Archive for December, 2011

Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipes

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

Barbecue happens to be one of the top choices for an event, an outing or even just for an evening meal in the backyard with family and friends. Besides the proven fact that it is easy to prepare, when properly done, its taste stays inside your appetite that you’d wish to have much more of that piece. But, perhaps you have tried eating a BBQ without a sauce rubbed onto it? So how exactly does it taste? Yes, the key to using a delicious and mouth-watering barbecue is its sauce.

Barbecue sauce can be found almost in every grocery store. However, we’re not stopping you against creating your own BBQ sauce recipe. The sauce is usually made out of tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. It doesn’t need to be the actual tomato. You should use tomato sauce, tomato paste or even ketchup. Vinegar provides flavor to the sauce and you will replace it with beer, wine, citrus juices and vodka if you prefer a stronger flavor. These three ingredients make up the basic homemade BBQ sauce recipe. Through the years, people have experimented and are available track of different flavors and varieties. Among of the very familiar flavors are original, sweet and spicy.

Original Flavor
This is actually the traditional method of making a homemade barbecue sauce recipe. The flavour is neither too sweet nor sour. It’s a mixture of both. The consistency is balanced, much less thick and never too thin. Aside from the basic ingredients, you are able to incorporate it with herbs to give it a certain aroma.

Sweet
In most cases, sweet flavored BBQ is mostly served during children party. An advantage of creating your own sauce is that you can control the sweetness according to your taste. Molasses and honey are commonly accustomed to achieve that mouth-watering sweetness, as well as the fact that both ingredients are natural and highly nutritious.

Hot and Spicy
Over the years, individuals have experimented with making their barbecue tastier. In countries where chili peppers are typical denomination in food, a spicy recipe has additionally been innovated. Traditional flavors are wonderful however with people who love to have that steaming and spicy flavor within their food, a hot and spicy barbecue sauce is a superb choice. As always, tomato paste or sauce is the base for the barbecue sauce recipe. For that hot and spicy flavor, you can include chili peppers, red peppers, Tabasco or paprika. These condiments will definitely give your barbecue a delicious that lingers in your mouth hours once you have your piece.

King Salmon Has returned

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

Over the past many years, because of overfishing and stresses to the environment, the Salmon population along the West Coast have been decimated. Now the popular fish has returned.

Salmon season has been dreadful for fishermen over the past many years. But this year, the truly amazing fish has made a comeback following a four-year suspension from the commercial fishing season. Due to strict regulations on fishing, which upset many local commercial fishermen, the Salmon population has been rejuvenated. Locally caught salmon is showing up again at many Santa Cruz county markets as well as on the menus of restaurants.

The popular fish, whose catch is tightly regulated by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, has essentially been off-limits to commercial fishermen since 2007 so that they can boost the fish’s numbers and protect the population. While sport fisherman were able to catch Salmon during this period, their catches were meager compared to the good years.

Many people would agree that continuing regulation is needed and that the high cost is better than not having any fish at all. If there have been no regulation, in a few years the Salmon could be gone. While wild Salmon is more epensive, it is well worth the price. In restaurants it’s often only a day old, meaning the flesh is firm and the taste fresh.

What exactly performs this mean for grillers and plankers? Nevertheless there is more competition for the limited way to obtain wild Salmon, it’s available again in markets, or directly on the wharf. There’s a great feeling of adventure in driving down to the dock when the boats return using their catches and buying tonight’s dinner directly from the man who caught it. This translates to that wonderful experience of grilling fresh Salmon steaks on a cedar plank. The buttery taste and texture is really a goody for just about any barbecuer.

Fresh Chinook Salmon caught along the coast of Santa Cruz will be readily available for several more months. The commercial season opened May 1, and will also be open across the California coast off and on through mid-October.

When you have not tried cedar plank grilling fresh Salmon, an incredible treats awaits you.

This is a simple recipe for grilling salmon; and something of my top picks:

Simplest Salmon Recipe

Serves four

Prep time: Ten minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4, 5-ounce, inch-thick Salmon fillets

In a small bowl, combine mayo, mustard and salt.

1. Pre-heat the grill

2. When ready to cook put the Salmon on a cedar plank, pink side up (skin side around the plank)..

3. Brush 1 tablespoon of the mustard/mayo mix on top of each fillet.

4. Turn the heat down to medium, put the plank on the grill and close the lid.

5. Cook before the Salmon is firm when you squeeze it around the sides, 8 minutes. Don’t turn the fillets.

6. When done, take away the Salmon from the plank and serve.

7. Make sure any plank embers are completely out.