big green egg – Gas is For Work, Not My BGE

Salting Steaks

There are different recommendations on the technique of salting a steak before cooking. This review assumes one will only use salt and pepper as their seasoning for the steak. If one wishes to add other rubs, check the salt content and adjust the pre-cook salting amount to compensate for the additional salt in the rub. If just adding herbs or salt-free seasonings, the adjustment isn’t necessary.

Why salt?
The most obvious answer is for flavor and salting immediately prior to grilling will accomplish that easily. It is well known that brining meats (pork and chicken immediately come to mind) in a salty solution will increase the moisture in the final product. The same principle works with salting a steak. Research by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (author of “The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science Today”) in the blog “Serious Eats” shows that either immediate salting or salting, then resting for >40 min. are the best techniques (actually overnight, uncovered in the fridge was optimum). Reference: http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/03/the-food-lab-more-tips-for-perfect-steaks.html

Quoting from the blog:
“Here’s what’s going on.

Immediately after salting the salt rests on the surface of the meat, undissolved. All the steak’s juices are still inside the muscle fibers. Searing at this stage results in a clean, hard sear.
Within 3 or 4 minutes the salt, through the process of osmosis, will begin to draw out liquid from the beef. This liquid beads up on the surface of the meat. Try to sear at this point and you waste valuable heat energy simply evaporating this large amount of pooled liquid. Your pan temperature drops, your sear is not as hard, and crust development and flavor-building Maillard browning reactions are inhibited.
Starting at around 10 to 15 minutes, the brine formed by the salt dissolving in the meat’s juices will begin to break down the muscle structure of the beef, causing it to become much more absorptive. The brine begins to slowly work its way back into the meat.
By the end of 40 minutes, most of the liquid has been reabsorbed into the meat. A small degree of evaporation has also occurred, causing the meat to be ever so slightly more concentrated in flavor”.

My experiment: I started with a 1.25# choice ribeye. I heavily salted it with Kosher salt.

I then vacuum-sealed it and placed it in the fridge for 2 hours. When preparing for cooking, I submerged the bag in a sink of hot (110*) water for about 45 minutes (hot-tubbing). When I removed it for seasoning with Cluck & Squeal Beef Specific rub, I checked and found it had an internal temp of 92*. (Note: This is where I warned about too much salt – I learned from my mistake).

Large BGE at 300-325* dome, but my Grill Grates temped at 500* with an IR thermometer. I seared about 90 sec on each side, then using tongs and a mitt, I seared all the edges of the steak on the ridges of the Grill Grates.

I removed when the internal temperature was 125*, divided and served with sautéed spinach and mushrooms plus a green salad.

Results: Other than being slightly more salty than I prefer (not compensating for the salt in the rub), I could clearly taste a rich flavor deep inside the very juicy meat, not just on the surface. This will become my steak-cooking technique for the future.

Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

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Serves 2

Ingredients:
1.25# ribeye steak
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Steak rub (Optional)

Instructions:
(1) Heavily coat both sides of the steak with Kosher salt (reduce amount if planning to use a rub that contains salt).

(2) Place in refrigerator for a minimum of 40 minutes and up to overnight (it will not dry out if left uncovered). If plan to grill immediately after salting, also add freshly ground black pepper and/or any steak rub.

(3) Rest at room temperature for an hour or can hot-tub in a bag in hot water prior to grilling.

(4) Use your favorite steak grilling technique and cook to your preferred doneness. Enjoy a much juicier, flavorful steak!

Sous Vide Burgers

I had read about the advantages of cooking burgers using the sous vide technique and have been looking for an opportunity to try it. Recently we had some of the kids & grandsons over for some fishing and dinner, so I decided it would be an excellent chance!

Why sous vide?
It’s so easy to just throw some burgers on the grill, give them a couple of flips and serve them up! Well, how many times have you undercooked or worse, overcooked them ending up with dry, chewy or crumbly burgers? The grill temp can vary from one cook to the next and certainly from one area of the grill surface to another, giving inconsistent results. How about juicy, perfectly cooked burgers with pink insides? Yes, pink ‘store-bought’ hamburger meat, but safe from any bacterial contamination. Sous vide is the route to these results.

How Sous Vide works:
(1) Sous vide (French for under vacuum) is a method of cooking protein or vegetables in vacuum-sealed bags in a temperature-controlled water bath. This method is used in many high-end steak restaurants for rapid cooking of perfectly cooked steaks – remove it from the water bath (maybe 125-130*), sear it briefly on the grill and serve it to the customer.

(2) Restaurant quality sous vide machines can be purchased for home use (though they are expensive and take up a good bit of counter space). There are a few smaller precision immersion sous vide products on the market that are more convenient and less costly. I have the original Anova model (they now make Bluetooth and WiFi-compatible versions). Sansaire makes a similar product and there is a WiFi-only product called Joule. These all clamp to the side of a large pot or plastic tub and work on the principle of an immersion heater with tightly-controlled temperature and a fan to circulate the water, ensuring even temperature throughout the water bath.

(3) Food safety: Pasteurization of meat (reduction of the harmful bacteria in the meat) is based on a combination of internal temperature PLUS the length of time it is maintained at that temperature. For example, from FDA pasteurization charts hamburger meat is safe if cooked at 135* for 27.33 min., while it only takes 5.19 sec. at 160* internal temp. The beauty of sous vide is the ability to maintain an accurate water bath temperature for extended period of time, thus allowing one to pasteurize meat at a lower temperature, which when combined with a finishing sear, produces juicy, tender results that would be difficult to obtain otherwise.

Sous Vide Burgers:
For the burgers, I purchased a 4# pack of ground chuck (80/20) from Sam’s Club. I formed the meat into eight 8 oz. balls, then shaped these into seven, thick 4” wide patties & two 4 oz. child patties. I pressed a dimple in the middle of each patty to help them keep their shape while on the grill, then generously seasoned them with Cluck & Squeal Beef Specific rub. I carefully placed four patties each into gallon freezer ziplock bags, compressed the air out by immersing in a sink full of water, and placed them in the sous vide water bath which was at 133*. I placed serving spoons between the bags to keep them weighted and separated for better water circulation.

After 60-70 minutes I removed the bags and let them cool to room temperature (to help maintain their shape when grilling) while preparing the grill. In the following picture, they are patiently waiting for the grill:

I prepared my large Big Green Egg (BGE) for a direct cook at 350-400* with the grid at the fire ring level and Grill Grates on the grid. At a dome temp of 400*, the Grill Grates measured 500* on an infared (IR) thermometer. I seared the burgers for about 90 sec. on one side, flipped and seared another 90 sec. on the other side.

Love my Grill Grates!

I then flipped once more and added bleu cheese. At this point I closed the bottom vent and let the ambient heat soften the cheese.

After a minute or so, I topped them with previously sautéed mushrooms, allowing them to warm for another 30-45 sec., then removed from the grill.

(I apologize for forgetting to take a picture of a cut burger, because the inside was juicy and pink throughout)!

Guests made burgers or ate like hamburger steaks. I heard a comment: “This is the best burger ever“!

Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

**********

Serves 8

Ingredients:
4 lbs ground chuck
Favorite hamburger seasoning
Fresh bleu cheese (or other cheese)
Optional – sautéed mushrooms, peppers, etc.

Instructions:
(1) Prepare the sous vide water bath per the instructions with the sous vide immersion heater and set the temperature for 133*F.
(2) Form meat into 8 oz. balls, then shape into 1″ thick patties and make dimples in the center of one side. Season well on both sides.
(3) Carefully place the patties in gallon ziplock bags (4 per bag) and immerse in water, squeezing the air out before sealing. Place the bags in the sous vide water bath, separating them with a utensil, if needed to allow for good water flow around the bags. Set the timer for 60 minutes or up to 90 minutes.
(4) When the meat is done, remove the bags from the water bath and rest on the counter to let them approach room temperature while you are preparing the grill.
(5) Prepare the BGE (or other grill) for a direct cook at 400* or so. Grill the burgers for 45-90 sec. on each side, then make one last flip before adding the cheese. Close down the vents to let the ambient heat soften the cheese, then add any mushrooms, onions, peppers, etc. on top.
(6) Remove from the grill and serve immediately (a rest is not necessary when using the sous vide method).

Grilled Fig Appetizer

With a loaded fig tree producing awesome treats every day, Jana decided to make a fig appetizer for a friend’s birthday dinner. Utilizing a Goggle search, she found a great recipe for grilled figs stuffed with bleu cheese and wrapped in prosciutto.

She did the prep work and I grilled them on the large Big Green Egg. They were a hit, so I decided to add this to my Blog for anyone looking for a great summertime appetizer. (They could also be stuffed with goat, feta, or mascarpone cheese).

She took clean fresh figs and made 2 cuts into them from the stem end – deep enough to just open them up slightly; then stuffed a small piece of bleu cheese into each opening.

She wrapped each stuffed fig with a strip of prosciutto, folding the excess over the top to help seal in the cheese.

These can be made the day before, covered and kept in the refrigerator for grilling the next day.

I prepared my large BGE for an indirect cook (platesetter, legs up) at 350-400*. After the figs had been on for few minutes, I decided they would cook a little better over the direct heat, so I moved them over the edges of the platesetter, exposing them to the direct heat, and carefully turning them every few minutes until the prosciutto was evenly seared and the figs softened. (Next time I would cook over direct heat, but maybe at 250-300*). These can also be cooked on a parchment paper-lined baking pan under a broiler instead of the grill.

Once done, they were placed on a serving platter and each fig drizzled with a little honey. It was finished with several twists of fresh-ground black pepper over the whole batch. They can be served warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

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Makes 30 appetizers

Ingredients:
Fresh figs (30)
Fresh bleu cheese (or goat, feta or mascarpone cheese)
Prosciutto (cut lengthwise into strips)
Honey
Ground black pepper

Instructions:
(1) Wash and dry the figs, then make 2 slices (an “X”) through the stem end of each fig, just deep enough for the cheese.
(2) Place a small piece of cheese into each fig.
(3) Wrap the strip of prosciutto around each fig, pulling it closed, then using any excess to cover the cut end of the fig.
(4) Grill (or cook in broiler) over direct heat (250-300*), turning frequently until the prosciutto is seared, the fig has softened and the cheese begins to melt – about 6-8 minutes.
(5) Place on serving dish, then drizzle each fig with honey followed by fresh ground black pepper.
(6) Serve warm or at room temperature.

Smoked/Grilled Chicken Thighs

Tonight we had some large skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs that needed cooking. Naturally, the BGE gets the call! I wanted a decent smoke flavor and a seasoning with some depth.

I lightly coated them with some olive oil, then seasoned both sides with Mike’s All Purpose Seasoning (Spicy Recipe). I purchased this a while back from a vendor at the Livingston Farmers’ Market, yet I had only used it a time or two. (Website for Mike’s – http://www.mikesseaonings.com ).

Egg set-up: In the past I have used both indirect & direct cooks for chicken. The indirect cook allows using a high temp, but it is difficult to get a crispy skin (elevated, indirect helps). With a hot, direct cook, one gets crispy skin, but at the risk of flare-ups that often give black, charred skin instead. The set-up from my pork chop cook yesterday gave me an idea for a new technique. Two Grill Grate panels were resting on the lower level of my Adjustable Rig (AR), about 4-5 inches below the top of the AR, on which the BGE grid was positioned. I thought this would give a pseudo, or false indirect cook since the Grill Grates would block most of the direct heat from the lump (they have multiple holes in them to let drippings fall through without flaring up), but they would emit considerable heat for cooking the thighs from underneath.

Adjustable Rig with Grill Grates on the lowest level and the BGE grid on top . (Buy Grill Grates on Amazon – Grill Grates ).

On the way home from work I heard an ad for a great BBQ restaurant saying they cook with a combination of hickory and pecan. I thought – why not? After I got a clean, 350* fire burning, I added 2 small chunks of hickory and 2 handfuls of pecan chips (all dry). After the heavy white, acrid smoke burned off, I placed the thighs, skin up, on the grid. I was amazed at the great color on them with the first check, when I was inserting a Maverick E-732 wireless, continuous-read thermometer. (Buy at Amazon – Maverick E-732 ).

When the internal temp reached about 145-150*, I removed the thighs and the grid. I then seared them on the Grill Grates for 2 minutes on each side. Final temp was 165-180*, depending on the size of the thigh.

They were juicy, had a great smoke flavor, and the Mike’s Seasoning really worked well. It met Jana’s approval and was served with black rice, pan-roasted broccoli florets, a salad and Asian dipping sauce.

Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

**********

Ingredients:
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Olive Oil
Favorite rub or herbal seasoning

Instructions:
(1) Lightly coat both sides of the thighs with olive oil, then generously apply the rub or seasoning of choice.
(2) Prepare a fire at 350-400* and add hickory and pecan chunks or chips. When heavy white smoke clears one can begin the cook.
(3) Indirect technique – works better if one can create an elevated cooking surface, as the heat coming from the ceramic dome will help cook the chicken faster and crisp up the skin. With indirect, I will sometimes get the dome temp closer to 500*.
(4) Direct technique – build a smaller fire (less lump) and try to elevate the grid as far from the lump as possible. This will allow a hotter fire (400-500*), but less flare-ups since the distance to the lump is increased. Turn thighs frequently to prevent excessive charring of the skin.
(5) Combo technique – begin cook indirect and then use a direct sear when the internal temp reaches about 150*.

Brined pork chops

Jana purchased some boneless, center-cut pork chops from Sam’s Club, so tonight I decided to grill them using a flavor brine. My simplistic explanation: The salt in a brine is more concentrated than the salt in the meat so initially water flows out of the meat into the brine solution to attempt to balance the salt concentrations. After 30 minutes or so, this process reverses itself, with the water and salt going back into the meat. The salt breaks protein bonds in the meat, capturing water molecules within the proteins and increasing the moisture content of the meat. Any flavors added to the brine will enter the meat along with the salt, infusing flavor into the depths of the meat.

I made a 5% brine solution plus I added 1 tablespoon of Cluck and Squeal’s All Purpose Rub as the flavor. I kept the pork chops in the brine in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, before removing and briefly rinsing under running water to remove any excess salt. I dried them, added a light coating olive oil on all sides and dusted liberally with the same rub that was in the brine solution.

I wanted a smoky, slow initial cook, with a quick finishing sear at the end. I got a good fire going in my large BGE with a platesetter in place and a foil drip pan on it. I added a couple of handfuls of dry cherry chips and smoked the chops until their internal temp was about 118-120*.

I removed chops and the platesetter, added 2 panels of my Grill Grates and got the dome temp up to 400*. I then seared the chops about 90 sec. on each side, then I held them with tongs while I seared the fat along the edges.

They were very juicy and one could taste the flavor throughout the whole chop. Delicious!!

Here are colorful pictures of Jana’s mixed, oven-roasted veggies, including our garden squash, and her tasty sautéed Asian green beans.

A little black rice finished off the meal!

Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

**********

Ingredients:
2 center-cut, boneless pork chops (a least an inch thick)
50 gm Morton Kosher salt
1 T Favorite rub
800 ml water
Olive oil

Instructions:
(1) Make a 5% (6% if using non-metric measures) brine solution. Add 50 gm Morton Kosher salt and 1 tablespoon of rub to 800 ml water. Mix with a whisp until all the salt is dissolved, then add ice until the volume equals 1 liter. Pour this into a ziplock bag with the pork chops and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to overnight. (For non-metric measures, use 1/4 c Morton Kosher salt, 1 T rub, and 3.5 quarts of water. When mixed well, add ice to a total volume of 4 quarts (6% solution).
(2) Remove the chops from the brine and rinse briefly under running water to remove some of the salt. Dry them well, then coat all sides with olive oil. Apply rub to both sides of the chops and allow sit at room temp while getting the fire ready.
(3) Prepare a low-temp (250-300*) indirect fire. Add any preferred wood chips then the chops. Cook until they reach an internal temp of 118-120*. Remove the chops, convert the fire to a direct, hot fire for searing (400-500*). Sear the chops for abut 90 sec. per side, then using tongs and gloves, sear the fat edge of each chop.
(4) Remove and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Grilled Cajun Cobia (lemon fish)

I recently acquired some fresh cobia (also known as lemon fish) from my local fish monger (Duggan’s Fish Truck). Having never grilled cobia, I obtained this recipe from the owner, John Lester.

Cobia has a firm, white flesh and since the filets are rather thick it tolerates the direct heat from the grill without drying out.

I got the large BGE to about 350-400* dome temperature with inverted Grill Grates elevated on an adjustable rig, creating a griddle-like surface (to read about or purchase on Amazon, click on the link: Grill Grates ).

I coated the fish on both sides with olive oil, then applied a light coating of Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, followed by a light coating of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. Then I finished with a layer of Smoked Paprika.

I generously swabbed the Grill Grates with a rag soaked in vegetable oil, then placed the fish on the griddle. I flipped it every 2 minutes until the internal temp registered about 120*.

The total cook time was about 8-9 minutes. I rested it for about 5 minutes before plating with Janeva’s Asian green beans and a green salad with home-grown gold and red cherry tomatoes.

Note: I was a little too generous with the Cavender’s and Tony’s, so the fish came out looking great, but tasting definitely too salty. I strongly recommend being very careful with those 2 seasonings since they both have a good deal of salt.

Enjoy!
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

**********

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1# fresh cobia (lemon fish) filet(s), preferably 1.5-2 in thick
Cavender’s All Purpose Greek Seasoning
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
Olive oil
Smoked paprika (regular is ok)

Instructions:
(1) Prepare grill for an elevated, direct cook at 350-400* dome temp. Use a griddle, inverted Grill Grates, a vegetable grate or even a cast iron skillet.
(2) Coat fish on all sides with olive oil, then lightly sprinkle both sides with the Cavender’s, the Tony’s and the smoked paprika.
(3) Generously swab the cooking surface with a rag or paper towel soaked in vegetable oil before adding the filet(s). Using a spatula, flip the fish after 2 minutes. Continue to flip every 2 minutes to prevent too much char on either side.
(4) Remove from the grill when the internal temp reads about 120*. Total cook time for a filet 1.5-2 inches thick will be about 8 minutes.
(5) Cover and rest about 5 minutes to let the juices redistribute, then serve.

Plum Pork

I was looking for a good appetizer that could be served at room temperature and would also be great for tailgating this fall. My Gulfport friend, Terry Helms came to the rescue (again)! He referred me to a familiar blog (Playing with Fire and Smoke) by fellow Egghead, Wayne Nelson, and to this Chinese appetizer recipe: Plum Pork .

I purchased a 4-pack of pork tenderloins from Sam’s Club and prepared two for this test cook. This recipe requires some planning as it requires an overnight marinate.

First I prepared the dipping sauce and placed it in the fridge to allow the flavors to blend over a day or so. Then I made the marinade and planned to marinate the pork overnight, but it ended up being about 28 hours (it didn’t seem to make any difference).

As soon as an intense, but brief, thunderstorm passed, allowing me to get outside, I cooked the tenderloins at 375* over an indirect fire.

I basted them with reserved marinade and turned frequently. When they were close to being done (140-145* internal temp), I “painted” them with the finishing sauce. I then removed them from the fire, removed the indirect piece and ramped up the direct fire to about 600*. (With a non-ceramic grill, a 2-level fire allows one to do the first part away from the coals, then move them directly over the fire for this second part). I then charred them, carefully turning to prevent burning of the sugary finishing sauce.

I rested the pork for a few minutes, then sliced into thin pieces (16-18 per tenderloin). The recipe calls for one to dip each piece in the dipping sauce, then into a bowl of toasted sesame seeds. I decided that might be messy with a large crowd, so I drizzled the dipping sauce over the slices then sprinkled with the toasted sesame seeds.

Plated with steamed broccoli, mushrooms sautéed in olive oil & wine, and pan-roasted onions and peppers.

Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

**********

Makes 50-75 slices

Ingredients:
4-6 pork tenderloins
Sesame seeds
Marinade:

5 teaspoons Sugar
1.5 teaspoons Salt
2 cloves Garlic, minced (in the tube ok)
1 teaspoon Ginger, minced (in tube ok)
4 tablespoons Ketchup
4 tablespoons Soy sauce
5 teaspoons Wine
1 teaspoon 5-spice powder

Finishing Sauce:

1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
¼ cup Honey

Dipping Sauce:

12 ounce jar Plum preserves, or jam
2 tablespoons Vinegar
1 tablespoon Brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon Red chili pepper, finely chopped, dried
1 clove Garlic, minced (or in the tube)
1 tablespoon Green onions, finely chopped
½ teaspoon Ginger, ground

Instructions:
(1) Make the dipping sauce 1-2 days ahead of the cook. Combine all the ingredients, except the sesame seeds, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and cool. Refrigerate in a covered container overnight to blend flavors. Prior to serving, toast sesame seeds and place in a separate bowl.

(2) Make the marinade and marinate pork for at least 4 hours, or overnight (8 hours) if you wish. Make the finishing sauce while the cooker is coming up to temp; keep at room temperature. The finishing sauce can be warmed slightly or thinned with a little apple juice.

(2) Preheat cooker to 375° with an indirect or raised direct set up. Roast the tenderloins until the internal temperature is around 150°, basting occasionally with the reserved marinade. Turn & rotate as needed. When close to done, baste with the finishing sauce, remove and rest for a few minutes. You can add more finishing sauce to even out the coating. Either ramp up the cooker and briefly move the tenderloins directly over the coals or move into an oven set on broil in order to glaze the meat. Be careful not to burn the glaze.

(3) Let pork cool and cut into thin slices. Serve the plum sauce and toasted sesame seeds along side the sliced pork. Dip the sliced pork into the plum dipping sauce, then into the sesame seeds. As an option, you can drizzle the dipping sauce over the slices and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

(Thanks to Wayne Nelson (aka “Third Eye”) for this recipe).

Beer can burgers

As I mentioned in my earlier blog, beer can burgers were popular in the Spring of 2015. Social media became so saturated with Beer Can Burger posts that many good cooks avoided posting these recipes! They can be difficult to actually eat as a burger, so they are often served as stuffed hamburger steaks. A great idea is to saute’ a variety of fillers such as chopped mushrooms, onions, peppers, or bacon pieces plus small cubes of cheeses, letting people individualize their own stuffings.

It takes about 1/2 lb of ground beef for each burger. Shape it into a ball, then push a beer (or soda) can into the middle of the ball, shaping it up carefully around the can.

Wrap a slice of bacon around the base of the burger (some actually press the burger up high enough on the can for 2 slices of bacon). Remove the can, making sure the bottom of the hole is covered with meat and doesn’t have a potential leak spot. Season the burgers with your hamburger rub or seasoning of choice.

Stuff the inside with the previously sautéed chopped onions, peppers, mushrooms, bacon pieces or small cubes of cheese. Cover with shredded cheese or drape some thin slices of cheese over the top.

Cook indirect at about 300-350* for a hour or until the internal temp of the meat reaches 160-165*. Baste with BBQ sauce, if desired, toward the end of the cook.

Serve on buns or eat like a stuffed hamburger steak.

Enjoy!
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

**********

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chuck (80/20)
Onions, mushrooms, peppers, bacon, etc (chopped) for stuffing
Small cubes of cheese for stuffing (option)
Shredded cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack or thinly-sliced cheese for topping
Favorite rub or seasonings for hamburgers
Favorite BBQ sauce (option)

Instructions:
(1) Saute’ the veggies separately for use as fillings.
(2) Divide the ground beef into 4 portions and mold into 4 balls. Press a beer or soda can into the middle of the meat and carefully shape around the can.
(3) Wrap a slice of bacon around the meat (if you push the meat up higher on the side of the can, you can add another slice of bacon). Secure the bacon with a toothpick.
(4) Carefully remove the can, taking care to maintain the bowl created and making sure the bottom has no areas that might leak. Place the previously sautéed veggies and/or bacon pieces plus any small cubes of cheese into the bowl, then top with shredded or slices of cheese.
(5) Cook indirect at 350* until the bacon is crisp and the internal temp of the meat is 160-165*.
(6) Serve as a hamburger steak or with a bun and condiments.

Taking Burgers to the Next Level

Have your grilled burgers lost the thrill? There are many ways to get that extra kick for burger night. Many have made Juicy Lucys (cheese stuffed inside the burger) and of course there was an Internet sensation about a year ago with beer can burgers (will blog about this in another post).

Since some of the kids and grandsons were coming to visit on a Sunday afternoon, I was looking for a simple way to improve my burgers. I had read about combining pork and beef, so I bought 2# of ground chuck (80/20) along with 2# of ground pork and mixed these together. I was careful to break up all the clumps of beef and pork, kneading it until it was thoroughly mixed. A local butcher may be able to grind these together, which might be even better.

I then shaped them into 5-6 ounce patties and seasoned on both sides with Cluck and Squeal’s Beef Specific. Tip: Make a large dimple in the middle of the patty to allow for contraction of the meat while cooking. This will help produce a flatter patty instead of it trying to form a ball.

I got my BGE to 400* dome temp and inverted my Grill Grates (Amazon-Grill Grates for large BGE) so the flat side was up, creating a griddle-like surface. The burgers were cooked for 4 minutes on one side, then flipped. After about 3-4 more minutes, they were 150-160* internal. I added some slices of cheddar cheese and removed them when the cheese was melted.

There was not a lot of excess fat generated from the chuck/pork combination and the griddle gave them a great ‘crust’. (I also grilled a few all-beef dogs for the kiddos).

The burgers were juicy and very flavorful; I was surprised I could not taste the pork at all.

No carb for us – “dressed” and served with oven-roasted rutabaga fries.

Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

**********

Makes 6 burgers

Ingredients:
1 lb ground chuck (80/20 or better)
1 lb ground pork
Beef rub of choice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
(1) In a large bowl, mix the beef and pork, taking time to break up any clumps and making sure it is mixed together thoroughly.
(2) Make 6 patties, pressing down in the middle to create a dimple. Season with beef rub, salt and pepper, or seasonings of choice.
(3) Grill over a 400-450* fire, flipping after about 4 minutes. After another 4 minutes, check internal temp. When they reach 150-160* add any cheese. Remove when cheese melts or about 165* internal temp.

Slow-smoked Chickens on a BGE

You know how good the smoked pulled chicken is in a BBQ joint or how tender the rotisserie chickens are at the local grocery store? I have been unsuccessful in achieving these kinds of results when roasting chickens on my BGE. I’m not saying I don’t roast great chickens, just not easily pulled or “fall apart tender”. So I bought 4 whole chickens at the grocery store and started developing a plan…….

I wanted to cook them low & slow to get a good smoked flavor in addition to making them very tender. My plan was also to place roasted chickens in the freezer for future meals. At 300-350*, most whole chickens are usually done in 45-60 minutes, but I wanted to cook these at 180* or so for a longer time.

To be able to cook all four, I used the chickens (still in their packaging) to help determine the fit on the Egg and I came up with a plan using products from the The Ceramic Grill Store. After loading the large Egg with lump and apple chunks plus apple and cherry chips, I placed a ‘spider‘ on the fire ring. On that (about 2″ below the fire ring), I placed a 13″ BGE pizza stone as my indirect piece. I then put a rectangular, foiled drip pan on a ‘slide guide’ on the bottom level of the ‘Adjustable Rig (AR)‘, with an oval grid on a slide guide just above the drip pan. The ‘rig extender‘ fit on top of the AR with the second oval grid on that.

While the Egg was coming up to temp, I put 4 different rubs on the chickens – Rebel Rub (local), Cluck and Squeal’s All Purpose rub, Dizzy Pig’s Shaking the Tree rub, and Gunpowder (a new rub I got in a “swap” with a neighbor who reads this blog). The chickens were placed on the BGE, after it had been stabilized by my DigiQ controller at about 180*(with the stone, drip pan and grids inside).

I ran into issues when my controller would not maintain the 180* grid temp, where it was set. I suspect this was related to the need to replace my ‘leaky’ gaskets. The grid temp crept up to 240-260* despite almost completely closing the top vents. After about 2 hours (chicken internal temp at about 140*), I turned off the DigiQ, barely cracked open the daisy wheel and left it alone for about 2 more hours. The grid temp drifted down to 210*, so I turned it back on and it stayed in the 210-225* range for the balance of the cook. When the thigh temp reached 180*, I removed all four chickens – a total cook time of 8 hours.

The ones in the picture below were on the top rack and the skin got a little more crispy than the bottom rack (note to self – rotate the racks at least once in the future so all four get exposure to the heat coming off the dome onto the top rack).

Bottom rack – the left one had the “Gunpowder” rub (which ‘looks’ like gunpowder).

After resting on a cooling rack, then spending the night in the refrigerator, I cut them into halves, vacuum-sealed and froze for future meals. We did eat the first one, which happened to be the “Rebel Rub” one, and it was tender, juicy and flavorful. They all had a prominent (not overbearing) smoky aroma! Success!

This is a great way to cook several meals in one smoke session, if one has the accessories to create a multilevel cook. This can also be done with fire bricks separating the two grids or with other brands of multilevel grids.

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Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1-4 whole chickens (4-5# each)
Olive Oil
Rub of choice

Instructions:
(1) Remove the neck and other parts from inside the chicken cavity and rinse well.
(2) Drizzle olive oil on the outside of the chicken and spread around to cover all areas to help the rub stick.
(3) Liberally cover the outside of the chicken with the rub, as well as inside the cavity.
(4) Prepare the grill for a 180-200* indirect cook with a drip pan to catch the considerable fat that will be rendered. Use large amount of fruit wood chunks and/or chips (cherry or maple will help enhance the skin coloring).
(5) Roast slowly until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180-200*. Remove and serve immediately or allow to cool before cutting up