Grilling

[TravelGal]

I remember pages of posts on grilling. In a search, I found a thread on Meat Smoking from OddlyCalm, gosh I miss that guy, from 2005. This is more about the grills themselves. Has anyone tried a pellet grill? Seems appropriately geeky for this group.

https://www.cnet.com/home/yard-and-outdoors/i-ditched-my-gas-grill-for-a-wood-pellet-grill-and-this-is-what-happened/?ftag=CAD6b2b181&bhid=23576861837364143128234506849948&mid=13358089&cid=535399318

[nrc]

Alas, I'm of no help on this front. I commit the sin of grilling with natural gas. :D

We replaced a 20 year old built-in MHP grill when we moved in. Now that one needs some maintenance and I'm trying to decide whether to refurbish or replace. I love instant starts and never running out of fuel.

[G.]

What are you trying to cook with your grill?

I have a propane Weber Genesis-something or other and love it. I cook steaks (mostly), burgers, chicken, brats, etc.
It is made to GRILL I mostly use it at a pretty high heat setting, except for sausages, thick chicken breasts, etc.
I start the burners, I get the meat onto a platter (season, if not already done), and by the time I'm ready to put the meat on (just a few minutes, really, it's at 500-700 deg F inside. I put on the welding gloves and scrape the stainless-steel food grates with one of those rolled wire coil scrapers (the wire brushes WILL leave wire in your grill/food eventually), and drop tthe meat on the grill.

It's quick, it's predicatable, it's not a lot of fussing. The worst part is shovelling the snow out of the way to use it in winter. :)

I would love to become a master of charcoal grilling, but I just don't feel like giving lumps the time and effort that they deserve. Propane Weber grills COOK the food how I want it, outside. Quickly.

It is worth the extra money to get a Weber. I've thrown away a few other brands, instead of doubling the value by replacing flavor bars, burners, grease buckets, or watever else rusts and falls apart.

When I want to do something other than COOK, I pull out the CookShack SM025 electric smoker. Again, for me, it's the simplicity of it. I don't have to stand by it opening/closing valves, feeding wood, and generally tending to it. I can throw a small chunk of hickory into it, a 12 lb. chunk of pig into it, and see where it's at in the morning.

I've never used a pellet smoker, so all of my information is probably wrong. Just realize that it IS a smoker. A ribeye will come out with a rich, smoky flavor, and that may be fine for you. I'm not too sure how well the sear functions work (as a smokeless GRILL), but back when I looked at them a few years ago, they were more of a temporary infrared thing you used to crisp-up the meat before the pellets started doing their thing. They weren't a replacement for the pellets, just an assist.

[Elmo T]

What are you trying to cook with your grill?



I think that is the key question.

I've not seen a pellet grill - though pellet stoves have made a strong comeback in recent years.

I have a Weber 18" Smoker which doesn't get nearly as much use as I'd like. It has been temperamental based on outside weather conditions (cold and/or wind). No bad experiences - just takes more fire fiddling than I'd like from a smoker.

I also have a 14" Smokey Joe Weber kettle grill. Works well for burgers, steak, and chicken parts.

On anything with charcoal, a charcoal starter will cut down on times

I do miss my propane Weber Genesis - did everything well.

I think G. has it right - what do you want to do? Burgers & steaks A whole chicken? Pork butts?

[TravelGal]

You talkin' ta me? At the risk of being thrown out of the group, I don't grill anything. In fact after TravelGuy died, I gave away the grill we had. I just asked because I had never heard of a pellet grill. Plus, I love to read what the rest of you do and how you cook. Makes my mouth water.

[datachicane]

This is going to sound awful, and I'm sure I'm violating some key tenets of grill-geekery, but I got tired enough of the occasional carbonizing of the fine artisanal sausage we pick up around here that I started doing it in a sous vide with just a quick, very hot char before serving. I've ended up doing pretty much all of my grilling that way.

I thought sous vide were a bit of a gimmick when my brother tried to tell me about them a few years back, but the ability to perfectly poach a couple dozen eggs in the shell for the traditional morning Christmas eggs benedict brought me around.

[TravelGal]

I thought sous vide were a bit of a gimmick when my brother tried to tell me about them a few years back, but the ability to perfectly poach a couple dozen eggs in the shell for the traditional morning Christmas eggs benedict brought me around.

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