Cowboy Up Your Steak

You can tell who takes their grilling seriously by whether or not they barbeque year-round. For some people, a little snow and ice aren't enough to keep them from cooking meat over an open flame. Even if you're one of those people who prefer not grilling in subzero temperatures, you will want to have some cowboy butter on your next steak. Adding butter to steak adds richness and can soften a steak's charred exterior, making the meat more tender. Cowboy butter is great for grilled meats, perfect for chicken and fish, and can be stirred into rice or cooked pasta, or spread on crusty French bread or cornbread. So rustle up yourself some, little dogie.

Ingredients

85 g butter, melted (grass-fed butter if possible)
21 g parsley, fresh chopped
21 g chopped chives, fresh chopped
15 g Dijon mustard
12 g minced thyme
1.5 g crushed red pepper flakes
1.5 g teaspoon paprika
4 cloves garlic, minced
juice and zest of half a lemon
salt
black pepper, freshly ground if possible
cayenne pepper

1. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Whisk the sauce to combine everything.
2. Stir in the parsley, chives, crushed red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and thyme, and season everything with salt and pepper. For a thicker butter sauce, add more mustard.

This recipe can also be made into a solid piece of cowboy butter by using a stick of softened butter instead of melting it:

1. Place the softened butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Whip the butter until it's fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix everything until it's completely combined, scraping the sides as needed.
2. Lay out a long piece of plastic wrap and scoop the butter mixture in a long strip down the middle of it. Carefully pull one side of the plastic wrap over the butter, squeezing it gently to form it into a log. Continue to roll the log of butter into a roll. When it's all rolled up, twist the ends (like a piece of candy) until they become very taut (this means the butter is pressing together inside the plastic to form a cohesive roll). 
3. Place the roll of butter into either the fridge or the freezer so it will harden.

Better Than Ribfest Ribs

If you want to enjoy some ribs during the summer, there's no reason to wait until the various rib fests start popping up. As it turns out, all those vendors you assumed were coming to town from the U.S. to let you sample their grilled meats are all owned by the same Canadian company.  The only thing that makes any of the food taste different from each other is the sauce they use on the meat and sell to customers. They all use the same cuts of meat and they all cook the meat in the same way - whatever regional style they claim to be using, they're not. None of those trophies displayed mean anything; any first-place awards should be taken with a large serving of salt. Even the southern accents you hear from the people working the grill are fake. If you want to avoid the artificially long lineups (once vendors have people waiting for food, they work slower to build the line to build a buzz) try the recipe below. When it comes to BBQ ribs, slow-and-low beats fast-and-fake every time.

Ingredients

2 racks baby back pork ribs
180 mL apple juice
60 mL apple cider vinegar
30 g light brown sugar
15 g cayenne pepper
10 g smoked paprika (optional)
7.5 g salt
5 g granulated garlic
5 g dried minced onion
5 g ground mustard
2.5 g black pepper
your favorite BBQ sauce

1.  Turn all the burners on your gas grill to low. Leave the grill covered and let the temperature rise to 150°C.
2. Remove the silverskin off the back of the ribs by sliding a table knife under the membrane anywhere along the rack. Lift and loosen it with the knife until you can grab it with a paper towel, then pull it off the ribs. This will allow the seasoning to get to the meat giving it more flavour.
3. Mix all the dry spices together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend over both sides of the ribs.
4. Pour the apple juice and the apple cider vinegar into a large foil pan. Place the ribs in the pan and cover them tightly with aluminum foil. Place the pan on the grill, cover and close the grill, and let the ribs cook for 60-90 minutes.
• This can also be done by placing the foil-wrapped ribs in an oven preheated to 121°C for 2 hours.
5. When the internal temperature of the meat reads between 73-76°C, carefully bring the foil pan inside. Remove the ribs and transfer them to a large baking sheet, then slather each side of the ribs with your favorite sauce.
6. Increase the heat on each burner of your gas grill to medium/high. Grill each rack for about 5-7 minutes per side, adding more sauce as needed. You will know when the ribs are done when the ribs start to slightly char.
7. Let the ribs rest for 5 minutes before slicing and eating.