Kingpin of BBQ shares a few tips

Garfene Grandison, Assistant Lifestyle Coordinator

Ted Reader is a Canadian chef and author of several cookbooks that are solely based on barbecue. He was a recent guest on the Rock when he visited and participated in the annual Jamaica Epicurean Escape food festival. A native of Paris, Ontario and a graduate of George Brown College's culinary management programme, Reader credits his mother as well as his grandfather with giving him the passion for cooking. Now, an executive chef at the Skydome Hotel at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Reader has published over 17 books, which is why he is known as the Kingpin of BBQ. We caught up with the chef lately and got a few Gastro Grilling tips, which is also the name of his latest book:

High heat, lid open; low heat, lid closed.

Never leave your grill: once you start cooking, keep to your post. Leaving a grill unattended may result in burning your food. Stay with it. An unattended grill is a disaster waiting to happen.

A clean grill is a healthy grill. So keep it clean, scrub it with your grill brush after each cooking session. Make sure you occasionally clean the drip pan under the burners to save you from having a grease fire. Cover your grill. A clean grill is not only healthier, but it will last much longer.

Patience is everything when it comes to grilling and barbecuing. Low and slow is a great way to go. But remember, every time you want to touch, flip, poke or squish your food, have a sip of beer instead.

Come to your grill prepared and ready to do some serious cooking. Make sure you have enough cold beverages to do the job.

Any grill is a good grill as long as it gets nice and hot and does the job of helping you create delicious food. As for beer, any beer is a good beer as long it is frosty cold and quenches your thirst.

It's not the size of your grill that matters, but how you use it.

Never touch another person's grill or barbecue unless you have been invited to.

Don't screw it up. Keep it simple and delicious.

Never test new recipes on your guests. Practice makes perfect. So test them out on your family, they are more forgiving.

Turn it down. You don't have to grill everything over high heat. Sometimes, low and slow is the way to go, and remember, the longer it takes to cook, the more beer you get.

Have fun.

Here are two recipes from his latest book that Reader shares with our foodie lovers.

Slash n Grill Chicken Drums

This is an at-the-beach favourite for my family. Slash 'em with a blade, rub 'em with bone dust, grill 'em with love, glaze 'em for the sticky, and toss 'em in crushed bbq potato chips for the crunch. This makes drumsticks rock 'n roll.

Grill temperature: Medium 350-450

Grill time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

12 chicken drumsticks, nice, plump, meaty

2tbsp bone dust bbq seasoning or your favourite bbq rub

2tbsp chipotle-flavoured hot sauce

2tbsp icing sugar

2 tbsp your favourite bbq sauce. (I use my Crazy Canuck)

1oz Red Stag black cherry-flavoured bourbon Whiskey

3tbsp butter

2 cups coarsely crushed bbq-flavoured potato chips

Salt and (freshly ground) black pepper to taste

1. Take a sharp knife and slash the outside of the chicken drumsticks, about a 1⁄4 to a 1⁄2 inch deep at most.

2. Rub the bone dust bbq seasoning into the drums making sure to rub it into the slashes. Let Marinate in the rub for at least an hour. If you can go overnight, the flavour intensifies.

3. Preheat grill to medium high.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the chipotle hot sauce, icing sugar, bbq sauce and black cherry bourbon. Stir it until the sugar is dissolved set aside.

5. Grill chicken drums for 20-25 minutes, turning frequently until the drums are nicely charred and fully cooked, but still moist and tender. Minimum internal temperature of 160F.

6. Place all the drumsticks into a large bowl.

7. Add the butter and chipotle black cherry bourbon mixture.

8. Toss.

9. Toss in the crushed bbq potato chips.

Grilled Sugar Cane Tuna Sticks with Grilled Pineapple Ginger Compote

The natural sweetness of sugar cane blends well with the firm texture of tuna. Change this up by switching the tuna to a variety of other seafood - scallops, shrimp, grouper, salmon and halibut all work extremely well, too.

Serves 4

What you need: Hand-held blender, sharp-edged spatula.

Ingredients:

1 stick fresh sugar cane (approximately 6 to 8 inches/15 to 20cm long)

1 cup (250ml) dark rum

1 cinnamon stick (approx 2 inches/10cm long)

11⁄2lb (675g) fresh tuna loin

Grilled Pineapple Ginger Compote

1 fresh ripe pineapple, peeled

1⁄4 cup (60ml) honey

Splash of dark rum (approx.1 oz/30ml)

1tsp (5ml) minced fresh ginger

Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pinch of hot red pepper flakes

1tbsp (15ml) chopped fresh cilantro

1⁄4 cup (60ml) crushed peanuts

1. Using a sharp knife, peel the sugar cane. This might be a bit of work, but you want to expose the sweet inner flesh. Once you have it peeled, cut the cane into four equal skewers, each about 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch (0.5 to 1cm) square and about 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20cm) long. Cut a point at one end of each of the skewers. Place skewers in a self-sealing storage bag. Pour in the rum and add the cinnamon stick. Seal and let stand to marinate for one hour. The cane will suck up the rum and cinnamon flavours, giving you deliciously flavoured sticks.

2. Cut the tuna into sixteen 11⁄2-inch (4 cm) square chunks. Skewer four chunks of tuna on to each rum-soaked sugar cane skewer. Don't throw that rum marinade out. You can enjoy it in a beverage or use in your Grilled Pineapple Ginger Compote.

Fire up your grill to 550-650F (290-345C).

3. Slice the pineapple into 10 or 12 1⁄4-inch (0.5 cm) thick slices. Grill the slices for two to three minutes per side until lightly charred and tender. Remove from grill. Count out four slices of grilled pineapple and set aside for garnish. Coarsely chop the remaining slices of grilled pineapple and place in medium pot.

5. Over medium heat, drizzle the grilled slices of pineapple with honey, add a splash of dark rum and minced ginger and stir. Add the lemon juice and season with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Continue to cook for five minutes until just bubbling. Remove from heat, and using a blender, purée the grilled pineapple mixture until it is almost smooth but still a little chunky.

6. Stir in the hot pepper flakes and set aside, keeping warm.

7. Season the tuna skewers with a little kosher salt and black pepper. Grill the sugar cane tuna skewers for 1-2 minutes per side for rare to medium-rare doneness. Remove from grill.

8. Stir the fresh cilantro into the warm Grilled Pineapple Ginger Compote and spoon over the grilled tuna skewers. Garnish dish with a sprinkling of crushed peanuts and serve immediately.