by Grillers Gold | BBQ, Flavor, Grilling, Holiday
Here are two things about wood pellet grills that should fill your heart with gratitude this Thanksgiving:
1. True indirect heat, just like your oven.
2. Great taste unlike any appliance in your kitchen can deliver.
Do something different with that bird this Thanksgiving!
Roasting your Thanksgiving bird in the oven is the traditional way to go. But if you’re looking to take Thanksgiving to the next level, why not riff on tradition this year, using your wood pellet grill’s special super powers? You can get that crispy-skin-on-the-outside/juicy-meat-on-the-inside goodness, and fantastic flavor, too.
Indirect heat isn’t just something any grill can deliver. A wood pellet grill, however, controls temperature and circulates heat evenly throughout. There are no hot spots, no undercooked areas, no variation from one place in the bird to the next. It’s all good with indirect heat!
What’s even more amazing is the flavor. Wood pellets add a smoky taste that’s special. And simply delicious.
Let’s get cooking!
The farm-to-table experts at the University of Illinois Extension spell out simple turkey-on-the-grill guidelines here. And depending on how big your grill is, you can also fit in a few baking dishes on the side. Anything that you could cook in the oven, you can bake on a wood pellet grill. Try this scalloped potatoes recipe for a classic Thanksgiving side. You can also check out some tasty autumn vegetable dishes here for more inspiration!
Smoky flavor for everyone
If you’re one of those confident outdoor cooks who knows how to get indirect heat on your conventional grill, you can get smoky wood pellet flavor for your bird with a smoker box or tube. Thanksgiving is a great time to get smokin’ without a wood pellet grill.
Enjoy the holiday and thanks for reading!
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by Grillers Gold | Flavor, Grilling
Take advantage of great weather, cook with easy cleanup after work and school, enjoy menus that reflect the abundance of the harvest. What’s not to love about grilling in autumn?
Side dishes get really interesting during fall. It’s harvest time, and the farmer’s markets are simply overflowing. The choices, flavors, colors and textures are never better than in the autumn. What’s especially abundant?
- Apples and cider
- Squash
- Sweet potatoes
- Figs
- Pears
- Pumpkins
- Cauliflower
- Sage leaves
Here’s a sample of recipes for a dream fall dinner, with a leading part played by your grill.
Pork’s taste and texture provide a perfect ‘canvas’ for an array of flavors. As the temperature drops, we crave more assertive, warming, spicy notes. And there’s not much that’s more popular on the grill than pork. Yes, this recipe has it all for autumn grilling.
Grilled fruit always adds great taste. And this apple salad features dressing made with another seasonal ingredient, apple cider.
Get the microwave going for this sweet, satisfying side dish to accompany your grilled goodness.
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by Grillers Gold | BBQ Pellets, Flavor
If you’re like a whole lot of people, when you’re talking about wood for smoking food, you’re thinking hickory. Griller’s Gold Premium BBQ Pellets are made of only one ingredient: wood. And since hickory is such an important wood for great BBQ, it’s in three of our blends.
The hickory tree is part of the walnut family.
Hickory nuts are edible, and you can forage for them in autumn; ripe hickory nuts fall to the ground so just pick them up. Eat them raw or roasted, and use them in pies instead of pecans, and in quickbreads and salads.
The United States has the most species of hickory trees
A dozen or so species exist in the United States alone. They tend to thrive in the Southeastern US; our neighbor to the north, Canada, has less than five species.
The average hickory tree will grow to be about 100 feet tall.
Hickory wood is exceptionally hard, dense and strong. Because of its durability and shock resistance, hickory wood is typically used for tool handles. It’s also employed in drumsticks, lacrosse sticks, archery bows, walking sticks, and on the bottom of skis. Historically, hickory was used in early airplane construction. Hickory wood is valued for the character its grain it brings to flooring, furniture, and ornamental woodwork.
A taste of the South
Smoked meat connoisseurs from the Carolinas to Tennessee to Texas talk up their hickory-scented favorite BBQ. Griller’s Gold offers an all-hickory flavor of premium BBQ pellets, and we mix hickory into Competition and Smokeshack blends, as well. For a recipe with seriously smoky attitude, try Hickory Smoked Beef Brisket from the author of The Paleo Kitchen.
Continue reading this series: Getting to our Roots: Maple
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by Grillers Gold | BBQ Pellets, Competition, Flavor
2017 CHAMPION CHICKEN SAUCES: NATIONAL BARBECUE NEWS
In the publication’s 7th year of awarding Sauces of Honor for BBQ excellence from Alabama to Alaska, National Barbecue News recognized these labels as the top 10 sauces for chicken. As always, the competition is open to both commercial producers and enthusiastic amateurs, including caterers, restaurants, competitive teams and farmer’s market vendors. Read about them – and look for these very special sauces when you’re in the winner’s neck of the woods. Save some room for the magazine’s list of winning beef sauces, coming later this grilling season.
AND THE WINNERS ARE…
- Original Sauce –Historic BBQ (Lebanon, Ohio)
- Eroc’s Black Cherry & Mango – Eroc’s at Hawgeyes BBQ (online)
- Burntout BBQ Sweet Mama – Burnt Out BBQ Co. (Castle Rock, Colorado)
- Steele Grillz Sweet Hawaiian – Steele Grillz BBQ Sauce (Anchorage, Alaska)
- Pa Paw’s Medium – Pa Paw’s Killer BBQ Sauce (Lemoore, California)
- Myassis Dragon – 1572 Roadhouse Bar-B-Q (Waynesville, Ohio)
- Skinny’s Original BBQ Sauce – Skinny’s BBQ Team (Buckeye, Arizona)
- Smokehouse Gold – Spices Smokehouse LLC (Boaz, Alabama)
- Veterans Q Original BBQ Sauce – Veterans Q (Hampshire, Illinois)
- In the Rhubarb – Team Turnin-N-Burnin Jeff Deckard (North Pole, Alaska)
Continue reading this series: Sauces of Honor: Pork
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by Grillers Gold | BBQ, BBQ Pellets, Flavor, Grilling
The burger is the American griller’s favorite food choice. Surveys from organizations like National Cattleman’s Beef Association and Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association say so year after year. How much better can it get for the burger? A few food writers at the Detroit Free Press and Huffington Post shared their tips and perspectives to do better by your burger. Here’s how to upgrade your hamburger grilling game.
Look at all the elements together.
The meat, the condiments, the toppings and the bun. Choose all with equal care. Get creative!
Burger meat needs fat.
Experts generally recommend a mix that’s typical of ground chuck: 80% lean meat and 20% fat. Ground round is a bit leaner, 85% meat to 15% fat. Ground sirloin is usually labeled 90% lean. If you’re cooking with grass-fed beef, check out these helpful tips here.
Season your meat.
Don’t add too much in the way of ingredients, just spices.
Handle the burger as little as possible to avoid making the meat cook up rubbery.
Less is more! Mix the burger meat and seasonings gently, shape patties with a soft touch, and resist the urge to squeeze the juices out with a spatula.
Form the perfect patty
Use about 6 ounces of meat in a patty that is at least ¾” thick and 3-1/2” diameter. Put a little dent in the center of the raw patties with your thumb so the burgers don’t puff up on the grill; it works!
For a great burger using condiments and toppings that come from Greek cuisine, try the Olympian Burger recipe from beefitswhatsfordinner.com
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by Grillers Gold | BBQ Pellets, Competition, Flavor, Grilling
If the idea of natural wood flavor and smoky goodness gets your taste buds all excited, but you don’t have the latest and greatest pellet grill gear in your backyard yet, there’s no need to despair. Here’s the good news: you can buy accessories to use wood pellets on the gas or charcoal grill you already own.
These affordable products are generally called ‘smoker boxes’ or ‘smoker tubes.’
They’re made of metal so they can take the heat. They’re also easy to use! Just fill with a few BBQ pellets, place onto your grill grates, and be amazed at the added flavor your bbq acquires. Because smoker tubes and boxes are simpler devices, they’re not nearly as versatile as a fully engineered, dedicated BBQ pellet machine. But for the same reason, you’ll pay a whole lot less for smoker boxes and tubes.
Ask your local hardware retailer about smoker tubes and boxes or browse Amazon.
The SmokinCube is one great example of the bountiful selection you can find online. These accessories can kick off a long and beautiful relationship with pellet grilling. We hope you enjoy the journey. (We’re pretty sure you will.)
Now that you know how to get great smoky flavors, what are you going to do with them?
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