Hi All,
I'm new to this part of the US and also to outdoor cooking in general. I'm a physician, just finished my fifth year of post-graduate training and have moved to this area to start work and become a new home-owner. This is a second career, so I'm a bit more seasoned that most new physicians, but grilling is a brand new hobby for me.
I was very pleased to have found this website a couple of months back, when I decided that now that I actually have a yard, I'd like to finally learn to grill! Like any physician, I did my research and learned a lot prior to selecting my equipment. I am very grateful for all the knowledge available here. My sincere thanks to all involved.
I went for versatility and affordability to start with, and I'm kind of old school, so I went with charcoal; a Weber Premium 22". I follow instructions well, so I purchased a Thermapen and Smoke from Thermoworks. Then I got a little option-crazy and added on a Slow N Sear plus a drip pan.
So I took my gear on our first maiden voyage of grilling this past weekend. My wife picked us up a 2 inch dry aged ribeye from a local butcher. In an effort for full disclosure, I really wanted to fire up the grill once or twice without food, but she had to leave town unexpectedly the next day, so my first test drive came with a bit of pressure to perform.
I must say that even with my 15 years of higher education, my natural attention to detail, and ability to manage complex medical patients, my grill may have out-smarted me a tiny bit, at least in some respects.
I tried like crazy to get 12 briquets of charcoal lit in the Slow N Sear, as it was my intention to start our steak off at 225 F, but my training was not up to the task. I tried both in the Slow N Sear itself, plus in my Weber chimney starter, but it wasn't happening. I think one coal started to turn grey, but it wouldn't propagate to any of the other coals. Only once I added a bunch more coals (probably around 30 total) to the chimney starter was I able to generate enough heat to get them all going. I was hoping with careful upper and lower vent management that I'd be able to slow the burn down to stay at 225, but once I passed that mark, even after I shut down all vents entirely, my grill grate thermometer peaked at about 280. I don't think the temperature had any significantly ill effects on the steak, but given the fully closed vents and containment of lots of smoke, the meat was indeed surprisingly smokey. I didn't dislike it, but it was unexpected.
My setup shined nicely once I switched to sear mode, and I got the Weber bi-metal thermometer spun all the way back around to zero again. The searing went well, and as you can see, the internal temp came out right where I wanted. Surprisingly, I checked on the coals the next day after I had closed all the vents again and they weren't all turned to ash.
If you've made it this far, I hope you'll indulge a few of my questions. How do I start just a few briquets like the Slow N Sear recommends? Do I need parafin cubes? The newspaper I used had color print on it and didn't seem to turn to dust like regular newspaper. Was that my problem? Also, I was surprised to see that once I removed the steak and thermometers and such, that my closed vents stopped the burning at some point. Any theories as to why? Were those tiny thermometer cables holding the cover open too far? Is smoke-tasting steak a natural result of indirect cooking even if I didn't put hardwood on the Slow N Sear, or is it more a result of me needing to shut down all of the vents?
Thanks again for all the hard work in making this site, moderating this forum, and indeed putting up with this book of an introduction that I have written!
Best Wishes
DrNoob
I'm new to this part of the US and also to outdoor cooking in general. I'm a physician, just finished my fifth year of post-graduate training and have moved to this area to start work and become a new home-owner. This is a second career, so I'm a bit more seasoned that most new physicians, but grilling is a brand new hobby for me.
I was very pleased to have found this website a couple of months back, when I decided that now that I actually have a yard, I'd like to finally learn to grill! Like any physician, I did my research and learned a lot prior to selecting my equipment. I am very grateful for all the knowledge available here. My sincere thanks to all involved.
I went for versatility and affordability to start with, and I'm kind of old school, so I went with charcoal; a Weber Premium 22". I follow instructions well, so I purchased a Thermapen and Smoke from Thermoworks. Then I got a little option-crazy and added on a Slow N Sear plus a drip pan.
So I took my gear on our first maiden voyage of grilling this past weekend. My wife picked us up a 2 inch dry aged ribeye from a local butcher. In an effort for full disclosure, I really wanted to fire up the grill once or twice without food, but she had to leave town unexpectedly the next day, so my first test drive came with a bit of pressure to perform.
I must say that even with my 15 years of higher education, my natural attention to detail, and ability to manage complex medical patients, my grill may have out-smarted me a tiny bit, at least in some respects.
I tried like crazy to get 12 briquets of charcoal lit in the Slow N Sear, as it was my intention to start our steak off at 225 F, but my training was not up to the task. I tried both in the Slow N Sear itself, plus in my Weber chimney starter, but it wasn't happening. I think one coal started to turn grey, but it wouldn't propagate to any of the other coals. Only once I added a bunch more coals (probably around 30 total) to the chimney starter was I able to generate enough heat to get them all going. I was hoping with careful upper and lower vent management that I'd be able to slow the burn down to stay at 225, but once I passed that mark, even after I shut down all vents entirely, my grill grate thermometer peaked at about 280. I don't think the temperature had any significantly ill effects on the steak, but given the fully closed vents and containment of lots of smoke, the meat was indeed surprisingly smokey. I didn't dislike it, but it was unexpected.
My setup shined nicely once I switched to sear mode, and I got the Weber bi-metal thermometer spun all the way back around to zero again. The searing went well, and as you can see, the internal temp came out right where I wanted. Surprisingly, I checked on the coals the next day after I had closed all the vents again and they weren't all turned to ash.
If you've made it this far, I hope you'll indulge a few of my questions. How do I start just a few briquets like the Slow N Sear recommends? Do I need parafin cubes? The newspaper I used had color print on it and didn't seem to turn to dust like regular newspaper. Was that my problem? Also, I was surprised to see that once I removed the steak and thermometers and such, that my closed vents stopped the burning at some point. Any theories as to why? Were those tiny thermometer cables holding the cover open too far? Is smoke-tasting steak a natural result of indirect cooking even if I didn't put hardwood on the Slow N Sear, or is it more a result of me needing to shut down all of the vents?
Thanks again for all the hard work in making this site, moderating this forum, and indeed putting up with this book of an introduction that I have written!
Best Wishes
DrNoob
A little luck, artistry and maybe even a little voodoo also come into the equation at times.
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