Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with barbecue

Food for a rainy barbecue?

emilyw — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:19:37 -0800

What should I cook in my small kitchen for a rainy barbecue? I'm planning a BBQ at the weekend for 15-20 people, but it looks like it may rain heavily, in which case we will all be indoors. (Just to make vocabulary clear to Americans: the original plans involved cooking mainly meat products outside over charcoal embers).

I am pre-preparing some salads and sides, and marinating some veg and tofu for the vegetarians, then I had planned to go shopping on the morning of the BBQ to stock up on meat. However, if the forecast is rainy I can alter my shopping list to suit.

What can I buy/make to minimise cooking and serving effort in my small kitchen during the event? I don't have a very big grill, but I do have an oven. I can spend some of the earlier part of the day on kitchen prep, but don't want to spend the whole party holed up in there.

Another BBQ question

Ghidorah — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:02:24 -0800

Kind of a last minute request: I'm doing a bbq at my place tomorrow for my birthday, and I'm kind of stumped as to side dishes. I read about the bbq in the park question (and even commented in it), but I made potato salad at the last bbq, and it turns out these folks aren't much into potato salad (and, personally, I hate the stuff). I'm making burgers and chicken fajitas tomorrow. I'm trying to think of some cold sides to go with the grilled stuff.

Issues: I've got a 13" grill, so I can't do much on the grill aside from the burgers, the chicken, and the peppers/onions/mushrooms to go with them.

Corn would be nice, but here in Japan, it's freaking expensive. Does anyone have some suggestions for a decent side? I'll have chips and dip, some celery, things like that. Something salady would be nice, but a bit less normal would be good, too.

Oh, and, yeah, the bbq is tomorrow, so this is something I'd have to be able to throw together in the morning. As always, thanks everyone.

Country barbecue in the big city?

nayrb5 — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:52:54 -0800

Where can I find a country barbecue "in the sticks" within a reasonable driving distance of Chicago? Bonus points for live music outdoors.

Korean Grill House need not apply

TheWhiteSkull — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:58:45 -0800

Best Korean Barbeque on Bloor? I'm taking some friends out for Korean barbeque this weekend, and I'm looking for recommendations for the best grill-at-your-table places, ideally in (but not limited to) the Bloor & Christie corridor. My criteria for evaluation include not only quality and selection of meats, but quality and variety of panchan, other dishes (mandu, pajeon, etc.), atmosphere and such.

Feel the Side Burn

rouftop — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:11:25 -0800

What should I make with my grill's side burner? My uncle went in with me to buy a very nice, highly rated natural gas barbecue. It's fantastic. And it comes with this handy side burner that I can use for... umm... well, I have no clue.

What do you do with a side burner on a barbecue? What makes it better than going inside and using my stove?

Yard party in the City in the Garden without a garden?

@homer — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:21:50 -0800

Where to have a yard style party in Chicago? My friend wants to have her birthday party in a yard with a barbecue and all the alcoholic fun that goes with it. The problem is that nobody we know has a yard big enough for it. I've checked out the Chicago Park District and the Cook County Forest Preserve. There are either limits on alcohol or the areas close too early. I'm trying to spiral out to the suburbs but after a point it gets too expensive to take cabs from and to the city.

The budget for any kind of rental is probably a couple hundred. Maybe a little more. If the party could start later in the day that would be cool and the later it could run the better.

How best to "repurpose" a dead peach tree to smoking wood for the grill?

schmoppa — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:36:53 -0800

How best to "repurpose" a dead peach tree to smoking wood for the grill? I've got a mostly dead peach tree in my front yard that we need to cut down - it has a root infection of some sort of larvae which resulted in at least half of the tree dying (no leaves) and its dropping of gooey, jelly-like sap all last summer.

It's a real shame, because the year before (we did not own the house then) we were told by the mailman that the tree was so prolific, he used to pick a peach off it every day in the summer.

Anyway, I hear peach wood is good for use smoking in the grill or bbq, so I was wondering how best to cut the thing down and make usable chunks?

We'll use a chainsaw to get it down, but then what?

Roast Beast on a BBQ?

Richat — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:58:32 -0800

Barbecue question here...Can we do a sirloin roast on a gas barbecue? I am sure we can but any tips? What about drippings? Is that possible? We've barbecued many items before, but...not a roast of beef. We'd like to not heat up the house today and have a couple of smallish (3-4lbs) sirloin roasts we'd like to throw on our barbecue. Some info:
-It's not a charcoal BBQ (hangs head in BBQ shame)
-We'd like to make gravy still, if possible.

Looking forward to your answers!

Want to grill; don't want to get burned

gettingpaidforthis — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:19:10 -0800

New York--is it illegal to barbecue on my building's rooftop? I rent an apartment in a 4-story building in Brooklyn. I have roof access, plenty of room, a beautiful view, and the whole setup is basically begging me to take my Weber upstairs and get grilling.

The question is, is this legal?

I know a guy who claims to have gotten a $600 ticket for doing this, but he is usually full of shit. I've definitely BBQ'd on BK rooftops before without police interference, but is that law or luck? I don't want someone to see a small plume of smoke coming from the rooftop and call the fire department (which I realize has nothing to do with whether or not rooftop grilling is actually legal).

The surface of the roof seems to be painted silver; I don't know what the paint is covering. I would purchase a fire extinguisher and bring it with me every time.

BBQ Rubs and Sauces

netbros — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:08:38 -0800

The barbecue season is upon us (at least in the northern hemisphere), and I'm now in a place that allows outdoor grilling, but I'm a neophyte when it comes to BBQ sauces and rubs. What are your favorite excellent BBQ/grilling sauces? I want to try them all; tomato based, vinegar based, I think there are even some made with mustard. Hot and spicy is good. DIY homemade would probably be even more fun, but if you've found outstanding stuff in a bottle, that's OK too.

I think the pros say there is a difference between barbecue and grilling. See, I don't know this stuff. Apparently, BBQ is done with a closed lid and a rub, while grilling is open lid. Is that right? Do you have any great rub recipes for the smoky kind of closed lid slow cooking? Since I have a chance now, I want to try all this great outdoor cooking.

Creative ideas on how to make BBQ without the barbecue?

romakimmy — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:11:41 -0800

Creative ideas on how to make BBQ without the barbecue? Thanks to the FoodNetwork' site, I've got a hankerin' for some proper Texas BBQ Brisket, pork sammiches, etc.

Problem is, I live in a flat in the middle of Rome sans terrace, balcony and barbecue grill. Liquid smoke isn't carried by my favourite imported foodstuffs store, either.

I've made ribs before, and they weren't too bad - just lacking that extra smokey flavour.

Given the restraints, how would you put that smokey kick into your stovetop/oven baked BBQ recipes?

Where do I get my brisket on?

j-dawg — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:19:43 -0800

I'm going to be in Houston for one night. I'd happily receive any suggestions for how to spend that night in a way that won't leave me too knocked out for my presentation the next morning, but after giving the matter some thought, I think the most important question is this: Where's the best authentic Texas BBQ within a reasonable distance from the Medical Center?

As an unmuddied lake, Fred. As clear as an azure sky of deepest summer.

[expletive deleted] — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 02:08:06 -0800

Why did my garlic turn blue? I was cooking salmon on the barbecue yesterday and when it was done I noticed the garlic had turned bright blue. I looked it up and it seems that garlic in pickling solutions will sometimes turn blue. There are various explanations of this, but the most common one is that in an acidic solution, sulfur containing compounds in the garlic react with even minute amounts of copper to form copper sulfate. This is what I had assumed had happened, because I remembered hydrated copper sulfate being exactly the same colour.

There were a few other explanations of how the colour forms, but assuming that this explanation is correct, where did the copper come from? The other ingredients were soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and slices of apple on a wild sockeye fillet. I cooked it in tinfoil.

I apologize in advance for what is probably a trivial question. It's just been bothering me for a whole day now.

4th of July Barbecue in Los Angeles

kingjoeshmoe — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:09:23 -0800

Good park for a 4th of July barbecue in Los Angeles? I'm looking for a park with picnic tables, barbecues, and a nice amount of shade.

I live in the Westside, so I'd like something close to there. Hollywood area is okay too. I don't want to send people to the valley unless I have to.

Finally, if that's not enough, I'm looking for a place where the picnic tables are not grouped *super* close together, so that even if it's crowded (as I'm sure it will be), I won't be covered with people.

Any recommendations?

Save my steak!

reeddavid — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:06:59 -0800

My gas grill won't light properly. I read about the Flow Limiting Device (FLD) but the steps to reset it seem not to work. What is my problem, and how do I fix it? The propane tank is full. I experienced this problem the other day until it just worked when my dad was the one to turn it on (he's not having the same luck tonight).

Fall off the bone chicken

proj — Mon, 07 May 2007 18:43:46 -0800

How can I make fall-off-the-bone chicken? A local BBQ place has great fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs with a dry rub applied. I can't for the life of me replicate the consistency of the chicken. I've tried cooking at very high heat, I've tried slow-roasting at low heat. I get good, moist chicken, but not the kind of chicken that pulls off of the bone in big pieces and leaves you with a clean bone afterwards. This is really vexing me! Unfortunately I don't have a grill. Is it possible to replicate this in the oven?

Difference in US/UK propane tanks?

gelcap — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 08:25:21 -0800

Do US and UK propane tanks have the same size valve/nozzle-thing? I'm planning to fry a turkey this christmas in the uk. However i live in the states and i want to buy most of my equipment over here. If I buy a US propane burner and take it to England, will it attach to a UK propane tank?

Post-Halloween, Pre-thanksgiving Beach Birthday BBQ Games?

Ambrosia Voyeur — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 11:07:20 -0800

Looking for fun party game ideas for a beach barbecue this weekend. It won't be warm enough for summertime activities in SoCal, but I'm trying to think of olde-tymey outdoor or autumnal games, like bobbing for apples and a three-legged race. We'll be at a beach house, so indoor's an option too.

This group will be up for most anything fun; we're very much in touch with our inner children. For example, piñatas and red rover may be too "done" by now.

Also, does anybody have expereince with pie-eating contests?

Any good ideas for inexpensive but motivating prizes for mixed 20-30 yr olds?

Help Me Help The Yankee!

damnjezebel — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 20:47:40 -0800

Help me help a friend find good Southern-style barbecue in New York. I made the mistake of gushing about eating some really great barbecue and now I've made my little Yankee friend jealous of all the awesome barbecue places down here in the South. He lives in the Yonkers NY area and has only found two varieties: cheap and horrible or too expensive to enjoy guilt-free.

So, Hive Mind, I ask you: where can a Yankee find Southern-style barbecue in the New York area? To quote him, "I want the places where you see the smoke from the smoke pit out back raising up in the air."

cheap one off homemade bbq.

thegeezer3 — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 15:11:12 -0800

any ideas on how to make a simple one off bbq out of things fond in the house england are playing tomorow and me and my mate fancy a bit of tuck while watching the game. Problem is both of us dont have a bbq or the money to buy a real one of disposable one (yeah we are broke). Have thought of a few hacks but im sure there are more elegant ones out there...

any ideas..anyone????

BBQ chips = itchy throat?

clh — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 01:50:03 -0800

Why do BBQ-flavor potato chips make my throat itch? When I eat barbecue potato chips, of any brand, my throat feels itchy and tingly. A little irritated, but not swollen. It goes away after an hour or so, but it bothers me enough that I avoid barbecue chips. No other chip flavor or food does this to me. I have no other food allergies, but several garden-variety, hayfever-causing airborne ones. Any ideas what this is?

Veggie burgers with structural integrity!

keatsandyeats — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 13:27:56 -0800

VeggieBurgerFilter: Help me make a homemade veggie burger that wont fall to bits when I put it on the grill. There are a million recipes online, and most of them seem to work okay for frying, but whenever I've tried to put a homemade veggie patty on the grill, it's too mushy/liquidy/particulate to hold together and breaks up and falls through the slats.

Are there some key ingredients that lend the needed cohesion to a burger? I thought maybe tofu, TVP, eggs? How do the frozen commercial ones do it? Please, lend me your recipes (eggs and dairy are ok).

Best BBQ places?

taumeson — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 13:35:56 -0800

I love barbecue. Wait, that's not a question. Um. What's your favorite barbecue restaurant? I've flown here and there and I've eaten at various places, but I think I need to take my BBQ to the next level. I would even be willing to schedule a trip around a really good BBQ joint, so don't worry about where I am, just let me know what your favorites are. Suggestions?