King of The Grill

by:Bobby McDonald

Memorial Day weekend is the perfect time for a picnic or inviting guests over for some backyard fun. And, with temperatures soaring, no one wants to heat the kitchen. The backyard grill is the perfect place to cook-up some delightful recipes and let the food prepare while you are enjoying your guests.

With the Memorial Day holiday being only second to Fourth of July in volume of food grilled, we decided to go to a local source and provide some grilling instructions to aid you in making a success of the grilling process. We consulted Steve Smith, owner of Big Smith Bar-B-Q, on Highway 154, South. Steve grills on a daily basis and shared his own favorite recipes and some grilling tips.

Steve Smith, owner of Big Smith Bar-B-Q, is
"pit boss" at his establishment and brings
years of experience to grilling meats.

Smith affirms that the grilling process can be both rewarding and challenging, but using the correct seasonings for the meat can make all the difference in the final product. He offers the following dry rub for brisket:

Dry Rub

(for a 10# Brisket)

1 cup salt
1/4 cup Paprika
1/4 cup Chili Powder
2 tablespoons Black Pepper
2 tablespoons granulated garlic

Mix all ingredients and rub the brisket at least
six hours before beginning the grilling process.

Seasoned and bar-b-qued beef ribs are a specialty at
Big Smith Bar-B-Q.

Everyone likes grilled steaks. And, the proper marinade and preparation makes certain that they will be grilled to perfection. Smith offers the following steak marinade:

Steak Marinade
(for six medium sized steaks)

1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worchestershire Sauce
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons of finely chopped garlic
dash of salt
dash of sugar
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce (can adjust to taste)

Put all ingredients in a large Zip-loc bag and mix well.
Add steaks at least six hours before grilling and refrigerate.
Grill at 140 degrees for rare steaks-
Grill at 160 degrees for Medium steaks-
Grill at 170 degress for Well Done steaks.

A new grilling delight that Smith has most recently "perfected" is Grilled Jalapeno Poppers. Steve has even constructed his own grilling rack for the grill, by using a pair of horseshoes and welding washers between them. The handy rack fits nicely on the grill and can be used while grilling other food.

Big Smith's Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

1 dozen large Jalapeno Peppers
1/2 pound grated Cheddar Cheese
12 slices uncooked bacon

Slice the stem end from the Jalapeno peppers and using a rounded
knife, core the seeds and membranes from them. Pack each pepper
with cheddar cheese and then wrap the pepper with a slice of bacon.
Use toothpicks to secure the bacon and place the wrapped peppers in
the rack. Grill with your other food until bacon cooks and cheese is
bubbly in the peppers. Enjoy!

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