Smokers Grills

It is a rainy day today with no chance of barbecueing, so I decided to make a pot of slow cooker chili.  This recipe is my favorite:

Ingredients:

• 6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 - 2 lbs stew meat cubes (or better cut if desired)
• 2 cans (15 oz) kidney beans, drained
• 1 can (15oz) black beans, drained
• 1 can (8 oz) hot tomato sauce
• 2 cans (28 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leafs
• 3 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper

Brown the beef cubes in a pan about five minutes.  Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook for about 8 - 10 hours.  The beef should be really tender.  Stir occasionally.  Serve with a sprinkle of cheedar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  Yummy!

Technorati Tags: chili, Recipes

When I was in Girl Scouts many years ago, we made our own fire starters.  These things worked great for starting cooking fires and they also work great for grilling.

Materials Needed:

• Paraffin Wax
• Paper Egg Carton (not the plastic/styrofoam ones)

Instructions:

• Cut off the lid of the egg carton and tear into tiny pieces (or you can add sawdust or wood shavings as a filler as well)
• Put the pieces into the cups of the egg carton
• Melt the wax and pour into the egg cups
• Let dry completely
• Cut into individual cups

Pile your charcoal on top of one or two of these fire starters so that you still have access to light them.  Light the corners of the cups to start the fire.

Technorati Tags: Barbeque Cooking, Charcoal Grills

I made Island Barbecue Pork for my family for dinner a couple nights ago and they loved it!  It was very easy to make and took very little marinating time.  Pork tenderloin is actually the leanest meat after chicken!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin
• 18 oz bottle of barbecue sauce
• 1 Tbsp. rum extract
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. hot pepper sauce (optional - I did not use this)

Directions

• In a plastic ziploc bag, combine the last four ingredients.  Add the pork tenderloin, seal and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove the pork from the bag and put the remaining sauce in a saucepan and boil.
• Grill the pork over indirect heat (unlit portion of grill, or move some of the coals out of the way) for 15 to 20 minutes.  Turn and baste occasionally.
• Let pork rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Technorati Tags: Barbeque Recipe

Did you know that there is a difference between BBQ and grilling? I didn’t until I read BBQ or Grilling? The Difference Revealed! by TheNHBushman. The following is a short summary of the differences, but you will really need to read his entire article for all the facts.

Grilling

When you grill, cooking times are short and the cooking happens fast. The grill is preheated, clean and lubricated. This is what most of us do every Saturday evening in the summers.

BBQ

Barbecuing temperatures are lower and cooking times are much longer (usually several hours). You often cook with wood or charcoal and the fuel usually needs to be replenished sometime during the cooking. This requires indirect heat and you might have a smoker grill that has a fire box on the side to accomplish this.

I guess I haven’t really barbequed anything yet and I would like to give it a try! The food must be pretty tasty after being cooked for hours.

Technorati Tags: Barbeque Cooking, Charcoal Grills, Smokers Grills

I love the taste of chicken and pineapple together! An easy grilled dinner idea is chicken and pineapple kabobs. I usually buy a bag of frozen chicken tenderloins at Costco since they are easy to defrost and then cut into pieces.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 8-10 chicken tenderloins cut into 2 inch pieces (or you can use about 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves cut into pieces)
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
• skewers (if you are using wooden skewers make sure that you soak them in water first for about 20 minutes to avoid getting splinters in your food and having them burn on the grill)

Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Put the chicken pieces and pineapple in the dish and stir until coated. Cover the dish and let marinade in the refrigerator for one to two hours.

Lightly oil your grill grate. Alternate your chicken and pineapple on the skewers. Grill the kabobs for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

If you want to spice up your kabobs, add cut up red or yellow peppers (or both).

Technorati Tags: Barbeque Cooking, Barbeque Recipe

If you love that charcoal flavor, you probably want to buy smokers grills that utilize charcoal but is easy to use and well-made too.  I have two favorite grills that I like that give that great smoky flavor and are great for barbeque!

Char-Griller 1224 Smokin Pro 830 Square Inch Charcoal Grill

The Char-Griller 1224 Smokin Pro is a great grill that offers up to 830 square inches of griling space.  This grill has a traditional barrel design and utilizes heat convention and circulation to cook your food.  There is a main grill with 580 square inches of cooking space and a side firebox with 250 square inches of cooking space.  The side firebox is ideal for additional barbeque or for vegetables or side dishes.  This grill is made from heavy-gauge steel and has a powder-coat finish.  There is also a double bottom for durability and nonstick grill grates.  You can alter the height of the grill grates as well.  Included with the grill are slide-out drawers so that additional coal can be added as needed without any hassle.

The hood of the grill has a heat gauge and there is a rack below the grill for storage.  There are several accessories that go with this grill that can be purchased separately.  There is some assembly required and it comes with a one year warranty.

Weber 2005 Model 841001 22 1/2-Inch Performer Charcoal Grill With Touch and Go Propane Ignition

Another one of my favorite smokers grills is the Weber 2005 Model 841001.  Weber has always made excellent grills and this is no exception.   This grill comes in three different colors: black, green and dark blue.  The best part of this grill is the Touch-n-Go ignition system.  This system uses liquid propane to light the charcoal with a touch of the button.

The Weber Performer is durably constructed and the bowl and lid are rust-resistant porcelain-enameled steel.  Included is a thermometer to monitor cooking temperature and a storage container that can hold 20 pounds of charcoal (and keep it dry).  The attached work surface is very convenient for placing all your tools, marinades and sauces.  Cleaning up is easy since the grill comes with a One-Touch cleaning system - move a level and the ashes fall into a included ash pan for easy disposal.  The Weber Performer has a 22 1/2 inch cooking surface and comes  with a 10-year warranty for the bowl, handles, lid and One-Touch cleaning system, a 1-year warranty for the cooking grate and charcoal baskets and a 3-year warranty for the burner assembly, hose test valve and regulator.  These grills are made in the USA!

Technorati Tags: Charcoal Grills, Smokers Grills

If it’s time to replace the old grill, carefully consider grill options. If you like the taste of smoky food and enjoy the scent of flavored charcoals, a charcoal grill is what you want.   Charcoal grills provide that smoky, outdoor taste that true barbequers crave.  Gas grills may have quick heat, but they can’t replicate the flavor or the radiant heat of hot coals.   Hot coals can also obtain higher temperatures than a gas grill.  While you might not need this high heat, it is great for searing.  Charcoal is also good for a slow grilling approach as well.

Charcoal grills cost less than gas grills as well when looking at a grill of comparable size and quality.  Of course, charcoal grills do require an investment in time - at least 20 minutes to heat up the coals.

Smokers grills food with a nice smoky flavor, you can add hickory, alder, BBQ or other varieties of wood chips to get the smoky taste that you want.