THE NEWS REVIEW - Thursday, May 28, 2009 - Page 9A
Fresh summer BBQ grilling tips – Part 1
Although men have been assigned the stereotype of working the backyard grill, it is a joy that is shared by all home culinary enthusiasts. It’s a summertime passion. The “whoosh” of the BTU’s firing up starts my mouth watering as my mind conjures up recollections of flame-licked meats, and fire caramelized vegetables. With a few basic tips, you can overcome any grilling intimidation you may have. This column I will focus on grilling poultry and pork. This will be the first of three installments on grilling. Over cooking is the most common mistake made, as people want to ensure that meat is fully cooked before serving. Although it is imperative for poultry and ground meats to be fully cooked, this does not give you the right to transform them into dry charred remains. Brining can help protect light-meat poultry and lean pork. This is a technique that involves soaking in a salt-water solution for a period of time prior to cooking. Not only does this add moisture to the center of the meat, but also seasoning, as the salt saturated water is drawn in. A simple brining formula would be: one quarter cup table salt dissolved in four cups of water for pieces of poultry or lean pork. Let the meat sit in the brine for one hour in the refrigerator. Remove from the brine, pat them dry, and cook as you normally would. This brining process will provide a moisture protection shield to help keep fully cooked meats juicy. However, this is only a safeguard – over cooking is still possible,
Chef Dez on Cooking
by Gordon Desormeaux www.chefdez.com
but this lessens the chance. The only other consideration you may need to give your recipe is the amount of seasoning. The meat will already be seasoned somewhat from the salt in the brine, so back off on the salt shaker. The salt used can be any salt: Kosher, Sea, etc. – the important aspect is to ensure that the granules are the same size as table salt. A coarser grind will result in less salt per equal measure as more air trapped between the larger particles. Try this technique the next time you are grilling chicken breast, pork tenderloin or pork loin. You will be impressed with the results. Dear Chef Dez: I love barbecued chicken with the skin on, however it always seems to get burned on the outside well before the center gets cooked. I know many people cook skinless chicken pieces and they have no problem, but I enjoy hav-
ing the skin on. However, the fat from the skin promotes flare-ups, and thus gets burned. How can I avoid this without losing my enjoyment of having the skin? Tracey S. Abbotsford Dear Tracey: There are two ways you can go about preventing this. One way is to use a combination of cooking methods between the oven and the barbecue. Starting the cooking process of the chicken in your oven will cook much of the fat from the skin before it even hits the grill. Lay seasoned chicken pieces in a baking dish and cook three-quarters of the way through. Then transfer them to a preheated grill to get the flame-broiled taste and to finish the
cooking process. Barbecue sauce is best added just before the chicken is cooked on the barbecue. If this seems like too much effort, the other way is to use indirect heat on the barbecue. Keep one or two burners on, and place the chicken pieces over the other burners that have been turned off and close the lid. This will basically turn your grill into an oven and by doing all the grilling outside, your home will stay that much cooler. Send your food/cooking questions to: dez@chef dez. com or P.O. Box 2674, Abbotsford, BC V2T 6R4. Chef Dez is a Food Columnist, Culinary Instructor & Cooking Show Performer. Visit him at: www.chefdez.com. The next “Chef Dez on Cooking” column will appear June 11/09.
YHRS encourages city residents to “Walk and Roll”
By DEVIN WILGER N-R Writer For thousands of years, feet have been the primary way people got around. On Wednesday, June 3rd, Yorkton Regional High School and the Good Spirit School Division want that to be a method of propulsion yet again. That’s because it’s the 4th Annual Walk and Roll, and they’re encouraging everyone to use the most active transportation they can. Active transportation, in this case, is anything powered by people. So, walking, running, bicycling, skateboarding, or even unicycling if people are ambitious. This program carries a variety of benefits for the people involved, both for themselves and the environment around them. Increasing physical activity is important for reducing heart disease and stroke, and for simply helping people feel better about themselves. According to Health Canada, only 27 per cent of people are doing enough physical activity to receive health benefits. Another perk is that going to work or school under your own power reduces traffic congestion and pollution. It’s cheaper too, with the only fuel necessary being a good breakfast. According to Don Tkachuk of YRHS, this is a program that started in the high school, and they have been expanding across the school division, and now outside of it as well. They believe active transportation is a good choice no matter where people work or what they do. The goal of the Walk and Roll is to see if it’s possible have empty parking lots throughout the GSSD and the city. In the GSSD, participants have an extra incentive to get involved, since one participant from the school with the most participation is eligible to win a new mountain bike.
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Saints of the Month
STUDENTS RECOGNIZED – Sacred Heart High School Saints of the Month for March are Jody Cmoc and Brian Lubiniecki. Jody always has a positive attitude, a great sense of humour and never has a bad word to say about anyone. She is always willing to help others and tries to meet new people and make new friends. Jody gives 110 per cent to everything she does and completes every task. She does well both in and out of the classroom. Last year she won the Creative Writing award and maintains an 80 per cent average. In school, Jody is involved in SADD, newspaper, yearbook, musicals and drama. She is also a Skills Canada competitor. Jody regularly attends St. Gerard’s parish and you can find her working at Staples and volunteering her time at the Gallagher Center for various events. Brian is honest, friendly, and respectful. He cares about others and is quick to help and serve others. He lives with a Christian attitude. Brian works hard in all his classes, maintains a very good average and is in Math AP and English AP. In school activities, Brian plays basketball, volleyball, football, intramurals, and takes part in math contests. He was in high performance last year. Brian regularly attends St. Gerard’s, where he is an alter server and is always ready to serve at weddings, funerals and stations. In the community, Brian is a student mentor, has been a Cadet for three years and is in Level Silver Star. You can also find him playing field lacrosse in Sturgis in the spring and fall.