I wasn't planning on grilling anything today, but the itch got me. I've been meaning to try something that Steven Raichlen did on one the Project Smoke episodes (https://barbecuebible.com/recipe/emb...led-tortillas/): Ember-Roasted Salsa.
To get a char on the tomatoes, onion, and peppers, he puts them right on the coals, which essentially requires lump charcoal.
I've always been curious about lump charcoal so after a quick trip to HEB, I had everything I needed, including a bag of B&B Texas Oak lump charcoal. At the risk of sounding silly, my first reaction was that it really does look like wood. I also wasn't expecting the pieces to be so varied in size. There were huge, mini-logs and pieces only an inch or two across. (The smaller pieces slipped through the bottom grate of my Weber chimney.
Once I got the charcoal lit, I was struck by two things: one, wow this stuff produces ember dust like crazy! We had a little of a breeze and this stuff goes everywhere. Also -- and this was kinda cool -- the near-constant crackling. It was like a real fire, which I guess makes sense.
Next time I'll use more coals in the chimney as with all of the irregular sizes of the pieces, I ended up with less "coals" than with briquettes.
The salsa turned out good. I think the charred skins helped, if only for presentation. I did grill some tortillas (on a grate, not directly on the coals) and they turned out with a lovely subtle earthy wood flavor that is different than what I've been getting cooking with wood chunks and briquettes.
So, it was a fun experiment. I can't see myself switching to it, if only for the significant price difference between it and briquettes.
To get a char on the tomatoes, onion, and peppers, he puts them right on the coals, which essentially requires lump charcoal.
I've always been curious about lump charcoal so after a quick trip to HEB, I had everything I needed, including a bag of B&B Texas Oak lump charcoal. At the risk of sounding silly, my first reaction was that it really does look like wood. I also wasn't expecting the pieces to be so varied in size. There were huge, mini-logs and pieces only an inch or two across. (The smaller pieces slipped through the bottom grate of my Weber chimney.
Once I got the charcoal lit, I was struck by two things: one, wow this stuff produces ember dust like crazy! We had a little of a breeze and this stuff goes everywhere. Also -- and this was kinda cool -- the near-constant crackling. It was like a real fire, which I guess makes sense.
Next time I'll use more coals in the chimney as with all of the irregular sizes of the pieces, I ended up with less "coals" than with briquettes.
The salsa turned out good. I think the charred skins helped, if only for presentation. I did grill some tortillas (on a grate, not directly on the coals) and they turned out with a lovely subtle earthy wood flavor that is different than what I've been getting cooking with wood chunks and briquettes.
So, it was a fun experiment. I can't see myself switching to it, if only for the significant price difference between it and briquettes.
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