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A good steak is meant to be cooked on the grill! We get up early twice a week to go to local abattoirs to pick our beef for the following week.

When looking for the perfect cuts, there are 4 criteria that we’re looking for:

1. 1. What we’re looking for is the confirmation of the animal – fairly meaty and well-rounded.
   2. Next, it would be the fat cover. We’re looking for the guy who was first to the feed-trough!
   3. Thirdly, the amount of fat streakiness or “marbling” that runs through the meat.
   4. And lastly, we don’t look for “limp” muscle – it needs to stand proud and not sink back into the package. You can tell this by looking at the fat on the side of the steak. It shouldn’t be standing higher than the flesh portion of the steak.

When we pick meat we’re often there before it’s been graded. We don’t go by the grading designation but rather the characteristics outlined above, ensuring all our steaks are of the highest quality. When you see a steak in a store or on the menu advertised as “Triple A”, you know that it came in the door in a box and no one has picked it out – sometimes it works but very often it doesn’t.

At the Village Grocer, we guarantee you the best steak you can buy because we have handpicked it – just for you! Choose from our fabulous selection of Ribeye, New York Strip, and Sirloin Steaks for your next barbecue. You won’t be disappointed.

Easy Steps To a Perfectly Grilled Steak

1. Make sure the steak is room temperature before grilling.
2. Heat your grill to high.
3. Brush the steak with oil on both sides and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
4. Remove the steaks from the grill and let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to settle back into the meat.

Chicken

The best way to pick chicken is to make sure that it’s air chilled and free-range, if possible. It is usually quite yellow in colour. If you want more flavour, cook it with the skin on as a lot of the flavour will reside there. Then remove it if you wish. For the best flavour, I suggest barbecuing it on the hot side of the grill to sear it, then placing it on the cold side to slow cook it – much like a flat chicken. This way the flavour is sealed and the meat retains its juiciness.

Burgers

Who doesn’t love a good burger grilled on the barbecue? Why are our burgers the best? Simply, it’s the type of meat that we use to make them – not just anything will do. To make life easy for our customers, we sell ready-made burgers and offer two choices of beef burgers.

Sausages

And while you were barbecuing up a burger, you might as well throw on a sausage or two. We make all our own sausages in-house and offer over a dozen varieties. Great summertime favourites are Bratwurst, Honey, Garlic, Mild or Hot Italian, Oktoberfest and Prime Rib, just to name a few.

Fish

When you are choosing fish, keep in mind the fourth criteria that we use in selecting beef. You don’t want anything limp! You want bright, shiny and firm flesh – and certainly no aroma. Cooking fish requires a delicate hand on the grill. You want it “just cooked” – never well done. We sell a selection of fresh fish and shrimp as well as Atlantic salmon fresh from Jail Island, marinated in Orange Ginger or Teriyaki.

Kebobs

An easy way to create a meal on a stick. I find it a good way to cook meat, chicken, or fish. The key is to make sure that the cuts of meat are uniform in size so they will cook evenly. We make our own Fish Kebobs as well as delicious Marinated Teriyaki Steak Kebobs.

How Hot?

The proper barbecuing of different meats and vegetables/fruits requires grilling at different temperatures, and every recipe should indicate the heat level and the required minutes necessary to grill to perfection. Here’s an easy way to gauge the heat if your barbecue does not have a thermometer. Hold the palm of your hand about 5 inches from the grate and start counting to see how long you can keep it there:

• • 1 to 2 seconds – high (used when you want to sear meat and cook quickly)
  • 3 to 4 seconds – medium hot
  • 5 to 6 seconds – medium
  • 6 to 7 seconds – medium-low
  • 8 to 9 seconds – low

Make sure to check out our Savings Page regularly where we share weekly promotions on select items in-store. We hope to see you soon!

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