Meet Fourie Jordaan- Recently Named New Zealand's Best Griller!

Fourie has been a grate customer for several years and we communicate regularly about his adventures.                                                                                                                                         Fourie recently won the title of Best Griller in New Zealand in a contest sponsored by the NZ Lamb & Beef Council and a local radio station.  Fourie ROCKED the contest with stuffed jalapeno burgers that he grilled on GrillGrates!  His prize is fantastic!  A trip to  Memphis in May!  Fourie and his wife are coming to America and I know the BBQ community will treat him well!   

PS- Fourie has two people on his hope to meet list:  Mike Mills and Meathead Goldwyn!  The man knows his American BBQ.  

Just a few of Fourie's Grills!

Check out Fourie's recipes on his Blog

Meet:  Fourie Jordaan JD

Your Day Job / Career:                           Computer Teacher and Financial Service Provider

Grilling is your passion, that is for sure! How did you become a master griller?

"My dad use to make drum BBQ's for people when I was still in primary school, as a South African I have always loved to BBQ. BBQ for us is not low and slow we call it a "Braai" with charcoal or hardwood we use to use "Thorn-Bush" to BBQ with. When I came to New Zealand I missed home so much that BBQ became my absolute life line and passion even more. I Buy BBQ's for $1 or more, revamp them cook on them and then sell them for very little again every holiday, therapy I call it. I really started enjoying grilling when I got my grates! Among friends and family and students I am known as the BBQ Guy "JD Hogwild" Hog Wild for BBQ! I have been grilling and BBQ'n for other people for over 30 years now, I have started young bbqen for family!"

Who do you regularly grill for?

Family, friends normally about 10 - 25 at a time, school fundraising, African days in Auckland, Birthdays for friends

What Signature Dishes Do You Grill Regularly?

Rump Steak "better than any restaurant" with pepper sauce, Chorizo Red Onion Cheese and Jalapenos Stuffed Burgers number one, Ribs, BBQ Pie my favorite number two.

Do you have GO TO Meals when you grill for a crowd?

25 - 30 rump steaks at a time for fundraisers or birthday parties, 25 stuffed burgers at a time, lots of ribs at special occasions etc.

How Many Grills do you own?   I don't want to count them up as it will upset my wife!

Congratulations Fourie!  The American BBQ Community looks forward to hosting you!

Super Bowl Game Day Grilling

For me game time grilling is out of the question and halftime is too!  Nobody wants to be at the grill unless a TV is nearby.  Pre-game grilling is where it's at for this big game day. An early evening kickoff makes an afternoon appetizer party a great way to nosh, nibble and 'pre-game' as my kids would say, before kick-off.

Grilling appetizers is fun, fast, and an easy way to mix it up with a variety of offerings. Just think of the fun serving grilled cheese sticks, pot-stickers, ravioli, quesadillas, and more to your appreciative guests!

Here are three ideas to make your Super Bowl grilling a fun and easy game day party.

1. Hit the Freezer Section at the Supermarket:

Cheese Sticks and Bread Sticks make easy appetizers right from the freezer to the grill.  Medium to low heat- you'll know when they're done.

Large Ravioli, fresh (we love Costco for these) or frozen is another easy finger-food appetizer.  Coat lightly in olive oil, grill at 400F.  Add a simple dipping sauce such as marinara or vodka sauce.  Raviolis crisp and puff-up when grilled at medium heat.

Potstickers are easy to grill with GrillGrates.  Frozen or not with little coat of oil to the grill at medium heat.  Postickers usually come with their own sauces another time saver.

2. Grill Cheese Quesadillas and Hit the Refrigerator for Salsas & Toppings:

Quesadillas on the grill and a nice platform to put salsas, sour cream, guacamole etc. 

• Two flour tortillas with a cheese mix in the center is a 5 minute grill at 400F.  
• Lightly coat with olive oil- a mister is real handy for applying the oil. 
• A couple of turns for nice grill marks and stiffness.
• Add toppings on or off the grill.  

I make a plate of cut slices for people to build their own toppings.  Grill peppers, brats and other goodies for toppings if you are looking for extended grill time.  OR- raid the refrigerator and clean out your sauces, greens and sour cream!

 

3. Throw a Pizza Party for the Super Bowl!

Use either MamaMary's par-baked crusts, make your own or buy the pre-made pizzas and grill them at 400F.  Check out dozens of grate pizza recipes on grillgrate.com.

• Pizza Grilling Tip:  At temps above 400F the bottom will burn before the toppings are hot.  The more toppings just lower the heat and the crust will stay golden brown and crispy.

What are you grilling for the Super Bowl? 

Share you pictures and recipes!

• Facebook

• SuperBowl Pinterest Board

• Recipe and Feedback link

GrillGrate, Eat Well!  Game ON!

 

Share Your Holiday Grilling Plans & Pics!

Up Load Photos to Holiday Grilling Album

I'm already excited about our holiday grilling plans! We get to spend over a week together as a family and the meal planning has been underway for quite a while. After yesterday's Costco trip, it looks like the grill will be active every day! No complaints from me!

So far the Big Day Meals are set:

• Spatch-cock Turkey on Christmas Day
• Beef Tenderloin on New Years Eve
• Pork Shoulder one day in between

We also stocked up on salmon, brats, and pizza crusts. Non-stop grilling ahead at our house! We're also going to smoke a mac 'n cheese. We've never done that on that before on the grill.

We've put together a Holiday Grilling Photo Album to share ideas and recipes. You'll see a couple of classics from Amazingribs.com, Weber, and Smoking-Meat.com. 

Please feel free to post your favorite recipes and signature holiday grill fare in this album or on our Facebook page.  We hope this interactive photo album can become a reference tool and a place to show off your grate holiday meals.  

Remember to click a couple of pics when you are at your grill during the holidays.   We love hearing from you!  And it helps us share great recipes, grilling ideas, and mouthwatering pictures.

Best wishes for a warm, wonderful and delicious holiday.  

GrillGrate, Eat Well!

What are your holiday grilling plans?  link to holiday grilling survey  

Sear Marks. It's A Matter of Taste & Style!

Dial In the Sear on Those Steaks! 

Great grill marks aka sear marks are a treat for the eyes as well as the pallet.  First feast your eyes and then your taste buds.  Dial in your sear marks from golden brown (not charred) to dark crunchy black- all the way to Pittsburgh Style.  With GrillGrates sear marks are a great indicator of cooking temp while delivering that perfectly grilled look.   The temps in the chart below are at the GrillGrate and highlight the range of grilling temps to dial in searing and the amount of char you prefer.  Remember GrillGrates are likely to be 100F higher than indicated on the hood thermometer of your grill.

• 350-400F  Roasting temps for vegetables and for longer poultry cooks such as spatch-cocked chicken
• 400-500F  Golden brown sear marks on steaks and ideal temps for most fish and poultry, and hamburgers
• 550-650F  Darker near black sear marks- This is where most of our championship buddies are cooking their steaks.  Primarily steak and tuna temps above 550F.
• 700-850F  Black and crunchy sear marks on steaks- for those who like more of a char that lingers on your pallet.  Also great for quick searing Tuna and wahoo.  Otherwise these temps will overwhelm most other foods and leave a very rare center.

This collage featuring Brett Gallaway of USA Cook Team highlights the delicious range of sear-marks and varying degrees of char on steaks. No photoshop on these pics either!

I've been wavering from a super hot and fast seared and charred method back toward golden brown sear marks with less char.  This also gives the meat more time on the grill for the magic The Malliard Reaction!  I figure I've got another 30 years of R&D to do!   

SEAR-iously GRATE Recipe WINNERS!

I've been challenged getting the latest recipe winners announced because I've been pressed to get the recipes posted on our website. So I figure while I am holed up in a hotel room in Tulsa-its no dinner until I at least get the announcement out and contact our grate winners!

Some really great recipes were submitted and most are already published on GrillGrate.com. I'll post the remaining recipes soon but its more important to thank our winners!

• Larry Byer- is a repeat winner with Tequila Lime Grilled Shrimp and Calamari. Three of Larry's recipes are now published on grillgrate.com Thanks Larry!
• 
  Shawn Beaulieu A grate customer from Canada has been prolific with his Kamado Joe even getting the Canadian Navy to put Kamado Joe's on their ships. What a morale booster. His grilled scallops recipe is a winner and highlights how easy it is to grill scallops with GrillGrates.
• Bob S- submitted GrillGrate “Poppers” and used an innovative approach by elevating his GrillGrates on an angle to make sure the poppers would not lose the stuffing while grilling thoroughly. Innovative approach Bob!
• Lorraine Hartung joins this all-star cast! Her fabulous photos have been gracing the GrillGrate Facebook page since she got her GrillGrates less than 2 weeks ago. We'll wrestle a few recipes out of Lorraine and get them on our website soon.

AND...

• 
  Andy Scalzo wins a GrillGrate T shirt for his bacon bowl. Andy could put out a cook book with his amazing culinary talents and I just had to recognize this unbelievable photo.  Andy- I need this recipe!

Thank you to these GRATE Customers!

Please choose from:

GrillGrate T Shirt

GrillGrate Panel- Any length

STUFZ- Gourmet Burger Stuffer

Share your Grate Creation to WIN and thank you for helping us build our recipe data base for our customers.

Meet GrillGrate Customer Craig Jones- Master of the Grill!

 Even though I've not met Craig and his wife Gay in person (yet), it feels like I know them well. We met a couple of years ago on the GrillGrate Facebook page. Now I follow Craig's culinary adventures!  Craig is a perfect example of a master griller. Grilling is a big part of his life and his deck is a working Weber museum!

He grills over live fire 300+ days a year. No small feat living in Kansas City- not known for mild winters. He and his wife share great recipes and dinner ideas for two. His recipes are only rivaled by his photography. It seems that a lot of grillers are also good photographers. GrillGrate Porn! It's good for you and your marriage!

Here are a few of Craig's Gratest Hits that he has shared with us to post on the grillgrate.com website:

Sausage Juicy Lucy Burgers

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Parmesan

Country Style Ribs (quick)

Boneless Pork Chops with Tomatillo Sauce

Craig is in the running to win a trip to NY and go backstage with the Food Network this fall! Vote for Craig to be on Food Network! Master of the Grill!

Number of Grills Owned: 6 Webers and 1 Kamado

Craig's Go To Grill: Weber Performer. “To me its like a gas grill... I can get it up and running quickly, and I can do ANYTHING on it. That being said right now I use the Kamado a tlo, because I am trying to learn how to cook on it... it truly is a different animal.

Craig's TIPS:

1. “Get to know your grill and use it in direct and indirect methods. Almost any recipe and cooking technique can be performed on the grill. Don't limit yourself to just the normal "grilling" and BBQ recipes. Challenge yourself to make gourmet meals on the grill. Any recipe that you can do "inside" can be converted to cook "outside"....which is a heck of a lot more fun...and of course tastes much better.”
2. Even though it's just the two of us, we grill meals for 4-6 people so that we can have great tasting lunches that we called "planned overs".
3. GrillGrates have added a new dimension to my grilling. Before I had to limit my direct grilling exposure, because the meat would dry out or burn.

Craig and his wife are the proprietors of Savory Addictions- Gourmet Smoked Nuts! I know I'll have the pleasure of grilling chilling with Craig and Gay in person, but until then I enjoy their wonderful posts and recipes! Don't forget to vote forCraig, you can vote daily.

Seariously Grate Recipes!

What do a retired funeral home director, a South African teaching high school in New Zealand, and a nutty entrepreneur from Kansas City have in common? They all have a passion for grilling; they are legitimate foodies with great recipes, and they are outstanding photographers to boot. And they use GrillGrates when they grill of course! Add it all up and it's a formula for Seariously Grate Recipes!

Fourie Joordan

Craig Jones

Andy Scalzo

 
Meet Andy Scalzo, Craig Jones, and Fourie Joordan. First, meet their grills! For the next several weeks we'll be featuring some of their gratest hits (I could not resist). Each has their own distinct grilling style and expertise which we will share in more detailed profiles in upcoming blog posts. We're publishing several of their recipes on GrillGrate.com and it has been a pleasure getting to know them.

• Fourie Joordan is a computer science teacher in New Zealand with a serious passion for BBQ. He goes under the moniker Hog Wild BBQ and his recipes, photos and videos share his passion. His Facebook page and blog is a culinary tour of South Africa grilling fare by way of New Zealand.
• Craig Jones is a computer IT guy, grill-master and entrepreneur with Savory Addictions Gourmet Nuts as well. Craig is a Weber man, but recently joined the cult of the Kamado and is a disciple of Jamie Perviance noted griller, Weber spokesman, and cook book author.
• 
  Andy Scalzo Retired Funeral Home Director from Spooner, Wisconsin. Andy is a Kamado guru, a genius with smoke and wood flavors and prolific with his camera! His work caught the attention of Kamado Joe and Andy now works with them as a social media consultant- and indie photographer.

I look forward to sharing their grate culinary creations and their passion with our customers.  If you are not already Facebook friends with Andy, Craig, and Fourie you should be. Their posts will delight you with great grilling fare and how to's.