I almost fouled up the BIRD- Turkey Half Cocked!

This post falls under the category of telling on ones self! Yesterday I was a little too cocky taking the bird to the grill and made a few mistakes, a not so quick recovery and heard plenty of ribbing from the clan.

First I forgot to check the gas tank and of course it ran dry sometime during the first hour. Swapping it out would not be that big a deal if my igniter still worked, it doesn't so I have to remove a half of the grate, one of the flavorizer bars to manually light my gas grill. Not that big a deal except when the grill is hot, and I managed to re-light the grill only losing a few hairs on my hand.

We turned the bird upright after an hour and it was looking good. Two more hours and several bastings had me cocky again and testing the thigh temp- off it came for a 40 minute rest. We were very pleased by the juices and my bright idea of mashing up the veggies we had under the bird to add to the gravy. Add a little OXO and man the gravy was on the money.

Time to carve and I was ready, I even boned up re-watching helpful videos. I began by removing the legs. The first came away nicely only to reveal a too red inner core- RUT RO! The bird was NOT done. Now what? I had already begun dismembering and decided to keep going. Remove the legs and wings and cut out the breast meat and re-start the grill- for the 3rd time...

I put the GrillGrates on the grill and had to let everything warm back up before this 'finishing touch'. I finally put the bird parts back on the grill for another 20 minutes. Needless to say I was now worried I had over cooked and dried it out. If I did, the family was easy on me. We enjoyed our meal an hour past schedule which does help elongate cocktail hour and improves hunger. Today's left overs were fabulous and I figured it was appropriate to tell on myself. The GrillGrates did a super job on my half cocked ( err half cooked) bird!

Get the Bird out of the Kitchen and Onto the Grill

This will be our second year that we'll grill our Thanksgiving Turkey so I am no expert, but I am surely a convert! I doubt that Susan would let me do it indoors again anyway, she gets her kitchen back and I am in the game instead of watching it!

Here are a couple of very good resources to get your bird on the grill!
1. Bon Appetit did a really nice over-view of how to grill a turkey complete with good graphics for grill set-up for gas and charcoal. It was in this month's issue. I'm going to use my gas grill again since it has such good heat control and my Kamado is still an unfinished repair job...
2. AmazingRibs.com has the most comprehensive information on grilling a turkey that I have seen. Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn writes extensively on the art and science of great grilling and this is a superb read that I look forward to following along at the grill. Gobble until you wobble!
3. NY Times- A butcher's approach to carving a turkey. I discovered this gem last year and it really is the best way to carve the bird. Removing the bones from the meat makes such a difference! And forget carving it at the table!
4. Spatchcocking - Bitten Word with credits to Martha Stewart. We've just started doing this with chicken and really want to try with our Turkey.

KCBS Tour Grills Grate Pizza

Our friends at KCBS just completed their nationwide tour of BBQ Cookoffs with their last appearance at Talladega, AL. Mike and Chris Peters do an outstanding job with the KCBS Tour demonstrating grilling techniques and products for their sponsors. Their samplings go fast and the crowds are always appreciative. At Talladega they grilled 50 Pizzas and had a sampling frenzy going on!

Chris and Mike took a page out of my playbook with MamaMary's Gourmet Crusts and GrillGrates! They used chicken that had been previously grilled, KC Masterpiece original sauce and the new Smoky Bourbon sauce, and in Chris's words the "FANTASTIC Grill Grates for quick, easy and DELICIOUS PIZZA!!!" Thanks for sending along the pictures and I look forward to seeing you guys on the road next year. Remember to use KCBS as a coupon code to save 20% on all GrillGrate products in our webstore. GrillGrate, Eat Well!

The Second Winner of Make Your Mark With GrillGrates

"I love my GrillGrates. A Lot!
This is the best new product I have tested in years. The concept is so very clever on so many levels: The base blocks flare-ups and helps prevent burning. As a result, meats brown beautifully, and you get really crispy chicken skin without scorching. Juices drip into the valleys between the rails where they are vaporized and the vapors penetrate the meat enhancing flavor. The holes in the base allow some juices down and smoke and combustion gases up to reach the food adding more superb flavors. I have made my best steaks and burgers ever with GrillGrates."
Craig “Meathead” Goldwyn
www.amazingribs.com 10/31/09

After a review like that I picked up the phone and had an enjoyable discussion of grate grilling with Meathead. We discussed the physics of burger and steak grilling. The Hamburger is an iconic field for foodies and grillers in particular. Craig feels that GrillGrates are the missing link to The Perfect Burger! Thank you Meathead! and back at you as our 2nd Winner in the Make Your Mark with GrillGrates contest!

The GRATE STATE of TEXAS

The United Steaks of America Cookoff Team continues to impress. Not only do they compete, but they put on a great time for the kids and adults. And they sample a lot of food- including MamaMary's Pizza- Gourmet Crusts which are super tailgating fare for hungry fans.

Now back to grilling great steaks which inspired this update. I need to update our YouTube video seared not charred to include all the great stuff we are hearing and learning about grilling the 'best steaks I've ever grilled'. Let me hear and see your story! I know its not easy to remember to grab your camera at the grill. We did enormous T-Bones the other night and I forgot to take a picture of one of the best steaks I've ever grilled!

We also received some grate photos from Smoking Asses Team hailing from Weatherford TX. They re-surfaced their Pit with GrillGrates recently and I'm looking forward to reports of their travels. I look forward to hearing more from the Grate State of Texas!