Barbecue tips from Gilford Hannaford's meat managers

LACONIA — At its regular Thursday evening meeting on Aug. 12, a large audience of members and guests of the South Down Home & Garden Club hosted a presentation by the hierarchy of Hannaford’s Gilford meat and seafood department. It was a repeat appearance for Jim Smith, Hannaford’s Head Meat Cutter, who visited the group two years ago to share his thoughts on choosing cuts of meat for holiday entertaining. This time Smith was joined by Riley O’loughlin, Hannaford’s new Meat/Seafood Manager, to answer questions and participate in the presentation.

The topic for the August event was all about BBQ, and the two men came prepared with cuts of beef, pork and whole chicken, in order to demonstrate preparation techniques. They began with a whole piece of a versatile cut called flap meat, which was trimmed and turned into sirloin tips. When guests took notice of the ease with which O’loughlin’s knife pierced through the meat, he shared that his kitchen knife of choice is by the Swiss company, Victorinox, the same company that produces the Swiss Army Knife.

Among the BBQ tips and tricks that were shared by the two that evening:

• Fat equals flavor! Don’t veer away from meat that has a marbling of fat.

• Any cut purchased can have a dry rub applied at the store; there are several flavors to choose from. The rub should be left on a minimum of an hour, but preferably overnight, before cooking.

• Don’t be concerned about freezing meat, as long as air is removed from packaging. A vacuum sealer is ideal. It is the air that causes ice crystals and freezer burn. Try putting meat into a zip lock bag and submerging into a stock pot of water before sealing; the water will force the air out of the bag.

• Never re-freeze! Once a meat has been defrosted, its texture must be changed in some way in order to prevent bacteria. Best way to thaw is in the refrigerator.

• Before cooking, always bring refrigerated meat to room temperature.

• A knife sharpener, or, honing steel, accomplishes the task by re-aligning the edge of the knife, which can be pushed to either side over time.

• Soaking chicken in buttermilk offers enough acidity to break down the protein and produce tender, juicy results.

• Grapeseed oil is a slow burn oil that is a good choice for use in an extremely hot pan.

• After beef is cooked, depending on the size of the meat, it should be allowed to rest for five to 30 minutes. This allows the juices to recirculate throughout, and not end up on the cutting board during carving.

• FAS stands for Frozen at Sea, and should not be considered a detriment. It is a surface freeze to 30 degrees, freezing water but not throughout the flesh, and keeps fish fresh.

Both Smith and O’loughlin welcomed questions from the enthusiastic audience. When asked if smelling fish to test for freshness is legitimate, O’loughlin, smiled, “Absolutely, the nose knows!”

According to Marty Alexander, the SDH&G Club Chair, “We invited back Jim by popular demand, since his pre-holiday presentation was so informative and well attended. Having Riley here as well was a bonus! The passion and information that was shared by these two was so well received. They even shared some recipes that will surely show up on South Down barbecue grills!”