By Janis Saunders
Democrat Food Critic
Typically, on Father’s Day morning, Mom and the kids drag out a new grill for Dad to cook on. It will be better than the last one. Remember, he probably started out with a little grill and each year, he has been gifted with one that is better and bigger than the last. It just works that way. Finally, he is able to stand before a huge outdoor cooking kitchen with all the bells and whistles he deems necessary to be able to do his magic on.
Unfortunately, Jim won’t be getting a new grill this year. He wanted a complete outdoor kitchen to do his magic on, but my thoughts and his thin pocket book had something to do with that.
Nevertheless, he can manage to turn out some pretty good tasting steaks and burgers on his old one.
He likes a steak about 1 to 1-1/4 inch thick. Any thicker it’s hard to get it to the right doneness, and if it’s too thin ... well forget about it. You’re wasting your time and money on a thin steak. I agree with him on all counts. I like to marinate a good cut of meat like a filet or a rib eye. First rub it with some good garlic then you can use a commercial marinade or make your own.
Jim likes to take a good Italian salad dressing and rub on the meat, put it in a plastic bag and put in the fridge until 30 to 40 minutes before you get ready to cook. Take it out and let it come to room temperature before you cook it. He sprinkles it with a little salt to bring out the juices and they caramelize giving the steak that nice flavor.
Get your charcoal briquettes hot through and through or turn your grill on high and let it get hot. Now, you are ready to pop those steaks on the grill and cook them. Cook a couple of minutes on high then move or adjust the temperature down and give it time to cook not burn. Don’t ruin a good piece of meat by cooking it to death. It should be soft to the touch. When done, remove from the grill and cover with foil and let it rest for about three or four minutes. This give the steak time for the juices to redistribute and it will be moist not dry. If you cut into a steak and it is grey inside, you’ve cooked it too long. It should have a little pink in the middle.
Kabobs
One of our favorite things to cook on the grill is Kabobs. There are so many options. You can use all kinds of vegetables and/or meats, mix and match and have a complete meal on individual skewers. How easy is that?
I got to thinking, if Jim was to get a new grill for father’s day, I know he would have to have a new power tool and socket set and who knows what else to assemble the thing, and no telling what all that would cost. I can buy a new purse and shoes for a lot less and have money left over. Besides, he doesn’t need new a new grill to cook on, he does a wonderful job burning every thing he cooks on the old one. Well done.
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Janis may be reached at: jks4417@aol.com.
