This finally now is the time of the season for grilling, since we have Father’s Day, graduations galore and then the Fourth of July
So what is a dad to do to really stand out from the crowd? Grill like you mean it, and dad means it.
He just might need a little help.
So here goes: Get all the things that go into a Chicago style hot dog, and dress it up with brats instead of the basic frank, and that can range to Italian and Polish sausage, or both on the same bun if it’s big enough and the Wisconsin’s Best, Cheddar-wurst. That leads into other cheeses by the boatload, and I recommend Pepperjack. Why? It also lends itself to hot peppers, per se, of all sorts, such as red hots and sweeter ones, to go in with the mix and match of other types of which you typically think. Even a bit of favorite, bell pepper – take full advantage of the four colors –which can add a nice presentation and new taste twist, especially with hot peppers of a similar overall flavor. Like the wine that pairs best with a given entrée? OK, that’s overextending the metaphor. Or to back up, a pinch or two of parmesan or Romano, just don’t overdo it. And there are more types of mustard out there than even craft beers, on or off the brat.
But of course, dad is more than dogs. He loves his steak, and while we don’t want to ruin a porterhouse by killing it with sauce, there is that sirloin factor. So in comes BBQ sauce, but which one? You don’t have to choose! Put two or three together in separate but equal strips, or in the form of a target. But then you have to choose a Bullseye! Get it The rub here is that you can make your own, as I have said before.
— News break: Hey, even dad loves (sorta) certain sultry styles. See the post below for a primer, and actually only a starter, on what styles have re-risen to prevalence during the pandemic —
What’s sitting in the bowels of your fridge, and not fudge, just might mean you can thusly afford a more expensive cut of meat, and still save a buck. This can take you from your ketchup base – yeah, you read that right – and add brown sugar or regular sucrose, or both, depending on the level of tang vs. tart, smoky vs. spicy, that you desire. You can also add in, just a bit, of worchestershire sauce, or vegetable oil, or dark corn syrup. Spice it up with things like mustard seed, garlic, maybe even a bit of chili powder for the brave dad. Try things out and when you hit a home run, add a bowl of it on the side for good measure, use by those measuring your success – and spoken or not, they do.
And for cuts that dweedle down toward the level of your basic burger, you can dress that up, too. Carve an inch-thick cut like prime rib, or thin layers like roast beef. The merits of texture anyone?
And for what is needed that is not lurking in the back or your fridge and hiding behind the OJ, we recommend Family Fresh Market in River Falls and New Richmond and other locations. So let’s go to The Market, to evoke an Old School term a Greek friend of mine used to throw out for consumption There is meat and there is meat, but the particular specials listed in the Family Fresh shopper that expires at Two Minutes To Midnight before Father’s Day are unlike those anywhere else in a two-county area. To wit: Boneless beef top sirloin steak, or boneless beef tenderloin for $6.99 a pound; pork baby back ribs, or fresh whole boneless pork tenderloin, $3.99 a pound. And drizzle some of your leftover homemade BBQ sauce over in-husk, bi-color sweet corn for a whopping lack of dollars, eight for two bucks. And there is $5 off rotisserie chicken, for a sauce/butter combo on the brown skin.
You can make this a late one-stop dad’s day shop with sales on lawn chairs and such, sun care items and bug spray. And to really get at the meat of things, so to speak, there is a Price Freeze special through July 17 on sauces, or sauce ingredients galore.