Grillin?

[knightni]

I highly recommend KC Masterpiece's Steakhouse Marinade on beef.

[RockRaines]

Making beer can chicken for dinner tonight with basmati rice and green beans sauteed in my homemade pesto.

[southsider2k5]

I did pork chops on the grill last weekend, and now I wonder why I hadn't done that before. Any good chop recipes out there?

[RockRaines]

I did pork chops on the grill last weekend, and now I wonder why I hadn't done that before. Any good chop recipes out there?

I'm partial to BBQ porkchops myself, I dry rub it before cooking and then near its done point I do indirect heat with a combination of Sweet Baby Ray's spicy sauce with open pit.

 

I also saw an asin variation that Bobby Flay did that was pretty interesting, Ill see if I can find it. I know he marinated it in Soy, Orange Pop and something else.

[daa84]

wish i would have seen this thread earlier, but it looks like you got the weber 320 anyways...i bought the 320 (or some variation on it....maybe was the 300 that doesnt have the light on the handle) last year...absolutely love it....was the perfect grill for me. small enough for my apt, big enough to do some serious cooking still, portable enough to move around easily. my parents have a weber summit, which as was said before is absurd- it gets up to 700 F quickly. I get my q320 up to 450-500 after a good while, but i love the cast iron grates - gives a tremendous sear. The only one downside i've seen so far is that when its really windy, it must have too high of airflow cuz the flame really is depressed by the wind. Still, I'd recommend it to any and everyone

[RockRaines]

wish i would have seen this thread earlier, but it looks like you got the weber 320 anyways...i bought the 320 (or some variation on it....maybe was the 300 that doesnt have the light on the handle) last year...absolutely love it....was the perfect grill for me. small enough for my apt, big enough to do some serious cooking still, portable enough to move around easily. my parents have a weber summit, which as was said before is absurd- it gets up to 700 F quickly. I get my q320 up to 450-500 after a good while, but i love the cast iron grates - gives a tremendous sear. The only one downside i've seen so far is that when its really windy, it must have too high of airflow cuz the flame really is depressed by the wind. Still, I'd recommend it to any and everyone

Yeah, its been awesome, can hit 600 really fast and the cast iron grates sealed the deal for me. I made unreal beer can chicken on it today and it held 325 for over an hour consistently. Awesome so far.

[Y2HH]

First and foremost...I'm back again.

 

Soxtalk admins can't keep me down!

 

----

 

On topic...I have 2 grills myself, a gas Weber and a garbage can style charcoal. IMO, both have advantages, and since I grill on both, I can actually say so without the time tested gas vs charcoal bias you get from the two camps. The gas grill is great if you are short on time and for simple things like chicken wings, sausages, burgers and dogs. It's also great if you plan on doing repeat cooking throughout the day (at a party), and don't want to be stuck at the grill all day. Another argument is for those looking for perfect temp control, but that's a different argument altogether, since if you plan on firing up the grill just to shut the lid for 60 minutes, you can do that in an oven.

 

The charcoal grill is used for *real* meat, like prime grade steaks, lamb chops, boar chops, etc.

 

I'll finish ribs on either, depending on how much time I have. That said, I always prefer the charcoal for thicker, more expensive cuts of meat. For example, I won't bother firing up my charcoal for a select grade steak...it's prime or bust on that. I use standard briquettes, but I'll soak some apple or cherry or mesquite or hickory wood chips in water for a while and toss those on top of the lit/ready briquettes for smoke flavor. Obviously, depending on what type of meat I'm cooking will alter what wood chips I use.

 

And anyone here that tries to claim that wood fired grills do not give added flavor 1) doesn't know how to grill, and 2) is a biased liar face that mistakes convenience for flavor, but won't admit it.

Edited May 17, 2011 by Y2HH

[bigruss]

Im looking to buy a grill for my apartment on campus next year, problem is my apartment doesn't have a balcony. We are in a building with a large common area in the middle where I don't think they really allow grilling but everyone does anyways. That said, I think a small/portable propane grill may be the smarter way to go, like the weber q100, but not sure on costs of propane compared to charcoal (for usage). I was originally thinking of getting one of those small Weber Smokey Joes.

 

I will be grilling quite a bit, especially when its warm out. I have always used charcoal and actually have never used propane, so any suggestions or ideas are welcome. Remember, this is a college budget .

[Iwritecode]

Im looking to buy a grill for my apartment on campus next year, problem is my apartment doesn't have a balcony. We are in a building with a large common area in the middle where I don't think they really allow grilling but everyone does anyways. That said, I think a small/portable propane grill may be the smarter way to go, like the weber q100, but not sure on costs of propane compared to charcoal (for usage). I was originally thinking of getting one of those small Weber Smokey Joes.

 

I will be grilling quite a bit, especially when its warm out. I have always used charcoal and actually have never used propane, so any suggestions or ideas are welcome. Remember, this is a college budget .

 

I think it's cheaper to use charcoal vs. propane.

 

FWIW, I've got a Smokey Joe that we use when we go camping and it works just as good as the larger version. Just make sure you get the actual Smokey Joe and not one of the cheap imitation ones. They usually don't have the adjustable vents on them which makes temperature control nearly impossible.

[Jenksismyhero]

First and foremost...I'm back again.

 

Soxtalk admins can't keep me down!

 

----

 

On topic...I have 2 grills myself, a gas Weber and a garbage can style charcoal. IMO, both have advantages, and since I grill on both, I can actually say so without the time tested gas vs charcoal bias you get from the two camps. The gas grill is great if you are short on time and for simple things like chicken wings, sausages, burgers and dogs. It's also great if you plan on doing repeat cooking throughout the day (at a party), and don't want to be stuck at the grill all day. Another argument is for those looking for perfect temp control, but that's a different argument altogether, since if you plan on firing up the grill just to shut the lid for 60 minutes, you can do that in an oven.

 

The charcoal grill is used for *real* meat, like prime grade steaks, lamb chops, boar chops, etc.

 

I'll finish ribs on either, depending on how much time I have. That said, I always prefer the charcoal for thicker, more expensive cuts of meat. For example, I won't bother firing up my charcoal for a select grade steak...it's prime or bust on that. I use standard briquettes, but I'll soak some apple or cherry or mesquite or hickory wood chips in water for a while and toss those on top of the lit/ready briquettes for smoke flavor. Obviously, depending on what type of meat I'm cooking will alter what wood chips I use.

 

And anyone here that tries to claim that wood fired grills do not give added flavor 1) doesn't know how to grill, and 2) is a biased liar face that mistakes convenience for flavor, but won't admit it.

 

I've been using my Weber charcoal grill as a smoker the last month. I got some "skinny" pork loins that smoked up in about 3 hours, and a 6.5 boston butt that took me about 12 hours. Both were absolutely fantastic. I've got my whole system down now so keeping a constant 250-275 is a matter of checking the vents and occasionally stirring the coals/wood chips.

 

I found a"dry" rub for the pork loins that is a perfect mixture of sweet and hot - Brown sugar, sugar, salt, onion salt, garlic powder, dry mustard, thyme, spanish paprika, cayenne, cumin, and red pepper flake. After 12 hours of smoking, the sugars caramelize just right and the smoke and heat from the red pepper and cayenne penetrate all the way through the meat.

 

Anyone else have experience smoking? I read somewhere that after 4 hours or so the meat stops taking in smoke. I can't really tell if that's true or not.

 

[Balta1701]

I've been using my Weber charcoal grill as a smoker the last month. I got some "skinny" pork loins that smoked up in about 3 hours, and a 6.5 boston butt that took me about 12 hours. Both were absolutely fantastic. I've got my whole system down now so keeping a constant 250-275 is a matter of checking the vents and occasionally stirring the coals/wood chips.

 

I found a"dry" rub for the pork loins that is a perfect mixture of sweet and hot - Brown sugar, sugar, salt, onion salt, garlic powder, dry mustard, thyme, spanish paprika, cayenne, cumin, and red pepper flake. After 12 hours of smoking, the sugars caramelize just right and the smoke and heat from the red pepper and cayenne penetrate all the way through the meat.

 

Anyone else have experience smoking? I read somewhere that after 4 hours or so the meat stops taking in smoke. I can't really tell if that's true or not.

1. Can you give the details on how you set up your Weber for smoking/how you get the temp right? I attempted that last year but things still got too hot and I overcooked the ribs I was trying.

 

2. There's no reason why meat would stop taking up smoke as long as it doesn't completely crust over. That might well happen on a lot of meats after 4 hours.

[Jenksismyhero]

1. Can you give the details on how you set up your Weber for smoking/how you get the temp right? I attempted that last year but things still got too hot and I overcooked the ribs I was trying.

 

2. There's no reason why meat would stop taking up smoke as long as it doesn't completely crust over. That might well happen on a lot of meats after 4 hours.

 

Super easy set up -

 

First, get yourself a wired, probe thermometer (unless you have the Weber with the thermometer built-in). $15 bucks at Walmart. The 2nd most important tool besides the grill itself.

 

Second, soak your wood chips for at least a half hour and make sure they stay somewhat wet throughout the day. (i.e., don't keep them outside in the sun to dry out) I keep mine in a colander after soaking and occasionally spray them with water.

 

Third, set up the grill - on the bottom rack set your hot coals off to one side. I normally use a chimney starter full of them. On the other side, put two aluminum pans (or one big one) full of water. Close the bottom vent all the way and throw the lid on for a bit to let the coals cool off a little. With the lid closed put the thermometer through one of the vents on the lid. Once it hits about 260 put the meat on the 2nd rack over the water pans and toss a handful or two of chips onto the coals.

 

It takes a bit of practice, but you'll want to maintain a 250-260ish degree temp throughout the day. For the first hour or so i'm checking the temp constantly, probably every 15 min or so. If you close all the vents it's obviously going to go out, but I learned that if you keep the bottom vents closed and the lid vent open, the temp isn't going to race out of control. If you notice things are getting hotter, close the lid vent as much as you can (with the therm still in). As the temp drops open up the lid vents and the bottom vent just a little. Sometimes you'll let it go too long without giving the coals some air so you'll need to open the lid and stir the coals up. Once you do this though the temp will rapidly go up, so make sure to watch the temp and close the vents as necessary.

 

I'd say once every 2 hours or so (or more often with a smaller piece of meat) i'll open the lid to throw on another handful of chips just to keep the smoke going. This is also a good time to flip/rotate the meat. Since you're using the indirect heat you don't have to go crazy flipping and rotating, but the steam from the water pans helps keep the meat nice and moist so you want to be sure to let the steam hit the meat on both sides. Also during this time, if it's looking like your getting low on coals (i.e., there's not a whole lot left and you're 5 hours from being done) through a handful of new briquettes in so they can slowly start getting hot. This normally drops the temp so keep an eye on the temp and adjust the vents accordingly.

 

I think the general rule is an hour to an hour and a half per pound. The longer the better though. So don't fret if you leave the grill for a couple of hours and it's down to 220 or whatever. That's fine. It's still cooking. It's more of a problem if you're cooking at 300-325 for extended periods. I also occasionally take the temp of the meat just to see where i'm at. When i'm within 5-10 degrees i take it off and let it rest for 30 minutes or more, then it should be done.

 

 

[RockRaines]

Im looking to buy a grill for my apartment on campus next year, problem is my apartment doesn't have a balcony. We are in a building with a large common area in the middle where I don't think they really allow grilling but everyone does anyways. That said, I think a small/portable propane grill may be the smarter way to go, like the weber q100, but not sure on costs of propane compared to charcoal (for usage). I was originally thinking of getting one of those small Weber Smokey Joes.

 

I will be grilling quite a bit, especially when its warm out. I have always used charcoal and actually have never used propane, so any suggestions or ideas are welcome. Remember, this is a college budget .

Depends how many people you are cooking for as well. In college I went with charcoal just because it was cheaper and we have plenty of time in the summer when I was still in school. I just went to the local wal mart and bought a POS cheap charcoal grill and it worked pretty great.

[bigruss]

I think it's cheaper to use charcoal vs. propane.

 

FWIW, I've got a Smokey Joe that we use when we go camping and it works just as good as the larger version. Just make sure you get the actual Smokey Joe and not one of the cheap imitation ones. They usually don't have the adjustable vents on them which makes temperature control nearly impossible.

I've used a Smokey Joe before, loved it. I would definitely pay the few extra bucks for that compared to a offbrand one (when the difference may be $5, I won't care).

 

Depends how many people you are cooking for as well. In college I went with charcoal just because it was cheaper and we have plenty of time in the summer when I was still in school. I just went to the local wal mart and bought a POS cheap charcoal grill and it worked pretty great.

It'll vary between 1 and a max of 8 on certain occasions, but mostly between 1-4 people, and 75% of the time probably for 2.

 

Im thinking that since Im not on the common area floor and that storage may be more difficult, that a propane grill may make mroe sense especially if Im just cooking for myself and want an easier startup (or less time between start up and cool down). At the same time, Im very comfortable with charcoal grills and have had great success grilling with them in the past.

[Balta1701]

Super easy set up -

 

First, get yourself a wired, probe thermometer (unless you have the Weber with the thermometer built-in). $15 bucks at Walmart. The 2nd most important tool besides the grill itself.

Do you just put the thermometer next to the item you're cooking to monitor the grill temperature?

[RockRaines]

I've used a Smokey Joe before, loved it. I would definitely pay the few extra bucks for that compared to a offbrand one (when the difference may be $5, I won't care).

 

 

It'll vary between 1 and a max of 8 on certain occasions, but mostly between 1-4 people, and 75% of the time probably for 2.

 

Im thinking that since Im not on the common area floor and that storage may be more difficult, that a propane grill may make mroe sense especially if Im just cooking for myself and want an easier startup (or less time between start up and cool down). At the same time, Im very comfortable with charcoal grills and have had great success grilling with them in the past.

They have those little camping stoves that work off of small propane tanks and are pretty cheap. Those small tanks are only a couple of bucks each.

[Y2HH]

They have those little camping stoves that work off of small propane tanks and are pretty cheap. Those small tanks are only a couple of bucks each.

 

Those small tanks don't last long, and then have to be refilled or tossed, both of which are annoying to have to do constantly.

[RockRaines]

Those small tanks don't last long, and then have to be refilled or tossed, both of which are annoying to have to do constantly.

Exactly why I think charcoal is the best option there.

 

And to add on to my cooking last night. I stored my excess chicken in a little of its stock with some southwest seasoning overnight and for lunch I threw it in a skillet with about a teaspoon of water to break it up a bit and then made it into a BBQ chicken sandwich by adding sweet baby ray's sweet n spicy and some homemade cole slaw. Awesome.

[Jenksismyhero]

Do you just put the thermometer next to the item you're cooking to monitor the grill temperature?

 

No, i just let it dangle inside the lid vent so that the end of the probe is taking the temp of the "air" inside the grill. The probe has a curve on it that rests on the outside of the lid.

[Balta1701]

No, i just let it dangle inside the lid vent so that the end of the probe is taking the temp of the "air" inside the grill. The probe has a curve on it that rests on the outside of the lid.

I tried that once with a non-digital thermometer and it didn't work very well IMO. Does the digital make a difference?

[Chisoxfn]

This smoking idea is intriguing. I think I'm going to have to try it in a couple weeks.

[Jenksismyhero]

I tried that once with a non-digital thermometer and it didn't work very well IMO. Does the digital make a difference?

 

I wouldn't think so, so long as it stays in place and doesn't touch anything. I know they make bigger non-digital thermometers that sit on the grill itself. But with the wired prob therm you can keep the lid closed and still keep track of the temp

[Y2HH]

This smoking idea is intriguing. I think I'm going to have to try it in a couple weeks.

 

Keep in mind that depending on the type of wood chips you use, the meat will taste different, such as using apple wood vs mesquite...you'll have to experiment to figure out which you like. There are many types of wood used for smoking, for example, one of the most famous amongst smokers (but you'd have to order it) is Alder Wood...there is pretty much no better wood for smoking meats. Give it a try if you haven't.

[southsider2k5]

[insertGagesmokingwoodjoke]