Charlie & Jake's BBQ

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Things to Do in Melbourne, FL

things to do in Melbourne flIf you’re looking for local activities to do in Melbourne, Florida, then look no further! With so much being offered, you can be sure to find something for the whole family to enjoy. Head out for a fun day in the sun with the many places you can visit and the local parks that have many things for kids and adults to do. Look no further! Make sure to check out these things to do in the area.

Scenic Boat Tours

Since you’re beachside, it is only normal to find boats, fishing and a lot of extras right on the water to make use of. If you want to see the area fully, then hop on one of the scenic boat tours that is happening in the area. You can expect to see a lot happening in the waters and around the waters while on one of these boat tours. [Read more…] about Things to Do in Melbourne, FL

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Some interesting BBQ recipes

capello da cuocoThere are cookbooks out there for any style of cooking. There are cookbooks dedicated to cakes. Cookbooks dedicated to pasta. Cookbooks dedicated to crockpots. It comes as no surprise that there are cookbooks dedicated to the great American past time, grilling. I was wondering just how many recipes there are for the grill. Most of the time people consider BBQ as the tangy, orangish colored sauce you put on the meat. So what else is out there? I found quite a few interesting recipes on the Food Network. Here are a couple I’m going to try.

The first one that caught my eye was “barbequed pork butt”; no giggling please. The recipe starts with an 8-10 pound pork butt. Are these actually in stores? I’ve never seen a pork butt, however, pigs do have butts so I guess anything is possible. The recipe is actually easy. It calls for 3 quarts of water, 12 ounces of kosher salt and 8 ounces of molasses. Place all the ingredients in a large container making sure the meat is totally covered. It then goes in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, take the meat out and pat it dry. It then goes in a smoker with wood chips at 225 degrees for 4 to 5 hours. After that, wrap the butt up in aluminum foil, and place in a pan in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours. Presto! You now have a pork butt to brag about! [Read more…] about Some interesting BBQ recipes

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The dangers of grills

Propane Cyl. isolated on white

With summer approaching (it is isn’t it?) most people imagine being outside enjoying the weather. Perhaps a picnic, a trip to the beach, a hike or a BBQ in your backyard by the pool is your favorite summer activity. These types of activities can be very relaxing and a great deal of fun. Having a summertime BBQ is one of everyone’s favorite things. Just thinking about the delicious food is making my mouth water as I’m writing this. But I also know this wonder day of good food and family can become a nightmare if certain safety precautions are not followed.

I am a 9-1-1 dispatcher. I have seen many emergency calls that all started with an innocent BBQ party. Okay, let’s start with a funny one. Can you believe a swimming pool fire? It actually happened. Someone started their grill by adding lighter fluid. A little too much lighter fluid and the grill caught fire. This person tried to stop the fire by pushing the grill into the pool. Lighter fluid floats so the fire was on the top of the water, hence the pool fire. Lesson learned, don’t use too much lighter fluid and keep your grill away from the pool.

I have also sent the fire department to an apartment fire that started with a grill catches fire on a balcony. The lesson is to never place your grill right up against a building. And never, never use it on a covered porch. A porch roof can catch fire and that is normally attached to your house. Those burgers are not worth burning down your house for.

There are medical emergencies that those grilling need to pay attention to. Grills get hot. Burns from a hot grill happen all the time. Small children running around the grill are asking to be burned. Keep children away from the grill area, no exceptions. Another example of a grill danger actually happened to me. I had never started a propane grill before. I turned the gas on at the tank knob with the lid closed. I didn’t know that the propane would build up. I pushed the button on the grill to light it and lifted the lid to see if it was lit and the next thing I knew my eyebrows and hair in the front of my head was singed. The flash of fire happened so fast I never saw it coming. I was lucky I didn’t suffer any burns, just a bit of singed hair. But I now know how to light a grill.

When grilling, please be careful and follow all safety precautions. Don’t be my next 9-1-1 call.

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Tips for Making the Best BBQ Chicken

chicken roastingYou may have heard a number of ways to make BBQ chicken. Everyone has his or her own idea of a tasty and succulent BBQ chicken and hence, a different method of preparation as well. But what is the best way to get a juicy barbecued chicken. It involves closely monitoring the fire on the grill, keeping the flame low and meticulously checking the temperature. If it is kept on for too long, the chicken will be dry. If the grill is too hot, then the skin would burn. Here are a few tips to help you create the most tasty and moist BBQ chicken.

Preheat
Preheating is essential for any type of BBQ. A good piece of BBQ requires even temperature throughout the meat. If one does not preheat, the outer surface gets warmer way before the heat could reach inside. And this causes the outer surface to get charred and burnt.

Marination
This is one of the essential steps towards preparing a BBQ chicken. Always marinate the chicken before cooking it. Make sure its every side is properly marinated. Keep it that way for at least two hours so the meat absorbs the juices. If one does not marinate properly, then some parts of chicken would remain raw and some would be burnt.

Let the Fluid Soak in the Coal
If you are planning to barbecue chicken on a charcoal grill, then remember to let the fluid soak into the charcoal. A mistake that most people make is to light the coal prematurely after pouring the liquid. This can lead to harmful consequences. Give at least a minute or two for the fluid to settle in before lighting it. Also, remember to light the charcoal from a safe distance.

Cook with Beer
One of the best ways to get a succulent barbecued chicken is to add beer in the cavity during cooking. The beer keeps the meat moist and juicy. Additionally, smoky flavored spices rub under and over the skin giving it extra flavor. Alternatively, one can also use water or chicken broth.

Use Dark Meat
If one does not plan to barbecue the whole chicken, then one should experiment with dark meat, as it is tenderer than chicken breast. It is also easier to swallow if you end up overcooking it.

BBQ Sauce
Sometimes all you need is a good BBQ sauce. So make sure you have one with you when you are craving for an awesome barbecued chicken.

Gas or Charcoal
This is an age-old question, as to which is the better option between charcoal and gas. But the answer is not that simple as many variables are involved such as flavor, convenience, and cost. One could argue that gas burns cleaner than charcoal. Charcoal emits carbon monoxide and other harmful substances that could sometimes even cause cancer. Another could argue that chicken cooked on charcoal is smokier and richer in taste. It depends mostly on your preference of taste.

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Healthy BBQ Meats

Meat products for every taste

It’s no secret that we all love a big hunk of red meat on our plate. However, the terms ‘healthy’ and ‘red meat’ are barely used together in a sentence; we’re about to change that. Here is a list of healthy meats that you can grill on your next BBQ party.

Bison
Bison or Buffalo meat was once on the endangered species list but thanks to preservation efforts, they’ve made a comeback and are now available in meat patties at most meat shops in Melbourne, Florida. A cousin to the cow, the buffalo is a much healthier alternative, containing low amounts of fat. How low? Well, if you compare a lean hamburger, it boasts around 10% fat which is twice what a buffalo burger of the same size contains.

Why the huge difference? Well, buffalos are grass fed compared to their cousins who get most of their nutrition from fodder and artificial nutrients. Another factor that makes buffalo a great choice for your next BBQ is that its texture and flavor are quite similar to that of beef. Check out your local meat markets for some delicious bison patties to use on your next BBQ.

Chicken
A distant relative to dinosaurs, the flightless bird is also one of the healthiest alternatives to red meat while being much more popular than bison. Don’t get us wrong, fried chicken may contain the most amounts of trans-fats of all meats, but right now we’re just talking about barbeque chicken.

The big advantage to chicken is that it’s much cheaper than red meat. It can also taste spectacular if prepared correctly and marinated properly. However, chicken is somewhat harder to BBQ for amateurs since the meat isn’t as thick as beef, and improperly prepared chicken can have some health risks. On the other hand, properly prepared chicken is an excellent source of protein but make sure not to overcook it. Heat it at a temperature of around 170F before laying it on the BBQ grill.

Pork
No, that’s not a typo. Pork, which has often been associated with the beer guts of most BBQ loving Melbourne, Florida residents, is actually much healthier for you if eaten in contained portions. Pork chops are, needless to say, the top choice for most BBQ lovers along with a side of BBQ sauce. A recent study found that around 90g of pork tenderloins contain almost the same amount of fat as the same amount of chicken, so don’t hesitate to take a bite or two.

Turkey
Turkey?! You didn’t see that coming did you! Is it even possible to barbeque the giant bird? The answer is yes; in fact, if prepared properly, turkey can be one of the most delicious BBQ dishes thanks to its richer taste and firmer texture. Besides that, turkey is also the lowest in fat of all the above choices (about 6grams in a 120gram serving) while being the highest in protein.

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Grilling for the Amateur Chef

beef steak on the grill with flames.

We cook all night on our on premises smoker. But if you are looking to cook up some of your own food using a grill, we have created this article.

Thinking of hosting a BBQ party for your co-workers? Afraid you’re going to ruin it with overcooked charred meat? Fear not, as we will tell you how to cook the juiciest grilled meat by going through the dos and don’ts of charcoal grilling.

Charcoal
The charcoal quality will largely define the quality of the final cooked meat, so don’t underestimate its importance. We advise users to go for lump coals instead of briquette coals as the latter has a tendency to burn the meat along with altering its flavor.

Fuel
This is the part where you need to be cautious, unless you want to engulf your backyard with flames. Do not, under any circumstances, use kerosene or gas if you are grilling for the first time. This is because these fuels have a tendency to explode. Always use lighter fluid.

The BBQ technique
Okay, before you even start with the cooking, you need to understand the difference between grilling and barbequing. Even though the terms are often interchanged, they are two completely different cooking techniques; grilling meat at a barbeque party can lead to a lot of awkward stares.

While grilling makes use of direct heat from the fire to cook the meat, barbequing requires more time as you won’t be exposing the meat directly to the fire. Similar to baking, barbequing is a slow technique which makes use of the smoke emitted from the fire in order to properly cook the meat.

Now that we have cleared that out, let us go through an effective grilling technique.

Drain the Marinade
First of all, you need to properly marinate the meat. This doesn’t mean completely soaking it in marinade. In fact, what most novice grillers do is marinade the meat excessively, resulting in a large portion of it getting charred. Remember to drain the meat of excess marinade, as this can cause premature burning.

Let the Coal Settle
Do not be hasty with the grilling; let the coal soak in the fuel for it to burn properly. Once the fuel is soaked in, ignite the coals and let them burn until they change to a bright orange color. After there is sufficient heat being emitted from the coals, place the marinated meat on top of the grill.

Cook the Meat
Let the meat cook for a good 20 minutes. Remember, the slower the cooking, the tastier the meat will be. Make sure that none of the ash or charcoal contents actually come into contact with the marinated meat. Keep on brushing it and check for charring. As soon as one side of the meat is sufficiently charred, flip it over so that the other side gets its fair share of heat.