And we're back!

As the summer dies down, Just Grillin is kicking back into gear! We are here for you weekly, providing tips and tricks to keep you grilling year round.

Now that the kids have gone back to school, you have a lot more time for yourself and all your guilty grilling pleasures, so why not start with some great tips on grilling with charcoal- one of the great ways to get a great smoky flavor from your food.

1. Keep your grill CLEAN! We know, we know. Cleaning a grill can be a real hassle. But you'll definitely thank us later if you keep your grill clean. A clean grill makes the grilling process much easier. Food doesn't stick to the grill, there aren't any accidental fires, and quite honestly, your food will taste much better. If you don't have time to clean your grill, call our store. We do grill detailing, too!
2. Pre-heat the grill. Your food won't take nearly as long to cook and it won't stick to the grill grates. Nobody wants that!
3. Don't hover- keep that lid CLOSED! The meat will be much juicer if you keep the lid closed. Generally, meat does not have to be turned more than once, so, only open that lid if you are flipping your meat or checking if it's done.
4. Use tongs. Don't ever pierce your meat with a fork or steak knife. Piercing it allows important juices to flow out of the meat. Nobody wants to eat dry meat. Yuck!
5. Protect your grill. Don't let it rust- nobody likes rust flavored food! Be sure to stop by Just Grillin to get a nice grill cover for that grill that makes all the delicious food for you!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Interested in learning more about charcoal grills? Come to our Grilling with Charcoal 101 class this Saturday, September 6, from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM. Click here to register.

See you next week for more great tips and tricks!

Grill on!
Your Friends at Just Grillin

Exclusive Tampa's Backyard BBQ Battle Footage

Check out this exclusive behind the scenes footage from our BBQ Competition!

Let Freedom Ring!

Fourth of July is quickly approaching. It's the middle of the summer and cook outs are in full swing. The biggest cook out day of the year is Fourth of July and what better way to celebrate our freedom than to celebrate it early? Here is a great recipe that'll be sure to have your family and friends raving: Red, White, and Blue Ooey Gooey Bars!


Ingredients:

• 1 white cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• Blue gel food coloring
• (2) 7 oz container marshmallow cream
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 6 cups mini marshmallows
• Red no-tasted gel food coloring
• 6 cups Rice Krispies

Directions:

1. Mix together a white cake mix, eggs, oil and blue gel food coloring. I used gel paste because it is so concentrated. Press into a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes.
2. Remove from the oven and top with marshmallow cream. As the marshmallow cream warms it will start to spread. Carefully spread it out over the cake mix crust.
3. In a large bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Add mini marshmallows and stir to coat. Microwave for 45 seconds and stir until smooth. (If the marshmallows aren’t completely melted, microwave for an additional 30 seconds.) Add some red gel food coloring and stir until the color is even. Mix in Rice Krispies and gently stir until well coated. Drop by large spoonfuls over the marshmallow cream layer and carefully spread out evenly. I put my hand in plastic baggie with a little butter on it and gently spread it out. Finally, firmly press the top layer down into the marshmallow cream to really hold things together. Cover the bars and cool completely in the fridge.
4. Before serving, remove the fridge and use a star shaped cookie cutter as a template for cutting out the stars.

Make sure to send us your pictures of your Ooey Gooey Bars! Also, don't forget to stop by this weekend for our Big Green Egg 101 Class Saturday, June 28, 2014, from 10:00AM-12:00PM. The class is $10.00 a person. Right after the class, we are celebrating our country's freedom from 12:00 PM-4:00 PM. We will have tons of great food and recipes for you to make at your own 4th of July Cook Out. You definitly don't want to miss this fun filled day!

* Recipe is courtesy of www.thegunnysack.com. 

It Is Time!

It's finally here-the long awaited Backyard BBQ Competition! Here are a few tips to help you get through the competition smoothly:

1. Review the rules of the barbecue cook-off. To qualify for winning the cook-off, you must follow and adhere to all the contest rules. For example, if the rules prohibit you from using lighter fluid on the coals within your grill, start the grill using newspaper and matches instead.Obtain a by visiting our website.
2. Participate in Internet discussion groups about barbecue. Engaging in forums and discussions about barbecue may give you new, additional tips and ideas for unique and flavorful barbecue dishes. Perform an Internet search using keywords such as "barbecue forums" or "barbecue discussions" to locate online barbecue communities.
3. Use meat that is high in quality. High-quality meat is considered to be fresh and either all-natural or organic, and in most cases may taste better than pre-packaged meat found in many grocery stores. Visit grocers who specialize in all-natural or organic products to purchase your meat for the barbecue.
4. Develop a unique flavor for your barbecue. Barbecue cook-offs often judge participants on their ability to produce a new, unique barbecue flavor. Try combinations of different sauces, dry spices, and cooking methods to develop a unique flavor based on the rules of your cook-off. For example, if the cook-off allows you to use either cherry wood or hickory wood in your grill, experiment using both types of wood to determine which produces the better flavor.
5. Display your barbecue in an appetizing and clean manner. Judges will rank your food according to how appetizing the dish appears, and may also inspect the area in which you are preparing your barbecue for cleanliness. Use paper towels to wipe up sauce spills from counters and sauce streaks from the edges and sides of boxes or containers. If you place toothpicks in your meat, use neutral, wood colors instead of colored toothpicks. The dye on colored toothpicks may transfer onto the meat when the toothpick is pulled out.
6. Keep your food warm or hot. Warm or hot barbecue may taste better to the judges and give the impression that the food is fresh; whereas cold food may give the impression that the prepared food is less fresh. Cook the meat shortly before the judges' taste test or use a chafing dish to keep the barbecue warm after cooking.

If you're not competing, be sure to come out anyway! The event is going to be a family friendly event with plenty of activities and entertainment for the kids. But that's not all! Enjoy great food from Philly Phlava, Holy Hogs, and even some great Italian Ice. The event is June 21, from 10:00 AM-6:00 PM. You definitely don't want to miss this!

Father's Are a Special Type of Person....

So, make sure you celebrate them in a huge way!  It is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Be sure to make all the fathers in your life feel special with these tips:

1. Help dad enjoy the day. Perhaps you'll let him sleep-in this morning, or perhaps you won't badger him to be somewhere on time, for a change. Whatever it is, let it be his day.
2. Make it a family event. Father's Day is by nature a family event. Use this opportunity to get everyone in the family together for a fun day. Think about including all the dads in your family, not just your own father.
3. Consider building the celebration around an activity you all can enjoy. Some ideas are having a family picnic, enjoying a family barbecue, taking dad to a sporting event, or even fishing together.
4. Celebrate your shared experiences. Look at old photos of you and your dad doing fun things together. Take a walk down memory lane by creating either a photo album or a photo slideshow. You may be surprised at how many things you both have forgotten about and how much they mean to you.
5. Acknowledge the importance of fatherhood. Being a father is a tough job. Dads are responsible for at least one half of the financial and emotional well-being of the family. A thoughtful card, a letter, or short speech that expresses your love will benefit both you and your dad.

All these things will help the father in your life feel special. If you have a little one who would like to do something special, bring them into Just Grillin on Saturday, June 14 for a special kid's class from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM. Here, they will make pizza for themselves and dad to eat for lunch. It'll be a great treat for everyone! Plus, there will be great Father's Day Sales all weekend long. You definitely don't want to miss this! 

See you there!

I Don't Want to Be A Chicken

What's better than having fresh grilled chicken on a cool summer night with all your family and friends? Absolutely nothing! When many people grill chicken, their number one complaint is, "My chicken is too dry." Oh, boy. Now that is the absolute worst. But have no fear! Just Grillin is here to help you make the most perfect juicy chicken that your family and friend can't help but have seconds!

1. Cook with Beer. You can cook with beer a few ways. You can buy a fancy contraption that will hold a can of beer inside the bird while it cooks upright or you can balance the bird on the beer can yourself. Or you can do as we do in our Beer-Barbecued Chicken recipe and just pour beer into the cavity. If you don’t want to use beer, water or chickenbroth will work too.
2. Experiment with Dark Meat. If you’re not barbecuing a whole bird, experiment with dark meat. It’s more tender than chicken breast and more forgiving if you overcook it.
3. Use Good BBQ Sauce. Sometimes the secret to good barbecue is in the sauce. Check out all great BBQ sauces in our store to wow your family and friends.
4. Gas vs. Charcoal? The age-old debate over which grilling method is “better” involves multiple variables, from flavor to cost to convenience. While no studies prove that either is healthier, gas does burn cleaner. Charcoal grills emit more carbon monoxide, particulate matter and soot into the atmosphere, contributing to increased pollution and higher concentrations of ground-level ozone. From a taste perspective, on the other hand, many people prefer the smokier, richer taste of food cooked on a charcoal grill.
5. Beer-Barbecued Chicken. Here's our spin on the roast-a-chicken-on-top-of-a-can-of-beer technique that's popular with barbecue aficionados. To simplify things, we just pour a little beer inside the chicken as it cooks. The beer keeps the meat juicy and a smoky-flavored spice rub both under and over the skin gives it extra flavor. Barbecuing poultry with the skin on helps prevent the meat from drying out. To keep calories and fat in check, remove the skin before serving.

If you want more tips and tricks to make chicken like the pros, join us on June 7, 2014 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM for our Competitive Series: Chicken Class. The class will be taught by Doug Francis, from the award winning Hogs Gone Wild Competitive BBQ Team! Click here to register! You don't want to miss this!

Ribs, Ribs, Ribs!

Summer grilling is in in full swing! Have you been grilling anything and everything you could possibly imagine? Have you found out how to make perfect delicious ribs? Here are a few tips to help you along the way.

1. Prevent Ribs From Burning. The first dry rub that goes on the ribs should have a very low sugar content. If you start out with a rub that contains sugar, the ribs will turn black on you.  Sugar burns fairly fast and you don't want that.  It will create a bitter, unpleasant taste. 

2. Seasoning Your Ribs. Put your rub on liberally and let the slab sit for about 20-30 minutes before going on the smoker.  Doing so will allow the fibers in the meat to "open up" and allow the seasonings and smoke to penetrate the meat.

3. Smoking Your Ribs. After two hours at 225 ribs won't take any more smoke.  The meat will have reached an internal temp of around 160 degrees.  Adding smoke after this point is not a good idea.  Have you ever tasted BBQ that had too strong of a smoke taste?  It's because the fibers in the meat close around 160 internal. Using smoke at after this temperature will create a foul tasting rib.  Stick with a good clean charcoal after 160 internal and all of your pork will turn out great.

4. Perfectly Tender Ribs. The trick to getting perfectly tender ribs is to wrap the slabs in Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil. 

For more great tips and tricks, join us this Saturday, May 31 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM, for our third class in our Competitive Series class: Ribs! Shawn Reagan from Boca BBQ will teach you all the tips and tricks on perfecting those ribs. You don't want to miss this!