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Even at home I find myself making pie! Instead of making meat pies though, I have been making fruit pies - more specifically Strawberry-Rhubarb Custard Pie. Mark and I have a garden at the Leslie Street Allotment, where we inherited a robust rhubarb plant. Truthfully, I have never been much of a fan of rhubarb, but when you have access to a free and bountiful crop it seems a shame to not do something with it. Over the years I have done a lot of experimenting and have come up with a few great recipes, one of which has ended up on the shelves of Sanagan's - the Rhubarb and Lavender Jelly. This pie has evolved from a recipe that I found in Chatelaine (Ed. Note: a Sanagan household favorite magazine). It is very easy to make and can be easily adapted to accommodate different fruits or berries. If life gives you rhubarb, you make rhubarb custard pie!

Spreading out a blanket, sitting in the sun, eating, drinking, maybe a touch of postprandial Frisbee: the picnic is summer at its best. And during the pandemic, it’s a responsible way to socialize with those beyond your bubble. If food tastes better outside, then imagine how good our all-Ontario products will be al fresco. All you have to do is stock your cooler with our charcuterie, cheeses, salads and accompanying condiments and you’re ready for a class repast on the grass. Just add bread and beverages. Charcuterie Packaged salami and cured meats from our deli selection are the ultimate in no-cook feast-ability. A little bit of bread and mustard doesn’t hurt either. Prosciutto, Soppresatta, Black Forest Ham and Summer Sausage are just a few examples of picnic perfect deli meats. Or go minimalist with a backpack compatible selection of jerkies, biltong and pepperettes. Pâtés and Terrines Created by our charcutier, Scott Draper, these classic preparations are portable servings of delectability made with the same locally sourced meat you see behind our counter. Luxurious selections such as Pâté Forestier, Pâté de Campagne, Pork & Dried Fruit Terrine and Duck Liver Mousse can be spread on bread or crackers and elevate your nature noshing with French culinary traditions. Salads When you head out to the green fields be sure to take some of our greens with you. Anne Hynes and the kitchen team have house-made salads that will keep your picnic delicious and balanced. Lentil and Pear Salad, Beet, Orange and Feta Salad and Kale Super Salad should definitely be on your summer dining shopping list. Or take your own greens and anoint them with our House Vinaigrette. Roasted Chicken Our fantastic King Capon Farms chickens are coated in our Sanagan’s Rub, roasted, vacuum-packed and chilled. Here’s where a genetic mutation that gives you some extra fingers would be good because you’ll want to lick as many as possible. Cheese We’re sure it’s not news to you that Ontario is home to some great independent cheese makers and Sanagan’s is proud to supply their products to you. Enhance your hamper with selections like: Monforte’s Providence; Stonetown’s Emmental or Thornloe’s Cheddar. Pickles and Condiments Our kitchen makes numerous mustards, jellies and pickles that can jazz up your al fresco feast. Maybe a little Beerhall Mustard on your Summer Sausage? Maybe a little Rhubarb and Lavender Jelly with your Monforte Emmot cheese? Maybe some Chili Infused Garlic Scapes with your Pâté de Campagne? Actually, there’s no maybe about it! Along with our house-made products, we carry an outstanding lineup of All-Ontario jarred goods that are picnic classics: Aunt Lovina’s relishes; mustards by Kozliks and Brü; Apple Flats Crab Apple Jelly (says right on it, “try it with cheese”). Simplest picnic in the world? A jar of Sanagan’s Pickled Eggs on the fire escape. So, stash the stove, grab the lawn chairs, come to Sanagan’s, pick a park, find a field or bivouac in a bower. Summer only lasts so long.

Sanagan’s Meat Locker’s “Newsletter Subscriber’s Appreciation” contest (the “Contest”)

RULES & REGULATIONS (the “Contest Rules”)

CONTEST PERIOD

The Contest runs from 10 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) December 2, 2019 to 7 p.m. ET December 15, 2019 (the “Contest Period’”).

CONTEST SPONSOR

The Contest is sponsored by Sanagan’s Meat Locker Ltd. (“Sanagan’s Meat Locker” or the “Contest Sponsor”)

HOW TO ENTER

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

To enter the Contest, give your name, email address, as well as your consent to receive newsletter and additional promotional material to a cashier or counter service employee at a Sanagan’s Meat Locker location (176 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON or 1513 Gerrard St East, Toronto, ON). Enter by filling out the ballot with your full name, signature, e-mail address, and check box. A completed entry form will constitute 1 entry into the Contest.

Although an email account is required in order to participate, no purchase is required in order to enter the Contest. Many public libraries, retail businesses and others offer free access to computers and a number of internet service providers and other companies offer free email accounts.

All eligible Contest entries will be entered for a chance to win the Grand Prize of a $500.00 gift card to Sanagan’s Meat Locker.

ELIGIBILITY

The Contest is open to permanent lawful residents of Canada who are subscribers to the Sanagan’s Meat Locker e-mail newsletter, excluding: i) residents of Quebec, and ii) employees, officers, directors, representatives, and agents (and their immediate family members or persons with whom they are domiciled, whether related or not) of Sanagan’s Meat Locker.

This Contest is subject to all federal, provincial, and municipal laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. Contest Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or suspend this Contest in the event of any accident, or administrative or other error of any kind. Contest Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or suspend this Contest in the event of any accident, or administrative or other error of any kind.

An entrant under the age of majority in his/her province of residence (a “Minor”) must have a parent or legal guardian consent to his/her participation. The parent/legal guardian must provide his/her consent and his/her email address on the entry form, or the entry form will be disqualified. Contest Sponsor may contact the parent/legal guardian to confirm proof of identification and parental consent. If a parent or legal guardian does not provide consent, or if satisfactory proof of identification to confirm the winner’s (or the Minor winner’s parent, or legal guardian’s) identity and personal information provided in connection with the Contest, including but not limited to, the winner’s (or the Minor winner’s parent, or legal guardian’s) name and email address, cannot be obtained, the entry will be disqualified.

All entries must be received no later than 7 p.m. ET on December 15, 2019. Contest Sponsor takes no responsibility for entries that are lost, misdirected, delayed, garbled, incorrect, illegible or received after the Contest deadline. Limit 1 entry per person. Only one e-mail address and account may be used by any person to enter the Contest. In the event that Contest Sponsor receives more than the permitted number of entries, Contest Sponsor reserves the right to void and destroy any entries from that entrant and/or household, and that entrant/household may, at the discretion of the Contest Sponsor, be disqualified from the Contest. Should it be discovered that an entrant is using the aid of computer programs to auto-fill entries, that entrant will be immediately disqualified from the Contest. Contest Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify all such contestant from future contests conducted by the Contest Sponsor without further notice.

Contest Sponsor reserves the right to ask for proof of identification, which must be provided upon request. If proof of age and identification cannot be obtained then the entry will be disqualified. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of a winner based on an e-mail address, the winning entry will be deemed to be made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address at the time of entry. The authorized account holder is the natural person who is assigned an e-mail address by an Internet service provider or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the e-mail address in question.

PRIZES

There is 1 prize available to be won (the “Prize”). The Prize consists of:

$500.00 Gift Card to Sanagan’s Meat Locker

The approximate retail value of the Prize is $500.00 CDN.

CONTEST DRAW

A random draw will be held at or around 11 a.m on December 16, 2019 at Sanagan’s Meat Locker’s office located at 176 Baldwin St. in Toronto. There will be 1 Grand Prize draw to fulfill this Contest. The chances of being selected to win a Prize in this Contest depend on the total number of eligible entries received.

ACCEPTANCE OF PRIZE

A representative of Sanagan’s Meat Locker will notify each selected entrant by e-mail within 2 days of the draw. Each selected entrant will then have 7 days following receipt thereof to contact Sanagan’s Meat Locker and provide requested documentation to claim his/her Prize. Notification shall be deemed to have occurred on the date the email is sent to the selected entrant’s email address by Sanagan’s Meat Locker. It is the responsibility of the selected entrant to check his or her email account in a timely manner.

Prior to being awarded a Prize, each entrant selected as a winner must correctly complete a mathematical skill testing question and must sign a declaration and release form (“Declaration and Release”) confirming compliance with these Contest Rules, his/her acceptance of the Prize as awarded; and acknowledging the non-responsibility of the Contest Sponsor,, its affiliates, associates, their respective promotional and advertising agencies, and each of their respective employees, officers, directors, agents, successors and assigns (the “Releasees”), with regard to any injury, accident, damage, claim, liability, loss or misfortune related to any aspects of the Contest, any Prize awarded, the acceptance, use, misuse, possession and delivery of a Prize, printing errors or claims based upon publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy, by December 24, 2019 at 4 p.m. ET. If a winner is a Minor, his/her parent or legal guardian must sign the Declaration and Release on winner’s behalf in order for the winner to claim his/her Prize.

In the event the selected entrant does not correctly answer the mathematical skill testing question, or sign and return the Declaration and Release, by December 24, 2019 at 4 p.m. ET, he/she will be deemed to have forfeited any rights to the prize and the Contest Sponsor will randomly draw an alternate eligible entry in the same manner from the eligible entries received, and that selected entrant must follow the same process outlined above. This process, as described herein, may be repeated until the Prize has been awarded to an eligible entrant. All decisions of the Contest Sponsor are final and binding.

The Contest Sponsor will not be held responsible for the loss of prizes due to changes in email addresses, mailing addresses or personal information provided by an entrant in connection with this Contest, errors in completed entry forms, or any other circumstances leading to an invalid, erroneous or incomplete mailing address or e-mail address.

Sanagan’s Meat Locker or its appointed designee shall deliver Prizes to winners.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

By submitting an Entry, each entrant (or Minor Entrant’s parent or legal guardian on his/her behalf) agrees to be bound by these Contest Rules. All entries become the property of Sanagan’s Meat Locker and will not be returned.

Prizes must be accepted “as is” and may not be exactly as shown. All Prizes are subject to availability. The Contest Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to substitute the Prize or any portion thereof with a prize of equivalent or greater retail value. Some restrictions may apply. Prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable and have no cash value, that is, there is no cash alternative available. All Prize taxes, if any, are the responsibility of the winner.

Except where prohibited by law, the Contest Sponsor does not make any representation or offer any warranty, express or implied, as to the quality or fitness of any Prize awarded in connection with this Contest. The Prize winner understands and acknowledges that he/she may not seek reimbursement or pursue any legal or equitable remedy from the Contest Sponsor should the Prize fail to be fit for its purpose or is in any way unsatisfactory to the Prize winner. The Releasees shall not be responsible in any way for the use of, or bear any liability whatsoever attributable to the Prize awarded in this Contest.

Each entrant agrees to waive all rights with respect to print and broadcast publicity. By entering the Contest and accepting the Prize, winner hereby consents to the reasonable use by the Contest Sponsor of the winner's photograph, voice, likeness and/or image, contents of the entry form, and the name and age of the winner without any further compensation, in all media nor known or hereafter devised, worldwide in perpetuity, in connection with this Contest and for any future promotional activity.

By entering the Contest, entrants agree that the Releasees shall bear no responsibility whatsoever with regard to any claims, liability, damage, injury, accident, loss and/or misfortune related to any aspects of the Contest, the Prize, the acceptance, use, misuse, possession and delivery of the Prize, participation in any Prize related activities, printing errors, claims based upon publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy. By consenting to a Minor entrant’s entry into the Contest, the parent/legal guardian of the Minor entrant agrees to the foregoing on the entrant’s behalf.

By entering the Contest and voluntarily providing personal information, each entrant (or the parent or legal guardian of a Minor entrant) consents and agrees to Contest Sponsor’s collection and use of the information provided by the entrant for the purpose of administering this Contest, and, if consent is given at the time of entry, to provide the entrant with marketing information relating to new and existing products and upcoming promotions of Sanagan’s Meat Locker by e-mail.

Your personal information will not be disclosed to any third party nor will you receive communications from the Contest Sponsor unless your explicit opt-in consent is received, in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Actand its associated regulations, Canada’s Anti-Spam Law and its associated regulations, and other applicable data protection and personal information protection laws. Each entrant (or the parent or legal guardian of a Minor entrant) agrees to be bound by these Contest Rules. No purchase, payment or financial information of any kind is needed to enter or win the Contest.

Entrants agree that the Releasees shall not be liable or responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry of registration or entry information which may affect an entrants’ ability to participate in the Contest, including but not limited due to any failure of Twitter or Facebook services, the Contest Sponsor’s websites or any failure of the entrant’s email account, or the entrant's cell-phone carrier during the Contest or any human error, technical malfunctions, lost/delayed/corrupted data transmission, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, line failures of any network or telephone line, computer on-line systems, servers, access providers, computer equipment, software, cell-phone networks or any failure thereof or Internet traffic congestion or virus or any combination thereof, or any injury or damage to an entrant's or third party's computer or cell phone occasioned by participating in the Contest.

Sanagan’s Meat Locker reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend a contest for any reason, including without limitation in the event of any printing, administrative error, virus, bug, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond its control which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the contest. Any attempt to deliberately damage any website or to undermine the legitimate operation of this Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, Contest Sponsor reserves the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent permitted by law, including criminal prosecution. Entries are subject to verification and will be declared invalid if they are forged, falsified, altered or tampered with in any way.

October is both the month of Thanksgiving but it’s also the anniversary of my start at Sanagan’s. And for that I’m thankful.

When I started at Sanagan’s seven years ago, I was looking for predictable, painless work that would allow me to write a book. After years of gratifying yet financially precarious freelance writing I wanted to write a novel. And I did, writing early in the mornings before heading out to sell meat. In that seven years, some other things happened: my brother had a massive stroke; my dad went into rapid old-age decline, requiring ongoing, sometimes emergency care from me; I had a hip replacement; and I’ve had cancer twice, both times involving major surgery.

So, yeah, an eventful seven years. And throughout it all, Peter, Brian, store manager Claire and all my co-workers have been unfailingly accommodating and supportive in helping me deal with these various crapwiches. To know my employer had my back throughout it all has made some difficult situations so much easier to deal with.

And over the seven years, it’s been an immense pleasure to get to know so many of our customers, many of whom note my absences and welcome my return. You can’t have too many friends.

At Sanagan’s I’m able to sell products of quality in good conscience, knowing that my efforts will contribute to the family farms of Ontario and sustainable agricultural practices. I’m treated with respect and Peter’s a genuinely good guy who cares about his business and the people who work for him.

And I get an employee discount on all that excellent meat.

So, again, thanks.

September already. It’s back to school. The days grow shorter. You can’t just walk around all the time in shorts and a T-shirt. Yeah, summer’s over. But there is some consolation — the sun’s setting earlier so there’s less glare on the TV screen! Whether it’s network, Netflix, box-set binging or sports, September is the beginning of TV season. Just wait until October when there’s hockey, basketball, football (round and oval), and the World Series all happening at once. Obviously, nobody’s got time to cook anything. But that’s okay because Sanagan’s provides any number of low-effort, high-flavour, flat-screen compatible snacks and meals. All you have to do is find the remote control. Please keep in mind, some of these items are only available at our Kensington Market location. To be sure if we have it, call us at 416-593-9747! JERKY: Chips are for kids. Up your snack game with our great selection of meat sticks, jerky and biltong. Serve these to your TV party guests and there will be no quibbles with your nibbles. COLD CUTS: Normally we call this stuff charcuterie but for the purposes of TVing, let’s go with cold cuts. We slice ‘em, you like ‘em; salamis, mortadella, capocollo and especially suitable, our dried sausages like kabanos or cacciatore. And while you’re at it, cube up some of our all-Ontario cheese, throw it on some crackers and you’ve got a lot of the food groups covered right there. CHILI: If you manage to hit us on one of the days we’ve got chili in the Grab and Go fridge, your weekend football party just got a lot better. PIES: Don’t let the wholesome, house-made, nutritious quality of Sanagan’s savoury pies throw you off. They’re perfect for the screening room. Just heat and serve. SALADS: We put the vegetable back in vegging out. Lentil and pear, kale and quinoa, beet and other seasonal favourites. Heck, even vegans watch TV. ROTISSERIE CHICKENS: Straight out of the heated display and onto your fold out TV tray. It’s the same high quality chicken we sell in the store, roasted with Sanagan’s bbq rub. Finger licking… FREEZER ITEMS: Mac and cheese, Shepherd’s pie, pasta sauce. We’ve done the cooking so you can keep on looking.

August is time for Caribbean Carnival, or Caribana as many people still call it. But you know what? Every month here at Sanagan’s is Caribana month thanks to our Caribbean-Canadian customers who include us on their shopping list when preparing the traditional dishes enjoyed throughout the year but especially during Caribana. Here are a few popular dishes for which we’re often asked to provide the meaty foundations. If these favourites aren’t already in your repertoire, maybe this list will serve as inspiration the next you’re looking to bring some tropical flavours to the table. And, as a business in Kensington Market discussing Caribbean Carnival, it would be an oversight not to acknowledge the historic Caribbean presence in the neighbourhood that continues to thrive with businesses such as Caribbean Corner, Tribal, The Jerk Spot, Rasta Pasta, Genesis One and We Are Radar. If you doubt the Islands’ influence on the Market, come help me close the Kensington shop some night. As we lock the front door you will hear the sounds of U-Roy, Big Youth and Dennis Brown echoing out across the intersection of Baldwin and Kensington and beyond. OXTAIL STEW Oxtail is the traditional name for this cut that would be more accurately called cow tail. An ox is just a cow or a bull that’s used for farm work instead of eating or milking. To the best of my knowledge, none of our beef is ever hitched up to anything except extreme tastiness. Our oxtail, like all the rest of our beef, is from small Ontario, family-owned farms and can be cut to order or we’ll just grab whatever you need right out of the window. Stew that up in water or stock with garlic, carrots, green onions, beans and any number of personal variations and you’ll be hauling a lot of Island goodness. Check out Peter's recipe for it here. GOAT CURRY We get a limited supply of our Ontario-raised goat every other week from Beverly Creek farms, so please call ahead. It’s available as leg, shoulder and rib cuts, all suitable for stewing. Scotch bonnet, curry leaves, onion, carrot and curry powder (prepared or homemade) will get your goat (curry). STEW PEAS Stew beef, salt beef or salted pig tails (not available at Sanagan’s), red peas (kidney beans), coconut milk, and Scotch bonnet peppers are the starting points to this classic. If you can’t find salt beef or salted pig tails, a smoked ham hock is a great cheat-substitute. But don’t forget the spinners (dumplings). COW FOOT SOUP You won’t see cow feet in our display case. Just ask a meat hawker and we’ll retreat to Antarctica, otherwise known as the basement freezer, to rustle up some hooves for you. After that you’ll be adding some combination of pumpkin, carrots or okra, lime juice and pimento berries (allspice) to the big pot. As of press time, I can’t confirm if cow foot soup contains any of its purported aphrodisiacal qualities but it will embody all the protein goodness you can obtain from long-simmered beef bones. JERK CHICKEN You’re secret’s safe with us. “Oh, I’ve been working on this for days. I put in the Scotch bonnet, green onions, allspice, clove, cinnamon and a few other, ah, secret ingredients. Oh, and you have to use the best chicken. You know I love to make it for you”. We sell marinated drums, thighs and discretion; you can rely on Sanagan’s for your jerk chicken reputation.

Remember when wine was hard and beer was easy? Not anymore. With all those craft brews and imports on the shelf, your head’s spinning even before you’ve had a drink. But have no beer-fear, your roadmap to Six Pack City is here — behold Sanagan’s Summertime Beer Simplifier Guide. Let’s go to the hops! The S.S.B.S.G. is, by its very nature, a reductionist document, so beer geeks please forgive its necessary generalizations and omissions. Brands are cited, in part, based on their availability and existing recognition factor. THE LAGER FAMILY LAGERS, PILSNERS, HELLES: Originating in Bavaria and now the most popular style in the world. These are going to be pale yellow or golden in colour, emphasizing thirst-quenching balance between hops and malts. Examples: Creemore Lager, Pilsner Urquell, Collingwood Rockwell Pilsner, Amsterdamn 3 Speed Lager. There are also stronger and darker lagers like Bocks and Dunkels. THE ALE FAMILY From the sprightly to the syrupy, this wide-ranging category is united only b itsy top-fermenting yeasts. So here’s a very brief breakdown of ale, what’s good for you. IPA’S: Big flavours. Piney, grapefruity, often higher alcohol. Muskoka Mad Tom, Beau’s Full Time PALE ALE: Less hoppy than IPA but still assertive. Sierra Nevada, Junction Conductor ENGLISH STYLE: A mellow affair. A little darker, touch of fruitiness and sometimes lower alcohol. Henderson’s Best, Fuller’s London Pride STOUTS AND PORTERS: Very dark, almost black. Coffee and chocolate flavours but not sweet. Guinness, Railway City Black Coal BELGIAN STYLE: Too diverse to summarize but try the Trappist Ales for yeasty, boozy, fruity, mouth-fillers. Westmalle Dubbel WEISS/WHEAT A hazy beer that derives its fruity-clovey character from its charismatic yeast. Very adaptable with food pairings. Hoegaarden, Side Launch SAISON Originally from Belgium but now popular as an anything-goes New World craft style. Often dry, fruity, expressive. Niagara Oast House. Or Belgium’s Dupont (if you can ever find it). SOURS Another Belgian original enthusiastically embraced by the craft movement. Think sourdough bread but only in a beer, and usually more sour. Sometimes complex, sometimes an acquired taste. Muskoka Ebb and Flow, Bench Brewing Simcoe Grove RADLERS Lagers mixed with citrus flavours. Currently very popular and undoubtedly useful on hot summer afternoons. Ace Hill, Schofferhofer Grapefruit PAIRINGS Beer’s cold, it’s made mostly of water and is full of bubbles; it’s going to go well with everything. But if you want to narrow things down — think lighter beers like lagers, wheat’s and some session ales with lighter foods and heavier more alcoholic ales like pale ales and IPAs with heavier dishes. Here’s some free association beer pairings to inspire your desire. Dry Age Burgers + Lager = Cannonballs off the dock Sanagan’s All-Beef Hot Dogs + Radlers = Happy birthday to you House-made Cold Pork Pie + Stout = Premier League Sanagan’s Grilled Jerk Chicken + Pale Ale = Late nights on the back deck Sanagans Salads + Saison = Tiff Lightbox Pregame Bag Of Chips + Pabst Blue Ribbon = Nothing wrong with that Dried Chorizo + Sour Beer = Modern jazz House-made Sausage + British Ale = “Maybe a little mustard with that?” Charcuterie Board + Wheat Beer = Fancy dress picnics Sanagan’s Cuban Marinade Bavette + IPA = “Burp” Sanagan’s Teriyake Short Ribs + Belgian Ale = Sticky fingers Big Juicy Steak + Any Of The Above = Sanagan-tastic! GOOD NEIGH-BEERS Maybe it’s not just a coincidence that both of our Sanagan’s locations are within stumbling distance of great local craft brewers. Our Baldwin shop is well served by Kensington Brewery Company’s flagship Fisheye P.A. and our Gerrard location is within a pork chop throw of the cerebral Godspeed You Brewery. If you want to drink like you work at Sanagan’s visit their bottle shops.

Make summer funner and not a bummer with our Sanagan’s Grilling Guide. I hope it will inspire you to consider all the backyard/back deck/back alley cooking options that are available to you and how our great, locally raised products can be transformed by a baptism of smoke and fire. GAS VS CHARCOAL GAS: Faster, easier to control, cleaner, and safer for settings like rooftop decks. CHARCOAL: Easier to refuel — you don’t need a car to buy a bag of charcoal, more affordable purchase options, and more flavourful, according to loyalist. Pro Tip: Not all charcoal is created equal. Use either pure hardwood lump charcoal (higher heat, quicker burning) or pure hardwood briquettes (lower heat, longer burning). Cheap charcoal may contain dubious non-hardwood fillers. COOKING TECHNIQUES DIRECT Steaks, chops, burgers, boneless chicken breasts, sausages, Miami short-ribs and skewers. Direct is the essence of grilling. The food is sizzled right over the flame, be it a pile of charcoal or a gas jet. Sear it, flame it, watch it smoke, listen to it hiss; get in-touch with your inner caveperson. Pro Tip: Reserve a not-hot-spot on the grill so if you get a fiery flare-up, food can be moved off the flame, avoiding incineration. INDIRECT Whole birds, larger roasts, briskets, pork shoulders, lamb legs, porchetta. You’ll need at least a standard sized gas or charcoal grill with a lid. With this method the heat source is not directly under the meat but burning off to the side, either by gas burner selection or positioning charcoal on the grill’s periphery. This technique allows for roasting and slow-cook barbecuing, in the Southern style. Pro Tip: As impossible as it may seem — at least in my case — try not to peek. Leave the lid closed except to check for doneness, adding more charcoal, or for basting/saucing. DIRECT/INDIRECT Bone-in chicken pieces, small roasts, thick steaks and chops. It’s the best of both worlds. Say your steak is extra-thick. Start it over direct heat to get that beautiful sear then move it off the direct heat source so it continues to cook evenly and thoroughly. Pro Tip: Remember to let your meat rest on a warm platter once it comes off the grill. This allows the juices to circulate through the meat and for you to partake of a sympathetic chilled beverage. MARINADES, SAUCES, AND RUBS You’ve got your meat — now let’s dress it up. Merinades are usually thinner preparations that are applied to the grillables ahead of time. In addition to adding flavour they often act as a tenderizer. Sauces are usually thicker and can be brushed on during the cooking process and also used as a condiment. Rubs are dry combinations of herbs, spices, salts and sugars. They are applied to the meat before cooking, often well ahead of time. There are thousands of D.I.Y. options for all of the above, from the simplest combos of ketchup and vinegar to complex long-cooked preparations. Or let the professionals do it for you. Sanagan’s stocks a full line of locally produced rubs, merinades and sauces, including our own POULTRY RUB, BBQ SAUCES AND SANGAN’S POPULAR MARINADES — JERK, TERIYAKE AND SOUVLAKI — NOW AVAILABLE IN 250ml JARS! Pro tip: If you want to apply any merinades or sauces after the meat is cooked, be sure to set aside a quantity that has not come in contact with the raw meat. SMOKE Smoke is an important part of so many great cuisines and, obviously, outdoor cooking is where you can smoke it up. Few things bring me more pleasure than the sight of my kettle barbecue wafting wisps of aromatic hardwood smoke as I stand by, beer/wine and-or cocktail in one hand and instant read thermometer in the other. Hardwood chunks or chips are the most suitable options for home smoking. With charcoal, you put the wood right on the coals. With gas you need a smoker box which can be an aluminum foil pan placed under the grill. Once you start smoking, prepare for a lot of research and trial and error. Remember, smoking is addictive. Pro Tip: After about four hours of smoking, feel free to move that big cut off the charcoal and into the oven, or just continue on the gas grill without any more smoke. It’s a relief from tending the fire and you can get on with the potato salad. And no one can tell the difference. TOOLS This can be an endless list but here’s the bare minimum for sensible, comfortable, reliable Q fun. Long-Handled Grill Tools: Really just a pair of sturdy tongs and some sort of sturdy flipper/spatula thing should cover most of the action. If you’re going to barbecue something huge, a fork would also come in handy. Instant Read Thermometer: Given the variables of grilling, almost all recipe cooking times can be imprecise. Save your meat and possibly your health with an accurate, fast-reading thermometer. Charcoal Chimney: Looks like a great big empty can with a handle and allows you to light your charcoal without stinky lighter fuel. Pro Tip: Soap and water is an excellent tool. A clean barbecue is a safer, more efficient, longer-lasting barbecue. Egalitarian Footnote: For you apartment dwellers with no home grill access, they’re a number of affordable portable grills that are entirely park-compatible.