Pair Some BBQ with a chardonnay
Summer is BBQ time. With Father’s Day, July 4th and summertime in general, many Americans enjoy traditional BBQ. At Naperville’s Ribfest, pork BBQ ribs are king. If you are a little “porked out,” grilled chicken and fish are a welcome change. A wine that pairs well with both of these is Chardonnay. This can be a great patio wine while enjoying backyard grilling with family and friends this summer.
Wine Facts
Chardonnay is one of the most widely planted and successful white wines in the world, and is recognized as one of nine classic grape varietals. Chardonnay grapes prefer cooler climates. Chardonnay offers appealing flavors of tropical fruit, apple and butterscotch and has a creamy, full-bodied style. Quality Chardonnay is briefly aged in oak barrels to impart a creamy richness and a long, pleasing finish. Wine makers must be careful about the length of time the wine is in contact with the wood, as an “over-oaked” wine can loose its fruit flavors and balance, and taste unpleasant.
Chardonnay’s major growing areas include California and the Pacific Northwest, Chile, Australia, France, Italy and South Africa. The major difference is the “old world” style French Chardonnay tends to be leaner, crisp with mineral and apple notes, while American Chardonnay tends to be big and oaky with vanilla and butterscotch notes. As American tastes have shown preference for a lighter style of Chardonnay, American winemakers have moved away from their reliance on oak and are using stainless steel vats, resulting in a crisper, more food friendly wine.
The Wine Spectator’s July issue reports that the 2007 vintage of California Chardonnay is outstanding, with the Northern California regions (Napa, Sonoma, Carneros) all receiving 96 out of 100 points. They described this vintage as “Ripe, complex, balanced and age worthy wines.” This is great news to share and hopefully encourages you to try some 2007 Chardonnay soon.
Food Pairing
While Chardonnay is widely planted and consumed, it is not a food friendly wine for several reasons. Chardonnay’s flavors tend to be complex, so it pairs best with simple dishes and sauces. Chardonnay tends to have a lower acidity level, which does not cleanse your palate after a sip. California Chardonnays present additional food pairing challenges, as they tend to have a toastier oak flavor and higher alcohol levels.
So why the popularity? The rich, buttery character of shellfish pairs beautifully with Chardonnay’s buttery taste (think Lobster). In general, seafood, shellfish and chicken offer a simple flavor profile that will not compete with Chardonnay’s complexities. And Chardonnay’s bold flavors can stand up to a rich sauce that might accompany your entrée.
We suggest that you consider trying both “old” and “new world” styles of Chardonnay. When charcoal grilling or smoking meat, a toasty California Chardonnay can compliment the smoky flavors of your BBQ.
An unoaked, stainless steel aged Chardonnay will pair well with light summer salads or fish and chicken dishes that are cooked on a gas grill. The wine label may specify either unoaked or unwooded Chardonnay — or ask your local wine merchant for their suggestions. It always comes down to personal taste preferences.
Directionally, Americans have moved away from heavily oaked Chardonnay and are now seeking out less oaky versions. The good news is more quality unoaked Chardonnay is now being produced worldwide.
Bill’s Wine Picks (with suggested retail prices)
Oak levels in descending order
Foxglove, Central Coast, CA. — Light oak $12
Columbia-Crest, Columbia Valley, WA. — Medium oak $8
Chateau St. Jean, Sonoma, CA. — Heavy oak $9
Un-Oaked Chardonnay
Yalumba, South Australia $9
Four Vines Naked Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, CA. $13
Elderton, Barossa, Australia $13
The Wishing Tree, Western Australia $13
Wine of the Month
Foxglove Chardonnay
The Varner Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California consistently offer one of the of best values in the marketplace. Robert Parker gave the 2007 vintage 90 points and described this terrific medium-bodied cuvee as offering tropical fruit, pear and mineral notes. The good news is that 25,000 cases were produced, which should make this wine readily available. This wine should be consumed within 2 years, $12.
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Cooking Barbecue Ribs in a Blizzard
There are times when you just have to have that rack of barbecue ribs. Maybe they have been sitting in your freezer since fall and you just can’t wait any longer, you just have to have those ribs. But with the cold of winter set in getting out to the grill is more of an exercise in survival, making it hard to truly enjoy the barbecue experience. Throw in some snow and wind and the idea of cooking ribs on the grill goes out the door. Now if your are truly hardcore you can put on your snow boots, bundle up in hat, coat and gloves, shovel a path out to the grill, get it lit and hope the wind doesn’t blow it out. The next part may be even trickier; actually grilling the ribs. While barbecue ribs aren’t all that hard to make they do need constant attention. Standing outside in the cold and wind can make this difficult not to mention that it’s either getting dark out or the sun has already gone down. Grilling in the dark, even with a flashlight, is not easy because it’s hard to tell if and when the ribs are done. Now this doesn’t mean it can’t be done because many a hard core griller has endured the elements to fix their favorite barbecue dish. But if this isn’t you’re idea of barbecue fun then there is an alternative. If you have a large crock pot or pot you can put on the stove you can be enjoying tender barbecue ribs in a few hours. Here’s how you do it.Get your crock pot or large pot set up. Pour in some barbecue sauce then set your ribs in the sauce. You may have to cut your ribs into sections if you are doing a rack of baby back ribs. Pour the rest of the sauce over the ribs making sure to cover them well. You want to cook them slowly so don’t turn the stove up to high. With a crock pot set them to high to get the temperature up and then turn them down to low and let them simmer. By cooking your ribs slow you are looking at letting them cook for two to three hours, or even longer. The flavors of the sauce will work deep into the meat leaving it moist and tender. It will also fill your house with the smell of barbecue, which is good if you like that kind of thing.While this isn’t exactly the same as cooking barbecue ribs on a grill it is a great way to enjoy the taste of barbecue even on the coldest of winter nights.
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The Basics of BBQ Grilling – From Start to Finish
What sets grilled food apart from every other kind of cooking is the deep, seared flavors and wonderful aroma you create in the grilling process. When food is placed directly over a hot cooking grate, it develops multiple layers of great tastes and beautiful grill marks. Juices drip through the grate and into the heat source of the grill, adding an irresistible aroma to the food. Grilling over direct heat allows you to caramelize the sauces on the surface of the food. If you are considering using a commercial barbecue sauce, keep in mind that most of these sauces contain sugar or other sweetener, which will have a tendency to burn over the intense heat of a grill. It is best to wait about fifteen minutes or less before the food is done before adding barbecue sauce. It will then turn into a sweet and delicious glaze, instead of a charred and bitter coating.You can give your grilled foods a bolder smokiness by using wood chips or wood chunks. Soak them in water for at least thirty minutes, and then add them to the grill. Some gas grills come with smoker boxes that sit between the cooking burners. These get so hot that the wood will smolder instead of just burn up.When using a charcoal grill, all you have to do is drop the wood over the hot coals. A good technique is to use wood chunks or chips in combination with indirect heat. In other words, the food sits in the middle of the cooking grate, while the heat is either side of the food. This allows you to cook larger cuts of meat very slowly, giving the smoke time to penetrate the meat. 10 tips to great grilling success: 1. Always buy the best meats. A poor cut of meat can never be saved by even the best grilling techniques.2. Be as organized as possible. Always have your food, sauces and equipment by the bbq grill when you are ready to start cooking. 3. Allow your meats to sit at room temperature for about thirty minutes before grilling.4. Try experimenting with different kinds of woods for different kinds of tastes.5. Always make sure you have enough fuel or charcoal before starting.6. Use a chimney starter to start charcoal fires. If you choose to use charcoal lighter fluid, allow the fluid to soak into the coals for about 10 minutes before starting the fire. This allows the coals to start slowly and burn off the bitter fluid.7. Cut down on flareups and burned meat by keeping a clean spray bottle filled with water handy. When flames start to rise, spray a little water on them to keep them down. Try using apple juice instead of water to add some extra flavor.8. Never stab your meat with a fork or knife after the grilling starts. The juices will flow right out of the meat. Use tongs to turn the meat.9. When using indirect heat methods, keep the bbq grill covered most of the time. Opening the grill will cause you to lose heat rapidly.10. After cooking, let the meat rest for a few minutes. The juices will redistribute through the meat, and not run out onto the plate.Over time, these bbq techniques will will become second-natured to you. You will be organized, efficient, and cooking great bbq grill foods for years to come. The only thing that will change from each grilling experience will be the food.
TexasBarbeques.com has been providing barbecue recipes, cooking tips, grilling techniques, and backyard entertainment ideas since 2005.
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