Words of wisdom from grill master Mr. Castle

Grilling is a very fun and tasty way to prepare food. Throughout our travels we found plenty of coal BBQs and outdoor cooking with wood. In the United States, gas grilling is much more popular and we've been enjoying very flavorful and juicy meals, straight off the grill. But not all food from a grill is, juicy, tender or delicious. So what's the secret?

First things first, buy the right equipment. Look for a gas grill with a high BTU output. Look for about 10,000 BTUs per burner anything lower could jeopardize your grilling experience. Look for a grill with stainless steel components (burners, flavoring bars and grates). This will cost you more initially but will last for ever.

Grilling in Indonesia - coals and low BTUs

Taking care of your grill. 
The best way to clean the grill is with a steel wire brush immediately after you're done grilling your food. Dip the brush in water and brush the grill racks while they're hot. This is very similar to giving your gas grill a steam bath. It gets hot so it is best to wear heat resistant gloves if you want to keep your arm hairs on you. You'll probably keep the grill outside so make sure to get a snug cover for it, it will reduce rust and wear and tear.

For grilling meats, novices will do best by using a meat thermometer. So, here's a quick guide to grilling like a pro -- no more dry, rubbery, un-chewable meats!

Part I.
Chicken

Turn on your grill and turn on your burners on high -- as high as they go (for larger grills you only need to turn on one side). If your grill has a built-in thermometer, check it and you know it is done once it's reached the highest temperature (between 400 and 500 degrees F depending on the grill). Grab your marinated chicken and put it directly on top of the flame. For chicken breasts with bone and skin, put the bone side down first about 3 minutes. Then repeat on the other side. For skinless, boneless breasts, put the convex side down first (this part of the breast has a thin film on it). For non-breast chicken pieces, put them on the grill any way, cooking on high for about 3 minutes on each side.

After cooking on high heat - you can either move the chicken away from the flame or you can leave it in the middle, turning off the middle burners and turning on the laterals. The point is you want the chicken off the direct flame and you want it cooking with an indirect flame.

When is it done? For smaller pieces like drumsticks and thighs, it should take about 15 minutes. It will be done once the meat is tender and coming off the bone (if there are bones). You can open it up a little bit with a knife and make sure there is no pink, the meat should be completely white. For the chicken breast, a grilling thermometer will be your best aide. Once you reach the poultry temperature, you're all set. Once you've grilled enough, you won't even need a thermometer and you can "just tell".

Important tip: once you turn down the flame, close the lid and keep it closed until it's done.

Part II.
Salmon

Perfectly cooked salmon

Heat up grill on the highest setting. Use heavy duty foil and put a little bit of oil on it, placing the foil directly on the rack as the grill heats up so the foil is hot.

Place the salmon on the foil skin side down. If you don't want to use foil, that's fine but the skin might stick to the rack, giving you extra homework during clean-up time. Turn down the heat without moving/relocating the fish and close the cover. Keep an eye on it and when you see white juice oozing to the top of the fish, that means it's done.

Remember: don't flip the salmon, just cook it skin side down with the lid closed!

Part III.
Meat (medium done)

Heat up grill to the maximum temperature. Place steak on the grill, cook one side for about 3 minutes on high heat. After, turn down the temperature to medium high and flip the steak. Leave the steak on top of the flame and do not close the lid for cooking your steak. For medium done steaks, it will be done once juices (blood) start flowing to the top (a meat thermometer can also help you out here).

It's gotta be hot for steaks!

Tip: A very tasty and simple steak marinade is simply adding salt, pepper and a little bit of oil to the steaks just before grilling them. No more, no less.

Part IV.
White fish

Slow and low temp "grilling", Iraqi style

The best way for white fish is to use the French method for steaming. If you place the fish directly on the grill rack, it will probably get stuck and create a mess. Grab yourself two pieces of foil. Place a nice bed of vegetables on the foil so they go underneath the fish. Place the fish on top and then add another layer of vegetables. Use the other piece of foil to put it on top of your fish and veggies. Seal the foil well so that no air escapes and place your foil pouch on the grill.

This whole process should take about 10 minutes and should be cooked on medium high.

Part V.
Pork loin

You'll need an extra tool for this: a meat injector. Also, give yourself a whole day to prep this. Marinade the pork loin by injecting it with your favorite marinade, leave in the fridge over night. Heat up your grill to the ultimate maximum (just like for chicken and meat). Put the loin on the rack once your grill is hot and cook each side for no more than 3 minutes. Once the entire outside is cooked, turned the heat to the lowest setting possible, close the lid and cook for at least 4 or 5 hours (ideal cooking temperature is about 300 degrees F so that it's slightly pink and delicious juicy inside).

I have been very lucky to enjoy wonderfully grilled meals by Mr. Castle for decades now. Thank you dad for these wonderful grilling tips!

Can smartphones lessen the impact of reverse culture shock?

My 2008 relic versus my new MacBook Air

We borrowed an iPhone 4 for our trip. It has a SIM card slot and it came in very handy for the duration of our trip. One of the unfortunate parts of returning to the US was giving up the phone -- we have Verizon and they don't "do" SIM cards -- and it made me think about the possibility of finally replacing my six year old Samsung flip phone from forever ago (I hate to admit it, but, at this point my rebellion against smart phones might be coming to an end). Part of life back in the USA means more e-mail and flip phones just can't handle it. I e-mailed a great friend of mine who is not a techie, but gave me better advice than any other tech website or blog out there. Here is what she had to say about the iPhone vs. everything else debate:

I think that unless you want the fingerprint security (so you can be a show-off), you may as well stick with the 5. I have the 5. It holds a little more thrill than my 4 (extra row of apps on your screen) but for my small hand, it is not as comfortable as the 4. Plus, my one-handed texting speed is diminished because there is an extra stretch involved from the added height.

If you are looking at the 5c (5cheap), they will probably work fine. It's an apple product, so you can't go wrong. But the colors are a bit day-glo and probably meant to attract non-professionals and kids. I see the Wendy's drive-through workers or Jersey Shore thousandaires sporting them (similar to the BMW 1 series or mercedes hatch-back from 15 years ago, these will be entry-level products). If you're going with the 5c, keep your dignity and choose either white or black. You can always buy a festive case later and you won't be married to a bad mistake that clashes with your wardrobe.

HOWEVER, in my attempt to find something good about the 5c, it would be a good "trial" iPhone. If you like it, you can upgrade to the macdaddy version without hesitation or regret.

So. Bottom line. The plain old 5 is prettier than the 4, but not as comfortable to use (for female hands).

The 5c is fine for a 1-year test drive, but watch your color choice or people will think you're credit score sucks.

The 4S will probably cost the same as the 5c, and may be more comfortable. Plus the casing is glass and metal, not plastic.

The 5S is for show-offs and people with money to burn (think Shahs of Sunset). My husband wants one, but that's because of the fingerprint security. I give him a pass only because he's military and into that stuff. I may get the 5s, but you know me. I'm an impractical show off, and I own that quality.

And what about non-iPhones??

I pay no attention to non-iPhones. They are meaningless on the world stage and are kidding themselves by calling themselves competitors. It's like Nadya Suleman (octomom) comparing herself to Angelina Jolie.  The only one making that comparison is Nadya.

Our friends in Samar, Nepal (accessible only by foot/horse) have brand new iPads. I'm getting the message...

Conclusion: I bought the iPhone 5c and it works very well. I was used to the 4 so the transition made sense. The best thing to do is protect the investment so I got it a protective case and now I have the phone on the Prey app. If you're ever a victim of theft, having the tracking app and reasonable insurance (check the deductible!) could save bad headaches from happening. This recently happened to a very close friend of mine (at gunpoint nonetheless!) and it wasn't insured or with a GPS tracker on. Cost of a new smartphone can be well over $500.

"If we don't travel carefully and tend to those with whom we have contact, we will perish."

Fan Feature: BONNIE

This is the first in a series of Fan Features, which are short interviews about the blog's biggest fans. Fans share their adventure stories and/or favorite recipes. Drea's Food Adventures' very first fan is Bonnie -- her story really makes me wish that hitchhiking was still a safe thing to do!!

I know Bonnie personally and she is a fantastic cook. Her daughter, one of my best friends, told me all these 'crazy stories' about her mother when she was younger but I didn't really know the details. Until now.

So, allow me to present Bonnie: a very caring and free-spirited, hardworking individual who knew how to have a great time in the good days of the awesome seventies in the U.S of A.

Bonnie and Wags know how to chill!

Q: What is your favorite adventure of all time?
My favorite adventure of all time was from when I was 19 to 23 years old. At 19 I had finished my freshman year at Ohio State University where I protested against the war and for our environment and civil rights. 

Q: What inspired you to go on this adventure?
I was inspired to travel away from my home state by a desire to escape suburban sameness, explore hippie culture and make sense of what to do with life's journey.

Q: Details, please!
I boldly left campus with Wags, my rescued terrier mix. We hitchhiked down the east coast camping along beaches from the outer banks to the Everglades. We hitchhiked across the deep south with urban stops in St. Louis and New Orleans. With help from a wandering member of Morningstar, an open commune, we made it to the ultimate hippie experiment where everyone felt right at home. The adobe huts were populated with artists, musicians, storytellers, your stoned, your tired and your poor living on food stamps. We cooked our beans, potatoes and chilies over an open fire and bathed in an afternoon monsoon or mountain stream. Camping in the majestic Sangre de Cristo mountains made me feel like I was experiencing the four seasons daily due to wildly fluctuating temperatures.

From New Mexico, Wags and I rambled to our next destination of Cape May, New Jersey via stops at the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Chicago and Cleveland. I realized it's a small world when a woman picked us up during rush hour in Cleveland, Ohio who turned out to be my brother's friend.

Once in New Jersey, I fell in love with the coast and established residency. I returned to college life at Richard Stockton State College in Pomona and put my primitive camping skills to use reducing expenses by living in a tent on a wooden platform behind an abandoned farm and preparing beans from the campus food coop.

This adventure started in 1971 and ended 1975 when Wags and I returned to Ohio.

Q: How did this adventure change or impact your life?
This adventure changed my life as I realized not all folks who wander are lost, that truth is the road not the destination. Being right isn't as important as being kind, gentle and loving. I learned to choose a path in life where the door of my heart is open to helping others. Wags and I completed our circle tour of America by returning to OSU to study for my Masters of Social Work. I had graduated from Stockton College with a BSSW and work experience helping folks having problems with drugs, alcohol and mental illness. I had also supported myself as an Aqua Maid doing synchronized swimming at night while being the first female New Jersey Marine Police officer by day! 

Q: Up to now, do you have any regrets?
I really don't have any regrets, but I am saddened by my lack of endorsement of this kind of adventure today due to its potential for exposure to senseless violence. I feel gratitude for encountering only helpful, gracious and compassionate folks on my circle tour adventure. If we don't travel carefully and tend to those with whom we have contact we will perish.

Q: What's your favorite recipe? Please share!
I bring forward a love of vegetarian meals and leave you with my favorite bean recipe.

Mango/Pineapple Bean Salad

Mango, peeled and diced. Pineapple peeled and diced. Red onion chopped fine. Cannellini beans drained and rinsed. One half cup of cilantro chopped fine. Zest and juice of a lime. 

Combine all ingredients and serve on a bed of arugula or baby lettuce. You can adjust the amounts depending on how many people are eating. I have made this to serve one or thirty. Enjoy!

Thank you Bonnie for sharing your adventures and Bean Salad recipe, but most of all, thank you for being a fan of the blog!   
Have you enjoyed reading Drea's Food Adventures? Let me know if you're a big fan and would like to share your story.