Outdoor Cooking Magic

Burgers on the grill are about as good as it gets. But cooking them on the grill makes it easy to dry them out. Here are 12 tips to make the juiciest burgers you can find.

1. Mix 1/2 tsp of salt into 2 tbps water for each lbs of meat you will be using. Add pepper according to your taste. Mix the seasoned water with the meat. This is similar to how seasoned sausage is made. The water helps distribute the seasoning while giving the meat extra moisture. Now crush up 2 ice cubes and gently work the crushed iced cubes into the meat. Make 1/4 lb patties (four of them) and grill.
2. When you grill hamburgers, sear both sides on high heat, then move the burgers to the top rack to complete cooking to the level that you like. Searing the meat helps keep the juices inside.
3. Add finely minced or grated onion to the meat before grilling. The onions will release their juices as you grill, while the onion adds flavor.
4. CookbookNut.com uses beef base to make juicy burgers. Add enough beef base with other seasonings that you like to the meat until the meat is really juicy. Then grill. The added moisture will give you really juicy burgers.
5. Add vegetable juice (like V8), or Heinz 57 or Worcestershire sauce to the hamburger meat before you make the patties. Read the rest of this entry »

Dutch oven desserts are one of the easiest dishes to cook in your dutch oven. Here are five desserts that are especially easy.

Dutch Oven Dessert - Cherry Cobbler

First of all, to help with clean up, line your Dutch oven with heavy duty foil. Now pour the cherry pie filling into the Dutch oven and spread it over the bottom. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, oatmeal, and pecans. Add your vanilla. Cut the butter into pieces that are about 1 tbsp in size. Mix into the sugar/flour/oatmeal mixture. You might need to use your hands or a pastry cutter. Spread this topping over the cherries.

Put the lid on the Dutch oven and bake the cobbler, using about 10 briquets on the bottom and 16 on the top. Bake for about 45 minutes. Check and see if the crust is brown and the cherries bubbly. If so, then it is done! Serve this with whipped cream or ice cream. How’s that for an easy Dutch oven dessert?

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s another use for zip-lock bags, and it is has the added benefit that it will save you from cleaning pots and pans after breakfast (or another other meal, for that matter).

First of all, get a large pot of water boiling on the stove. Make sure that you have one quart size freezer zip-lock bag for each person. Don’t use the thin kind, make sure you use the thicker freezer variety.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the keys to successfully smoking brisket is picking the right meat. Here are four tips to help you make sure you pick brisket that will be perfect for smoking.

1. Look for a brisket that has a good fat cap. This is a layer of fat that should be about an 1/2 inch thick and evenly distributed over the top of the of the brisket. The fat cap is important because it helps keep the brisket moist as it smokes. If the fat cap is uneven, it is best to trim it so it is approximately even across the brisket.
2. Look for a brisket that is the right size. The ideal brisket should be about 6-10 lbs in weight. If it is much less, it will dry out more easily. If it is much more, it will take longer to cook and the meat may become tougher and stringier. 8-10 lbs is about right.
3. Look for a brisket that has good marbeling. Make sure that the meat is a deep red color and has fat throughout the meat and not just in one place. This combination of red meat and fat is the marbeling. Brisket is a thick cut of meat and the fat that is located throughtout the meat helps keep it moist while it cooks.
4. Look for a brisket that is unfrozen. An unfrozen brisket will be much more moist after smoking than one that has been frozen. If it has been frozen, the meat won’t be as red and the fat cap won’t be as white. Lift the brisket in the middle. If it is as stiff s a board, it has probably been frozen. If it bends down on both sides of your hand, it is probably fresh. In addition, the more it bends, the less amount of connective tissue it has and therefore the moister it will be.

Read the rest of this entry »

Would you like to be able to barbecue like the pros? To cook barbecue that will have all your guests talking? It is a whole different game to barbecue like that. There is so much more to it than a sauce or a seasoning. There is an art to it and you can create a barbecue masterpiece.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mix ingredients in a bowl. Store in a tightly sealed jar in a cool dark place.

Mix together and sprinkle on meat before cooking.

Combine the ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Generously coat the meat with the rub before cooking. 

Mix ingredients together and apply to meat.