Charcoal Grilling

epicuric

epicuric

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[Mod.Edit: Moved to form a new thread as the thread where it was posted is locked]

caseydog said:
Best advice I can give is to set up your charcoal grill with the coals on one side. A HOT zone, and a not so hot zone. Then, as you cook, you can move the food between zones to control the amount of char, and still cook your food all the way through.

CD
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I remembered this advice - I have a use for this later. I bought a pork tenderloin intending to sous vide it, but then found a recipe that called for grilling instead. It said to use the offset method, so I will give it a try.

Another question, if I may draw on your expertise: I have some sticks of apple wood that I would like to use to add more flavour. The recipe says to soak some chips in water then put them on the charcoal. I am worried that this might cool the temp down too much - it's only about 12 deg C outside here. Could I not just put a couple of whole sticks on the charcoal, dry, or would this cause other problems?

Any tips would be appreciated!
 
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epicuric said:
I remembered this advice - I have a use for this later. I bought a pork tenderloin intending to sous vide it, but then found a recipe that called for grilling instead. It said to use the offset method, so I will give it a try.

Another question, if I may draw on your expertise: I have some sticks of apple wood that I would like to use to add more flavour. The recipe says to soak some chips in water then put them on the charcoal. I am worried that this might cool the temp down too much - it's only about 12 deg C outside here. Could I not just put a couple of whole sticks on the charcoal, dry, or would this cause other problems?

Any tips would be appreciated!
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Epicuric, the other thread got shut down before I could reply.

Applewood is great with pork. Do NOT soak it! Soaking any smoking wood before use will give you a poor quality smoke, because wet wood does not burn efficiently. So yes, put whole, dry sticks on the hot coals.

CD
 
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caseydog said:
Epicuric, the other thread got shut down before I could reply.
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The thread was closed back in September as people kept posting in the August thread (what did you eat today?) when it was September. epicuric was only able to post there because he is a mod. He obviously didn't spot my closure notice in that thread.
 
Morning Glory said:
The thread was closed back in September as people kept posting in the August thread (what did you eat today?) when it was September. epicuric was only able to post there because he is a mod. He obviously didn't spot my closure notice in that thread.
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Sorry, I was in a hurry and I didn't even notice what thread it was, I just searched for offset grill.
 
caseydog said:
Epicuric, the other thread got shut down before I could reply.

Applewood is great with pork. Do NOT soak it! Soaking any smoking wood before use will give you a poor quality smoke, because wet wood does not burn efficiently. So yes, put whole, dry sticks on the hot coals.

CD
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Thank you CD. I will be lighting the grill shortly. Photo's of finished dish will follow later - if I get it right!
 
epicuric said:
Thank you CD. I will be lighting the grill shortly. Photo's of finished dish will follow later - if I get it right!
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I assume you have a probe thermometer of some kind. The only way to "get it wrong" is to overcook your tenderloin.

CD
 
caseydog said:
I assume you have a probe thermometer of some kind. The only way to "get it wrong" is to overcook your tenderloin.

CD
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I think I left it on the grill a little too long. The recipe stated 40 mins, I checked it at 30 mins and the internal temp was 72 deg C. It wasn't dry, probably due to the amount of Boursin it was stuffed with, and the slices of apple were still al dente. The apple sticks worked really well, giving a nice level,of smokiness, almost a chipotle taste. Needs more work, but good enough to make me want to persevere with grilling, outdoors, in the cold and rain, in the dark!

I have a couple of nice sirloin steaks for later in the week. Any suggestions for doing these on the grill?
 
epicuric said:
I think I left it on the grill a little too long. The recipe stated 40 mins, I checked it at 30 mins and the internal temp was 72 deg C. It wasn't dry, probably due to the amount of Boursin it was stuffed with, and the slices of apple were still al dente. The apple sticks worked really well, giving a nice level,of smokiness, almost a chipotle taste. Needs more work, but good enough to make me want to persevere with grilling, outdoors, in the cold and rain, in the dark!

I have a couple of nice sirloin steaks for later in the week. Any suggestions for doing these on the grill?
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These days, I cook all my steaks sous vide and seared. However, you can use the two one charcoal grill method for steaks, and get a smokey flavor you don't get from sous vide. Sear the steak on the hot side, then move it to the "cool" side to slowly cook to your desired doneness. Some people like to "reverse sear," but I prefer to sear first, while the meat is cold inside. I don't want the inside to "cook" while it is searing. That's just my preference.

If you mix some smoking wood into your charcoal, I like oak or hickory. Mesquite is popular for steaks in Texas, but I don't know if you can get it in the UK. Mesquite makes a pretty potent smoke that can overpower anything less flavorful than steak.

Sometime, try cooking a steak "cavemen style." I've done it a couple times -- once in my backyard firepit, and once while camping with coals from the campfire. It's not really any better than charcoal grilling, but it is fun.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFFPuHCwi1g


CD
 
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I always soak my wood that's how I was taught in the US.
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Cherry wood above whisky barrel pieces
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Boned leg of Lamb.
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Chicken thighs
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duck
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CraigC said:
I've always found wet wood to give a very acrid smoke.
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Yes. But somehow, it is a thing that a lot of people do because somebody, like a celebrity chef, said to do it. You know, as I do, that heavy white smoke is not good smoke. Wet wood does that. You gotta' use dry wood to get that sweet, thin blue smoke.

CD
 
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