Basting

Well, the winter is over here in the Arctic and the weather is warming up, which means a lot of my neighbors are joining me on the back deck to fire up the grill.

One of the things that is easy to do on the grill is dry out the meat, so I am always looking for good basting sauce recipes to help retain the moisture of the meat, without changing a lot of the robust flavor I love. The other afternoon I was rumaging through the pantry looking for ingredients to make up a sauce when my lovely bride suggested, "Why not just use olive oil." I had never used just plain olive oil as a basting sauce, but it sounded like an okay idea so I tried it.

It was fantastic! You have to be careful of a little extra flamage, but the oil helps hold the moisture in the meat and allows you to achieve that perfect level of doneness without drying out the juices.

So, if you are looking for a great basting sauce this summer for those steaks or chops, just try some extra virgin olive oil, and enjoy!