Good morning all... I am somewhat new to grilling with charcoal... is there any difference in where you purchase your meat from? Such as Walmart vs. Win Dixie vs. A butcher vs. A company like Omaha Steaks? Just curious because I have a Walmart, Win Dixie, and a local meat market(butcher) in my town... the reason I am asking is because I plan on using my grill quite often and i plan on cooking once a week to make enough for my work week which are 12 hour shifts with a 60 hour week the first week and a 24 hour week the next and then com for family on my days off... also, what are the leanest cuts as I am big into weightlifting and looking for Max protein with the least amount of fat, saturated fat, etc... I know that marbling is the more marbling, the more tender the meat will be. Thanks for any insight guys!
Grilling meats... how and where to choose?
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LarryWolfe
Chef Extraordinaire
VERY GOOD QUESTION! Where you buy your meat does not matter. However, what is in your meat does. 'Most' places beef is almost always safe to grill and is all natural. BUT, the one place I saw enhance beef once was indeed WalMart. In my opinion, if you're 'grilling' beef, go for choice vs. select. If you are smoking/BBQ'ing, then it doesn't matter. Again this is my opinion, I've had equal or better Select Briskets I have purchase from WalMart than I have from more expensive choice briskets.
Pork, you really need to read the labels on pork. Self Basting, Naturally Juicy and Solition Added are usually bad signs and your pork will taste spongy and salty whether you grill or BBQ. With this said, read the amount of sodium in the cuts. Recently I have had good luck with Smithfield 'Self Basting' Ribs, but the sodium content was only 170mg and they came out like fresh ribs.
Chicken is the same way as pork.
Places like BJ's and Costco you are safe, just pick up your meat and go, no reading necessary.
If you can find a local butcher, that's the route to go. I have recently solely used my local butcher and it makes a WORLD of difference. Little extra cost, but it's worth it.
Pork, you really need to read the labels on pork. Self Basting, Naturally Juicy and Solition Added are usually bad signs and your pork will taste spongy and salty whether you grill or BBQ. With this said, read the amount of sodium in the cuts. Recently I have had good luck with Smithfield 'Self Basting' Ribs, but the sodium content was only 170mg and they came out like fresh ribs.
Chicken is the same way as pork.
Places like BJ's and Costco you are safe, just pick up your meat and go, no reading necessary.
If you can find a local butcher, that's the route to go. I have recently solely used my local butcher and it makes a WORLD of difference. Little extra cost, but it's worth it.
Bob In Fla.
Head Chef
Just to add to what Larry said, people always ask
"if you are going to brine, why not buy already brined meats?"
Simple answer...I really don't like paying meat prices for salt and water. Expanded answer, you know exactly what is in the meat when you brine, marinate or inject the meat yourself. It's not some mystery solution that's added (at meat prices!) to extend the shelf-life (refrigerator-life?) of the meat.
BOB
"if you are going to brine, why not buy already brined meats?"
Simple answer...I really don't like paying meat prices for salt and water. Expanded answer, you know exactly what is in the meat when you brine, marinate or inject the meat yourself. It's not some mystery solution that's added (at meat prices!) to extend the shelf-life (refrigerator-life?) of the meat.
BOB
bbquzz
Master Chef
If you have a good local butcher shop and they can provide you what you want at a reasonable price use them! I'm of the opinion I would rather "enhance" whatever I'm grilling or smoking myself rather than some huge packing house doing it.
Good evening all... I cooked my first meal on charcoal last night... cooked cheeseburgers, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes... on a 1-10, the food came in at around 8.5, but my technique was far worse... I started off with charcoal wood chips that were natural wood, I grouped in a pyramid as directed, lit, let burn for 10 mins and then speed even, wait 5 mins, then cook... I hadbrushed on a coat of vegetable oil and was going to let it season for an hour before I cooked with it because it was a new grill... after about 30 mins, I noticed that the paint on the bottom was bubbling up, so I looked under the grate and sure enough, quite a few of the wood pieces fell through, were sitting on the bare metal and cooked, the paint off underneath... so i pulled all the briquets out, let it sit for an hour, cleaned out the inside, wirebrushed the areas where the paint came off, and i applied 3 coats of Valspar BBQ paint rated for 1200 degrees... I then put the grill back together, used Kingsford regular charcoal briquets, started the fire per label directions, and then started cooking... I put 6 burgers on, and i guess I got the wrong grill cut cuz then the grease fell down on the bottom of the grill and i had a small grease fire which then cooked the freshly painted bottom back off... so I finished the meal, cleaned the grill, and sanded the old and new paint back off and I'm going to get a can of VHT satin black header pa it which is rated for 2000 degrees... the meat I used was a 73/27 blend... it seemed like there was an excessive amount of grease... what is the best blend for grilling to reduce grease? Also, where are some good articles/books that I can read to learn about proper charcoal grilling techniques? Thanks!
LarryWolfe
Chef Extraordinaire
I'm curious, what grill did you use. I know it was not a Weber.......
Nick Prochilo
Chef Extraordinaire
Like Larry said, it ain't a Weber!
Sent using smoke signals because I'm a cheap bastard!
Sent using smoke signals because I'm a cheap bastard!
Griff
Master Chef
I have recently decided that Costco has the best beef in town. Smokin, you do have some nice cars.
It was a Charbroil American Gourmet Deluxe Model 12201776... it seems like a quality piece for the price paid... its got a firebox and it has plenty of room... I figured I'll start off with something in the middle, not something El cheapo, but not ultra expensive either as I am a beginner and want to make my mistakes on something that's not expensive, then when i fel like i got good technique, I will upgrade to a better grill or build my own... what are some good articles/reads for the charcoal beginner?
Captain Morgan
Chef Extraordinaire
Smokin, it's probably a good idea to do a good hot burn on those
kind of grills (i.e.: not Weber) before you cook on them. Not knowing how
they are produced, it burns off anything that you may not want in the smoke
going around your food.
kind of grills (i.e.: not Weber) before you cook on them. Not knowing how
they are produced, it burns off anything that you may not want in the smoke
going around your food.
LarryWolfe
Chef Extraordinaire
Smokin said:
Browse through your local Craigslist for a used Weber if you don't want to pay full price for a new Weber. I found an unsed One Touch Gold for $35. Your grill will get the job done, but I highly recommend doing what Captain Morgan suggested with the hot burn.
No certain articles come to mind off the bat that will help with grilling. But I will give you my .02. Make a 3 zone fire. Hot, medium and warm areas. Make a pile of charcoal on one side of the grill, that will be the hot side, the middle will be your medium heat and the opposite side will be your warm. Light a small area of this charcoal, (they do not all have to be burning or gray/ashy), let the coals slowly begin to burn until your fire is hot to your specifications. Contrary to popular opinions, a super hot fire is not necessary to cook or sear anything. 350º is as hot as you need to get, period.
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