The smell of charcoal burning and tasty treats being cooked outside is starting to fill the air across the UK as more and more people start lighting their summer barbecues. A barbecue is a great way to celebrate summer and to throw a summer party. As it is outside there is often less clearing up afterwards and it is an ideal way to stay outside a bit more than usual and enjoy the rare patches of clement weather. But what is good to drink at a barbecue – what type of wine works well and are there other drinks that are especially suited to the meat based highly sauced often a little charred food that comes off the barbecue.
As a good rule of thumb when it comes to barbecue wines, look to the great barbecuers of the world – the Americans, the Argentineans, the Australians and the South Africans. These wines are often richer than their European counterparts due to the increased ripening time and therefore go really well with richer foods – so when barbecuing there is no need to hold the sauces or forego that chilli in the things that you are serving as there are some fantastic wines that will work really well with this kind of food
White Sines
When it comes to white wines to serve at or to take along to a barbecue it a regular Chardonnay is perfect. No need to go for a top of the range wine – subtle flavours will not be enhanced by barbecue food. In fact a chardonnay is even better when it is a blended wine as then you get a bit of a tropical taste to the flavour which really goes well with grilled food. Australian wine is often blended so look out for that. If you are mainly barbecuing fish you might be better with a new world Sauvignon Blanc as this has quite a sharp flavour which works well with oily fish or seafood. Sauvignon Blanc again is probably best from Australia as a barbecue wine but there are also some good varieties from Chile and South Africa which will also make your barbecue go with a swing.
Red Wines
When it comes to red wines that work with barbecue food again look to the new world. Look at countries which have a big steak tradition as their red wines will be perfect with a meat based barbecue. One word of warning though, be careful not to choose wines that have a rich oaky flavour as this will overwhelm your senses. The ideal wine is one that has been made from very ripe fruit and so again Australian wines are ideal – however look out for wines from South Africa and Argentina too
If you want something a little different why not make your own wine cooler. A big jug of wine fizzy water ice and fruit makes a great cool drink to serve and also as the water minimises the alcohol content you won’t feel any worse for wear for drinking it.
Fiona Muller has been writing for over 20 years. She is a qualified journalist and has worked in food and drink writing for the last few years. For more information visit Laithwaites.co.uk
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/barbecue-wines-948440.html
Filed under Source by on Jun 1st, 2009. Comment. 
Long before the advent of charcoal briquettes and propane people were cooking their meals over wood fueled fires.
From the days of cave-men to less than one hundred years ago wood was the fuel of choice when it came to cooking. In this modern age we are constantly looking for a faster, cleaner and easier way to do everything, including preparing our meals. This has led to the development of bigger accessory laden gas fueled grills lining the isles of home improvement stores and showing up in our backyards.
But for the barbeque purists out there nothing tastes quite the same as preparing their favorite barbeque dish over a wood fired grill.
Why is this? What could possibly work better then the latest and greatest in barbecue technology?
Depending on the type of wood used the “Grill-Master” (that guy who hovers over the grill creating barbecue master pieces) can create flavors in the meat, poultry or fish that just cannot be had over a more modern gas fueled grill. This flavor can further be adjusted just by the amount of wood used, how hot the fire is, and how much smoke the meat is allowed to marinate in.
There are several types of wood fired barbeques on the market today. They are sometimes referred to as smoker grills. The offset firebox is the one most of us are used to seeing. These come in all sizes, from small family sized units to large trailer born monsters capable of feeding several hundred people.
The distinguishing characteristic of the offset firebox is, well the offset firebox. Set off to the side and slightly below the main cooking chamber is the firebox. This separates the food from direct heat and allows for a nice slow cooking temperature.
The bullet style smoker is not actually a smoker but more of what is called a cold smoker or water smoker. They use a pan of water between the heat source and the meat, thereby blocking any direct heat that would cause any overcooking. In a sense they are not really considered a barbecue because of the way they work.
The main chamber cooker is the third type of wood fired barbeque. These are barrel shaped and allow the fire to be built off to one side with the meat offset from the wood allowing for an indirect cooking method. You do need to be careful with how large of a fire gets built because there is no physical separation between the heat source and the meat. The fire need to be kept small and tended in a timely manner throughout the cooking process.
Of course all this is a moot point if you do not select the right type of wood.
For a wood fired barbecue nothing works better than a fruit bearing hardwood such as oak, hickory, pecan, maple apple and of course from Texas mesquite.
Do not use softwoods or the wood from evergreens or conifers. Aside from burning at a lower temperature they are loaded with sap which will leave a bad taste on anything you cook.
Cooking meat over a wood fire has been something humans have been doing for thousands of years. With the newer and more modern wood barbecue smokers on the market today it is possible for just about anyone to enjoy real wood fired barbecue.
Andrew Bicknell is a barbeque aficionado with a website about barbequing. For more tips and trick about wood fired barbecues visit his web site Backyard Barbeque.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/cooking-with-a-wood-fired-barbecue-952127.html
Filed under Uncategorized by on Jun 3rd, 2009. Comment.
A Chicken Lollipops belong to the fare known as Indian Chinese. The taste is unmistakably Chinese, but the preparation and handling are very close to Indian cuisine. This dish can be found at all Indian Chinese restaurants worth their salt, and you can often judge the quality of the kitchen by this dish.
Ingredients
2 lbs Chicken Wings
1 tblsp garlic paste
1 tblsp ginger paste
6-8 green chilies
1 tblsp Soy sauce
1/2 tsp Vinegar
1 tsp Asian red chilly sauce
1/2 cup corn flour or corn starch
2 eggs
Red food color
Salt to taste
Oil to fry
Procedure
First you need to make lollipops out of the chicken wings available at the market. This is probably the toughest step, and takes a lot of time.
Cut each wing in half, along the movable bone joint. Of the two parts left, one part will have two parallel bones, and the other part will have a single bone. Remove the extra bone from one part of each wing. You will get two lollipops from each chicken wing.
Now, for each lollipop, cut the ligaments near one end of the bone so that the muscle separates from the bone. Roll this muscle over to the other end, without cutting the ligaments at that end. The muscle will thus remain hanging, and can be rolled over to form a lollipop.
Mix all the ingredients mentioned above to form a marinade. Note that since corn starch is present, you must take care not to let it form any lumps.
Marinate the chicken and leave for several hours.
When ready to serve, deep fry the lollipops and serve hot with chilly garlic sauce. Serve immediately with rice and vegetables. For more details http://www.indomunch.com
i am a good man
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/appetizing-dish-of-chicken-lollipops-929397.html
Filed under Recipe by on Jun 4th, 2009. Comment.
