Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Off-Topic: Seeking Grill advice

Peter - regrettably, I am still looking for a *reliable* supply of applewood chips. I buy them when I see them, in all sorts of places (hardware stores, cooking shops, closeouts at Ross or TJ Maxx, etc.).

However, I recently started to use the applewood, um, I guess you'd call it "mulch" that is designed for the Luhr Jensen Little Chief smoker. My hope is that this product will be satisfactory and will also be more widely available. It's really more like coarse sawdust than chunks. Jury is still out on that, as I'm having to tweak the proportions and method a bit.

In either case, I'm not soaking or wetting the wood product. Just put it in the foil, poke only about 4 holes in top and bottom of the pouch with the tip of a steak knife, put it on the grill (not on the flavorizers). When you start to smell the smoke (5-7 minutes?), put on the meat. It will probably give you good smoke for 10-15 minutes.

thanks for the tip

Peter, if possible we would like a comparison of the flavor of the steak done on the flavorizer bars with it done on an entry level grill.

Peter, congrats on the addition to the family! That is one sweet Q! I can just see you there cooking away - you'll look down at your son and say, "Just think, this will be your's one day son!"

Tom, I was always told to soak the wood for at LEAST an hour first. That way they will smoke longer and not burn. I may have to try it your way next time.

I'll be doing ribs Saturday. Any suggestions as to methods and/or which wood I should use. I have access to these 4 different wood chips

don't forget to try beer can chicken.

i dont know if you guys up north can get mesquite wood, but it is worth giving a try to cook your steaks over. it is the smoke of choice around here, probably cause it is soooo abundant. if you have never had mesquite smoked BBQ, i highly recommend it.

its kinda funny, when we go camping, we usually take mesquite wood for the camp fire.. well, after 2-3 days of camping with the mesquite smoke blowing over everything, all of the equipment and your clothes smell like a BBQ restaurant. i have nightmares of trying to eat me shirt every once and a while.

bigjohn

I second that.
Soaking the chips first creates more smoke and a longer burning time for the chips.
For those who use a charcoal grill, like myself, you can also use the chips to help get the fire going which is a better option than 2 cans of lighter fluid.

We've tried hickory, cedar, mesquite and maple planks/chips with jumbo shrimp, steaks, various fish filets (mostly salmon or tuna), burgers, smokies, potatoes and lobster tails.
The chips are easier to use than the planks for smoking purposes unless you are smoking with different woods for different foods. Then obviously the planks are the better option but be warned, too large a plank and it curls away from the heat such that your food may roll off.

Thanks for the link, Shawn. I like the looks of "smoker tube"!

As far as soaking the chips, I mostly grill beef over NG. And I'm inherently lazy. When I used charcoal, I soaked the chips for an extended period (usually in black beer) and threw them on the coals. I really don't need an extended smoking period, since I've only got the food on the grill for ~15 minutes anyway.

My wife likes apple better than Mesquite. 'nuff said.

You guys are making me hungry! Great thread; let's continue to share on this.

Little Steven supervised from his Exer-saucer as I grilled the flank steak yesterday evening. It turned out amazing. Seared on the outside with some crisy black edges, but deliciously pink in the center. It was soooooo goooood! (I used the flank steak marinade recipe from the cookbook that came with the grill.)

I made the mistake of lightly oiling the grill with olive oil before pre-heating, and ended up with burned oil stains all over the grill. Oh well. It really looks broken-in now.

When I gave my wife the first sliver of the steak, her face melted and she said, "This is why I eat meat." I couldn't agree more.

Speaking of flank steak, the last time we ate one it was pounded into submission into a flat and thin slab, coated with a mixture and then deep fried.
I believe the Texas term is "chicken fried steak".
Funny thing, when i was in Austin last November, we could not find a single place that sold it except for our hotel!! I doubt the Crowne Plaza Austin has the best chicken fried steak in town but after walking for an hour and asking at 4 different steak houses, we gave up.
Nonetheless, chicken fried steak is one excellent dish.