(NAPS)—You can step up your grilling game this summer with some insider tips and tricks from Chef Kevin Gillespie, BBQ expert, restaurant owner, cookbook author, and fan favorite from Bravo’s “Top Chef.”
From temperature tips to unexpected ingredients such as hard cider, Kevin has some great tricks to make your grilling easier and even more delicious:
(NAPS)—You can step up your grilling game this summer with some insider tips and tricks from Chef Kevin Gillespie, BBQ expert, restaurant owner, cookbook author, and fan favorite from Bravo’s “Top Chef.”
From temperature tips to unexpected ingredients such as hard cider, Kevin has some great tricks to make your grilling easier and even more delicious:
• Make sure your grill marks are brown, not black. Dark char can give food a burnt taste.
• Have all your ingredients and tools readily available. The grill cooks foods faster than most traditional cooking techniques, so be sure to watch carefully and have what you need close by.
• Be generous when seasoning. With a grill, there’s less surface area than when cooking on a stove—all those gaps in the grates on the grill—so salt, pepper and other seasonings may fall through.
• Temperature is key when grilling. A general rule of thumb is to cook on medium or medium-high heat. The hand trick is good to go by. Carefully hold your hand 6 inches over the surface of the grill. If you can count past 3, the grill is too cold. If you can’t count to 3, it’s too hot.
• Using cider, such as Angry Orchard Hard Cider, for your marinade, as an ingredient or on its own produces juicy, tender meats while infusing a refreshing, fruit-forward taste into every bite. It also helps to create that golden-brown grill mark color you’re looking for as the sugar helps to caramelize the outside of your meats. Hard Cider is also a refreshing alternative to beer and wine when grilling or for any occasion.
Angry Orchard Crisp Apple is available in 12-oz. and 16-oz. cans, so you can flip a burger with one hand and hold your cider in the other—it’s handy when you’re on the go, too.
This fresh take on a classic BBQ recipe is simple and delicious:
Cider Can Chicken
Serves 3–4
1 roasting chicken, approx. 4–5 pounds
2 cans Angry Orchard Crisp Apple cider
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 ounces olive oil
pepper, to taste
The day before, brine the chicken: Dissolve 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt and 1 Tablespoon sugar in one can of Angry Orchard Crisp Apple cider. Mix in 1 Tablespoon chopped herbs and 1 clove chopped garlic. Submerge chicken in brine overnight, adding water (or cider) if necessary.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees, or light a grill and set to low heat. Remove chicken from brine, rinse thoroughly and pat dry. In a small bowl, whisk together 4 ounces of Angry Orchard Crisp Apple cider, remaining herbs (whatever you can get your hands on—thyme, sage, rosemary, etc.), remaining garlic, and olive oil. Rub dressing all over chicken, and season liberally with remaining salt and pepper.
Stand chicken straight up and nestle firmly on top of can; the chicken should remain vertical. Place chicken in a wide roasting pan or directly on the grill, and cook until the juices run clear and chicken is cooked through, approx. 30–40 minutes. Cooking times will vary based on heat and method.
Remove chicken from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the can of cider, and serve.
For more recipes, visit www.AngryOrchard.com.
