Weber gas grills how to smoke food on a weber gas grill
Weber Gas Grills – How To Smoke Food on a Weber Gas Grill
One thing that many gas grill owners do not realise is the fact that their existing gas grills can be easily used as barbecue smokers with a little ingenuity and a few dollars. Smoking food adds a greater range of flavour.
These days, many of us have switched to the cleaner, ergonomic gas grills, and you may be surprised to find that the Weber gas grill can be used as an excellent smoker thanks in part to their superb build quality and large internal cooking area.
The most important thing is to put the wood chips on when the grill is cool, you want to avoid adding your wood-chips while the grill is too warm or else your wood-chips will smoulder and be ineffective for cooking with.
You should prepare your wood-chips in enough water, allowing them to soak for around 30-60 minutes prior to cooking. This will ensure that they are properly moistened and will deliver smoke correctly to your food.
When choosing wood-chips to smoke your food, avoid using liquid smoke that is commonly available as this usually does not impart flavour as well as good quality wood-chips. Green wood-chips are undesirable as they refuse to burn properly, instead select good quality aged chips as they produce a far more pleasing taste.
You should avoid the temptation of continually adding them to the smoking tray during the course of cooking as not only will this drain the heat and increase cooking time but it will also add a bitter taste to your food.
Now lift out the cooking grates from your Weber gas grill, and place your prepared wood-chips in a suitable metal or disposable aluminium tray and place this “smoking tray” to the far lower left side of the grill away from the burners, ensuring that they are not too close to the flame.
Once you have positioned your smoking tray in the correct position, replace the grates on your Weber grill, and now you should preheat the grill for smoking. Turn all of your grill burners on to full, and allow all them to run for around 20 minutes or so until the wood-chips produce smoke and the internal temperature of the grill has been raised enough ready to start cooking your food.
Now that your wood-chips are smoking well, turn off the middle burners, replace the grills using mitts for safety, and add your food to the grill over the central area so that your food cooks using indirect heat. Close the grill as quickly as possible once you have added all of your food and leave it alone until your food is properly cooked.
If you are using a BBQ sauce on your meats, only add it to your food during the last 20 or 30 minutes of cooking time, as the sugar content will lead to caremelisation and will result in a burnt coating on your food, so pay attention to the temperature and remaining cooking time.
It is recommended that you should use a separate BBQ thermometer to measure the temperature of your food to ensure that your food is properly cooked, and you should avoid pushing the temperature probe into any fat pockets or too close to any large bones in the meat as this will produce inaccurate readings.
At the end of the smoking process, your barbecue food will be smoked and cooked to perfection in your Weber gas grill. To obtain the best results, and it should go without saying, avoid boiling any of your meat prior to barbecuing as this drains the flavour from your food.
It is well worth experimenting with different wood-chip combinations and meats as you will discover personal flavour combinations that suit your palette.
Undertake guidelines you are always looking for cooking
Undertake 9 Guidelines You are Always Looking for Cooking
If you are as busy as most people you are always looking for ways to feed your family in convenient, fast, yet not-too-expensive ways. Try the following suggestions:
1. Cooking several meals for the week at one time. It may take a few hours of your time up front but will pay off in the long run when you come home each evening and have a meal ready to eat in a short amount of time. Try cooking a roast and using part of it as a main meal and then using some for sandwiches, beef stroganoff or as part of a stir-fry. Fry several pounds of hamburger and make a casserole, taco meat and chili to freeze for use later in the week.
2. After you return home from the grocery store clean all the fruits and vegetables you can. When it’s time for a meal all you will have to do is cook them or add them to a salad or soup.
3. Get ideas from the cooking shows on T.V. There are great shows that show you how to make a healthy meal in a short time.
4. Develop a revolving recipe file. If you get bogged down by the idea of having to plan 30 meals a month the recipe file is for you. For more details visit us at blueribbon-recipes.com. Let family members choose some of their favorites and put the recipes in a monthly file. Flip to day five or fifteen and there is the meal just waiting to be cooked.
5. Enlist the help of the members of your family. As soon as the kids are old enough divide up the cooking responsibilities. Let everyone take turns with specific tasks or the whole meal. Pair these meals with fruit and veggies that have already been washed and cut-up and you are ready for dinner.
6. Share the cooking with friends or neighbors. I’ve known people who cook four or five of the same meal and then trade with four or five other people. This works best when people share the same basic ideas on what they like and don’t like. It’s a great idea though for a very easy week of evening meals.
7. Save coupons for those convenience things at the grocery store. They have entire entrees and dinners either fresh or frozen. Sometimes they are rather pricy but with the coupons they are good to have on hand for an evening when everyone is running in different directions and time is of the essence.
8. its O.K. to eat out from time to time. You can also login on to www.appetizer-collection.com. Clip coupons for these occasions and if you have kids keep a look-out for the places that have special prices for children. Some of the fast-food restaurants are trying to offer item choices that are a little healthier.
9. Many larger cities have businesses that prepare food for the evening meal. They seem expensive at first but are so convenient and available for one person or entire families. There are many menu choices and meals cooked for special diets. When you calculate the groceries you buy and the times you eat out each week, this may work for you.
10. Combine several of the above ideas into a plan that is best for you.
It is possible with a little planning to cook meals that are quick and easy without spending hours in the kitchen every day.
The secret to picking the perfect popcorn salt
The Secret to Picking the Perfect Popcorn Salt
t’s a very simple secret, really — so simple that it shouldn’t be called a secret at all. Unfortunately not many people pay particular attention to the salt they sprinkle on their popped family snack after using a popcorn machine, which can lead to a… well, salty snack. No worries, it’s normal. I only knew there was rock salt and iodized kitchen salt, before I was forced to start examining popcorn salt. It’s amazing what a little knowledge of a grain of salt can do when choosing the best one for your popcorn maker.
All salts are basically the same, but they are differentiated by how they are begotten and how they are processed. Sea salt, the most basic form of salt, is often seen as the most natural. It is harvested by hand and, depending on how it is retrieved and stored, is often the healthier choice. The problem with sea salt is that it is very rough and can, because of this, often be used only in dishes that involve boiling or cooking for long periods of time. The most popular salt used in dishes now is iodized salt (table salt), which, aside from being fortified with iodine, has a finer consistency and spreads easier throughout the food.
With these properties in mind, we have to consider the perfect way to make popcorn — and how to apply salt to it. Popcorn has a coating on it — be it oil or butter — and ideally this spreads throughout the cooking process. The oil and butter not only provide flavor, but also ensure that the kernels get heated evenly so that all the corn pops around the same time. It stands to argue that we need a fine grain — that way the oil or butter will spread it evenly.
We want to have fine grains and we want to be able to spread it uniformly; that’s the key. There is popcorn salt available on the market — it’s a salt with finer grains and some of those have added benefits for health — or so they claim. Here’s how you can make your own. Take your favorite salt (maybe you prefer the healthier ones) and grind it with a food processor or coffee or spice grinder. It doesn’t work perfectly, but it helps a lot.
It really is a simple secret — and though I shouldn’t call it a secret anymore (since now everyone knows). Try it next time. Remember, those tasty snacks could be just the way you want it, if you take a few minutes to look around and find what works best for you. Happy snacking!
Think small for kitchen savings
Think Small For Kitchen Savings
It seems as if the cost of living just keeps going up and our paychecks aren’t. With the increases we are seeing in grocery bills, gasoline prices and utilities, every little bit helps when it comes to cutting back expenses.
One way to save in the kitchen is to practice cooking minimalism. Use as small a pan, oven, water and cooking time as possible to get your food prepared. Don’t take repeated looks into the oven while cooking. Here are some ways to cut costs in the kitchen:
1. Use the smallest possible appliance. Microwaves, toaster ovens and electric frying pans use about half the wattage as a full size oven does.
2. Use the smallest pan possible and make sure the gas flame or electric burner doesn’t extend past the edges of the pan.
3. Use a lid when cooking with a pan. Cooking without a lid can triple your energy costs.
4. Defrost items in the refrigerator before cooking them.
5. Stagger the placement of your pans in the oven to ensure good air flow. Don’t line your oven racks with foil.
6. Use glass or ceramic pans which use less heat for cooking.
7. When cooking, make double portions and freeze half of it. Reheating will take less energy than cooking from scratch.
8. When using a microwave, place food near the outer edges of the rotating tray for faster cooking and less energy use.
9. Keep your oven and stove top clean. When food gets cooked on surfaces it will absorb the heat and cut energy efficiency.
Following these easy tips can help you to cut back on your utility expenses without sacrificing the pleasure of having great meals at home.
Best ways to improve your cooking skills
Best Ways to Improve Your Cooking Skills
There are many specialty shops that offer creative cooking classes and on occasion your local upscale grocery store may even offer them. Learning to use a variety of fresh ingredients instead of canned, packaged or frozen can not only make your meals taste better but they will also be healthier. A cooking school also teaches how to properly slice, dice, and chop (without loosing a finger!) A cooking class will add to your vocabulary many new words such as «demi glace,» «gratineed,» and «braising» etc. If you have the right tools and techniques you can serve up some top notch dishes. Won’t your family and friends be surprised?
World renowned chefs have opened creative cooking schools to help everyday cooks develop fine cooking skills. They also have cookbooks and their special recipes listed online with step by step instructions on the preparation involved. Actually attending a class will give you hands on experience.
Many of us do not have all day to prepare dinner for our families because of work and other obligations. A cooking class provides you with new shortcuts and other techniques to use to help improve the quality and taste of the food and the time it take to prepare it. Instead of marinating all day on low heat, you could use a crock pot and set it on low when you leave for work in the morning. There is very little to do to finish preparing the meal when you arrive home.
Cooking classes also offer you a way to learn how to shop for and prepare many different ethnic foods. Recipes from far away places are a great way to bring your family together while enjoying preparing and trying them right in your own home. Save the money that would have been spent at an ethnic restaurant and cook together as a family with the tools and techniques taught at a culinary class.
By attending a local creative cooking school you will meet men and women in your area who share your love of cooking and desire to develop fine cooking skills.
working close together in a large shared kitchen will add to your social skills if you are considering opening a restaurant. There is another added bonus to cooking classes and schools that you may want to consider. If creative cooking is your passion, these classes could open you up to a new career or business idea. I have met people that came for a specific purpose which had nothing to do with a business, ended up taking what they learned in class and put it to work for them. While at first they did it part-time, they eventually found they had their own very successful business.
What would your friends and family pay to have a cake decorated? How much for a professionally prepared meal for an important dinner party in their home? The possibilities are endless when we look at the benefits cooking schools and classes have to offer.
Learn how to use a smoker and how to smoke meat like the professionals
Learn How To Use A Smoker And How To Smoke Meat Like The Professionals
Smoker grills are to the serious backyard barbecue enthusiast what power tools are to Tim «The Tool man» Taylor. Your backyard barbecues will become the talk of the neighborhood once you learn how to smoke meat the right way. Your hickory smoked chicken or mesquite smoked steaks will be not only in everyone’s satisfied stomachs, but on everyone’s lips come Monday morning at the water cooler. Forget the standard steaks, hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken on the grill top. Put smoked salmon on the menu and look out. We are talking about taking how to smoke meat to a whole new level.
If you can, get a combination grill, one that will let you grill your food the boring, traditional way, and give you the choice to smoke your food too. Traditional means grilling your meat over an open flame, using charcoal or a gas fire. But if you are going to learn how to use a smoker, you are going to have to heat up the fire box, put on your favorite wood — hickory, oak, cherry, mesquite, to name a few — and get to it.
These hardwoods, in the form of chips, are placed into the smoker’s firebox. When burning, they produce specific flavors when absorbed by the meats being smoked. This not only gets your mouth salivating, but the flavor cannot be bested by regular grilling methods. What’s nice about it is when you learn how to smoke meat; you learn that the fire never reaches the meat when it is being smoked. The downside of this aspect of how to use a smoker is that it takes longer for the meat to be ready to serve, but the upside is that none of the meat juices will cause fire bursts to reach up and blacken the meat, and your barbecuing reputation. The process of smoking generally takes about 3-5 hours for most meats, and up to 12 hours for larger cuts.
Another angle when learning how to smoke meat is that the heat from the smoker is lower. This means that you not only learn how to smoke meat, you can learn how to steam vegetables. What you end up with are vegetables that not only taste superb, but vegetables that keep all the good stuff in. All the nutrients stay with the vegetables. Good taste, and healthy for you to boot. When you learn how to smoke meat and vegetables, then you can move on to the more exotic eats like hickory smoked chili.
Part of learning how to smoke meat is learning how to choose the right smoker for your needs. There are several manufacturers, so you have many makes and models of smokers to choose from to learn how to smoke meat. They may not be low cost, but the investment in healthy eating, and tasty eating, is well worth the price you will pay to get just the right kind of smoker to learn how to smoke meat and vegetables, and anything else your healthy heart desires, all with less fat and cholesterol than with other grilling styles.
Cooking chicken on a gas grill
Cooking Chicken On A Gas Grill
Cooking Chicken on a Gas Grill
Rotisserie
Whole chicken: 1
Medium Onion: 2
Sea Salt: 1 Tsp or to taste
Ground Pepper: 1 Tsp or to taste
Tarragon: 1 Tsp or to taste
Clean excess fat from cavity of chicken. Cut onion into quarters and separate layers. Stuff layers into cavity and sew shut well. Hint: If you do not sew the cavity shut well, it will throw all the onions into the fire. I use a heavy duty needle curved at the end and a cotton binding string. Secure the chicken on to the rotisserie bar. Make a drip pan from aluminum foil by folding a triple layer of aluminum foil the size of your chicken plus about 3 inches on each side. Remove the grates of your gas grill before lighting and lay drip pan directly on burners. Set rotisserie and cook for about 1 1/2 hours for a 4 pound bird, sprinkling soy sauce over chicken ever y 10 minutes or so.
MAKE SURE YOU USE FORK THERMOMETER TO TEST BIRD FOR CORRECT TEMPERATURE.
Test the bird on the thickest part of the breast; it should be a minimum of 165 degrees for 1 minute to be safe for you and your guests.
Cooking Chicken On The Grates
Cooking Chicken on the grill directly on the grates takes a bit of dancing. You cannot leave it.
YOU WILL HAVE FIRE AS THE FAT DRIPS DOWN.
Good idea to get a spray bottle with water to fight the fire you WILL have.
Lay chicken on grill salt and pepper to taste. On the first flip salt and pepper other side to taste.
Flip every 5 minutes or so sprinkling with soy sauce at each flip. This should take about 35-40 minutes.
MAKE SURE YOU USE FORK THERMOMETER TOTEST BIRD FOR CORRECT TEMPERATURE.
Test the bird on the thickest part of the breast; it should be a minimum of 165 degrees for 1 minute to be safe for you and your guests.
If you really want to dazzle your guests use this sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
This recipe will cook 12 PC’S chicken, or a good quantity of meat, to feed about 4 or 5.
One 16 oz. Bottle Ketchup (Doesn’t make much difference what you use so go cheap).
Worcestershire Sauce: 4 or 5 ounces or more if you like. You are going for a nice rich red brown color.
Brown Sugar: One palm full.
Molasses: Once you get it flowing, make ribbon about 1/4 inch flow a circle and a half around mixing bowl.
5 Garlic Cloves: I use a press, you can use what you want, dice or crush.
1 Medium Onion: Dice really small.
Mix thoroughly Cover with Clear Plastic wrap and Nuke in Microwave oven for 4 minutes.
Remove, mix again, pay attention to the sides of the mixing bowl, you want that caramelization turned back into the sauce.
Black Pepper: To Taste, for best results use fresh ground. Don’t overdue unless you like it hot.
Sea Salt: To taste
Tarragon: About 2 Teaspoons (Note: If you are cooking beef, substitute Basil for Tarragon.
Oregano: About 2 Teaspoons
Mix thoroughly Cover with Clear Plastic wrap and Nuke in Microwave oven for 4 minutes.
Remove, mix again, pay attention to the sides of the mixing bowl, you want that caramelization turned back into the sauce.
Taste and adjust if necessary.
Let the sauce sit. The longer it sits, the better it tastes. Overnight is the best, but not really necessary.
When chicken is about done; 165 degrees internal temperature turn BBQ to Low if Gas, Charcoal cook on cool side of grill.
Completely submerge pieces in sauce one by one.
Cook for 3 minutes.
Completely submerge pieces in sauce one by one, cook other side.
Cook for 3 minutes.
Serve with lotsa napkins, or a damp wash cloth.
Now that is what we gonna have fer dinner!!!!!!!!!!