The ART and SCIENCE of Grilling Perfect Hamburgers with GrillGrates

I've opined about grilling perfect hamburgers before.  The quest of every grillers is to deliver that perfect, juicy hamburger to family, friends and guests.  Thousands of recipes, books, videos and websites honor the mouth-watering grilled hamburger. 

GrillGrate is adding a new chapter to this body of knowledge by elevating the art-from of grilling hamburgers to near perfection.  The results are visually dramatic with noticeably better taste.  I realize that is a bold statement.  It comes after 4+ years of near weekly practice and constant feedback and ratings from my family and my 85 year old mother-in-law who loves her hamburgers grilled rare.  This chapter is dedicated to you Jean!

Chapter One:  The formula for Grilling Perfect Hamburgers with GrillGrates:

1. The MEAT of the Matter:  Grind your own round or sirloin for the freshest possible burgers.  80 / 20 is most common blend although GrillGrates allow you to reduce the fat content without sacrificing juiciness.  Turkey burgers will surprise you with their juiciness too.
2. Treat Her Gently When you Patty Her!  Loosely formed patties allow juices to flow in and through the meat.  Forget the burger presses unless you are making a stuffed burger.
3. Grill Hot and Fast with GrillGrates without Fear!  The added protection of GrillGrates tames the flames while still allowing that flame grilled flavor.  No need to set up hot and cold zones or move burgers around the grill.
4. Lift and Twist (put don't press)  Get perfect steakhouse sear marks with the trick the restaurants use.  After 3 minutes, use The GrateTool and lift the burger and twist 45 degrees and sit the burger back down.  In 2-3 minutes, lift and turn.  The presentation side is now facing you and grill to finish.  Design your own sear mark patters by the angle of the twist.  Never squeeze out the juices no matter how tempting.
5. Toast Your Buns!  Crispy on the inside? or the outside?  You choose.  Place bun halves face down to crisp the inside, OR leave the bun intact to crisp the exterior so that first bite to is crunchy crisp.
6. Grab a Napkin- this is going to be juicy!

Here's to Grilling Grate Hamburgers with GrillGrate!

Tricked out Traeger Pellet Grill

Arthur H. is the perfect choice to be the first winner in the Show Us Your Grate Moments in Grilling Contest.   His thread had me salivating and really showed how GrillGrates had enabled him to get to 650F at the grill surface.  From a pellet grill!  The steak photos were fabulous and had me calling our first winner!  Art, aka Savannahsmoker choose a Streaming Grill Brush from Grate Chef as his prize and has since sent some fantastic pictures.

I was ashamed when I saw his Valentines meal setting.  He's been married a little longer than me.   Click here to see the full album of how Art tricked out his Traeger and his Valentine photos.  Art loves his Traeger, photography, good food, and his wife.  What a formula!

Many more winners to come!  Show us Your Grate Moments in Grilling and Win!


Thanks Art!


Brad

BLOG Interuption: Letter to the Editor, Wall Street Journal

Letter to the editor, Wall Street Journal Feb 27

GOOGLE Algorithms Won’t Stop the Gaming of the System only People Can

Google Revamps to Fight Cheaters (WSJ 2/26/11) gave me hope, but when I read that all Google is doing is modifying their Algorithms I realized that they don’t really want to clean up search. Taking the low road is more profitable.  Trying to stop the gaming of the system by real companies like JC Penny and Overstock.com is not even the core issue.  It’s the bogus shopping sites and content mills that steal original content and hawk products via the accomplices at Amazon.  Google and Amazon have enabled this gaming of the system and profited magnificently from it.  Companies bid up search words, SEO becomes a huge industry and Amazon cleans up by providing commissions to pirates.

If Google truly wants to clean up their search and make page 1 relevant again here’s how to do it in 90 days:

1. Staff a group of entry-level interns into a department to root out and black list content and information piracy.
2. Create a system for legitimate companies to submit to Google content pirates and sites that create neighboring urls to divert traffic. It will take a new hire 5 minutes to know that www.grillgrates.org is ripping off my company www.grillgrate.com.  Weber (the king of grills) would have a list 2 pages deep of leaches drafting on their brand! 
3. Contact the offending firms and the reporting firm of your decision and allow rebuttal. 

An algorithm can’t do that and I doubt Google will either.  Fortunately the market is sending loud signals to Google themselves to stop gaming the system by enabling and rewarding pirates to steal content, divert traffic, and reap commissions from affiliate sites such as Amazon.  I’ve always viewed Google as a high road company, but now that my livelihood depends on ‘being found’ on the Internet my perspective is a lot different. It truly is Somalia in cyberspace and the pirates are everywhere, and they could be banished in a few clicks. 

We now return to Great Grilling with GrillGrates!

Grate Moments in Grilling Contest!

Who better to show and tell why GrillGrates grill food better than YOU The GrillGrate customer!   We want to include your best moments at your grill in new videos we're creating featuring sizzling footage right down the food chain of grilling: Hamburgers, Steaks, Chicken, Brats and Dogs, Fish & Game and more.  Show and tell us why GrillGrates grill food better . Attach pictures, recipes, grate stories and video clips. 

Grate Prizes for Sizzling Footage and Photos!

We're giving away some grate prizes for all photos and footage that makes our videos!

• STUFZ- Hamburger stuffer gadget
• Peace, Love and Barbecue- Mike and Amy Mills
• GrillGrate Aprons
• Johnsonville Brats T Shirts
• GrillGrate Panels

Show us YOUR Grate Moments in Grilling!   We're especially interested in short video clips (less than 30 seconds).

Stay up to date and see the entries on the GrillGrate Facebook Page

First up is grilling perfect hamburgers.  Help us finish this video with your sizzling footage and photos of grilling grate hamburgers.

The Best of GrillGrate

2010 was a grrrrrrate year for GrillGrate!   Thousands of new customers are grilling better, more often and grilling more types of foods with GrillGrates.  Many customers  have ordered multiple sets as gifts they are so pleased.   This feedback and enthusiasm sustains us!   Please keep those recipes, emails, and pictures coming!  I think today is the perfect day to recall the Best of GrillGrate 2010 and share what has become regular grill fare for us:  Signature dishes so to speak.  Some old and some new.  We want to hear about your signature dishes too!


HAMBURGERS are the most frequent grill fare at our house.  I prefer 80 / 20 if I can get it by the boss but 83 /17 or even leaner is still juicy with GrillGrates.

Courtesy of Paul Crump- BGE Fanatic

1. Hamburgers grill perfectly with GrillGrates: I use the lift and twist method for perfect sear marks while only turning once and cooking to finish.   We often fill the grill with hamburgers and don't forget to toast the buns just after you take the burgers off while they sit for a minute.  Caterers are using GrillGrates to grill 50 hamburgers at one time while controlling flare-ups.
2. Stuffed Blue Cheese Burgers:  It's a bit of work and the burgers are bigger but you can definitely skip the bun with this treat.  A puddle of blue cheese mingles with the burger juices to create a flavor that puts stuffed burgers on the regular hit list.  Stay tuned for exciting new developments on the stuffed burger front!

STEAKS:

1. Ribeye:  The king of steaks with deep marbling that delivers juicy wet steaks. We only use salt and pepper to prep and grill 'em hot and fast!  Add a few sliced onions 5 minutes ahead of the steaks.
2. Sliced Sirloin:  Thick sirloins are ideal for cutting into thick slices after grilling.  Costco's sirloins are always on the list along with Ribeyes and the occasoinal tenderloin.
3. Tenderloin:  We love doing Tenderloins for holiday meals and for larger groups.  I try to use the Weber and actually took my Weber to a friends farm this summer to make sure we would honor this fabulous and expensive piece of meat.  I always use BBQ'rs Delight smoking wood pellets in the valleys of the GrillGrates when we are grilling great steaks.

Try these old and new favorites too:

1. Steaked Prime (choice) Rib Roast:  This was one of those accidental discoveries after missing my window to slow-cook a Rib Roast.  We cut the roast into thick steaks, salted the heck out of them and let them come to room temperature.  Normally this much marbling would cause a bonfire but not with GrillGrates.  My mother-in-law ranked this as our best steak of 2010.  Seared on the outside; firm and juicy red inside.  
2. My Father's London Broil:  A Father's Day grilling that I like to do on our Weber.  This way my Dad's (and my) signature dish for years.  This is an old recipe that deserves to be brought back- especially with GrillGrates. Bumper to bumper red rareness as Meathead from Amazing Ribs.com likes to say.

View Low and Slow Sunday video

• HONORABLE Mention!  
• Tommy Boy's Pork Shoulders and Brats and Beer.  on low and slow Sundays. We mastered Tom's honking huge gas grill to get down to 225F for an entire day while we drank beer, grilled and chilled.  I agree with the recent survey that showed smoke from grilled meat has a calming effect on men!  We need to establish a winter grilling and chilling routine Tom!

FISH:

Breaded talapia from COSTCO

1. Breaded Talapia from Costco:  Every Costco run includes a couple of fish items for the grill.  We particulary like how flaky and light the breaded talapia grills.   The crust gets very crispy on medium heat and sears nicely sealing in the fish so it is moist and flaky inside.   Great with salsas as toppings. 
2. Seared Salmon from Costco:  How many ways can we grill salmon filets?  Our favorites are seasoned with Denny Mike's Fintastic or slathered in Rikki's Soy Ginger sauce.
3. The Whole Fish and nothing but the fish!   Rainbow Trout, Snapper and other grill size fish:  We prefer to grill smaller fish in the whole if they are freshly caught.  David B from Montana used to grill trout in foil- not anymore! David says "fish in foil is not grilling its steaming".  David also grills fresh killed Elk and sent fantastic high mountain camp grilling photos.  I got to visit David!  We've got a lot of customers in Montana!

• Honorable mention shrimp and scallops.   Large scallops are fantastic without skewers. Rotate and turn by hand for perfect searing.  Skewered shrimp only needs 5-7 minutes on GrillGrates.

POULTRY: 

1. Spatch-cocked Chicken:  Cutting out the backbone and flattening the bird has become our favorite way to grill chicken and turkey.   The grilling is faster, more evenly cooked and juicier. GrillGrates again provides the key to a hotter yet juicier grilling with crispy skin too.   Stay tuned for a video of Susan teaching our daughter's boyfriend the art of spatch-cocking.  And yes Bon-Appetit magazine-- there is a difference between spatch-cocking and butterflying.



Sauce Wings last 10 minutes on grill

2. WINGS!  I learned how to do great wings on GrillGrates courtesy of Randy Branch of Moe's BBQ Sauce.  Randy and I grilled together at our daughter's graduation from University of Georgia this spring.  He showed me how to low and slow wings on GrillGrates for over an hour for the ultimate spicy, crispy, juicy wings.  

PIZZA:

1. The Ultimate Breakfast Pizza:  We grilled a bunch of these piled high breakfast creations this year.  Pre-cook the fixings makes it easy to pull together a couple of breakfast pizzas even when you are a guest!  You'll delight your hosts when you bring the fixings of a great breakfast!  Don't forget to bring your GrillGrates!
2. Kitchen Sink Pizza:  We keep a package of MamaMary's gourmet crusts on hand and find great uses for left-overs to make a fast lunch or easy dinner.  

Happy New Year and Grrrrrrrate Grilling Ahead in 2011!

Brad

PS  I see from the above recap we have a few recipes to add to the GrillGrate recipe web pages... and we'll get right on it because I know we'll be adding more signature dishes to the list in 2011!- YOURS! 
Please tell us about your signature dishes!  We'd love to add them to our website.

Life is what happens while you’re making other plans!

John Lennon ‘s refrain seems appropriate, as it would have been his 70^th birthday last week.  I’ve been thinking a lot about this year as it wraps up and making plans for next year; and I’ve thinking of Lennon’s line and the things that happened this year that weren’t in the plan!  

Never in my wildest dreams

Doing Infomercials on TV was never in the business plan!  I want to thank Tom Dollnig who consulted us to change strategies. Tom brought Mr. Coffee to market and hired Joe DiMaggio so I listened to him! 

Social Media was not in the plan either.  I especially like the customer interaction and the community aspect. My daughter told me I had to create a blog, get on Facebook, find a voice- none of that was in the plan.  Now it is.

Grillers love GrillGrates!

Active customer engagement was not in the plan either.  The grilling industry is the best business I have ever worked in.  Grillers are passionate, active and fun people!  That fun is multiplied when customers take the time to express their pleasure with your product. Active customer engagement was not in the business plan, but it drives us now.

Fishing and grilling as good as it gets!

Nor was appearing in a Fishing Show.  A call out of the blue from a producer hooked me  to fish and grill in an episode.  Twist my arm!  It was a great experience all around and now we’re a sponsor and a fan of LipEm and RipEm hosted by Lefty Larsen. 

Pittmaster star Moe Cason and his wife

Getting a call from Moe Cason who starred on BBQ Pittmaster as a contestant and finalist was a great highlight too.  Thank you to Darren Warth of Smoky D’s for suggesting GrillGrates to Moe.  We had a blast cheering Moe on.  But Moe, why did you plank that chicken in the finals?

No doubt some of life’s greatest moments are unscripted and unplanned.  How boring it would be anyway.  The planning will resume shortly after a birthday celebration with family and friends!

May your plans be aimed high and your heart (and grill) always be warm with the joy of friends.

God Bless and Blessed by God

December 2010

Thankful Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving 2010:  Cribbing from Seth Godin:
"Wherever you are, you could celebrate Thanksgiving today. Not the Thanksgiving of a bountiful harvest before the long winter, the holiday of pilgrims and pie. That's a holiday of scarcity averted. I'm imagining something else...

A modern Thanksgiving would celebrate two things:

The people in our lives who give us the support and love we need to make a difference, and...

The opportunity to build something bigger than ourselves, something worth contributing. The ability to make connections, to lend a hand, to invent and create.

There are more of both now than there have ever been before. For me, for you, for just about all of us.
 Thank you Seth for re-framing Thanksgiving for our time!

I want to thank my sponsors and partners who have been incredibly supportive this year:
Mike Mills and his team:  Being discovered by Mike Mills was a milestone moment in our business.  I'm proud to call Mike, Amy, Becky & crew friends.  And a very special thank you to Mike for appearing in our first TV spot!
BBQR's Delight:  Thanks to Meathead for introducing us!  He calls us peanut butter and jelly we go so well together.   I've had the pleasure of cooking with Candy- she's a real pro and a fixture in the BBQ community and a great friend. 
Bad Byron's Butt Rub:  It's true everything is better with a little Butt Rub!  Butt Rub is one of those universal seasonings that works as well with pork, chicken, steak, even popcorn!
Mama Mary's Gourmet Pizza Crusts:  Our first partner.  We discovered their crusts grilling at our first trade show.  It became our first signature dish.  They just introduced an extra thin and crispy crust that is fabulous.  We use it on dessert pizzas too.
KCBS:  The gang at KCBS and MMA Creative are incredible.  KCBS has over 14,000 members now and I'm proud to incorporate their logo in our packaging and our TV spots.  Sponsoring the KCBS Backyard BBQ Tour was a grrrrrate move this year.  Mike and Chris Peters have grilled over 35,000 food samples on GrillGrates- including hundreds of grilled pizzas!
Big Green Egg!  What a great company!  Thank you for sponsoring our contest and offering a Big Green Egg as the prize!  There is still time to register!  Name me another company that has a more rabid and enthusiastic customer! (not even Apple)  Something for GrillGrate to aspire to!
The Good Shepherd Foundation:  Finally and absolutely the best thing to happen to GrillGrate this year.  I start my day there every morning I can.  It is a pleasure and privilege to work with this great group of people.  They pack and ship for us 5 days a week!  Talk about grateful!

Thankful and Grateful This Thanksgiving!  
God Bless!

Brad