I’m excited to announce that Rick Browne, cookbook author of many titles and the creator and host of Barbeque America, stopped by for a blog visit. He generously answered some questions for us and also shared a couple of recipes that you won’t find anywhere else on the Internet. Cedar Plank Swordfish with Pineapple Salsa and Sweet Potato Biscuits are available so click on over! Sounds delicious!
Julie-For those of us who love to grill, what would you recommend to help us avoid the potential cancer-causing carcinogens involved?
Rick-These concerns are WAY overrated, you'd have to BBQ three times a day for 4-5 years, burning your food each time, to have an affect. Just use moderation, buy and cook lean meat, cut off excess fat (remembering though that a small amount of fat adds flavor, tenderness, moisture). Don't burn meat, chicken, or fish, and if there are burned spots, cut them off.
Julie-Why does the fat make a difference?
Rick-From what I have read, it seems that the charred parts of the food and the smoke from burned fat and juices specifically is a concern. But again, you'd have to consume huge quantities of burned BBQ to be affected.
Julie-What do you enjoy the most about being on the big shows like The Today Show, Live with Regis, etc.?
Rick-Seeing my old friends again. I have been lucky enough to be invited on Regis' show 6 years in a row and love both of them—they are real, genuine, fun, and very professional to work with. Same with other shows, the hosts for the most part are genuine, have a lot of fun doing their interviews and tasting great BBQ - who wouldn't? Also love showing the audience fun foods and preparation methods: Beer-Butt Chicken, BBQ Ice Cream, BBQ Apple Pie in a Brown Bag, BBQ Grand Marinier Soufflé, Chicken Under a Brick, etc.
Julie-Do you grill everything? What is something, besides lettuce, that we shouldn't grill?
Rick-I do tons of grilling and smoking at home. Four or five meals a week at least. Hard to do spaghetti, jello, or whole emu on the grill (although I have a fantasy about doing a beer-butt emu or ostrich sometime). And who says you can't do lettuce? I do. I take baby lettuce, quarter it, brush with olive oil that you've seasoned with some garlic salt, paprika, and cumin - grill each side quickly until you just get grill marks - remove and drizzle on more of the seasoned oil - serve as a side dish or warm salad.
Julie-Oops. I should have picked pudding! Thanks Rick for coming by!
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