Crown Yourself the Grill King!

Summer comes at the best time of the year. School is over, vacations are about to start and while it may be slower than usual, the weather is finally making us all feel like the season of outdoor fun is upon us. And when it comes to summer eating, nothing can replace dinner on the barbecue. But how do get to grips with your barbeque to ensure you’re getting the maximum flavours out of your food, pleasing the many different palates of your family and friends – and earning that much proclaimed but rarely achieved title: King of the Grill!

Jawny Bakers chefs have long been masters of the fine art of grilling and so whether you’re a father yourself or wanting to treat your friends and family to a great BBQ, we want to help you on your way to heraldry. Here we give you our top 10 tips to achieving a great grilling experience. Don’t worry, we can keep these just between us, we’re happy for you to enjoy the majesty all for yourself. 

1. Two Are Better Than One. If you can, have more than one grill. Gas grills may be convenient, but charcoal grills are ideal for true low and slow smoking.
2. Keep It Clean Please. Keep your grill hot, clean, and well oiled. With the grill grate still hot, clean it with a stiff wire brush. With tongs, oil it with a tightly folded paper towel dipped in oil drawn across the grill grate.
3. Customize. For small, tender, or quick-cooking foods (such as shrimp, chicken breasts, burgers, fish fillets, and most veggies), cook the food directly over the fire. For large, fatty, or tough foods (ribs, whole chickens), cook next to a moderate to low fire with the lid closed. 
4. Don’t Toss and Turn. As you spend more time in your grilling throne, learn to turn steaks, chops, chicken breasts, etc. only once. You'll get a better crust - and you'll definitely look more noble.
5. Tame the Flame. Grill gurus around the world grill over glowing embers, not leaping flames: embers provide an intense, even heat, whereas grilling over or in the flames usually produces an ashy residue. 
   
6. Walk the Plank. A cedar plank is one of the best ways to grill salmon. Soak the plank overnight, drain, then place the fish on top. The woody scent will enhance the overall flavour of the fresh fish.
7. How Sweet Is It? Sauces with high sugar content burn easily near heat. To prevent this, brush the sauce on toward the end of your cooking time. In other words, don't use barbecue sauce as a marinade, serve most of it on the side.
8. Be Selective. While some fruits and veggies can be great grilled, those with high water content are not meant for the BBQ. Watermelon, grapes, cucumbers and lettuces are best eaten fresh or added to a burger after it’s cooked. 
9. Finish It Off. Every meal ends best with dessert. Wrap cookies or brownies in tin foil and rest them on the grill for a couple of minutes for out-of-the-oven goodness. And your favourite s’more recipe is ideal after some BBQ heat.
10. Always Be Prepared. Lastly, whether you have the Kalamazoo 900 Series Hybrid Grill or a hibachi, adhere to the Boy Scout’s mantra. Nothing will dethrone your kingly status (or ruin everyone’s dinner) than discovering halfway through cooking that you’ve run out of propane or coal to continue the grill. Always have an extra tank or bag of charcoal handy as a back up.

Russell Pratt

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OCB Week at JB

It's time to celebrate Ontario's legacy of making amazing craft beers with Ontario Craft Brewers Craft Beer Week! Check out the Craft Beer Week website to check out all the great events planned around craft beer, starting on Sunday June 16th (Father's Day) through Sunday June 23rd.

Jawny Bakers has a great selection of Craft Beers for you to choose from. On tap or in the bottle, you have a wealth of choice at JB. Here are a few of your choices:

Ontario Craft Beers Available at Jawny Bakers

• Mill Street Tankhouse
• Mill Street Organic Lager
• Steamwhistle
• Thornbury Cider
• King Dark Lager

Cheers to great beers during OCB Week 2013!

Welcome to Jawny's Journal

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Welcome to Jawny's Journal

JB Summer Grilling Series: Steak

Steak. The word itself is enough to send some people into dreams of savoury fantasy. There aren’t too many foods that elicit such passion. Of course, there are many myths surrounding red meat so to put the carnivore’s mind at ease, let’s highlight some of the many advantages of beef and steak found in even the lowest-fat cuts. 

One ounce of beef offers approximately seven grams of protein which is used by the body to maintain cellular functions and provides the body with long-lasting energy. High in iron – essential for pregnant women – it helps to stave of anemia, and vitamins crucial for many bodily functions such as B12, folate, thiamine and riboflavin are in every piece of beef. So with the recent increase in non-carb diets, there is no reason to feel guilty about enjoying steak in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

However, as with anything of value, we at Jawny Bakers know that all steak is not created equal. We are very particular about the selections we make when purchasing food for the restaurant, not only to ensure the best quality for our valued guests, but that we can offer the healthiest options. And people can taste the difference! When it comes to our steaks, we buy all of them from The Butcher Shoppe  and only buy AAA or better cuts.

So what about choice? We’ve made it a little easier for you by distilling the differences between the types of steak we serve:

Porterhouse: Also known as the T-Bone (a "T-shaped" bone with meat on each side), these are steaks of beef cut from the rear end of the short loin thereby including both tenderloin steak and a large strip steak. T-bone steaks are cut closer to the front, and contain a smaller section of tenderloin. Due to their large size and the fact that they contain meat from two of the most prized cuts of beef (the larger short loin and the tenderloin), T-bone steaks are generally considered one of the highest quality steaks.

The Rib Eye: With or without the bone attached, this is often considered the most flavourful cuts of beef. It comes from the upper rib cage area, which does not support much of the cow's weight, nor does it have to work hard or exercise. Its marbling of fat makes this very good for slow roasting and it also goes well on a grill cooked to any degree.

Sirloin: A steak cut from the rear back portion of the animal, continuing off the short loin from which T-bone, porterhouse, and club steaks are cut. The sirloin is actually divided into several types of steak. The top sirloin is the most prized and is specifically marked for sale under that name. The bottom sirloin, which is less tender and much larger, is typically marked for sale simply as "sirloin steak." The bottom sirloin in turn connects to the sirloin tip roast.

Tenderloin: This steak is cut from the beef tenderloin, part of the short loin. It is greatly desired for being the most tender cut of beef. Several steaks are actually cut from this region including the Filet Mignon, Chateaubriand, and Tournedos. Tenderloin steaks are best cooked hot and fast and benefit from their time on the grill. 

Striploin: Cut from the short loin, the strip steak consists of a muscle that does little work, and so it is particularly tender, though not quite as tender as the nearby rib eye or tenderloin. The short loin is a sizable muscle which allows it to be cut into larger pieces. The strip steak may be sold with or without the bone. It is one of the most popular steaks because of its combination of tenderness, flavour, leanness and generous size. 

So as the weather gets hotter, stop by Jawny Bakers to enjoy your choice of steak, cooked to perfection. Accompany it with a wide selection of side dishes and a drink on our patio and the summer is yours. 

Stay tuned, we’ll be sharing some of our grilling tips for home use in an upcoming post.