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Propane has its place.
When you want something flame-kissed and want it quick, that's what a gas grill is for. Like when you get home from church and everyone wants burgers / dogs for lunch -- gas.
(To be sure, propane should still only be used in combination with hickory or mesquite chips.)
I started grilling fish/veggies in the banana leaves from my banana trees in my backyard recently. Just cut a big leaf and peel the two sides off of the rib. WASH WELL! Place your fish on top of a couple basil/mint/dill or whatever herb leaves you desire in the center of one of the leaves. Top the fish with a little salt (I used coarse sea salt, a grind of pepper, a couple more herb leaves and a couple thin slices of lime or lemon. You can add a shot of white wine but I just drizzle a little olive oil. Carefully fold the leaf around the package and tie with butcher twine or use toothpicks. I couldn't ever get the hang of the damn toothpicks so I just basically wrapped it fairly snugly and tied it up like an old-timey x-mas package. Place the whole thing above the coals, drop the lid, and grill over medium-hot coals for about 20-25 mins or so. The leaves add their own flavor and it will be the most moist fish you've ever had! It is my favorite way to cook fish so far.
I've done some larger chunks (8-10 oz or so) of the following fish so far and all have come-out perfect: catfish, wahoo, seabass, tuna, salmon, opah, and Mahimahi. With the veggies just put whatever coarse-cut veggies you want, or asparagus, and lightly olive oil, salt, pepper. I've also wrapped whole green onions and grilled them this way and they come out awesome and sweet.
I finally found a use for those damn banana trees in my courtyard! If you don't have any your local asian market should carry them either dried or refrigerated. If you don't have an asian market or other purveyor nearby you can order them online. I highly recommend it and it's a great, healthy way to cook fish.
If this wasn't enough description for you just google a few videos and you'll get the hang of it.
“Towie Barclay of the Glen, Happy to the maids, But never to the men.”
I've never grilled on them personally, but I will say that the beauty of eating on banana leaves is the dish washing afterwards. Just toss them in the trash.
Pineterest is da debil
''Don't be a bad dagh..."
Joy did the same with a perfect brisket the other day. I had gone to bed the night before preparing it in my head only to wake up to the smell of it in the crockpot. I just smiled and said thank you. She's sort of got the trump card on me, afterall you know with the taking care of me when I get sick and all. Although, it was almost enough to make me want to risk it next time.
When people work in a certain field of expertise they tend not to practice said expertise at home...or at least that's my theory. Home is where you don't have to do the stuff that you HAVE to do for a living. If you're married to a massage therapist I bet you don't get many massages at the house. When you're married to a person that cleans houses for a living I bet they expect you to clean the house and even the hyper-educated aren't immune. I bet a CPA hates to come home to a wife with a poorly balanced checkbook, a attorney to a spouse in legal trouble (I jest), or a guy that has a landscape business that wants to come home and "do his yard". I'm an exception to that rule. I'm in food and I love; and I mean really love, to cook almost every night.
I wouldn't be doing what I do if I didn't love it...right? Man has been defined in some cultures by his drive for FOOD, MONEY, SEX, and REST. I figure I got the food part figured out...the info on the remaining three I'll just keep to myself. I will say that too much of the last driving force: REST, leads to too much of two of the first three. This can lead to very little of the first three...in the long run. Ahhh..I digress yet again. The whole point of this is that I cook, clean, prepare food, butcher ect, all day long and when I return home (after my evening jog around the neighborhood) I can't wait to start a fine dinner. It is my "Zen".
Nothing like turning on the TV, or the radio in the kitchen and pouring a glass of wine and slowly ; and I mean in my own damn sweet time, not on anybody's but my own clock/schedule, preparing a nice little meal for me and my wife. I love a fine meal of sauteed "whatever" with a side of "yep-I'll have some of that" and a fine glass of "this stuff's not 1/2 bad" while I'm watching an old war movie (like tonight's "Bridge To Remagen") or maybe John Wayne and Maureen Ohara in "The Quiet Man". Yep...I like what I do for a living and I'll do it at the house as well. What made me think about this fact this evening was that I realized that I actually pulled a large pillow into my kitchen so that my "sous chef's" could have a comfy spot to assist me in my culinary/meditary (my own made-up word for meditation-type stuff) adventures.
Anyway, I smell a little smoke from the kitchen and I need to eat and hit the "fart-sack" (a fairly descriptive term referring to a bed- coined by one of my fraternity brothers/to this day great friend-who may or may not be named Charlie-and may or not be from Plain Dealing Louisiana) fairly soon as I have another 12 hour day of "work" and then another 3 hours of so of so very similar "play" tomorrow. Night all!kitchen 003.jpg
“Towie Barclay of the Glen, Happy to the maids, But never to the men.”
Got a new grilling toy last night.
Weber Q 220
I have a Masterforge, large charcoal grill and a 22" Weber silver series kettle grill. Neither of those are convenient to transport in my Jetta or the wife's Liberty. I needed something easily transportable, but wanted something that could actually cook something more substantial than a few hotdogs.
Let me say, this thing is impressive and I can't wait to try it our tomorrow.
Seasoned the cast-iron grilling surface last night with some onions, jalapeño, serrano, and green bell peppers, and some bacon grease.
This model is rated for 12,000 BTUs. I got it up to 600 degrees last night, no problem.
I have a 26 3/4 inch Weber Kettle but its hard to use because it's so low. I was wondering if any of you guys have built a table to mount a Weber Kettle in. If you have would you mind posting the plans.
Not mine but you could build it off this pic ... it favors a Corian top:
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