BBQ Grill Question

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pckouris

Senior Cook
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
169
Read in Cooks magazine that when you put the lid down on meat on the grill fired by charcoal, that the underside of the lid which is coated with charcoal residue, tarnishes the tast of the food!
Wow! that was really strartling to me. I've been putting down the lid on meat (and all things) for years. I guess I will cover with a clean aluminum pan from now on to see if I can tell the diference.
Anyone here on the site with a "real" information base on this?
(This is not true with a propane fired grill.)
 
Hmmm I could see how that could happen. I looked on the web... and all I could find is Gas barbacue safety.
 
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lots of folks out there cooking low and slow with charcoal and kettle or drum or tank bbqs. Really have never heard of it being a problem. I often slow smoke a chicken or a flank steak and I've never found the taste tarnished. The grill is seasoned the way an old cast iron pan gets seasoned, or a chinese wok is seasoned. If you find it a problem, line the lid with foil each time you grill. I doubt I will.
 
i'm a lid closer too, to help control the heat.

the only thing that i've found that tarnishes food when using charcoal is starting it with lighter fluid. no matter how little used, i can still taste it.

i love my chimney starter. and to go a step better, i prefer to use lump hardwood charcoal.

but i've never heard of a blackened lid affecting the flavor.
 
Even if soot collected on the inside of the lid, what would cause it to come off on its own and fall onto the food?
 
I take issue with lots of things in Cook's Illustrated (I agree with a lot, too, though).

Covered charcoal grills, such as the Weber kettles, are designed to cook with the lid on. The lid holds in the heat, prevents flare-ups, and actually ASSISTS in the great char-grilled flavor of the food.

The stuff on the inside of the lid does not adversely affect the flavor of the food, unless a piece happens to flake off. Grill lids should be cleaned when the build-up is that heavy.

Lee
 
If they're speaking expicitly about GRILLED food, I guess I could maybe see what they were talking about, maybe. It just seems to me that they were doing something wrong though if they're talking about barbeque, and saying that the charcoal is "tarnishing" the taste of the food.

What the heck would they say about smoker pits, then? :wacko:

It just doesn't seem right to me, maybe I should go buy a Weber kettle and find out? Who wants to come over and help me judge?

John
 
i'll be there with bells on (so i don't scare your wife!)

we may need to test it for a long time.
 
ronjohn55 said:
maybe I should go buy a Weber kettle and find out? Who wants to come over and help me judge?

John
I would say I will bring the beer, but that would just be crazy. How about I supply the meat instead? :cool:
 
GB said:
I would say I will bring the beer, but that would just be crazy. How about I supply the meat instead? :cool:

I got a buddy in Milwaukee. I can see if he can hook me up with a higher up at Miller . . . . . . :cool:
 
if we get a tanker from miller, can we hook up a sprinkler so i can prance back and forth through it?
 
buckytom said:
if we get a tanker from miller, can we hook up a sprinkler so i can prance back and forth through it?

And yet, that probably wouldn't even require explaining to the neighbors... :angel:

John
 
I use a propane fired grille mostly. But when I use a charcoal grill, I use a chimney starter not a liquid starter and it works (tastes) better always.
And I always cover my food to cook it through.
Guess we have an impass here.
 

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