Wow, so I think this is my very first blog post. I am definitely not nearly as, we will say expressive, as Kristen is about everything, so I rarely feel the urge to post. This time was really no different, with the exception that I was challenged by my Sister and thought why not dive in? I will start off by saying that I can talk to you all day about sports or technology, but cooking? I can barely boil water (no joke, I sometimes have to ask Kristen which handle turns on which burner on the stove). Grilling though, that is my domain. I am 100% self taught in grilling (and sometimes it shows). I have read articles online and had some buddies give me some tips on what has worked for them, but for the most part I just try it out and see what happens.
A few years ago, Kristen and I started a little tradition that we were going to try to grill out every Sunday evening for dinner. It's a good night because I am home and can take the time to help prep the meat and enjoy the actual process of grilling and then still having enough time to clean up everything. We like to try different meats with different marinades or rubs and different ways of grilling them.
Last Sunday, Publix was having a great sale on NY Strip steaks. So after church we stopped by and picked a package of two nice looking steaks and also got a half pound of fresh shrimp from the seafood counter. Marinades are usually made up by Kristen as we go along, she knows spices far better than I do, so she either helps or does the marinade or rubs for the meat.
For the shrimp, she mixed together: olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic (note from Kristen, I use the kind from a jar because I like the extra olive oil that has the garlic flavor infused in it but you could use fresh too), parsley, oregano, paprika, and a generous helping of Old Bay. Marinate the shrimp for at least 30 minutes, longer for more flavor. We used wood skewers to cook the shrimp on. Make sure to soak the wood skewers in water first or invest in metal ones. For the NY Strip steaks, she put on some salt, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
I always cooks steaks the same on the grill, the key is to not move them so you can get the nice grill marks on them. I always cook at high heat and usually start with 2 minutes, then rotate 90° and cook for 3 minutes. Then turn over and cook for 2.5 minutes, rotate 90° and cook for a final 2.5 minutes. Unless you have an extremely thick steak, you should have a medium-rare to medium cook. Adjust times as needed for thickness of steak. The shrimp are a piece of cake to cook, leave them on the high heat and rotate them regularly to avoid burning. I used a towel to flip them to avoid the heat from the grill. Watch out as the shrimp will cook very quickly, and overcooked shrimp are rather rubbery. It doesn't take more than a few minutes on high for the shrimp to be cooked perfectly.
Here is the finished product of our Sunday grill dinner from last week. Kristen made some great mashed sweet potatoes and baked zucchini with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and fresh ground pepper.
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After church yesterday we went to Publix in search of something for our Sunday grill night. The NY Strip was on sale again, but definitely not as good of a sale as the week before. We went over to the chicken and they had whole fryer chickens on sale. I thought that was perfect because I haven't had an opportunity to use my fryer since Thanksgiving. In addition, we got another half pound of fresh shrimp since they were fantastic last weekend.
To prep the whole chicken we rinsed him off and dried thoroughly. If you don't dry thoroughly enough the oil will not cover as well. Coat the outside of the chicken with peanut oil. It is going into the fryer, so the oil will crisp up the skin and make it golden brown. If you have a peanut allergy, you can use whatever type of oil you prefer. Then we made a rub to coat the chicken with, using: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Parsley, Oregano, Thyme, and McCormick Grill Mates - Roasted Garlic and Herb. Put the rub on, at least a few hours before you want to begin frying.
My fryer is not actually a fryer in the normal sense of the term. It is a Char-Broil Big Easy Infared Oil-Less fryer. You can find the newer version of my fryer Here. I like it better because of one simple thing, NO OIL! It still crisps up the skin the same as a traditional oil fryer, but no mess or danger of hot oil. Especially with a large dog and 2 year old daughter who both constantly want to see what you are doing outside.
The fryer takes approximately 15 minutes to cook, per pound. Our chicken was approximately 5 pounds, so it took around an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half. We always let it cook for longer because 9 times out of 10, it will be under-cooked if you go by just the directions. Basically, you just put the chicken in fryer and let it go. Didn't take many pictures, but here is an over-head shot of the chicken in the fryer. The chicken came out so moist. Using the fryer it doesn't dry out your bird, like a traditional oven does. All of the grease and dripping fall down into a collection pan in the bottom for easy clean-up after your done.
In addition, we had the grilled shrimp prepared just like last week. Only this week I was a little preoccupied with the chicken frying that I over-cooked the shrimp and they were a little chewy. Here are the shrimp on the grill, this week we decided to use metal skewers instead of wood. Definitely recommend that in the future. Watch out, as they get extremely hot.
A few years ago, Kristen and I started a little tradition that we were going to try to grill out every Sunday evening for dinner. It's a good night because I am home and can take the time to help prep the meat and enjoy the actual process of grilling and then still having enough time to clean up everything. We like to try different meats with different marinades or rubs and different ways of grilling them.
Last Sunday, Publix was having a great sale on NY Strip steaks. So after church we stopped by and picked a package of two nice looking steaks and also got a half pound of fresh shrimp from the seafood counter. Marinades are usually made up by Kristen as we go along, she knows spices far better than I do, so she either helps or does the marinade or rubs for the meat.
For the shrimp, she mixed together: olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic (note from Kristen, I use the kind from a jar because I like the extra olive oil that has the garlic flavor infused in it but you could use fresh too), parsley, oregano, paprika, and a generous helping of Old Bay. Marinate the shrimp for at least 30 minutes, longer for more flavor. We used wood skewers to cook the shrimp on. Make sure to soak the wood skewers in water first or invest in metal ones. For the NY Strip steaks, she put on some salt, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
I always cooks steaks the same on the grill, the key is to not move them so you can get the nice grill marks on them. I always cook at high heat and usually start with 2 minutes, then rotate 90° and cook for 3 minutes. Then turn over and cook for 2.5 minutes, rotate 90° and cook for a final 2.5 minutes. Unless you have an extremely thick steak, you should have a medium-rare to medium cook. Adjust times as needed for thickness of steak. The shrimp are a piece of cake to cook, leave them on the high heat and rotate them regularly to avoid burning. I used a towel to flip them to avoid the heat from the grill. Watch out as the shrimp will cook very quickly, and overcooked shrimp are rather rubbery. It doesn't take more than a few minutes on high for the shrimp to be cooked perfectly.
Here is the finished product of our Sunday grill dinner from last week. Kristen made some great mashed sweet potatoes and baked zucchini with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and fresh ground pepper.
After church yesterday we went to Publix in search of something for our Sunday grill night. The NY Strip was on sale again, but definitely not as good of a sale as the week before. We went over to the chicken and they had whole fryer chickens on sale. I thought that was perfect because I haven't had an opportunity to use my fryer since Thanksgiving. In addition, we got another half pound of fresh shrimp since they were fantastic last weekend.
To prep the whole chicken we rinsed him off and dried thoroughly. If you don't dry thoroughly enough the oil will not cover as well. Coat the outside of the chicken with peanut oil. It is going into the fryer, so the oil will crisp up the skin and make it golden brown. If you have a peanut allergy, you can use whatever type of oil you prefer. Then we made a rub to coat the chicken with, using: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Parsley, Oregano, Thyme, and McCormick Grill Mates - Roasted Garlic and Herb. Put the rub on, at least a few hours before you want to begin frying.
My fryer is not actually a fryer in the normal sense of the term. It is a Char-Broil Big Easy Infared Oil-Less fryer. You can find the newer version of my fryer Here. I like it better because of one simple thing, NO OIL! It still crisps up the skin the same as a traditional oil fryer, but no mess or danger of hot oil. Especially with a large dog and 2 year old daughter who both constantly want to see what you are doing outside.
The fryer takes approximately 15 minutes to cook, per pound. Our chicken was approximately 5 pounds, so it took around an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half. We always let it cook for longer because 9 times out of 10, it will be under-cooked if you go by just the directions. Basically, you just put the chicken in fryer and let it go. Didn't take many pictures, but here is an over-head shot of the chicken in the fryer. The chicken came out so moist. Using the fryer it doesn't dry out your bird, like a traditional oven does. All of the grease and dripping fall down into a collection pan in the bottom for easy clean-up after your done.
In addition, we had the grilled shrimp prepared just like last week. Only this week I was a little preoccupied with the chicken frying that I over-cooked the shrimp and they were a little chewy. Here are the shrimp on the grill, this week we decided to use metal skewers instead of wood. Definitely recommend that in the future. Watch out, as they get extremely hot.
No pictures, but to go with the chicken and shrimp Kristen made awesome cheesy mashed potatoes, green beans, and croissants.
I will make sure next time we grill to take more photos. I hope everyone enjoyed my first posting. I might make this a regular thing. Have a good week!
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