Cookin' with Karl
Let the grilling began!
with Karl Gerhard
Old man winter is stubbornly hanging around, yet many of us are gearing up for spring activities! This means one thing to me: grilling season is coming! I am a big fan of cooking, and specifically grilling. I even entered the second annual Medina County Amateur Backyard BBQ Cookoff on March 4.
Like last year, I finished with the exact same results: fifth place ribs and third place chicken. Not what I was hoping for, but I was happy to be a part of the contest and spend a day over the grill. Not even the moral support provided by State Sen. President Larry Obhof, and my colleagues Mike Reynolds and his wife Lisa, or Diane Chaffee and her friend Tim, could help me power past the obviously better equipped and more skilled cooks there.
Mike Biskup, owner of The Mulch Barn and Greenkeepers Landscaping, won both categories again this year. Perhaps the Traeger pellet grills that he sells at Mulch Barn are starting to make more sense to me. But in talking with Mike this week, I discovered that he took many extra steps that I did not take in securing his title.
First, he went to at least five businesses in search of the perfect looking slabs of ribs. He cooked five racks of ribs and used three different sauce variations. After getting the perfect “cut bones” for the judges, he tasted each. He then went with the one he thought had the perfect blend of taste and look at the end.
I cooked two beautiful slabs of baby back ribs (from Whitefeather Meats in Creston) on two ceramic Primo Grills donated by DeckCreator in North Royaton (thanks Fred!) and submitted the best five bones for judging, per the requirements. In hindsight, cooking more slabs, using multiple sauces and actual taste testing before entry submission makes good sense now. This is why I am still an amateur.
I have cooked over many heat sources in my years, from simple Weber Grills (Webers are on sale now at Royalton Ace Hardware, ad is in our Spring Home Improvement Guide) and even simpler old style mini hibachi grills, old school. I was also beat in the rib competition by an amateur who cooked on three different charcoal Weber kettle grills. Brings me back to the old days, when I used about four different Weber grills in my “manʼs world,” complete with a pile of logs and tomahawk throwing pit.
Now I cook at home on three different grills: a medium Big Green Egg, an Argentinian grill that is open flame and goes over my fire pit, and a propane mini Weber-Q for the quick stuff on weeknights, as well as camping trips. I have learned that any heat source can turn out great barbecue if you have good skills, good seasonings and the right sauces. One thing I have learned over the years is that the quality of what you start with determines the quality of the end product. This is one of the most important things in all categories of cooking.
With that in mind, I want to bring some attention to the place I will likely be buying a lot of sausages from in the near future: The Sausage Shoppe! They are located at 4501 Memphis Ave. in Cleveland. They are open only Wednesday through Saturday, and have been in business since 1938. I met briefly with the owners last week, and will be up to interview them this week and gain some insight into their incredible hams and kielbasa that they are famous for. Apparently they sell a huge amount of both of these for Easter meals. With 25 flavors of brats, as well as authentic German Wieners, I am sure I will be a happy man when I leave there.
What stood out most in my brief conversation with them leading up to my interview, which you will see in print over the next few weeks, is the process they use. It is as simple as this: local animals are taken to auction in counties just south of here on Mondays. They have a man who buys them on Monday, butchers them on Tuesday, delivers them fresh so they can sell their fresh made products Wednesday through Saturday. Thus, no need for gluten, preservatives, nitrates or MSG. This meets my most important criteria: local, fresh, and from skilled hands. Canʼt beat that! Go to www.sausageshoppe.com or call 216-351-5213 to learn more.
Grilling fresh sausages while watching March Madness. Sounds perfect!
Like last year, I finished with the exact same results: fifth place ribs and third place chicken. Not what I was hoping for, but I was happy to be a part of the contest and spend a day over the grill. Not even the moral support provided by State Sen. President Larry Obhof, and my colleagues Mike Reynolds and his wife Lisa, or Diane Chaffee and her friend Tim, could help me power past the obviously better equipped and more skilled cooks there.
Mike Biskup, owner of The Mulch Barn and Greenkeepers Landscaping, won both categories again this year. Perhaps the Traeger pellet grills that he sells at Mulch Barn are starting to make more sense to me. But in talking with Mike this week, I discovered that he took many extra steps that I did not take in securing his title.
First, he went to at least five businesses in search of the perfect looking slabs of ribs. He cooked five racks of ribs and used three different sauce variations. After getting the perfect “cut bones” for the judges, he tasted each. He then went with the one he thought had the perfect blend of taste and look at the end.
I cooked two beautiful slabs of baby back ribs (from Whitefeather Meats in Creston) on two ceramic Primo Grills donated by DeckCreator in North Royaton (thanks Fred!) and submitted the best five bones for judging, per the requirements. In hindsight, cooking more slabs, using multiple sauces and actual taste testing before entry submission makes good sense now. This is why I am still an amateur.
I have cooked over many heat sources in my years, from simple Weber Grills (Webers are on sale now at Royalton Ace Hardware, ad is in our Spring Home Improvement Guide) and even simpler old style mini hibachi grills, old school. I was also beat in the rib competition by an amateur who cooked on three different charcoal Weber kettle grills. Brings me back to the old days, when I used about four different Weber grills in my “manʼs world,” complete with a pile of logs and tomahawk throwing pit.
Now I cook at home on three different grills: a medium Big Green Egg, an Argentinian grill that is open flame and goes over my fire pit, and a propane mini Weber-Q for the quick stuff on weeknights, as well as camping trips. I have learned that any heat source can turn out great barbecue if you have good skills, good seasonings and the right sauces. One thing I have learned over the years is that the quality of what you start with determines the quality of the end product. This is one of the most important things in all categories of cooking.
With that in mind, I want to bring some attention to the place I will likely be buying a lot of sausages from in the near future: The Sausage Shoppe! They are located at 4501 Memphis Ave. in Cleveland. They are open only Wednesday through Saturday, and have been in business since 1938. I met briefly with the owners last week, and will be up to interview them this week and gain some insight into their incredible hams and kielbasa that they are famous for. Apparently they sell a huge amount of both of these for Easter meals. With 25 flavors of brats, as well as authentic German Wieners, I am sure I will be a happy man when I leave there.
What stood out most in my brief conversation with them leading up to my interview, which you will see in print over the next few weeks, is the process they use. It is as simple as this: local animals are taken to auction in counties just south of here on Mondays. They have a man who buys them on Monday, butchers them on Tuesday, delivers them fresh so they can sell their fresh made products Wednesday through Saturday. Thus, no need for gluten, preservatives, nitrates or MSG. This meets my most important criteria: local, fresh, and from skilled hands. Canʼt beat that! Go to www.sausageshoppe.com or call 216-351-5213 to learn more.
Grilling fresh sausages while watching March Madness. Sounds perfect!