The Grilling Thread... (Serious)

[EpinephrineB]

if you guys havent already, check out the 'munchies' channel on youtube. matty matheson is the fuking man and completely changed my life with his perfect cheeseburger and fluffiest pancake videos (and he's funny as fuk).

[CrazyLazyDude]

Yeah 4 mins a side for medium rare is just a rule of thumb.

IMO the biggest factor in a successful rare steak is a long bench rest, around 25 to 30 minutes, before cooking.

Isn't that basically true any time you're cooking beef of any kind? If you cook beef to soon after pulling it from the fridge it shrinks and gets really tough. I usually let mine sit out for at least an hour before cooking it.

[patzyy]

Just started noobishly grilling pretty recently. Love it!

[KitchenBB]

I just recently started my own recipe website compiled of some of my favorite grilling/smoker recipes.

If you guys would like to add any of your recipes to the site, please let me know. I am looking for some more beef and chicken recipes if possible

www.simplebbqrecipes.com

[StoliFun]

I like to buy meat on sale and freeze it for a mixed grill later. From left to right: 93/7 turkey patties, HEB queso poblano chicken sausages, one pound grass fed top sirloin steak.




I had some of each. With some guacamole.




Then I had some fiber and antioxidants. Not pictured is a generous piece of seedless watermelon.




A few hours later I took a piss and it smelled awful. I thought, "Oh God, do I have a kidney infection or something?" Then I remembered I put asparagus tips on my salad. Happens every time.

[tunafishriot]

If you guys had a poverty supermarket thin cut of ribeye, what would you do to make the most of it? Would you sear it right out of the fridge and attempt a medium-rare or would you cut your losses, bench rest it, and just cook it to medium/medium-well?

[Nainoa]

If you guys had a poverty supermarket thin cut of ribeye, what would you do to make the most of it? Would you sear it right out of the fridge and attempt a medium-rare or would you cut your losses, bench rest it, and just cook it to medium/medium-well?

Depends... A "Thin Cut" ribeye is traditionally used for making steak sandwiches... Like the Philly cheese steak with peppers. This is a ribeye cut like a quarter to a half inch thick.

If you're just talking about a small ribeye that's like only an inch thick... Then I would give it a good bench rest to make sure the internal temp comes up to like 70 degrees... Salt it while it's doing this...

Then sear it on a rocket hot cast iron pan of a lump charcoal fired grill. Hard to get a true rare steak out of a thin cut... But you could get a medium rare out of it.


Really though, the best way to save money on a steak per unit is to just buy a whole primal/loin/rib loin and cut it down yourself into thick monster steaks.

Then vacuum seal and freeze for up to three months.

[tunafishriot]

Depends... A "Thin Cut" ribeye is traditionally used for making steak sandwiches... Like the Philly cheese steak with peppers. This is a ribeye cut like a quarter to a half inch thick.

If you're just talking about a small ribeye that's like only an inch thick... Then I would give it a good bench rest to make sure the internal temp comes up to like 70 degrees... Salt it while it's doing this...

Then sear it on a rocket hot cast iron pan of a lump charcoal fired grill. Hard to get a true rare steak out of a thin cut... But you could get a medium rare out of it.


Really though, the best way to save money on a steak per unit is to just buy a whole primal/loin/rib loin and cut it down yourself into thick monster steaks.

Then vacuum seal and freeze for up to three months.

Yep. Definitely talking about the half inchers. My housemates always stock up on these cuts and have me prepare them. I didn't know that they were used for sammies. Do you have any recipes or a preparation guide for that?

Also, what do you season your cast iron pans with? I bought a cheap cast iron pan on Amazon and seasoned it a few times with shortening at 450F. One time I used this pan in a 500F+ oven and the seasoning flaked off. Won't lump charcoal be way too hot and strip away the pan's seasoning? Or did just have a bad pan and bad seasoning job?

[Nainoa]

Yep. Definitely talking about the half inchers. My housemates always stock up on these cuts and have me prepare them. I didn't know that they were used for sammies. Do you have any recipes or a preparation guide for that?

Also, what do you season your cast iron pans with? I bought a cheap cast iron pan on Amazon and seasoned it a few times with shortening at 450F. One time I used this pan in a 500F+ oven and the seasoning flaked off. Won't lump charcoal be way too hot and strip away the pan's seasoning? Or did just have a bad pan and bad seasoning job?

Bacon grease in a 400 degree oven for a 30-45 minutes has always worked for me... After that I am just smart about wiping and not washing.

When it comes to half inch thin cut ribeye...

What I would do is pound them out under wet plastic wrap until they are about a quarter inch thick. You can use a smooth meat hammer or rubber mallet... In a pinch I'll just use the soft side of my fist.

Once they are pounded out, season with salt, pepper, minced garlic and smoked paprika.

Let them sit out covered 15 minutes to let the water draw the soluble proteins to the surface.

Julienne a red onion and a green pepper... No one would kick you in the nuts if you added sliced portobello mushrooms! Then shred some sharp cheddar cheese.

Get your pan ripping hot and add a little butter. When the butter is just getting done frothing, add the thin ribeyes. Sear for 2 minutes per side. Then set them under tented tinfoil.

While you are searing off the thin steaks, saute the onions, pepper and mushrooms.

Load the meat and veg into a hoagie bun, ciabatta roll or sourdough bun.

These days my wife and I have been making a lot of scratch baked sourdough... I love toasting day old slices or buns with some garlic butter for hot sandwiches.

If you're making a round bun sandwich, I would suggest cutting it in half.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to offer dill pickle spears on the side or just straight up add pickled pepperoncini into the sandwich blend. A little vinegar or acidic side will really help cut the heaviness of the fatty ingredients.

Does that make sense?

[tunafishriot]

Sounds like good eats. I've been putting it on hold, but I guess I'll start re-seasoning the ol' cast iron. This time, I'll try it with bacon grease. Definitely want to try your steak sammie recipe out with the works.

Do you and your wife use a mixer for making bread dough? I'm interested in baking, but always put it off because I don't have a mixer.

[911medic]

I hosted a small party a while back and cooked spare ribs for the first time for it. I had an excellent sauce recipe, unfortunately I burned several servings of the ribs from the grease catching fire. How do I keep that from happening? Am I supposed to boil the ribs first? I have heard conflicting reports on that, as I am told that boiling the ribs first can cause the ribs to lose flavor.

never, ever boil ribs. Anyone who says it's ok knows nothing about cooking ribs. If you must precook ribs start them off in the oven.

I never grill spare ribs, but if I was going to I'd set them up for indirect cooking where the coals were on one side and the ribs were on the other so the grease didn't drip directly on the coals.

[StoliFun]

Looks less impressive but sure...

[img]http://i.imgur.com/rte6FQI.jpg[img]

Went for a medium rare cook, from my understanding, it's really easy to over cook lamb so I took it off at 145 internal and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Good to know. I'm defrosting a boneless lamb shoulder to roast this Sunday. I'll pull it between 130 and 135.

if you guys havent already, check out the 'munchies' channel on youtube. matty matheson is the fuking man and completely changed my life with his perfect cheeseburger and fluffiest pancake videos (and he's funny as fuk).

[YOUTUBE]gZuDMKXWU_E[YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]2iWUUcW08ac[YOUTUBE]

To be fair that guy had a heart attack when he was 30.

Also, what do you season your cast iron pans with? I bought a cheap cast iron pan on Amazon and seasoned it a few times with shortening at 450F. One time I used this pan in a 500F+ oven and the seasoning flaked off. Won't lump charcoal be way too hot and strip away the pan's seasoning? Or did just have a bad pan and bad seasoning job?

I've been making cast iron pizzas and focaccias with my skillet for the past month. Both recipes require a tablespoon or so of olive oil in the pan. And the pan is slick as ever now. I'd probably go with high quality pork fat though.

[tunafishriot]

I've been making cast iron pizzas and focaccias with my skillet for the past month. Both recipes require a tablespoon or so of olive oil in the pan. And the pan is slick as ever now. I'd probably go with high quality pork fat though.

Hnnnng... Cast-iron pizza is on my to-do list for sure.

Where did you guys get your cast-iron skillets and are they good quality? I have a poverty one that I bought from Amazon and I made the mistake of using it stock. It is very rough by default...

I'm gonna take some of the suggestions I've been reading in the reviews and sand down my skillet before seasoning it. I've seen some of the user photos and their skillets have a very nice glass sheen to them.

[Nainoa]

Sounds like good eats. I've been putting it on hold, but I guess I'll start re-seasoning the ol' cast iron. This time, I'll try it with bacon grease. Definitely want to try your steak sammie recipe out with the works.

Do you and your wife use a mixer for making bread dough? I'm interested in baking, but always put it off because I don't have a mixer.

The only time I use a mixer for making bread is if I'm going to be making a ton of batches and usually not for something I'm going to put my name on. Like I made 10 loaves for my in-laws gathering... Or when my mom wanted to sell fresh bread at her church's bake sale.

If I'm making say 5 loaves or less... Usually I'm only making two.

Then I ALWAYS make it by hand, kneading on a wooden cutting board.

I have a bread baking book coming out in a little while that looks at the science of gluten formation and kneading. While you can indeed get decent gluten formation from a mixer with a dough hook you simply can't get maximum gluten formation for the perfect rise.

A lot of it has to do with when the salt is added, but the kneading technique you use is also important.

Without going into it deep...

Cliffs
-Bloom yeast in warm water with a little sugar, for 5 minutes

-Mix up your flour and water. If the recipe you want to use calls for oil, reserve it at first.
-Stir water and flour together and let it sit for 5 minutes to hydrate the flour
(Stir in optional oil... But note oil will always reduce gluten formation and will lead to early relax)

-Lay the mass of dough out on a lightly floured WOOD surface.

-Manipulate it into a vaguely rectangular shape

-Sprinkle a small amount of salt on the east side of the rectangle.
-Fold the west side over top... press to integrate, this will give you a bit of a north-south rectangle shape.

-Sprinkle a little salt on the south side of the rectangle.
-Fold the north over top and press to combine.

-Repeat these steps until all of the salt is integrated.

-By this point the dough should resist folding easily so you can knead like usual without pressing.

-Check gluten formation using the "Dough Window" method.

-Proof until it has doubled in volume.

-For your desired loaf or buns and lightly wet the top... Make slits to allow for easier expansion.

-Allow a secondary rise for about 30 minutes.

*Don't go too long here or the gluten could start to relax... The wetter and oilier a dough is the sooner the gluten will relax. Also don't manipulate the loaves or pans as they rise as they will be prone to collapsing easier than you think.

-Steam is also key... I like to put a half sheet pan with 2 cups of water under my loaf pans when I bake.

-Bake at 400 until the internal temp of the loaf reaches 200 degrees... As they bake the water in the pan will steam and allow the bread to plump a little bit before setting a nice brown crust.

[Nainoa]

I'm going to smoke a chicken with the last of the rosemary wood for supper tonight!

[KitchenBB]

spit roasting a lamb tomorrow, just finished preparing the lamb!

[Gsxr25]

I like to buy meat on sale and freeze it for a mixed grill later. From left to right: 93/7 turkey patties, HEB queso poblano chicken sausages, one pound grass fed top sirloin steak.




I had some of each. With some guacamole.




Then I had some fiber and antioxidants. Not pictured is a generous piece of seedless watermelon.




A few hours later I took a piss and it smelled awful. I thought, "Oh God, do I have a kidney infection or something?" Then I remembered I put asparagus tips on my salad. Happens every time.

Hell yes Ralph's always has great sale prices on meat. I grill out probably 2-3 time a week so just go grab meat daily to grill out. brb steaks for $3-4, brb hamburger meat for $2, brb brats for $2, etc.

[cmc0108]

if you guys havent already, check out the 'munchies' channel on youtube. matty matheson is the fuking man and completely changed my life with his perfect cheeseburger and fluffiest pancake videos (and he's funny as fuk).

I love this guy...he cracks me up.

"A dull knife means you're a fuking loser"

[tunafishriot]

bread

Awesome. I think I'll get my hands dirty this week and practice making bread. I'll keep your list of guidelines at hand.

You mentioned a baking book... Did you ever release your main cooking book? It's been a long time since I've visited this thread.

[Nainoa]

Awesome. I think I'll get my hands dirty this week and practice making bread. I'll keep your list of guidelines at hand.

You mentioned a baking book... Did you ever release your main cooking book? It's been a long time since I've visited this thread.

I got behind financially and had to pick up some freelance writing contracts that pay up front.

I'm just not getting back to writing things for myself, while working freelance contracts on the side. I've got a series of gardening and chicken keeping books on the way over the next month followed by a hamburger ebook...

Right now the rough draft of my grilling guide is 90%, I just have to finish the seafood chapter and I can start proof reading it.

Just never enough hours in the day!

[StoliFun]

I roasted my tied up boneless leg of lamb, seasoned inside and out, at 250 until the internal temp hit 135, first mistake. I took it out and rested it for about 25 minutes while I heated the oven up to 550 to brown the exterior. The end result was a couple inches deep of gray and some pink in the middle of the thickest part of the roast.

My first mistake was pulling it at 135. It carried over to 140 while resting. This would have been more acceptable if not for mistake number two - not letting it rest longer before searing it in the 550 degree oven. When I put it back in too early, the whole thing just kept cooking. If I'd pulled it at 130 and then let it rest for at least 40 minutes before searing the outside, it would have been much pinker throughout. But I rushed because I was hungry and it smelled way too good.

It was delicious, still. And most importantly my five year old cousin ate it without complaint, so now we know she's good with lamb. Why don't more Americans eat lamb? Nainoa?

[tunafishriot]

I got behind financially and had to pick up some freelance writing contracts that pay up front.

I'm just not getting back to writing things for myself, while working freelance contracts on the side. I've got a series of gardening and chicken keeping books on the way over the next month followed by a hamburger ebook...

Right now the rough draft of my grilling guide is 90%, I just have to finish the seafood chapter and I can start proof reading it.

Just never enough hours in the day!

That's a whole lotta writing. I'm looking forward to those books.

On another note, I spent the day sanding my cast-iron skillet. I had to do it by hand since I don't have a sander. I used sandpaper from 40 grit, all the way to 400 grit. It feels much smoother than the stock "pre-seasoning" it came with, but I have no idea what it is suppose to look and feel like in its optimal state. It ended up being mostly gray.

I gave it a good wash, dried it up, took some folded paper towel dabbed with a little bit of bacon fat, and gave it a good wipe around. I used some of the dry side of the paper towel to absorb any excess fat. After baking it at 400 for an hour, I took it out and the gray had turned into some golden-brown color. I read that it is normal when using certain oils or fats for the seasoning process... I sure hope I'm on the right track. I'm gonna do one more round of seasoning tomorrow and test the sucker out with some bacon and fried eggs.

[Nainoa]

That's a whole lotta writing. I'm looking forward to those books.

On another note, I spent the day sanding my cast-iron skillet. I had to do it by hand since I don't have a sander. I used sandpaper from 40 grit, all the way to 400 grit. It feels much smoother than the stock "pre-seasoning" it came with, but I have no idea what it is suppose to look and feel like in its optimal state. It ended up being mostly gray.

I gave it a good wash, dried it up, took some folded paper towel dabbed with a little bit of bacon fat, and gave it a good wipe around. I used some of the dry side of the paper towel to absorb any excess fat. After baking it at 400 for an hour, I took it out and the gray had turned into some golden-brown color. I read that it is normal when using certain oils or fats for the seasoning process... I sure hope I'm on the right track. I'm gonna do one more round of seasoning tomorrow and test the sucker out with some bacon and fried eggs.

Yeah when you sand it down to the bare metal again it's going to take a while to build it to a shiny gun metal black.

It's just a convenient excuse to do a lot of frying!

[DannyLB]

I roasted my tied up boneless leg of lamb, seasoned inside and out, at 250 until the internal temp hit 135, first mistake. I took it out and rested it for about 25 minutes while I heated the oven up to 550 to brown the exterior. The end result was a couple inches deep of gray and some pink in the middle of the thickest part of the roast.

My first mistake was pulling it at 135. It carried over to 140 while resting. This would have been more acceptable if not for mistake number two - not letting it rest longer before searing it in the 550 degree oven. When I put it back in too early, the whole thing just kept cooking. If I'd pulled it at 130 and then let it rest for at least 40 minutes before searing the outside, it would have been much pinker throughout. But I rushed because I was hungry and it smelled way too good.

It was delicious, still. And most importantly my five year old cousin ate it without complaint, so now we know she's good with lamb. Why don't more Americans eat lamb? Nainoa?

What was the final internal temp?

I am going to slow cook some beef ribs this upcoming weekend. Had to order a grill expander for my kamado joe because I already know my rib rack won't work with the amount of thickness beef ribs have. But man, I am so excited to get this going, first time doing beef ribs for me. Hopefully my butcher has some, otherwise I might have to order online, havent seen beef ribs at any grocery store around me yet.

[Nainoa]

Well here's a testimonial for using propane smokers...

There's a high fire danger up here ATM... Yesterday while I was smoking chicken thighs and salmon in my propane smoker, I guess someone a few miles away had an ember get away from his charcoal grill and caused a 4 alarm fire.


I hate to say it, since I'm such a big charcoal fan... but I might just stick to propane for a couple of weeks.

[RockyIV]

My gas grill has finally died and I"m not replacing it.

I have a weber kettle grill that I like but it's seen better days so I was thinking about replacing it with another kettle grill with the table thing.

I would like to get a dedicated smoker like the weber smokey.

Anyone have any recommendations on smokers?

I already smoke pork ribs on my kettle grill and they turn out great. I'd like to start smoking Boston Butts and maybe a brisket.

I live in Memphis so we take this stuff really seriously.

http://www.weber.com/grills/series/p...mer-premium-22

and

http://www.weber.com/grills/series/s.../smc-smoker-18

[StoliFun]

What was the final internal temp?

I took the probe out before searing it, but it had to be at 145 or higher.

[tunafishriot]

Yeah when you sand it down to the bare metal again it's going to take a while to build it to a shiny gun metal black.

It's just a convenient excuse to do a lot of frying!

Yessss... I think it's time for some fried chicken, chicken schnitzel, and country fried steak. That should be good for the skillet. GF is gonna be eating happy.

[ctownballer04]

Steak #3, worse than steak #1, better than steak #2.

Streak #4 coming tomorrow or Wednesday. Gonna try 3 minutes each side on the dot.

[Nainoa]

Yessss... I think it's time for some fried chicken, chicken schnitzel, and country fried steak. That should be good for the skillet. GF is gonna be eating happy.

I've really been enjoying chicken parm these days.

I just buy skin on breasts, debone and remove the skin myself (Toss in the stock bag in the freezer)

Then I bread it with flour... Egg wash and a dredge of panko with minced garlic and parm that I shread and fine chop off the block.

My chickens keep me in eggs CONSTANTLY, so I'll make a fresh pasta, usually just cut into fettuccine...

Then I pan fry the chicken fillets in a mix of olive oil and safflower oil that I hold at 375.

For a sauce I keep it really simple... Bless some olive oil with garlic... Sweat some onion... sear a table spoon of petite diced tomato... Add the petite diced... Stir to combine and hit with herbs.

I don't smother the chicken fillets at all... Personally I want the crispy crust. So right at the end I top them with finely shredded mozzarella just to let it melt and I serve it on the side.

Any leftover chicken fillets I then reheat in the oven the next day and mount into a sandwich.