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Grill Whisperer: "A great cookout begins at a great supermarket"

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Editor’s Note – The Grill Whisperer is a fly-by-night grilling expert that travels the world in a constant search of grilling techniques, recipes, and spices to perfect his craft. Occasionally, he lands in Apopka where he writes an exclusive article for The Apopka Voice. He will not allow any changes or edits to his column, so if his article is too long, grammatically incorrect, or in some way offensive, The Apopka Voice takes no responsibility. GW will be in town the next two days, but beyond that, there is no telling. This is the second of three columns he has agreed to write.

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Did you clean your grill? If you didn’t... do it now!

Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Are you ready to impress your friends and family? Good. We are going on a quest for the finest meats, vegetables, condiments and libations in all the land.

And all of them can be found at one place.

Get in your car and head to either the Publix at Wekiva Plaza (1545 Rock Springs Road in Apopka) or at Hunt Club Corners (540 South Hunt Club Boulevard in Apopka). Some people say Hunt Club isn't Apopka - that it's Forest City. But GW looks at the last word in Hunt Club's address and it says Apopka. I also asked the manager of the Publix at Hunt Club where we were and he said "Publix"... but after that, he said "Apopka". The GW believes the manager of a store should at least know what city he is in, so Apopka it is.

A great backyard cookout begins at a great supermarket, and Publix fits that description.

The first thing you do when you arrive is to tell them The Grill Whisperer sent you. They will look at you funny and ask ‘what are you talking about?’ but if enough of you do this it will help GW with his promotions.

Grab your cart and head past the lady showing you how to make simple, inexpensive meals. It won’t be simple or inexpensive. And ignore any samples or demonstrations. You are on a mission and cannot be bothered.

Peppers, onions, and mushrooms are all a part of this feast.

Besides, the pasta will only fall through the grill grates and cause a fire.

Start in the vegetable section and get the smallest potatoes you can find. Try to fill the entire order of corn on the cob, asparagus, baby bella mushrooms, red onions and peppers (red, green and a wildcard color like yellow or orange), and large, fresh cloves of garlic. If the market is out of something, make a substitution. GW trusts you; he is not a control freak!

Advance to the butter aisle. Get the garlic and herb butter. This will be your secret ingredient in a couple of dishes and a lot of others in the future.

Turn left and arrive at the meat section. You are looking for ribeyes. Do not be tricked into a T-bone or New York strip that happens to be on sale. Strips are typically thin and end up as a challenge to not overcook when you have so many other items to keep account of. T-bones have a large bone in the shape of a “T” in them and are difficult to navigate on a full grill.

Ribeyes only!

Your goal here is to find steaks that are at least an inch thick (all about the same thickness) and with consistent marbling throughout. Marbling is the squiggly white (fat) lines that go through the meat. The more of these lines you see, the better the steak will cook.

Look for a lot of marbling on the Ribeyes. Do not be tricked into T-Bones, New York Strips or something else that happens to be on sale. Ribeyes Only!

Take a trip through the vertical aisles and collect very coarse salt (kosher is usually best) and pepper, along with a large bottle of olive oil and a small bottle of Worcestershire Sauce.

You have everything you need now. Head home. It’s time to put on a great cookout. We will meet again when my Monday morning article posts on The Apopka Voice and gives you the game plan.

Your Grocery List:

Corn on the cob

Baby bella mushrooms

red onion

a variety of peppers (red, green and a wildcard color like yellow or orange)

fresh garlic

garlic and herb butter

Ribeye steaks

salt, pepper, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce.

 

 

Grill Whisperer

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