Guest Blog: Pit Master Matt

As we enter grilling season (for some of us, it's all year!), I decided to tap into some expert advice. Since he lives next door and I can often smell what's cooking, I asked my brother and neighbor Matt to chime in with some suggestions. He's a well "seasoned" cook with lots of tricks and tips, and he was nice enough to guest blog on Home Ericanomics. Welcome Matt!

Top chefs claim the only seasoning needed is salt and pepper, which can be true however they’re typically working with top grade cuts and us average Joes (No offense, Joe) are simply not, so we resort to marinades and rubs for flavor assistance. 

With marinades it’s kind of like Goldilocks, not too short, not too long but just right. At a minimum, you should marinate cuts of meat for 4 hours. Warning-Do not exceed 24 or the acidity of the marinade will begin to break down the fibers of the meat, rendering you a shoe-leather quality product. I haven’t found a store bought marinade that I love for beef, so usually just make my own. My go-to beef marinade consists of water, olive oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, salt and Italian seasoning. Grill Mates makes a pretty good Garlic, Wine & Herb marinade for chicken which I will occasionally use. 

Marinades can be great, but they can cause a real mess on the grill if you’re not careful. The key to a good marinade is balance of the acid, fat and seasoning, and sufficient time for that meat to soak in it. You can get creative too, make your own sweet onion teriyaki marinade for chicken thighs using olive oil, pineapple juice, onions, teriyaki sauce and salt. Just remember to keep balance and get creative. I don't measure and don't have a recipe, it's just trial and error (sorry if you're looking for a recipe here!)

Dry rubs are typically what I prefer to use for grilling and smoking meats. There’s plenty out there, from Chicken Shit to Meat Church (yes, these are actual brand names) and everything in between. I really enjoy Cajun rubs, but I typically use my Pork Barrel all-purpose rub for everyday BBQing. 

One thing to note-it’s important to pat the meat dry prior to applying rub , for chicken and steaks I’ll use an olive oil as a base, apply rub, wrap tightly in Saran Wrap then Refrigerate for 8+ hours, for pork or smoked beef I like to use a spicy brown mustard as a base, same steps to follow as before, rub then refrigerate. Many people think that they just need to season as they’re placing the meat in the grill or smoker, but that rub needs time to work it’s magic, don’t rush the process!

So there you have it! Some grilling and smoking tips from our guest blogger, Matt! Happy "unofficial start to summer" Home Ericanomics Followers!