Since every backyard barbecue is better with music, KC Masterpiece® is hitting the road with chart-topping country artist Keith Urban in a quest to celebrate Real People, Real Music and Real Food across the country. Like the authentic flavor of KC Masterpiece® Barbecue Sauce slathered on food fresh off the grill, Keith is the Real Deal – a contemporary country music songwriter, singer and guitarist with his own authentic sound. Keith says when it comes to barbecue, “it’s the hang time that’s important, the opportunity to unwind and just have fun.”
As the headline sponsor of this year’s Keith Urban Summer Lovin' Tour, which promises to sizzle as it stops at state fairs, festivals and major arenas across the county, KC Masterpiece® will be giving fans the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime Real Deal experience – a private barbecue and concert with Keith, and much more. Follow us on Facebook for the chance to win tickets to this week’s show.
Take some time to check out the grilling tips and recipes listed below that come straight from Chris Lilly. And remember, you can’t have country without barbecue!
Chris Lilly emerged on the barbecue scene in 1992 when he began working for the world famous Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q restaurant in Decatur, Ala. He has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal as having the best pork barbecue in the country and named the “Best Barbecue Restaurant in Alabama” by the Birmingham News.
In the summer of 2009, Lilly was named the Official Tour Pitmaster of the Keith Urban Escape Together World Tour through his work with tour sponsor KC Masterpiece®.
Next time you find yourself gathered around the charcoal grill in your own backyard, try these tips while together with family and friends:
Make sure your grilling area is equipped with some sort of sound system, whether that be a car stereo or portable MP3 player, so you can turn up the tunes while you fire up your grill.
Use different briquet arrangements depending on what's going on the grill. Thinner pieces of meat respond best to high temperature, direct heat grilling, which requires spreading the coals out evenly across the grate. Thicker pieces of meat cook beautifully all the way through, without burning on the outside, with a two-zone fire. Stack briquets to one side of the grate for high and low temperature zones. Begin cooking directly over the coals until the outside of the meat has reached the desired doneness; then move the meat to the other side of the grate (the low temperature zone) to finish cooking.
To achieve a perfectly grilled burger, only flip once. This is essential! Look for a pooling of natural juices in the center of the burger - that's when you know it's time to flip to the other side.
When searing meat, place it over the hottest part of the grill with direct heat. Cook for roughly one and a half minutes on each side, only flipping once, and remove from the grill. This method provides doneness on each side while maintaining the rich, red color and flavors in the center - and creates a nice presentation when slicing individual servings for guests.
When applying a dry rub to chicken pieces, it's often hard to keep that rub affixed and it's even more difficult to keep the chicken's original, golden color. Try painting chicken pieces with yellow mustard prior to applying the rub. Not only will the rub stay in place, your final product will be visually appealing - without any trace of mustard flavor.