I enjoy grilling things outdoors. I have a Weber "Silver" (thats the model name- it's actually black) tripod style grill-- we've had it for two years already and it is still in pretty good shape.

 The other day I made some chops and I usually do hotdogs for the kids no matter what we grill.

I don't like grilling chicken because I don't want to die of salmonella. But like, chops, steaks, and (my fave) italian sausages are great. Lately I kinda do the low-carb thing (although I'm a bit half-assed about it), so grilled meats is good.

I recently found out that the brand of charcoal actually matters. I got some generic charcoal and it was really smoky and smelled kinda bad. Usually charcoal smells awesome when you get it going, but this was stuff wasn't.

So lately, I'm back to using the Kingford charcoal. I think.

I will be grilling again this weekend.

Soak some wood chips (apple is my favorite - get them at Home Depot or whatnot) in water overnight, drain them, then when you get your coals down to red-hot, add some to the mix.  Add meat, cover the grill, and cook!

Mmm... smoky flavor.

Quote from: WerekoalaSoak some wood chips (apple is my favorite - get them at Home Depot or whatnot) in water overnight, drain them, then when you get your coals down to red-hot, add some to the mix.  Add meat, cover the grill, and cook!

Mmm... smoky flavor.

I just dribbled a bit...

I've got a barbeque on Saturday. Hurrah! I might just try the woodchip idea.

I heart grilling but I suck at it.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!I heart grilling but I suck at it.

I felt the same way for years, and only used gas because I could not make charcoal light correctly.  But then I got a grill book as a wedding present, and it opened my eyes to this:



Dude, this thing is PIMP!  Perfect coals every single time.  Best $8 I've ever spent!

Now I grill anything, on coals, with no worries.

Quote from: joewolzI felt the same way for years, and only used gas because I could not make charcoal light correctly.  But then I got a grill book as a wedding present, and it opened my eyes to this:



Dude, this thing is PIMP!  Perfect coals every single time.  Best $8 I've ever spent!

Now I grill anything, on coals, with no worries.

"The Chimney" as we call that gizmo, is a Godsend.  Seriously, I could never figure out how to get the right amoutn of lighter fluid going... the 'light the coals, but not singe off my facial hair' ratio was always a mystery.

Ever since getting the Chimney about ten years ago, I've been the BBQ King.  Shit, I grill turkey for Thanksgiving now.  And yes, we're still using the same Chimney we got ten years ago.  Those things are damn-near indestructible.

I love grilling. This week end I do believe will be my first grill of the season. I'm thinking T-bones and baked potatoes.

I have "Grilling For Dummies", and St. Alton Brown, Almighty Cosmic Lord Of Stuff You Eat, uses one'a them there chm'neys you fellas are squirmin' about.  

I have a gas grill, but someday...

Quote from: joewolz

WTF is that! I hope that there's something similar in the UK, but i've never seen one.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!I have "Grilling For Dummies", and St. Alton Brown, Almighty Cosmic Lord Of Stuff You Eat, uses one'a them there chm'neys you fellas are squirmin' about.  

I have a gas grill, but someday...

All hail Alton Brown purveyor of good eats!:emot-ham:

The one "cooking" show I can watch...as the guy actually explains why/how things work the way they do...

Quote from: One Horse TownWTF is that! I hope that there's something similar in the UK, but i've never seen one.

I'm so glad you asked!  I don't know if they are available in the UK, but I'll send you one, shouldn't cost more than £20 with shipping.  You can get them anywhere down here in So. Ill.

It's a charcoal chimney, there's a grate you can't see about 8-12cm from the bottom of it, separating the top part and bottom.  You pile it full to the brim of charcoal, and then stuff the bottom with a sheet of newspaper.

Light the newspaper and let it burn for about twenty minutes.  It'll smoke like crazy for about 10 minutes, but that's cool.  After another 10 minutes, the thing willl have all the coals glowing a uniform cherry red.  Using a potholder, just pour the coals into your grill, put the actual grill over it and cook!

For charcoal, may I recommend actual mesquite wood charcoal, instead of briquets. One brand is Lazzari, but you can find others. Mind, these aren't "flavoring chips", it's wood that's still recognizable but has been reduced to pure black 'coals'.

Why I like it:

First of all, I have to admit, it's fun. The stuff pops, crackles and sometimes puts on a show with a shower of sparks. Just be careful where you're grilling, and don't let hot cinders hit you.

Second, it burns hotter than regular charcoal. Seems to catch faster in a chimney, too.

Third, tasty smokey goodness.

Fourth, it burns completely leaving only fluffy white ash, not the clay-y binder materials which turn to cement if they get wet.

Fifth, it's all natural.

The downsides: well, it burns faster so you probably use it up faster. And it costs a bit more.

Cooking chicken on the grill is tricky but my wife likes to do it anyway; her method is to just cut slashes into the meat as it cooks, both to check for doneness and to expose more of the insides to the heat.

Two things to try in addition to the old standards:

1. King Oyster mushrooms (or other giant mushrooms). Slice them. Make mixture of melted butter (or olive oil), lemon juice (or balsamic vinegar), and some salt/pepper/herbs/spices. Brush it on the shrooms and grill.

2. Korean-style short ribs. Get ribs cut crosswise (like this ) and marinate them the night before in the stuff that comes in a jar like this . You might have to try a few different brands at your Asian grocery store. Look for ones that have pear in the ingredients. Grill to taste, but I think it's best when the outer edges of the meat are a little burnt so that the sauce itself caramelizes.

Oh, and about "chimneys", you can make one out of a coffee tin supposedly, but I haven't tried. I got mine at the hardware store where they sell barbecue supplies.

Thanks for the quick and easy recipe Elliot, I'm gonna try that!

Quote from: Elliot WilenOh, and about "chimneys", you can make one out of a coffee tin supposedly, but I haven't tried. I got mine at the hardware store where they sell barbecue supplies.

According to legend, the coffee can is where the concept started.

I'ma check out this chimney action.

The korean short ribs looked awesome too.

I remember the taste of mesquite well. I grew up in Texas and mesquite was pretty much everywhere, and nearly every place you could go from Houston-to-Lubbock featured "Mesquite grilled steaks" it seems like.  

I remember one time when I was in college we were part of a west-Texas archaeological dig (paleoindian), and there were several Europeans and canadians that had come down to take part. They were all wearing shorts and like flip flops. On the (overland) walk over to the digging site, they all got torn up by thorny mesquite brush, and a couple of them came down with actual mesquite poisoning.