LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With the recent warm weather, backyard grillers have been heating up their charcoal or gas grills for the first time this year. But how many of those people took the time to clean their grills? While it is an extra step, it is essential to good grilling, food safety, and plain old cleanliness. Honestly, would you knowingly eat a hamburger that was cooked on grates coated with last year's food particles hanging on the surface? Think about how many times we actually do this because we assume that the high heat used to preheat the grill has burned off the remnants of the last grilling session. If your grilled foods have black flakes on them, this isn't caramelization, but old food particles. Yuck. 

Cleaning a grill takes no more than 15 minutes depending on how fast you move. Breaking it down into a few easy steps, you'll see how basic it really is:

Step 1: After each grilling session, let the grill whether charcoal or gas cool down slightly then use a grill brush to remove the food debris. Pour vegetable oil on a crumpling of paper towels, and wipe off the grate leaving behind a thin protective layer of oil and removing any tiny particles in the process. 

Step 2: If you have a charcoal grill, also remove the ashes. Ash is caustic and will eat away at the bottom bowl of the grill. Dispose of cold ashes in a metal bucket conveniently set beside the grill. Ashes can then be bagged and trashed, or applied to a compost pile as long as there are no meat or grease clumps in it.

Step 3: If you have a gas grill, every few cooking sessions, clean the food particles that have dropped onto the metal plates above the burners. Sometimes this is lava rocks, or briquettes; nonetheless, clean off the bits so they don't impart off flavors.

Step 4: Particularly important right now with all the pollen in the air, wipe off the outside of the grill to maintain it. Pollen is sticky so soapy water, and a rinse are necessary to keep from smearing it.

Step 5: Once a year, best at the beginning of the season, take apart the hoses and fixtures on a gas grill and inspect for wear and damage. Also, buy a gas leak detection kit, and make sure all the fittings are secure, and in good working order.

If you haven't caught on yet after reading through the steps, step one is really the only one that needs to be done every time you grill. If you have a charcoal grill, then step two is necessary.  Now that we've got the cleaning out of the way, let's go grill something! 

For memorable grilling, building flavors is essential, and easy. Using marinades, rubs, wood chips, and sauces is a fantastic way to turn basic grilling into gourmet grilling. Save yourself some money and make up a dry rub house blend storing it in a big salt shaker. Whether you cook burgers or brisket, a dry rub adds an initial layer of flavor, and helps develop great color. If you are smoking or barbecuing a large cut of meat, prep the entire surface with a dry rub the night before which allows the flavors to develop. 

The second layer of flavor happens while smoking or barbecuing with the addition of wood chips. Chips come in a variety of flavors some intense like mesquite, and some very mellow like alder or apple. Dampen the chips so they smoke not burn, and add them just before putting the meat on. Cover the grill or smoker to allow the smoke to penetrate the surface. Always remember when using wood chips that a little goes a long way. Too many chips, and the flavor will be bitter.

The third layer of flavor happens after or just before the meat is ready to come off the grill. Applying a sauce or mop, pulls all the other flavors together creating a unified flavor profile. Seasoned grillers have additional marinades, and techniques they weave into the process. But following this basic 1-2-3 approach will take you from basic to gourmet without a lot of hassle. 

Following is an all purpose dry rub to help build flavors into your grilling season. It cannot be said enough, use fresh spices. Do not use ground spices after six months. Fresh spices make superior blends which in turn create exceptional dishes. Secondly, use enough of the rub to completely coat all surfaces. The biggest mistake backyard grillers make is just sprinkling on rubs. Rubs create color, flavor, and texture (crustiness) when properly applied. If you absolutely have to have a ratio think of it as 1-2 TB (depends on how pungent the rub is) per pound of meat.

All Purpose Dry Rub

Makes: About a 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

4 TB granulated sugar

2 TB sea salt (milder than table salt)

1 TB dry mustard

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder or granules

You can customize your blend by adding one or two of the additional spices listed below to the above blend:

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cocoa powder (omit the dry mustard in the above blend if using)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (omit the dry mustard in the above blend if using)

Preparation:

Mix all the spices together in a medium bowl. Store in a covered container like a mason jar. If you grill a lot, store in a big stainless shaker for easy access.

Cloverfields Farm & Kitchen's Sweet Smoking Sticks: 

For another layer of flavor, you can add Cloverfields Farm & Kitchen Sweet Smoking Sticks to your charcoal, propane or ceramic grill. They are available at the Whole Foods on Shelbyville Road in Louisville. And you can find them online at: http://sweet-smoke-grilling-smoking-sticks.myshopify.com/

FREE SUMMER GRILLING RECIPES BY EMAIL! 

Cloverfields Farm and Kitchen also has a special Summer Grilling Recipe Booklet available by email. To ask for a complimentary copy, just email Janine Washle at cloverfields.farm.ky@gmail.com

Janine Washle's CloverFields Farm & Kitchen

Hardin Springs Area

Big Clifty, KY 42712 

Connect with Janine and Cloverfields Farm & Kitchen on Facebook, Website, Youtube and Pinterest.

About Janine Washle: 

CloverFields Farm & Kitchen is primarily an on-line destination.  They are not open to drop-in visitors as it is a private residence. 

"Authentically from Farm to Table"

CloverFields Kitchen researches and reinterprets many traditional recipes using local produce, much from their own gardens, and adding a global perspective.

"Exploring Global Tastes through Local Foods"

Janine is working on her first cookbook, but she also has a long resume developing recipes for several companies. She has also won several contests and cook-offs with her original recipes. 

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