In my last duty station (Naples Italy) we used a small charcoal hibachi, that we imported from USA. and I got real good at lighting it using a coffee can and newspapers.
Now stateside, we use a big propane grill. One of my renters came with it, but they dont use it. It can cook entirely with propane, or I can load it with a bag of charcoal and light the propane anyway. The propane will get the charcoal going pretty well in 15 minutes.
During the summer, a relative who lives on a beach has big parties about monthly. I go and cook for them sometimes. It takes 6 bags of charcoal to setup their grill, and we will have to re-load it once. Last summer at one party, I cooked 120 chicken breasts that we had soaked in orange juice and spices, but we still we served more steak. Thye throw really big private partys.
Sometimes it is really hard to predict charcoal, it might be hot in 15 minutes; or it might take an hour.
Some like the flavour of charcoal, I dont like the smoke. If you want to, you can use a propane grill with liquid mesquit flavouring painted on the lava rocks in the bottom of your grill. The liquid will burn-off and flavour the meat. The flavour of charcoal, without the hesitant starts and the smoke.
Galen
ET1 SS - USN Retired,
Knight of the Rose Croix,
Knight of the order of St Andrew,
Pilgrim of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the mystic shrine.
Since I my palate isn't refined enough to appreciate the advantages of charcoal, I choose not to hassle with it. I have other things I want to do with my time than perfecting my fire-building technique.
The only other thing I desire in a grill is cast iron grates (not the porcelain coated ones). Eventually they will 'season' and not require me spraying them down with Pam before every use.
If given a cholce, I would never cook anything on a gas grill. I prefer to smoke or slow cook my meats which you just can't do well on a gas grill. About all I can say for gas grills it that they are convienent.
If you like a quick fix without much hassle gas is ok - like maybe for burgers. But a cheap gas grill is less than worthless. Cooking on a gas grill is not even really barbequing. No one have ever won a barbeque cookoff using a gas grill.
A good charcoal grill/smoker is much more versatile. You can fast cook or slow cook/smoke your foods on one and the food is much tastier. But don't use that self starting stuff - it burns up too fast and can impart a funny taste. I like Royal Oak the best. Also it is nice to have an accurate temperature gauge that goes from 100 - 500 degrees so than you control the temeperature when you slow cook.
But, I cook a lot of stuff with wood only or just a few coals with seasoned wood to get a lot of smoke. On one end of mine is a firebox that for the wood that opens into the smoker/grill. You can also use charcoal in the cooking area for grilling. Best of both worlds.
Goey
"Most of my fondest memories in TWI never really happened"
Goey: Thanks for the detailed response. I will make a note of your post and put it away so I can use it later on down the line as I get more experienced and want to try my hand at getting a better grill.
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
does anyone remember the newspaper grill the football player was spokesman for? all it takes is newspaper he said. no propane or charcoal he said. i have found two of these. both at auction usually with a big pile of other stuff. they were both never used.
the first one i wore out.
we named it the hobo grill. and used it for 4 or so years. it was great. we even started throwing selected fruit wood in with the paper which enabled us to cook other stuff besides hot dogs.
we wore it out pretty much.
the second i found in december. i used it yesterday.
they were both round and square in shape.
we call them the hobo grill. convenient and oh so useful for homeless hobos.
itchley NO! That sounds so interesting! LOL. I would love to see that commercial on TV. But newspaper? I mean, geez, what did the food taste like? Having your food cooked over newspapers?
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
RG......it dosen't really matter what you use....whatever your cooking don't care. The people eatin' might tho! Just make sur it's prepared wif' love.
I use a big truck tire rim with some cut holes in it fer air drawin wif' a stainless steal Winn-Dixie grocery cart chopped up to fit on the truck tire rim. It is alo portable!
I use some local good grade of seasoned hickory wood to get the fire started and after the wood burns down a little throw on some hickory chip charcoal tokeep it going...now all we need is meat or vegies on a shishkabob.
A little fine homemade wine to wash it all down with never hurts either!
And I apologize to the last Greasespotters I cooked out with for leaving the wine in the live well of me boat. Won't happen agin!
actually it tastes quite alright. i threw in some fruit wood that i scavanged from an orchard i trimmed for an older retired orchardist. hed say take that whole branch off. i would and later cut it into small usable pieces. and mixed it in with the paper to have a longer cooking heat. its great. but the extra heat will take toll on the thin metal the newspaper grill is constructed of. dick butkus was the tv salesperson.
if youll look around at rummage sales and auctions youll surely sooon find one. they are no longer made as far as i know and the infomercial was a good one. folks at the beach having fun and cooking with their newspaper grills. awsome!
Recommended Posts
Zshot
Rottie,
IMO, food tastes better cooked over charcoal.
BUT,
Gas grills involves less prep. time. easier clean-up.
Since I mostly cook on the BBQ for only myself, I use a gas (propane) grill.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Galen
I do both, either.
In my last duty station (Naples Italy) we used a small charcoal hibachi, that we imported from USA. and I got real good at lighting it using a coffee can and newspapers.
Now stateside, we use a big propane grill. One of my renters came with it, but they dont use it. It can cook entirely with propane, or I can load it with a bag of charcoal and light the propane anyway. The propane will get the charcoal going pretty well in 15 minutes.
During the summer, a relative who lives on a beach has big parties about monthly. I go and cook for them sometimes. It takes 6 bags of charcoal to setup their grill, and we will have to re-load it once. Last summer at one party, I cooked 120 chicken breasts that we had soaked in orange juice and spices, but we still we served more steak. Thye throw really big private partys.
Sometimes it is really hard to predict charcoal, it might be hot in 15 minutes; or it might take an hour.
Some like the flavour of charcoal, I dont like the smoke. If you want to, you can use a propane grill with liquid mesquit flavouring painted on the lava rocks in the bottom of your grill. The liquid will burn-off and flavour the meat. The flavour of charcoal, without the hesitant starts and the smoke.
Galen
ET1 SS - USN Retired,
Knight of the Rose Croix,
Knight of the order of St Andrew,
Pilgrim of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the mystic shrine.
Bless you
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RottieGrrrl
thanks for the input Zshot and Galen. Interesting stuff
Galen holy cow. 120 chicken breasts??? yikes.
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TheManOfa Thousand ScreenNames
Since I my palate isn't refined enough to appreciate the advantages of charcoal, I choose not to hassle with it. I have other things I want to do with my time than perfecting my fire-building technique.
The only other thing I desire in a grill is cast iron grates (not the porcelain coated ones). Eventually they will 'season' and not require me spraying them down with Pam before every use.
So I took a six month vacation. So sue me.
:D-->
Link to comment
Share on other sites
socks
Charcoal! Reason - flavor!
'when you're in love, there's no time and no space. there's a permanent smile on your face...
and hey somewhere, you threw your fear in the sea of no cares...'
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Goey
Rottie,
If given a cholce, I would never cook anything on a gas grill. I prefer to smoke or slow cook my meats which you just can't do well on a gas grill. About all I can say for gas grills it that they are convienent.
If you like a quick fix without much hassle gas is ok - like maybe for burgers. But a cheap gas grill is less than worthless. Cooking on a gas grill is not even really barbequing. No one have ever won a barbeque cookoff using a gas grill.
A good charcoal grill/smoker is much more versatile. You can fast cook or slow cook/smoke your foods on one and the food is much tastier. But don't use that self starting stuff - it burns up too fast and can impart a funny taste. I like Royal Oak the best. Also it is nice to have an accurate temperature gauge that goes from 100 - 500 degrees so than you control the temeperature when you slow cook.
But, I cook a lot of stuff with wood only or just a few coals with seasoned wood to get a lot of smoke. On one end of mine is a firebox that for the wood that opens into the smoker/grill. You can also use charcoal in the cooking area for grilling. Best of both worlds.
Goey
"Most of my fondest memories in TWI never really happened"
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RottieGrrrl
Man LOL. I never heard of cast iron grates btw!
socks! Yeah!
Goey: Thanks for the detailed response. I will make a note of your post and put it away so I can use it later on down the line as I get more experienced and want to try my hand at getting a better grill.
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
Link to comment
Share on other sites
itchley
does anyone remember the newspaper grill the football player was spokesman for? all it takes is newspaper he said. no propane or charcoal he said. i have found two of these. both at auction usually with a big pile of other stuff. they were both never used.
the first one i wore out.
we named it the hobo grill. and used it for 4 or so years. it was great. we even started throwing selected fruit wood in with the paper which enabled us to cook other stuff besides hot dogs.
we wore it out pretty much.
the second i found in december. i used it yesterday.
they were both round and square in shape.
we call them the hobo grill. convenient and oh so useful for homeless hobos.
marywonni
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RottieGrrrl
itchley NO! That sounds so interesting! LOL. I would love to see that commercial on TV. But newspaper? I mean, geez, what did the food taste like? Having your food cooked over newspapers?
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Littlehawk
RG......it dosen't really matter what you use....whatever your cooking don't care. The people eatin' might tho! Just make sur it's prepared wif' love.
I use a big truck tire rim with some cut holes in it fer air drawin wif' a stainless steal Winn-Dixie grocery cart chopped up to fit on the truck tire rim. It is alo portable!
I use some local good grade of seasoned hickory wood to get the fire started and after the wood burns down a little throw on some hickory chip charcoal tokeep it going...now all we need is meat or vegies on a shishkabob.
A little fine homemade wine to wash it all down with never hurts either!
And I apologize to the last Greasespotters I cooked out with for leaving the wine in the live well of me boat. Won't happen agin!
Link to comment
Share on other sites
itchley
actually it tastes quite alright. i threw in some fruit wood that i scavanged from an orchard i trimmed for an older retired orchardist. hed say take that whole branch off. i would and later cut it into small usable pieces. and mixed it in with the paper to have a longer cooking heat. its great. but the extra heat will take toll on the thin metal the newspaper grill is constructed of. dick butkus was the tv salesperson.
if youll look around at rummage sales and auctions youll surely sooon find one. they are no longer made as far as i know and the infomercial was a good one. folks at the beach having fun and cooking with their newspaper grills. awsome!
marywonni
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Goey
Get your Newspaper Grill Here
Goey
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.