"Come to Homer's BBBQ. The extra B is

May 9, 2006 7:17 AM

After a tree fell on my old gas grill 2 years ago I finally got a new one last night. I'm looking for your favorite recipes, techniques, how-to's for a gas grill....

I am a tad partial to non-meat items but I am just starting to eat some free range chicken (and I do cook for my omnivore boyfriend alot). I love to cook (really just learning) but I am a bit of a barbeque noob- I'm just hearing about the whole direct/indirect thing so feel free to assume i know nothing!

posted by beccaj to food & drink (13 comments total)

Here is a great-tasting recipe for grilled tuna steak with arugula stuffing.
posted by amber_dale at 7:21 AM on May 9, 2006

If you're thinking about getting a book, I recommend The Cook's Illustrated Guide to Grilling and Barbecure. A little bit of research in a weighy tome like that will make you feel like a master. Although it's mostly meat-oriented it does also have PLENTY of information on grilling various vegetables.

My dad is one of those "Lord and Master of the Grill" guys and he never let me anywhere near it. So I started reading that book with no experience or knowledge whatsoever. After a few days of experimentation I felt like Bobby friggin' Flay in the backyard.
posted by bcwinters at 7:30 AM on May 9, 2006

When it comes to barbecue I'm a big fan of Steven Raichlen. He's got a great cooking show on PBS called BBQ University. For the beginner his book How to Grill is excellent.
posted by mister e at 7:33 AM on May 9, 2006

Non-meat? How about pizza? You can buy frozen pizza dough at most supermarkets if you don't want to make it completely from scratch. Roll it out on a counter top or pizza pan, then transfer the dough directly on the grill (no sheet required), add sauce and toppings. Keep the heat low-medium; cooks beautifully.

Corn on the cob's great too. Either in the husk or wrapped in foil. Just keep turning them, medium heat, probably about 12-15 minutes total I find gets them just right for me.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 7:51 AM on May 9, 2006

Makes it nice if you have the type of grill where you can use burners on just one side (front to back is a bit of a pain...). With this you can sear on the hot side, then finish on the unlit side, as you would with an oven (this is your "Direct/indirect' cooking...) Even better if you have a two piece grill; makes it easier to smoke; allowing you to add chips without moving your meal. People say you can't do a decent job smoking with a gas grill, but I've yet to taste a better turkey than the ones we brine and smoke every year for Thanksgiving.
Invest $20 in one of these. Great for indoors and out.
posted by JABof72 at 8:09 AM on May 9, 2006

the Tuna looks great- I love argula...

Pizza? I never thought of it but my market always has fresh dough for sale... excited to try with fresh tomatoes and some fresh herbs...

bcwinters- I'm going to order that book when I get home. I love Cook's Illustrated and America's test Kitchen - I live and die by the the America's test kitchen family recipe cookbook I got last year - and DVR all the shows...


which brings me to mister e-- Yesterday I set my DVR to record his shows.. I saw it once where he made this incredible corn on the cob that i now make often-- i never knew before how great putting them right on the grill was.

And JABof 72.. funny I got one of those this year-- I love it!

Thanks everybody so far for taking the time... I am hoping to get more too
posted by beccaj at 8:52 AM on May 9, 2006

A favourite of ours is as follows (it's a really simple recipe):

1) Coat the non-shiny side of some aluminum foil with butter or margarine.
2) Slice some vegetables thinly (carrots, onions, potatos, etc).
3) Place vegetables on greased foil. Add salt and pepper and other spices to taste. (Paprika on potatos is excellent)
4) Fold up foil to create a sealed "packet".
5) Grill on medium-high with the lid down for about 15-20 minutes, turning a couple of times.

Most recipes for grilling vegetables require you to cut them into huge chunks, so they don't fall through the grill. The tin foil lets you use smaller bits of vegetables, and they come out tasting awesome.
posted by gwenzel at 9:32 AM on May 9, 2006

Whoops - in step 1, make that the shiny side. The non-shiny side faces out, the shiny side faces in.
posted by gwenzel at 9:34 AM on May 9, 2006

I do what gwenzel suggested all the time with (sliced/chopped) onions. Use a foil packet and a bit of olive oil. Delicious on, well, just about anything.

Also, some grocery stores have tiny baby potatoes (we get baby dutch ones at Trader Joe's). Boil them for 10 minutes or so, then, put them in a foil packet with olive oil, salt, pepper, and spices/herbs. (I use fresh rosemary). Grill for 10-15 minutes or so.
posted by JMOZ at 9:57 AM on May 9, 2006

I just made some wonderful squash kebabs, and they are the simplest things in the world.

I took butternut, buttercup, acorn, and banana squashes, removed the outer skin, dice them into 3/4" cubes, skewered them (metal skewers work better for this), brushed them with olive oil, and then grilled them. Brush them again with olice oil during the grilling a couple times. Don't overcook, but do let them brown nicely.
posted by Kickstart70 at 10:12 AM on May 9, 2006

May I suggest that you, as a new grill owner, invest in appropriate fire control devices for your grill area? And learn to turn off your grill by cutting off the gas supply at the bottle, to depressurize the regulator and rubber hoses connecting your bottle to your burners (makes the hoses last a lot longer, and keeps gas leaks from happening). Finally, frequently check your drip can/pan for leaks and overflow, especially if you see drips on your patio or gas bottle. Nothing ruins a day like a runaway grill fire or gas explosion.

As for stuff to cook, butternut and acorn squash, cut in half, basted with a little oil, pepper and salt, grilled cut side down over a low burner, are great. Shish kebabs are a versatile grill staple for serving everyone from vegans to carnivores in the same social setting.

On preview, what Kickstart70 said.
posted by paulsc at 10:20 AM on May 9, 2006

I grilll whatever meat I have sort of caveman style, but the things that I like on the side are

- peppers, green, red, yellow. core, cut into fat slices, drizzle in olive oil and salt, grill 'til almost black.
- green beans. good to have a basket for these, but the same oil and salt routine, tasty!
- asparagus tastes good grilled, according to people who like asparagus, same with portobello mushrooms.
- bread. get a long baguette of some sort, slice, brush sides with butter/olive oil mixture [add garglic and/or red pepper flakes to the mixture] and grill on low on both sides, amazing grilltoast!
- corn. We basically soak the ears in water, remove the silk and a lot of the inner husk then wrap it back up in the outer husk and put on the grill.
- potatoes. brush with olive oil, put on grill for the duration of how long you are cooking anything else

In short, you can't go wrong with butter/oil and some salt and some grilling, at least that's what my experiements show.
posted by jessamyn at 11:42 AM on May 9, 2006

Anything in this book is good. :-D
posted by drstein at 2:28 PM on May 9, 2006