ASK THE EXPERT: BBQ Evangelist Rockin' Ronnie Shewchuk

Award-winning, international BBQ champion and bestselling author Ron (Rockin’ Ronnie) Shewchuk certainly has established himself as the king of the grill. Lucky for us, Ronnie will be sharing his best recipes and secrets for mastering your barbecue skills on the Home Cooking Stage at this month’s BC Home + Garden Show.

Ever impatient to learn the inside scoop, we sat down with Ron to score a few expert tricks of the trade. Here’s a sneak peek at his upcoming presentation – and a delicious recipe!

Share your best tip for aspiring home chefs:

Most foods cook better over medium heat. Pre-heat your grill on high, quickly sear your meat to seal in the juices and make nice char marks, and then immediately turn it down to medium to complete the cooking.

Best app for food/cooking-related projects?

The iGrill lets you monitor the temperature of your meat from your iPhone.

Name your favourite place to shop for housewares in Vancouver:

In the Lower Mainland, I like Gourmet Warehouse, and in the Fraser Valley, Well-Seasoned: A Gourmet Food Store.

Finish this sentence: I can’t live without my…

Grilling tongs!

What’s your signature dish?

I've been using this simple, delicious marinade for over 30 years. Once you try it, it will become a staple in your kitchen. I use this mainly for steak, but it’s also great with pork chops or chicken, as well as rich, meaty fish such as salmon, halibut, tuna, and swordfish.

Rockin’ Ronnie’s Easiest, Tastiest Steak (or anything else) Marinade

Makes about 11/2 cups; enough for 4 to 6 steaks

1 cup dark soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp lemon juice or 1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 tbsp tapioca starch (cornstarch will also do)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
freshly ground black pepper

Mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, black pepper, lemon juice or mirin, and tapioca starch in a nonreactive baking dish. Add the meat or fish, turn it to coat it, and marinate it for 10 minutes to 1⁄2 hour, turning it once or twice. Don’t marinate it overnight, as this is fairly salty.

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Catch Ron on the BC Home + Garden Show's Home Cooking Stage Friday, February 22 at 1:30PM. He’ll also be on-hand all show long, selling his wares and fabulous BBQ sauce for all to take home and try!