New Charcoal Grill Break In-Would You Do Anything Different?


 
DanHoo said:
Those looked really good. Nicely done !



When I cook a thin cut at high heat for short direct sears, I keep a serving dish warm on the side. When I "think" its done I'll pull it and let it rest a minute or two and then temp it. If the temp's too low it's easy enough to put it back over the high heat again for a couple minutes per side to cook it to perfection.

I would like to say I'm experienced enough to say I can feel when its done, but the instant read keeps me honest.

Great first cook !
Click to expand...
Thank you Dan, I’ll try your method next time.
 
You just need to get confident and not worry about a flop now and then, cook away! I’ve been doing this for well over half my life and I still blow it now and then. Winners and losers end up pretty much the same place!
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
You just need to get confident and not worry about a flop now and then, cook away! I’ve been doing this for well over half my life and I still blow it now and then. Winners and losers end up pretty much the same place!
Click to expand...
I get what you are saying- I am a decent cook in general and my family gives me honest feedback.

I want to tread carefully with the charcoal grill though, since it was a sizable investment and I would prefer my first cooks to go well.
 
John_NJ said:
I get what you are saying- I am a decent cook in general and my family gives me honest feedback.

I want to tread carefully with the charcoal grill though, since it was a sizable investment and I would prefer my first cooks to go well.
Click to expand...
Good, bad or indifferent, they will all be fun and, learning experiences. You won’t damage the grill with a failed batch of chicken, it will just be hard to accept. Once you accept the failure, it’s easier to just not be overly concerned with, just keep on going forward. You’ll be fine.
 
Chicken thighs center runway method, I think.

I have been with my wife for 34 years and yesterday I found out something I never knew about her- she loves the smell of burning charcoal.

I see great things on the horizon.
 
The runway is your friend in many, many, situations, I generally leave my 22 in that configuration. Exceptions are when I need more direct fire when I run coal down center or when I want thermonuclear heat from the Vortex for a full ring of wings.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Good, bad or indifferent, they will all be fun and, learning experiences. You won’t damage the grill with a failed batch of chicken, it will just be hard to accept. Once you accept the failure, it’s easier to just not be overly concerned with, just keep on going forward. You’ll be fine.
Click to expand...
Nostradamus could not have said it better.

My second cook and I closed the vents too much and extinguished the coals mid cook.

Everyone was so understanding.

Learning from you mistakes is one way to do it.
 
Navigating the learning curve.

At this point I am still working on grill temperature.

The last cook- steak - I had the top vents closed too much and one of the coal baskets the coals went out?

I reshuffled the coals and it turned out ok, not great.

My wife is using our kitchen for Christmas cookie baking all day, so it’s a good day for grilling.

Outside temperature is 40 degrees F.

Chicken thighs- trimmed and right on the grill- no brining, rub or sauce. About 45 minutes at 335 degrees, internal temperature of the thighs around 190 degrees.
E88507EC-01D4-4DFE-8AEE-96F9016867D6.jpeg

Cooked onions and tomatoes on the Genesis
BC9310C7-7877-4872-9BD7-E5159EC49E52.jpeg

The chicken was cooked through9DFA2693-D5EC-424A-B5C9-2A3FD132F226.jpeg

Pretty happy with today’s cook

Still have a long way to go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top