The Official BBO BBQ and Grilling Thread

[Winstonm]

For our anniversary this year, my wife and I decided on a bistro set with umbrella and an outdoor charcoal grill. So far, it has been 100+ degrees more days than not, but that has not deterred me from sweating over kabobs, steaks, hamburgers, and today grilled corn on the cob, grilled onions with red bell peppers, and grilled bratwurst on onion pita bread with Dujon mustard.

 

This is my first experience with outdoor grilling, so any tips, recipes, etc. would be appreciated.

 

Bon Appetit!

[ggwhiz]

I just bought a new one. The box wouldn't fit in the trunk so I opened it and loaded up all the pieces.

 

Forgot to load the assembly instructions so I'll get back to you next week (I hope).

[Winstonm]

Grilled corn-on-the-cob.

 

First time was a failure, so this time I followed Bobby Flay's instructions and it was awesome - it gives the corn a smokey, nutty flavoring. Pull down the husks and remove the silks, then pull the husks up. Soak in water, shake off excess water, and then grill for about 30-45 minutes*, turning every 15 minutes.

 

Times will vary greatly depending on grill, it seems. Some recipes call for 15-20 minutes, but mine took about 45.

[Cyberyeti]

You can barbecue almost anything including your dessert.

 

A couple of favourites of mine:

 

Take half an aubergine/eggplant. Cut a diagonal groove in the skin and put sliced garlic in the groove. A little olive oil and barbecue till really tender.

 

Take a banana, slit the skin, put a square or two of good quality dark chocolate inside, wrap in foil and barbecue.

[kenberg]

I hope to see more on this thread. We bought a grill last year but we have not used it all that much. I thought I was the only guy in the U.S. that was not an expert on grilling but maybe there is at least one other. So I will be looking forward to suggestions.

[jjbrr]

Weber Smoky Mountain is the correct answer to any question about smokers in this thread.

[y66]

I grilled squash, eggplant, onion and rosemary spiced lamb sausage for dinner this eve. and served with basil vinaigrette*, fresh mozz and tomatoes.

 

* large bunch of fresh basil, several garlic cloves, a green chili pepper, a shallot, 2-3 tbs soy sauce and 1/4 c olive oil. Throw in blender, spoon onto plates then put other stuff on top.

[heyrocky]

For those that do not like them (me!), grilling vegetables makes them close to palatable. Well, most of them. I like grilling corn using Bobby Flay's method, but still don't like to eat it. Those I grill for like their corn that way.

 

Has anyone tried pizza on the grill? I imagine a slightly drier crust dough would be needed, but have not tried it myself.

[Winstonm]

I found a use for the declining coals today. Instead of simply waiting for the coals to die out, I cut corn tortillas into quarters and placed them on the grill and lowered the lid - about 20-30 minutes later I had homemade tortilla chips, salt free.

 

I had made pico de gallo (spelling?) earlier - very simple and a favorite.

 

I am becoming a big fan of grilled vegetables, also, and I usually grill any bread we will be having while the meat dish rests.

 

Does anyone use thermometers when they grill? I know I was a bit nervous about the bratwurst today, but it came out perfectly, although that could have been luck. Burgers last weekend were a bit underdone, I thought.

 

Also, I have buffalo hamburger meat - any suggestions?

[y66]

I don't usually use a thermometer for grilling burgers, steaks, chicken parts or fish. I do use a timer.

 

For other stuff, like smoking a pork tenderloin or grilling a leg of lamb or a whole chicken, I use a digital thermometer connected to a probe by a 2 foot or so long metal cable.

 

Grilling a whole chicken is the new thing around here. Just cut out the back with kitchen scissors, marinate in 1/4 cup oil and spices for a few hours, and grill on med heat with lid closed for approx 20 minutes per side. Pretty reliable and easy. My dog likes the raw chicken backs.

[Winstonm]

This is my first experience with outdoor grilling. Any suggestions about using the different types of heat? I am unclear as to whether the top should be up or down and when to do which.

 

So far I have used direct heat (top up) for items like steaks, burgers, sliced veggies, kabobs, and used convection (top down) for slower cooking items like corn-on-the-cob and would also use that for roasting a chicken or for ribs.

[hrothgar]

Grilled watermelon with feta cheese is DIVINE

 

Cut watermelon into steaks

Throw on a bit of salt to draw out some water

let sit for 30 minutes or so

 

brush with a bit of olive oil and throw it on the grill

serve with good feta cheese

[Winstonm]

I never would have dreamed to try to grill watermelon. Thanks, Richard.

[hrothgar]

I ran into in a restaurant a couple years back.

 

Its getting increasingly popular

 

http://www.food.com/recipe/grilled-watermelon-317554

 

(the important thing is the feta)

[G_R__E_G]

Best burgers you'll ever have, four ingredients. Ground sirloin, Montreal steak spice, ketchup, soya sauce. I've heard that Montreal steak spice may be called Canadian steak spice in the USA. If you can't find it then I'd suggest buying some and taking it home with you if you're coming to the NABC. I can't really tell you quantities as we just wing it but I'd guess that for a couple of pounds of meat we'd use about 1/3 cup of ketchup, 2 heaping tablespoons of spice and a couple of teaspoons of soya. As for instructions - mix, grill, eat. :)

[hrothgar]

BTW, this is probably viewed as hertical, however, here's how I "grill" hamburgers

 

Start with a 50-50 mix of ground sirloin and coarse ground chuck

Mix in whatever you want for spices (I normally go with some fine diced shallots and garlic and a bit of fish sauce. Maybe some tomato confit)

Shape the meat into a patty

Seal each patty into a small ziplock bag and suction out all the air

Submerge in a 132 degree water bath for 1 hour

 

Finish by flash searing on the grill

[Free]

Buy some fresh mussels, place them in an aluminium foil tray, and put it on the grill until they open. Wonderful appetizer while drinking a glass of Champagne.

[Aberlour10]

Grilling? I like it quick and easy >>> My prefered dish is grilled trout /whole fishes, not a filets/ with lemon slices, rosemary and garlic clothes. about 12-14 minutes, the grill should be so hot as possible. Excellent with Mosel wine and french baguettes.

[mikeh]

Pork back ribs....marinate in Oyster Sauce and chopped oregano (be generous with both), then brown on the grill, preferably with lots of the chopped (fresh)oregano still clinging to the ribs, until they (the oregano, not the ribs) all char and fall off....turning quite frequently, while basting, generously, with more Oyster sauce.

 

Test for doneness by lifting one end of the rack and bending it back over towards the other end (I suggest tongs for this unless you like bbq'd fingers.....altho with the oyster sauce and oregano, the fingers might taste ok anyway)....if the meat breaks, then it's done.

 

Cut into individual ribs and place in a large bowl and toss with fresh lemon juice and serve.

 

Everyone who has tasted these says they are either the best or amongst the best they've ever tasted...the friends who gave us this recipe said it repeatedly won an annual BBQ cook-off contest in their home town.

[Phil]

MikeH - nice to see you post again!

 

I hope you contribute more than BBQ recipes :)

[dustinst22]

Weber Smoky Mountain is the correct answer to any question about smokers in this thread.

 

Glad to see you know your smokers, brr. Didn't realize there were any bridge players who knew smoking :)

 

Nothing better than a pork shoulder smoked in a WSM.

 

Also, a "reverse seared" Ribeye (Finney method) using a WSM is the nuts. If you try this you'll never cook steak the traditional way again. Take a bone in ribeye (after letting it rest with Kosher salt for about 40 min to reach room temp first -- btw this should be done regardless of method, you want the steak room temp before you grill it), use indirect heat (WSM) set to about 200-220 degrees and smoke the steak (i prefer hickory) until the internal temp is about 115 degrees or so (this is for rare, the final sear will bring the temp up another 10 degrees, so simply remove once it reaches 10 degrees below your desired final temp). Remove the steak, tent it and let it rest for about 15-20 min. Take off the top of the WSM, stoke the coals and get the fire as hot as possible and move the grate directly over the fire. You may even need to add more coals -- you want that fire super hot. Now you sear the steak for about 1-2 min max on each side. Best steak you'll ever eat. With a traditional method, you get a lot of gray spots and the cook is very uneven with red towards the center and gray on the outer part, this method produces a nice uniform cook throughout with the outside seared.

 

I did this one a few weeks ago http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showpost.php?p=27356050&postcount=3204

 

More info on the "Finney Method" or "Reverse Sear" for those interested in trying it -- http://www.swfl-news.com/askabutcher/id/7

[ggwhiz]

I'm very much an amateur but this worked.

 

I did up a bunch of skewers with green pepper, red onion, (lots of) ripe mango, large shrimp and salmon. Largish chunks of the salmon.

 

Sauce was 2 cups light soya, 1 cup teryaki and 2 cloves minced garlic. Brush 1 hour before cooking and baste often on medium heat.

 

Portobella mushrooms marinated in Italian salad dressing overnight grill cap side down first and then flip and fill with chopped shallots and a mound of parmesan.

 

That and a avocado, apple, walnut, blue cheese salad got good reviews.

 

I was supposed to use scallops instead of the salmon but thought that I would be a cinch to overcook them on the grill.

 

Any thoughts on how to do scallops properly?

[hrothgar]

Any thoughts on how to do scallops properly?

 

Please note: The recipe consists of three parts:

 

A recipe to make “red oil” (a hot chili oil that is the base for many Sichuan recipes

A recipe to make the sauce that will top the scallops (this sauce works equally well on chicken, pork, shrimp, broccoli, you name it.)

Instructions for preparing the scallops

 

All of the recipes are all dirt simple. Here are the “issues” that might cause some trouble.

 

First: The dish is very dependent on the quality of the scallops. Flavor and safety both depend on having nice fresh scallops.

 

Second: Some of the ingredients are a bit uncommon. You'll probably need to wander down to a Chinese grocery store. The chili oil really should be made a couple days in advance.

 

Third: The scallops are cooked sous vide. You're going to need some mechanism to keep a water bath at roughly 122 degrees. (this recipe is actually fairly forgiving... Some people who like rare scallops will cook them as low as 108. People who like well done poach them at 140. 122 gives you medium rare). I am a strong advocate of rare scallops.

With this said and done, here we go:

 

Chili Oil (hong you):

 

Ingredients:

 

2 cups peanut oil

½ cup chili flakes or coarsely ground chilies with seeds

1 inch ginger sliced and crushed

2 star anise pods

 

Heat the oil with the ginger until smoking hot (use a cast iron sauce pan if you have one)

Let the oil cool until its between 225 and 250

Add the ingredients and let sit

When the oil has cooled a bit, transfer everything to a gasket topped gas jar.

 

Store in a cool, dark place

 

(Modified) Fish Fragrant Sauce (yu xiang ji si)

 

Ingredients

 

2-3 scallions, green parts only (finely sliced)

1 tablespoon very finely chipped fresh ginger (ginger grater)

1 tablespoon very finely chopped garlic (microplane)

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinking or black Chinese vinegar

1 tablespoon white sugar

2 tablespoons chili oil

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon Sichuan pepper (crushed)

 

Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar

Add the oils, followed by the ginger, garlic, and scallions and stir well

 

(A traditional fish fragrant sauce would substitute 1-2 tablespoons of pickled chili paste for the Sichuan pepper corns)

 

Scallops

 

Fill a large bowl with water.

Place scallops into a ziplock bag.

Optional: Add a small amount of mustard oil

Slowly submerge the bag into the water with the opening facing towards the ceiling. Submerge until the ziplock seal is under the water but the opening is above the water (You are using the weight of the water to force all the air out of the bag). Seal the bag and remove from the water.

Push the scallops around until they are in a single layer

 

Get your water bath to somewhere around 108 degrees (You'll need to figure this one out for yourself. I bought a sous vide set up. I've heard that quality crock pots / slow cookers work decently)

 

Submerge the scallops (bags and all) into the water bath for 14 minutes. While the scallops are cooking, get a cast iron pan screaming hot and add a small amount of high smoke point oil (grapeseed and sunflower works well). Alternatively, if you have a kitchen torch for crème brulee, now's the time to drag it out...

 

Use whatever method you prefer to carmelize the scallops.

Plate and serve

[y66]

A metal sheet is placed over the pit to make an outdoor oven for cooking pork. Story here.

 

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/08/03/dining/03FRESCO_SPAN/03FRESCO2-articleLarge.jpg

Photo: Andrew Testa for NYT

 

Putting this on the to do list.

[matmat]

steak tartare, obv.