Mark's Grilling Blog

Boston Butt on the smoker

2011-06-26T11:55:00.001-05:00

I am trying to get more into the "smoking" side of grilling. I know, I know....some only consider "smoking" meat the true grilling. Whatever. However, it takes lots of patience, and I love a good piece of smoked meat. But I also like high heat grilling as well. Anyway, I grilled a 5 lb Boston Butt today. It probably cooked on a low, low heat for 7 1/2 to 8 hours. It is literally falling off the bone. I'll try and post a pic later of the butt.

I used Adam's Rib Rubb as my dry rubb. I also added some garlic powder, as well as rubbing it with EVOO before applying the rub. I used some cherry wood to add a little flavor.

Pork Loin on the Weber

2011-06-25T23:20:00.000-05:00

I grilled a Pork Loin on my Weber grill about a week ago. I'm not much of a "slow cooker", although I'd like to do that more often. Anyway, I won't go through the whole recipe, b/c honestly is was just a bunch of stuff I mixed together for a rub and little marinade.

The key ingredient, though, was bacon. Yes bacon. I covered the the whole pork loin with strips of bacon. It gave it an excellent flavor after I pulled it off the grill. It also enabled it to keep the meat moist during cooking.

GCFFA Barbeque Competition and Pics of grills

2011-05-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, I was asked to be a judge in the GCFFA Barbeque Challenge. It was my first experience doing this. Nick and I were judges, and he gives a good description here. I tasted some phenomenal chicken, ribs, and pulled pork. These guys and girls know what they're doing. As always, some always rise to the top. But none were horrible!!

Here are some pics of some of the bbq grills/rigs. Some were basic grills all the way up to the serious grillin' rigs!! Enjoy the pics!!

Firefighter's Barbeque Challenge in Lucedale today!!

2011-05-07T09:56:00.000-05:00

Come on up to the Lucedale park to check out the George County Firefighter's Barbeque Challenge. There is sure to be lots of great BBQ!!

http://www.gcffabbqchallenge.org

I hope to be posting some pics later today from the BBQ challenge.

Grilled Chicken tenders...Italian

2011-05-06T06:30:00.002-05:00

Ok....this is beginner stuff.

Occasion
Quick Family Meal. Do you notice that many of our meals have to be quick?
Partakers

On The Grill
About 2 lbs of chicken tenderloin strips.

Preparation
I soaked the chicken tenderloin strips in Italian dressing for about 1 hour prior to grilling.

Grilling
Grilled on high, direct heat. Also took some FRESH italian dressing and drizzled it on the chicken while cooking. This allowed for a little more flavor to be cooked into the meat.

Results
It's kinda hard to mess this up. However, with the oil in the dressing, you need to watch for flare-up.

Dry Rubs....from Steve Rose

2011-05-05T19:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some dry rubs that Steve Rose sent. Thanks for the contribution Steve!!

Original Dry Rub

Good for 2 full racks of ribs or 1 pork boston butt…

½ c paprika

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp white pepper

¼ tsp cumin

½ c brown sugar

¼ c sugar

Asian Dry Rub

½ c paprika

1/8 c of ginger

½ tbsp ground mustard

1 tbsp allspice

2 pinches kosher salt

1/3 c brown sugar

¼ tsp garlic powder

Catch Steve's blog here.

Grilling Fire Chief Style....Dennis Gray

2011-05-05T12:27:00.001-05:00

This post is contributed by my cousin "in-law" who lives in an area just outside of the ATL. This is great stuff!! He served as a fire chief, and has recently retired. More time to grill!! Here is what he wrote:

Firefighters eat well when they are on duty. That's a fact. During my 30 plus years in the fire service I have learned from some of the best firehouse chefs in the business. One pearl of wisdom I picked up along the way is, marinating is more that just dipping a piece of meat in sauce. It is knowing what the sauce will do to and for the meat before you dip. This recipe was developed over time and can easily be tweaked to your particular taste. It is equally tasty on chicken or beef. Enjoy!

Chief Gray's Marvelous Marinade:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lite (reduced sodium)soy sauce
1/4 cup marsala cooking wine (substitute= apple juice)
2 tbsp. brown sugar (packed)
1 or 2 cloves fresh garlic (crushed)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Combine vegetable oil and crushed garlic.
Microwave on high for 30 seconds.
Add all other ingredients and blend well.
Marinate meat from 1 to 24 hrs. in refrigerator before grilling.
You may baste the meat with marinade while grilling, but I prefer to make a fresh batch for this.

Barbeque Sauces....by Steve Rose

2011-05-05T06:55:00.002-05:00

My friend Steve Rose contributed this barbeque sauce recipe. I like this because it has different "flavors" according to your liking. Thanks Steve!!

Original BBQ sauce – good for 2 full racks ribs or 1 pork boston butt

1 c ketchup

½ c apple cider vinegar

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ c brown sugar

1 tsp Worchestshire sauce

1 tsp liquid smoke

¼ c honey

Sweet and Hot

ORIGINAL recipe plus –

½ tbsp cayenne pepper

½ tbsp chili powder

¼ tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

Cinnamon Chipotle

ORIGINAL recipe plus –

1 tbsp of chipotle powder

1 ½ tbsp of cinnamon

1 tbsp of Frank’s Red Hot sauce

Asian sauce

ORIGINAL recipe plus –

½ c pineapple juice

2 tsp teriyaki sauce

1 tsp hoisin sauce

Pinch of allspice

Pinch of dry mustard

You can catch Steve's blog here.

Gas or Charcoal?

2011-05-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

This is probably one of the questions many people ask when talking grilling. So what about you gas or charcoal?

Me personally, I prefer gas (propane) over charcoal. I have a few reasons:
1. Time. We are usually crunched for time in the afternoons. Between homework and limited daylight, we are trying our best to maximize our family time. So gas is a quick way to grill.

2. Cleanliness. Let's face it. Charcoal can be messy. Black "soot" can get on just about anything. Disposing of the ashes can be a dirty job as well.

3. Taste. Some people like the "smoky" taste from charcoal. Personally, I can go either way. I prefer gas because I can control the flavor of my meat through dry rubs, marinades, etc. I prefer to dictate the flavor that way rather than through the smoke. Smoking with wood chips/wood is definitely better than charcoal, but can be time consuming.

Favorite Grilling Recipes

2011-05-04T22:12:00.002-05:00

Ok folks....I would love a little feedback. I'd like to share some grilling recipes, marinades, dry rubs, vegetable recipes, etc. on this blog. I'm looking for your favorite ones. You can do this one of two ways. Either send me an email to mark@m4camps.com or leave a comment below. I will make each recipe a separate post. So hit me with your best grilling recipes, marinades, dry rubs. Also, good side dishes are welcome as well.

Ribeyes

2011-05-01T22:11:00.002-05:00

Occasion
We got home from the Orange Conference late Friday night/early Saturday morning. I was ready to grill. We ate some great food while in ATL, but nothing like grilling on your own grill.

Partakers
The M4 Crew

On The Grill
3 ribeyes cut about an inch thick. I picked them up from Seal's Meats in Lucedale. A great little meat market. Two had a little less marble in them than I like. One had good marble. It was definitely the better steak.

Preparation
I placed the 3 ribeyes in a baking dish with high sides to marinate in. Lea & Perrins, and Lawry's on the meat. Both sides.

Grilling
Seared the steaks on a high temp to trap in juices. Flipped occasionally. Total cook time was just over 10 min.

Results
The steaks came out medium well. I'm still adjusting to the temperature on the new grill. Especially with searing them, I believe more cooking happens there than I realized. I would have liked the steaks to have been more "medium".

Improvement
I really need to let the meat come to almost room temp before grilling. It makes a huge difference. Also, we are used to grilling steaks that were from the cow we had slaughtered. This was "store" bought. Another difference. I'm ready for another cow in my freezer. I will grill them a little shorter in time.

Fiesta Hamburgers

2011-04-26T21:30:00.001-05:00

Occasion
Meal before leaving for the Orange Conference in ATL.

Partakers
M4 crew, Melanie's mom, and Grandma Tiffin

On The Grill
6 hamburger patties about 1/3+ lbs each.

Preparation
I made up the patties to about 1/3 lb each. One thing I can't stand is a hamburger patty too small.
I wanted to try something besides my regular burger recipe. I used Lea & Perrins, some Lawry's, and a new ingredient this time: Fiesta Ranch dip dry seasoning. This is the ranch dip that is in a pouch, except it's the Fiesta style, a little spicy.

Grilling
Preheated the grill to about 600 degrees. I cooked the burgers on high heat, flipping every 4 minutes until done. I backed off on the temp once I got the burgers on the grill. Added cheese with about a minute left in cooking.

Results
Burgers were good. The Fiesta Ranch rub was ok. I expected more of that flavor to come out, but it wasn't very strong. It was worth a shot, and wasn't bad at all.

Improvement
I may add more of the Fiesta Ranch rub next time.

Easter grill meal: Pork Tenderloin

2011-04-24T20:50:00.001-05:00

Occasion
Easter Sunday Meal

Partakers
The M4 Crew (that's my family btw)

On The Grill
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
Squash, Zucchini, and onions

(The tenderloin looks small on my new grill)

Preparation
Basically no prep for the pork tenderloin. I cheated this time and bought one from WalMart. I rarely buy meat from WalMart, but I made an exception. Two reasons, we wanted pork and I haven't done many pork tenderloins. So no big loss if it wasn't good. I got the garlic and pepper one pre-marinated.
Melanie cut up the squash, zucchini, and onions. She sprinkled a little Tony's on them, and I believe some olive oil. We wrapped them in foil.

Grilling
I decided that I would turn the pork tenderloin only once. I have heard of others not having to turn them at all. I cooked on indirect heat for an hour. (Indirect heat being my left and right burners on medium and my middle burner off...with the meat sitting over the middle burner). No flame up with indirect heating, and no burning the outside of the meat.

My grill temp stayed around 350 degrees. I didn't "smoke" the meat, but didn't try to cook it too quick. If I would've had more time, I probably could've dropped the temp some too. The tenderloin took about an hour to cook. The main thing is getting the inside of the meat to about 165-170 degrees

The veggies were wrapped to begin with, but I wound up grilling them over direct heat for a short time, then put them back in the foil.

Results
Meat was very tender. The pre-marinade was decent. A little too much pepper in it. And we like pepper. Still was a little much. The tenderloin was tender enough to cut with a fork. So all was good. Micah LOVED it. I think he wound up eating more of it than any of us.

Improvement
I really should spend the extra few minutes to do my own rub and marinade. It probably would've turned out better.

Hawaiian Chicken

2011-04-24T20:12:00.001-05:00

Occasion
Family Meal

Partakers
Melanie, Micah, Malaree, and me.

On The Grill
Boneless Chicken Breasts-3

Preparation
We had intended to eat this meal the night before, but I wound up buying a truck and picking it up. So our original Monday night meal got delayed until Tuesday.
Marinade--Lawry's Hawaiian marinade. Probably the best pre-made marinade that Lawry's does. Has some citrus flavor in it.

Since I got delayed, the chicken actually marinated a full 24 hours. This made a HUGE difference in the amount of flavor in the chicken. I believe they are actually 30 minute marinades, so as you know it was much more flavorful.

Grilling
I didn't use the sear burner for the chicken. I cooked on medium to high heat. I flip my chicken about every 4 minutes or so. These chicken breasts were bigger than what I normally get, so cooking time was a bit longer.

Results
The chicken turned out good. I believe we had a type of rice pilaf and some green beans for the sides. It made for a very healthy meal that was fairly quick.

Improvement
The chicken started to get a little charred from the marinade. I probably should have dropped the temperature down on the grill a bit. I'll have to remember that for next time.

First meal on the new grill

2011-04-23T21:39:00.001-05:00

Occasion
Breaking in the new grill.

Partakers
Melanie, Micah, Malaree, and me.

On The Grill
--1 in. thick center-cut pork chops from Seal's Meat Market in Lucedale. When I grill chops, I get them between 3/4 in and 1 in. This seems to make them big enough to be juicy and not dry out.

--Pineapple. Melanie cut it up into slices. One of our favorite non-meat items to grill.

--Onion.

Preparation
Meat seems to do better when it is close to room temperature. However, these didn't get to complete room temperature before grilling. Here's what I put on my chops....and many other things for that matter: Lea & Perrins Worchestshire sauce (don't use another brand. To me, other brands seem to have too much of a soy flavor.), Lawry's seasoned salt (reduced sodium), and Garlic powder. I put the Lea & Perrins on first, so the Lawry's & garlic powder don't roll off.

Pineapple prep--just slice vertical, not horizontal. It keeps you from getting the "hard" part of the pineapple when you are grilling.

Onion--Put some butter, a little soy sauce, about 2-3 drops of Texas Pete hot sauce, and some garlic powder, and a little pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil.

Grilling
I grill my chops on high heat for 4 min. on each side, and then I flip them on each side for another 3 min each. I then just check it. I usually back the heat down a little after each side has been grilled once.

The pineapple. I only grill this for 3-4 min. Long enough to get it hot and it starts to semi-caramelize with the sugar in it.

Results
Everything was great for the first run on the new grill. I was reminded how much I like the cast-iron grates. This is one of our favorite meals.

My grill: Weber E330

2011-04-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

I purchased a new grill at the beginning of April 2011. I ordered the Weber E330 from Amazon.com, which was drop-shipped straight from Weber. Why did I order from Amazon.com and not from Weber or Lowe's? Free shipping. I did have to put the grill together. However, I do know that it was done right, and nothing is missing.

Here are a few pics of the new grill right after it was assembled. Assembly time was about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

The grill has 3 main burners. It also has an extra burner called a "sear station". It is a full extra burner between the left and center burner. Purpose: For searing a piece of meat to keep the juices in. It works great. Once you sear the meat, you can turn that burner off.

The grill also has a side burner on the right side. It is flush, so the side can still be used as extra space.

The starter is electric, sending a spark to each individual burner. It uses one AA battery. So far, it works well. Starters always seem to be the first thing to go on grills. We'll see how this one does.

Grates: I opted for the cast iron grates. I've had cast-iron, stainless, and porcelain before. No question that I like the cast iron the best.

I had to "season" the grates before using the grill the first time. No big deal though.

My grilling blog

2011-04-23T21:02:00.000-05:00

I contemplated whether or not I should start a new blog just for my hobby of grilling. I could and may still post some of these to www.markwilliamslive.typepad.com.

Why a blog just for grilling? Well, it is one of those things that I really enjoy doing. It is multi-fold. I love food. I love grilled food. Grilled food is often a very healthy choice of cooking. It's fun for me. It's never a chore. It gets me outside. And everybody's gotta eat sometime.

What am I going to say about grilling? I will have a couple of headings in each blog where I've grilled something. I hope to be able to take pics every time as well. I'll let you know what I did in preparation for the grilling. I'll also give you the recipe for what I'm grilling. I'm not one of these "secret sauce" guys. I believe in sharing the love with others. So if I find something that works well for me, I'll let you know. Also, if you have recommendations for me, then please feel free to comment. All suggestions are welcome.

If you want to submit a grilling recipe, I'll post it on here. Like I said....share it. We're all better when we do that.

Basically, this will give you a look at me grilling.

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT AN EXPERT!! I would actually say that I am a novice griller. I don't "smoke" a lot of meats. I don't cook tons of different things. I hope that this will allow me the opportunity to experiment a little more with my grilling. So....there you have it. Hope you enjoy.