The Grilling Season With The Best Pork BBQ Recipes

Memorial Day marks the official start of grilling season and many chefs are eager to test their skills after the long winter hibernation. Whether you own one of the basic charcoal and propane barbecues, or one of those big-shot custom barbecues, you'll find that pork BBQ recipes are a great way to kick off the summer grilling season.

"The other white meat" is none too typical for discerning party guests, not to mention it feeds plenty of people (without resorting to cheap burgers and dogs). The moist texture of pork is often the perfect texture, which is not too wet and not too dry, and absorbs both dry rubs and marinades like a champ. All you really need are a few classic recipes and you're good to go!

If you're looking for a book full of stories, tips, techniques and pork BBQ recipes, then try a new book by historian Ardie A. Davis and world champion chef Paul Kirk called "America's Best BBQ: 100 Recipes from America's Best Smokehouses, Rib Joints, Roadhouses and Restaurants."

You'll thoroughly enjoy reading this book, which is full of stories and pictures of the nation's best BBQ joints. In the author's opinion, the best ribs barbecue recipes are the simple ones, with just a basic rub, cooked over wood, without taste-hiding sauce. This nice coffee table cookbook makes a great gift for the seasoned cook in your family.

Now that you're armed with your professional BBQ guide, you'll need to test out your pork BBQ recipes. An interesting one recommended by Ellen Brown in "Grilling in the Southeast" is Cuban Pork Chops With Mango Relish. To make, you'll pat the 1-inch chops dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next, combine 2 garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons of ground sage and a pinch of allspice in a bowl and rub both sides.

Heat your grill to medium-high and whip up your delicious mango relish by mixing 2-3 ripe peeled/diced mangoes, 1/3 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice, 3 minced/diced garlic cloves, 1 diced serrano chili or jalapeno pepper, 1 tablespoon of orange zest and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of chopped, fresh cilantro.

Grill your chops six minutes per side and voila, you've got one of the most exotic and delicious BBQ recipes pork has to offer!

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Enjoy The Nice Weather With Pork Barbecue Recipes

Pork is moist, mild and great for grilling. While many roasts are done in the oven all winter long, summer warrants that you get your butt outside to enjoy the nice weather and try some interesting pork barbecue recipes.

Whether you want a spicy Southwest chipotles-lime or a Creole Cajun seasoning, a Kentucky barbecue or a Texan barbecue sauce, you're in for some delights. For these recipes, you can cook using propane barbecues, but the barbecues charcoal variety usually offers the best flavor. If you're looking to roast up a pork sandwich, then you'll need the slow cooker.

There are many pork barbecue recipes for chops that are a little more exotic. For instance, in Hungary, they cook their pork chops rubbed down with 2 tablespoons of hot paprika, 2 teaspoons of garlic salt, 1 tablespoon of ground coriander, 1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and a few pinches of ground cinnamon, cooking over a grill for 10-12 minutes.

In the southwest, chipotles-lime BBQ recipes pork is a delicious twist. For 4-24 hours, marinate four, 1 to 1/4-inch pork chops in 1 minced dried/re-hydrated chipotles, 2 teaspoons of oregano, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, 2/3 cup of lime juice, 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Grill over medium-hot coals for 12-15 minutes, turning and browning.

For spicy Cajun Louisiana pork chops, rub the 1 to 1/2-inch meat down with 1 tablespoon of paprika, 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of cayenne, 1 teaspoon of dried sage, 3/4 teaspoon of white pepper, 3/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon of dried thyme and 3/4 teaspoon of oregano; grill for 6-8 minutes per side.

If it's southern pulled pork you're craving, then you'll need a slow cooker for these pork barbecue recipes. To serve, you'll want to pick up some buns and your favorite barbecue sauce. Ideal side dishes include items like coleslaw, corn and mashed potatoes. The glory of slow-cooker pulled pork is that you can turn on your crock pot, throw the pork in and leave it on for 8-12 hours, slow roasting while you work.

Then, when you get home, dinner is ready! Simply take a four-pound pork roast, 2 sliced onions, 5 or 6 whole cloves, salt, pepper, 2 cups of water and a 16 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce and dump it all into the crock pot. You'll want the cloves studded onto the pork roast and the onions lining the bottom of the crock pot. Once the roast is done cooking, discard the cloves, bone, fat, water, onions and grease.

Let it cool, pull the meat apart with a fork until the roast is shredded, then throw it back in the crock pot with chopped onion and BBQ sauce, heating on high for 1-3 hours.

Some recipes allow you to place a pork shoulder roast over a barbecues propane grill too, seasoned with a dry rub of 2 tablespoons paprika, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon ground red pepper, grilled on low heat for 2.5 to 3 hours and topped with a vinegary BBQ sauce.

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Finding Delicious Rib Barbecue Recipes

It can be hard to find a good rack of ribs. Those that are not too fatty nor too lean; not too saucy, too dry, too peppery, too vinegary or too bland and not overdone yet not undercooked. Yet when you do find the perfect ribs, the ones that are succulent, flavorful, smoky and seem to melt-in-your-mouth, then it can be hard to forget the taste.

In fact, you may spend the rest of the summer wistfully thinking back to that one meal and desperately trying to recreate that same taste with BBQ recipes ribs at home. Any professional chef will tell you that finding good rib barbecue recipes is just the first step to crafting a quality meal. You must also be familiar with the techniques that keep the meat juicy and delicious.

The Food Network's Dave Lieberman offers his own rib barbecue recipes for you to try. First, heat the following ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat: 1/2 cup A-1 steak sauce, 1/2 cup of bourbon (or good dark beer), 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of grainy Dijon mustard, 2 pinches of red pepper flakes and a dash of salt.

Once cooked, this sauce will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Cut your two, 2.5 pound baby back ribs in half crosswise, rub the ribs with your sauce and lay the pieces in an 11 by 13 baking dish, overlapping slightly, and covering the dish with aluminum foil. Bake the ribs for 1.5 hours to 3 hours (until tender).

You can bake the ribs the day before grilling or as little as an hour before grilling. Next, grill the ribs over barbecues charcoal or a gas grill, brushing them with sauce and heating through about 10 minutes.

Perfecting rib barbecue recipes will undoubtedly take hours of trial and error, as well as some improvisation along the way. In all likelihood, you've probably never spent so many hours in front of your barbecues charcoal before. You may feel impatient and disheartened at times.

You may even be tempted to throw in the towel and buy a rack from your favorite local BBQ joint. Yet cooking the perfect set of ribs is a triumphant moment for any amateur chef. To master backyard grilling, you must get to know ribs. Over time, the process does get easier and becomes more fun. Who knows, perhaps you'll win $10,000 at the next BBQ competition!

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Knowing Where To Find Better Chicken Barbecue Recipes Online

Free chicken barbecue recipes are plentiful online these days. You may be hesitant to look up recipes this way because it's difficult to tell how reliable or tasty something will be. Yet all chicken BBQ recipes aren't submitted by regular users.

In fact, sites like The Food Network or ABC News list recipes by famous chefs, such as Wolfgang Puck, Rachel Ray and Emeril Lagasse. You can also find many great offerings from average people by reading reviews and ratings submitted by other amateur chefs just like you. To get started, you might want to check some of the most popular recipe websites.

The All Recipes website comes in second for chicken barbecue recipes, with almost 10% of web traffic. This site is great because you can do a quick search by ratings or reviews of people who've tried the chicken BBQ recipes already. If you don't like hunting for that perfect recipe and you just want something that's tested, tried and true, then this is the place to look.

You can also pick up added hints, tips and improvisations if you read the reviews and comment sections of the site. Among the top rated on the site is a recipe for making whole rotisserie chicken on propane barbecues. You might also want to try other top-rated entrees, like Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs, Chicken Tikka Masala, Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken or Tarragon-Dill Grilled Chicken Salad.

Other trustworthy sites to look for chicken barbecue recipes include www.bettycrocker.com, www.epicurious.com, www.verybestbaking.com, www.cdkitchen.com and www.barbequesgalore.com. Searching for chicken BBQ recipes may take some trial and error at first, but it'll be well worth it when you show up at a party with the winning dish that has everyone talking.

There are many sites that claim to have the best selection of recipes but in the end, it's all about user friendliness and which site best caters to your needs, whether it's in health-conscious selections, in quick and easy recipes or in gourmet eats.

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Finding Reviews Of Gas Barbecues Online

This year the Broil King Signet 90, costing $650, has been recalled due to a dangerous melting firebox, which could easily burn the chef's hand. Another model -- the $500 Charmglow 720 -- contains burners that easily rust and the company has received more than 50 complaints about their customer service.

Additional recalls have been made on the Perfect Flame Four-Burner Gas Grills from Lowe's, the Char-Broil Two-Burner Gas Grills from Big Lots, the Gas Barbecue Grills from John Deere and the Weber Genesis 320 series. If you're looking to buy a new barbecue, then the last thing you want is an expensive investment that pans out to be dangerous or frustrating.

To help you rest easier with your decision, we've taken a look at some of the most warmly received gas barbecues that promise quality and durability, plus you will receive excellent customer service.

Experts assert that your best bet is to go with mid-range gas barbecues priced between $500 and $1,000 for the best durability and warranties. While you're searching, you need to decide which qualities are most important to you.

If you're looking for hot cooking temperatures, then you can try the Weber Genesis grills, which heat up to 42,000 BTUs. If you want a great warranty, Vermont Castings Signature VC3507P offers a lifetime warranty on all stainless steel parts, frame and grates, along with 10 years on porcelain-coated steel components and burners.

If you want neat features on your barbecues gas grill, then you can try the Broilmaster P3, which offers cooking space with adjustable height, easy hookup to natural gas lines, drop down front trays, added storage space and an included propane tank.

If luxury gas barbecues pique your interest, then you may want to check out the Weber Summit S-670, which retails at $2,180 and is bound to give your neighbors something to talk about.

This spacious status symbol offers six main 10,000 BTU burners, plus four specialty burners, including a smoker, an infrared rotisserie, a searing burner and a side burner. Some reviewers say that name brands like Wolf, Viking and Porsche are swankier than Weber, but the look of the Summit series elevates its status.

More high status custom barbecues can be found at www.bornrich.org. Tis the season, so find your best barbecue recipes chicken or perhaps a Kiwi Warrior Burger recipe and warm up the Barbie.

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Finding Charcoal Barbecues Reviews Online

Each year Consumer Reports Magazine runs a test on barbecues gas grills. However, they fail to look at charcoal barbecues, which have become increasingly more popular, according to Weber's Grill Watch Survey.

Several other sites focus more on charcoal grilling however, including Cook's Illustrated, www.about.com, www.buzzillions.com, www.epinions.com and Slate Magazine. Many of these sites ran their own independent tests, cooking on several different grills, to find the best products. Let's take a look at a few consumer favorites.

The Weber One-Touch models may satisfy the basic backyard chef, but for those who want a little more from their charcoal barbecues, the Weber Performer Charcoal Grill ($300) offers the next level of accessories and special features, like a hinged cooking grate, thermometer, worktable, thermometer, lid catcher, utensil storage and gas-assist lighting system that heats up coals in 10 minutes or less.

Because of the unique starting system, this barbecues charcoal grill has been mentioned on the Today Show and the CBS Early Show. One drawback is that the worktable is made of plastic, which isn't as sturdy as wood or metal.

The Cajun Charcoal Grill is one of the highly touted high-end charcoal barbecues on the market. Whether you're using your barbecues charcoal for searing, smoking, grilling or baking, you'll find settings for each. The coal tray's V-shape makes The Cajun easier to light, although critics say this leads to uneven heating.

Even so, the steel exterior and steel grates promise a long-lasting constitution. A similar model is the Hasty-Bake Continental ($1,000), which includes a special viewing window so you never have to let your precious moisture escape by opening the lid prematurely.

Warranties are good for both of these companies, making them good bets if you want to try the finer methods of cooking, like smoking and searing.

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Summer Is Time For Barbecue Cooking

If you ask any chef from Memphis, Tennessee to New Orleans, Louisiana, they'll tell you that barbecue cooking is truly an art. Borrowing from influences routing back to Europe, down to Mexico and derived from rugged cowboys, each region of America has its own signature taste.

Some recipes require propane barbecues and quick grilling, while others need slow smoking over stone barbecues and wood. Sauces can be thick or thin, sweet or vinegary, spicy or mild and marinated or braised. Before you get out that apron and those tongs, let's take a look at some popular varieties you may want to cook up this summer.

Memphis, Tennessee is famous for its barbecued cooking and is home to the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which attracts 90,000 BBQ fans each May. The wet ribs are made with a mild, sweet sauce basted on the ribs before and after they're smoked. Another variety is dry-rubbed with a spice blend as they're cooking or right after they're done.

Another variety is the classic pulled pork sandwich topped with coleslaw, which many say is the best way to experience Memphis barbecue, rather than the brisket BBQ recipes.

Summer is the time for barbecue cooking. The smell of burning meat wafts through the air, inspiring a slew of amateur chefs to break out their charcoal grills and fire up their propane tanks on that warm summer evening. While you may find a number of sites with brisket BBQ recipes, you may feel a more spontaneous urge to eat BBQ, in which case a store bought sauce is good to have handy.

For Kentucky BBQ, try Evan Williams, Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon Steak Sauce or Ole Ray's. For Kansas City BBQ, you can try KC Masterpiece and for St. Louis style, you'd like Maull's BBQ Sauce. Cattleman's serves up Memphis style sauce, while Iron Works B-B-Q Sauce hails from Texas.

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Catering For Your Guests With Party Planning Tips

Party planning tips include meeting the needs of your guests. If you are holding a 21st birthday party or a golden wedding anniversary, the needs of your guests may be different. You need to anticipate their needs and be ready to meet all their requests.

For example, some of your guests may be children, so you will need a couple of platters of cookies, fruit juices and cordials. A number of your guests may have food allergies or may be on a special diet. You may need to state on the party invitation cards, to contact you if there are any special dietary needs.

Some people are allergic to nuts, so you need to supply savories free of nuts. Another of your guests may be a diabetic, so you will need to supply food that contains no sugar. There may even be a vegetarian or two among your guests, so you need to supply vegetarian food.

At a children’s party, you may have some adults milling around, or sitting in a separate room, waiting to pick up their children at the end of the party, or just like to meet the other parents. You may need some savories set aside for the adults, maybe a couple of cheese platters, with a variety of crackers is often enough.

Less people seem to drink alcoholic beverages these days and those that do, bring their favorite choices with them. But you should have a small selection of sodas, fruit juices and alcoholic beverages in the refrigerator, just in case there is a request.

If you are holding a cocktail party for adults, then you will need a larger refrigerator and a larger variety of alcoholic beverages and juices. Meeting the needs of your guests, is the secret tip for success with party planning tips.

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Quick And Easy Recipes With Cut Ingredients

Easy recipes can be used to help cut down the down the time we use to prepare and cook a hot delicious meal. There are many easy recipes, but the secret to your success, is to use ingredients cut to small size, so that they cook much quicker.

For example, most food stores sell cut pieces of meat in their meat section, including lamb, beef and unskinned chicken. Look for the smaller cut pieces of meat, as these cook much quicker. You can also buy cut vegetables, to make your salad. Buying these cut pieces of meat and vegetables help cut down your preparation and cooking time.

When you have the time cook your Sunday roast, then you can take your time in preparing your ingredients. But when you arrive home, after a long tiring day, you do not want to spend another two hours preparing and cooking a hot fresh delicious meal, for your family.

You can cut the time taken to cook a meal, by using fresh ingredients, already cut to small size, reducing your preparation time. Using these tips, a meal with a salad can be on the dinner table within 30 minutes. Now you know the secret to your success when using easy recipes.

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Before You Go Shopping For Father Day Gifts

Father Day gifts are always tough to choose. After all, how many ties does one man need? Instead of opting for boring, tradition gifts, or worse yet, cheesy novelty presents, why not give dad something he'll really enjoy?

Before you go shopping, make a list of your father's favorite activities or things that he enjoys but would not indulge in for himself. Look into tickets for great sporting events, concerts, shows or exhibits.

If your dad is into computers, then get him that software program he has been talking about or a hardware upgrade. If he likes golf, then a set of balls, tees and a golf shirt is perfect. Add a personal touch by getting the grandkids to decorate them with markers. He'll think of them every time he uses one.

If you're worrying about whether your dad will love your gift, then think back to when you were a kid and he was delighted with your homemade family portraits. Any presents for dad will be a hit if they come from the heart.

So, focus less on the gift and more on how you will spend a special day with him. A fun filled day as a family is truly is the best of all Father Day gifts.

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Wonderful And Unique Gifts For A Happy Fathers Day

Treating dad to a special day doesn't have to cost a lot of money. With some creativity and a lot of love, you can make a memorable and unique Fathers Day gift. Don't think you're the crafty type? You don't have to be! In this article, we've got some great tips for the perfect homemade gift to make it a Happy Fathers Day.

Never underestimate how wonderful a homemade gift can be. It says that you care enough to give of yourself. To make this a Happy Fathers Day, give your special dad a stack of homemade coupons.

He can redeem them for hugs, a car wash, getting his shirts ironed, taking out the trash or cleaning up the garage. This really is a gift that keeps on giving because he can use them long after Father's Day is over. Without spending money, you'll let your dad know how much you care.

Having a Happy Fathers Day doesn't mean being unhappy with your bank balance. Start shopping early and keep on eye out for bargains on your dad's favorite things. Read flyers, keep an eye on online sales, and even consider going in together as a family on one big gift instead of several small gifts.

Reducing the cost doesn't mean reducing the value of how much you care about dad. Just remember that your love and time are the only gifts your father needs.

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Espresso Brewing Tips

Coffee experts tell us that while many different places, such as the local cafe bar, offer espressos, not many people realize what it should taste like so they may not know if it has been brewed correctly. It is said that the aroma should be robust or potent yet still be extraordinarily sweet.

The crema, which is the thin layer of foam at the top of the cup, should be a dark brownish red, and it should be smooth, yet thick. The perfect espresso should have a pleasant aftertaste that stays on the palate for several minutes after drinking.

The coffee blend needs to be fresh and no more than four days old (after roasting), as freshness is a must. The roasting for espresso often times turns out too dark making for a very bitter cup of coffee. Light roasting will avoid the bitter taste and preserve the aroma and sugar.

When a barista (coffee bar server) is being instructed on how to make the perfect espresso, they are taught that the grinder should be on for only 15 to 20 seconds every time a shot is ordered to ensure that only fresh coffee is used. Next, there is the art of tamping.

Take the tamper in one hand and press gently on the freshly ground coffee that is in the porta-filter, while tapping the filter at the same time to ensure even distribution. The whole process should take about 25 to 29 seconds and the even distribution will ensure perfect espressos every time.

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Starting The New Day With A Cup of Coffee

Many believe that the way you store coffee has a huge impact on how it will taste. It is recommended that you store the whole coffee beans rather than grinding it first and say that storing it this way in an airtight container in a cool, dry place should keep it fresh for about 14 days.

Others say that the perfect cup of coffee can be ruined if you store the coffee anywhere near strong smelling odors, such as onions or garlic, as the coffee will pick up odors from other foods.

Grind coffee according to your personal taste, yet remember that a grind that is too fine tends to make coffee taste weak, and too fine a grind may make your cup of coffee have a very bitter taste and may clog your coffee machine. A general rule of thumb is to use 2 tablespoons for every 6 fluid ounces of water.

It is a good idea to keep coffee makers very clean in order to avoid bad tasting coffee and it is suggested that you run a mixture of vinegar and water through the machine, followed by another cycle or two of just plain water about every 2 to 3 weeks.

If that perfect cup of coffee eludes you, then you may want to consider using a stainless steel or mesh filter, as the disposable paper ones may contain bleach, chlorine and dyes that will affect the taste of your coffee.

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Gourmet Coffees For Their Exceptional Taste

When you hear the word gourmet, you probably think of fine food and drink or a 5 course meal. Yet it can also be used to describe coffee, as in gourmet coffees.

These coffees do not normally come from your neighborhood grocery store, as the beans are harvested at the precise time, roasted to perfection, made into a variety of flavors and blends and then shipped to coffee houses across the country.

Coffee beans get roasted at very high temperatures, after the washing and processing is complete, then they are cooled off quickly, according to the methods used by specific companies.

You can find quite a bit of good information on the internet, but as a general rule the darker the ground coffee looks, the longer the roasting process took to get that strong, full-bodied flavor of gourmet coffees. It is a good idea to choose darker beans to start with.

Many believe that the secret to making good coffee is choosing the best coffee beans, and there are two major types the Arabica and the Robusta. The Robusta is hardier and more resistant to diseases but is not considered a gourmet blend.

Instead, it is often used in commercial blends. Now, the Arabica is said to produce very fine coffee and it is normally sold to the retail coffee houses that sell gourmet coffees.

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Do You Know When Is Fathers Day?

Do you find yourself staring at the calendar every June wondering when is Fathers Day so that you don't get caught without a gift at the last minute? Even with good intentions, most of us wait until the eleventh hour and then panic about Fathers Day gift ideas, or lack of them!

Before you panic because you forgot when is Fathers Day and buy the first golf shirt you can get your hands on, think about the things that your dad really likes. Any Father's Day gift that he can use for his hobbies and passions will be an instant hit. If your dad's a sports fan, then treat him to tickets to a game.

For the outdoorsman, you can't go wrong with gadgets like a GPS, a fish finder or a compass. If your dad enjoys sampling fine wines, then you should know that many wine stores and vineyards offer beautiful Fathers Day gift baskets that come complete with wine, glasses, candles and cheese.

When time and money are at a premium, "When is fathers day?" may be a question you ask with trepidation. However, there is no need to get stressed out. Fathers Day gift baskets, theater or concert tickets, a couple of great books and delicious gourmet foods are all readily available at reasonable prices. Family is the most important thing about Father's Day, so relax and enjoy the celebration with the people you love.

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