"barbecues" news and stories

Happy Fourth of July!

Holidays always give us an excuse to eat badly. We always say that it's OK that we're eating cheeseburgers and drinking beer because we'll start exercising and eating well - seriously! - on July 5. At least that's what I'll be saying today when I have cheeseburgers and beer.

So what are you eating? Are you going to a cookout? Are you having a cookout yourself? Are you going to the movies instead to see Live Free and Die Hard and eating popcorn and candy? If you need some ideas, check out some of our recipes for the Fourth, including Thomas Jefferson's Ice Cream, Hamburgers with Herb Butter, Grilled Korean Marinated Ribs, Roasted Fig, and varous red, white and blue desserts.

• Here's an interesting idea: let's get rid of restaurant menus!
• The Best New Wine Lists of 2007.
• A list of products and trends you'll see in the kitchen in the next few years.
• Three interesting burgers to try this July 4th.
• Speaking of the 4th, a French chef shows you how to grill a steak.
• Heading to Richmond, VA? Check out this guide to the city.
• If you're not going to Richmond, how about Paris?
• How to preserve summer flavors.
• This month's recipes: Blueberry-Lemon Parfait, Summer Melon with Crab, Potato Salad with Bacon and BBQ Sauce, Tuna with Provencal Vegetables, Almond Ice Milk, and Cucumber-Basil Martini.

It's been almost a year since Slashfood saw the beast of a barbecue - 345 horsepower, 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine powered grill that can cook up 240 hot dogs in less than three minutes, and has a gas pedal for more power. Now comes another custom V8 BBQ from Muscle Car BBQ Grills.

Unlike last year's, this grill is not actually powered by an engine. It's a V8-themed grill that runs on either propane or charcoal. However, even minus the power, this one uses genuine parts from Chevrolet, Ford, Oldsmobile or Hemi valve covers and comes with your choice of pistons to serve as controls. But the best feature, in my humble opinion, is that you can have custom-fit the surface of the grill at regular intervals with your logo to literally "brand" your meat.

The grills are available from MUSCLE CAR BBQ GRILLS (419) 433-6130.

[via: GizMag]

• It's summertime, so that means barbecues and parties and drinks with umbrellas and foods on little sticks. Gourmet has a guide to the parties you'll throw or attend for the next three months.
• Gourmet says that salads can be the summer version of one pot meals. Here are recipes for Roasted Vegetable Panazella, Wild Rice with Smoked Fish and Snap Peas, and Wheat Berry and Smoked Chicken Salad.
• Put together an eco-conscious picnic.
• In the print edition: Anthony Bourdain writes about food in Miami; Jane and Michael Stern hit the road to find the best pizza; the magazine tastes 125 different Zinfandels and gives their report; and an explanation on the difference between "premium" ice cream and "super premium." No, it's not just the price.

As pointed out by Nicole, backyard barbecue grills are fast becoming more and more exotic. This trend, first started in 1995 with the introduction of the Dynamic Cooking Systems DCS Professional Grill. The 48-inch-wide cooking behemoth hit the market with a $5,000 price tag, it included H-shaped cast-iron commercial-quality burners, a heavy-duty side-burner and more B.T.U.'s per square inch than any other grill then available.

Monster grills are similar to luxury sport cars in that the fancier, bigger and more gadget encrusted, the more impressive and popular. In the beginning of the luxury grill trend, it was the ultra-rich people who were purchasing them and spending anywhere up to $6,500, plus more for backyard renovations to showcase their grills. But in the past few years the luxury trend has filtered down to the more modest homes, where for $2,500 a machine with accessories like rotisseries, warmer drawers, side burners and hand lights can grace your backyard patio.

These new grills have something to offer to just about everybody in the family. For the "have meat, must cook it" fellows  these stoves are a dream come true. For the barbeque aficionado, the one who ponders which sauces will best compliment the mood of the day, the type of meat etc, this trend is a gift to his artistic cooking expression. And for those of us who just want to sit down and eat, the increased cooking power means the meal will be finished that much faster.

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