Mastering the Flame » Grilling http://www.masteringtheflame.com Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:58:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Smoking with a Gas Grill http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2009/01/smoking-with-a-gas-grill/ http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2009/01/smoking-with-a-gas-grill/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:46:12 +0000 Tom http://www.masteringtheflame.com/?p=252 Smoking food is no longer reserved for those of us with charcoal grills, or dedicated smokers. Just because you only have a gas grill doesn’t mean you can’t smoke with it. I’ll show you how to easily smoke with a gas grill.

Gas Grill

As a big time griller, I have all sorts of different grills for different purposes, but I know not everyone does. You have a gas grill, but you’d love to smoke some foods; guess what, it is no problem.

It is actually very easy to smoke using a gas grill. If you’re lucky you might have a grill that has a slide out smoker box. Some grill models come with this smoker drawer that you pull out and fill with wood chips. Just follow the manufacturer’s directions on your specific model and you’ll be smoking with your gas grill in no time.

However, if you’re like me, your gas grill doesn’t have a smoker box. It doesn’t matter; you still can smoke with it. What you need to do is make a smoker pouch.

  • Soak your favorite wood chips for an hour or so.
  • Using a sheet Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil, place a handful or two of soaked wood chips in the center.
  • Fold all sides up to make the pouch. You’ll want to double-fold at the edges to create a better seal.
  • Using a knife, poke several holes on the top side of the pouch.
  • Place the pouch under the grate directly over one of the burners.
  • Heat the grill on high until you see smoke, then adjust the temperature to the level you want to cook at.

Pretty simple huh? If you can fold aluminum foil into a pouch you can smoke on your gas grill. Now, if you are smoking large cuts of meat or even a turkey you’ll want to make a bigger smoker pouch. Just add several handfuls of soaked chips to a larger sheet of foil. Another option is to use wood chunks. With wood chunks you can just place them under the grate directly over a burner just as you wood with the smoker pouch.

Now you have no excuse not to try smoking, since now smoking on a gas grill can easily be done.

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]]> http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2009/01/smoking-with-a-gas-grill/feed/ 16 How to Grill Fish on the Skin http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/12/how-to-grill-fish-on-the-skin/ http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/12/how-to-grill-fish-on-the-skin/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:31:09 +0000 Tom http://www.masteringtheflame.com/?p=234 Grilling fish is a seemingly difficult task, with many horror stories of fish falling apart, and also sticking to the grate.  It really is not that hard to grill fish with success.  I wrote The 5 Essentials for Grilling Perfect Fish to tackle some of the problems holding would-be successful fish grillers back. Using the tips in that article will help you to grill some amazing fish.

Salmon Fillet

Image by VirtualErn

However, we are going to drill down and focus on grilling fish on the skin side.  You’ve picked up some nice salmon fillets with the skin on from your local fish market; guess what, that’s the hard part.  That’s right, picking a good fish is more difficult than grilling it.  Let me show you how easy it is.

1.  Direct medium-high heat on a covered grill. Set up you charcoal or gas grill to produce a medium-high heat level.  Make sure your grate is clean, and rub a bit of olive or canola oil on it. The cleanliness and oil will help prevent the fish from sticking.

2.  Brush the skin side of the fish fillet with oil. A bit of olive or canola oil brushed on the skin side with help to prevent sticking.  A bit of melted butter will work too.

3.  Place the fish fillet skin side down over the heat source and cover. Grilling fish directly over the heat source will crisp up the skin and also help with sticking.  Grilling the fish covered will cooking it evenly top through bottom.

4.  Check on the fish periodically, but don’t ever flip it. Grilling fish this way requires no flipping, but you do need to check on it.  Check to see that the skin is crisping, but not burning.  You can do this by lifting the corner of the fish fillet with a spatula.  If the skin is starting to burn, fold up a piece of aluminum foil and slide it under the fish fillet.

5.  The fish will be done in 10 – 15 minutes. It doesn’t take long to grill fish on the skin.

See, I told you it’s easy.  Get out there and try it.  I personally love to grill salmon fillets this way.  It is so quick, easy and delicious.  And just think of the glazes you could also add.  There are a lot of options for experimenting with grilled fish.

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]]> http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/12/how-to-grill-fish-on-the-skin/feed/ 0 How to Grill Peppers in 6 Easy Steps http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/12/how-to-grill-peppers-in-6-easy-steps/ http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/12/how-to-grill-peppers-in-6-easy-steps/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:38:37 +0000 Tom http://www.masteringtheflame.com/?p=219 Roasted peppers are probably my favorite grilled vegetable.  Grilled peppers turn out soft and sweet, with a slightly smoky character.  I love them as is, with a bit of olive oil, but they can also be added to other dishes to provide a sweet, smoky character.

Image by kylemay

Grilling peppers can be done on either a gas or charcoal grill.  I’m a big fan of charcoal grills, so that is what I generally use to roast my peppers.

  1. Set your grill up for direct grilling.  This means the peppers will be roasted right over the heat source.  If you are using a charcoal grill create an even layer of hot coals.

  2. The peppers will be grilled over high heat.  We are talking about temperatures at 450°F or slightly higher.  If you are using a charcoal grill it will take about 5 – 10 minutes for the coals to reach this temperature.  The coals should be bright orange at this point.

  3. Place the peppers on the grate and grill for approximately 5 minutes on each side.  Each side should produce a nice char.

  4. After they have finished grilling place the peppers into a dish and cover with plastic wrap.  Let the grilled peppers sit for approximately 20 minutes.  This steams the peppers which helps loosen the skin from the flesh.

  5. After the roasted peppers have finished steaming, pull the skin off the peppers using a knife or your fingers.  Don’t worry if you can’t get every last piece of skin off the peppers.  A bit of charred skin will add to the flavor.

  6. Finally cut off the stem ends, slice the peppers open and scrape out the seeds.

You can grill pretty much any type of peppers you want, from your various colors of bell peppers to your different varieties of chili peppers.

Don’t feel that you have to char the skin black and remove them either.  You can grill the peppers until the skin has reached a slight golden brown color on each side.  At this point you can eat the peppers skin and all.  The “skin on” method will produce flavors completely different from grilled peppers with the skin removed.  Experiment with both types in your dishes.

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]]> http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/12/how-to-grill-peppers-in-6-easy-steps/feed/ 5 How to Smoke a Turkey http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/11/how-to-smoke-a-turkey/ http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/11/how-to-smoke-a-turkey/#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:22:26 +0000 Tom http://www.masteringtheflame.com/?p=182 Break away from the traditional oven roasted turkey and try something new this year.  How about smoking a turkey?  You can produce a wonderfully tender and flavorful turkey, by bringing it outdoors and adding a bit of smoke.  The additional benefit besides the flavorful turkey is now you’ve freed up your oven to create all those excellent side dishes.

Image by southernpixel

Smoking a Turkey

You can smoke a turkey on virtually any type of grill, even a gas grill.  Our focus here however will be smoking your turkey using indirect heat on a charcoal grill or using a smoker.

Whether using a charcoal grill or a smoker I suggest that you use a drip pan with a bit of water underneath your turkey.  A cheap disposable aluminum pan will work great for this.  Not only does a drip pan help prevent flare-ups, it helps provide a bit of moisture to the turkey while smoking.

If you are using a charcoal grill, build the charcoal up around the drip pan.  Due to the close proximity to the heat source, smoking on a charcoal grill will take less time than using a smoker.  A 12 to 14 pound turkey will take around 3 to 4 hours to smoke on a charcoal grill at a medium heat level.

If you are using a smoker build the heat source according to the directions for your smoker.  Build your heat to a level of 225°F to 250°F.  I like to aim for right around 235°F when I smoke a turkey.  At the level of heat it will take about 30 minutes per pound for the turkey to cook.  Expect to be smoking for 6 to 7 hours for a 12 pound turkey using a smoker.  Due to the length of time it takes to smoke a turkey I suggest that you stick to a small to medium sized bird.

If you want to use your favorite rub, or brine your turkey prior to smoking feel free.  However, a bit of oil rubbed on the turkey with some salt and pepper will also make for an excellent smoked turkey.

Place your turkey on the grill or smoker breast side up directly over the drip pan.  If the smoker you use has the heat source toward to one side of the turkey, you will want to rotate the turkey every couple of hours to insure even cooking.

You’ve got the heat going and the turkey on the grate, now let’s add a bit of smoke to your turkey.  There are several woods that you can use to smoke your turkey, but I prefer to use apple, cherry, or hickory.  I’ve also used a combination of those woods.  As far as mesquite goes, I find it to be too overpowering for turkey, but if you want to try it feel free.

If you are using chips you’ll want to soak them in water for an hour or so.  Soaking the chips will slow the rate of burn so they will smolder and produce smoke.  If you are using large chunks, there is no need to soak them.  Add a couple hands full of chips or a couple chunks to get the smoke rolling.  Shut the cover and let it smoke.  Keep the lid closed as much as possible to retain the heat and smoke.  You will want to check every hour or so if additional wood chips or chunks are needed.

If you are smoking your turkey on a charcoal grill at a medium level of heat your turkey will finish quicker.  You will want to check the temperature of the turkey several times while smoking using a meat thermometer.  Regardless of whether you are using a charcoal grill or a smoker, you are looking for a temperature of 170°F to 180°F before taking the turkey off.

Once the turkey has finished pull it off the grill or smoker and let it rest.  You should let your turkey rest for about 15 minutes covered with aluminum foil.  As it rests the juices will redistribute throughout the bird creating a juicy, tender smoked turkey.

Smoking a turkey is pretty easy, and it opens up the kitchen for other tasks.  Feel free to experiment a bit too.  You can brine your turkey, inject it with different seasonings, rub it with your favorite spices; the options are endless.  Another great idea is adding wine, beer, or juices to the drip pan for moisture.  Half the fun in smoking a turkey is experimenting.

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]]> http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/11/how-to-smoke-a-turkey/feed/ 3 How to Grill a Turkey http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/11/how-to-grill-a-turkey/ http://www.masteringtheflame.com/2008/11/how-to-grill-a-turkey/#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:54:11 +0000 Tom http://www.masteringtheflame.com/?p=174 Grilling a turkey is simple and delicious.  It just makes sense to grill a turkey.  Your oven and kitchen are already busy multitasking every other dish and side you are making for your feast, so take that turkey outdoors and throw it on the grill.

Image by Southernpixel

It doesn’t matter whether you have a gas or charcoal grill, you can grill a turkey on either one.  And it is not difficult at all.  The next several steps will show you how to grill a turkey with success.

Here are the steps for Grilled Turkey Success

  • A turkey must be grilled using indirect heat.  Indirect cooking basically means that you will not be grilling your turkey directly over the heat source; rather you will place the turkey to the side of heat source or the heat source will be surrounding the turkey.
  • Prepare the charcoal grill by opening the vents, removing the top grate and placing a drip pan in the center of the bottom grate.  You’ll want to build your heat source around this drip pan or built it up on the two longest sides of the pan.  For your initial heat you’ll need approximately 30 charcoal briquettes.
  • After the coals have formed a grayish ash on them, place the top grate on the grill.  And brush the grate with a bit of canola or olive oil to help prevent sticking.
  • If a gas grill is being used to grill your turkey, prepare a side for indirect grilling.  Consult your owner’s manual on how to adjust the heat to one side.  Place the drip pan underneath the grate below where the turkey will be grilled.  The gas grill will need to be preheated prior to placing your turkey on the grill.
  • If you were so inclined you could have already seasoned, injected, or brined the turkey prior to placing on the grill.  If you choose not to season or baste the turkey, brush it with bit of oil prior to placing it on the grill.  Place your fresh or already thawed turkey on the grate breast side up directly over the drip pan.
  • Cover your grill.  Grilling the turkey will take some time and the heat will need to be kept up.  If you are using a charcoal grill every hour you’ll want to add additional coals to each side.  Try to cook the turkey at approximately 350°F over medium heat whether using a charcoal or gas grill.
  • Grill the turkey to a breast temperature of 170°F and a thigh temperature of 180°F.  Cooking times will vary depending upon grill types and levels of heat.  But on average is should take from 2 – 3 hours for a 10 to 18 pound turkey.  Check internal temperatures often to ensure it is cooking at a steady rate.
  • Once the turkey is finished grilling, take it off the grill and let it rest for approximately 15 minutes prior to carving.  Carve up your turkey and enjoy!

Additional points

  • Do not stuff a turkey you plan on grilling.  It will take too long for the stuffing to cook.
  • Ovoid opening the grills cover to reduce heat loss.
  • You may also place your turkey directly into an additional pan for basting.
  • Rotate the turkey if one side looks to be cooking quicker than the other.
  • Check internal temperatures often to make sure the turkey is cooking at an even steady pace.

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