The prepared dishes have a unique taste and aroma. However, grilling over a live fire requires special experience and knowledge. Here are a few secrets to ensure that your culinary experiments are always successful.
Cooking preparation should definitely include removing the ash from the grill. This is done to prevent ash particles from clogging the air intakes, thus reducing the amount of heat in the device. We also recommend installing an additional grate that will protect the bottom of the grill from falling coal particles.
There are several ways to light charcoal. For example, grill manufacturer Weber advises lighting all the charcoal at once. This way you will immediately achieve the highest possible temperature, which will gradually decrease during the cooking process. In addition, there are a number of techniques that allow you to achieve stable, constant heat throughout long cooking.
Indirect method
This method is used for cooking large pieces when the meat has been in the oven for an hour or more. In order for the product to cook evenly, you need to constantly maintain a fairly high temperature of around 100 degrees.
- Jim Minion's method is recommended for cooking meat products for many hours at a temperature of about 100 degrees. For long-term burning, a layer of unlit coal is placed in a container, to which individual pieces of wood are added to create aromatic smoke. Then lit coals are placed on top. They will slowly ignite the bottom layer, creating a stable temperature for up to 15 hours or more.
- The Donut method is a variation of the Minion method. Special coal briquettes are used for it. A layer of such coal “donuts” is crowned with several lit coals, which also gradually ignite the rest of the mass. For a smoky flavor, add a few pieces of wood to the grill, simply placing them in a random order.
- "Snake" method. The peculiarity of the technique is in laying out the coals in the shape of a snake. You place unlit coals along the walls, on top of which you can add a few pieces of wood for smoke. A heat-resistant tray filled with hot water is installed in the center of the grill. The lit coals must be placed in the “head” or “tail” of the snake. This way you will allow the “snake” to burn slowly, maintaining a high temperature for a long time.
Choosing a scent tree
Wood from various hardwood species is used to prepare meat. The size of the pieces of wood can range from fairly large pieces, which need to be slightly soaked in water in advance, to small chips. Oak or walnut wood is recommended for cooking beef. And for more tender meat, such as pork or chicken, apple, cherry or other fruit chips are suitable.
Temperature maintenance
The optimal temperature for cooking meat and other dishes is 105-120 degrees. To monitor temperature changes, just use a special thermometer. The device is installed so that the sensor is located in the central part of the grill. If the heat is too high, you need to reduce the amount of incoming air. To do this, close the ventilation holes and the combustion process will become less active. If, on the contrary, the temperature is too low, the air ducts should be opened. The influx of oxygen will enhance combustion and increase the temperature.
If you are cooking dishes that require heat for many hours, you will have to add charcoal while cooking. To lower the temperature, add more unlit coals, and to increase the heat, always keep a starter with already smoldering coals on hand.
Another useful tip concerns the lid. During cooking, there is a great temptation to lift it to check how the process is going. However, this way you will release a significant part of the heat and create “temperature swings”, which can have a detrimental effect on the taste and degree of roasting. Try to keep the lid closed while frying, monitoring the temperature with a thermometer.
July 7th, 2017 , 07:58 am
Again. Forget about kebabs!
Kebabs are a thing of the past, an anachronism and a relic of the Soviet era that should be forgotten like a bad dream.
No more chunks of fatty pork in mayonnaise or vinegar.
Nowadays, when going to the country or on a picnic, you need to cook completely different things - steaks and all sorts of variations of burgers and sandwiches. Agree, it’s much more varied, tastier and even easier!
In this post I will show you how to cook 5 cosmically delicious and at the same time simple dishes on a charcoal grill. These will include steaks (both traditional ribeye and an alternative machete), a very cool burger with a marbled beef patty, a hot dog with homemade pork sausage, a shrimp sandwich and even... a grilled dessert!
Don't drool over the keyboard, let's go)
2. Before moving directly to the detailed photo recipes, a few words about the grill on which we will cook all this deliciousness.
I know, I know that many people really don’t like all these reviews and detailed technical details, but...
But I can’t help but tell you about this grill in detail, because it turned out to be a really worthy device, which I recommend with a pure heart not only to my readers, but also to friends and relatives.
In fact, this is already my third Weber grill: one has been “living” in my Crimean apartment for several years, the second has been with my parents, and now another one has appeared - for a dacha in Moscow.
3. Unlike my previous Weber, this time I decided to take a larger model so that I could easily cook steaks or other things for a large group in one go, rather than in batches. The choice was made on a 57-centimeter coal one. Well, what can you do, despite the growing popularity and convenience of gas grills, I am still a fan of coals.
The trick of Master-Touch GBS is its very wide functionality, and this is what was very important for me - I went through the models for a long time before placing an order. If you look closely at the grille and what is under it, you will notice that this is not a familiar surface, but a whole system with removable and transformable parts.
Now I’ll explain what all this is for.
First, the central part of the grille is removed. Thus, you can not only fry the usual steaks or vegetables over coals, but also place a wok, pizza stone, poultry roaster, frying pan, etc. in the center of the grill, essentially turning an ordinary grill into a universal oven.
Naturally, having expanded the functionality, it was necessary to think of a convenient way to add coal, so that you didn’t have to remove everything along with the grate. For this purpose, there are special folding sections along its edges.
Well, the Weberites also equipped the grill with lots of charcoal separators, which allows you to quickly and easily switch from one cooking method to another: in a matter of seconds you can place the charcoal in the center of the grill or, conversely, spread it to the sides.
Using the direct method, we cook “fast” dishes, the coal is located directly under the piece of meat, for example, this is how we cook steaks and burgers.
Indirect method - suitable for “long” dishes, smoking and baking large pieces of meat entirely, in this case the coals are moved apart to the sides, and the meat is laid out on that part of the grill under which there is no coal, for example, this can be done for 2 kilograms of roast beef.
And the most important thing is that thanks to the closed lid, during cooking you don’t have to worry about something burning or remaining raw, and it’s easy to control the temperature - you close the top damper, the coals gradually die out, open the damper completely, and the heat rises to the maximum. Please note that we always keep the lower valve in the boiler open during cooking.
By the way, the coating on the lid and grill boiler is not powder paint, but very durable porcelain enamel, for which the manufacturer provides a guarantee of up to 10 years. 
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4. The ash removal system in this grill is also very well thought out. Firstly, the Weber Master-Touch GBS has a convenient, easily removable bowl for ash, and secondly, a special handle that activates the blades that sweep away the ash at the bottom of the grill: a couple of movements left and right and the ash is poured into the bowl.
5. But that's not all the tricks.
The guys from Weber came up with an amazing thing that in 10 minutes allows you to light up coals to a red-hot state, without any firewood or wood chips. There is a special one that somewhat resembles a huge mug with a lattice at the bottom. Pour coals into this “mug” or, directly on the lower grill grate, light dry fuel or an ordinary crumpled newspaper and place the starter on top.
Thanks to the draft effect of this small fire from below, it is enough that the lower layer of coals immediately begins to smolder, transmitting the heat higher and higher.
After about 10 minutes you will see that the heat has reached the very top layer and all the coals in the starter are hot. Then you can throw them on the grill and start cooking!
Coal briquettes are generally a very convenient thing. They are made from 100% natural charcoal, are uniform in size, very dense and provide consistent heat for over 2 hours. You can cook 2-3 dishes and dessert with one charcoal grill. 
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6. Without a starter, you still need to try to get such evenly hot coals!
But here everything is incredibly fast and simple.
7. Well, now let's move directly to our top set of grilled dishes.
So, first we will prepare a burger with a marbled meat cutlet
To prepare this complex-looking, but easy-to-prepare dish, we will need:
- burger bun (I took a neutral taste, without sweetness, with black sesame)
- burger cutlet (don’t skimp and take high-quality chilled marbled meat cutlets)
- pink tomato
- Cheddar cheese
- Yalta onion
- cheese sauce
- pickle
- iceberg lettuce
8. The most important thing in a burger is the cutlet!
That’s why I say don’t skimp on it, don’t buy cheap or frozen cutlets, so that the burger doesn’t disappoint in the end.
Proper burger patties should have a diameter of 10 centimeters and a thickness of 2 centimeters.
Burgers are cooked over high direct heat for 8-10 minutes - 4-5 minutes on each side.
They turn over only once, this is important!
9. It’s also important to cook your burgers covered!
This is how the cutlets will be juicy and perfectly evenly fried.
10. This is what an ideal finished burger patty should look like - bright, juicy, tasty, aromatic!
I personally don't like any other look.
11. While the cutlets are frying, prepare the remaining ingredients: cut the tomatoes, onions and pickles into rings, and heat the buns on the grill. We do this over indirect heat in another part of the grill (remember, I talked about the convenience of different zones)
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12. All that remains is to assemble the burger.
To do this, apply cheese sauce to the bottom of the bun, place cheese on the hot cutlet so that it melts and “hug” it, and then layer tomato rings, onions, cucumbers and lettuce...
13. Second serve. Hot dog with homemade pork sausage.
We will need:
- homemade pork sausages
- buns for hot dogs (do not take sweet ones, look for a neutral taste, this is important)
- iceberg lettuce
- pickle
- hot jalapeno pepper
- Yalta onion
- mustard
- ketchup
- cheese or any sauce of your choice
Everything is as simple as shelling pears here. Fry the sausages on both sides over high direct heat. Literally 3-4 minutes.
At the same time, heat the buns over indirect heat...
14. Cut the buns lengthwise, but not all the way, so that the hot dog doesn’t fall apart, cut the onions into rings, and cut the peppers and pickles lengthwise, too.
Then we put lettuce leaves in the heated buns, after them the sausage, and on top of the sausage - peppers, onions and cucumbers...
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15. And generously pour sauces to taste!!!
16. Third serve. Shrimp sandwiches.
I'll tell you a secret - this dish raised the most questions among my friends and at first they were very skeptical about it...
Haven't tried it yet! As a result, the sandwich turned out to be the discovery of the day)
Direct high heat again and place peeled raw shrimp on the grill.
Depending on the size, frying time is 2-5 minutes. Large shrimp need to be turned over, small ones are not necessary; in high heat they will be completely fried anyway.
17. For shrimp sandwiches you need:
- raw peeled shrimp
- sandwich buns or baguette
- sweet tomatoes
- iceberg lettuce
- cheese sauce.
We coat buns heated in indirect heat with cheese sauce, pre-cut lengthwise (not all the way, like for a hot dog), then layer lettuce on one side and tomato half rings on the other. And between the lettuce and tomatoes - shrimp.
You can sprinkle lime juice on top.
18. With the fourth serve, we move on to the heavy artillery - steaks.
Here, of course, everyone has their own taste. Some people like striploin or porterhouse, some like ribeye, and some prefer alternative cuts.
My favorites are the marbled ribeye from the classic and the machete from the alternative.
They are grilled slightly differently due to their structure and thickness.
Yes, important advice! Before grilling steak, let the meat sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours. This will make it much easier for you to control the process and degree of frying. In addition, the surface of the steaks for frying must be perfectly dry. You can use paper towels to dry the meat. And under no circumstances should you wash the steaks, you can only dry them!
19. Machete first. It is thin, has a uniform structure, but with it you can very easily make a mistake in the degree of frying.
It is important to accurately track the moment when it is time to turn and then remove the steak without drying it out.
The machete cooks for about 4-6 minutes over high direct heat, covered, with one flip!
It is easy to determine the moment when it can be turned over - as soon as the meat easily separates from the grill, no longer sticking to it.
You should only turn the steaks with tongs and never with a fork, so as not to pierce them and juice to leak out.
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20. After the steak is ready, there is no need to rush to serve it to hungry friends who have already gone crazy from the aroma and are ready to grab a piece of meat - let it rest for a minute or two.
To do this, place the finished steak on a warm plate and cover with a lid. Then we blot the released juice with a paper towel and only then serve.
Naturally, you don’t need any side dishes with your steak! Maybe a little grass, maybe cherry tomatoes...
And definitely some coarse sea salt and pepper from the mill!
21. It's time for the ribeye! As they write on some sites, this is “Dostoevsky in the world of steaks, an undeniable classic with which everyone who is interested in meat culture is somehow familiar.”
In butcher parlance, ribeye means edge of the rib, the meatiest cut from the front of the carcass. A ribeye steak consists of one large muscle and several smaller ones. Thin layers of fat are clearly visible on it, reminiscent of a pattern on marble - this is where the classification of meat by “marbling” comes from. This is the most expensive and one of the fattest steaks.
22. Ribeye should be fried over direct high heat for 6-8 minutes for medium rare and 8-9 minutes for medium.
Be sure to use the lid for maximum heat envelopment, so the steak will cook much better and more evenly. You can control the process thanks to the thermometer built into the Weber Master-Touch GBS lid and special ventilation holes on the grill lid.
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23. Grilled ribeye looks incredibly sexy!
While preparing it, you also get aesthetic pleasure!
24. How to check the doneness of a steak?
There are several ways. The main ones are pressing the meat and. Pressing is a more complex method, which is more suitable for experienced chefs, but temperature is for everyone else.
You need to carefully insert the thermometer probe exactly into the middle of the steak, because... It's the temperature that matters. Next, wait a few seconds until the temperature on the display stops changing.
49-52 degrees - rare done (with blood)
52-57 degrees - medium rare
57-63 degrees - medium
63-68 degrees - medium well
68 and more - well done
25. Well, you can finally see the doneness by cutting the steak. In our case, it is medium and the meat inside is perfectly pink.
26. On the last, fifth serve, I decided to make dessert.
Grilled desserts are generally a very cool feature, because... Few people expect this.
There are a lot of variations of desserts, some of which you can even create yourself on the fly.
That's exactly what I did when I came up with Pears, Walnuts and Cinnamon.
Cooking is simple: we need a lot of direct high heat and a zone of indirect heat to finish finishing the pears.
Cut the pears in half and remove the seeds. Then we place them on the grill with the cut side down, cover the grill with a lid and, opening the ventilation holes slightly, forget about what is happening for 10-15 minutes.
Then you need to turn the pears over and cover the grill with a lid again for 10-15 minutes. Yes, this time may vary depending on the hardness of the pears. Soft fruits cook much faster.
At the very end, move the pears to an area with indirect heat, cover with a lid and completely close the ventilation holes - let the pears bake a little and release the juice on the cut surface
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27. All that remains is to transfer the pears to a dish, sprinkle with ground cinnamon and chopped walnuts.
This is delicious!
28. The story could have ended here, but... a little more attention.
Don't forget to clean your grill. This can be done both after cooking and before starting (in fact, it’s okay if the grate remains with traces of previous cooking). Below are simple tips on how to do it correctly.
- heat the grill as much as possible with the lid closed (wait until the remaining juice and fat evaporate and turn into ash);
- after warming up, take a special metal brush for cleaning and intensively rub the grate;
- after that, take the handle of the One_touch system at the bottom and move it to the sides several times so that the ashes are collected in the ash collector bowl;
- at the end, close the upper and lower air dampers.
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30. And now, perhaps, that’s all!
I hope that while reading the text, you did not choke on saliva, like our Churchill, who courageously controlled this entire process...
Well, what do you say? Better than banal kebabs on the grill!
Here is my translation of part of the instructions:
Lighting up the grill
1. Make sure the cover and vents are open
2. Remove the cooking grid. Dump enough coal in the center of the coal grid and form into a pyramid shape.
3. If you are using regular charcoal and intend to use lighter fluid, use the fluid according to the instructions on the package. Allow the lighter fluid to soak into the charcoal for about 1 minute before lighting.
4. When using an electric fire starter, do not add lighter fluid or ignition charcoal in accordance with the manufacturer's ignition instructions.
5. If you use natural charcoal ignition, do not use alternative ignition methods.
6. Allow the charcoal to burn for about 15-20 minutes or until the entire charcoal is lightly covered in gray ash.
Cooking methods
1. Direct grill: When the coals are covered with ash, use a long-handled utensil and protective mitts to distribute the charcoal mesh. Place the cooking grid back on the grill and arrange the food on the grid. Food can be cooked with the lid open or closed.
2. Indirect grilling: When the coals are covered with ash, use a long-handled pan and oven mitts to arrange the coals in a donut shape. Leave an open space in the center. Place a small drip pan (not included) in the center of the coal to catch any dripping liquid.
3. Smoking: Soak any aromatic wood chips in water overnight to prevent them from burning when placed on charcoal. After spreading the coal according to the direct method described above, place wood chips on top of the coal. Cook with lid closed and, if adjustable, cooking grid raised to maximum.
Useful tips
1. Store charcoal in a dry place. If storing outside, pack the charcoal in a waterproof container.
2. During cooking, if the lid is not hinged, lift it to one side instead of lifting it up. Lifting the lid straight up can create a vacuum with the grill, which can suck ash onto the food.
3. When cleaning the grill, do not use abrasive cleaners. This may damage the grill part. Clean the mesh and pan with a mild detergent. Rinse thoroughly with water. Remove and dispose of ashes correctly.
Award Winning BBQ Recipes
BBQ sauce that always works
Ingredients: ¼ cup finely chopped onion, 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, 1 clove garlic, finely chopped, 1 cup ketchup, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 teaspoon prepared mustard.
Preparation: Cook onion and garlic in margarine until tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook over low heat, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers after cooking.
Chicken marinated in mother's style
Ingredients: ¼ cup Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon dried tarragon, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves.
Preparation: Combine ingredients, stirring well. Marinate the chicken for several hours. Grill open over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until juices visibly run. The chicken is cooked until the juices are clearly running.
Honey Grilled Steak
Ingredients: 2 ¼ kg sirloin steak, 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 crushed cloves garlic, 1 large onion, 1 cup honey
Preparation: Mix all ingredients and marinate steak for 7-8 hours. Remove meat from marinade and grill over very high heat until desired doneness. Heat the remaining marinade to sear and pour over the finished steak for serving.
Grilled trout
Ingredients: ¼ cup lemon or lime juice, 2 tablespoons ghee, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon salt, 4 river trout about ½ kg each.
Directions: Mix together lemon juice, margarine, butter, parsley, hot sauce, ginger and salt. Mix well. Pierce the skin of the fish in several places. Dredge the fish in the coating mixture inside and out. Close. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour, turning occasionally. Remove fish from marinade. Place fish on grill; coat the fish with marinade on the grill. Cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Turn over and spread with marinade. Cook for another 5 minutes. The fish is ready when it flakes easily with a fork.
Fried vegetables
Ingredients: ¾ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, 1 tablespoon garlic, ½ teaspoon salt , ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 kg assorted vegetables, chopped or whole, to taste.
Preparation: Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Marinate vegetables in sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Grill vegetables over medium heat until tender, brushing with marinade as they cook. Cooking times will vary depending on which vegetables are selected.
1. Keep an eye on the grill
No matter how expensive a charcoal grill is, it still needs maintenance and cleaning. Most modern grills have a heat-resistant porcelain enamel or ceramic coating on the inside of the roasting pan and lid. Caring for such a coating is not difficult if you do it regularly - just wipe the cooled grill with a damp cloth after each cooking. There is absolutely no need to use detergents.
Always clean the grates
Both charcoal and food grates require more attention, since grease accumulates on them, to which everything sticks. It is fat that is to blame for the appearance of extraneous unpleasant tastes and odors. For cleaning, you can and should use a spatula and a metal brush - the coating of the gratings is resistant to any abrasive influences. Once a season, the grates can be completely washed using special strongly alkaline or enzyme products that remove any burnt or dried organic matter. Such products do not leave any foreign odors.
2. Get used to the grill.
A charcoal grill is used for environmentally friendly cooking of healthy food, even if we are talking about smoked products. Unlike electric and gas grills, a charcoal grill produces stronger heat combined with natural smoke from burning wood. Cooking with it is faster, food acquires an amazing aroma and taste that is unattainable when cooking by any other method.
3. Cook meat in thick pieces
Don't be afraid to cut thick pieces of grilled meat - that's what it's designed for. The optimal thickness of a steak is 2.5-5 cm. With this thickness, the meat will have time to be covered with a golden-brown, crispy crust, preserving the juicy baked flesh inside. Thinner steaks may dry out - they are best cooked either over a thin layer of coals or without a lid, using the grill as a barbecue.
4. Determine readiness with a thermometer
The axiom of good meat cuisine is compliance with temperature conditions. Neither the appearance of the food nor the readings of the thermometer on the grill lid will tell you anything about how well the meat is cooked. Therefore, always keep a thermometer with a probe on hand that can be used to pierce the piece to the middle. If you don’t have a thermometer, it’s better to give up steaks in favor of sausages, wings and other easier-to-cook foods.
Roasting temperature scale (measured with a thermometer in the center of the piece):
45−49 degrees. — Raw, raw 49−55 degrees. — Rare, with blood 55−60 degrees. — Medium Rare, medium rare with blood 60-65 degrees. — Medium, medium roast with juice 65-71 degrees. - Medium Well, almost fully cooked with juice 71-77 degrees. — Well Done, completely cooked until dry meat
5. Don't overuse spices
The flavors that a charcoal grill imparts to food are good in their own right, so try eliminating any spices other than salt when cooking. It is better to pepper grilled food right before serving. If the products are of high quality, and there are no extraneous odors in the grill from lighter fluid or last year’s fat, then the finished dishes will be excellent without unnecessary aromas, and especially without additives with flavor enhancers. You need to salt meat for grilling at least 40 minutes before frying.
6. Buy some tongs
The peculiarity of grilling is that you cannot do anything with your hands - only with special devices in the form of tongs, spatulas or meat forks. If you cook vegetables or other side dishes in trays, you will also need heat-resistant gloves. Tongs next to the grill are never superfluous: they are used to turn meat, move and add coals, transfer food from a zone of direct heat to a zone of moderate heat, and perform many other manipulations. You can neglect other accessories, but not the tongs.
7. Start with a simple heat setting
If you're new to charcoal grilling, keep it simple: rake all the coals to one side and cook in an indirect heat area where there are no coals under the grate. Open the lid periodically and focus on the appearance of the food (if we are not talking about meat, check it only with a thermometer). As soon as the food is ready, move it briefly to a zone of direct heat to form a beautiful golden brown crust, and serve: rave reviews are guaranteed, since the food will definitely be baked and soaked in the aromas of burning natural wood. This method of preparation takes a little longer, but the result is guaranteed.
8. Always let the meat rest
If you cut a steak immediately after grilling, juice will flow from the center of the piece onto the plate, and the meat will lose half its taste. This is due to the characteristics of meat fibers: when processed with heat, they shrink, driving all the juice into the middle. If, after grilling, you let the meat sit on a plate under foil or a lid for 10 minutes, the fibers will return to their original shape, distributing the juices evenly throughout the piece. It will be much tastier this way.
Spare rib anyone? -Adam
I simply can’t count how many conversations I had about barbecue with Americans when I arrived in this country for the first time. All the evenings came down to this action, when a bunch of people gather around a large grate with coals, everyone drinks beer and eats, eats and eats something fried on the grill.
Honestly, my first experience with a grill was not entirely unsuccessful. There was just a proven grill nearby, which I immediately used to fix what I couldn’t cook on the grill. No matter how much I struggled with this design that time, all my coal went out within 10-15 minutes, without having time to heat the meat to the required temperature. Well, or vice versa, it just flared up at such a speed that even I didn’t have time to see the meat, it burned so quickly. Then I decided that was it, no more experiments with this incomprehensible thing called a grill. I will use my wonderful grill. And period. But! Never say never".
A year later, I met a colleague from Texas in Atlanta.
We agreed on a common hobby. We love to eat (what an interesting and rare hobby, isn’t it?). So we began to exchange experiences on organizing catering at outdoor parties. Party, so to speak. I tell him about pilaf, about kebabs, about shurpa. He told me about the grill. In general, as in the same joke that if a fish had wings, it would be a bird, and birds are... well, according to the text. He said pretty much the same thing. “If you cook the rice at home, wrap it in a banana leaf with the chicken, then you can go and grill it.” And that’s how he talked about everything. I still have the feeling that there are no stoves in Texas. The whole staff there seems to be filled with grills. And every dog knows what direct and indirect heat is, what charcoal rings are and how to fry ribs for 5 hours without them burning. Imagine what people in Texas know about grilling!
In general, when I returned home, I decided to learn materiel. Having delved into the vastness of the Internet and into the depths of books, I realized how pathetic my knowledge of the great art of the Texan people - barbecue.
The first thing I did was actually throw away (read: hide out of sight) the previous charcoal grill due to its unsuitability. And I “went” to the online store to choose a new one. There were several more criteria, besides the budget, of course. For example, it should be roomy (we have a large family), coal-fired, tall (according to my considerable height), always with a thermometer and, preferably, it would also be possible to put a small cauldron or wok in it. It took me a long time to choose. Meticulously. I even called a friend in Texas. And voila!!
Here he is! Purchased grill - Weber Master-Touch GBS 57 cm. Where the letters GBS stand for - Gourmet BBQ system - this is a whole set of additional grill accessories that are combined with a special GBS grate. This grill has a removable central round part, in place of which these same accessories are placed (frying pan, wok, etc.). That is, what I needed. If the requirements match other criteria.
Now, a little more about the grill itself and my first, I consider, successful experience in cooking ribs.
I bought, of course, not only the grill itself, but also special charcoal that does not burn out within 2 hours, a brush for cleaning grill grates, a set of tools, a cast iron grate for steaks and such a wonderful thing as a “starter”. But more about him later. All this wealth fit in the trunk of my crossover. But it was impossible to put anything else there. Please take this into account when purchasing, since when assembled the box measures 61x61 and is 38 cm high.
Before printing out all this wealth and collecting it, I decided to marinate the pork ribs. These are the ones I chose for my first culinary grill experiment. It is very important to remove the film from the ribs before marinating.
I decided to marinate with a ready-made marinade. You can make it yourself, for example, by mixing honey, soy sauce, lime juice and finely chopped chili pepper. There are a lot of marinade options!
While the ribs were getting to perfection, I went to assemble the grill. I didn’t do this for long, about 20-25 minutes.
Everything is very simple. Additional tools you will need are a hammer, a 12" wrench and a shaped screwdriver.
So, the first thing you see when you unpack the box is a huge grill bowl covered in black enamel! Beauty! The photo shows a sort of metal trefoil - a system for regulating the air supply to the coals. An important thing, because it is with its help that the temperature in the grill is regulated. Through these same holes, burnt ash from the coals will fall into a special bowl.
With literally three “clicks” the lower half of the grill is assembled and the legs are installed. The system is very well thought out and simple. Even children can cope (though not without the help of a strong dad).
By the way, about children. The entire assembly process, and the grill itself, arouses great interest among them. My very nimble sons immediately grabbed forks, spatulas, brushes and tried to make a submarine out of the grill bowl. Which, however, looked quite realistic from afar. But I didn’t have time to take a photo.
A sort of bypass steel thing is attached to the lower bowl (in fact, this is where the key is needed). It is designed to place the top bowl of the grill there. It’s also very convenient to hang a towel on.
Next, a bowl is attached to the bottom, where the ash accumulates. A very convenient thing. In one movement, simply squeezing the handle of the bowl with your hand, it is disconnected from the grill, the ash is thrown out and - everything is clean. Everything is fast and simple. And pay attention to the upper device for adjusting the air flow. The analogue is probably the pipes in a Russian stove. It is very convenient to regulate the temperature in the grill using it and the device in the lower bowl.
The grill set includes two special baskets for coals. They are designed for cooking food using the “indirect heat” method. Coal is poured into these baskets and they are placed along the edges. The meat (for example) is placed on the grate between them, the grill is covered with a lid, and the heat from the coals does not directly hit the meat from below, but circulates inside the grill. A sort of convection oven effect. When cooking using the "direct" heat method, the coals lie directly under the food being cooked. This is how steaks are often prepared. There is also a foil tray in the photo. He was also in the set. I placed it between baskets of coal and filled it with water. Remember, I'll be cooking ribs. The water will keep the grill from getting too hot as I only want the temperature to be 120-150 degrees. And at the same time, fat dripping from the ribs will fall into the pan. I have less to clean afterwards.
Now it's up to the top grille. See that removable center? It is designed specifically for installing additional accessories. And the small opening parts of the grate are very convenient for replenishing the baskets with coal without removing the grate along with the food.
Here's a beautiful cast iron steak grate. But I'll try it next time. Of course, I’ll write a report.
By the way, I’m still thinking about buying a wok, but that’s for the future. In general, he is not the only one listed in GBS accessories. There is room for experimentation!
The top cover is very easy to assemble. Simply use the included special key to screw on the handle with the heat reflector.
A thermometer is also screwed into the lid. Very important thing! Different foods need to be cooked at different temperatures. And without a thermometer it is impossible to do this. Therefore, if you want really tasty meat and tender fish, then take a grill with a thermometer. It won't be easy to cook without it.
And now my handsome man is almost ready! We put the cover in place.
And the final touch: installing the handle. It has a couple of very convenient hooks on which you can hang a spatula, fork or something else.
And if you don’t have enough space, you can always put something on this “bottom shelf.”
Now you can start cooking! Let's start by lighting the coals. I filled the starter with one cup of charcoal (measuring cup included) and placed it on the bottom rack of the grill. He placed a tablet of dry fuel under it and set it on fire. Literally within 15-20 minutes the coals were ready.
I don’t know who came up with this device, but it works great!
And very conveniently, if you need to add charcoal to the grill, it can be cooked quickly in this starter.
I covered everything with the top grill and placed the ribs in the middle of it.
Cover the grill with a lid and adjust the air flow so that the temperature in the grill does not exceed 150 degrees. And left it for 2 hours. During these two hours, I constantly ran to the grill and checked the temperature, remembering my previous experience. But everything was fine. The temperature dropped from 150 to 110-120 degrees within 2 hours. But I didn’t need any more.
After two hours, I took the ribs out, brushed them with the marinade again (I left some of it on) and wrapped them in foil. Returned the ribs to the grill and left them for another 2-3 hours. I did not add coal all this time. I slightly opened the lower holes for air flow, thereby slightly increasing the temperature if it dropped.
And here is the result! It was difficult to take pictures, I wanted to eat it quickly.
And bon appetit and successful experiments. Mine was a success. I will continue.
P.S. I mentioned above that the grill is beautiful and covered with enamel. I realized its practicality the next day when I was cleaning the grill. Everything was easy to clean. What is not less important. Since the grill is usually cleaned by the one who cooks on it! This is the truth of life. But with Weber it is easier and more beautiful.