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Fire Up The Grill, Eastchester, With Barbecue Tips From Balducci's

SCARSDALE, N.Y. -- According to foodimentary.com, July 4 is the most popular holiday for barbecuing (71 percent), followed by Memorial Day (57 percent), and Labor Day (55 percent).

Balducci's in Scarsdale has all your grilling needs.

Balducci's in Scarsdale has all your grilling needs.

Photo Credit: Jeanne Muchnick
Grilled salmon is a popular barbecue item.

Grilled salmon is a popular barbecue item.

Photo Credit: Submitted

And so, to get your grilling up to speed, Chef Sterling S. Smith of Balducci’s in Scarsdale (and a Scarsdale resident), offers the following advice.

Seafood: Use firm, meaty fish, such as tuna, lobster, scallops, swordfish and mahi-mahi. Make sure pieces are no thinner than 1 inch, and use steaks rather than fillets.

Grill fish over direct heat. Use indirect heat only if you are grilling a whole fish.

Fish is done when the flesh just turns from translucent to opaque. (Use a sharp paring knife to take a peek.) Exceptions: Salmon is best just before it turns opaque, tuna when it's essentially raw in the center.

Burgers: Use the right cut. The classic burger cut is chuck, which has great depth of flavor and good percentage of fat: from 15 to 20 percent. A leaner mix, such as sirloin, may become dry if a burger is cooked beyond medium-rare.

Grill over high heat. Otherwise, you'll never get a good crust. If you get a good crust on the burgers but they're still not done enough in the center, take them off grill, cover tightly with aluminum foil and let rest for five minutes. They will continue to cook. 

Poultry: To cook a whole chicken, butterfly it. Lay the bird so that the legs face down and the back is facing up. Using poultry shears to cut on either side of the backbone and remove it. Place chicken on cutting board and turn the legs so they are knock-kneed, not bowlegged. Press down to break breastbone and to flatten. Grill, starting skin side down, over indirect heat (away from the flame).

Hold off on the sweet sauce. Sugar burns, so if your barbecue sauce contains a high content of sugar, brush it on only at the very end.

Steaks: Well-marbled steaks, such as T-bone, porterhouse and rib-eye, are ideal for single servings. Use top round London broil, hanger or flank steaks to feed a crowd.

Pork: Cook pork to medium. There is no longer any real threat of trichinosis in pork, so you don't have to cook it well done. It is safe to eat pork medium, when the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Take pork off the grill at 140 degrees; the temperature will increase while it rests.

Vegetables & Fruit: Use big pieces. The larger the slices, the less likely they are to fall through the grates. Cut them evenly and slice about 1/3-inch thick.

 

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