How to Make the Best BBQ This 4th of July

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Fourth of July is just around the corner, which means we’re already in peak grilling season! Today I have the pleasure of being joined by Courtland Miller, owner/chef at the Main Kitchen Cafe, to help us review what not to do when grilling and barbecuing.

1. Don’t put the sauce on the meat first. If you’re going to marinate your meat, do it the night before. When you take your meat out of the refrigerator, let it sit out so it’s not too cold and it cooks evenly all the way through. Be sure to wipe away any excess marinade. If it’s too wet when it hits the grill, the extra sugar and oil in that marinade will catch fire and char your food with an unsavory taste.
2. Don’t cook on a high heat setting. Make sure that your grill is on high when you turn it on and when you season it. Before you lay your meats on, however, lower the heat so that the temperature sits between 300 and 350 degrees. A high temperature can burn the meat and cause it to cook unevenly on each side before flipping it over. And don’t assume barbecuing heat time and grilling heat time are the same. Whereas grilling utilizes higher heats to sear each side of the meat and lock in the juices, barbecuing goes low and slow for a more tenderizing process.




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Never cook meat on a high heat setting.

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3. Don’t prod or poke the meat. Seems obvious, but we’ve all done this one before. Prodding or poking the meat while it’s cooking can release the juices and render the finished product drier than it should be. Don’t poke holes in it like it’s a baked potato.
4. Let it rest! Too often people see the meat come off the grill and start slicing. All that does is let the juices and flavors out. Instead, let it rest for 10-15 minutes. A good idea would be to cover it with aluminum foil to allow the juices to evenly distribute throughout the meat.

Have a safe, happy, and satiating Fourth of July! If you’re looking for some great venues to catch all the fireworks, check out Timeout.com and the LA Times. If you have any real estate questions, be sure to call us or shoot us an email.  

The City’s Plan to Fix Broken Sidewalks

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Uneven and broken pavement might be a very familiar sight in your neighborhood. For that very reason the city of Los Angeles intends to roll out a new program this July - the Fix & Release Sidewalk Repair Program.

The LA city council recently unanimously endorsed a plan that will spend $13 billion over the next three decades to fix broken sidewalks in LA. The city estimates that there are more than 4,500 miles of broken and unsafe sidewalks that cost the city millions in lawsuits every single year.

The city plans on repairing sidewalks next to residential, business, and industrial buildings, regardless of whether the damage was caused by a tree planted by the city or not. Once repaired, the city will offer a 20-year warranty to sidewalks for residential properties. Business and industrial properties will only have a five-year warranty because of the excess of foot traffic and wear and tear.

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City council recently endorsed a plan to spend $13 billion over 30 years to fix sidewalks in LA.

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A repair spending gap will be put in place to ensure even spending and to avoid spending too much in one single sight. The final ordinance will put caps based on certain parcel sizes and types. There will be rebates, so that property owners will be encouraged to fix their own sidewalks within the city. The rebate will only be offered for a limited time. To receive this rebate, homeowners must make the repairs themselves in the first three years of the program.

The rebate would be about half the average cost per square foot. One city councilman estimated it would be about $15 per square foot. One nice thing is that the city will be waiving permit fees. If you don’t want to wait up to 30 years for a repair, you can do the work and get the rebate for about half the cost of doing the repair.

The city will begin certifying and keeping records for which sidewalks are in good condition and what works they’ve been able to do so far, and to ensure they’re compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Fix & Release program is really a fair solution to a problem that’s been plaguing LA for decades, and it’s a far cry from the hidden point of sale program that they were trying push through initially.

If you have any questions about this program or would just like some more info, give us a call or send an email and we’ll happily send some out to you!

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