Happy Holidays

Just wanted to tell everyone, "Happy Holidays" and show you a picture of my "kitchen" -

I took this last night before I dusted it off to do some brats on the grill for my family.  The secret to doing brats on the grill is to keep them high and turn them often. The grease that will shoot out will cause some serious flameage, so be careful.

Again, Happy Holidays to everyone!

Brushing The Snow Away

It is an interesting thing to have to shovel your way out to the grill, and then brush the accumulated snow off the top before you can fire it up. The other evening (-4 F) that is what I had to do to get a few of my favorite steaks on the fire. My wife took a picture because to keep my hands warm I was placing them on top of the grill. I had on some light cloth gloves, but it was still a 400 degree grill and I could put my hands right on the top for several seconds to warm them up.

But true to my observations last winter, a higher flame and a closed lid are the way to go with steak. I do mine about four to five minutes per side at that temp, but they are trimmed a little thin and we like ours a little more than rare.

Still, it was fun to see the porch light smoking in the night as the bulb warmed up and the frost subliminated off the sides.

Hey, if you have some favorites recipes you like to do in the winter on the grill, just let me know. I am happy to post them here and will give you full credit for your work.

Til next time...

Welcome Back!

Welcome back, grilling enthusiasts! I hope you are enjoying the start of winter as I am by keeping your grill warm and your hot plate mitt close at hand. We are up to about 30 inches of snow with temps ranging from the low teens to the single digits below - perfect time for Arctic Grilling!

Here are a couple of tips I want to pass along to you.  Last winter we were living in an apartment with no deck, so the grill had to live in the garage. Wasn't so bad, I just had to roll the beastie out every time I wanted to grill (which was a LOT). Anyway, grilling in that fashion left a couple of things un-discovered.

1. Propane stops flowing as readily as the temperature drops. While I was storing my grill in my garage, which always stayed at 65 degrees or so, it was not a problem. Now that it is outside, it takes a little longer to warm things up.  Once I get one burner lit, I have to wait a few seconds before lighting the next one, and then the next. Gives the propane in the tubes time to expand.
2. That little metal knob on top of the propane valve is just that - metal. Once the temperature drops below zero, that little piece of steel can stick to your hand really fast. It's best to have on a glove or use your hot plate mitt to keep from leaving part of your paw under the grill.  Oh, and don't think it is going to warm up while you are cooking.  The heat goes up, away from the tank, and that little knob stays just as cold as it was.
3. During the summer it is nice to put the grill at the edge of the deck next to the house. That way you can always stand under the eave of the roof for the occassionaly shower. But before you fire that grill up in the winter time, I suggest you move it out from under that eave.  The effect of a hot grill on a twelve to fifteen inch snow-load hanging on the edge of the eave is not one you want to experiece. Trust me on this one!

Well, keep you grills hot and your meat turning. If you have a favorite recipe for the wintertime grill, drop it off here. I would certainly like to try it!

More late...

Summers End

Well, it is almost Labor Day and a lot of people think the grilling season is just about over. At least up here close to the Arctic Circle that is the opinion. Of course a few of us die-hards are looking forward to the first good snow when we can shake off these easy summer grills and get back to grilling in the cold.

Our families appreciate the summer grilling season, though, and one of our favorites are ribs. One of the old tricks we have dusted off and continue to use is par-boiling. Season your meat just the way you like it (we like using Coca Cola as a marinade - it flavors the meat with a sweet taste and the acid breaks down the fat ahead of time, which cuts down on the flammage) and then boil it for twenty to thirty minutes. The meat is cooked and the fat is almost completely dissolved so you can throw in on the grill without worrying about loosing your eyebrows!

Why grill it at all? Because most really good BBQ sauces come to their full flavor over the flame (try some Sweet Baby Rays for a really good sauce), and the heat of the sauce with the juicyness of the meat is a combination you just can't beat. It only takes about ten to fifteen minutes on a low grill (250 - 300) to sear that sauce flavor through the meat. Best of all you aren't charring the meat due to a lot of flame action coming up after the dripping fat.
Added to that, cleanup is a lot nicer as well.

Talking about cleanup, Goo-B-Gone has come out with a new grill cleaner that I have really enjoyed using. You can find it in the grilling section and it is called Goo-B-Gone Grill Cleaner. You just spay it on, let it soak for two or three minutes, and then wash it off. Most of you baked on stuff will wash right off. Use it from the start when you purchase a new grate, and it will make the whole experience of cleaning up a lot easier on your knuckles.

It's good to be back and ready for the first good snow!

Later!

Ribs, Ribs, and more Ribs

My family loves beef ribs. I know there are all varieties of ribs, short ribs, baby back, pork, boneless, and on and on. But my family loves beef ribs, so that is what I grill. Right now, in the Arctic regions, spring is in the air. The first bear sightings are happening and yearling moose calves are being chased off by their mothers in preparation for the birth of new calves. And more and more of my neighbors, whom I haven't seen in some months, are dragging their grills outside to cook.

Sometimes I feel guilty (a little) because I will see my neighbors as they pull in with their families and will raise a spatula or pair of tongs in greeting. Within five minutes they are dragging their grills outside to join me, but I digress.

My family loves beef ribs, and beef ribs are famous for two things; very little meat and a whole lot of flamage. What little meat there is makes it worth the effort getting to, but the flamage is something to be careful about. When a beef rib flames, it is like fire leaping to the sky in search of oxygen to live. If you happen to be only slightly bent over looking at your work you could end up with something akin to Patrick McManus' "Poof, No Eyebrows". If you are not familiar with Patrick McManus, well, you haven't sat around very many camp fires - at least not with a group of Royal Rangers.

So we know that beef ribs are famous for flamage, and we know that spring is in the air in the Arctic. The lesson from this is to turn down the flame! If you are a purist and still use charcoal (wish I had that kind of time), then make sure your fire is on the way down before you throw your ribs on. If you use propane, then turn that flame down and save your eyebrows.

A short word on prep - beef ribs being notorious for flamage, it helps to get a little of the grease out of the way first, and make sure your meat is going to be done when you take it off the grill. The best way to do that is to par boil it before you throw it on the grill. This reduces the grease content (but doesn't get rid of it entirely) and makes sure that just a few minutes on the grill does the trick.

Be careful though; if you boil your meat too long the grease is actually absorbed by the meat itself - in which case you might as well soak them in kerosene for a day or two and then put them to the flame - you achieve the same type of flame.

Well, that's about all for now. Keep those grills hot and I am always will to try a new recipe for sauce or marinade, so let me hear from you.

A Good Basting Sauce

One of the things I have found to be of good use in arctic grilling is a good basting sauce. While a nice marinade can add great flavor to your meat, a good basting sauce helps the meat stay moist and tender when you are grilling at really high temperatures.  A basic sauce will include equal parts of extra virgin olive oil and red wine, then add the spices that appeal to you. I like garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Usually, I will add a touch of sugar to overcome the bitterness of the wine. When you use a basting sauce in arctic conditions, keep it warm. A really cold basting sauce can actually retard the cooking process of good meat, and once it starts cooking you want it to finish.  I use the side burner on my grill to keep it warm, but I have to turn it off and on to make sure the sauce stays warm without boiling - boiling your sauce is just about as bad as using it too cold because the flavors will get mushy on you.

A note on the wine - don't use a so-called "cooking" wine. While they are cheaper, a good rule of thumb to use is "If you won't drink it, don't use it."

Something I tried last night with my NY Strip steaks was to save a little of the basting sauce to use as a dipping sauce for the meat.  Sort of a "non" au juis.  From first hand experience, a really good basting sauce makes a lousy dipping sauce.

One last note for those of you who use propane to grill - always have an extra full can sitting around for when you fire up the grill, get that first good sear, and then hear that unmistakable popping sound of the flames going out.  See you next time!

Short Break

Taking a short breather in Seward for the weekend, but will be back in front of the flame before long!

A Good Steak

While I love grilling just about anything, putting a good steak to the flame is without a doubt my all-time favorite. Yesterday was one of those days. I stopped by my favorite meat market, picked out just over four pounds of Angus Top Sirloin and headed home. This time I had a different idea about how to cook, and as the temperature outside was just above single digits it was worth a shot.

I used a spice rub on the steak - not too much, but enough to impart some flavor; and then made up a basting sauce. Not a marinade, but a basting sauce. The sauce was about 3/4 cups of olive oil, 3/4 cups of red wine, with some garlic, onion, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and sugar. I let the sauce sit for a couple of hours to meld the flavors while the spice rub was working its way into the steak.

I know I have always talked about cooking with the top down in really cold weather, but these steaks deserved to be kissed by the flame, so last night was a "top up" night. I used a small saucepan on the side burner for the basting sauce. I did not want to boil the sauce, but I did not want it getting so cold that it would retard the cooking process, so it was a very low flame and I checked it often.

Cooking the steaks was fabulous and the smell of cooking steak in the arctic air was exhilerating! After only 25 to thirty minutes and making sure I used the basting sauce frequently, the steaks were done and ready to be enjoyed. My lovely wife cooked up so good size russets and made a wonderful veggie salad of cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions with some vinegarette dressing that was out-of-this world delicious.

The stead was enjoyed by all and it was perfectly done and perfectly juicy. The best part was tonight we had steak and eggs with the left-overs, and nuking the steak did not take away any of the flavor or any of the juiciness.

So the next time you reach for the marinade - think about doing a good basting sauce instead!

Temperature Control

Most of us like to cook on a grill that will maintain a temperature around 350 degrees. On a normal summer day, this is a good cooking temperature and opening the grill, or even cooking with the lid up is an okay thing to do.

But let's talk about grilling when the temperature is hovering just below zero. At this temperature you have to understand the science of cooking, not just that throwing meat on fire for a specified period of time will get it done. At these temperatures you need to understand that a higher temperature - as much as 450 to 500 degrees can be required and that the grill lid must stay down for the cooking process to continue. It will still be necessary to lift the lid to turn the meat, but do this sparingly and quickly, as the temperature below zero can actually halt the cooking process on that part of the meat that is not directly exposed to the flame.

Speaking of exposing meat to the flame - I have found it much better to place the meat on the higher grill, farther from the flame. This way the dripping fat which will still ignite, does not char the meat. Cooking with the grill open in summer weather you can get that great "flame in the face" feeling while keeping the meat moving so it doesn't get charred. Keeping the lid closed the flame needs to kiss the meat, not consume it.

Let me know about your experiences as well!