My First Grilling Experience

Over the weekend, I decided that I was going to grill - all by myself. Now, I've helped plenty of times, even planned the menu before, but I've never done the whole process alone.
Danny was going to be at work all day Saturday, so this was the perfect opportunity. I went to the grocery store and got a package of fresh beef short ribs and four large pork chops. It's good to be in Iowa. I added four twice-baked potatoes and eight crab-stuffed mushrooms to the order and I was set.

I marinated the beef in beef broth and onion soup mix for about two hours, and marinated the pork in chicken broth and onion soup mix for two hours. A few minutes before I was ready to grill, I took everything out of the fridge so it wouldn't be cold when it went on the grill.

We have both a gas grill and a charcoal grill, but I chose the charcoal. It's the one I've used and seen used more often. I carefully followed Danny's instructions and made a pile of coals in the middle, then covered them in the special lighter fluid and let that sit for a few minutes. Then I spread them out a bit so they'd cover a wider area and cool off a little. (I learned later that I hadn't spread them out quite far enough so my heat was a bit too high.)

I sprayed the grate with cooking spray and it was time to add the meat. The beef went on first since it was thicker. Then the chops. The sides went on last on the upper grate. They just needed to get hot since they were already cooked. I sprinkled the beef with Season All and the chops with Montreal Chicken for a little more flavor. (Not too much or the meat gets really salty.)

About this time, Danny came home, so he was able to help me with cooking times. That's always my biggest fear - that I'll overcook something and disappoint everyone. The chops were done well before the beef, and I could have left the sides on for a little longer, but other than that, everything turned out great.

Now, I'm not a big beef eater, but the ribs were my favorite part of the meal. They turned out juicy and tender with just the right amount of seasoning. Lovely!

It was such a wonderful learning experience - and eating experience - that I can't wait to do it again. But maybe I'll wait until it's not 100 degrees in the shade ... maybe.

Comments

  1. LisaJuly 20, 2012 at 8:26 AM

    I love grilled food...therefore, I grill! Hubby just never did much of it, and one day I decided that I wanted something different and yummy, and I've been The Grill-Girl ever since!

    There's just something about cooking outside and then eating a wonderful meal that makes the heat more bearable!

    Lisa
    www.TheCourageousJourney.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. LauraJuly 20, 2012 at 8:31 AM

    More bearable...and tastier! I couldn't believe how much different the same meat tasted fresh off the grill from when I cook on the stove.

    And I stocked up yesterday at the grocery store. We'll be grilling again Saturday and have food for a week!

    I'm glad I'm not the only grill-loving girl out there - thanks, Lisa!

    Have a wonderful day in the Lord.
    Laura

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit
Read more