The Conservative Cave
Interests => All Things Edible (and how to prepare them) => Topic started by: ExGeeEye on July 28, 2011, 11:42:31 PM
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So...when we got married three and a half years ago, friends of my wife gave us a very nice propane grill. With no tank.
It has taken me until today to get a tank, and I in fact got two of them. Up next, learning how to cook stuff.
I'd like to start easy. Hamburgers and small steaks.
I have no idea how.
Between the BS's and denigrations of my manhood, if y'all would pass along such information as cooking times and how to keep the meat from becoming suitable as brake shoes or shingles.
Thanks to all!
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You are about to embark on a very rewarding facet of your life, XGI. Grilling is awesomeness. To grill is to be awesome. Master it and you shall have droves of drooling devotees upon their knees before you for you are the man. Nay, you are the Alpha Pack Leader!
So, you're going with gas. That's fine. Gas grills are easy to use and convenient. You will love it once you've fired it up a few times and feasted upon the fruits of your toils as you get in touch with your inner Neanderthal. First a couple of tips, get a quality set of grilling implements and be sure to keep the grill away from the house if your out on a deck, etc. Sounds like a no-brainer but I've seen bad things first hand.
A buddy of mine runs a landscaping business. A few years ago one of his entire crews walked out on him, just quit en masse. He was in a pinch to fulfill contracts so I put in a few weekends with him as a mower jockey until he found replacements. This was in the Burbs, mostly cul de sac/ McMansion territory. Presumably these homeowners are fairly well off and successful people with degrees. I saw at least half a dozen instances of the huge deck on the back of the house overlooking the inground pool and of course the obligatory $1500 Cadillac of gas grills there gleaming in all of its stainless glory but now moved away from the back wall of the house where it melted an 8 ft wide by 5 ft high patch of vinyl siding. That is beyond ugly to see and beyond bone headed. But I digress.
First off just get some meat and go at it. I don't care what it is just do it. Jump right in with both feet like you know what you are doing. In time you will become the master, grasshopper, able to time everything so it all arrives on the table for your guests simultaneously and prepared to perfection. Books help. Books help a lot. I'll recommend a good one but there are a lot out there. Hit the library and see what they have. Lots of dvd's available too, and youtube is there to surf. You will be branching out beyond dogs & burgers in no time once you begin to get the feel of it and explore stuff like beer can chicken (awesome) and even different types of fish, fillets in foil, salmon steaks, etc. the sky's the limit but don't start with $75 worth of Delmonico steaks your first time at bat. Another tip, that BBQ sauce that everyone likes to smother their stuff with, don't. It's highly sugar based and mostly burns off anyway so just brush it on as you get toward the end. No matter how much you slather on there it's not penetrating anyway. For chicken marinades (overnight in a container in the fridge) I like Chiavtta's and State Fair. I use one of those giant hypodermic needles to inject the pieces and then immerse them in the big square plastic tub in the fridge to soak overnight. You can easily substitute the veggie rotter drawer for that, works a charm. Good luck man!
Here's my favorite book because well, it's my only grilling book but it's a good one~
(Foreword by Al Roker so it's gotta be good!)
WEBER'S BIG BOOK OF GRILLING
by Jamie Purviance and Sandra S. McRae
Chronicle books
ISBN 0-8118-3197-3 PN#62542
416 pages
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Can't fault FB at all for what he's put out there, but I'll offer a few things:
First, there's two basic types of grilling meat - direct heat and indirect heat. You'll use direct heat for steaks, burgers, brats, stuff that grills relatively quickly. For larger, less tender cuts of meat such as roasts and thick chops, ribs, and similar things, indirect heat works best. By this I meant you'll turn on your gas grill at a reduced heat level on the sides of your grill, and put your meat in the center, roasting slowly. Rotisseries work well for this type of cooking, but they're usually optional equipment that you have to buy.
Seasonings work in somewhat the same fashion - you've got dry rubs (good for chicken, pork, ribs, etc.) and the so-called wet sauces, which are mostly bbq sweet or vinegar-based.
Sugar burns when exposed to high heat, so you have to be judicious about how much you're using in your sauce and how often it's applied to the meat during grilling. For that reason you generally apply bbq sauce to grilled meats like ribs and chicken toward the end of the grilling process.
Some people like to par-boil the less tender cuts before grilling, but I forego that and would rather roast in the oven, covered in foil and seasoned well rather than boil/simmer. I think the water removes too much flavor (fat) in the process.
Books will have a lot of recipes and techniques that you can use for other foods such as vegetables, fruit, and even fish/seafood
Good luck!
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If you'll use it on a wooden deck, put a pan, or even a piece of cardboard, under it to prevent any fat from dripping down and staining the deck. It does happen.
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You have a long road ahead of you, weedhopper.
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Shhhhh. I gave you a high 5.
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with propane, there is a tendency to cook at too high of a temperature. keep the temp down and cook slower.
well done on the outside and rare on the inside does not count as medium.
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One of my most favorite seasonings (for just about every meat for me) is Famous Dave's Steak & Burger Seasoning. I use it on steaks, burger, chicken, pork chops and even as part of the rub mixture for my briskets. You won't find it at Walmart, but places like Krogers carries it now. You can also order it online.
http://www.famousbbqstore.com/12665.html
They also carry a chicken seasoning, but I don't care for the taste. I use the steak seasoning and add my own extra spices for chicken.
I also like to do chuck roasts on the grill. I start by searing both sides and getting some nice caramelization, then I switch to indirect heat for finishing (on the grill).
Also, I LOATHE, nay , I HATE those "flame tamer" (a metal piece over the gas flame tube, looks like this shape: ^) type propane grills that don't have briquettes or lava rock. I took my propane grill, removed the "flame tamers", found a piece to hold some briquettes, cut it to fit and then put those square flavored ceramic briquettes (http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/97/97f7a320-8af8-45cf-ab1b-b13902646ed4_300.jpg) on it. It cooks quite nicely and the ceramic briquettes impart some flavor into the meats. Also, don't be afraid to throw some wood chunks in the flames. They'll be just fine as long as you clean your grill out annually or every couple of years.
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Also, I forgot to mention, keep a spray bottle of water nearby when grilling. If you DO get a flare up, those work nicely to knock them down.
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Keep a small container of cooking oil and a heavy-duty paper towel. After your grill is hot, soak the towel in oil and brush down the grill before putting any meat on it. You'll be glad you did.
Also, after you've used the grill and cleaned it, rub the grate with half a lemon after it's cooled off. It will keep it from tarnishing between uses.
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Get a good outdoor overhead light if you don't already have one. There's no point in trying to cook the food if you can't see it. I think my dad used to cook by the light on the front door. No wonder the steaks were always burned.
Burgers are easy, especially those frozen ones... it's like making pancakes. When the top of the patty starts to bleed, it's almost ready to flip. If it's not bleeding, it's still raw in the middle.
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Oh ya, that. These yellow "bug lights" are great.
(http://www.buylighting.com/v/vspfiles/photos/B103025-1.jpg)
http://www.buylighting.com/Incandescent-Yellow-Bug-Lights-s/569.htm
I also use these around the perimeter of the back yard
(http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/HpW3hbDQdpA-TidfFmofrEY5nScGuWr7LD1rE5QqhbeiCnr3sCZY3SvDufk7wwkBOPrYceqGbqnLylTcU8mKTvWz7XniW0QfbZnvoTgWvKFZvm__LhktEqs5r1g3k9eoYquv05nEs-t6BTISG6bVYiU2j2tu7fPT1rmfGjLJtZ72-6sThd9qiGpNZSEJok7qp0oUtlYcTko)
Loaded with this citronella bug oil stuff
(http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/c3yUaqf16yE768M64GCKqnMOykYF6mstSpCaSS6UeHVzJJxuG_VHjNdR6jyncp0KaIRfLpwVlvzJb5CoV_zMS9AznUJV2wFA6kmVr6voSRywF0HV5qEg8Jq9i5mPeegVZEn8bgv62-FEn0WZCxHhiZDSs8ioZ3e6s3d6U4b1HXT7_pUc1CJgPcjnrks)
I like the Dietz hurricane lanterns a lot better than the tiki torches because they are easily adjustable to get the maximum amount of smoke (turn them up higher than normal) and they actually do throw some light too.
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Soon, Weedhopper will graduate to charcoal..........
:-)
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Soon, Weedhopper will graduate to charcoal.......... :-)
Been there, done that, got way over it.
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Charcoal takes too long to get ready and is pretty messy. I'll stick with gas, TYVM.
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Charcoal takes too long to get ready and is pretty messy. I'll stick with gas, TYVM.
1. Gloves
2. Charcoal chimney
Problem solved.
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1. Gloves
2. Charcoal chimney
Problem solved.
Turn on the gas, hit the igniter button....... ;) Ready to grill in 10 mins.
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Charcoal takes too long to get ready and is pretty messy. I'll stick with gas, TYVM.
Do you not have soap and water up north where you live???? :rofl:
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Do you not have soap and water up north where you live???? :rofl:
Ohhh, a real "commodian", huh?? I disdain getting dirty while cooking.
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Do you not have soap and water up north where you live???? :rofl:
:lmao:
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I'm with Thor on the gas thing. Propane tends to have some water in it, but I ain't so much of an aficionado that I can't have a couple teensy drops of water with my brats, burgers, ribs, or veggies.
If it tastes charred, I'm happy. :-)
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I bought my first grill of any kind this year. It's charcoal.
I worried my first few meals to death, certain that there was a very small window for grilling perfection. I'm a lot more relaxed now and have begun exploring marinades and rubs (to my friends' delight).
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Ohhh, a real "commodian", huh?? I disdain getting dirty while cooking.
1. You handle the charcoal during prepping, not cooking.
2. It ain't cooking, it is grilling.
3. That is why you have blood-stained shop towels handy.
:hyper:
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1. You handle the charcoal during prepping, not cooking.
2. It ain't cooking, it is grilling.
3. That is why you have blood-stained shop towels handy.
:hyper:
:hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer:
grilling is STILL cooking, darlin'..... ;) And, yes, I still get dirty handling the charcoal during prep and I don't like it!! Then there's the whole disposal of the ashes bullshit and clean up afterwards.
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Tots, you're a good Texan...what would Hank Hill say? :-)
The ashes are what I object to the most. What a mess. Something else to buy and lug into the house. I'll stick with propane.
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:hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer:
grilling is STILL cooking, darlin'..... ;) And, yes, I still get dirty handling the charcoal during prep and I don't like it!! Then there's the whole disposal of the ashes bullshit and clean up afterwards.
:bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl:
:rofl:
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BTW I'm a grilling snob, I only own Webers. Charcoal, of course.
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BTW I'm a grilling snob, I only own Webers. Charcoal, of course.
By the time you get the charcoal even ready, I'll be almost done eating whatever I've cooked unless I'm using the rotisserie.
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:bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl:
:rofl:
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
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By the time you get the charcoal even ready, I'll be almost done eating whatever I've cooked unless I'm using the rotisserie.
Hell, that gives me time to pop a cork, and open up a bottle of wine too...
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You need to get one of these:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/315imxF04cL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Makes grilling so much easier.
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:bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl:
:rofl:
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
:bird:
:tongue: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
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:bird:
:tongue: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
Whatever...........never knew a Texan to bitch about getting dirty :fuelfire:
ETA: :rofl: :rofl:
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BTW I'm a grilling snob, I only own Webers. Charcoal, of course.
I'm with you - nothing compares to a Weber! My ex stole it from me after we divorced. :hammer:
Now, my guy does the grilling and he uses a gas grill.
Not for me. I don't trust gas - it's just a personal thing - from a long-since-past experience.
Nothing better than a Weber in my book! And I love the charcoal taste. :yum:
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Whatever...........never knew a Texan to bitch about getting dirty :fuelfire:
ETA: :rofl: :rofl:
Well, ma'am, there's a time to get dirty and a time to stay clean. It's bad enough grilling in 100° heat and then to get dirty, too?? No thanks!! Besides, I have my share of getting dirty with other things....... O-)
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So...when we got married three and a half years ago, friends of my wife gave us a very nice propane grill. With no tank.
It has taken me until today to get a tank, and I in fact got two of them. Up next, learning how to cook stuff.
I'd like to start easy. Hamburgers and small steaks.
I have no idea how.
Between the BS's and denigrations of my manhood, if y'all would pass along such information as cooking times and how to keep the meat from becoming suitable as brake shoes or shingles.
Thanks to all!
Alrighty then, we've had several weekends since you embarked on your quest to get in touch with your inner Neanderthal and now Labor Day is history soooooooo... How'd it all turn out??? :yum: :cheers1:
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Whale...
Whilst groshyshoppin with the specimen of femininity who had the horrible misjudgment to marry me, we found a small cut of beef that comes two to a package for always under $5, and most often under $4, soaked it overnight in a marinade and cooked it too rare..
So we got another pair, and this time I cooked it too well.
I've just about got the hang of it. I have three more packs in the freezer and one in the fridge that I'm going to try once without marinade; meanwhile my precioussss is off visiting her folks through Saturday, and when she gets home will help me assemble the one complicated thing I'm good at-- a faux-Mediterranean rotini salad-- for the next day's church picnic.
I'm almost confident enough to try a more spendy cut of meat; and I'd guess burgers would be about as easy as sin at this point.
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Sounds good! :cheersmate:
Grilling can be a great family get together thing, whether it's just two empty nesters having fun with each other's company or the whole clan. I love grilling. July with perfect weather or January with the wind howling it's just as good and especially in winter after all the holidays and everything that goes with them food wise I can really get into a grilled steak and the summer salads that go along with it. Goes over real well with a Sunday football or NASCAR crowd at the house while the snowdrifts are piled up outside. It's a short hop from the back door to the grill and back.
You mentioned your Fox mediterranean salad. That's a huge part of grilling/barbecuing, all those yummy summer salads that go along with it. I can grill just about anything fairly well, I know what I'm doing around the grill outdoors well enough but inside the house I am a complete kitchen retard. My wife however is a Goddess of all things culinary.
She's not here right now, doing the rare night shift, so I am risking my very soul by sneaking into her recipe box to offer up one of her mother's gems (when the cat's away...). Honestly, I am not worthy, heathen footsteps in the temple, just sticking my filthy fingers in there at all (gasp!). Her mother passed when my wife was just 11 years old in the summer of the Bicentennial and my wife has her box of recipes.
This one I like a lot with all things grilled. (sorry if it seems so abbreviated, those who know their way around a kitchen should get the gist of it).
Broccoli salad~
bunch broccoli flowerettes
10-12 strips bacon fried
chopped onion
nuts (optional)
raisins
1 c mayo
2-3 tbsp vinegar
1/4-1/2 c sugar
That's it, as her mother wrote it in the 60's or 70's. I don't understand the wizardry (and never question) I witness happening before me in the kitchen. She never uses any measuring devices, seemingly doing everything on the fly and I am simply mesmerized as her creations take form and materialize from nothing.
I am sorry I can't offer up a step by step how to of the process but it is an awesome salad. There is some night before preparedness and marinade and I don't think the broccoli tops are cooked, if that helps.
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Whale...
Whilst groshyshoppin with the specimen of femininity who had the horrible misjudgment to marry me, we found a small cut of beef that comes two to a package for always under $5, and most often under $4, soaked it overnight in a marinade and cooked it too rare..
So we got another pair, and this time I cooked it too well.
I've just about got the hang of it. I have three more packs in the freezer and one in the fridge that I'm going to try once without marinade; meanwhile my precioussss is off visiting her folks through Saturday, and when she gets home will help me assemble the one complicated thing I'm good at-- a faux-Mediterranean rotini salad-- for the next day's church picnic.
I'm almost confident enough to try a more spendy cut of meat; and I'd guess burgers would be about as easy as sin at this point.
A coupla technical details, if'n y'all don't mind.....
1. Never pierce the meat with a fork while grilling. It's a sin.
2. Not only physicians are entitled with the means and the skills (developed over time and practice, of course) of palpation. The softer the meat, the rarer it is.
3. There is a decided need for kitchen retards. We just don't know what to do with them yet.
:-)
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The softer the meat, the rarer it is.
How true, how true.
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There was a trick I learned at work for testing steaks for done-ness without piercing them with a thermometer. It works well, especially if you have thirty steaks on the grill that all have to be cooked differently.
Roll your hand into a loose fist with the thumb tucked under the other fingers. Let's say you are right handed... use your left hand. With your palm facing toward you, poke the meaty part of your hand at the base of the thumb from left to right. It's usually a good match for well-done to rare steaks.
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"3. There is a decided need for kitchen retards. We just don't know what to do with them yet."
Feed us!!! :drool:
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A coupla technical details, if'n y'all don't mind.....
1. Never pierce the meat with a fork while grilling. It's a sin.
2. Not only physicians are entitled with the means and the skills (developed over time and practice, of course) of palpation. The softer the meat, the rarer it is.
3. There is a decided need for kitchen retards. We just don't know what to do with them yet.
:-)
Preach it, Brotha Eupher!!
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There was a trick I learned at work for testing steaks for done-ness without piercing them with a thermometer. It works well, especially if you have thirty steaks on the grill that all have to be cooked differently.
Roll your hand into a loose fist with the thumb tucked under the other fingers. Let's say you are right handed... use your left hand. With your palm facing toward you, poke the meaty part of your hand at the base of the thumb from left to right. It's usually a good match for well-done to rare steaks.
http://barbecuetricks.com/steak-done-an-ok-handy-method/
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Yeah, that's it.
It's been a while. Some of those brain cells have taken a permanent vacation since then.
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I started watching a show on the Create Channel late at night.
http://www.bbqu.net/
That guy is a grilling fool. I mean that in the best way. He cooks on everything. Now I'm hooked.
For years we used a gas grill. Nice for steaks and chicken quarters, kabobs, corn on the cob. I prefer a smoker for whole/half chickens, roasts, loins, turkey. For burgers and sausage I like a grill. The taste is what makes your barbeque but if you have a sensitive stomach, the gas grill is better, more of a clean cook. I personally like oak and charcoal taste.
Someone just built my husband a pit. We haven't used it yet, it's been too hot. He's just about ready to fire it up. One good thing about starting the learning process, you can eat your mistakes unless you burn the hell out of them. :-) That's not a bad deal at all.
Good luck.