Tasty treats

Memorial Day is the traditional kickoff to the barbeque season

Barbecuing has been an American tradition for a long time. May is the designated National Barbeque Month and Memorial Day weekend is seen traditionally as the kickoff to summer and the barbeque season.

What exactly does barbecuing mean? It is simply cooking with smoke. Also, it is an umbrella term for different styles of cooking.

“The most popular foods for cooking on the grill are burgers (85 percent), steak (80 percent), hot dogs (79 percent) and chicken (73 percent) according to  HPBA.org (Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association).

Nobody truly knows how early humans created the barbecue cooking style or where it began. Most likely though women were the first barbecuers since they tended the hearth and cooked for their husbands.

“I like the flavors and being outside,” culinary arts instructor Chef Nicholas Mayes said.

Yet barbecuing is much more than just cooking.

“When I was a kid, my family would go to Florida and eat at the restaurant Sonny’s,” Mayes said. “That is a famous BBQ place in Florida and the food is delicious.”

Home barbecuing also comes with memories.

“We always have a water gun fight and spread off into teams,” junior Michael Jones said of outdoor barbeques at his house..

 

 

 

“My favorite memory with barbecuing was being outside and just being with family,” senior Danielle Wilson said.

How does Chef Mayes barbecue?

“I usually use a smoke box, and marinade for a few hours or overnight,” he said. “I use wood chips or mesquite. I keep it at a low temperature for a long time.”

Here are some BBQ recipes to try out this season.

 

KENT’S FAMOUS ROOT BEER CHICKEN

 

6-8 chicken leg quarters

2 liter bottle root beer

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

Dash salt & pepper

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Place the chicken quarters in a pan or bowl large enough to hold them. Pour root beer over chicken. (I usually use about 3/4 of the bottle.) Add garlic and onion; cover with cling wrap. Place in the fridge overnight, and place on the smoker the next day (reserve the marinade). (You can also use a grill with high, direct heat.) As you are smoking the chicken, pour the root beer marinade in a saucepan. Add a dash of salt and pepper and add 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Boil it down for about 30 minutes and use as a baste on the chicken.

 

BRISKET BENEDICT

If you have ever traveled around the South, and even if you haven’t, there’s nothing like the traditional and smoky heartiness of a Sunday morning Brisket Benedict with some garlic, red bell pepper and onion fried red potatoes. If you don’t have the ability to slow smoke a brisket, and we only use Angus Choice Brisket for the flavor and moisture, head to your favorite BBQ joint and ask ‘em if they will sell you a pound.

4 English muffins, split and toasted

8 slices slow smoked beef brisket, cut in half and warmed

8 eggs poached (or fried if you like)

2 cups cheesy béchamel sauce (hollandaise)

hot sauce (optional)

Place English muffins on a plate and top with two pieces of beef brisket. Add one poached egg per muffin and pour over 1/4 cup of cheesy béchamel sauce. Add a few dashes of hot sauce if so desired.

Now is the perfect time to start celebrating National Barbecue Month, so get out there and start grilling.