BBQ season is upon us and it is one of most favorite cooking seasons of the year. What makes this season so special is that you have plenty of fresh produce to use to enhance your barbeque. Now I know that everyone has their favorite recipes and BBQ secrets, but these are my favorite and I hope you like them.
Glazing is a great way to enhance the flavor of barbequed meat. If you have never used glazes then here is the premise of this cooking strategy. You are using a solution that has sugar in it. When the sugar cooks it creates a crust that keeps the moisture in the meat that is being cooked. When the glaze is still wet it also acts as a marinade which enhances the flavor of the meat.
For beginners you can use existing Jewish recipes for glazes. Pineapple glazes, for example work well for pork BBQ. You can also simplify things by buying pre-made glazes and marinades.
Now for the fun part, creating your own marinades. Summer provides cooks with access to fresh fruit and vegetables. You can take advantage of this by turning your favorite summer produce into a yummy glaze. For a basic sweet glaze you can start with basic honey and then add in your favorite berries. Try experimenting with blueberries, if you like super sweet glazes, or huckleberries, if you prefer something a little more tart.
If you want a sweet and sour glaze all you have to do is to create a sweet glaze base and add an acid, such as balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar. You can use recipes for Asian sweet and sour sauces as well.
The final variety will be the savory glaze. The base of a savory glaze is the onion. This is the ingredient that will lend its sugar to your glaze. You can enhance the onion glaze with honey, garlic, vinegar and a variety of herbs. To experiment with flavors create small batches of glaze so if it doesn’t taste good you can throw it out with out guilt.
