Why does food taste better on a Santa Maria Style Grill?

Why does food taste better on a Santa Maria Grill vs other ways to cook? Well, there are two reasons. The Maillard Reaction and Caramelization.

The Maillard Reaction is is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor. Seared steaks, pan-fried dumplings, cookies and other kinds of biscuits, breads, toasted marshmallows, and many other foods undergo this reaction. It is named after French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard, who first described it in 1912 while attempting to reproduce biological protein synthesis.

The reaction is a form of non-enzymatic browning which typically proceeds rapidly from around 140 to 165 °C (280 to 330 °F). Many recipes call for an oven temperature high enough to ensure that a Maillard reaction occurs At higher temperatures, caramelization (the browning of sugars, a distinct process) and subsequently pyrolysis (final breakdown leading to burning) become more pronounced.

With a Santa Maria Style Grill you can put your food in that sweet spot of 280F to 330F by controlling the distance from the flame and heat. Also, the flames give the food a burst of heat off and on meaning the Maillard Reaction and Caramelization are more intense meaning more of the food is affected and just taste better.

Signals Thermometer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction

GrillGrate on the Recteq Bullseye Review

GrillGrate Rec Tec Bullseye Review

The Setup

This is my review of the GrillGrate on Recteq Bullseye Grill. When I ordered my Recteq Bullseye Grill I got the full package that included pellets and a GrillGrate that fits the 22-inch ground grill. At first, I thought the GrillGrate was just some gimmick device that I would use a few time and then never use again. What I found was the Bullseye and the GrillGrate is the perfect marriage if you want to properly sear food. Continue reading “GrillGrate on the Recteq Bullseye Review”

Bullseye Pellet Grill from Recteq – First Look

rectec bullseye pellet grill

So why the Bullseye

Got my Bullseye pellet grill yesterday and did assembly and seasoned it. I have had my Recteq RT 680 for four years and I love it doing all things low and slow. The area that it seemed to lack was getting hot enough to do a really good sear. It is one reason why I kept my big Weber gas grill. In trying to address the issue of high-temperature grilling RecTec designed and built the Bullseye pellet grill. Continue reading “Bullseye Pellet Grill from Recteq – First Look”

Eating BBQ Makes You Smart

eating BBQ makes you smart

Eating BBQ makes you smart. No, I did not say it makes you a smart ass but it may contribute to that condition. Just read on to understand my point.

Barbecue dates back to the original way we cooked food in the beginning. Dig a hole, put some wood in the hole and set it on fire. Let the fire burn till you have coals that generate a lot of Continue reading “Eating BBQ Makes You Smart”

Smoking, Sous Vide and Searing for the Ultimate Barbecue Experience

sous vide barbecue

When I was young I always had a craving for barbecue. Meat cooked outside on a grill or smoker always tasted better than anything cooked in an oven or on a cooktop. As I tried to understand what I realized is the following. The combination of smoke, low and slow cooking and the unique texture that an open flame has on the outside of the meat actually changes the flavor and texture of the meat. That is what we call the sear. If you look at the steps of how a pitmaster cooks ribs versus how someone in a kitchen does it here are the 

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Know Your Meat Temperature and be Happy

meat temperature

Why do I need to know?

So you got that new grill and the wife wants you to cook a couple of whole chickens. As you put the chickens on the grill you find yourself asking when am I going to know when they’re done? Well, that’s why you need to know your Continue reading “Know Your Meat Temperature and be Happy”

Indirect Cooking on a Gas Grill

indirect cooking

So you have that new gas grill, and you want to cook ribs or a whole chicken. Well, before you turn on that grill, here is the golden rule of grilling.

If you are cooking something longer than 20 minutes, then you need to use indirect cooking.

So, what is indirect cooking? The best way to explain it is to understand direct cooking. Direct cooking is making a fire and then putting the food directly over the fire. A good example is cooking on top of your range. Turn on the burner and then put a

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The Four Styles of BBQ in the United States

four styles of bbq

In the United States, there are four styles of BBQ. OK, before you start sending me evil messages there are many others, but most of the experts (and I am not one of them) talk about the four styles. Two are named after cities, and two are named after states, but all four represent a good portion of the Midwest and South.

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