Barecue - Art versus sience

[Bobby Slack]

I grew up like everybody around the grill, my experience is different because my teachers were waaaaaaay South ... Argentina.

I used a Webber for years and one day the limitations of space on the webber forced me to use my outdoor fireplace as a grill and then is when I discovered the taste difference between a webber and a brick grill.

So my neighbor decided to challenge me and I called this contest "it is just a formality".

Here are some pictures, I tried to use my grill as a grill and a smoker at the same time, the Argentinean ... GAUCHO ... way of grilling is a mix of smoking and grilling and of course, I beat the crap of the webber.

Recepe ... on the grill I placed a bed of rosemary, then, I put the chicken on top, then cosher salt, lemon, more rosemary and a lid ... six hours later I delivered the chicken.

I have my insecurity woodworking but NEVER when I am in front of the grill.

Yes I am cocky ... and proud of it.

[thewoodwhisperer]

OH you are the man Bobby! You are so right about brick. I notice a huge difference in things like wood-fired and brick oven pizzas. Amazing flavor. And as a big fan of barbecue and smoking, I understand what you mean about that as well. Looks like you made some killer grub there!

[Bobby Slack]

Marc. the brick helps to radiate heat. Thanks for the comment, next time you come to NG call and you may get an Argentinean grill meal.

OH you are the man Bobby! You are so right about brick. I notice a huge difference in things like wood-fired and brick oven pizzas. Amazing flavor. And as a big fan of barbecue and smoking, I understand what you mean about that as well. Looks like you made some killer grub there!

[jschvat]

Now you got me missing sonny's. Nothing here in California. Loved sonny's in Florida when I lived there. Hmm sawdust, smoke and burnt chicken flesh rrrrrrgh I wish I was off work already.

[Sac]

Now you got me missing sonny's. Nothing here in California. Loved sonny's in Florida when I lived there. Hmm sawdust, smoke and burnt chicken flesh rrrrrrgh I wish I was off work already.

I LOVE SONNY'S!!!!! Prob some of the best BBQ I have ever eaten. I just learned to grill ribs a few weeks ago. They turned out great... But I am a guy that uses propane.. I know, I know..... I just dont like messin with charcoal.. Lazy I guess.

[thewoodwhisperer]

That's OK Sac. I use propane for most of my cooking. But when I am doing real BBQ, the smoker is the only way to go for me. But it is messy so I only do it on special occasions.

[woodcanuck]

Dang that looks good.

Everything tastes better when it comes off a grill.

BBQ is definitely an art...

[Bobby Slack]

Charcoal for woodworkers. Kingspor = MDF. Good mesquite = solid wood ...

I use mesquite only, no gas grill at my home in So Cal and no propane grill at my cabin in Colorado. Colorado grilling with thin air (10,000 feet) is a problem.

Going back to the grill. I don't see it in the cards getting a gas grill. If convenience is an issue ... hmmm ... I am very opinionated and better not say what I about to ... lol

[Bobby Slack]

Marc. The approach to grilling/barbecuing we have in Argentina is to slow cook on the grill, having the radiant effect and the bounce of the fat/smoke gives a taste close to barbecue. I guess my next contest will be my method versus my friend's smoker ... hmmmm ... may be I will allow Jeff to have a rematch and I will not change a thing.

That's OK Sac. I use propane for most of my cooking. But when I am doing real BBQ, the smoker is the only way to go for me. But it is messy so I only do it on special occasions.

[thewoodwhisperer]

I would like to be a judge for that taste test.

[Bobby Slack]

Come on! Call the day. My grill has only one drawback, it can't move so I take all challengers at my home court. lol

[PaulMarcel]

Screw being a challenger; I want to be a judge.

I attend BBQs by a big Argentine family. Argentines are in touch with their inner carnivore. I will say, though, our guide in Perú did a brick BBQ on the last night; same idea, same dreamy euphoria. Pisco Sours helped there, though.

Have you ever grilled meat by burying it in a pit super-heated with a wood fire beforehand? We had that in Perú. Same idea as many other cultures have, though I'm not sure if Argentina has it. I have pictures. I'll find them. You think charcoal is a hassle... dig a pit and line it with rocks!

[Bobby Slack]

Hey Paul, I never did the pit type barbecue and I don't say is bad, I just stick with what I know and what worked wonders for me so far. In Southern California by the beach, real estate is at a premium so I don't have enough space in my small back yard to dig a pit. May be I could do that in Colorado where I have 10 acres in the mountains, but in Colorado I have problems because of altitude ...

I heard of pisco sour, never had it.

My next step is to "hang" a lamb and that is the typical gaucho style. Is called "asador" here is a photo that I found

This also creates a challenge of real estate.

My version with the angle grill plus the grill in the bottom can create a two or three grill using the same fire and the same real estate, and that is where I am going for now, who knows what can happen in the future.

It takes a lot of time and a lot of Malbec (Argentinean red wine variety).

The real secret for the chicken was skin down laying on a bed of rosemary, then lemon, olive oil, sea or kosher salt plus another bed of rosemary on top. You can add other herbs like thyme and parsley, sort of a dry rub. I use herbs that I grow in my garden.

PS I can't sleep I was reading "The Scwarzzzzzz" book on workbenches last night and after turning and tossing I had to get up and read more. So here I am up at 3 AM.

Screw being a challenger; I want to be a judge.

I attend BBQs by a big Argentine family. Argentines are in touch with their inner carnivore. I will say, though, our guide in Perú did a brick BBQ on the last night; same idea, same dreamy euphoria. Pisco Sours helped there, though.

Have you ever grilled meat by burying it in a pit super-heated with a wood fire beforehand? We had that in Perú. Same idea as many other cultures have, though I'm not sure if Argentina has it. I have pictures. I'll find them. You think charcoal is a hassle... dig a pit and line it with rocks!

[Chester]

Was the Weber contestant smoking?

My business partner actually won the National Bar-B-Q contest some years ago and he has taught me about the wonders of smoking meat.

I use my Weber charcoal grill to smoke meat at home ... and I have a Hasty Bake Smoker/Grill http://www.hastybake.com/grill_gourmet.html that I use at our cottage. The Hasty Bake is the same as what my partner (the Champion) uses. I like the control of the Hasty Bake but I still love my Weber and still do a lot of smoking on it.

I use wet wood chips directly on the coals but recently saw a chef just throw a few wood chips on the grill (beside the meat) and close the lid of the Weber. It's an easy way if you want just a little smoky flavor.

Chester

[Bobby Slack]

My buddy really messed up (challenger). He used Kingspor charcoal, I offered him the chance to use mesquite and he refused.

Meal:

whole chicken which was put on a rotisserie attachment on the webber with his dry rub. I opened the bird and placed it skin against the grill to hold the juice in on a bed of rosemary and on top just used kosher salt plus olive oil and rosemary and covered it with a cookie sheet.

Tri tip. again he used the same salt and I just used kosher salt on it.

And that was it.

The idea was to use regular cuts from our local supermarket

For extra bonus points I went to my Argentinean butcher (El Gaucho Meat Market in Inglewood, CA) and got

1. Chorizo argentino

2. sweetbreads

3. Skirt steak. We cut this different than what you see in your meat supplier. The Argentinean style is to leave the skin of fat that comes with the meat, cook it and before serving you peal the fat of. You will never eat another cut of meat after this one. This steak melts in your mouth. The American/Mexican style of cutting this meat is to peel the fat and slice it in very thin pieces and is difficult not to serve this dry.

4. flap meat

The Argentinean style is not really smoking but using dry rubs and grilling very slow, I guess it could be considered as an open smoker.

To top this, I made my "chimichurri" which is an Argentinean sauce we serve with the meat. The ingredients are red wine, a splash of red wine vinegar, warm water, olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley and a touch of cummin, salt and pepper. This is the artistic part of my grill, if I run out of my chimichurri I make it on the spot, the proportions always change.

Your hastybake machine looks like a mean sophisticated piece of machinery, I come from the tradition of gauchos where we barbecued in the middle of the pampas a cow that we just got with our boleadoras http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boleadoras.gif

Ah we don't use any barbecue sauce on our product in the Argentinean style, personally I think that all that sauce gets in the way of tasting the product but ... heck ... is a free world.

Was the Weber contestant smoking?

My business partner actually won the National Bar-B-Q contest some years ago and he has taught me about the wonders of smoking meat.

I use my Weber charcoal grill to smoke meat at home ... and I have a Hasty Bake Smoker/Grill http://www.hastybake.com/grill_gourmet.html that I use at our cottage. The Hasty Bake is the same as what my partner (the Champion) uses. I like the control of the Hasty Bake but I still love my Weber and still do a lot of smoking on it.

I use wet wood chips directly on the coals but recently saw a chef just throw a few wood chips on the grill (beside the meat) and close the lid of the Weber. It's an easy way if you want just a little smoky flavor.

Chester