Bacon burger, fries and beer

Father’s Day is coming up quick and with the weather as beautiful as ever, we wanted to bring you some grilling tips to give Dad the best meal ever!

All products mentioned below can be found at our Dairycatessen, open Monday to Sunday, from 4 AM to 11 PM CST. Our cheeses can also be found in our online store — use code DAD20 to receive 20% off all online purchases until Father’s Day!

  1. To keep your burgers nice and level for all your favorite toppings, use a spoon or your thumb to push a small indentation into the top middle of each raw burger. Then you can add a staple, like our Farmstead Fresh Bacon and Cheddar Mild, keep it smooth with our Provolone, or give it a kick with some Havarti Habanero.
  2. Don’t add your toppings too soon! You don’t want our Smoked Sweet Swiss stuck to your grill, you want it stacked on top of a juicy patty and some sautéed mushrooms! Add your toppings when your burger has only a minute left to cook, so your cheese can melt perfectly. The same goes for adding sauces to ribs because sauces can easily burn. Steak sauce should only be added after the steak is cooked. Need some recommendations? Try out our Sweet Bourbon Glaze, Spicy Cajun Steak Sauce, or Portobello Mushroom Finishing Sauce.
  3. Get creative and make your food your own! It’s going to taste best if it’s the way you like it, so make sure your meat is cooked to the desired temperature and topped or mixed with whatever condiments you choose! Some people aren’t afraid to get bold and add peanut butter, spices, or some of our handcrafted Smoked Gouda cheese straight into their patties!
  4. Never put your raw food on a cool surface. Make sure your grill is hot by preheating it 15 to 25 minutes before you start cooking to prevent sticking and to lock in moisture.
  5. Always season your meat before you cook it. The simplest way to season is with simple salt and pepper, but you can also try our All Purpose Seasoning. If you’re looking for a rub for your ribs, give our Cinnamon Chipotle Rub and Original Pork Rub a try. Maybe you want to go for a marinade? Our Robust Ribeye Marinade is right up your alley.
  6. Cooking ribs can be delicate work! Keep the heat low and slow for the perfect set of tender ribs.
  7. Certain foods may need to be cooked on direct heat, while others cook better on indirect heat. For instance, boneless chicken breasts will cook perfectly grilled quickly over direct heat, but bone-in thighs take longer so direct heat alone would burn them.
  8. Knowing if your beef is done can be tricky and you don’t want to cut into the meat while it’s still cooking or you’ll lose its natural juices. Instead, use this hand trick if you don’t have an instant-read thermometer around.
    1. Hold your hand out with your palm up and touch the base of your hand, by the base of the thumb. This is how a steak will feel if it is raw.
    2. Keep your hand in the same position but make an “OK” sign by touching the tip of your thumb and pointer finger together. Now touch the same spot on your hand. You’ll notice it’s a bit firmer. This is how a steak will feel if it is rare.
    3. Now touch the tip of your thumb to your middle finger and press into the same spot on your hand. This is how a steak will feel if it is medium-rare.
    4. Touch the tip of your thumb to your ring finger and press into the same spot on your hand. This is how a steak will feel if it is medium.
    5. Lastly, touch the tip of your thumb to your pinky finger and press into the same spot on your hand. This is how a well-done steak will feel.
  9. On a similar note, making sure you give your meat time to rest is key to keeping the juices locked inside. Preferably, it is best to rest your meat for up to ten minutes after it’s done cooking – the longer it rests, the more juice it holds in, which means more flavor!
  10. Flare-ups can happen, to prevent them make sure to trim your meat and remove poultry skin. You can also keep a squirt bottle of water near your grill for any out of the blue flames.

If grilling isn’t your idea of a good time, don’t worry! The Farmhouse has an extra special Father’s Day menu that you can check out here — and don’t forget to make your reservation!

Published: June 14, 2017