Weber's Charcoal Grilling

[Macanudo]

Anybody else have this?

I picked it up the other say on sale. Some good recipes. I'm still kind of a grilling neophyte. I do burgers and steak all right but I don't get very adventurous.

 

[hornian]

Do they sell fajitas or skirt steak up in the Pacific Northwest? That's easy to get into.

Kebobs/skewers are easy to make and grill.

Chicken is pretty easy to grill too.

 

[Macanudo]

I can find skirt steak. I used to do fajitas a lot in Alaska during the summer. For whatever reason, chicken on the grill always get screwed up. I over the cook it.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Mac, are you doing whole or quartered bird? Breasts?

Also, is the chicken over direct flames or indirect?

For chicken on the grill, I usually put my coals in the center & have a 1/4 split of Oak in the center. This puts the chick directly on the heat but diffuses the flames off to the sides of the wood AND it gives me some smoking capabilities.

If I don't want to tend it as much, then I do the coals off to each side with a few slivers of Oak in the baskets & put either the whole / split bird in the center over a disposable alumimun pan with water in it.

I'll have to shoot a few pics next time, I suppose.

I find the chicken is just as juicy as a whole bird done 'rear ended' style, however for ease & less handling I would do the vertical thing except my grill isn't tall enough to handle a standing up bird. I think Weber makes a spacer & guess I'll have to get that one.

 

[GhostOfTomJoad]

This is a very versatile book w/ a number of great recipes. It's pretty much my 'go to' book when I'm looking to grill something on the Weber. Lots of different recipes that range from quick, simple & tasty to more advanced & challenging (but rewarding) fare.

 

[Macanudo]

I don't have a Weber, I have one of these:

I have a lot of lateral space but not a lot of overhead due to the colling rack in the top half. Lately, I've been cooking the chicken using indirect heat. I've been cheating and putting tinfoil under the chicken in order to avoid too much charing. But I am going try the oak in the middle trick next time.

I realized on reading the first chapter that I wasn't putting enough charcoal down for the most part. I've always thought I just needed enough to cover the area of the meat. I needed another couple of inches on either side. I made some steaks on Sunday and used more charcoal than I normally do and I got an insane amount of heat much faster than I normally do. Seared them, flipped them and then moved mine off to the side since I wanted it medium. My wife and MiL like theirs medium well.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Mac, if you're not using Lump charcoal (Oak, Mesquite, etc) then you truly are missing out.

I use a chimney starter with a piece of Oak down the center & the Lump around the sides... then about 10 - 15 minutes later, I just can't believe how en fuego it all is.

 

[Macanudo]

Oh, I'm going to track down some lump charcoal. I gotta try that.

 

[Fanny McLonghorn]

What's a good place to buy lump charcoal? I've seen it at grocery stores, but it seems like it might be cheaper at a barbecue store or something.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Lump Charcoal Reviews

Ain't the interwebs fantabulous??

In my experiences a grocery store is going to cost less than a Q store as they are a specialty supplier. Granted, if there is a $ 1.00 difference per bag then don't sweat the details.

The one problem I have with lump is there are (as detailed in the link above & my copied photo here)

various sizes of the product & you're paying by weight. "Regular" square briquettes rarely crumble into tiny bits that will fall through the chimney starter whereas the lump has bits that do.

What I do is lay in a piece of Oak in the center, put about two layers of briquets in the bottom & then the lump; it prevents the 2nd to smallest size lump from passing.

I don't recall how long ago it was, but someone here on Rusty's mentioned a place ½ way between Austin & Houston that mfg's & sells lump @ "direct" prices as well as sells to all the other wholesale or retail sources where we all buy. If anyone finds the thread & is going there, I'm requesting that they get me 4 or 5 bags.