When San-J asked me to work with their gluten free grilling sauces I was honored and a little excited at the prospect of besting my husband! After all, in my household, he has been the grilling master.
Sure, I make a mean grilled veggie salad but in my hubby’s politically incorrect words, “vegetables are chick foods.”
I felt pretty confident that I could do well with foods the hubby might consider gender-neutral such as chicken and fish but the real test would be the ultimate he man food – RIBS.
Fortunately, the sauce I choose to use, San-J’s wonderful Asian BBQ Sauce, did most of the work for me, it’s sweet and smoky with a hint of the exotic from ginger, garlic and sesame.
But I still had to cook the ribs properly, so I went over in my mind everything I knew about grilling and I held a couple undercover “intelligence-gathering” conversations with my husband – here’s what I can confidently tell you about gluten free recipes and gluten free grilling:
Gluten Free Grilling Basics
Safety First
If you do not have a totally gluten free menu, make sure you do not allow any cross contamination. Remember, gluten is very sticky and the tiniest bit can make a perfectly gluten free piece of food unsafe. If you must grill food containing gluten on the same grill, keep the food segregated. If you are not sure about the cleanliness of the grill, put foil on the grill or place a grill pan on the barbecue and cook the food in that. You can also wrap your food in foil the place on the grill.
Direct and Indirect Heat
Direct heat is when the fire is directly below the food. It works great for food that cooks quickly such as hamburgers, boneless chicken pieces, fish fillets, shell fish and sliced vegetables.
Indirect heat is where the fire is off to the sides or to one side of the grill and the food cooks over the unlit portion. This works well for larger, tougher foods that need to cook longer such as roasts, whole chickens and ribs.
To create indirect heat with coals you can either push the lit coals to either side of the barbeque or you can make a ring of fire on the outer edge of the barbecue, either way you are creating a section in the center or on the side that is clear of lit coals.
For a gas grill, simply turn off one side of the burners.
Judging the Temperature of a Grill
Just like when cooking food in the oven, when grilling, it is important to cook certain types of food at certain temperatures. If you don’t have a thermostat on your grill you can use the hand method.
Extend your hand, palm side down over the grill about 5 inches above the grate – think of it as if a can of soda in sitting on the grate and your hand is sitting on top of the can. How long you can keep you hand there will determine the temperature. If you can keep it there for 2 to 4 seconds, that’s high heat – 450 – 550 degrees, 5 to 7 seconds is medium – 350 – 450 degrees and 8 to 10 seconds is low, 250 – 350 degrees. All these temps are Fahrenheit.
This is not a game of chicken or a way to test how macho you are – use common sense and pull your hand away as soon as it feels too hot, don’t wait until it hurts and you burn yourself!
Keeping Food from Sticking
If you pre-heat your grill and then oil the grates of the grill your food will be a lot less likely to stick. Just FYI, it is not a good idea to spray non-stick cooking spray directly into an open flame. Trust me on this one!
So there, in a nut shell is what I know about grilling and it has turned me into a contender! I hope it helps you too. If you are looking for the perfect side dish for these ribs, try my Asian Coleslaw.
Asian Country Style Ribs
Ingredients
3 pounds country-style pork ribs
1 cup San-J Asian BBQ Sauce, use divided plus more for serving
Directions
Place ribs in a large plastic storage bag with ½ cup San-J Asian BBQ Sauce, shake gently to combine and let marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.
Prepare grill to medium heat (350 – 400 degrees). If using a gas grill, turn off one side, if using coals push them to either side to create indirect heat. Brush the grates with oil.
Remove ribs from the marinade and discard marinade. Cook the ribs over indirect heat, with the lid closed for 20 minutes. Turn and brush with some of the remaining San-J Asian BBQ Sauce. Cover and cook for another 25 minutes. Brush ribs with the remaining San-J Asian BBQ Sauce, wrap tightly in foil and let rest for 30 minutes off the heat. Serve with extra San-J Asian BBQ Sauce on the side if desired.
This Gluten Free Asian Barbeque Ribs Recipe serves 6.
Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/09/gluten-free-asian-barbeque-ribs-recipe.html
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