Ye olde turkey legge

Somehow wound up at a Renaissance Faire in Cleveland while visiting friends this weekend. I guess medieval culinary skills were pretty poor 600 years ago...

Everybody needs a little elbow room

We had a party back at the house after Jack's birthday party at Terhune Orchards. Some family got stuck in Delaware and couldn't make it, so we were going to have an awful lot of extra food, but fortunately some neighbors came by and helped out.

This was some bone-in chicken breasts that were marinating in Goya Mojo sauce for about 20 hours or so. Each one was quite sizeable, so it was nice to be able to have them spread out all over the grill without having to crowd them.

At least for a minute before I realised I have to cook them over indirect heat, so I pulled them towards the center and kept burners 1, 2 and 6 on. After about 45 minutes in, I kicked up those burners to high and threw on some Whole Foods burgers. Once all meat was done, some corn finished off the grilling. I then fired all burners to high for about 30 minutes, and was amazed at what burned off - at almost 700 degrees, it's pretty easy to clean up.

Once dusk hit, we all started counting bats. At least 50 came out, not only from where I suspected their access point was (which was supposed to be sealed already), but also from the fascia at the top of the chimney. Looks like we'll be spending every spring just patching up the holes until we're all sealed up. Ugh.

In Memoriam: 1999-2007

So long, old friend. You served us well.

Bats: they don't compare

Pest guys were out again today (kinda makes them sound like they're the pests). They determined that we are close enough to early-mid August, which is when baby bats make their way out of the nest to feed for themselves. So the decision is to wait for this to happen, then net again and spray them all out, and seal up... once again. If we do it now, we've got baby bats stuck in our house to, well, expire. That's not only 1) kinda sad, and 2) a source for some stench behind my bedpost, but 3) not particularly legal actually. Well, it is in the manner of getting them out of the house, but it can only be done by licensed pros, of which I am not one.

This means 4 more weeks or so of hanging out on the patio at dusk, and seeing how many bats we can count wiggle their way out of my soffets and shingles to hunt for the night. Interestingly, they each eat about 3 pounds of insects each night, so admittedly we have a pretty nice by-product of playing hotel to the colony - almost no bugs bothering us when we're outside.

I just need to convince the guests to kindly move next door.

Jack's fifth birthday party is tomorrow, first at a farm with all the friends, then back at the house for some family get-together. Plans are simple - grilled chicken pieces, burgers and dogs, with some homemade slaw, beans, and potato salad. Corn and Texas toast as well, I'm sure. Wife is out shopping for everything now. Not incredibly interesting, but fun enough with good people around.

Sadly, my next full weekend I can spend grilling/smoking is Labor Day, when I plan to put to use my latest purchase, the Smokenator. After seeing smoking temps way above normal with my last baby backs (though they turned out awesome still), this looks like a brilliant, geniusy idea to help control temps and moisture. I feel like reading up on smoking techniques is definitely helping me grow some knowledge on the practice, but I'm always up for some gadget to help me out too, especially for long-haul smoking like brisket. Can't wait to try it out!

Meanwhile, I'll be watching for pics on Mike's inspirational food blog. Anyone compelled enough to time out their grilling schedule is a man after my own heart. Grill on, my master-of-the-macro brother.

Redemption weekend

Made beer can chicken again last night. The skin was not burnt like the first try, but it wasn't as crispy as I was hoping it would be either. Maybe a little longer on the grill next time. Still, the meat was really tender. Wife made boursin potatoes which were really good, too.

Lunch today was some leftover ground turkey, mixed with goat cheese, mustard and Worcestershire sauce, thanks to an online recipe. It actually called for ricotta, but you work with what you got. They came out very tasty.

I also owed wife some ribs to make up for the carbonized bones I served on July 4th. So I went for some baby backs again, brined and rubbed, with one soaked mesquite chunk (I heard that mesquite can be too overpowering, so I figured one larger chunk soaked for a few hours should be OK).

These are the ribs freshly on the grill. Looks a bit like a sauce, but they were in the fridge with the rub on for over 3 hours.

Only took a shade over two hours to get them to the point where they fell apart when I picked them up, so I closed the vents and let them stay on for another hour. They were a bit smaller than what the recipe called for, and I had the kettle vents almost fully closed the entire time, and yet still the temp was over 350. Another time, when it's not 95 degrees out, I want to do a true low & slow smoking at around 225-250. Nevertheless, it worked out fine for these. I foiled them and put them in a paper bag until dinner (about an hour and a half later), something I read helps keep them warm and moist.

Grilled corn with chipotle butter, and reheated the ribs from still warm to toasty hot - the 620 is the perfect outdoor cooking surface. (Didn't brine the corn this time, and it came out fine with a mopping of butter about 75% of the way done.)

Unused Texas toast from the 4th was a good side.

 

The ribs came out just how I like them - fall off the bone, but they still had some meat and chew to them. Sauce was completely unnecessary... for me. Wife thought differently. Wife is wrong.

I grilled every meal except breakfast this weekend, and loved every minute of it. Plus I was able to get some around-the-house stuff done, just checking on the ribs every half hour. It was also nice being outside without a shirt, though I can't say others watching me would have the same opinion. Over 90 degrees = shirtless. But, I'm feeling it where it hurts - pants are a bit tighter tonight, and I need to start exercising... this way, I can do this one or two days on the weekend and not regret it.

I'll still have beer can chicken and the other rack of ribs for leftovers this week - I'll be interested to see how well they hold up after two days in the fridge. But smaller portions and lots of veggies this week.

I thought ahead at the farmer's market and picked up some more brisket and a tri-tip for the next available smoking session. Mmmm....

Back to le' grind...

When it's time to change...

Pardon my dust, but I'm feeling the need to change up the blog template. Consistency is for wimps.

Feast or famine

Coleslaw, grilled corn, two types of burgers (steakhouse and "jucy lucy"), beans compliments of wife and Texas Toast compliments of Pepperidge farm... feast.

Chicago-style baby back ribs that were to be smoked on the Weber kettle and finished in an oven on a wire rack over a baking sheet with some water for moisture, covered in foil... famine. I didn't realise the foil was supposed to cover the whole baking sheet, so all the moisture that was to go into the ribs, went into the air.

Not the July 4th BBQ-fest I had hoped for, but everything else was still really tasty. I'd offer pics, but the only appropriate one would have been taken as the rubs were dumped into the trashcan.

Oddly, my dad asked me today if there were any left. They actually tasted good, like spiced jerky. OK, more like spiced hockey puck.

I'll try again this weekend, but since the baby backs always seemed to be sold in pairs, one will go into the oven, and one in the gas grill. I'd also like to know if one rack could just be finished on the kettle after smoking for a few hours; maybe next weekend...

One happy grillguy

So seven hours into the smoking, the temp on the brisket just didn't get over 185. I fired up the gas grill and finished the brisket for about 20-30 minutes on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Got it to 195 as the recipe called for, and let it rest for 30 minutes. Sliced it up and fed wife, mom, son, and two friends the best brisket I have ever tasted. The BBQ sauce wasn't necessary because the meat was supposed to be more of a rub, but it was better than any sauce I've ever had, and was a perfect accompaniment. Grilled corn thanks to 2 hours in a slight salt brine was perfect, with some melted butter mixed with the BBQ sauce brushed on. I wanted to use the gas grill's side burner for cooking the sauce, which worked about 90% but either because of the total output of the burner, or the wind, I just couldn't bring the sauce to a good simmer unless on the inside oven. Once I got that going up to temp, I brought it back outside to finish. Total meal was absolutely fantastic, one of my best and favorites so far. Although wife thought the brisket was just a shy dry, to me it was cooked perfectly with a great crust and a tight meaty interior. I didn't think it was dry at all, and was more how I like ribs - not fall off the bone tender and falling apart, but with some body and chew to them without being dried out. This was cooked perfectly in my opinion, though next time I need larger wood chunks that don't burn out so quickly, and I'll know to have more pre-fired coals ready for the brisket - I actually filled a small chimney and got it going on the side burner to help bring the heat back up on the Performer; thought that was a nice little stroke of genius, for me at least.

I lay no claim to good cooking other than to following recipes, but what's important is having fun doing it and having friends and family enjoy it. Unfortunately, there is still quite a bit to clean up. That's what mornings are for... now, it's time for the fire pit.

Mise en place - I have to have ingredients all ready to go, otherwise I get too flustered and wind up burning things.

Ready for some sauce making. The burner was just less than the heat I really needed, but some help on the stove got things going.

A great tomato/vinegar sauce in the making, far from too syrupy sweet...

A cook's tools - timer, temp gauge, tongs, gloves, recipe, and radio.

Grills in action. Today made me realize two grills is a necessity and a blessing.

Warming butter for the corn on the 620.

First time I liked grilled corn, made on the Performer.

The brisket.

The me (with an apron colored by my son). Jessee wants, but he cannot have.

Better than a picture of me with the belt unbuckled and the button undone.

Today is the first time I felt like a real outdoor cook. I love, love, LOVE having both grills. I think I'm learning to like the charcoal Performer better as an overall grill, capable of generating searing heat as well as low-and-slow smoking, but just having access to the gas grill for use as a side burner and general great cooking outdoor surface is fantastic. A bit overpriced, but fantastic nonetheless. Still, when it comes time to grilling for next month's party of 20-25 people, the 620 will have proven its worth where the Performer just isn't big enough to accommodate everything. A great way to finish the weekend off... I am one happy dude.

Smoked ribs next weekend.

Third quarter

Temp is around 225, lower than I expected. I just threw about 7 or 8 more coals on, but I'm not even sure if its hot enough to light them, and every time the lid comes off the temp will go down. I know I'm still in the low-and-slow zone, so if nothing changes in the next hour and a half or so, I'll finish off on the gas grill.

Internal temp is 182, and my target is 195. Slow and steady!

Halfway mark

Just added 10 more coals and flipped the brisket. Starting to get some nice charring on there - this is a Texas-style brisket with more of a rub than sauce, though I will be making one later.

I was worried that after the first hour or so, there was no more smoke coming out of the vents. I'm hoping that there was still some in there flavoring the mean but just not coming out. Still, anytime I see a show on BBQ, there's always a lot of smoke. For a first try, hopefully it won't be too bad. I flipped over one chunk which seemed to help a bit, but the other two were already pretty charred over.

Right before flipping.

Mmmm.... charrry....

Some new coals and a turned chunk will hopefully make up for 2 hours without visible smoke.

I threaded an instant thermometer through the top vents to let me know when the brisket reaches 195, as it could take 2-4 more hours, and I don't want to blow my first shot completely and overcook the poor thing.

Off for some food shopping!

Smoke, and some water....

 Finally, smoked brisket day has arrived. It is an absolutely gorgeous day, with a little breeze, and shining sun. From a recipe by Cook's Illustrated, it's going to be a 6-7 hour timeframe, but I've cleared my schedule for it. Grilled corn, some homemade BBQ sauce, and wife's desserts will round out the day. I even cleaned both grills!

Brisket (flat cut, ~5 lbs) was brined in a salt/sugar water solution for 2 hours, with cross-hatch cuts on the fat cap (went a little too deep on one cut)

50 new briquettes were piled under about 65 that had already been heated up, to give even more smoking time before needing to add more - a great idea from the recipe.

If you can't stand the heat...

3 hickory chunks on the coals, brisket starting fat side down over a pan of water.

Starting temp of 400 degrees, just like the recipe said!

 

More to follow... it's under wraps for 3 hours before I'm allowed to flip it.

Suh-wheeeet.....