After cooking your food, leave your grill on high for a few minutes to burn off all the food residue. Then scrub it down with a brush. If your grill grate is ceramic, don't scrub it with the metal scraper at the end of your brush or it will scratch off the finish on the grates.
After scrubbing off your grill, turn it down to medium. Fill a small bowl with some cooking oil, dip a paper towel in the oil and wipe it over the grill grate. Use enough oil to coat your grill but not too much that it drips and catch on fire. This is call seasoning your grill. Just like a good cast iron skillet, the grill grates benefit greatly from being seasoned. The cooking surface develops a nonstick quality and the pores are permeated with oil, water cannot seep in and create rust that would give food an off-flavor. Your grill is ready to be put away till the next use!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Cedar Plank Salmon
Not a fish lover? This recipe will win you over. The salmon is so flaky and infused with smoky flavor from the Cedar plank in a sweet and tangy rub. Salmon is low in Sodium and an excellent source of protein, vitamin B12, and iron. I paired these salmon fillets with some grilled potatoes and green beans.
First thing first, you can get some cedar planks at the grocery store down the grilling isle. It is a seasonal thing so our local Kroger does not carry them year round. They can be hard to be spotted sometimes. But guess what, Lowes always have them! I might start stocking up for when I feel like grilling salmon and don't want to drive all over town looking for these planks.
First step, you need to soak your Cedar plank for at least an hour. Soaking helps the plank not to set on fire on the grill and also promotes more smoke. Always soak for an hour or more. If you shorten the soaking time, all you will have is some ash between your salmon and the grill grate. Very important!
Preheat half of you grill to medium high heat and half to medium heat.
For the Salmon rub:
Combine:
2 Tbsp. Brown Suagr
2 tsp. each: salt and pepper, minced garlic, and paprika.
Rub generously over your salmon fillets.
When your grill is preheated, put the soaked plank on the medium high half of the grill and cover for 5 minutes. Keep a spray bottle of water at hand in case the plan flame up, spray to put it out. After 5 minutes, turn the plank over and move it to the medium heat side of the grill. And put the salmon on the plank, skin side down, together with a few lemon halves, cut side down.
Your salmon should be done in 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to over cook them. In fact, it is ok for the fish to be slightly under cook. The residual heat will finish it off when you take it off the grill. If you overcook your fish, it will be rather dry and tough (Kinda like how our local Bull and Bones cook their fish, not very appetizing).
While waiting for your salmon to cook, you can throw your sides on the grill too. For the potatoes, I preboiled them before putting them on the grill so they would cook faster, around 15 minutes. Toss the green beans with some oil, salt, and pepper before grilling them for 5-7 minutes.
When you take the salmon off the grill, let it rest a few minutes. The resting step is not as important with fish as other meat though. Squeeze the lemon over your fish before serving. Enjoy!
First thing first, you can get some cedar planks at the grocery store down the grilling isle. It is a seasonal thing so our local Kroger does not carry them year round. They can be hard to be spotted sometimes. But guess what, Lowes always have them! I might start stocking up for when I feel like grilling salmon and don't want to drive all over town looking for these planks.
First step, you need to soak your Cedar plank for at least an hour. Soaking helps the plank not to set on fire on the grill and also promotes more smoke. Always soak for an hour or more. If you shorten the soaking time, all you will have is some ash between your salmon and the grill grate. Very important!
Preheat half of you grill to medium high heat and half to medium heat.
For the Salmon rub:
Combine:
2 Tbsp. Brown Suagr
2 tsp. each: salt and pepper, minced garlic, and paprika.
Rub generously over your salmon fillets.
When your grill is preheated, put the soaked plank on the medium high half of the grill and cover for 5 minutes. Keep a spray bottle of water at hand in case the plan flame up, spray to put it out. After 5 minutes, turn the plank over and move it to the medium heat side of the grill. And put the salmon on the plank, skin side down, together with a few lemon halves, cut side down.
Your salmon should be done in 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to over cook them. In fact, it is ok for the fish to be slightly under cook. The residual heat will finish it off when you take it off the grill. If you overcook your fish, it will be rather dry and tough (Kinda like how our local Bull and Bones cook their fish, not very appetizing).
While waiting for your salmon to cook, you can throw your sides on the grill too. For the potatoes, I preboiled them before putting them on the grill so they would cook faster, around 15 minutes. Toss the green beans with some oil, salt, and pepper before grilling them for 5-7 minutes.When you take the salmon off the grill, let it rest a few minutes. The resting step is not as important with fish as other meat though. Squeeze the lemon over your fish before serving. Enjoy!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
New Series "30 minutes with your grill"
I've been a little MIA with the blogging world. I just needed to find some inspiration, not just to keep people interested in my blog but to keep myself interested in writing as well. So I thought now that the summer is here, it's grilling season!
Grilling is not just fast, it is also a quick and healthy way to cook your meal. On top of that, the flavors of food are so much more enhanced after a few minutes on the grill. If you have read my previous posts that involves grilling, you know I am a big fan of indirect heat grilling which could take around two hours. So if you having a cook out, that is the way to go. But if you want a quick meal on a week night, this series is for you.
These recipes take no more than 30 minutes to prepare and the result is top quality. And not just quality, the way they look will keep your family amazed. I will also walk you through a few quick and easy maintenance for your grill that will keep it performing like new.
Grilling is not just fast, it is also a quick and healthy way to cook your meal. On top of that, the flavors of food are so much more enhanced after a few minutes on the grill. If you have read my previous posts that involves grilling, you know I am a big fan of indirect heat grilling which could take around two hours. So if you having a cook out, that is the way to go. But if you want a quick meal on a week night, this series is for you.
These recipes take no more than 30 minutes to prepare and the result is top quality. And not just quality, the way they look will keep your family amazed. I will also walk you through a few quick and easy maintenance for your grill that will keep it performing like new.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)