Recent content by Bill Stevenson

Done right, cooking over wood is unbeatable. If you can get to Seattle try to eat at Ivar's Salmon House: salmon cooked over an open alder fire. Wow! Done wrong, throw the whole deal away. Jamie Purviance talks about smoke in his new book. He advocates thinking of smoke as though it were a...

I have tried every method here and they all work. Bobby Flay teaches the par boil, slice thick, oil, salt and pepper, then grill direct over medium to high heat method. It is easily the fastest way to grill potatoes. Bobby suggests that his method works really well with Yukon Golds.

I start indirect with a hot fire under one half of my Performer, 4 minutes on each side to render the fat, then direct for 2 minutes on each side to finish. I check that they are done with a Thermapen, ~170 degrees F. Depending on the situation I then either toss them in sauce or put out...

That makes two of us Robert, as I do it exactly the same way you do.

This is certainly an interesting discussion. I have a Performer and a very well used Spirit that is on it's last legs. Like others here, I definitely like the flavor profile that comes with using lump charcoal better than gas for most dishes most of the time. But the gas grill is a whole...

I use a Thermapen for chops, steaks, wings etc. that cook quickly. Pricey but worth every penny. For larger cuts of meat where slow cooking is the order of the day a remote read digital thermometer/timer is my preference. I bought mine from Weber years ago for under $20, I have seen similar...

I have done this many times. A tenderloin is a very dense piece of meat. Heavily salt and pepper your tenderloin and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Bacon does not add a lot of flavor, but it keeps the tenderloin moist. Sear direct on high heat on all sides, then slow...

Toby, Your picture shows the work of a man who knows what he is doing. You can come to my house and grill any time you want. Bill

It is interesting to read all the preferences. I can't imagine why anyone would not like the gas igniter, clean, simple, fast. The Performer is just about the perfect grill although a larger size would come in handy from time to time. Those who have two are dealing with this dilemma well. My...

Don't know how I missed this before. Interesting answers. My method varies with the desired result and type of meat to be cooked. For high fat foods, such as hamburgers or skin on chicken, I agree with the indirect, lid on approach. But if I am cooking steaks or chops, I ask my guests if...

To complete this thread in case someone else wants to know, I came up with the idea of asking Weber-Stephens Co. for their thoughts. The Ranch would not work well for small cooks as the heat would be uneven to build a small fire in a large kettle. The Ranch needs a LOT of charcoal to equal the...

I can't have just one thing: 1. Performer 2. Lump charcoal 3. Long tongs that I bought at Williams-Sonoma 4. Silicon mitts (I have welders gloves too, but the silicone mitts work better for me) 5. Thermapen 6. Cook's Illustrated Barbecue book & Weber Charcoal book - must have both 7. Aluminum...

One book that hasn't been mentioned that I find invaluable is Cook's Illustrated Barbecue book. It has excellent techniques (the best of any book I have read and I have read and own just about every book mentioned or linked to in this thread), covers both gas and charcoal and has some good...

The 26" offers slightly less than 50% more grill area than the 22". The Ranch is almost 3x the grill area of the 22". For up to about 4 people, the 22" is adequate for things like steaks. Wings are a problem for more than at most 2 people using a 22". Once in a while I want to feed 8 to 10...

I have a Performer that I really like except there are times when it isn't big enough. I use a Spirit too, for plank grilling and for veggies and for overflow. Even using both grills, though, is not enough on occasion. I don't want to add a third grill to an already crowded screen room. Which...