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1. Cooking Class....Grilling vs. Bbq.....Believe it or not....there is a big difference.

If the heat source is from the bottom of your cooking surface, you are grilling. It doesn't make any difference if what you are grilling on is a solid-flat surface or whether it is the grate on your outdoor "grill"; yes, a grill....not a bbq. Most of us are very familiar with "grill marks", those pretty little lines that you get on you New York Strip Steak or salmon. The truth of the matter is, the terms grilled and broiled have been used on American menus for years, not to define the cooking process, but to describe the way your entree will look when it hits your table.

If you are unfamiliar with cooking processes in general, it is not unusual for you to described a steak with grill lines on it as a "grilled steak", when in reality, it might very well have been cooked in a broiler.

Now, to the subject at hand. Grilling means the source of the cooking heat is from the bottom and the process is relatively short. Bbq means that the cooking time is slow and long and may start out with a technique called "braising".

To Braise: A cooking method in which the main item, usually meat, is seared in fat, then simmered in stock or another liquid in a covered vessel.

Not to get too far off the subject, but then what's the difference between braising and stewing, you ask? The difference is in the size of the meat. Small pieces are stewed and large pieces (ribs, roasts, etc) are braised.

Therefore, it would not be unusual to braise some ribs and then grill them. If you bbq them, you are probably doing the entire process on the grill, over low heat, for an extended period of time.

Personally, I like to braise the ribs first....until they are falling off the bone and then "mop" them with my special sauce and toss them on the grill. We make it a two day process around here. I braise them one day and heat and sauce them on the grill the second day. I've got enough to do on the day of the event. Pre-braising saves a lot of time!

Here are some sites I have checked out to help you get through the outdoor cooking season:

BBQ 101 by Traditional Texas Fare

BBQ 102, Grill It by Traditional Texas Fare

BBQ 103, the Real Thing by Traditional Texas Fare

Grilling Lamb by lambchef.com

2. Braising to get the best ribs.
You can get ribs from almost anything. From beef we have our choice of plain old beef ribs or beef shortribs and from pork, which I prefer, we have spareribs, country-style and babyback ribs.

Which ever style of rib you prefer, the process is the same. If you don't own one of those "big mother" fry pans, cutting the section of ribs into portion size is just fine. Get the pan hot with a little oil...just a little. The important part here is the hot pan. Sprinkle a little salt on the rib and cook the meaty side first. Get it good and brown and toss it into a roasting pan. Best if the roasting pan has a rack, if not, I have been know to prop up the ribs with "all metal" kitchen spoons or "all metal" something. This is so the meat doesn't boil in the stock and juices. When you have seared all of the rib pieces, add a cup of stock to the pan and cover tightly. I use whatever I've got. Could be pork, beef, chicken or vegetable stock. Pop it into a 350° F oven and come back and check it into 1 & 1/2 hours. They probably won't be quite done. Experience has shown that 2 hours seems to be the proper time. When you have reached "falling off the bone" meat, you are in business.

At this point you could pull from the oven and cool for the next day or "mop" on some sauce and pop back into the oven uncovered for about 10 minutes....now you are ready to serve.

If you need to put on a show for your friends and family, just fire up the grill and lay the ribs out with some of your own secret sauce. Heat and serve.

Here are some things to go with the main event:

Grilled Corn by Cooksrecipes.com

Southern Potato Salad by Cooksrecipes.com

Lime-Pineapple Salad by Cooksrecipes.com

Roasted Corn Chowder by Soupsong.com

Both relish and salsa come under the category of "raw sauces". Both can be served either warm or cold, but usually cold. Both use local ingredients and are used to add flavor to dishes. They can contain any vegetable or fruit. The difference between them is in their history. Salsa is the Mexican word for sauce and relishes are of European background.

Americans have come to enjoy using the word salsa to describe many of the relishes our ancestors have made for generations. I grew up with a corn relish that was served with ham and green beans and of course that green pickle relish whose soul purpose in life is to top a good old American hotdog.

What ever you call it, the purpose is still to add flavor and zing to what ever you are eating. They have become very popular, not only for their taste but most relishes pack fewer calories than our traditional sauces.

Here are some direct links to lists of salsa/relish recipes to wet your appetite.

A Load of Relish Recipes by recipecenter.com

Lots of Salsa Recipes by recipecenter.com

4. Grilling Tips & Safety
Safety First:

1. Grilling no-no number one is leaving food uncovered and unrefrigerated. It's an invitation to bugs & bacteria. Always cover with plastic wrap and chill in a refrigerator or cooler.

2. Cross contamination is a big problem. Using your utensils for both raw and cooked food will transfer bacteria from one food to the other. I like to keep a bucket of water near the grill that has about 2 T. of clorine bleach per one gallon of water. Great for rinsing things off.

3. Don't use the same plate after you have cooked the food. Most people forget to bring a second plate to the grill with them.

4. Make sure your grill is in a well ventilated location.

5. Don't store your extra gas tank near the grill.

6. Keep a water bottle handy to mist any flare-ups on charcoal grills.

7. Dispose of ashes properly. A covered metal pail works best just in case there are still live coals. Never pour the hot coals into a bucket of water, or vice versa, as steam from the briquets may burn you.

8. Open aluminum foil food packets carefully and facing away from you to let out the steam. Steam burns can be painful.

Cooking Tips:

1. If you are using briquets for grilling, use the following as a general rule of thumb. For 1 lb. of meat or poultry cooked directly on coals you'll need about 30 briquets; cooked indirectly you'll need about 50 briquets. Use more on a windy or cold day.

2. Turn hot food with long-handled tongs and spatulas to prevent piercing meat unnecessarily.

3. Don't throw away old dried herbs. Instead, moisten a handful, and sprinkle them over hot coals for added flavor before grilling.

4. Place food about 3/4 inch apart for even cooking.

5. Charcoal should extend about 1 inch beyond the area the food will cover to cook evenly.

6. When roasting or grilling with a BBQ pit closed, open a can of beer and place the beer over the hottest part of the fire. The beer will boil and super saturate the air inside the pit with water vapor, beer flavors and alcohol. This will help in keeping the roasting meats moist, while adding flavor to the meat.

7. When grilling meats, it is best to turn the meat only once. When grilling meat to a medium or greater doneness, use the lid to assist in cooking. This will decrease the cooking time by applying heat to all sides of the meat at once.

8. Tomato and/or sugar based BBQ sauces should be added only at the end of the cooking process. They burn quickly.

5. Market Watch...Going Shopping?
We have been wanting to add this information to our newsletter for a long time. Finally getting around to it. Every week we received market information so we can gage our purchases and specials in the restaurant. So from now on, we are going to share.

Produce

Late winter freezes in Texas and New Mexico have reduced onion crop yields. Probably will be high over the next month. Potatoes are trending higher as warehouse supplies diminish. Last year potatoes rose 25% over the month of June. Beware! California tree fruit supplies of peaches, plums and nectarines are increasing daily. Reports are good. Expect prices to continue on a slow downward trend. Celery could not get better. California sped up growth producing larger sized bundles. Prices are good. Peppers are steady in both supplies and prices. Nice quality red peppers from West coast. Green peppers are from Florida and Georgia. Yellow peppers are currently imported from Canadian hothouses. So watch your produce market doesn't bundle all the peppers in the same high price. Bananas and mushrooms are in good supply so availability is good and prices are reasonable.

Bad Vidalia onion crop could mean $50 million loss. Temperature extremes and a fast-spreading fungal disease have killed about 60% of this year's crop of Georgia's famously sweet Vidalia onions. Growers said consumers will still be able to find high quality Vidalias, but fewer of them will be available.

Beef

Production is at high levels, but so is demand. Look for choice strip steak and short loins to be a better price. Get your ground beef now, expect it to go up in time for the July 4th holiday. Hams and pork are at a bottom so expect them to start rising in price. Poultry market has been steady. Prices are still reasonable and a good value.

Seafood

Soft shell crabs are hard to find. Maryland and Virginia harvesters have experienced a slow down period caused by a cold spell a few weeks ago. So prices are high. Need to wait until the water temperatures warm up. Flounder demand has escalated, driving prices up. Cod, polock and haddock are still reasonable. Clams are currently plentiful. Watch your "out to eat prices on snow crabs". Various sellers are reported to be discontinuing snow crab in an effort to stimulate sales. If they pull it off, prices will go higher.

Dairy

Cheese prices are weak. Milk supplies remain plentiful with more milk diverted to the cheese vats due to lower school needs. This has resulted in cheese offerings outpacing demand and more product entering inventories. June is "National Diary Month" and promotions are resulting in improved demand. Beware of hot weather which will slow production and increase prices. However, right now production continues to outpace demand and inventories are nearly double from a year ago. Warm weather does cause ice cream production to pick up and it pulls cream supplies. Prices are good in short term.