Southeast Iowa
Five grilling essentials
As temperatures warm, the grill beckons. You can spend as much as you want on equipment, but there are a few essentials every backyard chef should have in the arsenal.
The grill
Yes, it's obvious, but a good grill is essential to good grilling. Both charcoal and gas get the job done, and both have strengths and weaknesses, so it's a matter of personal preference which you choose. Barbecue mitt
You're working a few inches away from fire, so invest in a good glove to protect your hand. Designs and materials vary considerably, but you should be able to manipulate your tools effectively while wearing it. Tongs
A good set of tongs with a long handle are important. A longer handle keeps your hand cooler, even if you're wearing a mitt, and it can handle the vast majority of turning needed with grilled foods. A barbecue fork? Throw it out. Piercing the food lets juices escape. Spatula
Some things just can't handle tongs (think hamburgers and many fish). So a good, long handled spatula is important. Again, a barbecue fork should not be used. Lump charcoal
Yes, most people use briquets. But lump charcoal catches faster and doesn't have the chemical fillers and binders that keep charcoal dust in brick form. That means a cleaner burn, taste and, in my experience, less ash. Extra Credit: Smoker
Most of what we call barbecue is, in fact, grilling. True barbecue is cooked low and slow. A smoker box attached to the grill can help coax the flavor that comes with hardwood smoke while keeping temperatures down. |
- Southeast Iowa
-
-
Kia Optima is a hit with the buying public
When it comes to midsized family sedans, the Kia Optima ranks high on my list for its good looks, economy and value.
-
The story behind the viral deer on a bus video
The way bus driver John Porter tells it, some of his co-workers now call him “John Deer.”
-
Identity-theft victim jailed on culprit’s warrant
Kurt Millard spent most of last weekend in jail, locked up on another man’s arrest warrant. The 26-year-old resident of Joplin, Mo. could not convince his jailers they had the wrong guy.
-
SLIDESHOW: Texas storms damage homes, uproot trees
After a series of tornadoes touched down outside Dallas, residents of many Texas communities are cleaning up.
-
VIDEO: Man hands out Abercrombie clothes on Skid Row in bid to shame brand
Anger has mounted online against clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch due to comments made by its chief executive and its strategy of not making women's clothing in any size above large.
-
Feces contaminates 58 percent of public swimming pools
Human feces taints more than half of public swimming pools, a finding U.S. health officials are using to urge better personal hygiene as the summer months approach.
-
VIDEO: Bombing suspect allegedly wrote confession in boat
Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev allegedly penned a note inside the boat where he was found hiding from authorities, explaining his rationale for his part in the deadly explosion.
-
MAP: Tornadoes carve across North Texas communities
As many as 10 tornadoes touched down soouthwest of Dallas, Texas on Wednesday.
-
Editorial: Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
This amounts to spying on an American news organization -- common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press.
-
VIDEO: Texas tornadoes damage homes, businesses
The Dallas Morning News has the latest on the tornadoes that tore through the region Wednesday night.
- More Southeast Iowa Headlines
-
