Summer Barbecuing Tips From Your Local Butcher

Summer is the season for barbecuing. But with so many different meats to choose from, deciding on what to grill can be overwhelming, so your local butcher Brian Provost of the Corner Butcher Block is here to answer your meat quandaries.

Provost, who moved into the former Villa Meats in January, has a made it easy for carnivores by laying out meats at his shop that are favorable for barbecuing, which include rib eye, T-bone and London broil steaks and a variety of sausages.

But for those looking to deviate from the normal routine of burgers and hot dogs, Provost can help, too.

The Corner Butch Block, located at 5 Park Ave., offers its own high quality prime steak patties. “What you are pretty much eating is a steak in patty form,” said Provost. The fattier prime steak patties are juicer and have more of a “beef flavor,” he said, and you will taste the difference on the very first bit. 

Looking for more of an adventurous patty? Then try Provost’s blue cheese and blackening seasoning patties or a cheddar cheese and bacon burger mix. 

Hot or sweet Italian sausages are a perennial alternative to hot dogs, said Provost. The shop also features a special chicken sausage mixed with fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil. 

Although cooking a sausage takes longer than a hot dog, Provost suggested butterflying the sausage to cook it faster. 

When it comes to steaks, Provost said follow your taste buds. If you are cooking for two, Provost said grill a porterhouse steak. A porterhouse, which is one of the largest cuts of meat you can get, is both a strip steak and a fillet (or tenderloin).   

Steak lovers can never go wrong with a rib eye steak, said Provost, because this marbled steak is probably the most flavorful.

When it comes cooking, Provost said use charcoal rather than a gas grill.

“If you are really setting out to grill a nice steak or really grill anything,” said Provost, “you want to take the time and do the charcoal.” 

The trick is, said Provost, is to get your grill as hot as possible and get a nice sear or crust on the steak. Then move the steak off the direct heat and let it cook to a medium rare or an internal temperature of about 120 degrees.

What do you like to grill in the summer and how do you cook it? Share your tips and cooking suggestions in the comment section below.