Any Time is Grillin Time

[Unforgiven]

I made some chicken. Had to grab a zoomed in pic due to the forum picture size restriction.

 

[olbriar]

Your chicken looks legit. My ribs turned out great but what's new about that. Chicken sounds good after a weekend of beef. I'm hungry for some bacon wrapped boneless skinless chicken thighs. I might have to do a tub of chicken livers wrapped in bacon too. Hmmm... think that's my next cook.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Four hours on the smoker at 225°. The ribs are at 155°. It'is still early so I think I'll let them go a while before I wrap them.

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Are those "Flinstone" ribs AKA Beef @olbriar? I never developed taste for them. The bones are to big.

 

[olbriar]

Are those "Flinstone" ribs AKA Beef @olbriar? I never developed taste for them. The bones are to big.

Yes Sir, beef short ribs. To me they are fun to cook and fun to eat. The meat tastes a lot like ribeye but more rib than eye The ribs aren't cheap. If you don't care for them then you are saving money. Beef ribs were cheap when I was a kid and was often the go to for stews and soups. Not so today. They leave a bit more meat on the ribs and demand a premium for them.

 

[olbriar]

Tonight I'm baking/smoking home made pizza on the smoker. I've always heard that it brings a new dimension to pizza so I'm giving it a go. Beyond smoking, nothing is special about the pie. It will be beef, pepperoni, peppers, ripe olives, and lots of cheese.

Tomorrow I'm doing a pork shoulder. I'll pull half of it for sandwiches and freeze the other half for a future deluxe burrito adventure.

I pulled the trigger on my attempt to convert my Jenn-Air four burner gas grill into a charcoal burner. I ordered a cast iron lasagna pan, 12 x 24 x 3 to place in the bottom of the grill. Only way to see if this will work is to give it try.

 

[ocnbrze]

gonna be grilling some opah i found at costco today.....never had it before.

in case you do not know what opah is (don't feel bad....i had to google it in Costco before i bought):

its a very interesting fish indeed. because it is fatty, they are saying that it tastes kind of like ahi with a swordfish consistency. it is supposed to be butter and flaky. i plan on just searing it on the grill and because it is seared, i might try adding some smoke to get additional flavor (i have not decided on this yet) it is gonna be garnished with pan seared cherry tomatoes with shallots and garlic and served with grilled asparagus.

 

[olbriar]

I changed my mind and did ribs today, These needed to get out of my freezer. One baby back and one St Louis rack. I candied the bb ribs and left the louie ribs dry. They were both pretty darn good.

 

[ocnbrze]

Candied=glazed??????

 

[Unforgiven]

Tonight I'm baking/smoking home made pizza on the smoker. I've always heard that it brings a new dimension to pizza so I'm giving it a go. Beyond smoking, nothing is special about the pie. It will be beef, pepperoni, peppers, ripe olives, and lots of cheese.

Tomorrow I'm doing a pork shoulder. I'll pull half of it for sandwiches and freeze the other half for a future deluxe burrito adventure.

I pulled the trigger on my attempt to convert my Jenn-Air four burner gas grill into a charcoal burner. I ordered a cast iron lasagna pan, 12 x 24 x 3 to place in the bottom of the grill. Only way to see if this will work is to give it try.

Holy crap, I just put one of those exact same grills in a dumpster for my parents. Great grill except they stopped making parts. It wasn't a cheap grill either. Danm thing was heavy too.

Candied=glazed??????

Looks like typical 3-2-1 in the 1 stage. Unbagged and brushed with BBQ to tighten up.

 

[olbriar]

Holy crap, I just put one of those exact same grills in a dumpster for my parents. Great grill except they stopped making parts. It wasn't a cheap grill either. Danm thing was heavy too.

Looks like typical 3-2-1 in the 1 stage. Unbagged and brushed with BBQ to tighten up.

It was a great grill and not cheap either. I've rebuilt it a number of times. It's been sitting idle since I bought the Traeger. I was down to two active burners. The other two had burned up. It started life with brass burner bars. I thought it would be far superior to the stamped metal and cast iron burners. Turns out they weren't. They got too hot and came apart. I replaced them with after market cast bars twice. The horizontal bar that runs along the back of the grill that they sat on is gone. The piezo strikers were done once again. The side burner and the infrared rotisserie cooker were the only functional parts left. I use it to store stuff and used the rotisserie a couple of years ago. Other than that, it's just a painful reminder that expensive isn't always quality. I will say this for any bbq I've owned.... they don't see a cook now and then.... I cook on them all the time. The cabinet is in great shape... looks new actually. Perhaps new life as a sear station or those rare occasions I want a steak or burger over charcoal. We'll see.

Ribs
Did the long cook without wrapping. I put the St Louis ribs on at nine and the baby backs on at ten thirty. Mopped the bb's an hour and a half before my target of 195° and pulled both racks at six. Two twenty five the entire cook with an occasional spritz of apple juice and apple cider vinegar. Both were rubbed with a fairly lively pork rub.

 

[olbriar]

I received my cast iron lasagna / charcoal bed today. It fits neatly in the bottom of the Jenn-Air. I'm hoping the cast iron will get hot and radiate heat like a Hibachi. We'll see. I also snagged a charcoal chimney and a battery driven bellows for it. While I was ordering, I bought a pair of heat resistant gloves. I'm lazin at the cabin over the holiday so it will be next week before I can do a charcoal cook. I'm actually looking forward to giving it a go.

 

[Unforgiven]

A couple of cooks from the past few days. Homemade deep dish pizza...

And last night (not grilled) chicken parm from scratch (including sauce from tomatoes from my garden)...

 

[olbriar]

Your pizzas look better than mine I'm envious of your gas range. I have a glass cook top that refuses to die. When it's done I'm definitely going back to gas. My cast iron cookware has set idle forever it seems.

 

[Unforgiven]

Your pizzas look better than mine I'm envious of your gas range. I have a glass cook top that refuses to die. When it's done I'm definitely going back to gas. My cast iron cookware has set idle forever it seems.

It's actually a hybrid. Gas range and electric oven. I love both the range and the cast iron, and I can cook in a power outage.

 

[olbriar]

The gas oven was the reason my wife wanted to move to electric years ago. That and the fact that she was caught up in the newfangled glass and the ease of cleaning. We've both been sorry ever since the purchase. I cracked the glass top when it was new using my large pressure cooker. It overlaps the large burner footprint by a couple of inches and the tech that replaced it said that was the reason it broke. So... my favorite pressure cooker has also been idle since. I don't know that the hybrid range was an option back when we bought but they bring the best of both worlds to the kitchen. My replacement range will have a gas top with a two panel grate configuration and an electric oven. I just need my glass top to have a minor hiccup and it's out of here.

 

[Unforgiven]

I cracked the glass top when it was new using my large pressure cooker. It overlaps the large burner footprint by a couple of inches and the tech that replaced it said that was the reason it broke.

My wife was able to make the homemade tomato sauce in about 15 minutes with her pressure cooker and it was delicious.

I just need my glass top to have a minor hiccup and it's out of here.

Did I mention the ease of making homemade tomato sauce in a pressure cooker?

 

[olbriar]

My wife was able to make the homemade tomato sauce in about 15 minutes with her pressure cooker and it was delicious.


Did I mention the ease of making homemade tomato sauce in a pressure cooker?

I love pressure cooking. I purchased a smaller cooker just to use with my glass top range. Flavors explode in a pressure cooker and the added high temp due to the pressure renders out the fats in meats making them incredibly tender. I still cook under pressure but on a smaller scale. Now that the kids have all left the nest, the smaller cooker works fine for most cooks for the wife and I. It's too small to do a chicken in... bummer, but it will still do chicken pieces. I always cook my beans under pressure and I far prefer a pot roast and potatoes vs oven or crock pot cook.

My mother had a pressure fryer. She was afraid to use it but often used the skillet and lid without locking them together. I've eaten pressure fried chicken and I'm here to tell you it is stellar! Super moist tender chicken with an incredible crust and not greasy. I had hoped to snag that cooker up on her passing but I guess it was tossed. I'll have to google a pressure fryer when I go back to a gas range. I know they are dangerous so they may have been discontinued.

Okay... I had to search. They are still made but nothing like what my mother had. It was a tall walled skillet with a locking lid and knocker. I guess there were just too many kitchen accidents for that to be popular. What I'm seeing are industrial pressure fryers.

 

[olbriar]

Today I put the long cook, not wrapped, on the biggest pork butt I could find. Ten hours at 225° had it at my target temp of 195° internal temp.lots of bark and perfect to pull. I grilled up a large tin of kielbasa sausage slices, a sliced onion, and a red and green bell pepper in bbq sauce. I also fixed a pan of smoked zucchini slices. I think everyone enjoyed the meal. I ate too much but man it was good. Fresh strawberries and short cakes for dessert if we ever find room for it.

 

[olbriar]

I put my Jenn-Air back online today with it's first official grill use in a decade. The conversion from gas to charcoal is still a work in progress I hate to admit. Though I was able to grill some burgers over charcoal, my heat source was insufficient. The hood temp maxed out at 350°. I had plenty of coals so I sat and contemplated the problem. A gas grill lacks the draft for coals was my conclusion. I'm thinking that creating some vents and perhaps some grill grates to raise the coals a bit off of the cast iron pan I purchased for the coal bed will put me in business. I like the distance from coals to cooking surface but it needs air. My coals did not go out... they just burned really slow. Anyway, first cook was not a failure.. but a learning experience.

Tomorrow I'm smoking some chicken breasts. They are boneless skinless so I'll rub them down with avocado oil and then toss a hot rub on them. I'll mop them with some honey, butter, and bbq sauce along the way. I may brine them first... haven't made up my mind. I have a three bean salad marinating over night to go with the chicken and a loaf of fresh Italian bread I'll warm up to complete the meal.

 

[ocnbrze]

yep controlling air would definitely help.

i just saw a video on a new kamodo ceramic grill coming out in spring next year. it is going to be a pellet fed grill. there is no vents per se except at the top, but there isn't any air control. the rep said that everything as far as heat goes will be controlled by a thermostat where the pellets are fed into. might have to save up for this.....it looks super cool. i bet it will be very expensive though.

 

[olbriar]

Pellets are a great fuel source. Not as cheap as propane but far more tastier. My next smoker will be Green Mountain Jim Bowie Prime. I'd buy it now but I haven't a buyer for my present smoker. (an older Jim Bowie) It can be bought for $899 but my man will let me know if it goes on sale.

 

[olbriar]

The actual burn chamber of the Jenn-Air is a stainless lining that is not vented. The outside of the grill is vented to prevent it from becoming hot. I drilled a series of holes though the interior lining which should let air pass through the outside and now the inside of the grill. I haven't looked for a grate to put my coals on but I think it will also aid in ventilation. I'll not try another cook until I acquire something to get the coals off the bottom of the cast casserole dish I put in the bottom of the grill. Wish me luck.

 

[olbriar]

I've had no luck in locating some sort of grill grates for my charcoal conversion. It's not really the time of year that stores stock grill parts. It's a great time to buy a grill for they are trying to dump their inventory. There is a shop up town that is dedicated to grilling where I hope to locate something when I can get up there. In the interim, I purchased a cheap wire baking basket thing that should stand up to a few cooks. It will at least give me some indication if my mod is pipe dream or something I can grill on. The basket is designed to sit on a baking sheet and boasts of producing crispier fries when baked. I placed a piece of broken brick between the basket and my cast casserole dish. It will at least allow air flow across and from underneath the coals.

 

[olbriar]

As I was mowing my cabin this weekend, I happened to remember that when I moved into the place there was an old grill there. I remember hauling it to the dump but thought I might have saved the grates. I searched underneath the old deck and sure enough, I had saved them. One large grate for the coals and two smaller heavier duty grates to cook on. I brought them home with me and they were perfect for my charcoal project. I grilled out some burgers and brats tonight and they worked well.
I would still like to see some higher temps. It maxed out at 400°. I think a larger bed of coals would get the temps up. It will take more cooks to find the sweet spot. At least it was hot enough to grill on and my coals turned to ashes after my cook.

 

[olbriar]

I smoked up a tray of shredded beef tonight for Philly steak sandwiches. Mmmmm