Those darn grill marks

[carnivore]

my report on lump charcoal:
definitely does burn hotter than briquettes, and also lights faster in a chimney starter. However, it doesn't last as long.

oh, and the food was great, but no grill marks.

 

[kitchenelf]

Hi carnivore,

Edited this to ask - what material is your grate made of? - that may be the key. Porcelain grates work great whereas if you have the narrower silver grate (kind of like a cookie cooling rack) it may be more difficult - just a thought.

I have never really had a problem with grill marks. Just make sure the temperature is high enough - place meat on grill and leave there until it unsticks naturally, then wait just a few seconds more. Then turn so grill marks run at 90° and leave for a few minutes.

You want the grill marks to be on the first side you grill, not the second. And if there is an obvious top and bottom to the piece of meat I like the grill marks diagonal, not directly horizontal and vertical.

Recap:

- The heat must be really high! (but no roaring flames-LOL)

- Let meat sear until it unsticks naturally, don't force it

- Wait a couple more seconds (peak at the underside if you have to then replace if marks aren't there yet.

- Turn 90°

- Sear for a couple more minutes for remainder of grill marks

- Turn over to sear second side (but not necessarily to leave grill marks, just to seal in moisture

- If necessary, finish off a thick piece of meat in the oven. That is perfectly acceptable especially if it is a thick piece of meat - you don't want the outside to be burned before the inside gets to the desired temperature.

Grill marks are not hard to do and I wouldn't use a branding iron because it's just too easy. You just have to be patient and don't rush them.

 

[kitchenelf]

Had to add another post to say - YES CARNIVORE - WE WANT THAT MARGARITA BBQ SAUCE RECIPE!!!!!

(waving at oldcoot - hi friend!!!!)

coco - I think cooking on the same night is a great idea! A bunch of us did this at another site and we had so much fun but it made one person just furious! Really!!!! I couldn't believe it - and all we had was hotdogs!!! LOL We were called childish, stupid, and many, many other things which didn't bother me since I'd been called all of them before

Anyway - if at all possible I prefer a night during the week - but it's not totally necessary - when do we want to do this?

carnivore - I just thought of something else - are you whining so much about these grill marks 'cause you just want oldcoot, coco, and I to invite you and your girlfriend to dinner so you don't have to cook?????? LOL - I'll tell you what - you and your girlfriend bring margaritas and we'll do the cooking!!!! Now THAT would be fun!!! Let's see, oldcoot is on the west coast, I'm on the east coast, coco is, let's say, up north, carnivore? I don't know where you're from so probably a central location would be.... let's say..... St. Marteen???????

 

[carnivore]

hi kitchenelf
you may be right on about the grate material. i mainly use the two grates that came with the grills (they're kind of cheap). someone on another forum had suggested i buy some Weber replacement cast iron grates, so i will look into this.
Oh, and the real reason i'm whining so much is because it's one of my favorite pastimes. i need to edit my profile and put it into my hobbies.

you're right on with the central location--i'm in Wichita, KS.

oh, and here's that recipe. it's nothing fancy--i just threw it together as a was making it, so there's probably a lot of room for improvement. if anyone comes up with a better permutation, let me know! (or if you think it sucks )

Margarita BBQ Sauce

2 cups margarita
1 1/4 cup chili sauce
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tsp cilantro
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of cinnamon

--Put the margarita and chipotle pepper in a blender. Mix until pepper is blended smooth. Combine this with rest of ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered until thickened--about 45 minutes.[/u]

 

[kitchenelf]

LOL on the whining - it's my favorite pastime too!!! Thanks for the recipe - I can't wait to try it - but I'm just trying to figure out when I will have 2 cups of margaritas EVER left over! :?

So..........we're all meeting in St. Marteen/Maarten for a cookout right?

 

[oldcoot]

O.K. The picture (which I hope will appear below) depicts half a 3/4 inch top sirloin on the Barbie. Room temp meat, grill lllighrly oiled, preheated. (Gas BBQ).

Four+ minutes on a side (rotated 45 after 2), result medium rare. Flavor not nearly as good as pan fried, in my opinion. But there are the grill marks. Devoured with baked spud, 'sparagus tips, tossed green vinaigrette, and cabernet sauvignon about 20 minutes ago.

Dunno why you're having a problem getting those burned stripes.

 

[carnivore]

well, after seeing that, i'm convinced it's my grates. i have these really thin, cheap teflon? coated things that i imagine don't get anywhere near as hot as iron would. now my problem is: i've been searching the internet all night, and i can't seem to find a 22 1/2" cast iron grate, let alone ANY kind of 26" grate. oh well, i'll keep searching.

 

[oldcoot]

I knew I was no rocket scientist, but I didn't think I was as stupid as I am! I didn't realize until a moment ago that this thread had gone to three pages! I was still looking at page one, until my post didn't show up. Wow - you guys 'n gals got 'way ahead of me!

Coco's idea for a group contest sounds like fun. I would add but one thing. If any of you has a digital camera and a website, pictures of your result would add to the fun.

Now, as to this wasteful Margarita BBQ sauce!!! I have a friend who almost cries if a drop of fine tequila is spilled. God knows what he'd do if he heard of wasting it in such a manner! Actually, I make Margaritas only reluctantly, as my wife doesn't care for "sippin' whiskies" of any kind. The proper way to enjoy fine tequila (not the Cuervo rotgut!) is neat, with a quarter of Mexican lime and some salt to add to the pleasure. Sipped, not chug-a-lugged!

And, while I'm screaming my lungs out, what's with all this jazz you folks are putting on a fine piece of beef? You don't like the flavor of beef? Geeez!!! Maybe on a slab of choice or select round - but not on a rib eye or sirloin - puleeze!!! Shades of Carne Asada!

Oh, yeah - hi, yourself, kitchenelf. Glad you consider me a friend. I'm flatteed.

 

[Coco]

Wow, I just got back from dinner at my parents and I can't believe what I missed. (Nice grill marks, oldcoot!) Glad you all think that the cooking/comparison/contest is a good idea. How do we want to do this? I suggest one of 3 ways, or all on different nights of course!

1) Have you ever seen the show Ready,Set,Cook. It's not in syndication anymore, but it was a real hoot. The chef contestants are given 5 surprise ingredients, and have to make a dish out of it in 20minutes(we would have to eliminate the timeline) In addition to the 5 secret ingredients, you are allowed to supplement from a basic pantry, dried spices, limited selection of condiments from the fridge, etc.

2) We all pick the same menu, or recipe, and prepare it start to finish and compare results. We could pick one of the theme menus from Bon Appetit or something, Italian, Thai, Mexican......

3) We all pick the same single ingredient, Iron Chef style, and create 5 dishes in 1 hour. Just kidding, but what an idea!!!!

At any rate, we should definitely do this. I have always wanted to start a Dinner Club!

 

[oldcoot]

I'm in favor of selecting a single dish to be prepared from scratch. Reason? Finding a menu appealing to all might be difficult. As for the Iron Chef approach, that program is high on my list of things I hate. Right up there with Saddam Hussein, parsnips, and liverwurst.

I note, Coco, that you seem to have a preference for ethnic foods other than American. While other cuisines can be delicioous, there are certainly many American dishes that are both challenging and delightful, too. Of course, I ralize that many "American" dishes are actuaslly local adaptations of "foreign" recipes. I'm not being chauvinistic here - it just seems appropriate to consider ALL cuisines.

Anyway, your idea sounds like fun, so lay it out and let's give it a shot.

 

[Coco]

No preference for ethnic foods or otherwise, and for the record, no aversion to "American" cuisine or "Canadian" cuisine, oldcoot!

Would like you to define American cuisine, though, just for fun. :?

 

[oldcoot]

Typical Canadian (I married one of them - Toronto type).

American cuisine? Well, let's see. I think we can legitimately include hamburgers, even if they do have a German name. Mmost foods containing such goodies as corn, tomatoes, potatos, among others indiginous to the Western Hemisphere are rightfully "ours", even tho' other groups have made some great variations on their use. Apple pie sure beats Apfel Strudel - and it's widely touted as American. How about chop suey and Sourdough French bread? Hey, BBQ steak is not attributable to any other grooup so far as I know! Mexico's wafer thin carne asada is definitely not the same.

Oh, but you said "define", didn't you? Hmmm.

How about: "Those foods that tend to be common in most American households, often consisting of variations of the cuisine of other ethnicities."

Since fire was not originally used by Man here, I guess it is probably arguable that all our recipes are derivations of that which came before in other places. But that is the same as saying there are not Americans, as all of us - including our so-called "Native" groups, came to North America from elsewhere.

 

[Coco]

Not sure what a "typical" Canadian is especially since you are basing this generalization on someone from Toronto! Being a Vancouverite I naturally participate in the usual west coast/east coast rivalry of course. Nice definition of American cuisine. I would say:

" Food created in America and primarily influenced by the nations history and local ingredients."

Which brings us to our little dinner club. I will start looking for recipes that are challenging but not intimidating, complicated without being tedious, and interesting enough that we amateur chefs desire to try it! Stay tuned....

 

[kitchenelf]

Yippee - it sounds like we're off and running with our cooking club - can't wait for your menu coco!!!

 

[oldcoot]

Umm- Coco - could you include one more item to you recipe criteria? How about "tastes good"???


And I haven't based my opiniion of Canadians solely on my wife: there's Peter Jennings and Alex Trebek, too, y'knopw!

 

[Coco]

Oldcoot! What do you think I was going to suggest? Bran Flakes Marinara? Swiss Chard Cream Pie? Tripe Gelato? Of course, whether anything tastes good will remain to be seen once we cook it. I suggest a rating system, a la Michelin star, but with 4 stars instead of 3.

1 Star: edible, digestable, but never want to eat it again
2 Star: OK, mediocre, would eat if gun was held to my head or on desert island
3 Star: would repeat but edit recipe more to my liking
4 Star: Fantastic, perfect, loved it, wouldn't change a thing.

(Just kidding, I don't really think that with all the opinions that we all have, that a simple rating guide would work for us!)

 

[Coco]

Cooking Club

Hi everyone, (kitchenelf, oldcoot, carnivore)

I haven't forgotten and am currently looking for fun recipes. Salmon tartare perhaps, or beef wellington? I am still looking and will come up with a few. Should be fun!

Coco

 

[kitchenelf]

Or beef tartar and salmon wellington! 8)