Barbecue Tricks

BBQ Tips and Tricks

Charcoal

Featured

Kamander Charcoal Grill Unboxing

Kamander charcoal grillChar-Broil has released the Kamander Charcoal grill and it looks to be a big green egg killer.

It’s a double walled steel insulated “kamado style” charcoal grill that crushed the price of it’s green counterpart. The cost at amazon is around $350 but assembly is definitely required with the Kamander Charcoal Grill.

Construction was easy. But recommended for two people. It took about 90 minutes with just me.

I think you cant beat the price of the Kamander Charcoal grill compared to the ceramic cookers that seem so heavy and – perhaps – fragile with ceramic construction.

The Kamander Charcoal Grill’s best features:

  • It’s not too heavy (easy to move)

  • cool to the touch (even when approaching 800 degrees inside)

  • good looks and heavy duty latch / handle

  • held a nice low steady temperature

Take a look at the accompanying video and I time lapse unboxing and initial firing.  I was also impressed at how well the Kamander Charcoal Grill held a stable low 250 degrees.   Plus even at high temperatures (I got it over 700 degrees f ) the steel exterior remained relatively cool to the touch.

If you hate the thought of piecing together a grill like this I did discover Amazon has a service offering expert assembly for under $60.

The materials are solid.  The wheels on the Kamander are a nice, heavy, solid rubber.  The latch and front handle are also “heavy-duty” and chunky.   Nice seal on the rim too.

Still, the weight of the whole grill is said to be 115 lbs and easier to handle than i imagined for double walled steel.

We liked the sturdy stainless steel shelf and the stand are are included in the model. With the Big Green egg a lot of the extras – like a drip pan – are additional purchases.

A quick search of prices for Big green Egg vs others shows that the price for most Big Green eggs were close to a thousand bucks except a tiny version that was priced at approximately $650. Other brands like Kamado Joe are a bit lower priced vs Big green egg.

Featured

Pros and Cons of Gas & Charcoal

Charcoal

charcoal chimney

Warmer weather is finally here, and that means it is officially grilling season!

 

There are few things that feel more like summer than standing around a grill with friends on a warm evening. While some people fire up their grill without putting any thought into how they will be cooking their meal, others are dedicated to certain methods and techniques.

Some people prefer the convenience of using a gas grill, while others are fiercely loyal to charcoal. Traditionally, grills are designed to cook with either gas or charcoal. If you like to use both fuel sources, hybrid grills are a great solution.

There will always be a debate about which fuel source is best when it comes to grilling. Here is a quick guide to help you determine which fuel source is best for the cooking at hand:

 
gas burner replacementGas
There is one advantage that gas grilling has above all other fuel sources: convenience. To start a gas grill, you simply have to turn a knob and press a button. Once lit, you have an easily controllable heat source to cook your food. Gas grills are also relatively easy to clean because there are no leftover ashes.
While gas grills are probably the easiest to use, grilling enthusiasts often have one major complaint: a lack of flavor.

  • Pros: Easy to light and control temperature, very little clean up.
  • Cons: Gas adds no flavor to food, and produces a more moist heat.

 

Lump Charcoal
When you burn wood in the absence of oxygen, the remains of this natural process is lump charcoal.
One of the great aspects of lump charcoal is how quickly it gets extremely hot. This typically takes only 10 to 15 minutes. Because lump charcoal gets so hot, it can sear foods rapidly. It also produces a very dry heat, which creates that delicious, caramelized crust on the outside of your food.
This quick heating process makes lump charcoal great for grilling foods that cook quickly.
Once lump charcoal reaches maximum temperature, it loses heat quickly, which can be disadvantage. If you want to use lump charcoal and sustain a high temperature, you will need to replenish the charcoal periodically. Because you are using charcoal, there will be ash cleanup involved.

  • Pros: Lights quickly, burns hot, great for searing.
  • Cons: Burns quickly, more expensive, takes time and effort to light.

 

Briquettes
Briquettes are similar to lump charcoal in how intensely they burn, but the similarities end there. One of the easiest ways to discern them is to look at their shape. While lump charcoal is inconsistently shaped, making it difficult to stack, briquettes usually have a uniform shape.
An advantage briquettes have over lump charcoal is that they burn for long periods of time, which makes it easier to cook at a more consistent temperature than lump charcoal.
While lump charcoal is created through an all-natural process, briquettes are not. Briquettes typically contain additives that help them light, burn and keep their shape. These chemical additives will give off a distinct smell when they are lit, but if you wait to start cooking until all the briquettes are covered in white ash, that smell shouldn’t transfer to your food.

  • Pros: Burn time, consistent temperature, cheaper.
  • Cons: Chemical smell, ash to clean.

 

Author Bio:

This is a guest post by Arianna on behalf of Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet. Visit kalamazoogourmet.com to find out more about our hybrid grills.

Featured

Milk Jug to Charcoal Scoop Hack

charcoal scoopIf you’re looking to avoid sooty hands before cooking in the back yard here’s a quick trick to recycle an old milk jug into a multi-purpose scoop.    The half gallon size works best.  Just use some good scissors and shear off the bottom of the jug and a portion of the handle side.  Simple ’nuff.

I especially like the soft plastic jugs used for milk and juice because the “hard” scraping sound that you can get digging into the coals in minimized.  Keep several on hand

Sure you can always just pour the coals straight out of the bag…. but hey this is real recycling.

GrateTV

Steak On The Coals – GrateTV

Charcoal 101 – Ever try to cook right on the coals? We risk a few nice steaks to test it out. Fire it up.

All episodes and GratePlates at http://GrateTV.com

Tricks

Starting a Charcoal Chimney

Lighting a Charcoal chimney is really easy if you know what to do.   Parrafin wax cubes (available from Weber and others) make it super simple to just light.   But newspaper is often the most available.   Liquid Charcoal lighter can give food an off taste.

See the quick how to video here.

Gadgets

Big Green Egg Grill – Smoking and BBQ

By H Krafston

The great thing about the Big Green Egg Grill is the diversity of cooking choices that you have available to you, including the option of smoking foods, grilling, as well as outdoor baking.

The Green Egg Grill is a well designed barbecue that’s easy to set up and very simple to use. It is available in a number of different sizes, depending on the amount of cooking that you need to do. It comes in a mini version, what they call an original version, large, and extra large. Obviously the more food that you tend to cook with each barbecue, or the more guests that you entertain, then the more cooking space you need. This will usually lead you to one of the larger models. If you’re in doubt give the company a call since their customer service is excellent.

This grill is very functional in all types of weather. So even if you live in northern climates you can obtain great cooking results even in the middle of winter when it’s snowing and cold. The key is the unique shape and construction of the BBQ which uses ceramic for the walls. The ceramic material can withstand very cold temperatures, and it also allows the grill to heat up to as much as 1800°F. Of course when you’re outside cooking in the middle of a snowstorm your next door neighbor may think that you’re a bit odd, but they won’t think so the next time you invite them over to try some of your barbecued food.

The construction of the Green Egg Grill allows it to maintain a consistent temperature for a long time even though you are using traditional charcoal. For example, if you want to slow cook ribs or other meets at a very low temperature, say 250°F for several hours you don’t have to worry about temperature variations nearly as much as you would with a normal BBQ.

This barbecue is very versatile and allows you to slow cook your food, but it’s also great for smoking meats and grilling different types of vegetables and fish. You can also use this grill to simulate a brick oven to cook pizzas with exceptionally flavorful. Everyone’s heard about the famous fire cooked pizzas in New York, and this grill can simulate those conditions with the extreme heating and brick ceramic walls.

As well, there are a number of accessories that are made specifically for this grill, including a walk gadget that allows you to stir fry rice or vegetables very easily. Another accessory that many people will find useful is the handy fish great. Grilling fish has always been a difficult thing for many people to master, because it is very easy to overcook fish and lose all of the flavor and enjoyment. With this barbecue even the most novice chef should be able to create tender fish dishes with the slow consistent cooking.

This is a long-lasting product, and your investment should last for many years. Conventional barbecues cannot come close to some of the flavors that are achievable with the Green Egg Grill.

Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of the Green Egg Grill for smoking and barbequing. The information packed Big Green Egg Grill website will teach you everything you need to know about selecting your next BBQ.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=H_Krafston
http://EzineArticles.com/?Big-Green-Egg-Grill—Smoking-and-BBQ&id=2381820

Gadgets

How To Use a Chimney Starter

One of the quickest ways to fix that funky fuel taste in backyard barbecue is to ditch the charcoal lighter fluid. Cooks are too often overzealous with the fuel (hey, we’re guys) and it imparts a bit of an aftertaste if you’re not careful. If you DO use lighter fluid make SURE it’s all burned off well before cooking. Better yet… try a Charcoal Chimney Starter.

Chimney starters looks like a jet engine with a handle on the side. They cost about $20 and they’re really easy, safe, and environmentally friendly way too start charcoal.

They do come in different sizes (large is about 7.5 inches in diameter). If you have a small grill stick with the smaller Charcoal starter. Remember with a chimney starter no lighter fluid needed…

Here’s How to light it up:
  1. Find a clean, clear non flammable area to place the Chimney Starter. You could use the grill but you’ll still need a non flammable place to set the RED hot chimney once you’ve filled the grill. A little caution goes a long way. Use gloves.
  2. Fill the larger compartment in the Chimney (the top) with regular or hardwood lump charcoal (recommended!). Match Light or instant lighting (fuel soaked) is not needed.
  3. Compress two large sheets of newspaper loosely into the bottom chamber. The whole key is getting air to everything so don’t pack it in to much.
  4. Set the starter upright on the lower grate on your grill (remove the top one) and ignite the newspaper through the bottom holes using a lighter or match. That’s it.
  5. After about 20 minutes your charcoal should be ready. Wait until the coals on top show some white ash.
  6. Carefully pour and arrange your coals on the grate. Yes Gloves… and be careful where you place that chimney it’ll be blistering hot for about 30 minutes.