Event Tag: Labor Day

Flavor Your Summer with Marinades

A good marinade can give beef, poultry, fish, and vegetables a kick of flavor. If you’re looking to maximize the benefits of marinating, check out these tips before you fire up the grill.

Marinating helps tenderize the meat and infuse flavor. Some of the best cuts of beef to marinate are flank steak, London broil, kabobs, and sirloin tips. Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend a minimum of six hours or up to 24 hours. Always marinate your meats in the refrigerator. Leaving it at room temperature for long can allow dangerous bacteria to grow and lead to foodborne illness. Recipes will also advise you to discard the used marinade once it has soaked in, but you can brush on a new, bottled sauce or marinade while you’re grilling for added flavor.

Every marinade should include an oil, but make sure it’s one with a high smoke point, such as canola or safflower oils in your marinade if you’re grilling. Oils help the flavors absorb into the meat and high smoke point oils are flame — and grill — friendly. High smoke point oils include peanut, canola, avocado, or sunflower.

marinade

Start with pre-marinated meats and leave all the prep work to us. You can mix your own marinade, or buy the bottled stuff, but Butcher Boy has more than 15 types made in-house for a delicious, fresh homemade taste.

Our most popular flavor is the steakhouse for beef tips. Coming in second is lemon pepper chicken. Italian-style Francesco also is a favorite. Other popular varieties in our butcher case are sweet bourbon, burgundy, teriyaki, and cajun, garlic ginger. And don’t forget buffalo wings! We also offer barbeque baby back ribs. If you’re not sure how long to cook them, follow this guide for grilling time and method.

Add a tossed salad, maybe some sauteed or grilled veggies, and rice or baked potato, and you have an easy meal for summer. Stop by for all of your lunch or dinner menu needs. What are your favorite summer flavors for the grill?

 

grills perfect match

Less Work, More Play for Your Labor Day Weekend Cookout

Labor Day Weekend

It’s time to plan for summer’s last hurrah. If you’ll be entertaining friends and family over Labor Day weekend, we have some ideas for making sure your guests are well-fed and entertained.

The Menu

Have you been able to practice our fool-proof tips for perfect steak on the grill? Or maybe you have favorites you’ve cooked already this summer, like those we suggested for the Fourth of July. Visit our store for the best ground beef for your homemade burgers, a variety of quality sausage, and flavorful marinated chicken or beef tips.

Take advantage of late summer veggies such as corn and tomatoes for a fresh salad. Or a twist on traditional antipasto. Both will add color to your outdoor buffet table. Don’t forget to see what produce we offer to inspire other side dish or main course ideas.

The Vibe

Freshen up the backyard landscape with pretty potted flowers or plants.

When the sun goes down, give your summer send-off a bit of creative lighting or put up a few tiki torches. Tiki torches can perform double-duty as mosquito repellent. Other ideas to keep the bugs at bay are citronella candles or essential oils

The Fun

Lawn games are almost always a hit with a crowd. Form teams for corn hole, bocce, or wiffleball. For more laughs, host your own field day events for kids and adults, complete with a three-legged race, an obstacle course, and relays.

If you really want to surprise your guests by thinking outside the game box, try a do-it-yourself version of Twister. Use yard paint to spray red, yellow, green, and blue circles on the grass. Add as many rows as you want so that even more players can join in on the game of physical balance and skill.

For nighttime entertainment, rent or borrow a projector for your own backyard movie. Lawn chairs, blankets, and snacks are all you need for a relaxing “drive-in” experience.

Cheers to the beginning of fall! Watch for more tips and guides inspired by the new season. Want them delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Butcher Boy’s email newsletter.