Tis The Season Again!!

Big Sky Redneck

Yep thats right, the season for backyard cookouts is here again and I need some help. A few years ago we made a big move in our social status and upgraded to a gas grill. I have not yet mastered the art of getting the good BBQ taste in the burgers and steaks. I have the hickory thingamajigs but the food still tastes like it was cooked plain in a skillet. When I used the grill that you had to feed charcoal the meat came out tasting good, but since I'm using this gas jobby I cant get that taste back. Sure I can use alot of KC's Masterpiece but the stuff don't get done the way I like it. How about some of you outdoor chefs share some secrets on how to get quality chow on a gas grill. I may just put a metal plate in the bottom of this thing and load it up with charcoal!

will270win

Mix liquid smoke and your favorite barbecue sauce, that should do it.


~Secret Select Society Of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets~

RugerNiner

Soak wood chips overnight in water and use those sparingly on the ceramic briquets.
You can use Hickory, Apple, Cherry or Mesquite wood chips.

Remember...Terrorist are attacking Civilians; Not the Government. Protect Yourself!

Edited by - RugerNiner on 05/12/2002 00:08:46

Big Sky Redneck

Liquid smoke and wood chips? Sounds easy enough, I'm gonna run to the store tomorrow and get some of that and try it. when the woman gets home from work I want to have dinner ready but I want to do it on the grill. I hope this does the trick.

Mercury

GAS GRILLS SUCK!!!!!!!!

One of the few things people don't want to admit, but it is true in my opinion!

People don't like to admit that their $500 fancy grill doesn't make the food taste as good as a $5 bag of charcoal.


Merc (who'll NEVER use gas!)



NO! You may not have my guns! Now go crawl back into your hole!

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"Tolerating things you may not necessarily like is part of being free" - Larry Flynt

Otoman

7mm A 3# coffee can with a lid on it works perfect for soaking those wood chips. That is what I do. I have a charcoal bar-B-Q grill that my son made for me when he was in high school. A young man came and stayed with us for 3 months while he was doing a job at Vulcan Chemicals. We Didn;t charge him anything to live here so when I got ready to go back to Texas he Bought us a real nice Gas Grill. I ended up giving it to my son and I still use the old hand made one, that my son made. Some one also told me if you put Lava Rocks in the bottom of the Gas Grill that helps but I don't know for sure....

KIMBER: Pistol du jour

He Dog

I tend to agree that gas grills do not produce as tasty a burger as a charcoal grill or a mesquite fire. But I also agree that using water soaked wood chips (apple or mesquite, please) helps a good bit. I sometimes add a little liquid smoke to the soak water to kinda help things along. I have used commercial grills in my student days that used lava insted of ceramic and may try that suggestion in the grill. If you can find them where you are, try Oklahoma Joe's Mustard BBQ Sauce, or try Stubbs BBQ Sauce. My favorite is Powdrell's, but that is local.

Happy cooking guys!

bhayes420

I can vouch for the Oklahoma Joe's sauces. IMHO,best on the market. Just a shade under my homemade stuff, but lots more convenient. The wally world in our town started carrying it last year, so should be available in most of them.

I don't like gas either. Wife got me one a few years ago. Use it some, but keep going back to my charcoal. If you use charcoal though, gotta get the real stuff, not the briquets. That stuff is held in those nice little squares with all sorts of nasty stuff.

aby80

I started using a small table top Sunbeam gas grill several years ago. I started this because I live in a small community in a pine forest in Northern Arizona. We are in the middle of a drought here and at the present time are not allowed to use open flames or charcoal. The meat might not taste quite as good as cooked over oak, mesquite or charcoal but it does a good job. These grills only cost about $20-$25 at Wal-Mart.

austin247

I'm addicted to the smoke flavor. I have an electric smoker/grill that I use quite often. It has a tray that holds wood chunks for smoking, and for grilling I just toss a handful of mesquite chips on the lava rocks. I can hardly tell the difference from cooking with wood or charcoal, and I get the convenience of constant, steady heat with no hot spots.

Iconoclast

It took me a while to work out the techniques & materials, but adding the wood chips to the gas grill can make it close enough to a charcoal fire flavor that no one will notice the difference. I still use charcoal for speciality dishes which are smoked as much as cooked.