The time has apparently come to get serious about our barbecue attack for the next few months, at least until the weather eventually puts a stop to it.
In case — shock and horror — you’ve misplaced or temporarily “lost” your own standby favorites or, equally thumb-twiddling and frustrating
, have none as yet, let’s start today with two seriously great recipes. One’s for chicken, the other for red meat. Both are tried and true and both never fail to top Forum readers’ summer requests, year after year.
Try this seasoned vinegar chicken soak just once, and it will be your go-to recipe forever. And don’t let the suggestion of vinegar turn you off; it’ll turn you on when you read what Everett cook Sheila Forsyth originally told us years and years ago now, when she first shared the recipe.
“Our family votes this marinated chicken as our number one knee-buckler as we smell it wafting out of the grill on the deck.”
Now, as far as what you might fear as a flavor blowback of heavy snap and tang from the vinegar, Sheila said, “Don’t let the ingredients fool you. My husband won’t touch vinegary things, yet loves this chicken.”
And so will you, so put this on your must-make list, because the Kruse family swears by it. We, by personal taste, go for a heavy smoke on this, and it’s not just heaven on a plate the first time around, because the leftover chicken (if there should be any) makes awesome chicken salad sandwiches, too.
Now for the meat possibility, a snappy swashbuckling combo guaranteed to wake up those winter-weary tastebuds, but one that can also be toned down (just decrease the liquid pepper) to perfectly suit your own level of fire power.
Designed for steak, it turns out this also makes a dandy soak for the meat cubes destined for kebabs, and after you’ve strung them and the veggies on skewers, you can give the whole shebang another bath in the marinade to wake up the peppers, onions, mushrooms, or whatever else you slide on between the meat.
Brought to a boil in a small saucepan and simmered for 5 minutes or so, the marinade also makes a terrific sauce or dip to serve alongside the sliced steak or kebabs.
Another discovery — salmon fillets, cross-hatched using a sharp knife, about ¼ to ½-inch deep, are terrific treated to a good, covering splotch of this marinade. Arrange them in an aluminum foil “boat” first, then spoon on enough to cover generously but not so much as to drown them, and let them stand until the coals are hot enough to start cooking.
The knee-buckler
1/2 cup oil
1 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
11/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
Chicken pieces
In small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken; beat until well mixed.
Arrange chicken in nonmetallic container (or self-sealing plastic bag); add vinegar mixture. Cover bowl or seal bag and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours, turning chicken occasionally. Drain chicken on paper towels before grilling.
Makes enough marinade for about 2 chickens, if small.
The swashbuckler
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup Worcestershire
1/8 cup liquid hot-pepper seasoning
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 large cloves garlic, pressed or mashed
Steak or other meat, kebabs, of choice
In small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except meat, mixing until well blended.
Place steak or other choice of ingredients in nonmetallic container (or self-sealing plastic bag); add marinade and cover bowl or seal bag and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours, turning steak or other ingredients occasionally. Lift from marinade, then grill as desired.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups marinade.
If you have some barbecue favorites to share, don’t hesitate to send them along to Judyrae Kruse at the Forum, c/o The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206. We are always happy to receive your contributions and requests, but please remember that all letters and e-mail must include a name, complete address with ZIP code and telephone number with area code. No exceptions and sorry, but no response to e-mail by return e-mail; send to kruse@heraldnet.com.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s comics pages.
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