Grill Innovations contacted me asking if I’d try out their Grill Plate. It amounts to a heavy piece of aluminum used as a deflector plate on a gas grill. Their Web site says to not to use on a charcoal grill, but I can’t see why not.

The bottom of the plate has a second piece of aluminum slightly bent into a V shape and spot welded to the top piece. The idea seems to be that the direct heat is pushed out to the side of the deflector instead of building up underneath aiding to the convection properties.

We used it for the first time to make brisket enchiladas in a pyrex dish. Then again for cheesy potatoes. I’ll probably make a corn bread in a metal pan to see how the different backing dishes perform.  So far, I really like it.  It provides very even heating.  I want to try it on my little pellet grill to see how it performs.

Frankly, my gas grill gets pretty lonely and neglected. This is a good excuse to burn a little propane. Hank Hill would be proud.

My four year old son has been seeing the many TV infomercials running on the cartoon channels for pancake puffs. “Dad we need to get some of those!” I hear it every time. Doing some quick research (thanks to Google) I learned that they are a traditional Danish snack. Having a Danish Great Grandmother, I was surprised to have never heard of them.

Aebleskivers, or pancake puffs to my son, are a cross between a donut hole and a pancake. The round balls are as fun to make as they are to eat. Traditionally, they be eaten cold as a snack with jam and/or confectioner’s sugar. They can be stuffed with jam, creme filling, pudding, etc.

The key is the aebleskiver pan. It looks like you’d use it for egg poaching and can be found in antique stores. Our cast iron Danish pan was a $10 eBay find. With a little clean up and seasoning, it was ready for action. Here’s a video showing how aebleskivers are made.

I’ve been mentioning the new Big Green Egg in my posts recently, but I’ve not done a story on it yet.  The weekend before Christmas, we visited a hardware store going out of business.  They had a new, large Egg priced as a medium, AND 30% off.  It worked out that I got a large for half price.  Merry Christmas, eh?  The hardware store was six hours away from home as we were visiting my family for Christmas in NorthWest Iowa.  We found room in the back of the Chrysler Pacifica and it made the long journey home on Christmas Eve.

Before the first cook, I wanted to build a table for the Big Green Egg to sit in.  The weekend before New Years, I went to work and build a very solid table made of red oak.  The design was inspired from many I’ve seen on the Naked Whiz site.

The Shop

Nearly Done

With the table finished, it was moved to the deck.  The Big Green Egg was placed with care.  Everything fit, and the table was square.  It was probably the best built project of significant size that I’ve done.  I added bronze electrical plates to the front and top of the table.  The top plate is for a magnetic BBQ light.  The plate on the front is for a magnetic thermometer probe transmitter.  Ideas that came from looking at tables on the Naked Whiz site.

Michael and I took some shots while it was still clean.

And one final attachment that is standard on any serious Egger’s table.

To cover the table when not in use, I purchased a $6 plastic, camo tarp.  I added snaps to the tarp and to the table.  An 8′ x 10′ tarp ended up being the perfect size.

How futuristic to be cooking with light? I recently picked up a Deni Halogen burner. The temperature range is 185 degrees up to 806 degrees through five different settings. Isn’t that about surface of the sun hot? The thought was originally to put this in a new BBQ concession trailer so I had a portable stove top if ever needed. If you don’t have it, you’ll probably need it at some point. Being the kind of guy how probably has more tools than he has purposes, it seemed like a must have. Looking at different models of burners the choices were varied as were the prices: electric coils, propane camp stoves (got one of those, too), glass covered electric, etc. The Deni was not the least expensive option by far. A tried and true electric coil could be had for under $15. The Deni cost me closer to $90. It heats up very fast and cools down quickly as well. A cooling fan prevents it from overheating and runs after you’ve turned off the burner to cool down the elements (halogen bulbs) and the cooking surface. The cool down isn’t instant, but its fairly quick.

The Deni Halogen burner will still find its way to the BBQ trailer. However, I’m now seeing opportunities for use at off site catering gigs or having an extra burner for big holiday meals here at home. Honestly, I could have gotten by with a $15, no frills electric coil. But did I mention that this thing cooks with light?

Initially, I was impressed.  Seasoned everything, prepped the turkey, and dropped it in. Immediately, it started sizzling. Smells wonderful!! After 15 minutes, the skin was starting to caramelize.  The burner wraps 360 degrees around the bottom of the cooker.  You can see it without the cooking cylinder in place: Ring of Fire.

The mesh lid does affect the crisping of the top of the bird. So far, this thing is living up to the hype.

The turkey sits in a basket which is dropped into the cooking chamber.

Wow, this thing really works. Results were much like turkeys I’ve fried. Too much sugar in my rub and brine, so the skin got dark, but it was crispy just like a deep fried turkey. Its the real deal, people. I was skeptical.

13 lb turkey done in under 90 minutes.

BONUS: We got a quart of juice from the bird for gravy.

Brined a 13 lb turkey to go into the Big Easy Oil-less Turkey Fryer from Char Broil. Instructions suggest 10 minutes per lb. But they also suggest going to 180 degrees in the breast. Eight minutes seems like a better rule of thumb to get closer to 160. Frankly, once I’m above 150 in all parts of the bird, I’m happy.

I’m using one of my Cambros to brine the bird. Put it up on end so that the lid is on top. Placed the bird inside of two trash bags and added ice to the top. Looks like you can get 2-3 birds in there.

Brine Recipe
2 C Soy Sauce
2 C Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 C Worchestershire
2 C Brown Sugar
2 C Kosher Salt
2 Gal Water

Using hot water or boiling your brine will help dissolve the sugars. You wouldn’t need to add all of the water right away. Just enough to get the sugar dissolved. Of course be sure to cool it down prior placing the bird in the solution.

The final step was coating the bird in our Plowboys BBQ Yardbird rub and olive oil.  As it turned out, the sugar and paprika in the rub burned under the high heat.  Almost all commercial bbq rubs are going to have too much sugar.  This is why the cajun seasonings work so well for fried turkey.

I’ll post the results later.

I was one of the lucky folks to get one of the new Big Easy’s from Char Broil. Just arrived today and pulled it out of the box. Now, I’ve not used it yet or read the materials, which are sitting right here. The proof will be in the final product. We’ll get a turkey ready to cook on Saturday.

Though I think this could be an easy and safe way to cook a turkey, there seems to be a bit of marketing hype here, too. I wouldn’t call it a fryer. At first glance, it seems to be a gas oven. The heat source is a propane burner ring that wraps 360 degrees around the bottom of the unit. I’m not sure where the term “infrared” comes from. The turkey sits inside of an aluminum bucket, so to speak. The burner heats the bucket from the perimeter of the base. This is purely an indirect cooking method. The unit has an igniter on board as well as a thermostat of sorts.

The unit really has me curious. Will post results on Saturday along with other detailed pictures.

While at my favorite, local cutlery shop, I wanted to find something to keep my bamboo boards in working order. In the wood cutting boards section, I found Boos Mystery Oil. Boos is a fine maker of wood cutting boards and butcher blocks. If its good enough for Boos boards, it should be fine for my $20 Target bamboo special.

What’s the mystery with Mystery Oil? Apparently, its a secret blend of tung oil, mineral oil, and linseed oil. Recommended use is every 4-6 weeks, but I reach for Mystery Oil everytime I see my boards looking a bit dry or cut. It reconditions very well. You can see in the following picture the before and after of two different bamboo boards. The unconditioned board, is dull. The conditioned board is glossy and the cuts have swelled and diminished some.

To apply, liberally cover the board in oil. Let it set for a couple of minutes to penetrate the wood fibers. Then wipe off. Dispose of the rags or paper towels used in the process.

Last year my family bought our first camper. We used it a dozen times last year and four times already this year. The next four weekends will be spent in the camper. Sometimes its for a BBQ contest. Otherwise, we are getting away as a family. You could say that we instantly got the outdoor and camping bug.

For those cool evenings, I’ve been wanting a firepit that we could take with us. They are a minimum of $70 when I’ve seen them in stores and go up from there. I recently came up with my own portable firepit from something I already had… my Weber Kettle grill.

A friend calls this the Plowboy Firepit since our BBQ team name is Pork Pullin Plowboys. After enjoying a fire with us, he found an old kettle on CraigsList for free just for the purpose of having a firepit of his own.

Just remove the legs, grate, and lid. Simply start a bed of charcoal, then add wood. Instant bed of hot coals and you’ve got an evening of warmth, romantic nostalgia, and MARSHMELLOWS! The only thing you have to do from here is decide if you like your marshmellows toasted or burnt. Camp on!