I make my own marinades and sauces and unlike some would be more than happy to share (for the right price).
My favs are chili lime chicken, tandori, and greek souvlakis be they pork, beef, or chicken. There is nothing wrong with meat on a stick.
Steaks are childs play… just tell me how you want it.
How about a leg of lamb, marinated in herbs and spices then slow cooked over charcoal for an afternoon? I guarantee that grandma will be able to eat this without her dentures it will be so tender. I always BBQ asparagus on the side, you have got to try this.
Technichick - you could drop me in the middle of the bush with a knife and I would make out just fine. Partridge with wild mushroom stuffing is usually the meal of choice when we are out in the bush.
Damn… I am getting hungry. I might have to take some moose out of the freezer…
I’ll take on any and all comers. The trick is not in the sauce; it’s in the meat and the wood used to smoke it.
Equipment is important. I’ve got a drum smoker and it took me about 2 years before I got comfortable using it.
Being able to BBQ/smoke a rack of ribs or grill a steak does not make anyone knowledgeable in the art of BBQ. I’ll put the fact I get paid to smoke a dozen or more turkeys every Thanksgiving and Christmas up against your trash talk any day. (You need a really big paper and a box of kitchen matches to smoke a turkey.:D) BTW, I don’t own a restaurant, nor have I ever worked in one. I just practice my art two or three times a week (especially this time of year when the A/C bill is astronomical) year round.
Feynn - Steaks are child’s play, but do you know how to char the outside with a cold inside? And being able to make some type of fu-fu chicken doesn’t really help your case.
Whammo - You do know that BBQ sauce goes on the meat AFTER it’s been cooked and only by the person that eating it don’t you? The meat has to reign supreme. Sauce is only meant to enhance. It should NEVER be put on during the grill or smoking process. Just seasoning and a thin basting sauce to keep it moist.
Excuse me kiddies, keep beating your breasts, while I delight yet another crowd with my grilling mastery.
You do beat me on one point - you all succeed in making a very simple process into something much more demanding and timeconsuming than it needs to be. While you are struggling to beat the one hour limit, this IC is already kicking back and tucking in.
On a serious note, it strikes me that one thing good outdoor cooks have in common is the ability to sense when the food is done. Conversely, most folk who suck at the grill don’t pay attention, and either serve up raw meat or charcoal.
Two tests for whether you are a grillmaster.
If you have never grilled anything other than meat, you ain’t got it.
If you believe there is a BBQ “season”, otrher than 365 days a year, fall in with the other amateurs.
Demo, it was delicious. And, since I am a “hot wing” afficianado (anyone know how to spell that?) from way back, that is some compliment. Will you whack me with your spatula if I ask for the recipe?
OK, I can’t compete on the barbeque front, but just give me a skillet and NOBODY can beat my sloppy joes! I’m willing to share the recipe, but unless you know where to get genuine green tomato relish, I’m afraid it won’t help you much.
Oh, and techchick? Not only can I cook a delicious meal with no tools more sophisticated than a couple of sticks and a hole in the ground, but I’ll even gather the raw materials myself. My dandelion salad still isn’t up to the standards of my Gramma’s, but I’ll bet that it’s a durn sight better than any of these other so-called “Real Men” can do.
By the way, Demo, mind if I have a few of those habeñero wings?
“Chef” is a highly overrated title. I’ve cooked in restaurants for 20 years and I’ve seen “chefs” who couldn’t cook their way out of a wet paper bag. I’m a cook and not a bit ashamed of it.
BTW, I’ll take any of y’all on in the BBQ contest…with one hand tied behind my back.
I had to build my own. I used a car transporter/dolly ( the 2 wheel kind) Designed and welded it myself. The fire box is 2’x3’x2’ deep and has a 1/2" mild steel gridle top so while I’m smokin’ up those wonderful meats in my drum with a 16 sq. ft. area, I can grill up the best chicken or sirloin fajitas you ever had. (ho-made grill sauce and ho-made hot sauce) Just let me know when and where boys and girls!
I agree whole-heartedly about the sauce NOT going on until the meat is served. The WOOD, (he,he he,he, he said wood) is definitly the trick. getting the right wood for that particular meat, damn good! When cooked properly, you shouldn’t need anything but a napkin for cleanup.
Curious. Anybody got that special hat, apron or other items needed for the proper display? I always wear my hot pepper apron and head wrap. (well, yea, there’s always a beer in my hand too!)
Boys, boys, boys. It’s not the equipment, it’s how well youse knows how to use what youse gots!
UPCOMING HERESY ALERT!!!
Record one big vote for the gas grill. Thank you oh blessed lord Weber for leading us out of bondage into the promised land. I crank that baby up when I get home from work, and by the time I’ve changed clothes, that sucker’s ready to roll. No fuel to buy/store, no fuel waste to clean up/dispose of. And I don’t know where you fellas shop, but I certainly can easily find more selection in sauces than “glorified ketchup.”
Oh, and you MUST put the sauce on while cooking, simply making sure you do not burn it.
Name the cut of meat or other food item, and I’ll gladly tell you how to cook it.
Course, I guess everyone is entitled to at least one hobby they get irrationally carried away about, and spend way more time and effort on than makes any sense. Hey, if BBQ is yours, knock yourself out.
BLASPHEMER!!! May you roast your nuts on firey spewing of a leaky gas hose!!! That’s about as close to true grilling/smoking as Spaghetti-O’s is to ‘real Italian’!
Er, sorry, lost my head there for a moment. To each his own.
-smiling wickedly,
