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Random HB Lessons Learned

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    Random HB Lessons Learned

    Hi folks! Not getting a chance to stop by as much as I’d like here lately due to life stuff (all of the good variety), but I’ve got a quiet morning on the porch with the pup sleeping under my feet and wanted to so I thought I’d make a contribution to the community.

    I’ve had my Hasty Bake Gourmet for a couple of months now, and wanted to start a thread where we could share things that we’ve learned as we go. It’s a pretty unique cooker (compared to anything else I’ve used anyway) so I thought something like a quick-post base of knowledge may be beneficial to others who are learning as they go on this baby. 😊

    #2
    Direct cooking - definitely had to get used to lid DOWN cooking. With the fold up design of the Gourmet lid along with the hood, there’s nowhere for smoke to escape to except right in my face lol.

    If I try to leave the lid up and stand in front of the HB while I’m cooking burgers, brats, dogs, etc the smoke has my eyes watering nearly nonstop... I have a fan blowing across the front face of the cooker and that helps a bit, but it’s still pretty bad.

    I’ve found that if I leave the lid down, open it and let the smoke in the chamber billow out for a couple seconds THEN do what I need to do (flip, turn, rotate) and close it back up, it makes for a much less crybaby cook. 😊

    Comment


      #3
      The "warming rack" is a bit of a misnomer. Due to the design of the hood, it’s been my experience that food cooks nearly as effectively on that rack as it does on the main grill surface due to the hood reflecting heat back down onto whatever you have up there.

      The warming rack is great for cooking gobs of food at a time, but Pitmaster beware - that’s what you’re going to be doing up there, COOKING, NOT holding something at warm while you finish up something on the main grilling surface.

      For example, if you’re cooking chicken breasts... smaller ones finish quicker than the larger ones... and you decide to relocate the little guys up top while the big guys finish up down below? Well! The little guys up top turn into Sahara Chicken (meaning dry as the desert lol) in a double quick hurry. 😳

      Ask me how I know... LOL

      Comment


      • ecowper
        ecowper commented
        Editing a comment
        If I have a lot going on the main grates, I put sausages on the top grate and cook them there. Works really well, actually.

      • tiewunon
        tiewunon commented
        Editing a comment
        ecowper that is a Conecuh hot spot on mine.

      • gdsim1
        gdsim1 commented
        Editing a comment
        +1 on your comment ecowper, and this comes in very handy when cooking for a crowd.

      #4
      I got rid of the grease trap system early on. It’s not that effective at carrying off grease, and I had several flare ups in it. Instead I have an aluminum pan on the indirect side to capture grease and (if needed) to hold water for steam and temp control. On the direct side I use grill grates, which are much more effective at controlling grease anyhow.

      Comment


      • gdsim1
        gdsim1 commented
        Editing a comment
        Same ecowper, and you warned me about this when I made my purchase. The grease catching system is the only thing I’ve discovered about the HB so far that made me go "Well, THATS a disappointment."

      • ecowper
        ecowper commented
        Editing a comment
        gdsim1 It’s a great idea that doesn’t work out nearly as well as I would have hoped.

      #5
      Nickel accessory reviews so far (Gourmet model). All were purchased at the HB website.

      - Fold down front table: godsend. The extra workspace comes in super handy, and the grill cover still fits just fine (if just a wee bit snug) when folded down.

      - Full size side table: again, the extra workspace comes in very handy. It does fully cover the maneuvering handle, so if you expect to be moving the grill around a lot that could be a pain in the keester. The sharp edges have me slightly concerned where the cover is concerned... snug fit, and it makes a slight tearing sound as the cover is pulled over. No damage to the cover that I can see, but worth mentioning, if only to save others the pucker factor I experienced (the HB covers, like HB anything, are not cheap).

      - Speaking of the grill cover... awesome. Super snug fit, and stays in place beautifully. We’ve had some pretty good winds this summer, and the cover hasn’t moved an inch much less blown off in any of them. Waterproofing is excellent; take the cover off directly after rain and the grill is dry as a bone. Zero fading to boot! As I mentioned above they’re pricey, but worth every penny given the quality of the product and the price tag of the grill you’re protecting with it.

      - Grill Grates accessory: just got this two weeks ago, but so far extremely pleased with the purchase. Some of the best steaks I’ve ever cooked came off the Hasty Bake using these. We’ve all heard plenty about them, but I can report that it’s not just hype!

      - Grill Grates (brand) griddle: I picked this up mostly for the advertised fast defrosting (I’m notorious for forgetting to pull meat out of the freezer before leaving for work in the morning), and can report that it does a really great job at that. Made from aluminum, it dissipates the cold (and thereby defrosts meat) really quickly and effectively. I haven’t cooked on it, and after purchasing just one I probably won’t - they’re pretty narrow, and when I imagine trying to cook on it it just seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

      - Rotisserie attachment: BIG warning here! The motor on this baby is DEAD SILENT! So much so that the one time I tried using it, I spent a half hour troubleshooting everything outside the cooking chamber (outlet, extension cord, etc) trying to figure out why it wasn’t working... only to finally lift the lid and realize it had been working the whole time, it just runs THAT quietly! 😳 The cook wound up being a bit of a disasterpiece, but I attribute that to my extremely limited experience with that style of cooking, not the equipment. One more important note - you’ll have to purchase a counterweight for the skewer bar to keep it turning smoothly, as the rotisserie does not come with one when purchased from Hasty Bake.

      Comment


      • 70monte
        70monte commented
        Editing a comment
        I have most of those accessories for my Legacy except for the grill grates and full size side table. I have the smaller side table. I can just use the grill grates off of my PK 360. I also have the HB griddle and basting pan. I like the griddle and have never used the basting pan in the over two years I've had it. I also bought the extra baskets for the rotisserie which I've not used them yet. HB does have some nice accessories to compliment their grills.

      #6
      @gdsim on the grill grates front .... I have two sets of them, so I can cover the entire cook space. If I flip them over to the flat side, I get a HB wide griddle. It’s awesome. I make French Toast, eggs, breakfast sausages, etc.

      I love the side table and front table ..... although I have the older front table that doesn’t fold down. I also have the older cover, have had it for about 10 years now and still works great.

      One thing I learned is that the pop rivets that hold the hinges together will eventually break. At generally the worst possible time. I was cooking tri-tip when mine broke. Easy enough to repair if you are a DIY’er. I snagged my pop rivet gun and fixed it once the HB had cooled off after the cook.

      Couple pics of French Toast on the grill grates .... I use an IR therm to make sure my griddle temp is 450-500.

      Click image for larger version

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      Comment


      • gdsim1
        gdsim1 commented
        Editing a comment
        Finally, ecowper mentioned the IR gun. I picked one up also, and it’s awesome for dialing the surface temp of the grill grates right in where you want it. 👍

      • ecowper
        ecowper commented
        Editing a comment
        gdsim1 I have a couple cast iron skillets that I use for eggs

      • 70monte
        70monte commented
        Editing a comment
        Looks like you are enjoying your HB. I bought the fold down front table for my Legacy but quit using it because I was afraid it was going to rip my expensive HB cover. To be honest, I don't really like the front tables because it gets in the way when I'm cooking. I have a SS rolling cart that I use to put stuff on that works better.

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