bowls of oatmeal a day can reduce cholesterol levels by six points in just three months. Why the cinnamon? Research from the US Department of Agriculture found that a dash of cinnamon helps control insulin spikes and the USDA says that just a quarter-teaspoon a day lowers blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels in people with type II diabetes.

For lunch, the best, healthy foods can be typical or slightly surprising. Salad is an obvious choice for eating healthy, as it is low in calories, not to mention high in vitamin C, E, folic acid, lycopene and disease-fighting carotenoids. In a Penn State study of 42 women, not surprisingly those who ate a big low-cal salad ate 12% less pasta afterward. Many diets also say that beans are excellent for weight loss, appetite suppression, keeping blood sugar stable and lowering cholesterol. Chicken noodle soup and tofu are other less-noted appetite suppressors. Hot red pepper is an item you may not routinely think of in weight loss but a Japanese study found that the ingredient capsaicin helps to suppress the appetite and increase metabolic rates.

Condiments aren't usually considered the best foods but it's important to factor-in cooking oils and accoutrements wisely when dieting. As you may have heard, extra virgin olive oil is preferable to butter, yet why? Olive oil as a bread dip, salad dressing base or for sautéing helps you burn calories and boost your metabolism, while delivering omega fatty acids. Vinegar helps regulate sugar levels, slows the passage of food from the stomach into the intestines and allows you to feel fuller longer. By adding "superfoods" to your daily agenda, you'll be on your way to a healthy diet in no time.

The All to Famous Healthy Chicken Recipe

When we ponder what kind of delicious meal we would like to prepare for our friends, family or guests, the main staple that pops into our head most of the time has to do with a variation of a chicken breast recipe. Most of us know that there are all sorts of different variations of a typical healthy chicken recipe from something we would consider traditional to an all out extreme, with that being said there are many options to pick from. Try something new and ask your friends for their opinions after they come for dinner and try your new and different healthy chicken recipe, hopefully they will let you know that they enjoyed it but it might spur on some other ideas or conversations about similar recipes.

Chicken is easy and tastes great, it shouldn't be a problem to cook something that is going to be enjoyed by your dinner guests. There is no excuse to making a great meal when preparing a healthy chicken recipe, most are great tasting and simple to prepare, making a fabulous dish that will be liked by your dinner party should not be a problem. The coolest thing about healthy chicken recipes is you have the flexibility to create something that is simple and easy to something that is complex and not so simple and easy. Your decision is affected by your time restrictions, your love for cooking, and what types of ingredients you like on what healthy chicken recipe you will prepare.

Hunting Down Those Ideas

Cooking up a basic healthy chicken recipe is something that is in most people’s repertoire. However it is nice sometimes to try something new and different, so you may find yourself on a search for that next perfect family recipe selection. When it is time to start looking for all those healthy chicken recipes, it is important to keep a broad search in mind so you don't rule out any selection possibilities. It is likely and a good idea to start with a few different cookbooks, this is a great place to start, but you may not find the variety of recipe you'd expect.

One of the best places to find a new and exciting healthy chicken recipe is from the Internet, there are a lot of cooking websites and recipe forums out there. Find a chat forum, sign up and start talking with other people who share the same interests that you do. Exchange recipes between each other and read through all the posted information on healthy chicken recipes, you should be able to find that next perfect dish to make and share with your family and friends.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Desert Recipes

By desert recipes we don't mean sweet treats to eat.  Don't read it for tips on healthy ends to nutritious meals either.  If that's what you expect, there is some confusion.  Dessert takes place after dinner, while a. desert is usually in the sand.  This article is about desert cooking.

Desert Recipes

A desert is practically ready-made for food preparation because of one important element.  Look up in the sky, it's the sun.  Temperatures in the desert can top 150°F, that's good for cooking.  If harnassed, it can mean cooking without modern appliances like microwaves, stoves or even gas or charcoal grills. 

Solar cookers are easy to find or even to make.  Such cookers can reach up to 300°F, perfect for many desert recipes.  Everything from eggs stakes can be cooked on this.  But keep two things in mind.  The first is that this is a slow cooking method.  That's many hours needed to cook.  It takes constant realignment of the solar cooker to keep the sun focused.  And when the sun isn't shining, on a cloudy day or at night, a solar cooker is no good.

Desert Recipes

Solar cooking has some unique advantages too.  Slow cooking keeps food moist.  There is also a lot of leeway as far as burning food because it's cooking so slow.  Don't believe it?  Try rice on the stove for an extra minute.  Plus cooking over a longer period means more time to savor the aromas.  Food tastes better when some care is taken in the preparation.  Don't let people tell you solar cookers don't brown foods.  They do.

What are some desert recipes for solar cooking?  Try desert spaghetti squash with sausage, spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese.  Another possibility is a delicious Chile casserole.  That's not Chile with meat and beans, that's hot Pablano Chiles, by the way  A quick search on Yahoo will find even more.

Desert Recipes

The sun makes desert recipes a snap to cook.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Types of Japanese Cuisine

Tempura, sukiyaki, sashimi, sushi – even the words used to describe the most basic of Japanese dishes are exotic and beautiful. Japanese dishes is one of the healthiest food in the world, with its huge concentration on fresh fish, seafood, rice and vegetables. The pungent sauces and delicate flavors of fresh foods complement each other perfectly, and the methods of presentation turn even simple meals into beautiful events.

The Japanese have many different names for rice, depending on how it is prepared and what it is served with. The most common meal is a rice bowl, a bowl of white rice served with various toppings or ingredients mixed in. So popular is it that the Rice Bowl has even made its way into the world of Western convenience foods alongside ramen noodles. Domburi is a bowl of rice topped with another meat or food : domburi tendon, for instance, is rice with tempura and domburi gyudon is rice with beef. The Japanese adopted fried rice from the Chinese dishes, and a century ago, when curry was first introduced, developed Kare Raisu, curry rice. It is now such a famous dish that there are many fast-food restaurants that serve several versions of it in take-away bowls.

Besides white rice served as a side dish, Japanese cuisine also features onigiri – rice balls wrapped in seaweed, often with a ‘surprise’ in the middle, and kayu, a thin gruel made of rice that resembles oatmeal.

As an island country, it’s not surprising that seafood is featured in Japanese cuisine. Sushi and sashimi both are raw fish and seafood with various spices. Without a doubt fresh fish is the secret to wonderful sashimi and sushi, served with wasabi and soya sauce. The Japanese love of beauty turns slices and chunks of raw fish into miniature works of art. Fish sliced so thin that it’s transparent may be arranged on a platter in a delicate fan that alternates pink-fleshed salmon with paler slices of fish. Sushi is prepared in away to best display the colors and textures, turning the platter and plate into palettes for the artistry of the chef.

Traditionally, meat plays a small role in the Japanese diet, though it has been taking a larger and larger role over the past fifty years as Japan becomes more westernized. Beef, chicken and pork has been served with several meals a week now. One of the more popular dishes is ‘yakitori’ – chicken grilled on a skewer and served with japanese sauce. A typical lunch might include a skewer of yakitori and a rice bowl with sushi sauce.

Interestingly, Japan has also adopted dishes from other cuisines and ‘Japanized’ them, adopting them as part of their own cuisines. Korokke, is actually croquettes adopted from those introduced by the English last century. In Japan, the most common filling is a mixture of mashed potatoes and minced meat. Other Soshoyu – western food that have made their way into Japanese everyday cuisine include ‘omuraisu’, a rice omelet, and hambagau, the Japanese version of the American hamburger.

Japanese cuisine has become popular all over the world including Thailand. A popular Japanese Restaurant in Chiang Mai known as Genki Ramen Tei serves a wide range of Japanese cuisine including the popular Japanese Ramen in Chiang Mai, visit the company website at www.GenkiRamenTei.com - Chiang Mai Food for more information on the menu available. Be sure to stop by the restaurant when looking for Japanese Ramen Chiang Mai

Also refer to cooking portal for Cooking Lesson of Japanese Cuisines.