First off I want to make certain the trained chefs and gourmands who read this know I am aware the term “tournedo” is generally associated with a filet mignon served on a toast round and often served with a bordelaise or mushroom sauce. Ok. That’s outta the way.

I was talking to my favorite butcher, Tony at the Met Market, about various subjects the other day and he mentioned his personal favorite was to take small strips of hanger steaks or flank steak, tenderize them a bit with a mallet and then roll them up and tie with string. He marinates in various marinades and then either broils them or grills them on one of those inside combo sandwich and steak grills and enjoys them with some sliced tomatoes and a cold beer.

I was tempted by his description and asked him to package up a couple of strips and I’d try it out. I experimented with the marinade, and because I really enjoy the taste of meat – not sauces – I liked flavorful olive oil and minced garlic, grilled them for just a few minutes per side and topped them with shaved goat cheese that melted slightly. The result was a very tasty plate of grilled flank steak that was a light meal but certainly satisfied my hunger.

Flank Steak Tournedos topped with Goat Cheese

and served with sliced English Cucumbers.

Here’s the recipe [CLICK HERE]

Happy Grilling! -CB

A few weeks back Cathy left the comment (seen below) on my post: 3 Classic Recipes for Rotisserie Cooking on the Grill or Barbecue.

“Here’s another great rotisserie recipe that I use often when entertaining. Simple and wonderful. Eye of Round Beef (usually about 3 – 4 lbs). Sprinkle heavily with white pepper. Put on rotisserie over medium flame. Approx. 10 minutes later, sprinkle with garlic powder. Approx. 10 minutes later, sprinkle with ginger powder. Approx. 10 minutes later, douse heavily with soy sauce. Remove from heat after 10 more minutes; let rest for about 20 minutes. This will prepare roast medium rare (pink in the middle, but medium to well on the ends for those guests that don’t like medium rare). Slice and enjoy! – Cathy”

Well folks, my tastey buds were so revved up by her comment that I ran right away to Safeway and picked up a roast on special. I prepped it to her recipe and made a couple of minor changes to suit my desired tastes. Here’s what it looked like:

Eye of Round seasoned and ready on spit – note the special infrared rotisserie burner in background.

Eye of Round rested for 15 minutes, thinly sliced and served with au jus released during slicing.

Boy Howdy – YUM!
Thanks Cathy! – CB

Saturday night I found myself without any commitments or plans. I wondered into a favorite little bistro and proceeded to order several items from the menu. With each course I found the main ingredient to be prepared to perfection – and the side dish provided a support flavor that was nearly independent of the main ingredient, but still complimentary.

Delightful ideas. One that I’m definitely going to try at home was a rack of lamb served with a sauce of braised lamb neck. Wow. What a flavor. Keeps me thinking about the amazing versatility that I can get outta my grill(s) and/or smoker(s) if I just think outside the box of steaks, chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers!

Happy Grilling! – CB

If you’ve recently purchased a new Char-Broil TEC Series infrared grill I’ve put together some tips to help you better enjoy this amazing grill. – CB

I invite you to visit www.charbroil.com/tec for a video that demonstrates how the TEC grill works.

Pre-Heating

1. Just like your home oven, gas grill or a charcoal fire, the Char-Broil TEC Series grill needs to be pre-heated to provide optimum performance.
2. By pre-heating on HIGH settings for no more than 15 minutes you can adjust your cooking heat to fit your recipe after this warm-up time. [NOTE: In normal weather conditions 15 minutes should suffice - if you are cooking during light winds, rain or below freezing outdoor temperatures your pre-heat times may vary)
3. It is normal to hear a slight "popping sound" while the TEC infrared burner is warming up or cooling down. This noise is created from thermal expansion.
4. Sometimes when cooking during the day or a direct light, I have difficulty telling whether the TEC burner(s) is lit, you can view the flame through the small hole in the lower right-hand corner of the glass.  [NOTE: You may need to move the grate slightly to see this hole. In direct sunlight it may be difficult to see the flame through the hole.]
5. I recommend you use a hand-held digital infrared thermometer to gauge the heat of your grill, this allows you to read the temperature of any grill, appliance or object without touching it. I got mine through GrillLovers.com

Cooking

Cooking on the TEC burner(s) is a “hands on’ interactive experience. Because of the high heat generated by the TEC infrared burner you must pay special attention to your food as it cooks. This is a higher temperature cooking grill and you may need to turn your food faster than you may be used to. Your food will be cooked in less time than you are used to.

For “Low & Slow” cooking methods of indirect cooking place your food over the regular convection burners turned “off” and turn on the TEC burner(s) to achieve the desired temperature. [NOTE: During low & slow cooking meat will loose fat and other drippings - so it is wise to never allow these drippings to fall onto the TEC burner when off as they may clog the burner below.]

Pay special attention when pouring marinades on the TEC burner side, especially sugar based marinades. Pour sparingly from center out, or brush onto food. Excessive marinades can cause flare ups outside the glass area, and it could create a messy clean up on your glass after you are done cooking.

Cooking tip: the warming rack is an excellent cooking area for casserole-type dishes you would normally cook in your oven. There is enough heat generated in that area during your normal cooking, and the time to cook would be similar to your oven cook time. Test it out sometime!

If you are getting flare-ups on the TEC burner(s), try these tips:

• Your grate may not be sitting flat on the glass. Keep your glass clean so the grates will sit flat. You can burn off any build up for 10 minutes, or for extra messy build ups, spray a mixture of lemon juice and water before burning for 10 minutes.
• Grease may be getting on the edges of the glass. Make sure you do not put food between two Tec burners (if you have a Four Burner model), or hanging over the edge of the glass. It is best to cook within the glass area.

Use a pair of very long tongs that allow you to grab and turn the meat on the infrared burner. You’ll want to place meat on “fresh” sections of the burner when you turn it. But it won’t take long for the now empty space to return to cooking temperature.

Think about your meal and organize your cooking times to use the entire grill when preparing a meal. Sear the meat on the infrared burner then transfer to the convection burner to finish cooking. You may even want to use aluminum foil to “hold” cooked food on the warming rack as you prepare the additional courses.

Coat each piece of meat, fish or fowl with a light spray of high heat oil like canola. You can brush it on or spray it. [NOTE: DO NOT SPRAY OIL ON MEAT WHILE SITTING ON THE GRATES WHEN ANY BURNERS ARE ON.]

Never put meat, fish or fowl on the grill directly from the cooler or fridge. (Except for hamburgers and sausages - they contain plenty of water and will heat up quickly) Cold food will take longer to cook all the way through and the surface textures and taste will suffer from over cooking.

Until you get used to cooking on the Char-Broil TEC Series grill you may want to consider adjusting your regular cooking times when you first prepare a favorite recipe. If you are used to cooking on a well-prepared charcoal fire your sense of timing will be more easily adaptable to the TEC infrared burners. If you are used to cooking on gas - when you first start out I recommend reducing the heat settings you normally use by at least 30% and the cooking time by half. After some experience you’ll have a sense of what temperature setting and cooking times best work for you and deliver the results you want.

Use a cooking timer to remind you to turn the infrared grill off after you super heat it to clean the grates and glass. These babies are hot and you can over cook before you know it!

When brushing on sauce or glaze ingredients, do so over the convection burners or on the warming rack. Excess sugar from the glaze will hit the protective glass over the infrared burner and instantly turn to carbon - not the smoke flavor you want!

If you have low flow/flame on your grill follow these steps to reset your regulator

1. Turn tank off.
2. Allow burners to burn off remaining fuel in lines and then turn off.
3. Disconnect line from tank and allow 5 minutes before reconnecting.
4. Turn tank on.
5. Turn burners on.
6. Light grill.

It’s Spring Cleaning Time and I recommend you take a good look at your grill(s) and other outdoor room appliances. Inspect, clean and repair or replace worn parts as needed. Happy Grilling! – CB

Use the Product Manual!
My first recommendation is to thoroughly read the product information manual that came with your Char-Broil Grill. Learning to safely use your grill is the basis for successful food preparation. If you don’t have your product manual you can get an electronic version in either English or Spanish CLICK HERE

CB’s General Grill Cleaning Tips

1. Metal and Stainless Steel internal fire-box surfaces
Do not mistake brown or black accumulation of grease and smoke for either “paint” or consider them to be “seasoning.” Interiors of gas grills are not painted at the factory and the interior or the Char-Broil TEC Series grill is made of uncoated stainless steel. To clean apply a strong solution of detergent and water or use a grill cleaner with a non-abrasive scrub brush or cloth on the insides of the grill lid and the fire box area. Rinse with water and allow to completely air dry. Resist the temptation to use a high pressure water hose or pressure washer! [CAUTION: Do not use a caustic grill or oven cleaner on the Char-Broil TEC Series as the materials may migrate and affect rubber or plastic parts. For the exception please see GRATES below.]

2. Plastic parts
Wash with warm soapy water and wipe dry. CAUTION: Do not use citrisol, abrasive cleaners, degreasers or a concentrated grill cleaner on plastic parts. Damage to and failure of parts can result.

3. Porcelain surfaces
Because of glass-like composition, most residues can be wiped away with baking soda/water solution of specially formulated cleaners. We recommend using nonabrasive scouring powder for stubborn stains.

4. Stainless Steel OUTER surfaces
To maintain your grill’s high quality appearance, wish with mile detergent and warm soapy water - then wipe dry with a soft cloth after each use. Baked-on grease deposits may require the use of an abrasive plastic cleaning pad. (make sure it is the non-scratching) Use only in the direction of the “brushed” finish to avoid damage. Do not use the abrasive pad on areas where graphics have been applied.

5. Glass surfaces
Do not use abrasive sponges or scouring pads of any type on the TEC Infrared burner glass cover. Corrosive cleaners such as oven sprays and cleaners containing chlorine or ammonia and stain removers should not be used. Sugars or foods containing sugars, plastic items or kitchen foils accidentally melted on the surface should be removed while the glass is turned off and still warm-to-hot by using a metal razor scrapper and gently lifting and scraping the melted materials. Always use a temperature resistant mitt while cleaning the warm surface.

Char-Broil TEC Series Infrared Grill
The Char-Broil TEC Series grills are available exclusively at LOWE’S. These marvelous grills are changing the way people grill food at home. If you own one of these modern marvels you are already experiencing the great tasting food they help you prepare. Here are some “tips” I’ve gathered to help you enjoy your new Char-Broil TEC Series grill.Specific Char-Broil TEC Series Grill Cleaning Tips As with any cooking appliance I use on regular basis grease, bits of food and other debris will find its way into the TEC burner, the Rotisserie burner and the convection burners. Here are some tips for keeping them clean to ensure optimum performance.

1. Cleaning the TEC Burner GLASS
I recommend you clean the TEC burner surface and grates after each use by turning the burner on high for approximately 10 minutes. The high heat generated should turn most food and drippings into a fine white ash that can easily be brushed away when the grill cools down.
For an easier clean-up of a big mess, spray a mixture of water/lemon juice onto grates/glass and let it burn for 10 minutes. If you allow too much of a build-up to accumulate on your glass, it could potentially reduce your cooking performance and fracture your glass. If you don’t clean your grill after each use and a build-up occurs, you may want to use a sharp razor blade tool to remove stubborn material after the burner has been turned on the lowest position, providing just enough heat to warm the glass, and then turned off. NOTE: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN THE TEC BURNER GLASS WHEN THE BURNER IS ON! I do not recommend placing the TEC Burner Glass in the dishwasher.

2. Cleaning the TEC Stainless Steel Burner Unit
I carefully remove the glass cover of the TEC burner unit - after it has completely cooled! I blow the debris away with puffs of breath and also use a fine brush to clean the crud off the non-mesh part of the burner, then wipe away ever-so-gently with a wet rag. If I’ve created a big mess I have even removed the burner, held it upside down, and brushed the mess off and let it fall away from the burner. It is important that you do not let the crud go into the mesh part; it may affect the performance of the burner.

3. Cleaning the Infrared Rotisserie burner
Very little debris gets in this burner, but when not in use grease and fat may splatter up and get on the screen. I find that by turning it on every once in a while – even when not using the rotisserie cooking function - it burns off most of it.

4. Cleaning the Convection burners
I remove the grates and follow the directions in the product guide on page 10. Not complicated and you should be familiar with this step from cleaning your other gas grills.

5. Cleaning the Metal Grates
I use the Char-Broil Brush Hawg to clean the grates when I am cooking. The grates on the TEC infrared burner and the convection burners are a bit different in design than other grates, and are deeper and somewhat angled - so as part of my cleaning routing I remove them from the grill, set them on a hard surface like a table which I’ve covered with newspaper and turn them over to clean all sides. I also use hand-held spun steel wool that does not contain any soap to work away extra tough gunk that burns on. [While I haven't tried it - I believe you could also soak the grates in a soapy water solution or oven cleaning solution and then finish cleaning with the Brush Hawg or steel wool.] If you really must use a strong commercial over cleaner on the grates - make sure you have removed them from the grill, apply it in a well ventilated area and thoroughly rinse the material off before re-installing the grates in the correct locations on the grill.

6. Cleaning the Metal Warming Rack
I use the Brush Hawg to clean the grills every time I cook and also follow the same guidelines as I do for cleaning the metal grates.

7. Cleaning the Side Burner
There really isn’t much to clean on the side-burner unit; if something boils over I pretty much treat it like I do a standard indoor gas range burner - with the exception of using cleaners that will not affect the rubber tubing used in the grill. If you follow the general guidelines for cleaning, you should be fine.

8. Cleaning the Fire Box
I use the standard Char-Broil general recommendations to clean out the fire box at least once a month. I grill every day, sometimes twice a day, and this seems to be adequate to prevent grease and grime build-up.

9. Right-Side Storage
Nothing special about cleaning this, I just follow the general guidelines for cleaning stainless steel.

10. Grease Tray
The grease tray on the Char-Broil TEC Series grill is a dream come true. It’s big, it catches just about everything that falls through and most of all - IT ACTUALLY CATCHES THE GREASE AND FAT AND IS EASY TO CLEAN OUT! I simply pour the grease and fat into a side container that I keep on hand for this purpose, then dispose of the container in the trash. I rinse out the tray with warm water and dry with either paper towels or a cloth if I’m cleaning during my regular cleaning routine.

11. Stainless Steel Cabinet and Main Storage Cabinet
I follow the Char-Broil general guidelines for cleaning stainless steel surfaces of the cabinet. A product I’m very happy to recommend that I use is the disposable Brillo nonabrasive cleaning pads. About a dozen come in a little plastic tub and can either be used as a whole sheet or I like to simply tear it in half as they seem to fit in my hand and fingertips better.

If you read Sizzle on the Grill on a regular basis you know that I’m a big proponent of trying new dishes and improvising on old recipes. I believe one of the great pleasures of grilling and barbecue is to prepare food that tastes great and is appreciated by friends and family. One of the biggest challenges many folks face is getting food ready on time so that it can be served with other dishes on the menu.

We’ve all been to backyard barbecue events when the entire meal was delayed because the guy doing the grilling had to keep putting the meat “back on the fire for just a few more minutes” – heck, that guy could be me sometimes!

Well, I want to encourage you to practice your skills and test yourself to grill and entire meal and time it so that every dish is ready at the same time and can be served at the peak of flavor, temperature and texture.

This week I tried my hand at a mixed grill of fresh local asparagus, lamb sirloin steaks and some mahi-mahi that had just been put in the case when I visited one of my favorite meat counters. To prepare the meal so that every food item was grilled properly and completed to be served on the same plate was a test of my skills and thinking.

Details

I used the TEC Series Char-Broil 3 burner grill with the infrared burner on medium, the middle convection burner on medium-high and the far right burner off.
I prepped the 1 inch lamb sirloin steak by marinating in garlic and olive oil on my counter top for about 3 hours. I washed and used a towel to dry the thick fresh asparagus spears, then rolled them in extra virgin olive oil and salted and peppered them. I rinsed the 1 inch thick mahi-mahi filet and patted it dry then placed it in the remaining oil with salt and pepper fro the asaparagus.
I seared the lamb on the infrared burner for about 3 minutes per side. I turned it a third time and set it upon some sprigs of fresh rosemary that I put on the infrared grill and allowed them to smolder and smoke to add a light flavor the lamb. Then I removed it to the convection side of the grill and allowed it to finish while I grilled the asparagus and the mahi-mahi.

Placing the asparagus on the rear of the infrared burner and the mahi-mahi flesh side down on the front I tended to the asparagus with long restaurant-style tongs. The light coating of olive oil smoked off and the asparagus needed to be turned rather quickly to ensure even grilling and not burning.

The mahi-mahi seared beautifully and I could use the tongs to lift and turn it to the skin side. (at this point I wish I had brought a stainless steel serving container to place over the fish and hold the high heat of the infrared while the skin side seared – but the infrared grill requires focus and attention so no running into the kitchen)

I let the fish grill on each side for about 3 minutes and removed it to the warming tray while I finished plating the asparagus, and the lamb. Then moved the fish to the cutting board and transported the meal to the kitchen – where it remained for a few minutes whilst I sliced some tomatoes and fresh bread.

I plated the meal and served. The lamb was exactly medium-rare – moist and tender. The fish was perfectly crusted on the outside and the interior was flaky moist and tasty. The asparagus was just passed that raw crunchy, with just the right amount of “tooth” and the grilled taste was delicious.

Take a shot at something like this for yourself. You can begin easily enough with a piece of chicken and a steak. Keep track of your cooking times and regardless of the grill you use – plan your cooking times to finish together.

Happy Grilling! – CB

I’m not a big hugger-type person.  Perhaps it’s because I’m so tall that when I give or receive a hug from most folks I feel like a giant. Imagine a normal-size human hugging my mid-section and the majority of my torso and head towering above them completely unoccupied and available for conversation, shaving or talking on the phone. The exception is a wonderful friend who just happens to be both an extra lovely woman and a bit more than 6 feet tall.  A hug from her is welcomed by me whenever she wishes to share one!

Yesterday we ran into one another at the local farmer’s market and I got one of her patented hugs – with peck on the cheek to top it off.  I was in heaven.

Then she smiled and said: “CB, you smell like grilled meat!” 

I blushed – having come straight from the grill where I’d prepared a mixed grill of asparagus, lamb and mahi-mahi – and mumbled something about what I’d been doing.

She flashed her stunning gray-blue eyes at me and said…“Oh, it’s kinda sexy on you. Besides it’s your signature scent!”

What can I tell you.  If I can figure out how to bottle this fragrance, I may be onto something!  - CB

Last evening I joined friends at a hip little restaurant located in old hardware store building. There specialty is burgers and fries. Not just any burgers – all manner and sizes. We were tempted by their version of “Sliders” and delighted with the offering. And the sweet potato fries were darn good as well.

I recommend you try making “CB’s Bite-Size-Burgers” sometime; here’s my recipe from last summer – CLICK HERE.

And you can get my recipe for Sweet Potato Fries in this recipe – CLICK HERE.

This may sound like the most decadent thing in the whole world … well, okay it’s a pretty decadent burger, but gosh darnit if it wasn’t just the tastiest thing in the whole world. I actually got the idea from the Hickory Street Bar & Grill in downtown Austin that serves a similar sandwich with chicken. And what a better way to assert my grill skills than to serve up a sizzling sandwich with a sauce that will leave you sideways. The “buff” part of this burger is a special buffalo style sauce of my own creation.When I make burgers, I only use ground chuck. Chuck is ground from a specific part of the cow, the shoulder area, and it has the meat to fat ratio that I think is perfect for making burgers. The 80/20 ratio makes for a nice juicy burger without being runny and disgusting. My little secret is that I brush the burgers with melted butter after each flip. Decadence to the n-th degree.

Saturday I was preparing some chicken thighs on the grill because I like to have a couple of pieces of cold chicken around for snacks and “just in case” meals. Ok. Ok. I usually eat them myself, but the intentions are good!

A friend dropped by just as I was taking them off the grill and suggested they looked pretty good. I decided to fix some chicken sandwiches and, to my horror, was out of both the prepared BBQ sauce I like as well as my own version. Well sir as I was drinking a Dr. Pepper a light went off in my head and I poured some of that Dr. Pepper in a glass to which I added a liberal amount of ketchup, worchesteshire sauce and a dash of hot sauce. Voila! BBQ sauce!

I sliced the meat off the thighs, chopped it, piled it high on a toasted hamburger bun – poured on my newly created BBQ sauce ala Dr. Pepper and it was DEE-LISH-OUS!

Happy Grilling! – CB