Grills information
06-16-2011, 07:17 PM
Today on the show Covino was wanting some information on grills, etc so that he can cook like a man in SoCal.
I figured that I'd post what I know in hopes that I can help him as well as any other folks that want/need info.
When it comes to outdoor cooking you basically have two things. You have grills and you have smokers. There is some cross over between them but generally grills are for cooking things where having a high heat for a shorter duration will allow for cooking perfection. Smokers deal in lower heat for long term cooking.
I have both and enjoy cooking on both but they are completely different.
There are two main kinds of grills. Gas and charcoal. Gas is easier, faster, and cleaner and charcoal has better flavor. There seemed to be a bit of confusion from Covino today about charcoal. Charcoal is a one time use product. You put as much of it in the grill as needed and it is lit and completely consumed. So before you use the grill you may need to remove the ashes before your next batch. You will have smudges and stuff around your grill. But the taste (as long as you don't use lighter fluid) is superior and you can get a hotter grill with charcoal. Note to Covino - Since you like your steaks and stuff well done, this isn't nearly as important for you because the higher temps help with getting a good crust but still leaving the inside nice and medium rare. Lower temp for longer is what gets you well done without burning your high priced dead cow. Just knowing how you hate messes and don't like hassles, I'd skip charcoal and just get yourself a good propane grill. They are easy, clean, fast, etc. The flavor on a new propane grill is good but not great. As your grill cures (AKA letting the meat juices accumulate on the grill components) the flavor improves.
As stated, smokers are for cooking low and slow. Just like grills, there are options. You have wood/charcoal and electric. The most popular wood/charcoal smoker is the Big Green Egg. It is a really incredible thing however it is expensive. Its calling card is that it holds and maintains temperature extraordinarily well. At the local high end fireplace/smoker store, they bake cakes, etc on the egg as proof of its ability to maintain temp. I personally prefer to use an electric smoker. The one that I use is a Cookshack Smokette. Link-> http://store.cookshack.com/c-63-smokers.aspx Also not inexpensive (if you are patient you can get some deals occasionally), but is as close to set it and forget it as you can get. The amount of cleaning is minimal and the taste is out of this world. It still smokes but the unit is so air tight that to smoke 20+ pounds of pork shoulder (for pulled pork), I burn about 5 ounces of wood. That is really good because unless you have the right kinds of wood readily at hand, it can get very expensive.
Anyway, I can help answer any other questions you may have.
I figured that I'd post what I know in hopes that I can help him as well as any other folks that want/need info.
When it comes to outdoor cooking you basically have two things. You have grills and you have smokers. There is some cross over between them but generally grills are for cooking things where having a high heat for a shorter duration will allow for cooking perfection. Smokers deal in lower heat for long term cooking.
I have both and enjoy cooking on both but they are completely different.
There are two main kinds of grills. Gas and charcoal. Gas is easier, faster, and cleaner and charcoal has better flavor. There seemed to be a bit of confusion from Covino today about charcoal. Charcoal is a one time use product. You put as much of it in the grill as needed and it is lit and completely consumed. So before you use the grill you may need to remove the ashes before your next batch. You will have smudges and stuff around your grill. But the taste (as long as you don't use lighter fluid) is superior and you can get a hotter grill with charcoal. Note to Covino - Since you like your steaks and stuff well done, this isn't nearly as important for you because the higher temps help with getting a good crust but still leaving the inside nice and medium rare. Lower temp for longer is what gets you well done without burning your high priced dead cow. Just knowing how you hate messes and don't like hassles, I'd skip charcoal and just get yourself a good propane grill. They are easy, clean, fast, etc. The flavor on a new propane grill is good but not great. As your grill cures (AKA letting the meat juices accumulate on the grill components) the flavor improves.
As stated, smokers are for cooking low and slow. Just like grills, there are options. You have wood/charcoal and electric. The most popular wood/charcoal smoker is the Big Green Egg. It is a really incredible thing however it is expensive. Its calling card is that it holds and maintains temperature extraordinarily well. At the local high end fireplace/smoker store, they bake cakes, etc on the egg as proof of its ability to maintain temp. I personally prefer to use an electric smoker. The one that I use is a Cookshack Smokette. Link-> http://store.cookshack.com/c-63-smokers.aspx Also not inexpensive (if you are patient you can get some deals occasionally), but is as close to set it and forget it as you can get. The amount of cleaning is minimal and the taste is out of this world. It still smokes but the unit is so air tight that to smoke 20+ pounds of pork shoulder (for pulled pork), I burn about 5 ounces of wood. That is really good because unless you have the right kinds of wood readily at hand, it can get very expensive.
Anyway, I can help answer any other questions you may have.
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Pokes28 -- AKA David in Missouri
Pokes28 -- AKA David in Missouri