Grilled Cheese

[STEbbq]

I have been making grilled cheese sandwiches on the stove for probably over 30 years now. It was one of the first things I learned to cook along with scrambled eggs and toast. Needless to say, I like my grilled cheeses and even my 12-year old daughter makes her own now.

I have yet to do one on the BBQ. I mean I could, but making a grilled cheese is less than 10 minutes so the time to effort ratio is massively skewed.

So, the only way I can justify making grilled cheeses on the grill is to do like 6-8 at a time. I do feel like a kiss of smoke to my perfected grilled cheese technique could be a fun improvement.

Then, the problem becomes how do I reheat the leftovers with minimal effort to restore them to their grilled cheese greatness? 30 seconds a slide in the pan? Anything complicated seems to run afoul of the grilled cheese simplicity and anything more than a few minutes work means I might as well make one fresh. I realize an air fryer might work here but I got rid of mine after basically not using it for years.

I also realize that I could do 1-2 grilled cheeses alongside whatever I am cooking on the grill, but brisket and grilled cheese or burgers and grilled cheese just means that the grilled cheese has lost its place as the star of the show. That feels wrong.

I have to think we have fellow grilled cheese connoisseurs here that understand this critical issue.

And before anyone suggests it: grilled cheese sandwiches can only be bread, butter, and cheese. I am aware of people using mayo but I like my salted butter. If we add meat, the sandwich becomes a melt so I am not making grilled cheese and slapping a burger in the middle.

[RonB]

When I reheat bread to get it hot and crisp, I heat in the microwave at a low setting until it's just warm. Then I put it in a hot toaster over for 2 - 3 minutes watching to make sure it doesn't get too brown. I'm thinking that cheese won't make much of a difference.

BTW, I really enjoy an NYGC, (New York grilled cheese - Swiss on rye), every once in a while.

[STEbbq]

No toaster oven but makes me wonder if reheating a few in the oven at like 400 for a few minutes might do the trick.

And yes, part of the fun with the grilled cheese is mixing up the bread and cheese. I love taking slices of my wife’s homemade bread and making one.

[RonB]

I'm sure using the oven will work, but adding the microwave step insures that the interior gets hot too.

And yes, homemade bread takes it up a notch or three.

[Mosca]

I’ve been thinking about similar, but more general. Your problem is specifically about grilled cheese sandwiches on a grill; but generally, it is about adapting different tools to cook certain foods. This came into my mind when people in the griddle groups on FB were complaining about all the griddle cooks being burgers, stir frys, breakfasts, etc.

If I were to inventory my ways of cooking food, I would have: charcoal grill, smoker (BGE), gas griddle, microwave, air fryer, pressure cooker, sous vide circulator, oven, stovetop, and slow cooker. And within those, there are various methods for each; for example, I can bake a casserole in the oven, or I can braise a roast in there. I can fry a burger on the stove, or make soup.

So we have incredible flexibility. In fact, because I think it’s fair to say that we have more flexibility than we have time to use it, for practical purposes we have infinite flexibility. But what do we do with it?

Some foods respond equally well to different methods. A brisket can be smoked, or braised. A burger can be griddled, or grilled, or braised in sauce for Salisbury steak. Vegetables can be grilled, baked, braised, microwaved, steamed on the stove top, etc. But you don’t microwave burgers. You don’t grill eggs. You don’t boil ribs.

It comes down to optimizing the cooker to the food, and the way you want it to taste and feel and appear on the plate. And some foods are cooked the way they are because that’s the way they taste best, feel best, and look best.

To get to your specific problem, I think that you have it framed exactly right. You could grill some grilled cheeses, but why? Within the infinite variations on ways to cook grilled cheese sandwiches, it is far, far up the ladder from pressure cooking them in an Instant Pot, but enough below griddling them or skillet-frying them to question if the smoky touch is worth it.

My suggestion is: do it once. For one or two sandwiches. I mean, why not? It’ll be fun! You can photo them up and post them in SUWYC, they’ll probably taste great, you were probably never going to make it a habit anyhow because the grilled cheeses you were already making were great. So you blew a couple pounds of charcoal and half an hour of smoke. Big deal. You’ll get a nice story, some experience, and who knows, maybe they’ll be good enough to be worth the trouble. Or not, but at least you’ll know for sure.

[STEbbq]

Now I am thinking about it, it seems like the PK300 is designed perfectly for grilled cheese with the heat source so close to the grates. Much more grilled cheese worthy than other designs.

[Mosca]

STEbbq of course you know the real answer is to get a griddle. MCS solves everything.

[STEbbq]

As I mentioned below, I have one of those cast iron ones (still new in box actually) that I would use because the flipping them on the grill grates would quickly create a disaster. I don’t feel bad about the in box thing because my wife bought it so there.

I’d also lose the smoke and flame part which is the whole attraction.

[DaveD]

For me, there's no way to resurrect leftover grilled cheese. That greatness will never be reclaimed. Make what ya can eat IMO...

[STEbbq]

You know my struggle all too well Dave.

[Donw]

As someone who is on the record here, and with my family, that my last meal request is a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of split pea soup I really am struggling to come to grips with this notion that there even exists such a thing as a leftover grilled cheese sandwich, much less ones that are not eaten directly after cooking.

[STEbbq]

You know, I think the grilled cheese as a last meal idea is really good. But then I realized, well, someone else has to make it potentially, which is a MAJOR issue. I know what I am training my daughter for now.

[STEbbq]

I hear you on the leftovers. All grilled cheeses must be consumed immediately. I mean, it is a natural law, which is why I have yet to attempt to make them on the grill. But maybe since Mosca wants pics I have to do them to make him happy.

[DavidNorcross]

Sounds like a griddle is not in your mix. I cook all of my grill cheese on the griddle. But I really guess this does not apply to your situation.

[STEbbq]

I have one of those cast iron ones that I can lay on top of the grill. I will probably use that or flipping the grilled cheeses will quickly be a disaster.

[STEbbq]

Besides, if I do it on the griddle, I lose the smoke and flame aspect that is the whole attraction.

[DaveD]

I have yet to do one on the BBQ. I mean I could, but making a grilled cheese is less than 10 minutes so the time to effort ratio is massively skewed.

So, the only way I can justify making grilled cheeses on the grill is to do like 6-8 at a time. I do feel like a kiss of smoke to my perfected grilled cheese technique could be a fun improvement.

I would humbly submit that your premise here needs revisiting. "Justify" when it comes to going the extra mile for an experiment to determine whether that kiss of smoke can bring your grilled cheese to new levels just does not compute. Artistry needs no justification other than its own existence. Efficiency be damned! Fire up that cooker for just one or two sandwiches and do this thing properly. If you determine it's not detectable, then you know you don't have to do it again.

Every breakthrough is worth the extra effort! You can do this! For SCIENCE.

[STEbbq]

Love it. FOR SCIENCE needs to be our motto around here.

[mrichie1229]

And the LOVE OF FOOD!

[Red Man]

Have you thought about using smoked cheese to add a smoky flavor or are you looking more for a flame grilled flavor?

[STEbbq]

Buying a pre-smoked cheese? Not bad idea at all.

I think it is a bit of both in terms of smoke and flame grilled.

[Red Man]

Sure, buy pre smoked or smoke your own. My grocery store has some pretty good smoked Wisconsin cheddar. It’s not cheap though.

[STEbbq]

I found a double smoked cheddar cheese at Aldi so I am going to see if I can grab that for this SCIENCE experiment DaveD

[RiverJeff]

Batter them up and deep fry all day long!

[STEbbq]

I have never had one deep fried but I guess it would be closer to a cheese curd at that point.

[RiverJeff]

We would go to this restaurant as a child you would seat at a booth and order from phone hanging on the wall at the table, They had want was called Cheese Frenchie and another call Cheese Frenchie with ham. They where deep fried grilled cheese. Restaurant was call "Kings Café".

[kizeroy]

I've always wanted to try this version, but so far I haven't ventured that way.

https://youtu.be/RllWJUvrxEY

[STEbbq]

I mean it is a grilled grilled cheese but that seems like a lot of unnecessary steps.

[Polarbear777]

Best grilled cheese I ever made was at 500F indirect. Basically air frying heavily buttered sourdough bread then putting the cheese in and letting it melt.

never had leftovers but I’d probably use the air fryer to reheat (drip pan necessary) or toaster oven on max.

But I usually make them in a CI pan because I’m not setting up a 500 indirect cook just for grilled cheese. As long as there’s enough salted butter we are in business.

[STEbbq]

500 seems really high as I never do more than medium heat on the stovetop. I usually end up with a nice dark shade of brown versus black on the bread. But I am with you on tons of salted butter!

[Polarbear777]

500F air is much lower energy influx than 300F pan conduction.

[STEbbq]

BTW, good to see you posting regularly again!

[barelfly]

I just don’t know if grilled cheese reheated would be good??? Maybe it would, as I’ve Never tried it that way….there’s lots of ways to get it back to basically straight from the griddle.

but looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

oh…and grilled cheese with green chile if you can because it’s dyn-o-mite!!!!!!

[STEbbq]

That sounds like a great melt with the chile, but it is not grilled cheese! 🤣

[barelfly]

STEbbq come on! In New Mexico almost everything has green chile on it! It would be grilled cheese! I’ll make one soon just to prove it! 😂

[Bad Hat BBQ]

Smoked grilled cheese "sammich" is to be made and eaten while you are patiently waiting for your ribs to get done!

[STEbbq]

Another good idea. Avoids the whole grilled cheese competing with the “stars”.

[texastweeter]

Try adding pickles...is that still a melt? I do butter on outside, mayo inside, American and sharp cheddar, with bacon and pickles. Dont knock it till you try it.

[STEbbq]

MELT! MELT! MELT!

[DavidNorcross]

Cook mine the same way. Fantastic!

[STEbbq]

My grilled cheese cook on the PK300 was somewhat anticlimactic. It turned out excellent and the double smoked cheese plus “griddle” (I used the Akorn diffuser) was yummy. Not much different than the usual stove and frying pan combo though. However, it is quick and easy enough to throw some on when making burgers that I will do it more frequently. Burgers are the perfect combo because they are not super special like pastrami and also done at roughly the same temps and process.