Things we've learned over the years


 
S

Scott Thomas (GrillinFool)

Banned
So, I do this radio show in Houston about once a month where we talk about grilling. It's an outdoor living show sponsored by a landscape design company called Your Liveable Garden. Really good people.

They had a show centered around mistakes they have made over the years landscaping and how they learned from it. So we talked about what things we've screwed up over the years grilling and how we learned from it.

Three big things jumped to mind immediately.

The first was lighter fluid. We used that crap for years. Now when I go somewhere and someone uses it it's all I can taste.

The second was something my dad was really bad at for years. And that was when mom would ask how much time was left before dinner dad didn't open the grill and look at the meat. He looked at his beer. If it was a full beer we had 30 minutes left. If he had a partial beer it was 15 minutes. If he had an empty you could see him debating in his mind, "do I want another beer or should I pull the meat now?" Again, all independent of whether the meat was actually done.

And the final thing was resting. We didn't rest squat. We cooked it and ate it. Didn't matter if it was brisket or a steak.


So, what tricks, philosophies, idioms have you learned or unlearned over the years.
 
When I used to first put my meat on the grill, I would panic that it was sticking. I would hurriedly use a spatula to try and move it, thus tearing an innocent piece of meat.

Now I just seat back and relax and let the fire work it's magic.

Tom
 
2 things come to mind with my dad's 'technique'. One was using a big fork for turning meat.
The second was the need to always take pork to the well-done stage so we didn't catch trichanosis (however it's spelled).
I've gotten past those things by now, but since then I've decided that I'd give anything to watch my dad have fun at the grill again. In a couple months I'll get my chance again and I'm not offering any advice, I'm just going to smile, sit back and enjoy my dad's company.
Sorry to get off topic but it's almost father's day and I've been thinking about my dad a lot lately.
 
"It's done when it's done." - Patience ... patience.

"It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it." - when you think you've got enough ... get more.
 
And whatever you do, DON'T UNDERCOOK THE CHICKEN, folks get a little sqweemish at the site of chicken blood on their plates.
I know I done it once when guests were over, my only excuse "but it was dark outside"

Mark
 
That meat fork thing is funny. My FiL cooks everything to well done and uses a fork to turn his steaks. First time I had them over for dinner (her parents and mine) I showed him how to properly do a steak and cooked it around medium for him and he loved it. So the first time he does steaks for me I'm cringing as he comes out with a platter full of meat and only a meat fork in his hand.

Despite having a better steak he did it that way for a good 3 years. My MiL would send me out with the steaks and the tongs and say "quick, go out and grill these things before Dennis comes up stairs. I want mine rare."

He soon learned she was doing that and would head me off and do it himself. I'm not going to argue with the man. It's his house right? The last time he did that was her birthday. She begged him to do the rare steak for her. He brought them all in well done. She got pissed.

Finally he put the fork away and started using the tongs I bought for him for Christmas my first year as part of the family.

I tell people that fork is good for one thing and one thing only - carving properly rested meat.
 
I remember in my early 20's trying to grill and having no idea. I'd dump a lot of lighter fluid on the charcoal. After a few minutes of having it lit, I'd try to spread them out and start cooking before they turned ashy white, which meant to me that they were losing their heat. Heck, I even set a grill on fire like this one time.

I've definitely learned a lot since then. No more lighter fluid and no more grills on fire.
 
Thermometer. If you don't have one get one and get a good one. Have over cooked plenty of meals in fear of under cooking till I got a thermometer.

Taking a spatula and pressing the meat, especially hamburgers. It was a hard habit for me to break but am proud to say I am no longer a meat smasher.

Indirect cooking. Many chickens have suffered on my grill till I learned this method of cooking.
 
Less is more when it comes to wood.

Washed down quite-a-few oversmoked logs with cheap beer back in the day.
That was on an ECB also...man have things changed.
 
I remember oh those many years ago when I would not only start my coals with lighter fluid but I would soak my grate with it also so the flames would burn all the crude off of it and render it clean. Ha, what an idiot I was.
 
The chimney changed my life.... The WEBER chimney blew my mind.

Minion method and it's variations made slow cooking a lot easier.

BRITU rib method was a great template for learning to make consistantly good ribs.

Having a close friend from North Carolina allowed me to learn uses for vinegar other than pickling and cleaning.

I like rib racks to fit more in my grill.

I agree on the "less is more" with smoke.

Higher temps can produce very tender, juicy, delicious BBQ.
 
The biggest and most prevalent thing I've learned (non WSM related) is ALWAYS CHECK YOUR PROPANE LEVEL.

At home, I always think I have enough for winter steaks;
At the cottage, I always trust departing guests when they tell me they filled the tank "as soon as they got there";
On late weekend nights (early mornings) I always trust my instincts when I think I have enough for frozen burgers.

Simply put, you usually do but it sucks when you don't. For those that do not have fancy gauges, fill a cup with hot water, pour it down the side of the tank, feel where the hot turns to cold and thats how much fuel you have left. If it's close to the bottom, find another method.

Now the WSM, I'm still way too novice to have more good tips than bad.

James
 
Things that immediately come to mind are...

1st: i was in love with instint light charcoal briqs. so easy to light and the sight of the flames engulfing the steaks before the briqs ashed over was AMAZING.

2nd: i would continuously turn the meat, cuz i was afraid of burning the food. didn't know about indirect grilling.

3rd: i would constantly brush my ribs with bbq sauce as soon as they hit the grill. i thought the burnt sugar taste was normal.

... And that was jus 4 years ago. i'm only 25, and thanks to you guys, i've become a much better griller.
icon_smile.gif
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I've gotten past those things by now, but since then I've decided that I'd give anything to watch my dad have fun at the grill again. In a couple months I'll get my chance again and I'm not offering any advice, I'm just going to smile, sit back and enjoy my dad's company.
Sorry to get off topic but it's almost father's day and I've been thinking about my dad a lot lately. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm with Trev. My dad's way was that it was done when it was crunchy and don't spare the lighter fluid. Even while the food was cooking. Even with all that I would love to see my dad having fun again.

Russ
 
Great stuff here. Here's a few things I had to "unlearn" from watching my pop...

- Saw someone mention it already, but NOT squishing burgers on the grill. I know the old man liked the sound and the flames, but man, what a waste....

- Not to over cook pork. Think he figured if 160 was good to kill of any nasties, 210 was better!

- Chicken (see: pork, overcooked above).

- Main thing I'll never unlearn from him, however: Nothing goes better with grilling than a fine whisky, neat, even on a 90 degree day...
 
I just learned something recently that I have not tried. Admittedly I don't put much thought in grilling brats or sausages. Throw them over high heat and drop then in a beer/onion hot tub for when people are ready to eat.

BRats and sausages are supposed to be cooked more slowly over medium to medium low heat for best results. I've met some iFriends that are sausage fanatics who make their own and have set me straight. I will be trying this method this weekend on Father's day...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Scott Thomas (GrillinFool):
Throw them over high heat and drop then in a beer/onion hot tub for when people are ready to eat. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Interesting, I've always done the opposite - boil in beer then grill over high heat.
 
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