National Barbecue Month and Spiedies!

May is National Barbecue Month!

There is nothing like the smoky aroma of a barbecue.
 
How should you celebrate National Barbecue Month? By hosting a barbecue for your family and friends, of course!

I want to share one of my favorite recipes for grilling, that I actually came across by accident. But first I want to share with you some info from an article  by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist and author of The Truth About Six Pack Abs.  Here is a link to Mike's Blog

NEVER Grill Meat, Unless You Do This

Most people aren't aware that when you cook meat (whether it's grilled, broiled, or seared) there are carcinogenic compounds that can form called HCA's (heterocyclic amines). Now don't panic... you ingest various carcinogens all the time, even with some vegetables. You can always protect yourself with more antioxidants.

That's why it's important to know that there's a way you can use spices to both counteract, and also drastically reduce the carcinogens formed when you grill meat...

Here's the trick:

If you're going to grill meats, marinating meats for at least several hours beforehand in liquid mixtures that contain rosemary and other herbs/spices can dramatically help to reduce HCA's (heterocyclic amines), which are those carcinogenic compounds that can form when meats are grilled. It appears that the highly potent antioxidants in these herbs prevent HCA formation. So using rosemary, thyme, garlic, oregano and other spices in a meat marinade before grilling meats can drastically reduce any carcinogens that normally would form on grilled meat and give you a healthier meal, that's also very tasty!

The antioxidants in rosemary and thyme from a marinade were specifically cited in studies at being powerful inhibitors of HCA formation when grilling meats. But it was also noted that other spices such as garlic, oregano, and others can help to prevent HCA formation as well, so I suggest using a variety, which tastes great anyway!

One more important point about grilling meat:

Remember that the more well-done a meat is cooked, the higher concentration of carcinogenic HCA's can form, so rare, medium-rare, or medium are healthier choices than well-done. I've never understood why anybody would want to ruin a good steak by burning it to oblivion anyway. But hey, if you're one of those folks that likes your steaks well-done, just remember that you're eating a lot more carcinogens than a steak that's cooked less, so make sure to load up on your antioxidants (spices, teas, berries, etc) to help combat those extra carcinogens.

My favorite Grill Recipe...Spiedies

A few years back my my husband,my children and I took a road trip to Massachusetts.Instead of taking the toll road back through New York we took the southern tier route. We decided to stop for the night in Binghamton, NY. We did the easy travel meal that night, pizza delivered to our room. I brought back a local area newspaper from the motel.It wasn't until I returned home that I even looked at the paper. I looked through it and kept seeing restaurant ads that said they had spiedies.  What the heck are spiedies?I wondered. So I Googled it. Wow! There is a wealth of information on the internet about spiedies!

What the heck is a Spiedie?

According to this article " A Spiedie (pronounced SPEE-dee) is not shish kebab, devotees insist, despite similarities. Instead, it's chunks of lamb, pork, beef, venison or chicken that are marinated for days in a tart, piquant sauce and then grilled on a metal skewer or spit, usually over charcoal or gas. A proper spiedie, skewer and all, is then inserted in sliced Italian bread. Pull out the skewer and you have a hot sandwich of the gods. People in New York's Southern Tier -- southeast of the Finger Lakes, just north of Pennsylvania-- adore their local specialty. They eat it at restaurants, buy it from street vendors and make their own at cookouts well into the cold weather."

"Spiedies are God's gift to barbecue," says political aide Jeff Coudriet,"truly one of the culinary delights of the world."

According to this article by John E. Harmon.

"The originator of the spiedie is most likely  Augustine Iacovelli from Endicott, NY.  Iacovelli immigrated to the Binghamton region from Civitella in Abruzzi, Italy in 1929.  He first worked at Endicott-Johnson, a shoe manufacturer and the region's largest employer.  In 1939 he opened a restaurant, Augies, on the north side of Endicott.   The name comes from the Italian "spiedo," meaning "spit." (Moore 1991). The original sauce, which he called Zuzu, was wine vinegar, water, lemon juice, garlic and mint.  The meat, originally only lamb, was cooked on wooden skewers (Boros 1984)."

I did a lot of research before I attempted to make my own. I only wish I had tried a spiedie when I was there in New York so I would have an accurate comparison to my version. I used a recipe found online but gave it my original tweaks. After all I am studying to be a certified personal fitness chef and I have over 8 years experience in commercial kitchens.

Here are the main things I came across in my research:

1. The original meat was Lamb

2. The original had fresh mint

3. Do not overcook. This causes them to become dry.

4. Marinate at least 24 hours.One comment to a forum suggested if marinated longer than 2 days they would get too vinegary.

5.The original sauce had lemon juice.

Spiedies even have their own festival every year. Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally

It has music,spidies, and fireworks.

Spiedie Recipe

This recipe is adapted from the Blog "That's Not What the Recipe Says"

From the post Back to Binghamton for Spiedies

Spiedies

4 pounds lamb (or pork or chicken) cubed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vinegar ( I used Red Wine Vinegar)
2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder ( I used 6 cloves of fresh Garlic)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil *
1 teaspoon dried parsley *
2 teaspoons dried mint flakes *
1 tablespoon rosemary *
1 teaspoon celery salt (I used celery seed instead to limit the sodium)
1 bay leaf, broken in pieces ( I did used the dried bay leaf)

I also added juice of one fresh squeezed lemon (most recipes I ran across online called for lemon juice)

*When using fresh instead of dried herbs you use more of the herb.

Place meat in a bowl. Add oil to coat it. Mix all the other ingredients with the vinegar and add to the meat. Mix thoroughly and marinade in refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

When ready to serve remove bowl from fridge and stir ingredients. Thread the meat tightly on skewers. Grill until done, but now dried out, about 8 – 10 minutes. Turn meat to evenly grill all sides.

Serve by wrapping Italian bread around the meat and pulling it off the skewer with the bread.

The author of the post suggests Italian Bread from Felix Roma Bakery. A bakery in Endicott, NY. Very close to Binghamton. According to other post I have read a lot of the local restaurants also use this bakery.

The beauty of the Spiedie is that it is marinated for 24 hours or more. This is perfect to help offset the HCA's talked about earlier in my post. It also has the fresh rosemary,garlic and other herbs to help prevent HCA formation as well. It's a win win situation!