Here in the U.S., this weekend is Memorial Day. It is supposed to be a weekend to reflect on those soldiers who gave everything so us Americans can enjoy the freedoms that the majority of us take for granted. It is now mostly known as the official kick off season to the summer and grilling season...I will get to the grilling and cooking part here in a second kids, but I wan to give you a little history on Memorial Day and say: Thank You to all those soldiers living and no longer with us, who fight for the freedom of this great country. They enable me the freedom to produce this blog and you to read it. So as you are spending time with friends and family this holiday weekend...take a moment to remember why you are able to celebrate and break bread.
Memorial Day*, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War.
Memorial Day* was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery.
- While you're waiting for the coals to ash, scrub the grill grate. That caked-on gunk from last Labor Day doesn't "add flavor" like some folks say. It's just gross, and it adds funky flavor. You're better than that.
- Scrub the grate with a wire brush or even some balled-up heavy duty aluminum foil and once the goo is gone, slather it with some cooking oil so food won't stick.
- If you feel like getting a bit fancy, throw in a few sprigs of water-soaked rosemary or a handful of mesquite or hickory chips that have been soaking in beer. This adds an irresistible smoky scent and bang-up flavor to just about any food - even tofu.
- The grate should be screaming hot when the meat hits it. A closed lid will also aid in cooking your burgers and steaks quickly and more thoroughly once they're in. To gauge the heat of a fire, hold your hand about four inches above the grill grate and start counting: "One Mississippi, two Mississippi." Over a hot fire, you'll get to two or three Mississippi before you're forced to move your hand; over a medium-high fire, four to five Mississippi; over a medium-low fire, eight to ten Mississippi.
- Don't skimp on fat. yes, you're trying to eat healthily, and we applaud that, but we've never met a 90 percent lean burger that's not painfully dry. Opt for 80 percent or even 70 percent and just skip the extra slice of cheese.
- Don't handle the meat too much. Form it into loosely packed patties that are slightly lower in the middle than on the sides. The dimple will even out as the meat cooks.
- For the love of all that is holy, don't mash down with a spatula while the patties are cooking. Yes, it's big, manly fun to hear the tsssssssss sound as the juice hits the coals, but that's flavor you're wasting.
- Don't fuss with the patties while they're cooking. Cook on one side, flip once and cook the other. That's it!
- Most of the burger tips apply to steak as well - grill screaming hot, don't move it around too much, just the one flip, don't skimp on fat.
- I will, however, make an exception for grill marks. Halfway through cooking a side, lift the steak and rotate it 45 degrees for a killer, professional-looking crosshatch.
- Blot the meat with a paper towel before you season and cook it. Wet spots just steam the meat and you're cheating yourself out of delicious char.
- Speaking of seasoning, kosher salt, fresh-ground pepper and olive oil all are you really need. It's great to get fancy with marinades, but it's STEAK. Just enhance the glorious flavor of it, and you'll be good to go.
- Once you take the steak from the grill, let it rest on a board for about 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute. It'll be uniformly delicious and cut like butter.
- New York - Nothing fancy here. A hot dog sold from the typical sidewalk cart is adorned with little more than brown mustard and onions stewed in tomato paste.
- Kansas City - At Kauffman Stadium (home of the Kansas City Royals), this hot dog, an ode to the Reuben sandwich, comes topped with melted Swiss cheese and sauerkraut and is tucked into a sesame-seed bun.
- Atlanta - At the Varsity’s famous drive-through, Atlantans order their hot dogs “dragged through the garden”―in other words, slipped into a top-sliced bun and blanketed with coleslaw.
- Chicago - Residents of the Windy City like their hot dogs dressed to thrill: Yellow mustard, relish, chopped onion, tomato slices, sport peppers (spicy pickled green peppers), a pickle spear, and a dash of celery salt sit atop a frank nestled in a poppy-seed bun.
- Detroit - Called a Coney Island, after the place where hot dogs were first popular-ized, this Michigan frank is served smothered in all-beef chili, raw white onion, yellow mustard, and shredded Cheddar.
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