bretrooks
Posts: 2871
Joined: 9/27/2009 From: San Luis Obispo, CA Status: offline
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The weather is pretty good here year-round, and I tend to grill once or twice a week through about 2/3 of the year (from March through October or so). I love grilling (mostly on weekends), but I also enjoy braising and other sorts of cooking too, so when the weather cools off I tend to shift over to other things. We've gone through a few less-expensive grills over the last 15-20 years, but earlier this summer we bit the bullet and picked up a three-burner Weber Genesis, and it's been great. I've grilled a little over charcoal too and can get ok results out of a Weber kettle, but it is more time and effort, and I've learned to love the control you have with gas. For beef (tri-tip, sirloin caps, sometimes steaks) and pork (mostly thick chops), I do a lot of two-zone cooking - I put wood chips in a smoker box on right side with only the right burner going, set meat on the left side to pick up indirect heat and smoke, leave it for 20-30 minutes, open the top and crank heat on the right side, and then sear. Chicken is more straightforward - usually just seasoned thighs over medium heat. Fish typically gets set on a grill mat (or occasionally a cedar plank) over moderate and/or indirect heat. Asparagus gets grilled regularly when it's available. I like to roll my own seasoning blends, although less so for fish than anything else. That's the large majority of it, but now and then burgers, shrimp, sausages, garlic bread, corn on the cob, and other things do make their way out there as well. I'd like to do more low-and-slow pork shoulders and such, but again...time.
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WSET L3 in Wines My Cellar
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