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Emperor1956 -> RE: Playing with fire (3/13/2007 4:01:40 PM)
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There are so many things that you can do right, but most people do 'em wrong. I'm gonna assume you know how to pick quality meat, have it prepared for grilling, have the grill seasoned and clean. I could spend hours talking about meat...but that will have to wait.
Ok, what are you using to fire that baby? PLEASE...No Kingford. That stuff is petroleum by-product. YUCK. You need to grab some wood, dude. Wood. Wood Wood WOOD. Get WOOD.
You need a source of clean wood chips of various varieties. For everyday flavor I use hickory and/or apple. Mesquite gives a great flavor, but some folks don't like it and its pretty over-used. Also here in the great midwest, it has to be imported and its expensive.
For fish, NOTHING beats Alder. Get some fresh lake trout (catch 'em yourself if you are blessed), and cold smoke 'em with alder...The flesh turns a delicate translucent pink, and they melt in your mouth with an essence of fish, smoke, cold water and heaven.
Some folks swear by cherry and oak...two very different flavors. I like cherry, but again, its expensive, and I think you get most of the same flavor with apple. Oak can be incredible, but like mesquite it can overflavor the meat.
I've heard lemon and olive both are exotic and wonderful...never tried 'em. Pine is just resiny and funky...too much oily flavor for a good piece of meat.
I get my Apple, Cherry, Alder (YUM) and Hickory cheap and local (well, Wisconsin is fairly local). If you are gonna invest in an expensive, unusual wood, get some pecan chips (sweet, rich smoke and flavor). In vogue right now are "cured" woods -- my favorite being old bourbon barrels. BUT BEWARE, any alcohol barrel that was sulfur cured (usually wine barrels) can impart an awful, funky smell and taste.
A secret: If you are doing pork (especially chops or loin), throw a few clean, dry corncobs into the smoker. MMMMMMMM. This is an old Iowa grilling trick: Fresh "Iowa chops" (about 1" thick, a pound each), a clean 55 Gal drum with the wood and cobs at the bottom and an iron grate on top...set fire to the stuff on the bottom (NO, never use lighter fluid or newspaper...UGH. If you can't build a fire with clean scrap tinder, get outta the grill, man! Or get a handy submissive to do it.) Then let the grill get hot enough to sear the meat, and put em on....8-10 minutes a side (I like my Iowa chops pinkish) and serve em right off the drum. You'll finally know why God put pigs, wood and fire on this earth.
Damn. I gotta fire up the Weber this weekend. Good barbeque is a religion to me. Its not like going to church....its better. I don't go to church. I grill.
E.
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