Grilling 101

[DanCole42]

Um, I did.

Actually, Canada is so different from the US that I wouldn't even consider calling it "America Jr.".

I was joking. And I've certainly used Montreal seasoning before. It goes great in burger meat.

What effect would adding some lamb to the ground mixture have? I've done beef/veal/lamb mixtures in chili before, and was very pleased with the results.

[ScotteeM]

I was joking. And I've certainly used Montreal seasoning before. It goes great in burger meat.

What effect would adding some lamb to the ground mixture have? I've done beef/veal/lamb mixtures in chili before, and was very pleased with the results.

My bad! I didn't see you winking.

The lamb issue sounds like a good assignment for a research project. Please keep us informed!

[DanCole42]

The other day I saw Alton Brown cook skirt steak directly on hot coals. Notice I didn't say OVER coals, I meant that he marinated the steak, removed the grill grate, used a blowdrier to remove any ash, and laid the steaks directly on the charcoal for sixty second on each side.

Does this actually work? How essential is the blowdrier step*? What else is it good for aside from skirt steak? I love kooky little cooking techniques like this - amaze your friends!

*My grill is on a wooden balcony and I'm not too keen about blowing hot ash all over the place.

[treznor]

Did he go into the rationale about why one would want to do such a thing? Even with the hair dryer it would seem that the chances are very good you'll end up with a large enough portion of coal/ash attached to the steak that it would end up affecting the taste. Or maybe that's what he was going for...

[squidsdc]

Did he go into the rationale about why one would want to do such a thing? Even with the hair dryer it would seem that the chances are very good you'll end up with a large enough portion of coal/ash attached to the steak that it would end up affecting the taste. Or maybe that's what he was going for...

I caught this episode as well...late night. (I can't recall if I stayed awake through the entire episode or not!) He said the best way to cook skirt steak is to avoid flare-ups, and the only way to do that was to eliminate the source of the air beneath the steak. Thus, putting the steaks directly on the coals would eliminate the flare-ups, and supposedly the coal/ash does not add significant "flavor."

[Al Dente]

Does this actually work? How essential is the blowdrier step*? What else is it good for aside from skirt steak? I love kooky little cooking techniques like this - amaze your friends!

It works. You don't need to necessarily use a blow drier, but you need to fan the coals fairly vigorously in order to get the layer of ash off. I suppose this technique would work with any kind of meat that you'd cook quickly over high heat-- a flat iron would probably work.

[tfbrennan]

I saw that episode a while back and threw some strips directly on the hardwood chunks, skipping the blow dryer step. There were surprisingly few bits of charcoal that stuck to the steaks, and they brushed off very easily. The steaks turned out fine, altho I have not repeated the process. Grill marks, like vacuum cleaner lines on the carpet, appeal to some of us.

It's been said that that's how Eisenhower cooked his steaks, Ike, and here's a link to chefs George Germon and Johanne Killeen showing Julia Child how to do it, so to speak, with their Dirty Steak with Hot Fanny Sauce (!): Julia.

[MsDiPesto]

I saw that episode a while back and threw some strips directly on the hardwood chunks, skipping the blow dryer step. There were surprisingly few bits of charcoal that stuck to the steaks, and they brushed off very easily. The steaks turned out fine, altho I have not repeated the process. Grill marks, like vacuum cleaner lines on the carpet, appeal to some of us.

How long did you keep them on the coals for? I tried this last fall after seeing AB do it, and after sixty seconds, or however long he recommended, they were still pretty raw on the inside, and I like rare red meat. They were great, but putting them back on was very anticlimactic.

[ScotteeM]

One could probably also shake the grill to remove the loose ash from the coals before throwing down the skirts.

[tfbrennan]

How long did you keep them on the coals for? I tried this last fall after seeing AB do it, and after sixty seconds, or however long he recommended, they were still pretty raw on the inside...

I don't recall, but it wasn't as short as a minute per side, more lilke the typical 3-5 minutes for med rare. The guy from Al Forno demonstrating the method to Julia Child did 4 minutes per side for what looked to be ~1 1/2" ribeyes.

[thistle]

Does anyone remember that just a month ago we were being drenched w/ enormous amounts of water? Now, it's been 101 for the last 3 days-what's with the excessive weather conditions? Right now, I'm occasionally venturing out in my yard, plus tending a neighbor's yard (she's on vacation), -the only good part of that is pulling off ripe tomatoes as I water. I'm now calling myself, 'Sprinkler Wench'.

Despite the heat, I've been grilling out every night on my tiny IKEA charcoal grill, steak & chicken & fish-I'm getting a little better with charcoal grilling-entirely unorthodox, I use a combo of match-lite briquettes & hardwood charcoal. Tonight, I'm going a little over the top, w/ strip steaks, snapper filets, & mangoes & nectarines, wrapped in prosciutto, ( ( & a green salad, w/ all the tomatoes)....

[DanCole42]

Go see An Inconvenient Truth. It should answer all your questions about "what's with the excessive weather conditions?"

Who needs a grill in this weather? Just lay your steaks out on the asphalt for perfect char. Don't put your dough outside to rise, though, or the yeast will die!

[zoramargolis]

-I'm getting a little better with charcoal grilling-entirely unorthodox, I use a combo of match-lite briquettes & hardwood charcoal.

You'd be better off investing in a charcoal chimney and just use regular charcoal. All serious grillers use them for starting charcoal. It's really easy to use - just three crumpled pieces of newspaper and a match gets the charcoal going. Then you don't have the extra expense of Match-lite and the yucky smell/taste of petroleum associated with your grill.

[V.H.]

You'd be better off investing in a charcoal chimney and just use regular charcoal. All serious grillers use them for starting charcoal. It's really easy to use - just three crumpled pieces of newspaper and a match gets the charcoal going. Then you don't have the extra expense of Match-lite and the yucky smell/taste of petroleum associated with your grill.

In a pinch at my mom's house I've used a Whole Foods paper bag under a mound of hardwood charcoal. It was slow to start, but did eventually produce a perfectly lit pile of charcoal.

As for cooking outside, we've been doing sweet potato packets recently. Scrub sweet potatoes well and then slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Spread about 2-3 layers thick in a foil pouch with a pat of butter and some cinnamon. Crimp the packet closed, grill for about 20 minutes, flipping once.

[thistle]

Oh, I agree, I want to get a chimney starter, I bought the little grill as a stopgap, (I really want a gas grill, may get one soon). Right now, I'm using crumpled newspaper, a few chemical briquettes, & a bunch of hardwood charcoal. I'm still not used to grilling, though, & have a hard time waiting for the coals to die down...My stuff tonight turned out great, also made a blk bean, corn/tomato salad, w/ a basil vinaigrette.

Next week, I'm going on vacation, up to a rented house (my inlaws do this every year, usually different places, last year was Lake Anna, the previous 2 years was Edisto,SC, which was wonderful)-this year, we're going to Deep Creek Lake, MD. So, if anyone has any tips on grocery stores, farmers markets, what to pack, I'd truly appreciate it. It looks like it will be alot of women & children (don't worry, we have ample tvs, DVDs, & computer games)-I'm going to pack lots of books & look forward to a peaceful, maybe even cooler, week...

[DanCole42]

After months of practice, I have finally reached a master level on my Weber grill. This is the most perfectly cooked steak I've ever made.

Note the beautiful char on the outside, and a perfectly even layer of maillarded meat in the "mantle," followed by a tender and juicy medium-rare core.

I prepared the sirloin the night before by trimming the fat and then rendering it. Once the fat cooled I mixed it with olive oil (to keep it liquid), garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper, rubbed it into the steak, and stored it in the fridge overnight. Then I sprinkled some more salt and pepper over it and tossed it on a grate directly over my chimney starter for the highest heat possible. The limited diameter I had to work with wasn't much of a problem since the steak cooks so quickly this way.

End result: perfection.

/End horn tooting.

[Poivrot Farci]

highest heat possible...horn tooting.

Your grill is too hot...Thor's hammer.

Lower heat will keep the center from turning pink.

[DanCole42]

Your grill is too hot...Thor's hammer.

Lower heat will keep the center from turning pink.

I took this picture the day AFTER. This is cold steak that's been in the fridge overnight, hence the pinkness.

[mdt]

I took this picture the day AFTER. This is cold steak that's been in the fridge overnight, hence the pinkness.

Um, then how could this be a great picture of a MR steak then?

Seriously though, would the heat above a chimney be hotter than over a good bed of coals? It would be more focused, but hotter?

[DanCole42]

It would be more focused, but hotter?

Well, the coals themselves might be the same temperature, but you'd be getting far more heat transfer to the steak this way. By using the coal in a "traditional" manner, you're losing a lot of heat to the air. With the chimney starter method, you get a lot more radiant heat hitting the steak.

[mdt]

Well, the coals themselves might be the same temperature, but you'd be getting far more heat transfer to the steak this way. By using the coal in a "traditional" manner, you're losing a lot of heat to the air. With the chimney starter method, you get a lot more radiant heat hitting the steak.

OK. I Googled and found this. Interesting. I don't have a Weber and generally don't have this problem with my CharGriller. Maybe you should register for one of these.

[DanCole42]

OK. I Googled and found this. Interesting. I don't have a Weber and generally don't have this problem with my CharGriller. Maybe you should register for one of these.

What I REALLY need is a good cast iron grate.

[jparrott]

I've actually gotten quite good char on a normal (but preheated) grate by grilling almost-frozen steaks. Take out of freezer, salt one side, wait for the surface to melt and the salt to be absorbed, then salt the other side. Let it melt a bit, then pepper on both sides. Then to the very hot grill. Depending on the thickness and level of desired doneness, cook covered or uncovered.

I know, frozen meat, I'm such a heathen. Though I have found that beef frozen for 3-4 months takes on some dry-aged characteristics.

[xcanuck]

What I REALLY need is a good cast iron grate.

I wonder if such a thing exists...Please post details here if you know of anyplace that sells them for kettle grills.

I posted a question but it seems to have gotten lost in the ether. Do you grill the steak ONLY over the chimney starter? Or do you char them for a few minutes and then finish over indirect heat to get them to proper internal temp (which, for me, is between 120-125F).

I usually use a full chimney of natural hardwood, bank them on one side, grill 90 secs/side, move to indirect and finish for 2-3 minutes more. Works nicely for a thick strip steak. I get a nice sear, but I don't get a completely black char.

[xcanuck]

I wonder if such a thing exists...Please post details here if you know of anyplace that sells them for kettle grills.

How lame can I be? Replying to my own post....

http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Raichlen-Best...4/dp/B0007ZGUL6

http://www.mainstreetfuels.com/weber/weber...folderw/cga.htm (see 7th item)

They aren't perfect but will do the job for you. Other posts on the Weber forum indicate that, at one time, Weber did make cast iron grates for 22.5" kettles. But alas, no more.

[DanCole42]

I wonder if such a thing exists...Please post details here if you know of anyplace that sells them for kettle grills.

I posted a question but it seems to have gotten lost in the ether. Do you grill the steak ONLY over the chimney starter? Or do you char them for a few minutes and then finish over indirect heat to get them to proper internal temp (which, for me, is between 120-125F).

I usually use a full chimney of natural hardwood, bank them on one side, grill 90 secs/side, move to indirect and finish for 2-3 minutes more. Works nicely for a thick strip steak. I get a nice sear, but I don't get a completely black char.

Sorry I missed it

It was cooked ENTIRELY over the chimney starter. Restaurants cook over high heat, why can't we?

This is just a guess, but the fact that the steak was soaked in fat may have helped the transmission of heat to the center. Or I may be completely off base.

I put the chimney starter on top of the TOP grate to ensure plenty of air beneath, and I cooked the steaks on the smaller but much THICKER, STURDIER grate that the coals usually go on (after cleaning it, of course).

[Poivrot Farci]

Restaurants cook over high heat, why can't we?

Most restaurants keep their grills on high and ovens over 500. Better restaurants do it slower, like better lovers.

[DanCole42]

Most restaurants keep their grills on high and ovens over 500. Better restaurants do it slower, like better lovers.

High heat yields very different results and is much preferred in many situations. Like with love, it's not a race, but it's not a marathon, either.

[bioesq]

How lame can I be? Replying to my own post....

http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Raichlen-Best...4/dp/B0007ZGUL6

http://www.mainstreetfuels.com/weber/weber...folderw/cga.htm (see 7th item)

They aren't perfect but will do the job for you. Other posts on the Weber forum indicate that, at one time, Weber did make cast iron grates for 22.5" kettles. But alas, no more.

Every so often it's possible to locate one on E-bay or, even rarer, at a yard sale. Some dedicated cast-iron grillers have found a way to approximate the original:

http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f...9733#7960099733

[jwhite]

Most restaurants keep their grills on high and ovens over 500. Better restaurants do it slower, like better lovers.

Not sure I've ever heard lower and slower advocated for grilled steaks before.

Care to elaborate?

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Every so often it's possible to locate one on E-bay or, even rarer, at a yard sale. Some dedicated cast-iron grillers have found a way to approximate the original:

http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f...9733#7960099733

I have the original.

[bioesq]

I have the original.

I do, too. It's a unique and wonderful tool, and I cannot imagine grilling without it.

[xcanuck]

Sorry I missed it

It was cooked ENTIRELY over the chimney starter. Restaurants cook over high heat, why can't we?

This is just a guess, but the fact that the steak was soaked in fat may have helped the transmission of heat to the center. Or I may be completely off base.

I put the chimney starter on top of the TOP grate to ensure plenty of air beneath, and I cooked the steaks on the smaller but much THICKER, STURDIER grate that the coals usually go on (after cleaning it, of course).

DanCole42 - I was so intrigued by this idea that I got myself a 1.5" thick porterhouse and gave this a shot last night. But first, some key differences.

I placed the chimney starter on the thicker grate that the coals usually go on and then placed a similar thick grate (from my Weber Bullet Smoker) on top of the chimney starter. So there was a little less airflow below but not detrimental to the experiment IMO.

I brought the steak to room temp, liberally seasoned it, and sprayed it with a coat of olive oil. I didn't render any fat from the porterhouse, nor did I trim it. While there wasn't alot of excess fat, there was maybe 1/4" strip of fat along the strip side. And herein lies what I consider to be the problem.

I used natural hardwood charcoal and filled the chimney up 2/3 of the way. Then I waited for the flames to stop shooting out the top of the chimney (by this time, the coals had settled/burned down to 1/2 way up the chimney. I could barely hold my hand over the top for even a second, so I'm guessing I had a good 600F+ of heat).

Well, did I ever have flareups! I was worried but I had faith in you and persevered. I flipped it after two minutes. While not charred, the sear marks were deep and pronounced. However, there was also a fair amount of soot (??) from where the cooler flames had directly licked the steak. By the time the I had flipped it, the amount of fat falling onto the coals had lessened and I got more of an even colour on the second side - almost a deep mahogany brown, along with my beautiful sear marks. But still nothing approximating a char.

So the question is - how do you prevent the flareups? I'm not convinced that the "soot" that you get from cooler flames licking the meat is desireable in any way (as opposed to the beautiful carmelization of a good sear or char). Am I being too paranoid about the flareups? Should I say 'damn the torpedos', fill the chimney up to the top, and let the flames have their way???

Smokled brisket is the next experiment. I'm off to search the archives for words of wisdom

[DanCole42]

So the question is - how do you prevent the flareups? I'm not convinced that the "soot" that you get from cooler flames licking the meat is desireable in any way (as opposed to the beautiful carmelization of a good sear or char). Am I being too paranoid about the flareups? Should I say 'damn the torpedos', fill the chimney up to the top, and let the flames have their way???

I think the fact that I 1) trimmed the fat and 2) used sirloin, which has less internal fat to begin with, definetely helped matters. I, too, used jumbo hard wood charcoal.

One difference was (and call this serendipity), I mistimed my oven roasted tomatoes. They were nearly done, but the charcoal wasn't nearly as burned down as I would have liked for the steaks. Everything was on fire and glowing (and HOT!), but the coals were still only about two inches below the rim.

Because the charcoal was still flaming, the steak was exposed directly to whisps of fire. However, because there was so little room (i.e. air) between the steak and the coals, I don't think there was ample oxygen around the steak for the fat to fully combust. Flames from charcoal and flames from fat have a very different character, and I think this contributed to the lack of flareups and the quality of the char.

[xcanuck]

I think the fact that I 1) trimmed the fat and 2) used sirloin, which has less internal fat to begin with, definetely helped matters. I, too, used jumbo hard wood charcoal.

One difference was (and call this serendipity), I mistimed my oven roasted tomatoes. They were nearly done, but the charcoal wasn't nearly as burned down as I would have liked for the steaks. Everything was on fire and glowing (and HOT!), but the coals were still only about two inches below the rim.

Because the charcoal was still flaming, the steak was exposed directly to whisps of fire. However, because there was so little room (i.e. air) between the steak and the coals, I don't think there was ample oxygen around the steak for the fat to fully combust. Flames from charcoal and flames from fat have a very different character, and I think this contributed to the lack of flareups and the quality of the char.

Ah, so no guts, no glory. I was worried about the flareups and let the coals burn down too much. So next time I'll fill 'er up and see what happens. Thanks for the clarification

A secondary point - I've often used Alton Brown's trick with strip steak where you place the meat directly on red hot coals. I wonder if this would be taking things too far in the matter of a thicker steak? I think I'll try that the next time my wife is out of town (that way, she's not forced to eat burned shoe leather in event of a failure).

[DanCole42]

A secondary point - I've often used Alton Brown's trick with strip steak where you place the meat directly on red hot coals. I wonder if this would be taking things too far in the matter of a thicker steak? I think I'll try that the next time my wife is out of town (that way, she's not forced to eat burned shoe leather in event of a failure).

I've always wanted to try that. I think there's more about it upthread. I don't see why it wouldn't work on a thicker steak...

[Jacques Gastreaux]

A secondary point - I've often used Alton Brown's trick with strip steak where you place the meat directly on red hot coals.

I've seen him do this with skirt steak (pure heresy), but not strip steak. I must have missed the strip steak episode.

[xcanuck]

I've seen him do this with skirt steak (pure heresy), but not strip steak. I must have missed the strip steak episode.

Doh! That's what I get for posting when I should be working. I stand corrected - skirt steak.

As for it being heresy...I dunno. I've done it often with great success. I get that tasty char flavour I crave and it stays incredibly juicy. I've done it the 'normal' way, too, and it's still tasty but not as appealing to me.

Why the aversion to this method?? Just curious...

[Al Dente]

Something about this chimney concept is leaving grill marks on my assless chaps. I can see doing this with something you actually want to "burn", like a roasted pepper or possibly a bra and/or draftcard, but not a strip steak. Otherwise, if one were to grill 5 or 6 steaks for dinner, what would they do? Fill the weber up to the brim with charcoal and let the flames fly? I've never seen anyone do that unless they were trying to destroy evidence, cremate the dearly departed on the cheap, or forge iron.

[Al Dente]

Also, regarding the idea of rubbing rendered beef fat all over a steak, I would think that this would just be adding fuel for flare-ups. And if this idea would really work well, there would be less need to buy nicely marbled grade A beef-- just buy any cheap-ass cut you could find, rub fat all over it, and voila!, instant marbling.

It just don't work that way.....

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Something about this chimney concept is leaving grill marks on my assless chaps. I can see doing this with something you actually want to "burn", like a roasted pepper or possibly a bra and/or draftcard, but not a strip steak. Otherwise, if one were to grill 5 or 6 steaks for dinner, what would they do? Fill the weber up to the brim with charcoal and let the flames fly? I've never seen anyone do that unless they were trying to destroy evidence, cremate the dearly departed on the cheap, or forge iron.

I saw someone like Bobby Flay on Food Network use the chimney to quickly sear the outside of a piece of tuna where he wanted the inside absolutley rare.

[mdt]

I saw someone like Bobby Flay on Food Network use the chimney to quickly sear the outside of a piece of tuna where wanted the inside absolutley rare.

Exactly. Super hot will char/crisp/cook the outside while leaving the inside barely touched. Put a thick piece of meat on and the inside will probably still be cold, unless you burn the crap out of the surface.

[Al Dente]

Exactly. Super hot will char/crisp/cook the outside while leaving the inside barely touched. Put a thick piece of meat on and the inside will probably still be cold, unless you burn the crap out of the surface.

I stand corrected. I'll amend my position: In addition to peppers, bras, and draftcards, one could use the chimney method to quickly sear a virtually fat-free piece of meat. But a strip steak? Fuhgeddaboutit.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

I stand corrected. I'll amend my position: In addition to peppers, bras, and draftcards, one could use the chimney method to quickly sear a virtually fat-free piece of meat. But a strip steak? Fuhgeddaboutit.

I could see doing a stip steak this way, but first I would carefully trim off the layer of fat to reduce as much as possible the flare up potential. A filet mignon might be better.

[Al Dente]

Landrum?!?!?!

[xcanuck]

I'm willing to put this to the test at the upcoming picnic - I was planning on bringing a small charcoal grill (with chimney) to warm up my chili anyhow. We can give the strip/filet a shot on the chimney starter. And then we can try a little of the skirt steak direct on the coals. A few rounds at the next HH could be the victors' spoils?

[tfbrennan]

I've often used Alton Brown's trick with strip steak where you place the meat directly on red hot coals.

I've seen him do this with skirt steak (pure heresy), but not strip steak. I must have missed the strip steak episode.

As Dan notes, earlier this summer were some posts re. cooking steaks directly on the coals. I have done it with strips, and as this link (Julia and dirty steaks) upthread reveals, George Germon of Al Forno used ribeyes. Germon doesn't even trim the fat, and combined with the rich marbling of the ribeye, the resulting smoke infuses the steak with great flavor, in his opinion.

[ol_ironstomach]

The temperature gauge on my Weber kettle grill gets buried when I really get it going so I'm going to assume I'm cooking my steak somewhere around 700F. I'd kill to have a grill that gets to 1700F. Where do I find one? And do I have to flameproof my house?

Per Raichlen, all you need is a fireplace, good charcoal, a small blower fan, and a Tuscan grill.

Or, if you're lazy about startup and shutdown as I am, you get one of these contraptions here built by Thermal Engineering Corp. and you keep it on your deck. But if I'm not mistaken, their patent on the ceramic infrared element expired several years ago, and infrared is now available on numerous other manufacturers' grills.

Okay, so I lied...TEC only claims 1650F for the old ceramic element. I haven't seen their new stainless-steel burner yet.

[plunk]

wasn't there a discussion over the summer about cooking steak over a chimney starter? i wonder if a cooking temp was recorded.

[brettashley01]

This may have been answered somewhere else in the topic, but does anyone know of a good, relatively inexpensive grill pan (I am considering a Calphalon 11"). I was/am a George Forman addict, but the thing doesn't cook evenly, and is too damn hard to clean! I'd love to find a great pan with raised grills so that the fat drains out, not drip down a la the GF. Any ideas? Thanks!