Grill Maestro

This morning I took a trip to Home Depot to pick up the Brinkmann Smoke n’ Grill, courtesy of MS&L, and saw that Home Depot’s grilling and BBQ has been significantly expanded from the last time I’d been there and it’s barely Spring-time. In the past they only had about a dozen grills lined up next to the riding mowers and nothing significant in the way of accessories. They always had a few scrubs, some grill covers, and maybe a handful of grates - but this time they had an entire side of an aisle dedicated to accessories from your standard lighter fuel to wood chunks & chips and even spare grill parts like burners and grates.

They also added a lot of tailgating grills, smokers (including electrically powered ones… which seemed to defy one’s expectations) and other grill types. I was pretty happy to see Home Depot start carrying some more stuff because there aren’t any grilling focused supply shops in my area. I picked up a bag of hickory wood chunks and bag of mesquite wood chunks as well, having been advised that chunks work better than chips (we’ll see), for this weekend (if the weather improves). While the prices of the wood chunks weren’t that great, it’s certainly cheaper than ordering online and paying for shipping.

Overall, I’m glad to see that somewhere local is carrying these things so I can go pick them up rather than buying pounds and stockpiling them somewhere in my small townhouse.

When it comes to grilling and wood, the rule of thumb is to soak the wood in water for thirty minutes to an hour. Whether it’s wood chips and chunks for the smoker or cedar planks for when you want to grill up some fish, you should always soak it for more than thirty minutes and it’s best if you do it for an hour. Anything shorter and the wood doesn’t retain enough water. Any longer and you’re really just wasting your time, you pretty much get as much water as you’re going to get after an hour.

The idea, in both cases, is that you want the wood to smolder and not actually burn too quickly. With the added moisture, the wood will begin smoldering but not catch fire. Burning is actually the worst thing that could happen because it consumes the wood too quickly for the smoke to work its magic as effectively as it can.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Home Depot’s PR firm about their new line of grill products and was offered the Brinkman Smoke N’ Grill to try out. So, this weekend I will be firing up the little guy on some beef ribs and pork tenderloin and letting you all know what I think.

My first gut feeling is that it has a good 377 square inches of cooking surface and can support 50 lb. of meat, which seems like an ample amount of room and a solid amount of weight. The price, under $40, also agrees with me as I felt like I overpaid for the Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker at close to two hundred bucks (it has two grates with approximately 270 sq. inches of cooking surface). Another nice feature is that the picture shows that the smoker has a thermometer on the front, definitely an excellent feature sorely missing from the Weber. We’ll see how it performs this weekend.

Some stats about the Brinkmann Smoke N’ Grill, Model 810-5302-S:
Combination charcoal smoker & grill with heat indicator and front hinged chrome door. The smoker has a high-gloss black finish with rugged construction for durability and easy cleaning. The two plated-wire cooking grates allow for turkeys, hams and roasts. Able to hold up to 50 lbs. of meat on a total of 377 square inches of cooking area. The porcelain coated charcoal pan holds up to 10 lbs. of charcoal for longer cooking times.

• Heavy-gauge Cold Rolled Steel Will Not Warp Out of Shape
• Fully Rolled Edges On Body Adds Structural Strength
• Two Chrome-plated Steel Cooking Grids
• Porcelain Coated Steel Charcoal and Water Pan
• MFG Brand Name : Brinkmann
• MFG Model # : 810-5302-S
• MFG Part # : 810-5302-S

I’m not a huge bacon lover but I am a bacon lover, which doesn’t really help my diet but certainly helps me enjoy life! That being said, I found this rather helpful article on startcooking.com that lists fifty ways to use bacon. There are some very clever uses and some very standard everyday uses, I plan to take advantage of a few of them in the near future (not #49 though).

A little while back I wrote about how Leslie Haywood, inventor of Grill Charms, was going to send me a package of Grill Charms to try out. Well, she got them to me within days but it wasn’t until recently that the weather cooperated and we grilled up some steaks this past weekend that turned out great. I would share with you some pictures but, alas, I’m a fool once again for not thinking to take them. I always do this because I don’t grill with the intent of reviewing, I grill with the intent on eating and then I realize I should’ve taken pictures! Argh!

So I had mentioned that I was concerned about piercing steaks with anything as they’re cooking because it releases the juices and dries out the steak. So, to minimize the potential of this I did two things with the two steaks we grilled. On one steak, I pierced a section of fat to see if the grill charms would hold there as it cooked. I figured that I wouldn’t be eating the fat section anyway (using the fat to flavor the meat around it) and it would be a good test of the grill charm’s ability to hold on. On another piece, I pierced meat but picked a section that had more marbling and was near the edge. There, I figured if I lost juice, it was a “juicier” piece anyway so it would be okay.

The end result was that both steaks turned out beautifully. The grill charms didn’t have an appreciable effect on the cooking process. So if you had reservations about these things because of how it would affect the food, don’t. Just ignore the pictures on the grill Charms site (they pierce in the middle) and use them as I have and you won’t have any problems.

I think that Grill Charms are a fun and entertaining idea though you probably won’t be using it on a daily basis unless you have a large family; however, if you have a grill maestro in the family who has everything, grill charms might be a fun little bonus for them to have.

My good friend Scott, one of the masterminds behind the Ghent Bar Tour, which, through their charitable efforts, recently reached $50,000 in total donations to the Make A Wish Foundation; sent me a package of cedar grilling planks as a wedding gift. That’s a true friend right there. While I haven’t had the opportunity to use them yet, I have done some reading so I don’t ruin such a thoughtful and perfect wedding gift.

The idea behind cedar planks is that the plank acts much like a normal frying pan, except the wood should smolder and smoke as you cook. That smoldering and smoking will impart a wonderful woodsy flavor into whatever your cooking, so you’ll want to us something that’s light in flavor. Since the smoking time will be brief, not a three or four (or seven) hour ordeal as in a smoker, a strong flavored meat or fish will not get enough smoke flavor.

The number one tip for using a cedar plank when you’re grilling is to make sure you soak the planks for at least an hour before cooking. If you don’t, the heat from the grill will basically burn up your plank. The water lets the heat work on evaporating the water first, which will impart more flavor on the food you’re grilling, and protects the wood more. The longer you soak it the better but one hour is usually sufficient.

Number two - keep a spray bottle or some other water source (but not a hose!) handy. The plank may catch fire as you’re cooking, it is wood after all, so you’ll want to keep water handy to put out the fire and add more water. Smoldering is good, flames are not.

Number three - like with a pan, you’ll also want to spray down the board with some Pam or brush it with like an olive oil. That’s just to keep your food from sticking, you’ll never flip it (you’re cooking it as you wood in an over, indirect heat).

There you go!

I’ve mentioned the Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle before, about how I wanted to go the last few years, but never had a chance to make it down I-95 to see it in person because of scheduling conflicts. Well, this year will be different! I decided a few days ago, after reading up about this year’s contest, the 16th, that I would be making it down this year and wouldn’t you know it, their publicity manager sent me an email inviting me to come down and offering up some passes! I would’ve gone even without the passes, considering the price of a ticket is only ten bucks and proceeds benefit the DC Boys and Girls’ Clubs and other local charities, but now with free passes on the way I have to attend!

Here is what Roberta had to share about this year’s contest, and it sounds very exciting!

The 16th annual National Capital Barbecue Battle, held June 21st and 22nd in the heart of Washington, DC. This internationally acclaimed event is one of the world’s largest BBQ contests, and draws more than 100,000 people from all over the world (including many Virginia and Maryland suburbs) to welcome summer on Pennsylvania Avenue, and enjoy world-class BBQ, music, food, celebrity chefs, interactive exhibits, and kids’ activities.

For the first time ever, the nation’s two largest competition barbecue organizations-The Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) and the Memphis in May world barbecue contest (MIM)- will pit teams against each other to vie for the title of National Barbecue Champion and over $40,000 in cash and prizes. Our headliners this year are Leon Russell and Roy Ayers. We are very proud of the fact that the Battle is also the largest annual fundraiser for the DC Boys and Girls’ Clubs, and has raised over a million dollars for them and other local charities.

If you’re going to be there, give me a shout and we might meet up! I can smell the sweet smells of barbecue already!

It always pains me to see someone flip a steak with a fork when they could just as easily use tongs. You never want to pierce a piece of meet on the grill because it gives the meat’s juices the opportunity to escape! That leaves a piece of meat that’s less juicy and less tender than had you not stabbed it with a fork (logically).

So, if you have an aspiring grill maestro in the house and are wondering what to get them? Put tongs on the list if they aren’t there already. My personal favorites are the Char-Broil Ultimate Tongs because you get the tongs and spatula in one (plus one side is plastic so you can use it in a pan if you are that versatile).

If you’re a fan of oysters and a fan of steak, here’s a clever little idea you probably hadn’t thought of: The Carpetbagger Steak. The concept is quite simple and hails from Australia (it’s genealogy is in dispute I guess), simply slice a pocket into your steak, stuff it with oysters, then close with a toothpick and grill to desired doneness. The toothpick is there to prevent the oysters from trying to escape!

I have yet to try it but I’m an adventurous guy so perhaps it’ll make an appearance the next time I fire up the grill. I’ll have to take Neil’s advice and put a little Worcestershire on the oysters, we’ll see how it goes!

Here’s this week’s safety tip - never ever ever ever grill indoors.

First of all, there is probably only one reason why you even considered grilling indoors - it’s cold outside. It’s never too cold to grill but if it’s too cold for you to grill, perhaps you should consider doing something else!

Now since there’s no good reason to grill indoors, let’s talk about all the horrible things that could happen if you did.

• Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide: Anytime something burns, especially charcoal, it gives off carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Both are odorless, so you won’t even know you’re breathing it! If you are indoors, the gases will collect until you pass out. If you pass out beside a grill, you’re going to cause some serious bodily harm to both yourself and anyone around you.
• Risk of flames catching: If there’s a particularly large flame and it happens to lick something close-by, such as a curtain or your awning, and it catches… oh baby are you in big trouble. This is less of a risk compared to the gases but still a concern if you’ve jiggered up some contraption to blow the smoke outside.

Ultimately, there’s no good reason to grill indoors and I’ve just given you two bad things that could happen, so please never grill indoors.