Hi jon,
I have been watching america's test kitchen stuff and think I will try what
they have shown. I do want something large though. About your grille glad to
here it all is clean. I usually know my tank is empty when it stops cooking
lol. I really should look for something accessible to put on the tank.
-----Original Message-----
From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On
Behalf Of Jonathan Rawlings
Sent: Tuesday, August 7, 2018 1:36 PM
To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: Regarding electric smokers...Rob, are you reading
this?
Hi Mike:
I had a buddy stop by last week to take a look at my grill. He helped
me figure out a couple of things I did not know. First, the knob on the
left of the front of the grill cntrols a burner on the left side which I
didn't even know was there. I don't mean a burner under the grates, but a
burner like you would place a saucepan. That burner was under what I
thought was nothing more than a little work table attatched to the side of
the grill. The other thing I learned was that my grill has two burners, but
the knob on the right ignites them both. My friend also thinks that the
tank is running low, but I need a way to varify that before I take it in for
a refill. As far as he could tell, all the gas lines and so on were clean
and well-maintained. It's too bad getting charcoal where you live is so
prohibitively expensive. I tend to agree with Rob that using hardwood
charcoal delivers a level of flavor and intensity that can't be had any
other way.
But, we use what we can and what we have access to.
Jon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike and Jenna" <schwaltze@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2018 10:02 AM
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: Regarding electric smokers...Rob, are you reading
this?
Jon,make teriyaki burgers.
Check under the grates and see if there is a piece that spreads out
the flames. One some put mine together it was not installed and it
didn't get very hot and only hot in one spot. Also I buy one bag of
charcoal a year and spread in my gas grille which also seams to help.
If you can get something that is slow burning to put in their it will
be even better. Now that we bought a house I can find something better
that I can use in it.
-----Original Message-----
From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Jonathan Rawlings
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2018 3:27 PM
To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: Regarding electric smokers...Rob, are you
reading this?
Speaking of gas grills, a family we know, that just moved to Kentuckey
this week, gave us their gas grill last Saturday. I have cooked on it
twice, and both times, I have struggled to get the thing hot enough to
use. When I used it on Sunday to grill some chicken breasts for
wraps, it took me a good
45 minutes to get it hot enough to give the chicken a good sear. I
don't know if I was doing something wrong, or if the breeze kept
blowing out the flame. Yesterday, it took even longer to get it hot
enough to grill up a few burgers and a few slices of fresh pineapple to
I
haven't had a chance to really take a look at it yet, and the guy who
gave it to me didn't give me any details. It has two burners, and
little tables that stick out on either side. The entire thing is on
wheels and can be moved around easily. The main problem I have found
so far with it is that the lid does not stand up right on its own. It
wants to fall back, and I'm afraid the thing will snap off its other
hinge. I'll have to back it up against one of the block walls outside
so the lid has something to lean against. I don't know if it has a
smoke chamber or not, so I guess I need to peak under the grates and
see what there is. I would love a way to add smoke to the grilling
experience on it, but the bigger issue is getting it hot enough. I
love charcoal and still believe it's the ultimate in heat and flavor,
but it is kind of nice to have a gas grill there when all I want is a
burger or a hot dog or a couple of chicken breasts to make something
else.
If you have any tips or suggestions for learning to use this thing,
I'm definitely listening.
Jon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob" <captinlogic@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2018 10:57 AM
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: Regarding electric smokers...Rob, are you
reading this?
That's exactly it, you're trading convenience for flavor. It's why i only
use a gas grill when it's too damn cold out to make charcoal cooking
feasible. Got any idea how hard it is to make a decen cooking fire when
it's
0 degrees out? I have a little propane grill that has a plate for wood
chips
that I use at those times. Not the greatest grilled food in the world, but
in the middle of a Minnesota winter, it's the best I can do. I could make
the grill work but I'd need way too much charcoal, just to cook a couple
of
steaks.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Rawlings" <twosocks76@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2018 10:47:11 -0700
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: Regarding electric smokers...Rob, are you
reading
this?
Hi Rob:
i expected a dim review of electric smokers in general. Some
good friends of ours that used to live here had one of those Treger
grills where the fuel pellots were fed into the fire automatically.
The food wasn't bad, it just wasn't all that great or remarkable. At
first, I blamed the guy's bad cooking and lack of seasoning, but now,
I wonder if there was more going on. They had us for dinner many
times, and not once was I super impressed.
When I fire up the grill or smoker, what I'm going for is plenty of
seasoning, and lots of smoky flavor. If you're going to skimp on the
smoke flavor, there's not much point of even owning a grill or smoker,
in my humble opinion. I can't exactly say why, but my gut says that
if you buy one of these electric models for the sake of convenience,
you're probably sacrificing flavor and quality. Maybe it's just that
I have used my smoker with it's tedious maintanance of the charcoal,
and can't imagine anything being created that could possibly top the
food that landed on my table.
Jon
