Category: Grilling

Smokin' in the Rain

7/24/2015

Bear here.... Last weekend I had a good idea, and bad timing. I am a grill guy, I usually don't have the time or patience for BBQ. I have done some briskets and I was in the mood to try barbecuing venison. I thawed a venison shoulder for smoking/ BBQ. The shoulder was about 10 lbs. so would take around 8 to 10 hours, and I started around noon. (First mistake.) I decided to use bonfire wood to cook in my grill for better smoke and heat control. Did you know it takes around 1 1/2 hrs. to get coals? I relearned that fact. I also started with lump charcoal so I wouldn't be cooking in the dark.

The forecast on Thursday was for warm, muggy weather on Saturday, no problem. (Second mistake, I should have looked Saturday morning and realized STORMS were coming to an area near me!) Everything was set up and rolling, I put the venison on the grill and before I could close the lid I heard thunder.

... I can do this. Here are some pictures and commentary for that day.

Remember when I said I was a grill guy? This is my old grill rigged to smoke.

Here is our fire pit. I carried the coals I needed with a shovel to the grill.

Wasn't sure what I needed so I soaked most of my wood chunks and left them in the water until needed.

This is Ivy sayen "Dude, Get the meat on the fire already, I'm hungry."

This is when I heard the thunder.

We be smoken'. Light rain isn't going to stop me! (I think I hear laughter from the catio.)

This is when the tornado warning siren went off for our town. Only severe thunder storms, I'll be fine!

No problem. no heavy rain yet.

Oh crap, heavy rain. Time to cover the pit and hope it doesn't last long.

Can you tell which side is 350 degrees and which is at 225?

Back at it. Smoked for 3 hours.

Time to add some liquids, wrap the meat and cook it low and slow until done. (Good thing I checked three hours later, the temp was 185.)

Hoping it is done right. Always best to have a pan to catch liquids, the foil almost always leaks.

Since some of the meat seemed dry I kept the braising liquids and put the meat in them after chopping it.

Overall... it was an interesting day and the meat turned out OK. It made great sandwiches. Soon I will be doing this again.

Type at ya later..

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More Summer Solstice, Sunday 6-21-2015

6/25/2015

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Bear here... The weather cooperated and we got to spend the whole day of Summer Solstice outside. In celebration of the Sun, we thought it would be fun to see if we could rig up a solar oven. Theresa had some gardening time and a reminder she sometimes gets a sunburn easily. I goofed off and cooked in my kilt over the fire. We had friends over for dinner. Here are some pictures and more details...

Our nephew Jeremy gets to enjoy the hammock that Theresa vacated when she went to work in the garden.

IMPROVISING A SOLAR OVEN:

I like to experiment with cooking in different ways and Theresa is always looking for ways to save energy, so in honor of the Sun on the Solstice, she suggested we build a solar oven. Simply put, a solar oven is a tilted box with a glass lid that you point towards the Sun so it will heat up enough inside to cook food. Theresa has instructions on how to build a more permanent one that we hope to try, but today we wanted to improvise with the items we had and see what would happen.

First thing you need is the big heater. Yep... sunshine. Find a place in your yard that will be in full Sun most of the day. We used our driveway.

Here's what we used:

the cooler we use for hay box cooking (emptied of insulation)
the storm window from our back door
2 chairs to set the oven on because I don't like bending over that much
various (yet stylish) pieces of wood to help hold oven at the correct angle.

The tricky part is that you want the box tilted so that you have the least amount of shade in the box. To keep it at the right angle, you'll also need to be able to move the oven as the Sun moves across the sky. We checked every hour and adjusted.

We both had ideas on how to improvise the set-up. Theresa says she had it just right and then I came along and changed it. Each of our "I know what I am doing" attitudes made this part take a while (40 min.).

In spite of disagreements, we got the oven working and it topped out at 200 degrees F. We tried cooking rice (1 c. rice to 2 c. water) in two different ways. One pot we did hay box style (boiled the rice & water on the electric stove for 10 minutes, then put in the solar oven to finish cooking). It was done in 1 hour. The second pot we just filled with hot water from the tap. It took around 4 to 5 hours before we noticed it was finished.

We balanced both pots on a folded dish towel, since the bottom of the cooler was tilted. Above is the first pot of finished rice. Don't be fooled- you need hot pads to touch these dishes.

Theresa also realized that the temperature was right for drying herbs. This catnip dried really quickly, so now she's devising plans to build a solar dehydrator (if we ever find the time).

I tried to bake whole potatoes in the solar oven, but there wasn't enough heat or time. Next time I'm going to try lining the cooler with aluminum foil to create more reflective heat.

Archie the visiting dog thinks we are strange but cool. (Ivy the cat thinks Archie is OK, for a dog, but our other cats did not appreciate the visitor.)

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM AND COBBLER IN A DUTCH OVEN:

Theresa and I figured that home made ice cream would be great to make for the longest (hottest?) day. We decided to make it while our guests were here instead of the day before, because Theresa thinks it tastes best straight out of the ice cream machine, right after it's done and still soft. I like it when it has been in the freezer and is more firm. I am not going to argue with her, though, because either way, as the ice cream maker I get to "clean off" the paddle (aka lick all the ice cream I can get from the thing.)

Our friend Reed reminded us that we have his canned pie filling in our basement and suggested we cook some cobbler in his dutch oven to go with the ice cream. First he lined the pot with foil, then dumped in one quart of pie filling. You can also use chopped fresh apples or peaches. We used a rhubarb pie filling he canned last year.

The topping is 2 c. biscuit mix with butter or Crisco cut into it, with sweeteners added in to taste (such as a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and some cinnamon).

Then place the dutch oven in the fire pit over coals. The trick is to get the heat even on all sides. If you know one side is hotter, you will have to turn it periodically. Reed told me dutch oven cooking is more of an art form than a science.

How long? Don't know. Depends on the coals. Thus an art form. (I am guessing around 1/2 hr.)
When the top was bubbling he pushed it down with a spoon...

... to mix better, then he added more topping and put it back on the coals. I noticed a lot of liquid, so I am guessing you let it cook until there is not much liquid.

We didn't eat it right away so Reed took it out of the fire, but put some coals on top of the lid to keep it warm. It looked and tasted real good with the ice cream.

FIRE PIT (GROUND) GRILLING, in a kilt:

The set up is easy. You need an old usable grill grate (the bigger, the better), bricks to set in the fire area to prop up and level one side of the grate, and two metal poles stuck through the grate into the coals to hold the grate still while you cook.

Other helpful tools include gloves for moving the bricks and something long handled (aka a fire stick) to move coals around with.

Put the potatoes in first. Wrap them in foil and put them by the coals. I would turn them every 15 min. or so to keep the cooking even. They should be soft in an hour.

Then... bring on the meat!

Proper food, fire, and attire...

Just like on the grill, only lower.

The fruit of my labors.

Enjoying the fruit of my labors (they say I don't leave enough meat on the bone for a dog to want it afterwards).

BEGINNING OF THE LONGEST DAY:

END OF THE LONGEST DAY:

The view from the bike path across the street. Good night Sunshine.

HAPPY SOLSTICE!

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Celebrate Spring Equinox- Grill Eggs!

3/20/2015

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Ever heard of putting all your eggs in one basket? Well, my basket is the grill. Onions optional...

From Bear:

At our house, we celebrate Spring Equinox with eggs, because this is the time when chickens start laying more eggs. It's also the time we get Spring fever, so I go outside to grill. This year I combined the two, and grilled eggs.

I learned how to do this from Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible. If you want to boil eggs but don't have any water, here's how:

1. Eggs on the barbee... First step, light your grill and get your coals to medium heat.

2. Poke a hole in each end of your raw eggs so they don't explode when heating (I used a thumbtack).

3. The eggs take about 15 minutes. I turn them every 3 minutes to cook them evenly.

4. First flip is end over end, then roll, so you know you're getting all four sides for roughly the same amount of time.

5. If your fire is hotter, turn the eggs more often, and cook for only 10 minutes.
Don't worry if the shells start browning.

Theresa noticed I even got grill marks!
(Next I have to work on the diamond pattern.)

What can you do with these eggs? Use them like any other boiled egg.
Theresa posted a great deviled egg recipe on our site.

If you're interested in learning more about eggs and the equinox,
also see our Celebrate Early Spring page.

Look at what the Spring rabbit laid- purty blue eggs.
(See how to use cabbage to make dye on our Celebrate Spring page- link above).

EQUINOX
12 and 12,
Tomorrow day is longer than night,
Winter is about planning for Spring
Equinox starts the time to act on those plans,
Thank the people who share their chicken's bounty,
More eggs coming soon.
Thank a chicken.

- Bear

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Hot Coals Make Good Pizza

4/30/2014

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From Bear:

I've been telling people for years how to grill pizza, so I figured it was time to put up or shut up. Here are my thoughts on the art of grilling pizza.

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Smokin' in the Rain

More Summer Solstice, Sunday 6-21-2015

Celebrate Spring Equinox- Grill Eggs!

Hot Coals Make Good Pizza

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