Poblano Relish

I'm a big fan of chile peppers. This relish uses poblano chiles - also called pasilla. The dried version is called ancho.

It's not out of this world hot, but it adds a nice kick to hot dogs and even hamburgers.

2 Poblano chiles, grilled, peeled, seeded & finely chopped
1 large dill pickle, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (or Nelly & Joe's)
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cilantro
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to four hours before serving.

List of Things You Need to BBQ

Grill - Matter of preference, but I use charcoal.

Fuel - You need to make sure you have enough charcoal - or gas. It would suck to be cooking pulled pork - which takes about six hours - only to run out of fuel in the third hour.

Chimney Starter - This is one of the greatest inventions for charcoal users. You put newspaper in the bottom, pour charcoal in the top, light the paper and you have ready characoals in about 15 minutes, without the lighter fluid flavor.

Grill Brush - Used for cleaning off the grill. You can get one under a buck at stores like Wal-Mart or Shopko.

Mitts - Get a couple of BBQ mitts. They cover your arms also, so you don't get that nice singed hair odor.

Spatula - This is one of two utensils that you will need. Use this to turn burgers. (You can buy an entire BBQ set, complete with spatula, tongs, fork, skewers and basting brush for less than ten bucks at your local Wal-Mart.)

Tongs - Use this to turn almost every other type of meat.

Basting Brush &/or Mop - I use a mop more than I use a brush. I think it spreads out the sauce a lot better. Get a few for different sauces.

Meat Thermometer - This is almost as important as a grill. You don't want to serve undercooked - or overcooked - meat.

Apron - You don't want to get grease and charcoal all over your "I'm With Stupid" T-Shirt.

Other Things That Are Not Necessary But Help the Whole Process

Syringe - Use this to inject flavor into the meat before grilling.

ChickCan Rack - For making the most tender chicken you could ever grill, using a can of your favorite beverage. (Recipes coming for this)

BBQ FAQ

Q: Gas or Charcoal?

A: There are people more fluent than myself in the language of BBQ that can tell you the reason why charcoal is better than gas, but in the end, it's all a matter of preference.

The one thing - and as far as I'm concerned, the only thing - that gas grills have going for them is the convenience of having a hamburger or hot dog within a matter of minutes.

In every other aspect of grilling, I think charcoal grills lead the way.

Q: What kind of grill do you use?

A: Currently, I use a Weber grill that my father gave me a few years back. It's very old, but it does the job beautifully. My ultimate goal is to own a Big Green Egg one day, but that's a lot of money to spend on a grill.


Q: What kind of wood do you use?

A: It all depends on the meat. I like mesquite quite a bit for chicken, beef and even pork. I also like a nice fruit wood - apple or cherry - when I'm cooking pork. I think like grills, wood is all a matter of taste. Try different woods and choose for yourself.


Q: With all the BBQ websites and books out there, what makes you qualified to have one?

A: I am far from qualified to tell anyone how to grill. I'm just a guy that likes to spend his weekends cooking meat and shooting the bull with friends. I still have a lot to learn about grilling, but I figure I could share the limited knowledge that I do have with people that enjoy grilling. It doesn't hurt to share ideas, does it?

Q: What is your favorite thing to grill?

A: I think my two favorite things to cook are brats (I love Johnsonville cheddar brats) and pulled pork.

Let's Get Grilling

Another blog by me. I don't even keep up with the other blogs that I have, but this one I think will work in my time frame.

Every weekend, hopefully starting this weekend, I will be grilling delicious meat and sometimes vegetables. Every Monday, I hope to put the recipe of my weekend adventure on this blog.