The Grilling and Cooking Thread

[AsburySkinsFan]

On 6/19/2018 at 9:35 AM, purbeast said:

 

That 4 burner Genesis is a monster!  I saw it at HD and was like damn this thing is a tank!  It's SIGNIFICANTLY larger than the 5 burner one I am replacing now.  But for me that is just overkill for the most part and I couldn't see myself spending that kind of money on it.  90% of the time I'm grilling for my wife and myself for dinner, and I'm sure as my son gets older I'll be cooking more for him on there too.  The 3 burner Genesis is a tad smaller in main grill space than the one I am replacing, however I feel like I will use more space on it since I can just flip the warming rack up and hide it, giving me more unobstructed space.

My wife and I had this EXACT same conversation when we bought out Genesis a couple months ago. The four burner was HUGE and the price point we just couldn’t legitimize, but the Gensis is on point for 90% og the grilling I do. And to this point I haven’t been dissapointed. I’ve had cheap grills all my adult life and I noticed the difference in the Genesis immediately. 

As for the surface area, there’s plenty. I cook for four and I can load everything on the Genesis and it doesn’t blink, plus it’s big enough to hold my cast iron griddle on 1/3 so I can offset cook with it.

[purbeast]

I've cooked chicken quarters twice and these thick pork chops twice now on my new grill and I'm loving it.  No flare ups at all and it just cooks so damn evenly.  I put my pork chops on for 4 minutes a side and they came out PERFECT with great sear marks.  The chicken I cooked for around 30 minutes total flipping once, and it was SUPER easy to keep the temperature right around where I wanted it at 425.  I didn't have to lift the cover every minute to see if there were flareups or anything.  I don't know if it's because it's a new grill or just because I opted for a quality grill, but so far everything about it is just easier.

 

Speaking of sear I have a question...

 

So with my pork chops, I heated the grill to like 600 degrees before I put my pork chops on.  I kept all burners on high and kept the grill top open.  When I flipped it had a great sear on the one side that had been cooking.  However the side that I cooked second barely had any sear marks.

 

So my question is, how do you get those nice sear marks on both sides?  I get why I didn't have them - because the grate lost heat since I was cooking with the top open.  Is there a trick to this or something?  Should I be shutting the top when grilling even quick pieces of meat like steaks and pork chops?

[AsburySkinsFan]

6 minutes ago, purbeast said:

 

Speaking of sear I have a question...

 

So with my pork chops, I heated the grill to like 600 degrees before I put my pork chops on.  I kept all burners on high and kept the grill top open.  When I flipped it had a great sear on the one side that had been cooking.  However the side that I cooked second barely had any sear marks.

 

So my question is, how do you get those nice sear marks on both sides?  I get why I didn't have them - because the grate lost heat since I was cooking with the top open.  Is there a trick to this or something?  Should I be shutting the top when grilling even quick pieces of meat like steaks and pork chops?

Ok, for me 500 degrees is plenty for sear marks. 600 is guilding the lilly.

And yes, you’re losing too much heat with the lid open. Basically with your technique you’re only cooking the bottom side the meat.

 There is a saying in cooking “If you’re looking you ain’t cooking.” You’ve already heated your grill air temp to 600 degrees and then you’re cooking with the lid open which is taking your grill’s air temp to just above ambient.

Close the lid, retain your heat. And when you flip if you want marks on both sides then flip them onto a section you haven’t used for that cook. That section should be hot enough to sear. 

I HIGHLY recommend buying a meat temp probe with a long cord so you can tell what your meat temp is at WITHOUT opening the grill. Knowing what your internal temp is at is going to seriously reduce your temptation to look. Plus, you’ll find that your meals are done MUCH faster (because you aren’t wasting heat into the atmosphere). You’ll also only need to flip once leaving a cleaner looking piece of meat. 

Oh...and try turning your heat down on the section your cooking over. Not off mind you, but god gave you the ability to adjust your heat, use it, you’ll be happy you did.

[purbeast]

25 minutes ago, AsburySkinsFan said:

Ok, for me 500 degrees is plenty for sear marks. 600 is guilding the lilly.

And yes, you’re losing too much heat with the lid open. Basically with your technique you’re only cooking the bottom side the meat.

 There is a saying in cooking “If you’re looking you ain’t cooking.” You’ve already heated your grill air temp to 600 degrees and then you’re cooking with the lid open which is taking your grill’s air temp to just above ambient.

Close the lid, retain your heat. And when you flip if you want marks on both sides then flip them onto a section you haven’t used for that cook. That section should be hot enough to sear. 

I HIGHLY recommend buying a meat temp probe with a long cord so you can tell what your meat temp is at WITHOUT opening the grill. Knowing what your internal temp is at is going to seriously reduce your temptation to look. Plus, you’ll find that your meals are done MUCH faster (because you aren’t wasting heat into the atmosphere). You’ll also only need to flip once leaving a cleaner looking piece of meat. 

Oh...and try turning your heat down on the section your cooking over. Not off mind you, but god gave you the ability to adjust your heat, use it, you’ll be happy you did.

Cool thanks for that.  Generally speaking I typically never closed my top when using direct heat from the bottom for things like steaks, salmon, burgers, etc.  I'd always just cook with the top open.  I really only closed the top when cooking chicken.  And when cooking chicken, I definitely use the ability to turn heat down.  I actually turned off my center burner when I cooked my chicken and put the chicken directly over the center area so it was only getting indirect heat.

 

I guess if I cooked at 4 minutes per side on those pork chops with the top off, I will just have to cut that time down a bit if I cook it with the top closed.  It will just take some experimenting.

 

The grill I got is iGrill compatible which is apparently some type of thermometer system that hooks into an app on your phone, but seems like complete overkill to me lol.  I've just never cooked with thermometers before but maybe it's something I will look into.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Forget Weber’s iGrill, all you need is a decent meat thermometer with the heat resistant cable. 

TRUST me it’ll drastically improve your cooking because it takes the guess work out of it. I don’t cook by time any more, it’s all by temp and now I don’t over cook my food any more. You can get an inexpensive meat probe that’ll sit nicely on the side of your grill. I get consistent medium rare and medium steaks now. My pork loins are completely cooked and not dried out. My chicken is juicy, tender and DONE. All because I’m cooking to temp and not time. There are just too many variables between the cut of meat, your grill, and even weather outside to grill by time. 

If I were to give you two tips to take your game next level:

1) get a meat thermoeter probe

2) close the lid

a third would be reduce the heat.

 

If you go back and look at the steak photos I just posted (last page?) you’ll see that I’m even using the meat probe there too. Chefs will talk about the palm test for doneness, but that takes a LOT of practice to get right. I just cook mine face down on one side until it gets to about 80-90 degrees then I flip until it’s at 125-135 degrees. I get the good sear, the fat renders, and it’s cooked theough and tender. If you’ve noticed I’ve actually taken to slicing my steak before I plate it, these long tender ribbons of meat are amazing. 

[Skinsfan1311]

53 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Cool thanks for that.  Generally speaking I typically never closed my top when using direct heat from the bottom for things like steaks, salmon, burgers, etc.  I'd always just cook with the top open.  I really only closed the top when cooking chicken.  And when cooking chicken, I definitely use the ability to turn heat down.  I actually turned off my center burner when I cooked my chicken and put the chicken directly over the center area so it was only getting indirect heat.

 

I guess if I cooked at 4 minutes per side on those pork chops with the top off, I will just have to cut that time down a bit if I cook it with the top closed.  It will just take some experimenting.

 

The grill I got is iGrill compatible which is apparently some type of thermometer system that hooks into an app on your phone, but seems like complete overkill to me lol.  I've just never cooked with thermometers before but maybe it's something I will look into.

Asburys post is pretty spot-on.  Always cook with the lid down. Gas grills do recover very quickly,(just look at how quickly the temp gauge shoots back up when you close the lid). Keeping the lid closed with charcoal, is more critical, as it has finite amount of fuel per cook. With the gasser, as long as the tank has gas, you're good to go.

With very rare exceptions, you should always cook to temp. 

With chops, steaks, fish, burgers, etc, a leave-in thermometer with a long corded probe isn't really necessary,  BUT, a high quality leave in thermometer is necessary for larger cuts, and longer cooks. That, and a high-quality instant read thermometer.   

I suggest the "Smoke" dual-probe thermometer and the "Thermapen Mk4"  They can both be found here.   https://www.thermoworks.com/  

A tad pricey but, hands-down, the best on the market and the money that you save, on not ruining expensive cuts of meat, will be realized in no time at all.  The Thermapen is the one that you see all the chefs on cooking shows use and we use ours all the time.   

[AsburySkinsFan]

@Skinsfan1311is right on! A good instant read thermometer is important. I use my leave-in therm when I grill because it has a remote display so I can have meat on (lid closed) and be in the kitchen prepping something else, because I’m typically the only one cooking! LoL! 

But an instant read thermpen is great for spot checking to insure proper doneness. If someone is looking to grill something other than thin cuts then you have to use some sort of temp device, otherwise you’re going to under or over cook.

[dfitzo53]

9 minutes ago, AsburySkinsFan said:

Forget Weber’s iGrill, all you need is a decent meat thermometer with the heat resistant cable. 

TRUST me it’ll drastically improve your cooking because it takes the guess work out of it. I don’t cook by time any more, it’s all by temp and now I don’t over cook my food any more. You can get an inexpensive meat probe that’ll sit nicely on the side of your grill. I get consistent medium rare and medium steaks now. My pork loins are completely cooked and not dried out. My chicken is juicy, tender and DONE. All because I’m cooking to temp and not time. There are just too many variables between the cut of meat, your grill, and even weather outside to grill by time. 

If I were to give you two tips to take your game next level:

1) get a meat thermoeter probe

2) close the lid

a third would be reduce the heat.

 

If you go back and look at the steak photos I just posted (last page?) you’ll see that I’m even using the meat probe there too. Chefs will talk about the palm test for doneness, but that takes a LOT of practice to get right. I just cook mine face down on one side until it gets to about 80-90 degrees then I flip until it’s at 125-135 degrees. I get the good sear, the fat renders, and it’s cooked theough and tender. If you’ve noticed I’ve actually taken to slicing my steak before I plate it, these long tender ribbons of meat are amazing. 

The palm test is overrated anyway. There's a lot of variance between cuts in terms of thickness, marbling, type of meat, etc. Even just the difference in how much of a crust you got on your meat can play with the test. All of that makes it a very crude indicator of doneness.

 

There clearly is a connection between how meat feels and how done it is, but it's not the perfect correlation some people want to make it out to be. 

[Skinsfan1311]

@purbeastTo piggyback on my earlier reply, if you can only choose one to spend the $$$ on, I suggest the Smoke. You can get a very high quality insta-read in the same site. The Thermo-pop is only ~ $20.00.

2 minutes ago, dfitzo53 said:

The palm test is overrated anyway. There's a lot of variance between cuts in terms of thickness, marbling, type of meat, etc. Even just the difference in how much of a crust you got on your meat can play with the test. All of that makes it a very crude indicator of doneness.

 

There clearly is a connection between how meat feels and how done it is, but it's not the perfect correlation some people want to make it out to be. 

Couldn't agree more. Cook to temp. Can't stress it enough.  The only quasi-exceptions that come to mind are briskets, butts,  beef ribs, where the thermometer shows that it's technically done, but you need those to be "probe" tender, so that it's delicious..but that is a whole different subject....

[purbeast]

Okay cool thanks for all the pointers, maybe I can step my grill game up this summer!

 

EDIT:

 

Also you mentioned to skip the iGrill and get a normal meat thermometer with wire that won't burnt.  Well the price of the ones mentioned above are actually as expensive if not more expensive than the iGrill.  Why would you recommend the ThermoPop stuff over iGrill?

Edited June 28, 2018 by purbeast

[Busch1724]

How do you all feel about Traeger grills? I'm considering one to replace a Weber gas grill I have along with a Weber Charcoal grill. 

[AsburySkinsFan]

29 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Okay cool thanks for all the pointers, maybe I can step my grill game up this summer!

 

EDIT:

 

Also you mentioned to skip the iGrill and get a normal meat thermometer with wire that won't burnt.  Well the price of the ones mentioned above are actually as expensive if not more expensive than the iGrill.  Why would you recommend the ThermoPop stuff over iGrill?

I’ve actually got two that I use.

$30 at Walmart

 

for $56

ThermoPro TP20 Wireless Remote Digital Cooking Food Meat Thermometer with Dual Probe for Smoker Grill BBQ Thermometer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GE77QT0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tMnnBbAS4Q8RD

 

I use two when I’m

smoking meat because I need an ambient temp inside the smoker and a meat probe for doneness.

2 minutes ago, Busch1724 said:

How do you all feel about Traeger grills? I'm considering one to replace a Weber gas grill I have along with a Weber Charcoal grill. 

I’ve got a buddy who swears by them, but I’m still up in the air on adding one. 

[HOF44]

10 minutes ago, Busch1724 said:

How do you all feel about Traeger grills? I'm considering one to replace a Weber gas grill I have along with a Weber Charcoal grill. 

If you mean the pellet ones I would avoid them now.  They used to be the bee's knee's but a few years ago they moves production to China.  Since then, in some, the auger for the pellets gets jammed up and can cause a fire.  

 

I have a Weber Gas Grill, a Weber Kettle and  Slow and Sear for the Kettle.  That pretty much covers all my grilling and smoking needs and does so very well.

 

I sue this instant read thermometer.  Works great!  https://www.amazon.com/Lavatools-PT12-Javelin-Thermometer-Chipotle/dp/B00GRFHXVQ/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1530195159&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=instant+read+thermometer+digital&psc=1

 

Edited June 28, 2018 by HOF44

[Skinsfan1311]

52 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Okay cool thanks for all the pointers, maybe I can step my grill game up this summer!

 

EDIT:

 

Also you mentioned to skip the iGrill and get a normal meat thermometer with wire that won't burnt.  Well the price of the ones mentioned above are actually as expensive if not more expensive than the iGrill.  Why would you recommend the ThermoPop stuff over iGrill?

The Themopop is an instant read digital thermometer. It's very accurate and inexpensive, and it reads quickly. It is not a leave-in thermometer.  While it's a great thermometer, it's not nearly as durable as the Thermapen Mk4, nor does it read as fast.

The Smoke is a dual-probe leave-in digital thermometer. One probe at the grill-grate, ( measures the cooking temp), and one probe in the meat. It's comes with a remote wireless receiver, that you can carry around. It also has a version with wi-fi and an app.  I have the earlier version without wi-fi, but the remote receiver works everywhere in my house.  They make very high quality remote digital thermometers for less. I also own an Accurite,  (can't recall the model), and it works good.

I know nothing  about iGrill, but I haven't read good things about it.  When you start getting into serious grilling, and BBQ,  you'll see the need for a thermometer to measure the grill temp,(at the grate), because those bi-metal thermometers that come with the grill are junk..

[Busch1724]

36 minutes ago, AsburySkinsFan said:

for $56

ThermoPro TP20 Wireless Remote Digital Cooking Food Meat Thermometer with Dual Probe for Smoker Grill BBQ Thermometer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GE77QT0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tMnnBbAS4Q8RD

 

I use two when I’m

smoking meat because I need an ambient temp inside the smoker and a meat probe for doneness.

 

 

This is the one I use. Works great. Last year I had a probe go bad, contacted them, and sent me a whole new unit...receiver and all. Great customer service!

The probe went bad because of the way I was pulling the probe from the meat. It was not a manufacturer thing. 

[purbeast]

2 hours ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

The Themopop is an instant read digital thermometer. It's very accurate and inexpensive, and it reads quickly. It is not a leave-in thermometer.  While it's a great thermometer, it's not nearly as durable as the Thermapen Mk4, nor does it read as fast.

The Smoke is a dual-probe leave-in digital thermometer. One probe at the grill-grate, ( measures the cooking temp), and one probe in the meat. It's comes with a remote wireless receiver, that you can carry around. It also has a version with wi-fi and an app.  I have the earlier version without wi-fi, but the remote receiver works everywhere in my house.  They make very high quality remote digital thermometers for less. I also own an Accurite,  (can't recall the model), and it works good.

I know nothing  about iGrill, but I haven't read good things about it.  When you start getting into serious grilling, and BBQ,  you'll see the need for a thermometer to measure the grill temp,(at the grate), because those bi-metal thermometers that come with the grill are junk..

Ah okay I see.  I am hearing very mixed reviews about the iGrill, some love it, others have a lot of issues.  I'm thinking of getting it just because I like how clean it looks being able to just have it integrated with my grill.  It's definitely a bit pricier than the competition though at around $30 more. But I may get it to try it out, along with one of those instant read thermometers like above that is $25 on Amazon.

[Skinsfan1311]

34 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Ah okay I see.  I am hearing very mixed reviews about the iGrill, some love it, others have a lot of issues.  I'm thinking of getting it just because I like how clean it looks being able to just have it integrated with my grill.  It's definitely a bit pricier than the competition though at around $30 more. But I may get it to try it out, along with one of those instant read thermometers like above that is $25 on Amazon.

The BBQ community that I deal with, (and these folks are hard core),are not fans of the iGrill.   

They are, however, big fans of the Smoke.  I don't have experience with the iGrill, but I can personally vouch for the quality of the Smoke, the Thermapen, the Thermo-pop,  and the customer service at Thermoworks.  (No, I don't work for them )

A great site, that includes unbiased reviews, is https://amazingribs.com/  

Edited June 28, 2018 by Skinsfan1311

[purbeast]

4 minutes ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

The BBQ community that I deal with, (and these folks are hard core),are not fans of the iGrill.   

They are, however, big fans of the Smoke.  I don't have experience with the iGrill, but I can personally vouch for the quality of the Smoke, the Thermapen, the Thermo-pop,  and the customer service at Thermoworks.  (No, I don't work for them )

A great site, that includes unbiased reviews, is https://amazingribs.com/  

What are their cons of the iGrill?  I'm just curious what the actual negatives about it are.  There are 2 main reasons I am contemplating it right now.

 

1. It will fit very cleanly into my grilling situation in that it will be "built in" when installed (other than probes obviously).

2. It means I'll have less clutter/crap.

 

I'm not too concerned about people talking about the BT range on it, because I know my BT range in my backyard and house since I use my portable speaker often with my phone, and I don't plan on being far away where the BT shouldn't work and will lose reception.

 

And I have so much crap already cluttered away in drawers in my kitchen, that if I can have less things it will be a win for me.  I hate clutter and the less I have the better lol.

[Skinsfan1311]

4 minutes ago, purbeast said:

What are their cons of the iGrill?  I'm just curious what the actual negatives about it are.  There are 2 main reasons I am contemplating it right now.

 

1. It will fit very cleanly into my grilling situation in that it will be "built in" when installed (other than probes obviously).

2. It means I'll have less clutter/crap.

 

I'm not too concerned about people talking about the BT range on it, because I know my BT range in my backyard and house since I use my portable speaker often with my phone, and I don't plan on being far away where the BT shouldn't work and will lose reception.

 

And I have so much crap already cluttered away in drawers in my kitchen, that if I can have less things it will be a win for me.  I hate clutter and the less I have the better lol.

Don't have a clue....

[Skinsfan1311]

@purbeast I have a small hard case, that I bought at Harbor Freight. One with the foam that you can make customized cut-outs. I keep all of my thermometers,  (except for the Thermapen, which stays in the kitchen), in the case. It's pretty slick. If I remember, when I get home, I'll post a pic of it.

[AsburySkinsFan]

2 hours ago, purbeast said:

What are their cons of the iGrill?  I'm just curious what the actual negatives about it are.  There are 2 main reasons I am contemplating it right now.

 

1. It will fit very cleanly into my grilling situation in that it will be "built in" when installed (other than probes obviously).

2. It means I'll have less clutter/crap.

 

I'm not too concerned about people talking about the BT range on it, because I know my BT range in my backyard and house since I use my portable speaker often with my phone, and I don't plan on being far away where the BT shouldn't work and will lose reception.

 

And I have so much crap already cluttered away in drawers in my kitchen, that if I can have less things it will be a win for me.  I hate clutter and the less I have the better lol.

All of the thermometers probes are pretty much the same, igrill I think will allow you to attach multiple probes into the single base unit. If you're avoiding clutter then it may be the way to go for you. For me I didn't care for the price point vs what it would add to what I already use.

I like my thermpro because I can set the "meat" type and "done-ness" level which will set the desired temp to a standardized degree, but you can manually adjust it from there. I typically subtract 5 degrees from it because it'll still cook while resting.

[purbeast]

I had to order some protein powder from Amazon so I just decided to snag the iGrill 3.  I'll report back after I use it and let you all know how I do with it.  I'm going to get some thicker steaks this weekend and possibly try it out tomorrow.

 

Anyone have any recommendations and tips on how to grill the "perfect steak"?  I know someone up above was saying they cooked it on on side until it reached 90 degrees internally, then flipped it over until it reached the desired temp.  I definitely prefer med-rare for steaks.  I'm also curious what temperature to keep the grill at while cooking the steak.

 

Any pointers welcome for this noob!

[HOF44]

1 hour ago, purbeast said:

I had to order some protein powder from Amazon so I just decided to snag the iGrill 3.  I'll report back after I use it and let you all know how I do with it.  I'm going to get some thicker steaks this weekend and possibly try it out tomorrow.

 

Anyone have any recommendations and tips on how to grill the "perfect steak"?  I know someone up above was saying they cooked it on on side until it reached 90 degrees internally, then flipped it over until it reached the desired temp.  I definitely prefer med-rare for steaks.  I'm also curious what temperature to keep the grill at while cooking the steak.

 

Any pointers welcome for this noob!

I usually get whatever grill I'm using as screaming hot as it will get.  Then I sear both sides of the steak.  Then on gas I turn a burner off and use indirect heat to cook to temp.  On charcoal I just use charcoal in my slow an sear and the other half is indirect cooking space.  Some use a "reverse sear" so cook to temp, then sear at the end.  I can't tell much difference either way.  

 

If you want to get really crazy you sous vide your steaks to temp light a chimney of charcoal and sear them over that chimney.  But that's a lot of trouble for not much improvement.  

[purbeast]

1 minute ago, HOF44 said:

I usually get whatever grill I'm using as screaming hot as it will get.  Then I sear both sides of the steak.  Then on gas I turn a burner off and use indirect heat to cook to temp.  On charcoal I just use charcoal in my slow an sear and the other half is indirect cooking space.  Some use a "reverse sear" so cook to temp, then sear at the end.  I can't tell much difference either way.  

 

If you want to get really crazy you sous vide your steaks to temp light a chimney of charcoal and sear them over that chimney.  But that's a lot of trouble for not much improvement.  

Yeah this is going to be on a gas grill so I have temp control.

 

When you sear it, how long do you sear it for on each side?  The hottest I've gotten my new grill so far is like 600 degrees but that was just me letting it warm up the very first time for like 15 minutes.  I'm not sure how much higher than that it will get.

 

So do you basically get it hot as can be, put steak in and close top then let sit on one side for X amount of time.  Then open grill, filp real quick, close grill, and let it sear for X amount of time again.  Then after that amount of time, you turn the burner off under neath where it's searing, and let it get to temp?  

[HOF44]

46 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Yeah this is going to be on a gas grill so I have temp control.

 

When you sear it, how long do you sear it for on each side?  The hottest I've gotten my new grill so far is like 600 degrees but that was just me letting it warm up the very first time for like 15 minutes.  I'm not sure how much higher than that it will get.

 

So do you basically get it hot as can be, put steak in and close top then let sit on one side for X amount of time.  Then open grill, filp real quick, close grill, and let it sear for X amount of time again.  Then after that amount of time, you turn the burner off under neath where it's searing, and let it get to temp?  

I usually sear 3-4 minutes a side depending on the steak. It's more to what it looks like than time.  Also if the steak is sticking to the grill when you try to flip it or look it's not been on long enough.  600-650 is about as hot as you will get a gas grill.  And yes you turn a burner or 2 off and get the temp in the grill about 400 indirect and let it cook to temp.  

Edited June 29, 2018 by HOF44