Merv's Texas Adventures

Discussion in 'SBAF Blogs' started by purr1n, Dec 31, 2020.

  1. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2018
    Likes Received:
    1,956
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    That Green Egg grill!

    Our company usually has a yearly cook-off (Covid nixed it for 2020) where all of the big Texas cities compete against each other. Austin came with their Green Egg which looked ridiculous small when compared to some of the industrial size grills all the other regions have. Austin won the brisket contest that year with some of the juiciest brisket I've ever had in my life.

    All from a very modest grill but hats off to the grill master.
     
  2. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    14,049
    Trophy Points:
    113
    2 things:

    1. Taste the meat not the heat
    2. Strongly disagree - diversity of backgrounds is part of what makes a place beautiful. Different cultural and life perspectives bring more to the table than homogenization of the populace in terms of the quality of a community. It's at the nexus of that that something wonderful can emerge. This is my biggest issue with Boulder, as kind and wonderful as the people are.
     
  3. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

    Staff Member Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,141
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    gone
    topics as innocuous as grilling techniques need not be equated to reality / important topics such as cultural diversity and community beauty.
    let some topics breathe in simplicity.
     
  4. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophile™

    Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2016
    Likes Received:
    10,826
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    East Coast
    By the way, what does gas-grilled stuff taste like? No experience. Only very limited exp on charcoal and occasional butane torch (+ sous vide). The former had much strong flavor and way more special-ish feeling. Guessing gas grill would be somewhere in between. But not sure which side it is closer.
     
  5. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Likes Received:
    6,810
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Nashville, TN
    Home Page:
    If you have had a steak or burger at a place like Logan's or O'Charlie's, then you have has gas.

    Everyone I know who has Sous Vide loves it and swears by it. My friend now just smokes pork ribs for one hour for smoke flavor and the sous vide the rest.

    None of us I think has really helped Marv though.
     
  6. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Likes Received:
    6,810
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Nashville, TN
    Home Page:
    I like Weber gas grills. Nothing crazy fancy, lights every time, great support, and they make parts forever. Worth it.

    Just get one with cast cast iron grills cooking surface.
     
  7. bixby

    bixby Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,961
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northern Colorado
    Those results have way less to do with the grill and way more to do with the chef or pitmaster. I'm sure you could do well with a Big Lots $29 charcoal grill on the tailgate of an old Rambler wagon.

    Yum!
     
  8. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    May 28, 2017
    Likes Received:
    7,952
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Vancouver BC
    Hell no!
    Ok, maybe that.
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    I have a Green Egg too. Gas comes in handy when I don't want to deal with emptying the ashes or wait 35 minutes in the winter for it to warm up just for 6 burger patties or 6 skewers of persian style kabobs. Although Egg is great for a 800+ degree sear (combo of charcoal and wood) on a ribeye. That's when I put on the fire suit, shove the steak in there real quick, and then pull it out after a two minutes for a nice char on the outside and raw and bloody inside. No gas grill can ever get that hot. After over 10 years, the novelty of the Egg wears off - it just takes too long to start.

    I doubt I will use the Green Egg much after I get the smoker (can smoke with the Egg, but a smoker makes it easier.) I've seen way too many folks with big slabs of brisket and butcher paper in their shopping cart at the local H.E.B. In Texas, one must do brisket. Word is that some Texans have no clue what tri-tip is (totally different cooking technique than brisket).

    Love the premium grill recommendations. Unfortunately no local dealers. I expect things to rust out quickly given my proximity to local salt water canals. I guess I will go for the Home Depot special.
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2021
  10. jnak00

    jnak00 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2017
    Likes Received:
    603
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Canada
    We have a Broil King natural gas grill. The cast-iron grill rusted nearly instantly, even after seasoning it and considering our dry-ass climate. I replaced it with a stainless grill, which has lasted longer but doesn't quite make nice char lines like cast iron. Other than that issue, it's been fine.
     
  11. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

    Staff Member Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,141
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    gone
    well you are one step ahead with Egg for grilling,
    I wouldn't get a Green Egg for smoking since gifted a Weber Smokey Mountain 22 a couple years back.
    a 35min charcoal wait is worth it, or at least planned for in our cooking schedules.
    i guess that means not as frequent "outdoor cooking" as others with multiple grilling rigs.
     
  12. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2018
    Likes Received:
    3,439
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    SouthernCA
    I know you said gas but if you want to try something different, someone I used to know made wine barrel smokers. Good looks aside, they were actually very functional and really did impart a nice taste/flavor in the meats.

    Short of that, using old wine barrel bits (or ground into pellets) as fuel made a nice difference as well.
     
  13. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,198
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
    you can get that compressed pellet shit away from Texas
     
  14. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    14,090
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    India
    Regret to say that wood, as a fuel, may not be as healthy as everyone thinks it is. This was talking about home wood-burning stoves, not outdoor appliances, so there may be a big difference, but, apparently, every time the door of a wood stove is opened, nnn particles of xxx get released into the room, and nnn particles of xxx is, it seems, not healthy.

    No source. I read it in passing: the last thing we need here, at any time of the year, is more heat!

    Hey, I remember British winters with many houses having open coal fires, before smokeless fuel became the thing. The way that particular smell hung in the air on a cold, damp (dank is the word) November evening. Not certain, but I might be old enough to remember London smog --- except I didn't live in the big city until I was nearly 20.

    Enjoy the barbecue!
     
  15. mitochondrium

    mitochondrium Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,114
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    A Cell
    Broil king here,too. Happy with it.
    The after sales service here in Germany is excellent. US/Canada made. According to my experience seasoning does not work for cast iron grills. I rub them down with vegetable oil after each use. It has become a bit of a ritual. Good/Bad thing about it is once you heat up the grill the next time the burning oil will inform all neighbours that you use your grill.
     
  16. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    May 28, 2017
    Likes Received:
    7,952
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Vancouver BC
    Have you guys used grapeseed oil? That's what was recommended to me on buying a new cast-iron grill. I don't re-do it after every grilling session, just every few months, and the grill has remained pretty much rust-free after 2 Vancouver winters (well, the second one isn't quite over yet...).

    My previous grill, which was still fine after 15 years, had a ceramic-on-steel rack. Great - no seasoning required and lasted forever. Only reason I don't still have it is moving cities to a place with a smaller outdoor space.
     
  17. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Just across the street 75ft away. The big fish kill from the freeze last week. No idea how long it will be until the population recovers.
    1172566391264904168.jpg
     
  18. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,198
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
    Holy shit!

    usually fish survive freezing temps just fine. How deep did the ice go?
     
  19. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    I'm sure the water below never got to freezing. I think some fish will die if the water hits 45F for an extended period of time. TX wildlife service says it hasn't been this bad in a 100 years. AOC says the fish would have survived had they not avoided federal regulation.

    LOL, some people on NextDoor complaining about the dead fish and if someone will magically appear and pick them up. Responses are like why don't you pick them up yourself with a net and heavy trash bags? Oh, I have "allergies" or they smell bad. LMAO.

    Haha. I love Texas.

    We're going to help clean up. Will bring the kids too so that they can experience real life.
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2021
  20. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2017
    Likes Received:
    3,758
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Jackson, Mi
    You're a good dude, Marv.
     

Share This Page