The 10 Secrets of Backyard Grilling

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 SMASH YOUR GARLIC
"To make peeling garlic cloves easier, cut off the tips from both ends and lay the side of the chef's knife on the garlic clove. Press down lightly on the knife to crack the garlic clove. The papery skin will come loose." And never ever burn the garlic!!! Remember " If you smell the garlic cooking------------> Its DONE! So add it after the onions...

GET SOME KNIFE SKILLS

"Basic execution of knife skills is important. Not just for looks, but uniformly-cut items cook evenly. If it looks the same, it cooks the same.

DON'T ADD ALL THE INGREDIENTS AT ONCE
"Layer the flavors. Try not to add all of the ingredients at once. It does make a difference. Most raw foods have a significant amount of water apart from the flavor components. By treating each component separately, we are better able to manipulate the individual characteristic of the ingredients.

HAVE EVERYTHING READY!   Very Important!!
"Prepare a 'game plan' with a priority of tasks, recipes, preparation steps, tools, and ingredients. Together this is known as 'mise en place' (pronounced 'meez in plahss'). It means having everything ready before you start cooking, including having ingredients measured out. If properly 'mised', you shouldn't have to step away from the stove except to wash hands and take pots to the sink.

LEARN YOUR FAMILY'S CUISINE
"Learn to cook the cuisine that you grew up with or from your culture -- this way there is a connection with a family member who can hopefully advise you.

SALT AND ACID ARE YOUR FRIENDS
"Learn to balance flavors with proper use of salt and acid (lemon juice, lime juice, balsamic, rice vinegar). Seasoning should never taste 'salty' Never!! If it tastes salty out of the bottle or bag it won't get better and you could ruin a very good steak or meal. Salt is used to activate your taste buds and allow you to taste unmuted flavors (think of a raw sliced tomato without, and then with just the smallest pinch of salt; acid is used to brighten). The simple, yet correct use of the two will elevate any home dish to that of restaurant quality. Those of you that have been to my shop in Newport, Ky. know I'm a huge fan of using the " Right Salt " Table salt is 97-98% Sodium Chloride and its super cheap and its not good for you ( 2.7cents an ounce wholesale) The Authentic Black Hawaiian sea salt we use at Rub House cost between 64-70 cents an ounce and ours whether it be Black, Silver, Green or Red Hawaiian comes from Molokia Hawaii, You can see where I'm going here. They even have fake black Hawaiian sea salt now from the west coast, Just saying. Use the best salt and you can always add more but if its over-salted its trash can time.

USE THE THREE ELEMENTS or FOUR or Five but understand them all.
These are the simple rules dictating how each element will affect the overall flavor:

Understanding how flavors become balanced starts with knowing the basic rules behind preparing each element. Remember that adding salt to a dish does more than just making it salty - it enhances or counteracts other flavors within the dish but to much will destroy a dish so add good salt as you go and taste taste taste along the way. At Rub House we are always trying to balance and using the best organic ingredients that we do use helps us with this " Tight Wire " of an act. Much time goes into our blends and often times new blends get put on the shelf because they need to be perfect and perfection is more than Salt, Pepper, Garlic and Sugar so it does take time. Rub House spice blends are not mass produced and I'll explain why. Did you ever have a Jalapeno that was really hot then another time you tried one and it was like eating a Green Bell pepper with no heat at all Hmmmmm Why is that you ask, Mother nature and every spice and pepper and chili can be different in many ways even when coming from the same plant at the same time so when we do blend we are constantly testing and adding and tweaking to keep our quality exactly where it should be. Our Blends never get cheaper by adding lesser inferior ingredients to save a buck, Our blends actually get better and more expensive searching and using the absolute best ingredients we can find. All hand made in the USA !

1. Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavors. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal.
2. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavoring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness. Secondly, it enhances most other flavors present in the dish - particularly sweetness. Think about salted caramel - this flavor combination works so well because of the balance created by the salt and sugar. Similarly, salt is commonly used in tomato-based dishes to bring the natural flavors of the tomato forward.
3. Bitterness: Though not the most popular flavor generally, bitterness is critical to balance. The taste of grapefruit, dark greens or beer can help to cut through the richness or sweetness of a meal.
4. Sourness: Think of vinegar and citrus. Acidity works wonders in balancing a dish, adding liveliness and counteracting sweetness and heat.
5. Umami: This flavor can be hard to pin down, but is the inherent savory notes in soy sauce, mushrooms, oysters and many cheeses. Umami is best used to complement other flavors - perfect for a dish that seems balanced but is still lacking.

KEEP YOUR KNIVES SHARP
"Take your knives to a professional knife sharpener once a year. Knife sharpening is a skill that takes time to develop. Most home cooks don't have enough practice time (frequency) to hone those skills, but can maintain the knife's edge once it is sharp. If you have knives sharpened once a year by a professional, you will have a leg up. Sharp knives minimize accidents and help show off basic knife skills.

CLEAN AS YOU WORK
"One of my most important tips for a less-experienced cook is to clean as you work. When you leave your workspace a mess with leftover ingredients, trash, etc., you tend to forget what it is that you're working on and it's more of a challenge to move forward. Clean up as you go, and you can focus more on the dish in front of you rather than the clutter around you
 

A Cold Steak Is a Tough Steak

Bring the Steaks to Room Temperature,  too many take their steaks directly from the chilly fridge to the hot fire.  You will not get an evenly cooked steak this way—the outside of the meat will cook faster than the inside.  It is best to take the steaks out of the fridge about half an hour before you plan to cook them; remove the wrapping, place on a plate, apply any Rub House Steak or Beef blends and let them come up to room temperature on the kitchen counter.    

The key to a perfect steak is cooking it at a high temperature for a short amount of time. The colder the steak is when it hits the grill, the longer it will take to cook it. And the more time it spends over the heat, the tougher it gets. 

Clean and Oil Your Grill

No matter what you are grilling, you should always begin with clean grill grates. Not only does this make it easier to flip and remove the food from the grill but it also does not impart any flavors from previous grilled meals, such as barbecued chicken, into the steaks. Make sure to clean the cooking grates using a stiff wire brush. It is best to do this after you've finished grilling while the grates are still warm, but you can also clean the grill while it is preheating if you discover caked on residue. Taking the time to brush off old bits of cooked-on food will pay off handsomely when your steaks release from the cooking grate with ease. 

Heat Your Fire

To achieve a crust on the outside while keeping the interior of the steak cooked to your liking, you need to have two different temperatures set on your grill. In order to get those nice " Grill Marks", you need to heat your grill to high heat to essentially sear the steaks. To determine the heat is hot enough, you should be able to hold your hand about an inch over the grill grate for 1 second before it feels too hot and you must pull it away.

Brush the Steaks With Melted Butter

Finally, it's common practice to brush some oil onto steaks right before grilling them. Doing so prevents the steaks from sticking to the grill and provides a bit of moisture. This is all well and good, but do you know what tastes even better than oil? Butter. So we always brush some melted butter onto my steaks before we grill them.​

Clarified Butter works best because it has a higher smoke point than whole butter, but if you don't have time, whole butter is fine. Alternately, use a combination of melted butter and oil. Just brush it lightly—the steak shouldn't be dripping with oil when it hits the grill, or it could start a grease fire.​

Touch the Steaks 

Chefs and the cooks who know their way around a kitchen (or a grill) know how meat feels when it's raw and when it's cooked. The only way to learn this is to basically poke the steaks at different stages of cooking. Raw meat is almost squishy, rare meat is quite soft, medium rare meats resists your poking a bit, and medium meat springs back. Once meat feels firm, it's at least well done, if not completely overdone. Gently press a finger onto your steaks—being careful not to burn yourself—to teach yourself the difference.

Use a Thermometer and/or a Timer

Whether you are cooking a thick steak or a flat, thin cut of meat will determine whether you need a meat thermometer or not. For steaks that are at least 1 1/2 inches thick, you will want to use a meat thermometer to get an accurate reading. For rare, remove steaks at 120 F to 125 F, medium rare 125 F to 130 F, and medium 130 F to 135 F.

It's nearly impossible to get an accurate temperature read on steaks thinner than 1 1/2 inches so it is best to use a timer instead. For 1-inch thick steaks cook them 3 minutes each side over high heat for quite rare, 4 minutes each side for medium rare, and 5 minutes for medium.

Don't Play With the Steaks 

Yes, you should touch the steaks to test for doneness, but that doesn't mean that you should be flipping and moving and poking a lot. Steaks should only be flipped once, and only moved once from a higher to a lower heat. And don't poke them with anything but your finger! Put the meat on a hot grill—they should sizzle immediately—and leave them there until they release on their own accord. If you're pulling or struggling with them, they are not seared and not ready to flip.

Once ready, flip them once and cook until they feel done. Do not stab them with a fork, which will release their flavorful juices into the flames below. Do not press down on them with a spatula. Just let them cook.

Always Let the Meat Rest 

Perhaps the most important step that most people don't do is allowing the steaks to sit once they are taken off of the grill. The steaks need to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving or cutting them. This gives the juices a chance to redistribute throughout the steak, which both helps it finish cooking evenly and keeps the meat moister and more flavorful. Place the cooked steaks on a cutting board or platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Once rested, either slice or serve the steaks whole and enjoy!

Here's how to get the best grilled chicken, every time.

1. Opt for boneless. Bone acts as an insulator, slowing down cooking. This can be a good thing when it comes to slow-cooking methods like braising, but for high-heat methods like grilling, boneless is better. When grilling bone-in chicken pieces, such as chicken wings or drumsticks, you'll need to cook the meat for longer.
2. Tenderize the meat. Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness to ensure even cooking.
3. Make a marinade. For the most flavorful grilled chicken breasts, marinate or brine them for at least 30 minutes. Marinating or brining (soaking in saltwater) ahead of time gives salt and other flavors time to penetrate the entire piece of chicken so that it's flavorful throughout, not just on the surface.
4. Don't flip too early. When grilling chicken breasts, you may be tempted to flip them too soon. Wait until you see distinct grill marks.
5. Invest in an instant-read thermometer. Whether you're cooking on a gas grill, charcoal grill, or stovetop grill pan, the internal temperature is the best way to determine chicken’s doneness. You can use a standard meat thermometer, but instant-read thermometers are the most accurate.
6. Adjust cook times for dark meat. You can swap chicken breasts for boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat, but keep in mind that they might take a couple more minutes to cook. Same goes for bone-in cuts, which benefit from a quick sear over direct heat, and a longer cook time over indirect heat.
7. Don't overcook. Chicken breasts can quickly go from raw chicken to shoe leather. Keep a close eye on your chicken breasts—they'll only need about five to 10 minutes total to cook. I personally like to poach my chicken in a Boiling Brine Water I create using Rub House 007 for 3-4 min @ 3Tbs. of 007 per Gal. of water. Remove from water and let dry then apply any one of the Rub House blends you like on chicken and finish on the grill and make sure to coat the grates with canola or vegetable oil first. I often will Pan Fry on a Lodge cast iron Carbon Steel Skillet 12" , Brown the chicken to a golden color  and then place in a 475deg. oven for a few mins. and check with an internal meat thermometer for a 155-160 deg. internal temp. You can also take that pan to the grill which I do often if wanting to make a beautiful Pan Sauce. 

For the Marinade: We like to use Rub House #007 Base Blend. Dust pork chops with the 007 and wrap on plate and refrigerate for 3-4hrs or for a " Wet Brine " use 1 tbs. of the Rub House #007 for every 2 cups of water, Dissolve 007 in water and brine chops for 3-5hrs covered and refrigerate in a large bowl or baking dish, bucket, Tupperware, zip lock bag etc. You get the idea but either way its a game changer so enjoy!  

1. Mix pork chop marinade in a large bowl and add pork chops.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat (375-400 degrees) 20 minutes prior to grilling.
4. Place pork chops on grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
5. Move pork chops to indirect heat (or lower temp to medium) and cook for 8-12 more minutes, flipping once, or until pork chops reach 145 degrees F.
6. Remove pork chops from the grill and allow them to rest for at least 5 minutes.

 A pan sauce—made with just a handful of ingredients and in a matter of minutes—can look and taste nearly as rich as a classic, labor-intensive French sauce. The base of a pan sauce is the fond, or browned bits, clinging to the bottom of the skillet after sautéing or searing meat, poultry, or fish. Once the food is removed from the skillet, aromatics such as minced shallots can be sautéed; then, in a process called deglazing, liquid—usually wine, homemade stock (or canned broth), or broth—is added and the fond is scraped up. The liquid is simmered and reduced to concentrate flavors, thickened and, in a final (sometimes optional) step, the reduction is enriched and slightly thickened by whisking in butter. I also do this with Steak and the sauces you can create are only limited to your imagination, I've deglazed with Beer, Juice, Good Wine, Sherry, Cognac and everything in between. Enjoy!