Washing Meat with Vinegar & Water: Improve Meat Taste and Texture

My mom showed me how to wash chicken in vinegar and water before putting it in the oven or barbecue. Rather than just washing meat under cold running water (like the rest of the world), she plunges the bird into a bath of water and vinegar and rubs it all over, inside and out, to get rid of all dirt and loose particles. She then throws away the dirty water and repeats the same thing all over again, washing the chicken twice in this vinegar bath. 

Why Washing with Vinegar?

Mom applies this method of washing with vinegar to all her chicken and pork, and says that the vinegar will clean, disinfects and tenderize the meat, and that the degreasing effect of the vinegar on the meat will allow the taste of dry rub or marinade to penetrate better and deeper into the meat. So washing with vinegar would not only be beneficial for reasons of health and hygiene, it will also improve taste and texture of the meat.

And I think she's right! 

Well... of course she's right, she's MOM!

Kabob Trick – Double It Up:

Ever try flipping a shrimp on a skewer? Often times it will become a game of spin the prawn. Small, short, and round ingredients often are tough to control on a tiny stick. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a perfectly toasted marshmallow!

Here's a better way:

• First, soak twice the usual amount of bamboo or wood skewers in water (this soak will get them nice and waterlogged and keep them from burning on the grill).
• Next, simply double thread the ingredients with a PAIR of skewers.
• The extra stick makes for easy flipping and doubles the odds your perfectly grilled morsels avoiding a drop through the grates!