Tales from the Grill...

Thought this might be a good thread for all this BBQ/Grilling.

Anyway...Ya know those weird fried jalapeno things ya get at the local sports bar ?....THOSE aren't poppers...THESE are Poppers. These are stuffed with equal parts cream cheese, sharp cheddar and (precooked) Tennessee Pride sausage then topped with a whole piece of Smithfield bacon...Grill over indirect heat for about 30 minutes. Very mild actually ( I HAVE done this recipe with Habaneros...WHOA !!!).

...Aren't weekends a wonderful thing ? Spent mine just playin on the grill and drinkin' yellow fizzy water. Life is good.

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Peppers look great ...but drinkin that Mountain Dew all day will kill ya !

Robin's not the only one who can photograph food...

Can there be a more perfect dinner ? Pulled Pork and Baby Back Ribs (of unknown origins) with homemade Peach Habanero BBQ Sauce, 'Tater Salad, Cole Slaw and a grilled Jalapeno washed down with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale....Followed shorly thereafter by a nip of Woodford and a nice Macanudo Cigar. Can life GET any better ?

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those look so good Steve! I am sure they are mild but i'm pretty sure my girls still couldn't handle them....wusses!

Grilled today as well.... We have been packing like crazy, which means a lot of sandwiches and quick take out food to save time, but i wanted something "real" today.

I picked up some aracherras (skirt steak) at the Latino carniceria. I trimmed them up and did a quick little lime marinade. I grilled them along with some flour and corn tortillas on the grill, our side dish was a bowl of fresh yummy, yummy guacamole. I will admit my fajitas charred just a teensy bit. I am super tired and i was frustrated because it seemed i had packed every freaking thing i needed in the kitchen. but they were still very good. a very welcome change from all the junk we have been eating the past couple of days.


actually i wanted to ask your opinion.........
i have been thinking of getting a new grill. actually, this would be my very first grill. All of the grills i have had in the past have been acquired off the side of the road... The new house has a really cute little deck and i wanted to reward myself with my first real grill.

Should i stick with charcoal?, i REALLY prefer it, but dont know if a tank is better.

Most importantly, can a decent grill be had for under $100? The main reason i have never bought one is because i know i would like one of the big nice ones, of course i can't afford that. And it seems that people get rid of their grills rather frequently and they are not in awful shape. I am not going to go buy a regular grill for $40 when i find them all the time for free......... what was my point...... right........ can a decent, good sized grill be done for under $100?

Robin's not the only one who can photograph food...

Can there be a more perfect dinner ? Pulled Pork and Baby Back Ribs (of unknown origins) with homemade Peach Habanero BBQ Sauce, 'Tater Salad, Cole Slaw and a grilled Jalapeno washed down with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale....Followed shorly thereafter by a nip of Woodford and a nice Macanudo Cigar. Can life GET any better ?

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that looks GREAT! i will admit the potato salad is what i kept looking at.... lol I guess it's because i wanted some today and just couldnt find the time to make it, or the potatoes!

Whoaaaa Nellie! That looks good! (Cool little Bourbon tasting glass too!)

It all looks awesome, especially those poppers.

So do you eat the cigar before of after the cole slaw?

Where can I score one of those fancy pepper holders?

Where can I score one of those fancy pepper holders?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_ ... fix=Chile+

i have been thinking of getting a new grill. actually, this would be my very first grill. All of the grills i have had in the past have been acquired off the side of the road... The new house has a really cute little deck and i wanted to reward myself with my first real grill.

If your budget is around $100 I'd stick with a Weber Charcoal Grill. A 22.5" grill can be had on Amazon for around $90 (I've also seen the same grill at Lowes for around the same price). I've got this grill and take it along when we travel for BBQ contests. I really like it.

http://www.amazon.com/Weber-741001-22-5 ... 140&sr=1-3

If you can "slurge" at bit I'd go with the Weber E-310 Gas Grill for just under $500. I've owned a similar grill for almost 20 years and it just keeps going and going and going. I bought the E-310 for my EX-future-son-in-law as a college grad gift and he really liked it (no my daughter didn't get it back when they broke up )

http://www.amazon.com/Weber-4421001-Spi ... 307&sr=1-7

Honestly, I'd stay away from one of those el-cheapo gas grills (for example the $99 dollar Charbroils at Lowes)...None of this calber of grill receives very good marks in Consumer reports.

BTW, congrats on the new place.

Becky, it's quite a bit more than $100, but less than Steve's $500 option - we just bought a Weber Performer. It's built around the 22.5" Weber charcoal that Steve mentions, but sits in a cart equipped with a prep table and charcoal holder. The best feature, however, is that it uses a small, camping size propane tank to light the charcoal; thus, no newspaper, lighter fluid, jet fuel, etc. is needed to get the coals going. Also, if your coals go out, just crank the gas back on for a minute or two after adding new coals. It also comes with two nifty charcoal holder baskets that make lighting a breeze, and makes it easy to move the coals around to create direct heat and indirect heat zones.

It goes for around $320.

I did some solid work on it with some bison burgers and sausages this weekend.

Those look soooo good! I'll have to give them a try when hubby is off his diet...

I'll also suggest the weber grills...if you want to stick to budget check out the slightly smaller portable version they sell at Walmart...think it's called the Q? It's around $40 and can handle 4 burgers or a few good sized steaks. There are advantages to going to the next size up, like a stand, but I made it through college with the little Q and it was sufficient for myself and a few friends.

If you are going with charcoal (is there really anything else?) pick up a Weber brand chimney, the others rust out in a season, our Weber chimney is on it's third year and looks nearly new still.

I got a Brinkmann Smoker around five years ago, and I love it - easy to move around, uses charcoal, can smoke (using the outside box) or grill (on a huge surface). It's more than your limit, but at $199 at Home Depot it's less than most of those mentioned above. Check out http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1 ... ogId=10053

At the end of last summer, I scored a CharGriller Smoker/Grill on clearance for around $60 at the Germantown Kroger. Big SOB with castiron grates and the whole nine yards. I think it retailed for around $150 or $160. But this thing is awesome!

Looking for advise. I was almost ready to pull the trigger on the Weber One touch Gold 22.5", but then I went to look at one at Lowes. The legs seemed to be wobbly and the handles were loose. This may have been the result of a Lowes employee that had to put it together and didnt really give crap about it. Anyway while I was there I saw this other unit, a Chargriller, I think maybe the same unit Terri CP mentioned in the last post. Heres the link http://www.chargriller.com/store/produc ... ucts_id=35 Overall the Chargriller seemed much more solid, heavy for its size and in the same price range. I liked the look of heavy cast iron cooking grates. There are four removable sections of these grates,do they clean up well? Being able to use a smoker attachment as well a rotisserie option seems like a cool deal to me. I know the Weber is a classic, but is the dome shape really that big of an advantage? I also found the lack of a hinge on the Weber to be a possible issue. Is there a reason for no hinge? Maybe it does not seal well with a hinge?This barrel shaped Chargriller with the side smoke/fire box seems like it going the get the job done. Appreciate any advise you may have.