How to Clean Your Char-Broil® Quantum® Grill

Check out the Char-Broil channel on YouTube for the latest information about caring for your grill.

Tommy's BBQ Sundae of BBQ pulled pork shoulder, baked beans topped with cole slaw!

If you are new to outdoor cooking forums and online communities I hope you will soon come to experience the community of sharing that occurs between folks. Regardless of the amount of cooking experience you have – folks who love backyard cooking seem to really enjoy sharing their secrets, tips and tricks with one another with little interest in getting credit, only for helping one another make tastier food!

And recipe ideas. This is a good one!

The title of this post says it all. Tommy (a BBQ All-Star on The Big Easy) was inspired by Mike “Pit Pirate” Hedrick who posted a video online at Monkey See who, come-to-find-out was inspired by a “to-go” cup of BBQ flavors created and served at the local Farmer’s Market by Lockhart’s Fire and Smoke Catering in Chattanooga, TN.

That’s the picture Tommy posted of his creation and he gave credit to Mike:

“A while back Mike Hedrick made a few videos and in one of them he made this (see picture) can’t remember what he called it, but I call it BBQ-Parfait. I made this one using some of the pulled Boston Butt I cooked on July 4th — with beans and homemade slaw. Once again I learned from one of the best!   Thanks Mike for all the info you share on the forum.”  TMB

This is the video Mike made that inspired Tommy. CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO TRANSFER. (Please note there may be advertising shown prior to the video – this is not affiliated with Char-Broil or Sizzle on the Grill, as the video is hosted by MonkeySee.com)

And here’s what Mike wrote back to make sure he gave some credit with the folks at Lockhart’s Fire and Smoke Catering:

“Thanks for the kind words Tommy. It’s called a BBQ Sundae. I got an email from Jade Lockhart, owner/pitmaster @ Lockhart’s Fire and Smoke Catering in Chattanooga, Tn. who asked where I heard of this cuz they have been serving them up for about 8 years at their Farmers Market.

Great way to make use of BBQ already made and a great way to carry it around. Don’t forget to put the Bun in yer back pocket like I did. When I did that it cracked up the camera man and we almost had to re-shoot that segment.” ~ Mike

You’ve joined a great community of folks who, like you, just wanna make tasty food to share with good friends and family.

Welcome to the cookout…

Happy Grilling!

A NY’er Makes the Case for West Coast Oysters: W&T Seafood’s Nellie Wu

I love oysters. And, fortunately for me, I live in an area of the country that has some of the best oysters you can find.  Sharing this video is not only about bragging rights – but to share knowledge of how well-trained taste buds will ’suss’ our flavors in the pure food.  Too often, I suspect, we backyard cooks slather on copious amounts of sauce or are heavy-handed with the spices – and call it “adding flavor.”

I agree that spices, rubs and sauces can compliment the taste of well prepared food.  But, sometimes, it’s good to just enjoy the taste of the food.

Your thoughts on this topic are always welcome!

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

CUT/CHOP/COOK from UM Media Documentary Projects on Vimeo.

Listen to people discuss food very much and you’ll hear much debate about what defines “real barbeque.” For those who love good outdoor cooking – perhaps the ultimate goal is to create what “those in the know” would call real barbeque.  We talk  dream, desire and try to make it at home. Some come close and some — well, let’s just say some of us are still working on making that happen with our backyard cookers  smokers and grills.

The University of Mississippi’s Media & Documentary Projects Center & the Southern Foodways Alliance created this video profile of Rodney Scott, a second generation owner/operator of his family’s destination barbeque restaurant: Scott’s Bar-B-Q in Hemingway, South Carolina.  To my way of thinking this family has wrapped their arms around what it means to cook real barbeque.

Get yourself and your computer ready to show the video with some good sound. It’s a tad under 15 minutes long, a bit longer than most online videos, but the story is well told and so so SO worth the investment of time. Kinda like good ‘Q.  When you’re done watching c’mon back to the web log and Users Forums, inspired and full of questions to help you in your quest to improve your outdoor cooking skills. Then let’s you and me work and practice to learn how to make some great tasting barbeque.  But a word of cautions about eying those ornamental fruit trees in the neighbors yard – as they most likely aren’t very good smokin’ wood.

By the way, I want to thank Mike “Pit Pirate” Hedrick for sharing the link to this video. Mike is a true Char-Broil BBQ All-Star! And what, you ask is the definition of a Char-Broil BBQ All-Star? Someone who shares all they know and encourages others to learn, excel and enjoy making good food to share with friends and family.   In fact – someone who hopes you become a better cook than themselves. Why? Well that’s an easy answer. So they can come over to your house and take credit for teaching you everything you know over a plate of tasty food YOU cooked, not them! I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did.

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

]]> http://www.sizzleonthegrill.com/blog/2010/06/23/what-is-real-barbeque-this-is-real-barbeque/feed/ 5 http://www.sizzleonthegrill.com/blog/2010/03/31/i-believe-in-barbeque-re-post-from-npr/ http://www.sizzleonthegrill.com/blog/2010/03/31/i-believe-in-barbeque-re-post-from-npr/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:24:35 +0000 CB http://www.sizzleonthegrill.com/blog/?p=12020

photo by Nubar Alexanian

I’ve posted this story before – but it is a good one so worth repeating. It’s a link to an essay written and read by Jason Sheehan, “a James Beard Award-winning restaurant critic for Denver’s Westword newspaper. His barbeque obsession began at 16 with a trip to Hercules Chicken and Ribs in his hometown of Rochester, New York.”

To my mind it is a beautifully written tribute about something that is basic to many of us. A sense of what’s what and how’s how. I’m grateful that he wrote this and to the NPR series “This I believe.” for hosting it.

Click to read:

There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Barbecue

I do recommend you also hear the author read his work:

Click to Listen Now

Thanks and tip o’the hat to Rod & Sheri Gray who compete at KCBS events as Pellet Envy and posted this on: ALL THINGS BARBEQUE

Free PDF

For instance –

Did you know there are 29 cuts of beef that meet the government labeling guidelines for lean? Many are cuts you are probably already eating, such as flank steak, T-Bone steak, and sirloin steak.

According to government guidelines, a serving qualifies as “extra lean” if it has less than 5g total fat, 2g or less saturated fat and less than 95mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz. serving.

A serving qualifies as “lean” if it has less than 10g total fat, 4.5g or less saturated fat and less than 95mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz. serving.

Get to know the 29 lean cuts and download a FREE handy reference guide you can use to help better choices for you and your family when shopping at the grocery store or take it with you when dining out.

Just click on this link:

Grilled ribeye steak served medium-rare with side of grilled gulf prawns.

Depending upon your level of overall confidence and outdoor cooking skills – you may aspire to preparing steaks that rival those served in expensive steak houses. There are really only a couple of secrets to grilling great steaks.

1. Good quality meat cut thick enough to sear without overcooking

2. High heat & clean grates

OK – there is definitely a third…

3. Patience & Experience

Here’s a pictorial I made of a mixed grill cook I did just this past weekend on the Big Easy Smoker-Roaster-Grill set up for grilling.

After reading the post please leave a comment or question in the Comment section (first time users will experience a delay in the comment being posted while it is reviewed and approved to prevent spammers) or sign up on the Users Forums to post questions about cooking steaks on your specific type of grill.

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!

_______________________

1. Choose the cut of meat that’s right for flavor and best for grilling – based upon your taste buds and your budget! Here’s some information about USDA Grades of Beef and here’s a Beef Chart to help you select meat best suited to preparation techniques. For this cook I happened upon a special deal on USDA Prime Ribeye steaks.

Here’s what the ribeyes I purchased looked like when I brought them home:

These steaks might look pretty familiar - it's the way most folks purchase meat, individually cut and packaged in plastic. From this viewpoint they look about the same size. Oops!

And here’s what they looked like when I open the packages:

Viewed in packaging, all steaks may appear to be about the same size - but when choosing a steak for grilling - thicker is most often better. Too thin and the steak can easily overcook before seared on the outside.

The marbled fat in meat adds flavor when grilling. The fat on the lip of the meat is pretty much excess and will only render and drip into the fire, where it adds to clean up and also contributes to flare-ups. Yes – I agree that it looks nice when it’s all browned and pretty on the plate when served, but it’s not necessary and your doctor would most likely agree it’s to be ignored – so why not trim it off prior to cooking?

Excess lip fat on a steak doesn't add to flavor only flare-ups.

This is the amount of fat I trimmed off the steak. When grilling the lip fat is not needed for flavor and my arteries also don’t need it!

Trim off excess fat from the lip to reduce flare-ups without losing flavor in the meat.

Dry the meat with a paper towel, removing any excess moisture that accumulated while in the package.

Dry meat prior to seasoning to reduce excess moisture. Remember: "Wet meat steams and Dry meat sears."

Season with a light pinch of good quality salt. This is freshly ground sea salt – the flakes are bigger and the flavor is different than ordinary table salt. I like the way it interacts with the meat to draw natural sugars and proteins to the surface – which become the source of the browning sear marks we all enjoy and associate with a grilled steak.

Salting the surface of a dry steak will start the chemistry going to draw out natural proteins and sugars. Contrary to conventional wisdom a pinch of salt evenly dispersed over the surfaces of the meat will not dry it out if present for a short while.

I generally let the meat and salt interact for at least 20 – 30 minutes prior to continuing the seasoning process. (Some techniques also use more salt and prep the steak longer, overnight in some instances. We’re not going to cover that here today.) Just before the steaks go on the grill I also season both sides with some freshly ground pepper and lightly spritz with canola oil before placing on HOT (450F – 650F degrees is considered the range at which meat sears) clean grates.

Here’s a tip on using oil and how it impacts searing:

At the higher temperatures necessary for searing meat if you try to wipe the hot grates with a brush or paper towel to apply vegetable oil – it will burn off almost immediately and often ignite the towel! Theoretically you could cook the meat on the grates without oil – because when the proteins in the meat are cooked to perfect point – they will ‘release’ – but that is difficult to judge and sometimes the heat doesn’t transfer evenly between the grates and the meat.  So we use a light spritz of high temperature cooking oil like canola, peanut or safflower – to name a few.  The oil serves as an aid to the conduction of heat between the grate and the meat.  You don’t need a lot and you don’t need expensive virgin olive oil or other cold pressed oils because they are not good for high heat cooking and will burn and turn bitter.

Want to learn more about oils best suited for outdoor grilling and cooking? Read “The oils I use for grilling and why.”

2. The steaks go on a HOT grate and “Where they hit – they sit.”

Seasoned and lightly canola oil spritzed steaks go on a HOT and clean grates.

To sear mark the meat you use the grates to transfer heat to the meat – this is both flavorful and eye appealing.  Depending upon the thickness of the steak and the heat of your grates – you can cook with the lid open or closed and/or move the steaks at 90 degree angles to get cross hatch marks on the steak. The amount of time spent searing is critical to the overall doneness. Keep an eye on the edges of the steaks where the grates and meat touch – as the meat begins to get to the perfect searing status the proteins will align and the meat easily releases.  You’ll start to see the browning from the grates at the edges of the meat – use tongs to lift a corner to see if the meat is seared to your preference and then turn  or flip, appropriate to the degree of doneness you wish, the thickness of the steaks and the heat of your grates.

When the steaks are sear marked by the hot grates, identified by the browning, the proteins align and the meat releases. To check if your steak is ready use tongs to lift a corner.

I generally advise most folks to use a “Sear and Hold” method for grilling steaks. This will help you to learn how to judge when meat is cooked properly and is a method used in many fine steak house.  Click on the link to learn a bit more about this method.  (There are other many other methods for grilling steaks and you may be a fan of one of them.  A very popular method is commonly referred to as the “Reverse Sear” method.  This technique roasts the steak using indirect heat until the internal temperature is approximately 90F – 100F degrees and then the meat is quickly seared on super high heat before serving immediately.  It works, is very tasty and – the opportunity for error is much greater for folks who are either new to grilling or who don’t have much experience with slow cooking meat.  I’ll be featuring this technique in a post later this spring – but if you’d like more details on this or any other grilling techniques – head on over to the Users Forums and search out a conversation or topic of interest.)

If you have a couple steaks of different thickness -  start grilling the thicker one first  by a minute or so – or this is an easy way to stop the cooking process of direct grilling while the other finishes.

Steaks getting too done or you want to slow one down? Piggy back!

I use an instant read thermometer inserted from the side into the center of the steak to check for temperature to determine doneness.  Everyone has their own preference and definition for what the various levels of Rare, Medium-Rare, Medium, Medium-Well and Well done are.  I’ll not argue you with your taste buds or desires.  Here are some guidelines from the USDA that you may wish to use for a reference point.

USDA Recommended Internal Cooking Temperatures

Rare: 130F degrees
Medium Rare: 145F degrees
Medium: 160F degrees
Well: 170F degrees

3. Patience and Experience

What I will argue is to remove the steaks either from the grill or the holding pan and allow them to rest for about 10 -15 minutes prior to cutting. This helps the juices in the meat redistribute as the fibers re-absorb juices released during the high heat cooking.

Here’s my Grilled Medium-Rare Ribeye Steak and it was DEE-LISH-US!

Grilled ribeye steak served medium-rare with side of grilled gulf prawns.

Download a free PDF version courtesy of the National Pork Board.

Our friends over at National Pork Board have produced a number of helpful publications with tips, tricks & good information about cooking pork.  One of my favorites is “The Pork Chop” aptly described as “Your Not-So-Secret Weapon for Solving Dinnertime Dilemmas – Pocket Guide to Pork.” Download a free PDF copy to your computer by clicking HERE.

Happy Grilling!

The patented Char-Broil Quantum® infrared emitter & grate system.

To optimize cooking performance of the Quantum infrared grilling system you need to season the infrared emitters and grates just like a you do a cast iron skillet. This is most important as they are designed to operate at peak efficiency when seasoned so this process will improve cooking performance, make cleaning easier and inhibit rusting.

Brush Hawg Stainless Steel Scouring Pads

Step One
If you have already used your grill – make sure the grates and infrared emitter plates are clean. Remove any grime or burned on materials by soaking in warm water (I sometimes add a touch of vinegar) and use a lot of elbow grease to scour it off. I use the Brush Hawg Stainless Steep Scouring Pad for this job.

Step Two
Dry the grates with a towel and immediately coat all surfaces of the Quantum® Cooking System (Grates and Emitter plate) with vegetable oil. I recommend either peanut, safflower, cottonseed or canola. If you use a spray, which is easier to use, wipe down the Quantum® Cooking System after spraying to ensure an even coat.

Step Three
Replace the emitter plate and the grates in the grill cooking chamber, light the burners in the grill and leave it on the Medium-High setting with the hood closed for 15 – 30 minutes, or until the vegetable oil burns off and stops smoking. Turn off the burners and allow everything to cool.

Step Four
I always repeat the process.

What you will achieve by adopting this process and staying with it!

The shiny finish on grates and emitter should now have a very dark brown or bronze color. Your grill is now seasoned and you are ready to cook. The more you use your Quantum® grill the better it will cook. The more properly seasoned the cooking chamber becomes you will discover your grill will cook hotter and more evenly. A light spritz of high temperature tolerant vegetable oil after each use (once the grill has cooled) will keep the surfaces seasoned and help prevent any rusting – just like a quality cast iron skillet.

Make it a habit to clean your grill after each use. Follow the instructions in the product manual and keep it clean.  You wouldn’t cook using a dirty pan so don’t cook on a dirty grill. Proper seasoning is NOT leaving food and other crud build-up on the grates!

The next time you plan to use your grill with the Quantum infrared system, before starting the burners wipe the grilling surface with a cloth that’s got a bit of vegetable oil in it. This should remove any debris that may have accumulated while not in use  – then pre-heat your grill and start grilling some of the juiciest steaks, chops and other meat you can ever enjoy. You’re grilling infrared and that’s our Juicy Little Secret!

So, the three basic steps are:

1. Make sure to season your grill prior to the first use. Coat all cooking surfaces with a high temperature vegetable oil. This can be done with a spray, brush or cloth. Heat the grill at a Medium-High setting with the hood closed for 15-30 minutes until there is no more smoke.
2. After your grill has cooled again wipe down or spray the entire cooking surface. This will coat the metal and provide a barrier to help reduce surface rust.
3. Prior to cooking again wipe down with an oiled rag. This will help remove any debris that may have accumulated.

Want to read more tips and tricks or have a question about your  Char-Broil grill with the Quantum infrared grilling system? Check out the many topics on the Quantum board at the Users Forums.

Want to learn more about the Quantum infrared grilling system? Check out this  short video: CLICK HERE

Happy Grilling!

Happy Grilling!

___________________

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.