Sophie's Foodie

Weber Baby Q is just the right grill for taking to the game, and of course, a picnic or camping. It gets up to temperature fast and cooks evenly.
The grill weighs in at 29 pounds. This means it won't just blow with in a wind storm. The Weber Baby Q is designed to sit on a table top, but a stand is also available.
The Weber is cast aluminum and has 189 square inches of cooking area�..this translates to grilling four steaks at a time, or ten hamburgers. The dimensions are: 14 1/8 high, 27 � inches wide and 16 inches deep.
A push-button ignition makes it easy to light at the game, or the picnic and the campsite. You can also use the Weber Baby Q as your main grill at home. You'll be thrilled with the performance of this little guy.
The Baby Q also features a large, heat-resistant lid handle and a porcelain-enameled cast iron cooking grate. The grill is fueled by a standard 14.1 ounce propane cylinder which is sold separately.
The small propane tank can be a drawback, but they are readily available in most hardware and big ticket stores. A conversion kit is available if you wanted to go to a full size tank.
The Weber is built of solid cast aluminum. It's not going to rust out on you. It's sturdy and won't fall apart like a lot of other grills do.
With the Weber Baby Q you are going to get those great grill marks too, not to mention great tasting food�so have at it!
Don't forget to check out Lil Mo's Barbecue Shoppe. Believe me Mo knows BBQ!

Labels: Portable Barbecue, Portable BBQ, Weber Baby Q, Weber Baby Q Grill

How do I BBQ a perfect steak? This depends upon a few factors, and can't be answered in the proverbial "nutshell".
Personally, I like to turn the BBQ to high heat...400 or more degrees. For gas grills, you can attain that temperature in a flash. For charcoal, the coals are red hot. For pellet grills, you can but they are not really designed for searing.
The day before I get ready to grill, (Although you do this the day you plan on BBQ'ing) I apply a small amount of virgin olive oil to the steaks. I generally use an all purpose dry rub....see my archive post, "BBQ Dry Rubs".
This is a dry rub you can make yourself and works wonders for all types of meat. However, if you don't have time to make your own there are some suggestions on what to get at the bottom of the post.
After applying the olive oil, sprinkle generously with the dry rub and rub it into the steak on all sides. Repeat sprinkling on the dry rub, but this time don't rub it in.
Put the steaks into a marinating container such as Tupperware or place into a heavy sealable plastic bag.
Refrigerate overnight. Let the steaks sit out at least 30 minutes before you grill them. Start the BBQ in the meanwhile. Too, you can place them on a "flat cast iron oven grill" in your oven. (You can broil on high, or set the oven at 400 or so). Broiling works very well!
Once I get to the point of grilling, I place the steaks on the grill and shut the cover on the BBQ.I grill for about 4 or five minutes, and I then turn over the steaks.
Grill for 4 or five minutes on the opposite side for medium rare. Up to seven minute for well done.
The thicker the steaks the longer they should cook. Don't keep turning, and turning them. You can use a quality meat thermometer to be sure....140 degrees is rare, 150 medium and 175 is well done.
The whole idea of searing steaks at high temperatures is to seal in the juices. But, on the other hand don't go berserk and grill them at 600 degrees.
Once you have created you grilled masterpiece, you will want it to sit out for five, ten minutes so they can breathe a little.
So I hoped I answered "how do I BBQ a perfect steak"? Everybody will have another way of doing it, but at least you know one way that works!

Labels: How Do I BBQ A Perfect Steak

If you eat any type of meat you may find that a pork loin is one of the healthier cuts of meat that you can eat. Most are lean and economical to buy.
If you did nothing but stick a pork loin all by itself into the oven, or on the grill for a couple of hours they would turn out to be very good. But, if you should happen to prep them just a tad they just may turn out to be superb.
When I purchase a pork loin I try to find the biggest one I can and one that is on sale.
I find that Safeway, Costco and Fred Meyer stores are just of a few places that have them on sale on a consistent basis. Check your local stores for sales.
A large one is somewhat cumbersome to get onto the grill or into the oven, so I normally cut it into thirds and cook one at a time. You can easily freeze the other two.
First thing you might want to do is rinse it with hot water and place into some type of marinating container like a Tupperware season-serve marinating container (below) or a plastic bag. No aluminum pans or foil.
Put a little EVOO on all sides of the meat and then sprinkle on a generous portion of a rub such as Paul Prudhommes Pork and Veal Magic (See Below).
Don't spare the rub. Rub it in on all sides and ends of the loin. Put more on, but don't rub it in this time.
There is a question of some type of marinade other than a rub. You really don't need to, but there are things that you can do at the end of the cooking process to add more flavor and retain moisture.
After the applying the rub, refrigerate over night. It does miracles.
Start, the oven, gas grill, Traeger Grill (Apple Pellets are superb!), charcoal grill and maintain a temperature of at least 325 degrees. If gas, or charcoal grill, you will want to cook on indirect heat. In other words, heat one side of the grill and cook on the other.
Before placing on the grill or oven, let the pork loin sit out for at least 30 minutes. If cooking in an oven place in a Dutch oven or a clay pot (fat side up). You can go berserk and add all kind of vegetables, slices of apple laced with cinnamon to these containers and further enhance the taste of the pork loin. Sprinkle on Emeril's Original Essence (See Below) on the veggies for an additional taste.
For the grill I like to line a shallow baking pan with a lot of foil (fat side up). Cleaning up messes sucks big time and in the end you are going to want to wrap the loin in foil.
Cooking in an oven or on the grill should take anywhere from hour and a half to two hours. Use a meat thermometer �.done is at least 170 degrees.
In the last fifteen minutes of cooking time mist with a concoction of orange or apple juice and apple cider vinegar. Get a spray bottle. Lot's of juice and not so much the vinegar.
The spray thing is not as critical when cooked in the oven. You'll find that a clay pot or a Dutch oven do a fantastic job of retaining moisture in meat. ( I have both a Schlemmertoph Clay Pot and A Lodge Dutch Oven. You will have to get up way before breakfast to beat them out for the price.)
Once cooked, wrap in aluminum foil and let it sit out for about fifteen minutes prior to serving.

Grilled Kielbasa sausage is a blast! Regardless whether I use it in a soup or other dishes, or eat it by itself, I still try to grill it on the barbecue.
Putting it on the grill seems to bring out a particular flavor that I can't get cooking it on the kitchen stovetop or oven. I sometimes have to broil it in the oven, but it still isn't the same as grilling it.
Some recommend that you boil it before placing on a grill. Don't ask me why. Unless the sausage is raw I see no reason to do this. Most prepackaged kielbasa is precooked.
Many things compliment it. It goes very well with potatoes, vegetables, pasta, stir fry, sauerkraut, salads. Try slicing it length-wise and put it on a sandwich along with a quality mustard.
Eat it all by itself and dip into a mustard.
In this day and age, there is low fat kielbasa sausage to be had. Read the labels and make sure you are getting the right one for your dietary needs. Turkey Kielbasa is a favorite.
Our family use it a soup more than anything, especially the turkey variety. It's a great addition and substitute for other meats in a soup.

Labels: Grilled Kielbasa, Kielbasa Sausage, Turkey Kielbasa

How long to BBQ a chicken breast? The short answer is: 10 to 12 minutes a side. The long answer is: "it depends upon the size of the chicken breast". But, twelve minutes for large breasts (no pun intended here!) But, there is a method that works well!
I've barbecued/cooked many chicken breasts, and I found this formula to work very well....no high tech. I let them get a little brown on one side, and then I turn them.
I let it get a little brown on the other side, and then I turn it again. And, I keep turning until I get a nice medium brown on both side. If there is any doubt about doneness use a quality meat thermometer. Should reach 190 degrees.

Labels: How Long To BBQ A Chicken Breast

There are thousands of ways to BBQ chicken. Here we are just going to show you one.
And, this involves cooking whole chickens on a gas grill.
If you can, try to find whole chickens on sale. Personally, the bigger the better�maybe in the five pound range.
When you are cooking anything meat-wise the emphasis, besides tasting good, should be retaining moisture in the meat. If you didn't do anything else like marinate it or season it, moisture is critical.
The key is to cook/BBQ on indirect heat to retain the moisture. Well, how do we do this?
You simply turn on only one burner on your grill and cook on the unheated side. Making sure that you place whatever you are cooking in some type of a container.
If you don't, you will have the mess of a lifetime on the unlit burner. You will need to close the cover on the barbecue to retain the desired temperature, and keep it closed, except to mop or mist it in the final cooking stages.
Back to chickens: Make it worth you while. Try to do two chickens at a time.
Empty the cavities and flush with warm water. Wash the rest of the chicken, rinse and pat dry. Rub a little EVOO over the entire chicken.
I then pour a generous amount of Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic into the cavity, and all over the bird and rub it in. Pour more on more seasoning but don't rub it in this time.
Marinate over night in the fridge in a Tupperware container like below, or large plastic bag.
Turn on your gas grill to high and then when it reaches temperature turn down to medium or 325 or 350 degrees. Let the refrigerated chicken sit out at least 30 minutes on the counter before the grill gets to temperature.
Cook for several hours until you reach 190 degrees using a quality meat thermometer. Remember only one lit burner�.cook on the other.
Put a small container of water next to the pans and keep it filled during the cooking process. In the last 15 minutes or so of cooking brush lightly with your favorite BBQ sauce. Don't put on a sauce before that or all it does is burn.
I prefer to mist, using a squirt bottle containing a cup of apple or orange juice along with a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in the last fifteen minutes.

Labels: Bauman Farms, Chef Paul Prudhomme Poultry Magic, Cooking Tips For Gas Grills, Indirect Heat On A Gas Grill, Tupperware Season-Serve Marinating Container, Ways To BBQ Chicken

Just when you thought it was safe to go to BBQ or oven and grill/cook another turkey breast in an unimaginable way along comes some new frightening method to fix a roasted turkey breast in a creative way.
Get over the mundane! A big part of the grilling and barbecuing scene is to have the stuff you fix taste good and not resemble Jane and John Doe's.
I started out with a seven pound, plus frozen turkey breast. Actually, it was so big it could pass as a full-size turkey. But, you can get away with a much smaller one. Let it unthaw and wash thoroughly, inside and out.
Rub the turkey breast with EVOO. Gently part the skin away from the body with a thin bladed knife and sprinkled on a generous portion of Ground Cinnamon in between the skin and the body. Sprinkle more Cinnamon into the cavity.
Place the turkey into either a large plastic marinating bag, or a large plastic container. Pour maple syrup over the bird and brush on evenly. Pour syrup into the cavity also. If you're rich use the real stuff�.otherwise imitation will do. The turkey will never know the difference. Marinate over night.
You say, "That's it?" No "Buzzard's Breath Big Bad Sauce"? "No Hotter Than Hell - You're Going Die Dude Rub"? "What's the barbecue and grilling world coming to"?
Sometimes simple is good! And, this is simple.
Before you get ready to cook the bird let it sit out on the counter for at least thirty minutes while you start the barbecue, or oven. Get it up to temperature. I used my Traeger Grill to cook the turkey breast.
I set the temperature for 325 degrees and this worked perfectly. I placed the turkey in a shallow baking pan lined with aluminum foil so I wouldn't cake-up my grill. You can imagine what a nightmare it would be if you didn't with all that syrup.
At seven, plus pounds the turkey breast took three and a half hours before it reached just a little shy of 190 degrees internal temperature. In the last half hour I misted the bird with a combination of apple cider vinegar and orange juice to help seal in the juices.
Before serving the bird it was wrapped in aluminum foil and allowed to sit out for thirty minutes before carving. The puppy always checks out anything like this first for poisoning. He said it was ok to go ahead and eat.
You can easily do a roasted turkey breast in an oven or on a gas grill. If you use a gas grill, use indirect heat, meaning, heat one side of the grill, and not the other. Place the turkey on the unheated side. A charcoal grill will be a little different. You can place a drip pan on the charcoal shelf and place the coals on a semi-circle around it while placing the bird over the drip pan.
Whatever way you cook the turkey you are just going to love it!

Labels: Cinnamon, Cooking Turkey Breast, Maple Syrup, Roasted Turkey Breast, Traeger Grill, Traeger Grills, Traeger Recipes, Turkey Breast