I am a purist when it comes to Grilling. I use natural lump charcoal or whole wood when I grill. I dispise charcoal briquettes and the taste ( notice I did not say flavor ) they leave on food. I cringed when gas grills came out. I nearly died when pellet grills started to become popular and now I see Infrared grills on the market!
The whole purpose of grilling was to give foods that added flavor boost that only real wood charcoal can do. It seems today it means stepping onto your deck or yard and just cooking outdoors.
What is your favorite "grilling method" ?
Grilling/Smoking
Moderators: Shadows1, QueenBea
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Kchurchill5
- Posts: 16044
- Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 11:55 am
Re: Grilling/Smoking
Hard Call. White do I like, or which do I prefer. Taking in to consideration; convenience, cost, availability, space, and time.
1. I love my big smoker, a mix of wood and charcoal combined. Great flavor; I can mix up different woods and get unbelievable flavors. Extremely flavorful, moist, great smoky flavor. That slow cooked richness that BBQ offers.
Negatives: It is too big for just me to use all the time. For parties, BBQ's - I keep it at my friends house (ranch/barn). It just isn't convenient for me to fire it up.
2. Smoker. I use the one above for smoking large items. But, I have my smaller charcoal and electric stand-up tank styles that I use often. The charcoal gives better flavor than the electric; however, for a quick version with a lot less work. The electric works really nice. I made smoked salmon around the holidays and they turned out great. I used a mix of wood chips; brined, with a spicy glaze. They came out full of smoky flavor and really delicious.
Negatives: They still take time and patience. Not something other than for the weekends if you work.
3. Charcoal. I love my webber kettle. Great flavor. And, if I am having friends over for steak or chicken where I want a good charcoal flavor. Definitely the way to go.
Negatives: For just me. NO For company, YES. It takes time, then there is clean up.
4. Propane, love it. Yes, it is NOT the same flavors; but the convenience - hell yes. Five (5) minutes and ready to grill. I almost always use my smoker chip box, so I do get some smoky flavor.
Negatives: Lack of smoky grilled flavor.
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So which do I like, charcoal or wood.
Which do I prefer, propane ... for it's easy use
Which do I use - all. But I use propane most often.
In FL during the summer, pm showers are common almost daily (well most years). I would be grilling using charcoal and wood in the pouring down rain. Not practical. The propane, we can heat up in just minutes and cook quicker. Besides. All my grills are on my inside porch. Wood and charcoal require a lot more clean up and door work as well in a screened in lanai.
1. I love my big smoker, a mix of wood and charcoal combined. Great flavor; I can mix up different woods and get unbelievable flavors. Extremely flavorful, moist, great smoky flavor. That slow cooked richness that BBQ offers.
Negatives: It is too big for just me to use all the time. For parties, BBQ's - I keep it at my friends house (ranch/barn). It just isn't convenient for me to fire it up.
2. Smoker. I use the one above for smoking large items. But, I have my smaller charcoal and electric stand-up tank styles that I use often. The charcoal gives better flavor than the electric; however, for a quick version with a lot less work. The electric works really nice. I made smoked salmon around the holidays and they turned out great. I used a mix of wood chips; brined, with a spicy glaze. They came out full of smoky flavor and really delicious.
Negatives: They still take time and patience. Not something other than for the weekends if you work.
3. Charcoal. I love my webber kettle. Great flavor. And, if I am having friends over for steak or chicken where I want a good charcoal flavor. Definitely the way to go.
Negatives: For just me. NO For company, YES. It takes time, then there is clean up.
4. Propane, love it. Yes, it is NOT the same flavors; but the convenience - hell yes. Five (5) minutes and ready to grill. I almost always use my smoker chip box, so I do get some smoky flavor.
Negatives: Lack of smoky grilled flavor.
-------------------------------------------------
So which do I like, charcoal or wood.
Which do I prefer, propane ... for it's easy use
Which do I use - all. But I use propane most often.
In FL during the summer, pm showers are common almost daily (well most years). I would be grilling using charcoal and wood in the pouring down rain. Not practical. The propane, we can heat up in just minutes and cook quicker. Besides. All my grills are on my inside porch. Wood and charcoal require a lot more clean up and door work as well in a screened in lanai.
Re: Grilling/Smoking
For me, it really depends what I am cooking. If I am just grilling hot dogs, I will use a little hibachi we sometimes take with us if we want to go grill in a park. Grills in parks are atrociously nasty.
We do not own a gas grill, but we do have a propane fryer which we use for when Bill makes does outdoor brewing. We can also use it to fry turkeys and deep fry fish.
We have a wood fired smoker- it doesn't work that well.
We have an electric smoker which I can use chips on, or I can use the weber for smoking without too much hassle. It does well in colder weather when the temp is harder to control.
We usually use the weber kettle for most of our barbecue (slow cook/indirect).
We are thinking about another wood fired smoker for this year- just haven't got around to buying it yet. It would be nice to have for pork shoulder, which is harder to smoke in a kettle.
We do not own a gas grill, but we do have a propane fryer which we use for when Bill makes does outdoor brewing. We can also use it to fry turkeys and deep fry fish.
We have a wood fired smoker- it doesn't work that well.
We have an electric smoker which I can use chips on, or I can use the weber for smoking without too much hassle. It does well in colder weather when the temp is harder to control.
We usually use the weber kettle for most of our barbecue (slow cook/indirect).
We are thinking about another wood fired smoker for this year- just haven't got around to buying it yet. It would be nice to have for pork shoulder, which is harder to smoke in a kettle.
Fire Roasted Peppers
Fire Roasted Peppers
Category: GRILL
SOURCE BARBEQUE AND GRILLING - WEB SITE
Roasting chilies and peppers adds a smoky flavor that can enhance any recipe or be served as an appetizer or side dish. Many people buy roasted peppers and chilies in cans, but it’s so easy to do and the flavor is so much better, that you really should roast your own. Though you can use a lot of different cooking equipment to roast a pepper it is best done over a live fire, like that from your gas or charcoal grill.
To roast a pepper, start with a hot fire and whole, washed peppers. Place them over the fire, turning frequently, until they are charred and blistered on the outside. They won’t look to edible but the black stuffs coming off in a minute. Take the peppers or chilies from the fire and place immediately in a paper or plastic bag. Close the bag and let them sit for about 10 minutes. The heat from the grill and the moisture from the pepper will sweat the skin loose. After the ten minutes are up, remove the peppers from the bag and scrap the black off with a kitchen knife. It will be messy, but the skin should come off easily. Once the skin is cleaned off, cut the pepper open, remove the stem and the seeds from the inside and your done.
Of course it’s important to remember that peppers can be hot and roasting them can release the Capsaicin (the stuff that makes hot foods hot) and so be careful handling them. In fact, be careful roasting them as well. Roasting peppers can release capsaicin into the air while cooking. Use rubber gloves or be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after you have handled the chilies. It is also important to use fresh roasted peppers and chilies soon. They can be stored in the refrigerator for a day or two, but they are best freshly roasted. Also, washing the peppers after you have scraped of the skin will cause them to lose some of their flavor, so if you want to hold on to the heat, keep them away from the water.
Fresh fire roasted peppers and chilies can be substituted in any recipe that calls for peppers. The addition of the smoky flavor will add to most any recipe. They also make a great appetizer or the base for a fresh salsa, so try roasting up some peppers next time your in the mood for a flavor with bite.
Category: GRILL
SOURCE BARBEQUE AND GRILLING - WEB SITE
Roasting chilies and peppers adds a smoky flavor that can enhance any recipe or be served as an appetizer or side dish. Many people buy roasted peppers and chilies in cans, but it’s so easy to do and the flavor is so much better, that you really should roast your own. Though you can use a lot of different cooking equipment to roast a pepper it is best done over a live fire, like that from your gas or charcoal grill.
To roast a pepper, start with a hot fire and whole, washed peppers. Place them over the fire, turning frequently, until they are charred and blistered on the outside. They won’t look to edible but the black stuffs coming off in a minute. Take the peppers or chilies from the fire and place immediately in a paper or plastic bag. Close the bag and let them sit for about 10 minutes. The heat from the grill and the moisture from the pepper will sweat the skin loose. After the ten minutes are up, remove the peppers from the bag and scrap the black off with a kitchen knife. It will be messy, but the skin should come off easily. Once the skin is cleaned off, cut the pepper open, remove the stem and the seeds from the inside and your done.
Of course it’s important to remember that peppers can be hot and roasting them can release the Capsaicin (the stuff that makes hot foods hot) and so be careful handling them. In fact, be careful roasting them as well. Roasting peppers can release capsaicin into the air while cooking. Use rubber gloves or be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after you have handled the chilies. It is also important to use fresh roasted peppers and chilies soon. They can be stored in the refrigerator for a day or two, but they are best freshly roasted. Also, washing the peppers after you have scraped of the skin will cause them to lose some of their flavor, so if you want to hold on to the heat, keep them away from the water.
Fresh fire roasted peppers and chilies can be substituted in any recipe that calls for peppers. The addition of the smoky flavor will add to most any recipe. They also make a great appetizer or the base for a fresh salsa, so try roasting up some peppers next time your in the mood for a flavor with bite.
Fire Roasted Chiles / Tomatoes / Onions
Roasting fresh chiles and tomatoes is not so much to get a smoky flavor. It does get a little bit but the main reason is to remove the skins, which will peel otherwise and aren't very good in recipes.
Most cooked fresh tomatoes can have the skins removed by blanching them then putting them in cold water. You can peel them as well by fire roasting them. I recommend doing so on a comal or cast iron skillet rather than just placing them on the grill grate, since tomatoes can soften easily and you don't really want to lose the juice.
Chiles can be peeled the same way by blanching. if you don't have a way to ventilate smoke from your home and it is too cold outside to grill. The charring from chiles and tomatoes adds flavor to them, but it is less a smoky flavor than a charred flavor, which is a good thing.
After you roast tomatoes and chiles I recommend putting them into a stainless mixing bowl and wrapping saran wrap around the rim. I don't suggest the plastic bag by itself because these things are very hot and you don't want to melt the bag. Once in the covered bowl, the heat will expand and the plastic will puff up and dome. Once you can see liquid start to condensate on the plastic it is time to peel them.
It's a messy job for the fingers, but take a paring knife and grab the edges of skin that start to come up and pull it off. Don't be frisky with the scraping or you may lose a lot of pepper. Gently work the edge of the knife under the skin, and gently flick off the chile seeds. Don't rinse them at all.
If you slit the peppers open, you will see a knob of seeds. Try and use the paring knife to cut it away in one piece above the seeds and below the stem. Don't try to grab the seeds cluster with your fingers or they will go everywhere. Just slice it off and tip the pepper over and dump it onto the trash pile.
Cutting this way and leaving the stem gives a very stable pepper that you can stuff for rellenos. If you are just chopping them up it won't matter too much either way.
Roast as many as you like at one time- they freeze beautifully in freezer bags.
If you like making your own chile powder blends, doing them on the grill is also cool. What you do is take the dried chiles which you have dried on a ristra or bought commercially in bags. Take the pepper and place it on a comal, cast iron skillet, or the grill grate is ok. Roast them until you can smell them but before they scorch, which can happen quickly. Allow them to cool. Then what you do is tear off the stem, which should also break the seed cluster, turn them upside down and shake out all the seeds. Then rip them up or crush them into pieces.
At this point you can grind them into powders or place them in a pot with tomatillos and make something like salsa roja. In making salsa roja, once they cook a bit in the liquid and soften up again, you can whiz them in the food processor and make a beautiful table salsa. When I make salsa roja, I also like fire roasting onions, which I use in a cooked salsa roja and when they get soft, they are ready to puree in the food processor.
When making fire roasted onion, trim them as usual, and grill them, turning until they blacken on all sides, and they are done when the core starts popping out of the center, like a cone. Those won't need to be peeled any further and you can just let them cool, chop them like that for salsa fresca, puree them into salsa roja or they can be the secret ingredient pureed into your home made barbecue sauce.
Onions made this way and ground into a paste are also wonderful placed into Indian masala sauce and make a wonderful marinade ingredient for lamb. Shish kebabs are wonderful that way.
Most cooked fresh tomatoes can have the skins removed by blanching them then putting them in cold water. You can peel them as well by fire roasting them. I recommend doing so on a comal or cast iron skillet rather than just placing them on the grill grate, since tomatoes can soften easily and you don't really want to lose the juice.
Chiles can be peeled the same way by blanching. if you don't have a way to ventilate smoke from your home and it is too cold outside to grill. The charring from chiles and tomatoes adds flavor to them, but it is less a smoky flavor than a charred flavor, which is a good thing.
After you roast tomatoes and chiles I recommend putting them into a stainless mixing bowl and wrapping saran wrap around the rim. I don't suggest the plastic bag by itself because these things are very hot and you don't want to melt the bag. Once in the covered bowl, the heat will expand and the plastic will puff up and dome. Once you can see liquid start to condensate on the plastic it is time to peel them.
It's a messy job for the fingers, but take a paring knife and grab the edges of skin that start to come up and pull it off. Don't be frisky with the scraping or you may lose a lot of pepper. Gently work the edge of the knife under the skin, and gently flick off the chile seeds. Don't rinse them at all.
If you slit the peppers open, you will see a knob of seeds. Try and use the paring knife to cut it away in one piece above the seeds and below the stem. Don't try to grab the seeds cluster with your fingers or they will go everywhere. Just slice it off and tip the pepper over and dump it onto the trash pile.
Cutting this way and leaving the stem gives a very stable pepper that you can stuff for rellenos. If you are just chopping them up it won't matter too much either way.
Roast as many as you like at one time- they freeze beautifully in freezer bags.
If you like making your own chile powder blends, doing them on the grill is also cool. What you do is take the dried chiles which you have dried on a ristra or bought commercially in bags. Take the pepper and place it on a comal, cast iron skillet, or the grill grate is ok. Roast them until you can smell them but before they scorch, which can happen quickly. Allow them to cool. Then what you do is tear off the stem, which should also break the seed cluster, turn them upside down and shake out all the seeds. Then rip them up or crush them into pieces.
At this point you can grind them into powders or place them in a pot with tomatillos and make something like salsa roja. In making salsa roja, once they cook a bit in the liquid and soften up again, you can whiz them in the food processor and make a beautiful table salsa. When I make salsa roja, I also like fire roasting onions, which I use in a cooked salsa roja and when they get soft, they are ready to puree in the food processor.
When making fire roasted onion, trim them as usual, and grill them, turning until they blacken on all sides, and they are done when the core starts popping out of the center, like a cone. Those won't need to be peeled any further and you can just let them cool, chop them like that for salsa fresca, puree them into salsa roja or they can be the secret ingredient pureed into your home made barbecue sauce.
Onions made this way and ground into a paste are also wonderful placed into Indian masala sauce and make a wonderful marinade ingredient for lamb. Shish kebabs are wonderful that way.The Ultimate Flank Steak
My Sunday dinner from the grill.
The Ultimate Flank Steak, baked potatoe w/bacon horshradish dip and a small side salad ( no photo of that ) .
The Ultimate Flank Steak
The Ultimate Flank Steak, baked potatoe w/bacon horshradish dip and a small side salad ( no photo of that ) .
The Ultimate Flank Steak
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Kchurchill5
- Posts: 16044
- Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 11:55 am
Re: Grilling/Smoking
For my webber kettle charcoal grill. Yes, then I have propane. For my charcoal smoker which is a canister type, yes to get started.
For my big smoker that I keep at my friends ... I use only for bit parties. NO. I use a mix of charcoal and wood. Don't use a chimney.
But, I think for the basic charcoal grill ... it is a great tool. Never kept anything burning, but love to use it to start. Works great.
For my big smoker that I keep at my friends ... I use only for bit parties. NO. I use a mix of charcoal and wood. Don't use a chimney.
But, I think for the basic charcoal grill ... it is a great tool. Never kept anything burning, but love to use it to start. Works great.
Re: Grilling/Smoking
We use a chimney. You can light wood chunks in it. Stuff the bottom with kindling then top with wood. It has holes to light the kindling, and the wind/breeze has little chance to try to put the fire out. It gets an updraft through the holes where you light it and that's all the breeze it needs. Saves us a lot of time as it gets fires going quick.