The trick is to smoke the meat and not make the meat smoke
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2007 Blog Archive

Here is the ARCHIVE OF BLOGS for this year with links to all of the entries listed chronologically.
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Looking Back, Looking Ahead ‘07

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Well another year has ended and I will repeat something I did last year, Since I am known to be wordy It won’t be Top 10 lists, but Top 5 lists. Once again I’ll discuss the Top 5 Cooks, the Top 5 Things I’ve Learned, The Top 5 Mistakes Made and my 5 Goals for the New Year. This is a great way for me to assess where I am, where I want to be and see how I’m doing in that quest. Plus I get to remember some great food shared with friends and family. Read More...
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WInter Grilling Season

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If your grill looks like the picture above: Buried in the snow all winter, that is a shame. I’ve written before and I’m going to do it again here now: Grilling Season doesn’t have to end when the weather turns cold. I’m going to write a little bit about winter Grilling with the perspective of having done it regularly the last 4 seasons. There a few people who regularly read my blog. If I go a while between posts they will send an email either asking if everything is all right or if I have been goofing off and not grilling, or sometimes both. I just got one of those emails at Christmas. Read More...
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In-Flight Refueling

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Sometimes you learn a better way to do things. In my 2006 blog entry THE MINION METHOD - PART II described how I handled my charcoal swaps on long smokes where I need to add more charcoal. I have since come around to a new, safer way of thinking I’ll pass along here.
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FoodSaver

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Thanksgiving leftovers reminded me that I have been meaning to write about an appliance that I feel is essential to enjoying BBQ: the FoodSaver. The FoodSaver is a vacuum sealing device that does several great things. First: It allows you to extend the storage times of your leftovers significantly. Secondly: The reheated leftovers often taste almost as good as the first serving. Third: Items One and Two give you new approaches to your BBQ. It makes sense to take advantage of extra grill or smoker space to make extra food. Fourth: Less waste as once you open something you are able to reseal it and keep it around longer. There are all sorts of creative uses for the FoodSaver, I’m sure you would come up with many more. At the end of this entry I will describe more uses. If you are a “Cut to the chase person” you can skip the procedures portion of this blog. Go read the last part “ADVANTAGES” first, to see why you might want a FoodSaver. Read More...
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A Brine Time Was Had By All

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For the last few years I have been making a smoked turkey recipe from Steven Raichlen that was moistened via an injector sauce. I’d heard about brining, but I figured nothing could be moister than the recipe I had been doing. What changed my mind was when Steven Raichlen did a recipe on his show called The Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey. It was a brined and smoked turkey. This got my attention. Now I wonder why in the world I waited so long, as this years Thanksgiving turkey was the best any of us have ever tried. Read More...
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The iPhone - BBQ Buddy

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You probably think I have lost it. What does a phone have to do with enjoying BBQ??? Well in the case of the iPhone: Quite a bit as I shall try to explain. While the iPhone is uniquely suited to doing some of these things, lots of them can be done with other smartphone type cellphones. Read More...
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Grill Camp ’07 - Wrap up

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This entry will sum up my third and best Grill Camp yet. It was both the most ambitious and the most successful. Out of the 9 days I was off I grilled or smoked 8 of those days. I made 14 meals on those 8 days. You know it’s a good day around here when I go out back and both the grill and the smoker are in use, filling the backyard with wonderful odors of grilled or smoked food. If you haven’t read the other Grill Camp blog entries, this whole thing started 3 years ago. I got an extra weeks vacation due to time served at work. I’d forgotten about the extra week and had to use it in October on short notice. With nothing planned for it I decided to experiment with new items on my grill and then new smoker. I wanted to get used to using my smoker to see if I could learn enough to use it through the winter. A friend called it Grill Camp. The name stuck and this was the third and definitely the best year. While there were a few bumps in the road the important thing was the end results, the food, tasted great. Read More...
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Grill Camp ‘07 - Weekend

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This entry combines the final Saturday & Sunday of Grill Camp ’07 and describe the last couple meals. All in all it was great fun and a great success. Saturday was another London Broil and originally that was going to be that. I was going to take Sunday off, but I was having so much fun I just couldn’t stop. Read More...
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Grill Camp ‘07 - Day 6

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The last weekday of grill camp started off with grey & misty skies. On today’s menu was a second try with the Chili Cheeseburgers for lunch and Bone-in Pork Loin Roast for dinner. Or at least that is what I thought. Today I learned that there are two kinds of bone-in pork loin roasts. One large one small. Read More...
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Grill Camp ‘07 - Day 5

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On the menu for this day were two new items for me: stuffed hamburgers and stuffed trout. The success I had with tuna earlier in the week had encouraged me to try a second fish this week. The success of the London Broil and the kebabs had encouraged me to try more recipes from Mastering the Grill. Now if you read GRILL CAMP ’07 - DAY 4 you would remember that the kebabs were not without their problems. But if you think about it, the problems were due to my adding more items to the kebabs and the way I chose to cook them. The kebabs themselves turned out great. Read More...
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Grill Camp ‘07 - Day 4

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So far Grill Camp had been pretty much a by-the-numbers affair. For Day 4 the menu was Lamb Kebabs and a new rib recipe called Princess Ribs. While the end results were great, getting there was half the fun. But Grill Camp is all about learning new things and I certainly learned a few things this day. Read More...
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Grill Camp ‘07 - Day 3

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Grill Camp Day 3 started off with a supply run for food and equipment. The menu for today was going to be Smoked Tuna Steaks for supper and a panini experiment using leftover London Broil. I have wanted to experiment with smoking fish and Grill Camp is the perfect opportunity for this. Read More...
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Grill Camp ‘07 - Day 2

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Monday, the second day of Grill Camp ’07 marked the first time I had prepared a bone-in leg of lamb. It wasn’t just any lamb either, It was Icelandic lamb. I was introduced to this fine cut of meat last year. It is only available from mid October to early December. There is a whole story behind this lamb and why it is so good, but let’s just say this is the finest lamb I have ever tried. Now I have made boneless leg of lamb most recently on the smoker, but also on the grill with or without the rotisserie. The recipe I chose was Joellyn’s Championship BBQ Leg of Lamb from Paul Kirk’s Championship Barbecue. One of the things that appealed to me about this recipe was it;s simplicity. Three simple ingredients for the rub and that was it. Yet Paul Kirk;s offering in the lamb category had placed second to this simple recipe. The simplicity appealed to me from the standpoint of when you are trying something new the less variables the better. Read More...
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Grill Camp ‘07 - Day 1

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Continuing what is now becoming a bit of a tradition, I have once again taken a weeks vacation in October during which time I plan to experiment with new dishes on the grill and smoker. I also revisit old favorites or items that I have had trouble with in the past. A friend dubbed it “Grill Camp”. It is nice being able to try new things in a low pressure atmosphere. If they work there are lots of good food for friends and family, plus leftovers for the next few weeks. If they don’t turn out so well, I haven’t ruined meal that was some family event or a holiday meal. The keepers will get added to next years rotation of meals. Read More...
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Barbecue Smorgasbord

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After 3 days of smoking I had a wealth of cue which I served twice over a weekend. With my schedule this is probably a once in a blue moon event, but it was a fun way to share the my three day bounty. This blog entry will discuss the reheating process. Read More...
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Mini Grill Camp - Day 3

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Day 3 of my Mini grill Camp was to start off busy and run about 8 hours longer than expected. This once again proved that although there are formulas to guestimate how long your meat should take, it ultimately takes what it takes. And boy did it ever. Read More...
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Mini Grill Camp - Day 2

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On Wednesday morning I went shopping so I already had food around for a second day of smoking. I’d enjoyed making the ribs so much on Wednesday, I decided to get more food in Wednesday night for a third day. So now it would be three days of grilling and smoking. The tag line for today should probably be a variation on the “Measure Twice, Cut Once.” The variation would be with regards to cookbook recipes. “Read twice, do once”. But a second theme for today could also be “Have a Plan B”. But I am getting ahead of myself. Read More...
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Mini Grill Camp - Day 1

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At the end of this past week I had a little 3-day marathon cook, not unlike the week in October that some friends called grill camp. It started off small scale and grew. It ended in two weekend barbecue smorgasbord meals shared with my family on Saturday and Sunday. The picture above is my plate from Saturday. What a tough decision. I mean where do you start. Read More...
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Panini

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Steven Raichlen has a motto to the effect that if something is good, it is even better on the grill. Case in point: the panini, toasted sandwiches popularized in Italy but available most everywhere, Panini literally means bread in Italian. Earlier this year I was experimenting with burgers, spurred on by the Build a Better Burger Cookbook. I recently acquired two items that have me dabbling in paninis. The first was a cookbook: Panini, Bruschetta, Crostini: Sandwiches, Italian Style and the second was a Steven Raichlen grille accessory, the panini bread griller. Read More...
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Site Upgrade

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This entry contains no cooking tips, adventures or misadventures-at least relating to grilling. It is about some changes to the site and some quick tips on taking advantage of them. Apple released their iLife ’08 suite of programs, including iWeb 2.0, about 3 weeks ago now. It was definitely a Good News / Bad News thing at first. The Bad News part prevented me from updating the site or posting several blog entries I had in the planning stages. Happily the Bad News part has been fixed now and I am up and running again. There are several new features related to my photo albums that I will describe. Read More...
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Catch Up

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I was going to call this blog entry Ketchup, but mustard is my favorite condiment any way. This entry will get me somewhat caught up to date as I have gone a month plus without an enry. I have been busy during July and while I did no smoking I have been doing some grilling. I will do a separate entry soon on dabbling into the world of panninis. Read More...
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Build a Better Burger - No. 2

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Since I last wrote about my exploration of burgers 2 weeks ago, many varieties of burgers have come off my grill. The third burger I made is close to the top of my list. It is the CUBANA PORK BURGER form my new Build a Better Burger cookbook. It is a tasty blend of ground pork and ground smoked ham served with a tasty relish and doctored mustard. This burger surprised me in how long it actually took to make. Many of the burgers in the book are not simple, they are more like what you would get in a higher priced specialty restaurant. If you use as many fresh ingredients as you can, the prep can consume 1-2 hours for many of these. That seems crazy for a burger, but somehow these are more than just burgers - trust me. Read More...
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Quesadilla Burgers

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There has been a Burger Renaissance happening around my house and the Quesadilla Burger is the item responsible for that. When I first ordered Applebee’s Quesadilla Burger I was looking for something other than a run of the mill burger. It was a bit of an after thought-I just didn’t want the same old same old. This burger fit that bill nicely but was far more. It was actually rather complex for “just a hamburger.” It quickly moved up into my top burgers list. I was determine to try to recreate this great burger at home. When I began discussing the project with my boss, he started thinking about burgers too. When he found the Build a Better Burger cookbook at Willliams-Sonoma, he grabbed a copy for himself plus one for me. Since then in addition to making the above mentioned Quesadilla burgers, I have begun working my way through the recipes in Build a Better Burger. But let’s begin at the beginning. Read More...
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Build A Better Burger - No 1

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Between a new burger from Applebee’s I recently tried and a new cookbook my boss gave me, I have a feeling this will be the Season of the Burger. A few weeks ago I tried a new burger at Applebee’s called a Quesadilla burger. Ever since then I have been trying to reverse engineer it so I can try it at home. I’d been discussing it in work with my boss. This got him thinking about burgers and he started looking at a book called Build a Better Burger at the mall. Not only did he buy one for himself, he was nice enough to grab one for me. It took all of 2 days before it was put into use. Read More...
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Operation Sloppy Joes

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I have great admiration for people that can cook 1, 2, 3 or more items on the grill or smoker without seeming to break a sweat. I certainly am not one of them. When I cook multiple items I have to do a lot of planning to achieve the desired results. Perhaps you too aren’t a natural and the process I used may be of help to you to. I’d planned to write this kind of blog last year when I attempted my first multi-meat cook. I even had a name for that unwritten blog: “Multi-Meatia”. Events conspired against it and this year the same thing was happening with this blog. So before too much time has passed and my memory fades, it was time to write this. Read More...
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Smoked Pastrami - Pt 2

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In PART 1 of this blog entry the pastrami had been brined for 2 weeks and then a dry rub was applied the night before the cook. After many weeks of thinking about it and 2 weeks of prep, I was ready to have some home made smoked pastrami. Part 2 will describe the cook, the results on the first day and the very different results with the leftovers on day 2. Both were not what I expected. Read More...
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Smoked Pastrami - Pt 1

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My favorite sandwich is a hot pastrami sandwich on dark rye with Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard, The last couple of times I was in New York City, I tried the smoked pastrami at Paul Kirk’s restaurant R,U,B. (Righteous Urban Barbecue). Ever since that time I have been looking for a recipe for smoked pastrami. One of the members of the Barbecue Bible website posted pictures of his smoked pastrami and links to the recipe. I have been itching to make one ever since seeing that post. Part 1 of this blog entry will describe the 2 week prep portion of this recipe. Part 2 will describe the cook itself and the end results. I will post all of the various links at the bottom of this page. Read More...
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Lucky Day

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Even though I wasn’t cooking anything, the grill gods were smiling on me this day. There has been a pine tree that had snapped off it’s trunk and was leaning on another tree in the woods behind my house. I was far into the woods and was leaning in a direction parallel to my house.. It had survived many strong storms. During the recent strong storms this tree came crashing down during the night, and not the way I thought it would. Read More...
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iWeb Do’s & Don'ts

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If you don’t use iWeb on a Mac, you probably can stop reading right here-this blog isn’t for you. What does this blog have to do with grilling? Well nothing directly, but iWeb is the Apple software I used to create this Grilling & Smoking website. My site is linked from several web pages listing web sites designed by people using iWeb. As a result I get many hits from Mac users using those sites. I figured I would pass along some tips from the “School of Hard Knocks” that I have picked up in the last year plus of using iWeb. Read More...
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Back in the Saddle

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I have just ended my longest time away from the grill or smoker in over five years. Unlike prior times, where it might have been caused by the bad weather or the season of the year, this drought’s cause was man made. Things got quite busy in work and I was putting in overtime at night and on the weekends to make sure we met our deadlines. Read More...
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