The Lazy Gourmet

[Elok]

We, as a society, focus too much on taste at the expense of texture.  I think this might be because we're scared of fat and fat gives things a better mouth feel.

[Unorthodox]

I haven't tried provolone.  I have tried mozz, and the results were so gooey as to be borderline terrifying.  Now I add a sprinkling of shredded mozz to any white sauce I want to goop up.

Yeah I was thinking mozz but stumbled on the provolone.  My local grocer's quality (as in imported or local farm, not mass market) cheese stock is rotating, so you never really know what you'll find.  The good side is I'm always able to try new things.  The bad is I can rarely find a particularly good one a second time. 

I will say that particular mixture reheated fantastically well, without the separation you usually get reheating. 

[Unorthodox]

Anyone have any good superbowl foods? 

I took that Thai Red Curry and put it over my homemade meatballs, turned out really good. 

Also made some Chicken Satay with peanut sauce. 

[Rusty Edge]

We, as a society, focus too much on taste at the expense of texture.  I think this might be because we're scared of fat and fat gives things a better mouth feel.

I think you have a point. The irony is that the fat is also more satisfying. I won't binge on dark chocolate candy the way I can on milk chocolate based candy bars.

[Rusty Edge]

I asked my Mom want she wanted for dinner on Mother's Day, and she chose steaks. I tried something new- sprinkling a lot of sea salt on them and letting them sit for an hour before rinsing and grilling and seasoning. It was actually pretty good. I also smoked some mushrooms on the grill and baked potatoes in the oven. I had a South American white sweet potato instead, with ghee and pumpkin pie spice. For appetizers I did 1) Keto cheesy "bread," 2) dates stuffed with Belgian Fontina and wrapped in Black Forrest ham, also served 3)carrots that I'd previously fermented/preserved as spicy sweet pickles.

[Unorthodox]

So who's a charcoal BBQer and who's a gas griller? 

Not sure if it was 2013 or 2015 when we bought this thing:

https://www.chargriller.com/products/duo-5050-gas-charcoal-grill

I've had to order replacement parts for the gas side now, and I can forsee a new grill being needed in a few years.  Looking into the ceramic grill options.  There's a couple that can do both gas or charcoal. 

[Rusty Edge]

I used to be a gas grill guy. I liked the easy ignition, the temperature control and it was easier to operate in the wind and rain, and not having to get dirty handling ashes and charcoal.

When I got married my wife bought me a Webber charcoal grill. This was non-negotiable.  There was a learning curve. I agree that it tastes better. That's the point of grilling, isn't it?

My cousin has one of those egg grills that uses pellets, and seems to get impressive results with a variety of fish, game, and store meats on facebook. Those Treager wood pellet grills look pretty impressive on infomercials and at televised competitions, but I've never tasted any of it. Those are pretty expensive.

[Unorthodox]

I used to be a gas grill guy. I liked the easy ignition, the temperature control and it was easier to operate in the wind and rain, and not having to get dirty handling ashes and charcoal.

When I got married my wife bought me a Webber charcoal grill. This was non-negotiable.  There was a learning curve. I agree that it tastes better. That's the point of grilling, isn't it?

My cousin has one of those egg grills that uses pellets, and seems to get impressive results with a variety of fish, game, and store meats on facebook. Those Treager wood pellet grills look pretty impressive on infomercials and at televised competitions, but I've never tasted any of it. Those are pretty expensive.

Yeah, the egg grills are exactly what I'm looking at.  They can do the pellets or the charcoal, and the one I was eyeballing even had a gas insert if you wanted, which I like having the option. 

My philosophy is if I'm just doing some burger/dogs, I use the gas.  This is usually 1-4 times a week, depending on schedules.  (Alec/Kyle grill sometimes as well if they aren't eating with the family, but dogs are usually over the fire pit now) Anything more pricey, we use the charcoal.  Exceptions for if I'm out of propane or charcoal and don't want to make a trip.  It was just really eye opening to me to be using the mini aussie grill and having to let it warm for 30 minutes or more to get the coals right, to the linked one above being ready in 10.  Made me wonder  about even more efficient charcoal grills, and the ceramics can be used for other things (pizza/breads).

My brother in law has a Traeger and is very mixed in his results.  This is almost always because he is attempting to smoke and doesn't allow enough time, so it's not cooked, so he has to crank it up to grilling temps and then burns it.  I don't blame the device. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Well, as I've posted about repeatedly in this thread, I've had satisfactory results with a plain ol' gas grill - w/ some charcoal, 4-6 bricks per session, and wood, deadwood picked up in the yard, to add smoke flavor.  The wood is optional, according to how fast what's cooking needs and how fatty it is.

Mom works me pretty steady grilling, at times.  Gas is fast, convenient and cheap, compared to charcoal, and just a handful of bricks and wood in the bottom makes up for most of the difference in taste.  Charcoal takes a half hour or so getting started; my way takes maybe five minutes pre, and I'm cooking.   I recommend it, with the caveat that you have to burn the occasional effort for a while learning what kind of thing will drip enough grease to make its own smoke...

[Unorthodox]

Love some pics of your setup. 

Looking at similar to this:  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vision-Grills-Kamado-Char-Gas-Dual-Fuel-Charcoal-Gas-Grill-in-Taupe-with-Grill-Cover-S-T4C1D1-H/300490497?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CBase%7CD28I%7C28-22_BBQ+GRILL%7CNA%7CPLA%7CBrands%7CFixed%7c71700000032321202%7c58700004410186037%7c92700037079252529&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy7Wv-JGa4gIVmbjACh0ulw8tEAQYAiABEgLIPvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


edit:  I should mention both my interest and my trepidation with the ceramic grills stems from my time at Burger King. 

Their broiler is a very large ceramic grill.  While I only worked there fully for 2 years, I was one of the few trained on dismantling, repair, and cleaning of their grill, and would get paid to come back and teach a course on that several times a year for a couple years after. 

The strengths: 
After a new grill is properly 'seasoned', it's capable to making some really good burgers. 
quick cooking (obvious), but the mix of searing and indirect heat is fairly unique. 

(Protip:  Order your burger ran through the broiler twice) 

Weaknesses:
Oh, freaking nightmare to clean.  Granted, BK needed to clean about every 6 months, and I don't think I could match that volume of cooking in my lifetime. 
Seasoning took a good 3 months for brand new, and another month or two after cleaning. 
Ceramic breaking.  Rare, but devastating when it happened. 
BK purposely did not season burgers as it would lower the lifespan of the grill.  Again, I doubt I'd have enough qty for that to matter much for my purposes.

[Buster's Uncle]

Love some pics of your setup.

You're in luck; Momma asked me to grill steaks, and I remembered to grab the camera...

[Buster's Uncle]

The first pic attacked is for the smoke coming out the back two or three minutes after lighting - way more smoke than gas produces, unless something very fatty has been cooking for 10 minutes or more and made a big grease fire.

The second is a failed attempt to shoot the smoke from another angle -light/moderate smoke is hard to photograph- but Rusty, notice in the top right corner, the rose bush Momma started last year.  The red in the center is a background fire hydrant on the edge of Mylochka's yard.  I don't know if the arch shape of the arrangement is clear.  I've helped a little, but mostly it's Momma's work.

Third shot is the steaks in progress.  Obviously from the color, that's wood burning you can see.  I don't think the coals contribute a lot to the heat, but I have to be careful not to use TOO much wood, depending on what I'm cooking and a lot of factors.  Many meats, especially steak, I prefer to undercook on the grill, so as not to cook it too dry, and finish off in the microwave indoors.  Gets to cook a little in its own juices, that way, and leaves some broth to drag bites through and flavor a baked potato, or sop up with bread...

I should clean the grill mesh more often, but figure it tends to sterilize, or I'm not cooking hot enough to scorch the outside of the meat in the first place - and I definitely let the ash in the bottom pile up, as it seems to contribute to the smoke that's the whole point of cooking that way...

[Unorthodox]

Oh, I see, yours is so shallow the gas lights the charcoal/wood for you.  I'd have quite a space to fill to get the same result.  I've been considering filling the bottom with lava rock for insulation purposes anyway, but it would allow me to try something similar.  (I happen to have a TON of lava rock left over from rebuilding the fire pit anyway.)


Did the pics bork the forum width for anyone else? 

[Buster's Uncle]

None are wider than 779 pixels.  They shouldn't be able to bork much, should they?


I should mention that that's my second gas grill since this thread commenced - the first had some mileage on it already when I got it, and I was using the water spray bottles not only to keep grease fires under control, but to put out any wood and coals let unconsumed when I finished cooking.  That latter proved a false economy -with charcoal cheap and the wood free from the yard- as a.) it encouraged any ash built up over the gas holes in the burner to cement, and b.) encouraged the inevitable rust in all the heated metal that is the eventual undoing of all grills, but quicker.

[E_T]

Did the pics bork the forum width for anyone else?

yeah, but not too bad...