Grill It
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I was talking about gas vs. straight plain charcoal. Of course if you were to use flavored charcoal or wood, you will get a nice flavor that you won't achieve in cooking over gas.
Here are the pics of my first cook on the Performer. Did a Tri-Tip. It's been a while since I have used a charcoal grill, but things went good. Fired up the charcaol trays full of RO lump. The gas start is awsome. Next time I'll have to not use the trays or pack the lump tighter. I almost let the fire go out when I thought I had my temps steady. Went inside to start getting ready for work (night shift this month) , took a shower got dressed, and when I came down my temps were rapidly falling off. Did some shuffleing of the coals and things were good to go. At 140 internal, I did the reverse sear for about 2 minutes per side. Took it in and loosely foiled for 10 minutes. Although it was tender and juicy, it was a little over cooked. I should have started the sear at a lower temp. Also, the carry over temps took it beyond 160. oh well. I'll know better next time. can't wait to fire it up again.
Picasa Web Albums - Steve - First Tri-Tip
Picasa Web Albums - Steve - First Tri-Tip
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I have a Weber Performer as well. I love it. I had gas grills for a VERY long time. Had almost forgotten what cooking over charcoal tasted like. It's so much better, I gave my gas grill away. 
I thought I had gotten away from charcoal because gas was easier. But to be honest, that little propane igniter on the Performer makes charcoal grilling a snap. I don't think there's any difference at all in terms of cleanup. And the food tastes so much better I can hardly believe it.
I thought I had gotten away from charcoal because gas was easier. But to be honest, that little propane igniter on the Performer makes charcoal grilling a snap. I don't think there's any difference at all in terms of cleanup. And the food tastes so much better I can hardly believe it.
What type of propane cylinder does that Weber Performer use for the gas startup? I use a disposable 14.1- or 16.4 oz. LP cylinders for my Weber Q when I go on tailgates, camping or vacation. I generally keep a few on hand and I may consider adding the Performer to my arsenal if it's the same type.
Tomorrow night my Performer will get a workout. We are doing "Argentinian Night". Flank steak, pork loin, grilled provolone, whole grilled red pepper, whole grilled onions, several grilled vegetables and of course...chimichirri.
Sounds awsome. Take some pics please. Mine will be idle this week end. I have guard duty, and once again, Arkansas will be getting some Love from the left overs of another hurricane.
May I suggest the Weber Genesis with a side-burner. Some people claim they woudn't use a side burner, but I've used it countless amounts of times. It saves me from running in/out of the house. Definately worth the extra premium IMO.
For instance, I can boil pierogies outside while grilling the kielbasi. When the pierogies are done, I heat up a saute pan with butter and caramelize some onions, then throw the pierogies into the pan to crisp them up with the butter/onion mixture. Everything is done outside.
ABSOLUTELY. I went thru a few Char-Broils and a Sunbeam before I saw the light. Weber gas grill. Of course, I hardly use it anymore, I mostly use the Weber smoker now.
That's the one I'm looking at. I have a side burner on my crappy grill now. It gets plenty of use. In fact I just used it to cook some pan fried garlic shrimp.
Grill: Weber Smokey Mountain as a Charcoal Grill
Food: Seasoned whole wings sauced with Louisiana Lickers and grilled over indirect-medium charcoal heat.
Backround: I've never used my smoker as a charcoal grill, but I was bored and had some time to spare yesterday night, so I figured I'd try an alternative method from grilling on my gas grill.
Prep: I put the whole wings in a large mixing bowl, doused with Olive Oil, fresh ground salt and pepper and BBQ 3000 seasoning from Penzey's Spices. Let sit for apx 20-30 minutes to let seasonings work in, then cover with Quaker Steak & Lube's Louisiana Licker's Sauce.
Cook: Prepared the bottom of the WSM bowl with lit coals, kept stacked on one side. Moved one of the cook grates from the WSM and put over coals. (To grill on the WSM, you basically just remove the middle section.) Once the grill was hot, I placed the wings directly over the heat and seared for a few minutes on each side. Then, I transferred them to the side where no coals were below. I closed the lid, with all dampers open, and cooked over indirect medium-low heat for the remaining cook. Apx. 20-30 minutes total.
Result: These were quite possibly the best wings I've cooked so far. The flavor was a prefect balance of dry seasoning with the sauce glazed over the exterior and a hint of smokiness from the coals. Perfectly moist on the inside. I served with ranch and celery.
Pictures: Attached below.
Food: Seasoned whole wings sauced with Louisiana Lickers and grilled over indirect-medium charcoal heat.
Backround: I've never used my smoker as a charcoal grill, but I was bored and had some time to spare yesterday night, so I figured I'd try an alternative method from grilling on my gas grill.
Prep: I put the whole wings in a large mixing bowl, doused with Olive Oil, fresh ground salt and pepper and BBQ 3000 seasoning from Penzey's Spices. Let sit for apx 20-30 minutes to let seasonings work in, then cover with Quaker Steak & Lube's Louisiana Licker's Sauce.
Cook: Prepared the bottom of the WSM bowl with lit coals, kept stacked on one side. Moved one of the cook grates from the WSM and put over coals. (To grill on the WSM, you basically just remove the middle section.) Once the grill was hot, I placed the wings directly over the heat and seared for a few minutes on each side. Then, I transferred them to the side where no coals were below. I closed the lid, with all dampers open, and cooked over indirect medium-low heat for the remaining cook. Apx. 20-30 minutes total.
Result: These were quite possibly the best wings I've cooked so far. The flavor was a prefect balance of dry seasoning with the sauce glazed over the exterior and a hint of smokiness from the coals. Perfectly moist on the inside. I served with ranch and celery.
Pictures: Attached below.
Attachments
I have three outdoor methods. My "primary" gas grille is a simple Kenmore I've had for about 5 years. At this point the main burner needs to be replaced so I might just get a whole new grille, stainless steel this time. This particular model has a "split U" burner that gives front and back control vs. left and right. I don't like that arrangement at all! It has the side burner that I use occasionally, like for steaming seafood or sauteing mushrooms/onions in butter, and with the rotisserie I can "spit a mean chicken"...! I use orange juice and butter to baste it, inside and out.
My original grille is still my favorite - a simple 55 gal. drum cut longwise lying horizontally in a stand with a grille over top. It was designed to burn charcoal, which we did only once. The whole 20 lb. bag went "up in smoke" in about 30 minutes! From that point on we burn exclusively hardwoods in it, which we have in ready abundance since I live in the woods. It's much more hassle to light of course and you need to let the fire settle down to coals, which is at least 30 minutes before you can cook on it. But from that point on, you can't beat it for efficiency and flavor! You control the heat by raking the coals to one side then move the food on or off the fire as needed. Can't beat a 1" thick strip steak cooked on there with some steamed king crab legs and grilled corn on the cob! I once hosted a party of work folks including a couple of fellows from Japan. We covered that grille (~24" x 40") with about 20 strips. Our Japanese compadres completely flipped out and got their cameras to take some photos to show their friends at home. Turns out that in Japan that would have been about $500 worth of meat!
The grille I'm using most this time of year - for tailgates - is my Coleman RoadTrip LXE, and I've come to really like that little fellow a lot! I have a complete set of cast iron/porcelain grilles, aluminum/teflon griddles, and pot rings. You use two, and mix and match for the current meal. I have never used the green 16 oz. propane bottles with it. From the getgo I've had a hose/adapter to allow me to use a regular 20 lb tank instead. Much more cost effective and "recyclable", tho' a good bit less portable.
Favorite foods on the RoadTrip include:
- Hot sausage sandwiches - grille the sweet sausage and saute the peppers/onions/mushrooms on the griddle then brown the rolls. The "hot" comes from your choice of peppers, not the sausage!
- Steak/chicken fajitas, using a combination of grille/griddle for the marinaded meat and veggies. Toast the tortillas slightly then load them up. Don't forget the sour cream and guacamole!
- Surf 'n' Turf, the aforementioned strips coated with butter and cracked peppercorn on a grille and a bevvy of seafood steamed in a pot on a burner ring. Don't forget the drawn butter!
- "Gourmet" burgers - mix lean ground beef and a bit of ground pork with Lipton onion soup mix and some egg and breadcrumbs to a tacky consistency. Form 2 thin patties, put cheese of your choice between and "seal" the patties all around to trap the cheese inside. Start them on the griddle to sear the meat, then onto the grille for direct flame to finish them. Toast the rolls on the griddle, serve with onion, tomato, mushrooms, lettuce, and "Gourmayo" of choice - I prefer the wasabi or sundried tomato flavors...
Tailgating again tomorrow but not sure what we'll have yet...
Mmmm.....cooking over flames.....!
My original grille is still my favorite - a simple 55 gal. drum cut longwise lying horizontally in a stand with a grille over top. It was designed to burn charcoal, which we did only once. The whole 20 lb. bag went "up in smoke" in about 30 minutes! From that point on we burn exclusively hardwoods in it, which we have in ready abundance since I live in the woods. It's much more hassle to light of course and you need to let the fire settle down to coals, which is at least 30 minutes before you can cook on it. But from that point on, you can't beat it for efficiency and flavor! You control the heat by raking the coals to one side then move the food on or off the fire as needed. Can't beat a 1" thick strip steak cooked on there with some steamed king crab legs and grilled corn on the cob! I once hosted a party of work folks including a couple of fellows from Japan. We covered that grille (~24" x 40") with about 20 strips. Our Japanese compadres completely flipped out and got their cameras to take some photos to show their friends at home. Turns out that in Japan that would have been about $500 worth of meat!
The grille I'm using most this time of year - for tailgates - is my Coleman RoadTrip LXE, and I've come to really like that little fellow a lot! I have a complete set of cast iron/porcelain grilles, aluminum/teflon griddles, and pot rings. You use two, and mix and match for the current meal. I have never used the green 16 oz. propane bottles with it. From the getgo I've had a hose/adapter to allow me to use a regular 20 lb tank instead. Much more cost effective and "recyclable", tho' a good bit less portable.
Favorite foods on the RoadTrip include:
- Hot sausage sandwiches - grille the sweet sausage and saute the peppers/onions/mushrooms on the griddle then brown the rolls. The "hot" comes from your choice of peppers, not the sausage!
- Steak/chicken fajitas, using a combination of grille/griddle for the marinaded meat and veggies. Toast the tortillas slightly then load them up. Don't forget the sour cream and guacamole!
- Surf 'n' Turf, the aforementioned strips coated with butter and cracked peppercorn on a grille and a bevvy of seafood steamed in a pot on a burner ring. Don't forget the drawn butter!
- "Gourmet" burgers - mix lean ground beef and a bit of ground pork with Lipton onion soup mix and some egg and breadcrumbs to a tacky consistency. Form 2 thin patties, put cheese of your choice between and "seal" the patties all around to trap the cheese inside. Start them on the griddle to sear the meat, then onto the grille for direct flame to finish them. Toast the rolls on the griddle, serve with onion, tomato, mushrooms, lettuce, and "Gourmayo" of choice - I prefer the wasabi or sundried tomato flavors...
Tailgating again tomorrow but not sure what we'll have yet...
Mmmm.....cooking over flames.....!
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Awsome looking wings. I grilled a couple of Ribeyes like that a while back. Turned out great. That's what sparked the idea of getting rid of that POC gasser I had, ang go all charcoal. Love the name of that sauce.
Woah! I heard about the new WSM's coming out, but I didn't know Weber was going to come out with a new Kettle too! The 27"er with the lid holder and thermometer looks awesome! Please let us know when this thing is available to purchase....
