Cooking Outdoors Grilling, Camp and Dutch oven Cooking! » 2009

Grill Daddy Pro product review

Grill Daddy Pro, my new weapon of choice when confronting grill build-up! What is grill build-up? It’s the cooking junk/gunk that is left on your grill from your last grilling session. At cooking-Outdoors.com we get lots of build-up and that equals lots of cleaning. Imagine my surprise when Grill Daddy contacted me to try out their “Grill Daddy” grill brush, the email said steam cleaning! Never heard of such a thing, brass Grill brush away! (as in Superman) has always been our motto around here. So I of course agreed to do a product review, never telling them what I had in mind (Insert evil grin) as I awaited its arrival.

3651770903 906068a2b7 Grill Daddy Pro product review

Now when I think of a grill brush, I think long handle maybe some brass bristle and a scraper on the end, nothing fancy. When I opened the package from Grill Daddy I was stunned! It looked like something from NASA, a two handle space tool that knows no fear, this thing is impressive! Very sleek designs, a forward knob for two-handed use, stainless steel brush and scraper that is completely replaceable!

(Insert evil grin here) Now let’s see how this grill brush works. You can see by the picture that I had a very dirty grill to clean; in fact it had been sitting there for eight months like this! I knew going in that the grill would be dirty (I had peaked before) but this was extreme.

45 people were waiting for me to cook Chicken and Tri-tip and I had to clean it up fast; normally I would have removed the grills and scrubbed but there was no time for that. So, I preheated the grill and the smoke coming out was nasty but the grill needs to be hot before you use the Grill Daddy GD12952S Grill Daddy Pro Grill Brush. On the end of the handle there is a cap, removing the cap I filled the whole handle up with water.

Grill’s hot, let’s start cleaning! I wasn’t sure the Grill Daddy GD12952S Grill Daddy Pro Grill Brush could clean this and I really did set it up to fail, boy was I wrong! Wow, this just dug thru the grime/crud/junk petrified BBQ sauce and who knows what. Just by turning on the water release valve located on the top of the handle, I now had a steam cleaning machine. The water hit the grill grates and just steamed the grime/crud/junk petrified BBQ sauce and who knows what else into soft goo that the stainless steel brushes just scrubbed off. I and everyone else assembled to watch were very impressed.

Guess what, I did this twice! After I cooked 20lbs of chicken and 15lbs of Tri-tip steaks the grill grates were filthy again. Never slowed the cleaning ability of the Grill Daddy GD12952S Grill Daddy Pro Grill Brush down; really, this grill was caked with grime/crud/junk from the Chicken and Tri-Tip. Took all of three minutes to clean and restore to cooking condition. These were porcelain grill grates and I can imagine how much better it would work on Stainless steel grates.

Conclusion:
The Stainless steel brushes are replaceable (thinking about how many grill brushes I have tossed into the garbage) making this a long term asset to my grilling arsenal. My new weapon of choice! I couldn’t be more impressed with this.

Order your own Grill Daddy Pro now!

Grill Daddy GD12952S Grill Daddy Pro Grill Brush

Gary

The “Outdoor Cook”

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“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

6 Myths About Grilling Steaks

From the “Barbecue Bible” websites June 8, 2009 newsletter ”Up in Smoke”:

THE SIX MYTHS ABOUT GRILLING STEAK

There are a number of myths concerning how to cook a great steak, T-bones included. So let’s separate fact from fiction.

Myth number 1: Let the steak warm to room temperature before grilling.

Bad idea. Meat at room temperature is a formula for microbial disaster. Steakhouse pros keep their meats ice-cold and bacteria-free until the moment of grilling.

Myth number 2: Salt toughens steak, so don’t salt before grilling.

On the contrary, a generous dusting of salt (kosher or coarse sea salt) and cracked black peppercorns right before grilling gives you the rich flavor and savory crust characteristic of a great steakhouse steak. So, season the steak right before it goes on the grill. Do not, however, season a steak hours ahead, or the salt will draw out the juices and make the steak dry.

Myth number 3: A barbecue fork is the proper tool for turning a steak.

Wrong. The only purpose served by puncturing a steak with a fork is to drain out the flavorful juices. Always use tongs when turning a steak.

Myth number 4: Turn the steaks often.

False. Most of the world’s meat masters turn the steaks only once. Why? This helps achieve a better crust.

Myth number 5: The best way to check for doneness is to cut into the steak with a knife.

False. Again, the last thing you want to do is cut or puncture the meat. For the same reason, don’t buy Dad one of those temperature-reading barbecue forks for Father’s Day. The best way to check for doneness is to use the poke test: Press the thickest part of the steak with your finger. When the meat is rare, it will feel soft and squishy. When medium-rare, the meat will feel semi-soft and yielding. When medium, the meat will yield just a little, while when well-done, the meat will feel hard and springy. Not that we advocate serving a T-bone (or any steak) well done.

For really thick steaks, use an instant-read meat thermometer. Insert it through the side of the steak to get an accurate reading. Here are the temperatures that define varying degrees of doneness:

Rare: 125 degrees F
Medium-rare: 145 degrees F
Medium: 160 degrees F
Well-done: 180 degrees F

Myth number 6: Steak tastes best sizzling hot off the grill.

False: A steak hot off the grill will be dry and leathery. You should let all grilled steaks (all meats, actually) “rest” for a couple of minutes on a hot platter. This allows the meat to “relax,” redistributing the juices. The result: a more tender, succulent steak.

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Grilled mini Frittata brunch.

Have a big day of smoking ahead of you? 14 – 16 hrs for your brisket? Having a special day for the family? You can have it all with some very simple preparation and grilling execution. I personally am one of those people who think breakfast is a 24/7 meal and I would be quite content if that was all I ever ate. Not that we are going to have that debate today and I would be willing to debate the merits of breakfast everyday all day anytime.

I enjoy a day of grilling and I enjoy mixing things up on the grill. Brunch is the perfect time to do so and Grilled Mini Frittata’s were the solution for this Sunday morning brunch. You don’t need anything special to make this and quite often I just throw stuff that sitting in the fridge together to make my Frittata’s. Whip it all together and bake it, it’s that simple!

Let’s take a look at what a Frittata is. According to a quick Google search we find the following explanations:

· Italian omelet with diced vegetables and meats; cooked until bottom is set then inverted into another pan to cook the top
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

· 3497370773 0fa2a8bd85 m Grilled mini Frittata brunch. A frittata is a type of Italian omelete that frequently features fillings such as meats, cheeses, and vegetables. …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frittata

· a form of omelette in which vegetables, cheese etc are mixed into the eggs and cooked together
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/frittata

· An Italian baked omelet.
www.italian-cooking-made-easy.com/cooking-terms.html

· An Italian dish made of eggs and other ingredients. Similar to an omelet, but the ingredients are combined with the eggs rather than folded into the center. Recipe: Frittata con gli Spinaci
southernfood.about.com/library/info/bld_f.htm

· A flat Italian style omelet that is baked and not folded.
cookingwithanne.com/terms.html

· An open-face omelet, made entirely on top of the stove, or started on top of the stove and completed in the oven; usually flavored with vegetables, herbs, meats or cheeses.
www.foodnetwork.com/regional-international/italian-cooking-glossary/index.html

Yep, just a fancy omelette cooked different ways with the end result being a baked egg dish. Easy …

Here’s what you need and how I created my Mini Frittata Brunch:

2 small Cast Iron dishes (I used Lodge 9 Ounce Oval Mini Server)

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 green onion sliced

4 mushrooms sliced

¼ red bell pepper diced

1 tsp capers (no juice)

¼ cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 tbls parmesan cheese

½ cup shredded hashbrowns (frozen)

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

Garlic salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

½ cup milk

Preparation

Scramble eggs and milk together in a bowl then add all the other ingredients (except the cheeses) together and mix. Take your Cast Iron pan (2) grease well and pour in mixture. Keep in fridge until barbecue is ready to go.

Cook with indirect heat for approximately 15 minutes at 350°

Side dishes, yes I had to have my bacon and toast with my meal, basic requirements as you know. Bacon is really easy on the grill, direct heat with any size Cast Iron skillet will get the job done. I have found through experimentation that a “ribbed” Cast Iron skillet works best. Keeps that burning grease away from the bacon! That is important because the bacon cooks really fast on the grill; you’re frying and baking at the same time. I know that sounds strange but you will know what I mean when you try it and watch out when you remove that skillet!! Hot!! A 350° skillet full of hot grease is worthy of respect, use thick leather glove to remove any Cast Iron from your grill.

Toast is the easy part, place your bread over direct heat and stay there and watch it. It will cook faster than your toaster will!

Now you have a great grilled breakfast that will have the uniqueness that only a barbecue grill can provide, a slight smoky grilled taste that can’t be duplicated in the kitchen. I hope you give this a try!

Lodge 9 Ounce Oval Mini Server