Gravy's Cooking Thread

Burns

Burns

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BrutulTM said:
I was a charcoal purist for like 20 years and then I got lazy and got a gas grill. Still get the urge for a charcoal burger or steak once in a while. I have a Big Green Egg but it's not set up currently because my back deck is too crowded with the gas grill and the pellet grill.
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I cooked on gas grills for most of my life. I eventually realized there is nothing that's cooked on a gas grill that tastes better than cooking it on a stovetop/griddle. So fuck spending $1000+ on some fancy built-in grill in some fancy outdoor kitchen.

A smoker, on the other hand, is where it's at for outdoor cooking.
 
Lanx

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Burns said:
I cooked on gas grills for most of my life. I eventually realized there is nothing that's cooked on a gas grill that tastes better than cooking it on a stovetop/griddle. So fuck spending $1000+ on some fancy built-in grill in some fancy outdoor kitchen.

A smoker, on the other hand, is where it's at for outdoor cooking.
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so you got a blackstone now to get your teppanyaki on?
 
Burns

Burns

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Lanx said:
so you got a blackstone now to get your teppanyaki on?
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I generally don't cook asian food, but I use 10" or 12" cast iron skillets to cook hamburgers, sausage, or steaks. Smoking up the house with steak smell is half the fun and the meat to cheese to vegetable to bun ratio of a smash burger type is far superior to some thick hand pressed patty monstrosity. I also have a cast iron griddle, but rarely use it.
 
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Lanx

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Burns said:
I generally don't cook asian food, but I use 8" or 10" cast iron skillets to cook hamburgers, sausage, or steaks. Smoking up the house with steak smell is half the fun and the meat to cheese to vegetable to bun ratio of a smash burger type is far superior to some thick hand pressed patty monstrosity. I also have a cast iron griddle, but rarely use it.
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yea if you get a blackstone, use an all arounder shopping engine like google shopping cuz costco/walmart/academy,etc all have their "in house" style blackstone

like walmart sells this ver
c96182768c96d812307086f30bbd5af5.png


for a good price (it's for camping)

and academy slaps on wheels and legs and it's the go go or something
 
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BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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Burns said:
I cooked on gas grills for most of my life. I eventually realized there is nothing that's cooked on a gas grill that tastes better than cooking it on a stovetop/griddle.
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I totally disagree with that. A steak cooked on a gas grill definitely tastes different than one cooked in a cast iron pan. It's not the same as charcoal or smoking, but it definitely adds flavor because of the juices dripping on the hot metal plates over the burners and getting vaporized. If you add grill grates, that is magnified.

The Blackstone, on the other hand, I don't get. I mean it's nice to have that big surface to cook on, but it's just a big frying pan. I already have an electric griddle for cooking pancakes and whatnot and it cost a lot less than the Blackstone and it doesn't require a dedicated space on the deck. It makes sense if you're going camping, but I don't get the giant one on the deck.
 
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Siliconemelons

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Sad: the split lamb breast got out of date before I managed to try it...sad -10$ :-(

Did 2 racks of herb crusted lamb for Easter - had 1 left over as I bought an extra... sams had -$5 off each package and I saw a small 17$ one, so 12$ for a little rack of lamb to try something new with- sure! Ended up using that small one for the herb crusted lamb as I know my wife likes more well done- so I made a small size one and a normal "big" size one and cooked them the same so hers was more well done.

Well- this Greek restaurant has lamb "riblets" they make... and they season and cook them different than their normal "full" lamb chops - and I like the riblets much better- so I attempted a dupe... essentially- olive oil, lemon, garlic, herbs - high sear.

Wife liked them better than the herb crusted version, I agreed and this is much simpler.



grilled-lambchops.jpg
 
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Burns

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BrutulTM said:
I totally disagree with that. A steak cooked on a gas grill definitely tastes different than one cooked in a cast iron pan. It's not the same as charcoal or smoking, but it definitely adds flavor because of the juices dripping on the hot metal plates over the burners and getting vaporized. If you add grill grates, that is magnified.

The Blackstone, on the other hand, I don't get. I mean it's nice to have that big surface to cook on, but it's just a big frying pan. I already have an electric griddle for cooking pancakes and whatnot and it cost a lot less than the Blackstone and it doesn't require a dedicated space on the deck. It makes sense if you're going camping, but I don't get the giant one on the deck.
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I've done reverse sear, butter baste sear, and sear into oven finish but usually just do the latter for ease. All of which produced a better maillard reaction crust than any steak I have ever grilled, which lend more flavor than the drippings getting burnt back onto the steak from an open flame. I found the doneness is much easer to control in the oven as well.

Here is one of the old Serious Eats chefs perfectly cooking a huge tomahawk, for example:
 
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BrutulTM

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Burns said:
I've done reverse sear, butter baste sear, and sear into oven finish but usually just do the latter for ease. All of which produced a better maillard reaction crust than any steak I have ever grilled, which lend more flavor than the drippings getting burnt back onto the steak from an open flame. I found the doneness is much easer to control in the oven as well.

Here is one of the old Serious Eats chefs perfectly cooking a huge tomahawk, for example:
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Of course you can get a good seat on a cast iron pan. That doesn't mean it doesn't have a different flavor from being grilled.
 
Burns

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BrutulTM said:
Of course you can get a good seat on a cast iron pan. That doesn't mean it doesn't have a different flavor from being grilled.
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I never said there was no difference, I said nothing cooked on a gas grill tastes better than cooking it on a stovetop.

QuickEdit: I should probably qualify that with "when using retail equipment," as I'm sure the pros have some special high dollar grills they use.
 
Furry

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Burns said:
I've done reverse sear, butter baste sear, and sear into oven finish but usually just do the latter for ease. All of which produced a better maillard reaction crust than any steak I have ever grilled, which lend more flavor than the drippings getting burnt back onto the steak from an open flame. I found the doneness is much easer to control in the oven as well.

Here is one of the old Serious Eats chefs perfectly cooking a huge tomahawk, for example:
Click to expand...

I dry age my steaks, sous-vide them and then sear them. Oven works too, but sous vide produces a perfect steak every time. Dry aging enhances the crust however you decide to finish your sear.
 
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Rajaah

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PXL_20260422_212821884.jpg

This is one sexy grill. Wood pellets only I think. I bet it produces a lot of flavor.

PXL_20260422_212956130.jpg

Here's the one I'll get in the near future when the budget allows. Anyone know if the "premium" version is worth getting? Same size as the normal version, 22".
 
Rajaah

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Here's some grilling porn from yesterday's practice session on a friend's grill:

Screenshot_20260421-230436.png

PXL_20260422_024113130.jpg
PXL_20260422_024121679.jpg

Didn't know what I was doing yet, and put the food on too soon (while it was still a bonfire) rather than letting the charcoal settle into the 2nd and 3rd images.

The food ended up with a subtle gas-like taste. I think that grill might have some lighter fluid residue on it from someone else using it that didn't burn off? Or maybe that taste is from putting the food on too soon with the briquets not actually melted down yet. I didn't get any sort of stomach issues from the food testing, so I don't think it was lighter fluid residue.

Next time I try will be with the charcoal starter.

Edit: I used lighter fluid on the charcoal pyramid method for this one. Next time I won't use that at all and will give it time to properly burn first. This time was basically me doing a charcoal pyramid bonfire and cooking right on that once it died down most of the way.
 
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M Power

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Rajaah said:
Here's some grilling porn from yesterday's practice session on a friend's grill:

View attachment 625923
View attachment 625921View attachment 625922
Didn't know what I was doing yet, and put the food on too soon (while it was still a bonfire) rather than letting the charcoal settle into the 2nd and 3rd images.

The food ended up with a subtle gas-like taste. I think that grill might have some lighter fluid residue on it from someone else using it that didn't burn off? Or maybe that taste is from putting the food on too soon with the briquets not actually melted down yet. I didn't get any sort of stomach issues from the food testing, so I don't think it was lighter fluid residue.

Next time I try will be with the charcoal starter.

Edit: I used lighter fluid on the charcoal pyramid method for this one. Next time I won't use that at all and will give it time to properly burn first. This time was basically me doing a charcoal pyramid bonfire and cooking right on that once it died down most of the way.
Click to expand...
You have to let the charcoal burn all that shit off. Also, if you use the easy to light charcoal you gotta let that burn off on those too.
 
Lanx

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Rajaah said:
Here's some grilling porn from yesterday's practice session on a friend's grill:

View attachment 625923
View attachment 625921View attachment 625922
Didn't know what I was doing yet, and put the food on too soon (while it was still a bonfire) rather than letting the charcoal settle into the 2nd and 3rd images.

The food ended up with a subtle gas-like taste. I think that grill might have some lighter fluid residue on it from someone else using it that didn't burn off? Or maybe that taste is from putting the food on too soon with the briquets not actually melted down yet. I didn't get any sort of stomach issues from the food testing, so I don't think it was lighter fluid residue.

Next time I try will be with the charcoal starter.

Edit: I used lighter fluid on the charcoal pyramid method for this one. Next time I won't use that at all and will give it time to properly burn first. This time was basically me doing a charcoal pyramid bonfire and cooking right on that once it died down most of the way.
Click to expand...
yea you don't "need" a chimney and just go basic w/ piled up mess of charcoal just roll up some napkins dipped in oil or just buy a box of fire starters
110 Pcs Fire Starter - Natural Fire Starters for Fireplace, Pellet Stove, BBQ, Pizza Oven, Fire Pit &Chimney, Fire Starters for Grill, Charcoal Starter
for 10bucks you get like 100, it's just wood shavings dipped in wax

but use a leaf blower of some kind

fires only need fuel (charcoal) and air , give it a lot air
 
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Dr.Retarded

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Lots of good advice already given. Both gas and charcoal are great to have. Gas for convenience, charcoal for the flavor. However, i've smoked things on the gas grill, just going to wood chip box, were you some heavy duty foil and make a pack, and toss on the grates. Won't be as robust of a smoked flavor, but still does the job with easier to maintain temps. Gas is nice because you can use it like an outdoor oven for all kinds of things. Use a chimney and buy some tumbleweeds to light with said chimney for a charcoal grill.

Weber kettle is king and you can smoke / BBQ or grill on it. Standard version is perfectly fine, but maybe upgrade with a slow and sear, but not needed, but it's great for long cooks or the cold grate method. I know I posted lots of photos of cooks I've done on my kettle, and once you learn how to use it (just go watch some YouTube videos) you'll be good to go.

Also, the jumbo Joe is great if you don't have a lot of space. I got one when I was still in Charleston after my apartment complex 86ed grills on the porch, that way I could just carry it out into the grass. I still have it after a decade, and it's great for cooking for two people. If you don't want to spend a bunch of money, I'd suggest getting one of those, or just save and get a kettle.

Like Lanx Lanx I too have used the leaf blower to get my coals going, but you can also just buy a cheap ass hair dryer instead of spending $100 on some Amazon Chinese garbage.
 
Aldarion

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Wax? leaf blowers? What the actual fuck? I feel like I'm being trolled


Literally all you need is a chimney and a little paper. Put the paper under the chimney. Put the coals in the chimney. Light the paper, like with a match or lighter. Walk away.

Its fire, it really doesnt require chemical accelerants and a motherfucking are-you-being-serious leafblower
 
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