Remembering Dad at his Grill and Me By His Side

Last week I blogged about memories of my DAD.  I talked about his passion for grilling and his gift to me of my first grill, a Weber Kettle. I remember hanging out with my Dad at the grill every time he grilled. It was our place and our time.  It still is.

We decided to grill up Dad's signature dish- London Broil marinated in Catalina Dressing. It was fabulous and the taste and flavor was just as I remembered.

Happy Father's Day Dad!  And thank you for your great grilling!

Do you have any grilling with your dad memories or recipes you'd like to share?  Post them here or on our Facebook Fan Page.  

GrillGrates: VIAGRA for the Grill!

That statement is not a Bradism, that quote comes from Sterling Ball aka Big Poppa of Big Poppa Smokers. Big Poppa Smokers is a new entrant to the BBQ world and he's coming in with gusto. The company is born from Sterling's passion for better grilling and smoking. In his videos you'll also see his other passion, which goes perfect with grilling- music. Check out what Big Poppa has to say about GrillGrate- and check out some the other cool products he's carrying too!

Update: Tips for Getting the Most out of your GrillGrates

1. Twist First, Flip Second: It only took me 30 years to learn this one! Get killer sear marks and only turn the food once. Mike Mills from 17th Street Bar & Grill showed me how the restaurants do it. Lift the food, twist (i.e.from 10:00 to 2:00) and place back down on the GrillGrates. The GrateTool makes this technique a snap. Then turn to reveal beautiful cross-hatch sear marks (this gives you the presentation side) and finish to desired doneness and remove. One twist followed by one turn.
2. Warm up Your Grill to Grilling Temperature: Avoiding high heat burn-off keeps your grill from getting too hot (700F and higher) and the possibility of a burned meal. Gas Grillers tend to heat their grills to max temp (and then get a beer) and turn their grill into a blast furnace to burn off any debris and prepare the grate. A hot grill takes a while to cool down to 450-500F. Warming up the grill to grilling temps will save a lot of fuel and you won't burn off all that wonderful seasoning on the GrillGrates. The raised rails clean-up very easily during warm-up, so there is no need to burn-off the remains of your last meal. Warm up, clean-up, Grill Grate!
3. Use Grilling Spray: GrillGrates have more surface area than regular grills. With Hard Anodized GrillGrates, use Weber Grill Spray or Pam for Grilling especially in the beginning. The sprays are built for high temps and aid in the non-stick until the GrillGrates become seasoned. Olive oil can also be used to prepare the raised rails. Over time the non-stick of the raised rails gets better and better.
   
4. Clean Hard Anodized GrillGrates as little as possible in the beginning: This will aid and speed up the seasoning process. The entire Grate will blacken except for the raised rail grilling surface. Use a grill pad or brush to wipe the rails clean. Beyond that, just keep debris out of the valleys.
5. Bring on the Marinades and Sauces because you can with GrillGrates: No more starting bonfires with marinades. You can marinate early in the grilling process. The valleys sizzle and steam the marinade back up tot he food. Enjoy the sounds of a sizzling sauce and taste the difference too. Extra marinade burns on the bottom of the GrillGrates, not of your food.
   

I have bacon envy!

Who knew that a NY times story about a well Stumbled Upon video would create a net sensation. A recipe called bacon explosion is a massive culinary masterpiece much like the Coronary ByPass Burger at the VORTEX. But the internet buzz and traffic it created is much more impressive. I have bacon envy.

I like grilling bacon (and with GrillGrates it is superb without the massive flare-ups) but I had no idea that there is a cult of bacon people. I knew this to be true when Guy Kawasaki was twittering about it way back about 19 hours ago. Then he added an Alltop page just for bacon lovers.

I thought I'd do my part and put up a gallery of grilled bacon shots for the unheralded multitudes of bacon lovers out there! I feel better getting that out of my system.

Coming Clean on the Grill

This post is dedicated to cleaning GrillGrates during abnormal and nearly continuous use. Two of my best friends never clean their GrillGrates. My buddies are part of the reason we developed the hard anodized version- they are hard on their GrillGrates and they are hard on me! You guys run your grills hard and are grilling all the time, and I do appreciate grilling and dining with you. Thank you for being my in-house testing and torture team.

Tommy Boy called me on Saturday night wanting to know where his GrillGrates were. After the last time we grilled together I went over to his house the next day and took them off his grill to see how well I could resuscitate them. Remarkably well

thank you!

UPDATE: This link is to a more recent entry about SAVORING a SEASONED GrillGrate I have come to really appreciate well seasoned GrillGrates and have learned a lot from our friends!

The GrillGrate on the left is hard anodized with silver clean rails, the GrillGrate on the right is the Gourmet GrillGrate coated with RealEase- both GrillGrates have seen months of continuous grilling.

Now that I am a student of GrillGrate care and proper preparation here is a recap of what I've learned from studying my friends grill hygiene habits.

1. Clean GrillGrates are easy- just focus on the top rail grilling surface. Clean rails give you a huge edge on the grill and a sense of culinary excellence. A clean, hot GrillGrate is ready to deliver a perfectly seared and sizzling meal. No sticking or random grill chunks please. It is ok to oil GrillGrates especially during break-in when they are new. Weber Grilling Spray is highly recommended since it is non-flammable. The Gourmet GrillGrates with the RealEase coating will not require oiling as much, and clean-up well in the sink, but we're not talking gourmet here.

2. Achieving clean GrillGrates is easy. The best time to clean GrillGrates is during grill warm-up. Use a Grill Pad or Wire Brush on the rails lightly to remove any blackened remains. The rails should come shiny clean. Dip the brush or pad in water or spray hot GrillGrates for steam cleaning. Its not as easy to clean up after the meal- its better to allow the Grates to cool and re-heat. If are grilling a three course meal, then run a wet brush or spray water over the GrillGrates and get them 80-90%. Don't over-brush- what does not come off the next time you warm-up your grill.

3. Clean GrillGrates in the sink occasionally if you feel inclined. GrillGrates will clean as much or as little as you want. DO let them blacken in on the sides and valleys- no need to clean there just keep debris out of the valleys- and DON't drive yourself crazy trying to clean these areas- its seasoning! If you want to give your GrillGrates a bath- you'll be amazed how easy the top rails release the grime and char. A brief soak and the rails come perfectly clean with a sponge or brillo. I can almost see myself in the shine. No harsh caustics, just regular dish soap. And no dishwasher. Try it every once in a while- Tom, Randy... (Update MAY 2009- I have not put my GrillGrates in the sink for months. Once they are seasoned the rails clean easily and I just keep the valleys clear of debris.) I have to admit that less is more and again you guys have shown me the way!

4. I 've learned that there are two kinds of grillers.
The hard core, year-round griller which I believe is 90% of us and the Gourmet Grillers who treat their GrillGrates like cookware. The fastidious are hard core too they just clean up after themselves better. The RealEase coating does deliver unbelievable non-stick and clean-up. Now we call them Gourmet GrillGrates but they are not for you Tom or Randy- the hard anodize are for you. Thanks for teaching me that and Tom- your GrillGrates are back on your grill nice and clean by the way. Carry on.
GrillGrate, Eat Well!

Tell me how you clean your GrillGrates- please leave a comment below. THANKS- Brad.