Grilling and marinades

[DanaC]

I was never much of a griller, but last fall I bought one of those neat little 'Q' grills, and lately I've been getting more into it.

I try to eat healthy (failing frequently!) and work at keeping the salt in line, and the fat moderate.

So, I googled how to cook skinless chicken - boneless breast tenders etc. Every source said the same thing, it can be done IF you a) marinade it well and b) don't overcook it. Had a package of 'tenders' in the freezer from a sale, tried it, yum!

Complete breasts can be trickier, because the thickness varies so much across the cut.

Then I tried a personal favorite, one the local supermarket carries - boneless, skinless thighs. 24 hours in the marinade, grill and eat. No waste, moist and delicious.

For marinades all the sources said use one with plenty of oil. I've been mixing Italian salad dressing with other things, like a honey-mustard dressing. Tonight it was teriyaki and Italian, 50-50. I call it 'Marco Polo' chicken and it is delicious.

If I was going camping, I'd do this up in a zip-lock bag and have a real treat for supper on the first evening. For clean-up, toss the plastic bag in the campfire ;-)

[TradArcher]

Dana,
I've been cookin on the grill for decades. As for the skinless chicken... No problem. I like a little salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. I get it all to "stick" on the pieces with a little rub of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Next I put my grill on hi. letting the temp to get to over 450F. When it's there, I turn the burners down to their minimum setting and keep them there. After a minute or so, place the meat on the grill and close down the cover. You'll be tempted to take the top off and start moving the chicken around... but don't, at least at first. If you try to move the parts around and they're sticking to the grill it's simply not ready to be moved as yet... Let it alone and stop foolin with it.
In about 6mins or so you can take a "test try" at moving/turning over the parts... IF they easily turn over then do so and give them another 6-8mins.
Over the years I've learned how to "feel" the meat to determing it's degree of cooking, ie, under cooked or rare or medium or well done... You will to simply by taking a fork and placing it on the top of the meat and applying a small amount of downward pressure along with a little sideways pressure.

Good Luck with the diet and grilling!

Tom

[DanaC]

Found an 'orange & sesame-seed' marinade at the store, mixed it 50-50 with teriyaki, planning to grill some chicken tenders tonight. (Started the marinade yesterday afternoon.)

Was reading labels at the store, most of those '30 minutes' marinades are based on vinegar rather than oil. I don't have a problem with the 24 hour thing so I avoid those.

[TradArcher]

The orange/sesame with teriyaki sounds pretty good to me.... and... a little "proper preparation" is a good thing! :)

Tom

[DanaC]

Well, it was good, and I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, but next time I'm going to try the orange/sesame straight up. (Unless I decide not to...)

[TradArcher]

Ever try Peter Luger's or Smith&Wolensky on your steak??? Both are fine additions.

Tom

[DanaC]

Tried chicken a new way yesterday, A-1 'Steakhouse' marinade combined with a bit of Cajun seasoning. Made it for the guys I was bird hunting with, they loved it. I didn't even get a piece! On the bright side, they left me plenty of cherry-stones ;-)

So I'm gonna do another batch soon, and I ain't sharing!

[Bowcephalus]

Made it for the guys I was bird hunting with, they loved it. I didn't even get a piece!

Grilling etiquette allows you to eat yours directly off the grill....Gotta taste test for your guests donchaknow......

[DanaC]

Guests, heck, guinea pigs >;-)