Outdoor Cooking '09
With summer quickly approaching, I thought it'd be nice to have an outdoor cooking thread. I've seen a few BBQ threads for years past, so here's a place to post recipes, pictures, and experiments with outdoor cooking -- grilling, camp cooking, bbqs, etc, in 2009.
Kitsune's first experiment with our new dutch oven: a stew/soup made with chicken, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, cumin, and oregano. It turned out pretty well, and we're looking forward to making it again at camp in a few weeks.
Ta daa!
The whole set up on our apartment porch.
The cook.
Our stew cooking away...
Oh, the joys of breaking many laws/fire codes! This was fun, although I'm sure the neighbors likely wondered what all the smoke was when I was getting the coals going.
Cool
I see you followed rule #1 , Have a tasty Beverage Handy
But you Broke Rule # 2 , fire/coals and bare feetz DONT Mix !!!
An aircraft/auto-mechanic drip pan or an expanse of tiles would do a lot to fireproof your porch, too. Put your hot stuff in the middle.
Tiles. I hunted for tiles to use for pizza stone. Never found any? WTF I think they said unfired tile???
Smokin' salmon.....[ATTACH]23051[/ATTACH]
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be ready soon....[ATTACH]23053[/ATTACH]
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It was excellent. Served with cheese grits and asparagus spears. I have a slight overhang from all the whiskey it took to prepare it.
I have a slight overhang from all the whiskey it took to prepare
See Kits Rule #1
Live trap + smoker = something delicious is cooking!
I most always kill it first.
Speaking of Salmon, I think the award goes to seakdivers.
It took me a while to find it, but here's the link
http://cellar.org/showpost.php?p=316618&postcount=12
OK, now I'm hungry.
I got yer outdoor cookin right here.
I highly recommending signing up for Allrecipes.com daily dish mailings.
I got this in today and I'm thinking of trying it. I usually grill directly and do not boil to precook, but this looked interesting. I'm going to follow the advice in one of the reviews and cut into the raw meat to let in more marinade.
Allrecipes.com: Grilled Turkey LegsI want some of that salmon!
I got yer outdoor cookin right here.
Cool technique. Looks like there is no fire or coals beneath the bottommost dutch oven, which would make the spirit of Smokey the Bear happy.
Cool technique. Looks like there is no fire or coals beneath the bottommost dutch oven, which would make the spirit of Smokey the Bear happy.
They're there. You can *barely* see the lid of the first oven and nothing of the legs. That's a five oven stack.
Anyone here done a whole pig roast over a fire pit before? Or cooking technique where you bury the food with hot coals?
Anyone here done a whole pig roast over a fire pit before? Or cooking technique where you bury the food with hot coals?
My friend did it. Unfortunately, the timing was off and it was done a few hours late. I don't eat pork so I was happy with the turkey and beef.
The smell was a little odd. It smelled like something or someone was burning more than something was cooking.
Need some advice for the grilling aficionados. I am new to the whole charcoal grill thing, but just bought one because of the price. Tonight, I am making some things I could use tips on timing. I will have 2 chicken breasts cut into 1 in pieces on skewers, 4 thinner boneless pork chops (from the freezer stash before the grill) and some other pork chops that I am assuming are thick.
I was thinking of setting up the coals on one side of the grill, putting the thick pork chops over the heat and the thinner chops and kabobs over the indirect heat. Cooking the thick chops about 10 mins total and the thin chops and kabobs about 5 mins total.
Any suggestions or "Oh my God you're doing it wrong!" greatly appreciated. Oh and I am going to be putting BBQ sauce on the big chops and 2 of the thinner chops. Maybe something else on the kebabs or maybe just seasoning.
Thanks!
Chops are usually done over high heat (over the coals). They should take ~15 min depending on the thickness. You should poke them with a knife to make sure they are done all the way through. Once you are more experienced you'll be able to judge without having to lose some of the juices.
I usually marinate my chops for an hour or two coated with prepared mustard and honey or mustard and brown sugar.
I would do the chicken kebabs over the non-charcoal side of the grill. I've never done chicken as kebabs so I can't give you much on that.
Put the BBQ sauce on towards the end ~10 minutes before taking off. The sugar in the BBQ sauce will burn if you put it on too early.
I don't want to discourage you, but this is a fairly ambitious menu for your first grilling.
Thanks for the tips dar. I know it is very ambitious. It is not actually my first grilling. I have experience with gas grills, but they are more easy to regulate than charcoal. My first grilling on charcoal was kielbasa *drool*.
This will be harder, but I think it is more the grilling times that will be the hardest.
I think it is more the grilling times that will be the hardest.
You're right there. The trick is to be consistent about the charcoal you use (brand and how much). This will help you gauge by time. Although outdoor temp and wind speed can still throw you off.
Good to know, thanks. I think it is going to be in the upper 70's by the time I grill and not too much wind.
Stupid question though - when do you leave the lid on?
Stupid question though - when do you leave the lid on?
There's differences of opinion on that question. For stuff that doesn't go over the coals, you definitely need the cover on most of the time. Otherwise, it won't get hot enough.
I generally leave the lid on unless I'm actually doing something on the grill. It keeps the flames down and makes the temperature more consistent. Some people don't like that for steaks as it reduces the charring. I compromise for steaks by leaving the lid off for the last five minutes or so.
For the stuff you're doing I would leave the lid on unless you actually need to turn something etc.
If you are going to put the lid on, all the vents should be wide open for grilling. BBQ is a different matter.
Thanks! I will let you all know how it goes tomorrow. Maybe even get some pictures.
Anyone here done a whole pig roast over a fire pit before? Or cooking technique where you bury the food with hot coals?
I've done both before. With regard to the pig, are you talking about a spit roast? If so, over here, you can often hire the spit roasters or if you're handy you can build one. After that it's just a matter of building your fire pit away from wind, or using some sheet iron (as an example) to protect your heat source. BBQ beads are the best, but you can use wood too. It's really up to you and what flavour you want. They take a long time to cook that way though. Specially if you're doing a full sized porker.
My ex was Samoan, so we had quite a lot of Oumu's which is the traditional ground cooking technique for Samoan culture. You start with your bed of coals, and as they're burning down, you put a layer of river rocks over the top. Once all the flames are gone from your heat source, you can then place your food on the hot rocks. A whole pig is easy to do this way. You just sit it on the rocks. I recommend cleaning the rocks if they're dirty of course. you should then push the outter rocks in around, and then cover with banana leaves. Lots of them. If you don't have access to banana leaves, you can use dampened paper. Newspaper is fine if you don't mind the idea of the ink. You can also put your veges in with the pork that way too. All in all, a whole carcass will only take a couple of hours to cook this way, but there's a lot more time in preparation, so it probably works out the same either way the first time. Once you've already got your stash of rocks etc, it's a much quicker process in future.
I like the Samoan style better than the Maori underground cooking where the food is covered with earth. The taste is much different.
I never time anything, precisely. I always look at the food and determine. If it ain't bleeding and it's tender it's ready.
Best money I ever spent as far as grillin was the instant meat thermometer. Takes the guesswork out of it. 'Specially if you are a little tipsy.
BTW... No grill works really good if you aren't having a drink or a cold one.:beer::guinness:
I have a question for those of you who BBQ.
Is it more common to have your steaks and other red meat products well done or rare? The reason I ask is because of the suggested cooking times for grilling. I'd rarely do a steak for more than 2 minutes on either side then let it rest at the back of the grill for a few minutes so that it's still nice and pink in the middle. I understand with pork and chicken cooking longer, but if your grill is nice and hot, even those shouldn't take 15 minutes to cook through.
Don't skimp on the charcoal; make sure to get in enough to cover the coal-holding gridiron of a Weber Smokey Joe type. If necessary to cool the thing a bit, you can either choke the bottom vent door down to half open or smaller, or remove some hot coals with tongs. Drop these into something fireproof like a flowerpot with an inch or two of sand or pebbles in the bottom.
Whelp, it was a total bust - couldn't get the coals to light. No biggie, had it on the indoor grill. I will be trying again, though! I just need to see what type of meat is on sale.
So sorry it didn't work out bro. Hope you weren't feeding guests?
I have a question for those of you who BBQ.
Is it more common to have your steaks and other red meat products well done or rare? The reason I ask is because of the suggested cooking times for grilling. I'd rarely do a steak for more than 2 minutes on either side then let it rest at the back of the grill for a few minutes so that it's still nice and pink in the middle. I understand with pork and chicken cooking longer, but if your grill is nice and hot, even those shouldn't take 15 minutes to cook through.
Anyone?
medium or medium rare. tonight i broiled a top round to 135 degrees in the middle and took it out, it went to 145 degrees before I sliced it.
In honor of the swine flu, we had marinated porkchops on the grill tonight. :yum:
Anyone?
I thought y'all said they wasn't gone be no math.:)
Whelp, it was a total bust - couldn't get the coals to light. No biggie, had it on the indoor grill. I will be trying again, though! I just need to see what type of meat is on sale.
Kingsford makes an easy-light charcoal that you don't need to douse with charcoal starter. Just match light. But if you put starter on it anyway, it won't explode or anything, just flame longer.
With conventional charcoal briquettes, souse 'em almost until they drip with the starter fluid. They'll absorb a lot. Cap the can of starter and set it well back, and use either a long match or toss a match in from a couple feet away and upwind, being careful of any "whoof."
Charcoal gives a powerful, even heat once it's burned down to a red bed (gray ash and heat shimmer in the daylight), but it takes a good bit of fire to get it going. Once going it runs steady, but always expect to need a lot of starter burn time and combustion encouragement. But make a point of not trying to squirt more starter onto coals already lit. That fluid burns easily, and you don't want fire traveling up the stream to the plastic bottle in your hand.
If you really think you need to restart -- and it can happen -- put starter on a separate batch of coals in a separate container, and only then load these onto the failing fire. They should catch easily, but without pyrotechnics, just the usual starter bonfire.
Enough main course. Time for dessert!
[youtube]qdojcjS5wUg[/youtube]
This recipe has been discussed before, only now have I made the video available. BTW, the
still with the shirt was for the encore performance the second night. The video here is from opening night.
That looks crazy and awesome! I want to try it.
Anyone here done a whole pig roast over a fire pit before? Or cooking technique where you bury the food with hot coals?
Yep, we did it. Step by step photographic instructions here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/AnesMerc/PigRoast#Yep, we did it. Step by step photographic instructions here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/AnesMerc/PigRoast#
Looks incredibly labor intensive, but I bet it was worth it! We're looking to attend some BBQs this summer that friends are holding and there has been the threat of whole pig -- something I don't think we can pass up. Should be quite awesome.
Huge shindigs like that make me really want a back yard. :thumbsup:
Looks incredibly labor intensive, but I bet it was worth it! We're looking to attend some BBQs this summer that friends are holding and there has been the threat of whole pig -- something I don't think we can pass up. Should be quite awesome.
Huge shindigs like that make me really want a back yard. :thumbsup:
It took two days, one day of inital prep and a second half day of completely cooking, from 8 am to about 7pm. But with a group and a keg of beer, it was a lot of fun and something I would do again if I could get a crowd big enough to make it worth while.
We had a 'pig pickin' a couple weekends ago. Dumbass me forgot my camera.
Couple of beef roasts done slow in the smoker over night, about twenty hours. Yes, I love garlic.
Before
and
After.
Looks strangely like whale penis. :unsure:
Garlic studded for your oral pleasure.
Man that looks tastey. I'm heading to the store to see what I can grill tonight.
Queen - I had one guest, not a big deal. He understood. I just whipped out my trusty grill pan and all was cooked.
Urbane - I am trying to do it without the user of match light or lighter fluid. I keep reading that it leaves an aftertaste on lighter flavored meats like chicken which is what I primarily eat. No worries, I haven't given up yet.
Charcoal isn't that flammable actually! They make a device for people like yourself, a
chimney starter.
I never had much luck with mine, but it wasn't the Weber. I might get the Weber and try again. That page has a cool idea, start it with a sterno can instead of using newspapers. As we know, print is dead.
Mine works great but it sometimes doesn't start enough at one filling. I need a huge one.
I never had much luck with mine, but it wasn't the Weber. I might get the Weber and try again. That page has a cool idea, start it with a sterno can instead of using newspapers. As we know, print is dead.
I had good luck with using some of those fire starter squares that look to be made of compressed sawdust and paraffin. As long as you put enough of them in the bottom and there is space for air to flow through, it'll go. Everything burned down very nicely to fine, white ash. (Wondering if I can add it to the garden or if it has substances in it that will harm the plants rather than help.)
The chimney I have says on the label to not use starter fluid for some reason. (?)
Chimneys work great , but take some getting used to ,
tip 1 ) use just a Bit of cooking oil on the paper
tip 2 ) Shield the bottom so the wind does NOT blow thru it , but so that air can Flow in as need be
tip 3 ) DINNER AT Vs House !!!!!!
Thanks for all the tips - I will keep you updated on my adventures. By the end of the summer - I'm cooking a butt :D
Urbane - I am trying to do it without the user of match light or lighter fluid. I keep reading that it leaves an aftertaste on lighter flavored meats like chicken which is what I primarily eat. No worries, I haven't given up yet.
It doesn't, at least not that I can tell. The starter is burned off when there are no more flames flickering, just a charcoal glow. Just give it its time.
Starter also works on lump charcoal, which has that nice purity you're after -- just carbonized wood, no extras. Smoking up your meat with mesquite or hickory chips is nice too. Some will dampen the chips before using them, but burning them dry works every bit as well. Since these are tossed onto the coals, just a handful or two, for the sake of their smoke, expect dense smoke to blow all over the place, and for rather a while, too. Throttling the vents keeps the smoke on the meat longer.
The chimney starter, fired with wadded paper, a few lumps of charcoal, and maybe small kindling wood also, has its fans. Never tried it myself, but it's another approach to heating the charcoal long enough and hot enough to get it good and well lit.
Finally had a successful cook out 2 fridays ago. Cooked the classic hot dogs and hamburgers. The coals actually started a lot better when using cardboard because it seemed to burn shower than the paper. Will try that next. I have some chirizo I want to grill, but need to find something else to cook at the same time. I think I am getting it!
I used my chimney starter this weekend, and it worked OK with the methods Zip mentioned. It really was not that much faster than using lighter fluid though.
Prolly smelled better, though!
I used my chimney starter this weekend, and it worked OK with the methods Zip mentioned. It really was not that much faster than using lighter fluid though.
One of my friends recommended a chimney starter for me but I'm assuming my method of lighting the grill is similar and will take the same amount of time. I just put three to five crumpled up pieces of newspaper under the coal rack, spray the coals with lighter fluid, light the newspaper, then spray on more lighter fluid if needed (from a safe distance). The combined effect usually successfully lights the coals one a single try depending on which type of coals are used.
I didn't notice a difference in smell or taste... I agree with UG, if all the coals are ashed up, you know the fluid is long gone.
I thought not using the fluid was the whole point of using the chimney. I never add fluid. Just the newspaper in the bottom.
I only use the chimney starter for smoking, where you need it for firing off the
Minion method.
For grilling, I use lighter fluid. Both methods take 20-30 minutes for me.
Most of the cheaper grills, big box, if you build the fire in grill you cut th grill life short. IMHO. Best starter I ever had was an old hub-cap with a few holes drilled in it. Pile the charcoal on, lighter fluid and go had a beer.
Will start cooking pig at lodge at 1200 hrs. Pics pending. I can hardly wait!
And I decided to use bacon for my green bean seasoning. After all... we have a reputation to protect.
OK... Here's the BBQ pit at the Lodge.....
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The coal barrel....load wood in top and shovel coals out of door on bottom. Oak wood, of course.[ATTACH]23596[/ATTACH]
The pig just after putting it on.....
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A little later with some sausage to "hold us over".....and we are slow cooking some baked beans in the pit also.
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And six hours and 15 scotches later, VIOLA!
Rear view:
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Front:
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And finally, side view:
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We had the baked beans, cole slaw, the green beans I talked about earlier, corn on the cobb, and rolls. I forgot (or was too drunk) to remember to take pics of the final "spread". Oh well...sorry.:D
Sounds like an awesome day!
Certified Georgia pig -- yummy!
How many people did it feed?
I was briefly tweaked because Boston Terriers often lie down with the legs back in "frog leg" position
Them's good eatin, UT! :lol2:
Certified Georgia pig -- yummy!
How many people did it feed?
I'm pretty sure there were about 40-45 folks that ate. And we had some left over, which will make for yummeh sammiches.:)
...and the beans you made??? What about them? No pics, no review, no samples... Didja sneak in a lil whisky while they were cookin?
I cooked them toward the end inside in the kitchen. By the time they were ready and dinner was being served, I was fairly scotched, and had forgotten about the camera.
They were delicious, tho... I added a half pound of sauteed, smoked bacon to each large can and a little salt and pepper. They must have been good to everyone else, too. There were hardly any left.
Over the weekend the mrs and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary so I cooked a special meal.
Grilled and stuffed Maine lobsters
Crab stuffed mushrooms
twice baked potatoes
Steamed asparagus
Apple Crumble
It was sure tasty and we drank two very nice and special bottles of wine. A Williams & Selyam 2005 Pinot Noir and one from Moshin Vineyards. I got them from the winerys but in a restaurant you would probably pay $200 + for those choices!
What a class act. Looks good. And Happy Anniversary!
Well, I've been thinking and I decided that I am not going to be the big snob about match light charcoal vs regular. If I notice a difference in taste, then I will worry about it. I mean who am I to say how bad match light is? I just read too much for my own good.
In fact, I am going to make some chicken skewers this week. With pineapple, onion, and peppers. Lets not forget the BBQ sauce, too.
There is no better guru than experience remembered.
Big V, you're someone I DEFINITELY would enjoy going camping with.
A friend of ours has one of those smokers. Everyone raves about the stuff he cooks in it - he always brings it when we go camping and has a blast just tending it, playing cornhole and drinking beer all day. But I think the meat is always just a little tough for my taste. Cheap cuts, I guess. We brought a pork loin for him to put in there last time and it was really good. Unfortunately we shared with everyone else and it was also the first meat to disappear. :p
It was pretty funny, though, when he opened the door to check on things and WHOOSH, singed his beard. :D
I enjoy cooking on a campfire, just for the fun of the challenge. But at home, I'm really lazy and love my gas grill. Just push a button, and it's good to go. I use it a lot. I wouldn't say I'm all that good at it, though. All we usually make is burgers, metts/brats, chicken, or chops.
Tonight I tried making shrimp on the grill for the first time. I don't eat shrimp (I'm allergic) but everyone else likes them, so I tried. Put 'em on skewers. Lesson one: soak skewers first. Lesson two: Brush oil on shrimp, not just teriyaki sauce. Lesson three: Don't overcook. :)
Well, the dogs liked 'em. It was only a small bag.
Inspired by two recent Girl Scout & Boy Scout trips, I decided to get my own dutch oven. Hubby found one tonight at Harbor Freight for $25. I hope it isn't cheap junk.
playing cornhole and drinking beer all day
Hey Peter...