Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Can I Get Swine Flu From Eating BBQ Pork?

Does the current media circus over Swine Flu mean that you need to give up "pigs lips" (sausages), pulled pork, ham and eggs or bacon cheeseburgers?

According to to the folk at the US Centre for Disease Control, human infection happens intermittently, with most cases occurring when patients have direct contact with pigs.

Human-to-human infections occasionally occur with virus transmitted through coughing, sneezing and coming in contact with a person or object with the virus.

However, people cannot become infected by eating pork or pork products. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (72 degree centigrade) kills the virus as well as other bacteria, notes the CDC.

The BBQ Jew blog raises the interesting co-incidence that "swine flu was first identified in hogs in 1930, around the beginning of the Great Depression.

Now we are in the midst of another economic crisis and the swine flu is back in the news."

The current run rate for swine flu is more than 1600 cases in Mexico where the suspected death toll has climbed to 149.

There have been 40 cases in the US, where Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, said that there have been no deaths and only one hospitalization.

Besser said "The best way to keep the disease from spreading, he said, is by taking everyday precautions such as frequent handwashing, covering up coughs and sneezes and staying away from work or school if not feeling well."

Saturday, April 18, 2009

State of Origin BBQ Branding Irons

There's nothing like a BBQ to celebrate the NRL's annual clash of Canetoads v Cockroaches that is Rugby League's State of Origin series.

Having friends around for a BBQ to watch the games can be almost as good as being there live!

Check out the advantages: first, you can get the full strength beer of your choice; second, you can get a great feed from a "backyard maestro" for less than the cost of a new car and now, with Charcool's special State Series BBQ branding Irons, you can imprint your state's initials onto everything from steak to humble pie!

Charcool has been importing BBQ Branding Irons from Texas for over 3 years and while they sell primarily as birthday or Fathers Day gifts, State of Origin is a great opportunity to get creative.

If your interstate mates think their team can win, now you can make them eat your words!

For the special State of Origin price of just $34.95 plus post and handling you get a 38cm stainless steel branding iron with lacquered handle and your choice of NSW or QLD letters to really show your support.

Made from high quality, food grade stainless steel and featuring large, sand-cast letters, these branding irons leave the dodgy, aluminium ones in their wake.

Fast heating, simple to use and easy to clean! That's a Texas Irons BBQ branding iron.

Size Makes a Difference:

Texas Irons letters are more than twice the size of other branding irons so the imprint really shows up on finished foods. As an result, unlike other retailers we could mention, we don't photoshop our images to enhance the result.

We cooked, branded, photographed and then ate (yum) all these steaks and you can too!

Perfect for branding steak; chicken breasts; rissoles; bread rolls...everything straight from the grill.

Hurry Buy NOW. Origin Game 1 kicks off in Melbourne on June 3

Saturday, April 11, 2009

O-Grill BBQ - O for Outrageous

If you don't already have one of those single burner, gas canister driven cookers that morphed from Chinese restaurants to your camping gear about a decade ago you really should get one. They retail for less than $20 and 4 gas canisters cost around $10

Since I love my camping stove, I got really excited when Google alerts tipped me off to the release of the O Grill. A very similar item for BBQ grilling.

The O-Grill comes in 6 funky colours and is a truly portable gas grill that weights only 12 kgs. O-Grill Boasts a full 225 sq inch coated cast iron cooking grid, 9600 BTU Stainless Steel Burner and compact clam-shell design. O-grill sets up in 10 seconds, is easily cleaned and stowed and measures 20.5"x8.5"x23" (525x215x580 mm).

Ok! So how much? In the UK the O-Grill will set you back GBP149 (AUD 310), in the US you can pick one up for $US168 ($AUD240) but in Australia you'll pay the princely sum of $AUD419 for the pleasure of having an O-Grill.

Outrageous! No wonder they are scare as hens teeth on the net. My suggestion the Biji BBQ featured here last week and the single burner $20 cooker. Just as good, half the price!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Light Up Your BBQ!

How's this for a handy BBQ/camping accessory? Combination Salt and Pepper shakers with LED lights that double as lanterns.

What a formidable combination! Space saving, useful and sensible.

In our convergent times, many dual purpose items just don't pass the logic test. They remind me of the old joke about what you get if you cross a kangaroo with a sheep: a woolly jumper!

But these S&P shakers make a lot of sense. You are going to take both items camping or use them when you BBQ and eat outdoors at home so why not combine the two and save some space and money?

The lanterns are battery powered and have a handy hook for hanging. The spice shaker bottoms are refillable. They come in a set of 2 (one for salt, one for pepper) for $24.99.

via: Craziest Gadgets

How to excel at BBQ!

Forget painting by numbers, why not BBQ by cell address with this nifty piece of modernist industrial design from Art Lebedev Studios?

The Gridus grill has the capacity to take portion control to a whole new dimension.

The BBQ grill top has numbered rows and lettered columns neatly arranged in a tribute to the world's most popular spread sheeting software - Microsoft Excel.

Great for accurately calculating the largest piece of meat on the grill, the Gridus is sure to be a big week-end hit for Business Analysts and Investment Wankers.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Biji BBQ - Rough enough for the Bush!

I love Aussie ingenuity and when I saw this great Biji-Barbi, portable BBQ at the recent Brisbane 4WD show, I just had to have it for BBQ Bling!

The Biji is a dished BBQ plate, modelled on the Australian plough disc/shear, with three fold up legs and a practical, long, fold-up handle.

It's small, foldable and ideal for use with a single gas burner or for open fire cooking.

It is easily cleaned and stored and features a neat range of accessories including (possibly the only affectation about this no-nonsense portable barbeque) a canvas carry bag.

According to its designer and manufacturer, Tony Upton, who came up with the idea for the Biji (from "Murrumbidgee") to take on a fishing trip, up to 8000 units have been produced (in Australia) and sold to date.

The Biji comes in Large (430mm/17" diameter) and Medium (350mm/14" diameter); with or without a centre hole to drain the fat and with a range of optional flippers, bags and tools.

Prices are reasonable at $79 for the Large and $67.50 for Medium with a $10 post and packaging fee anywhere in Australia.

While it wont feed the multitudes, it's a great gift for the fisherman or week-end camper and will easily knock up a feed for a small group. Get one here!