It’s a beautiful Saturday – ever have one of those weekend days where you fire up the grill or smoker early in the morning and go all day with it?
The beauty of using a pellet grill is that it’s so easy to do – just like your home oven – dial in the temp you need and off you go. And your results are even better with Griller’s Gold 100% natural hardwood pellets. So, how about an entire breakfast cooked on the pellet grill to get things started? Sound good? Let’s go!
BREAKFAST
For your grilled, wood-roasted breakfast, fire up your pellet grill with a mild sweet wood, like Griller’s Gold Fruitwood blend – that will serve us well for use all day. Set it on full high – you’re cooking hot and fast first this morning.
Start by cooking some bacon – because what day doesn’t start better with bacon?
Simple – use a rimmed sheet pan that fits your grill, and put on one layer of your favorite brand of bacon. It will be crisp and amazing with an additional kiss of smoke – takes about 15 minutes in total. While the grill is preheating, make some good old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits to bake on the pellet grill. They will come out tasting like they were baked in an old-fashioned wood-fired oven.
Our favorite is Alton Brown’s biscuit recipe, but even baking mix biscuits or “tube” biscuits will taste better baked on your pellet grill. Note – biscuits love high heat so if doing them, crank your pellet grill up to get as close to 450 as you can. You can cook the bacon alongside it.
Finally, how about eggs to go with all that? A delicious frittata cooked on the pellet grill will work great. Start by sauteing some onion and anything else you like in there – perhaps red peppers chopped, sliced mushrooms, etc. Just put your oven-proof skillet right on the grill (we like our well-seasoned cast iron for this) and use plenty of butter. If you’d like some spinach in your frittata, don’t sautee that, it will go in with the eggs.
Whisk up your eggs – for a frittata in a 10” skillet, figure about 8 eggs. You can season your eggs with some salt, pepper, perhaps some paprika, and a shake or two of Worcestershire. If you’re adding spinach, give it a rough chop, and then mix in with the eggs. No frittata is good without some cheese, so mix in a half cup or so of a good sharp cheddar, shredded.
When the vegetables have softened, stir in the eggs/cheese/spinach mixture into the pan, then sprinkle some more shredded cheddar over the top and put on the grill. At this point, drop the heat to about 350F and close up the pellet grill. Let the heat and smoke do it’s thing – the frittata is done when it is clearly cooked across the top, the cheese topping is melted and perhaps browned a bit. Serve with the biscuits and bacon and you’ve got a breakfast that will carry you well into the afternoon!
DINNER
So the pellet grill is hot and that Griller’s Gold Fruitwood Blend aroma is filling the air – this is a great time to get the “all-day low and slow” going – and perfect for that, is pork shoulder, aka “Boston Butt”.
The pork shoulder is what all good pulled pork comes from – and whether you have it pulled, chopped, sauced, or otherwise, it benefits from a long, slow cook. Drop the temperature setting of your pellet grill to 225F, season your pork shoulder well with your favorite rub and put it on, close it up, and leave it alone!
Check every couple of hours to make sure you have enough Griller’s Gold pellets to keep the cook going. The Fruitwood Blend is perfect for pork – sweet, smokey heaven! Pork shoulders are done when they hit 203 degrees internal temperature – that’s the “butter zone” where the fats and collagens in the meat all melt like butter and make it all marvelously tender and juicy!
Expert’s hint #1: Use the “Texas Crutch”
Keep checking the temperature of your meat every hour and when it “stalls” – stops changing by more than a few degrees for more than an hour, wrap the meat in foil or butcher paper. This is called the “Texas Crutch” and is used by competition BBQers to be able to deliver a properly smoked roast of meat in only 6 or so hours. It also makes it supremely juicy!
Your meat will likely stall around 160 degrees for several hours unless you wrap it. The stall is caused by a neat bit of physics where the evaporation rate of the moisture in the meat (which cools things) equals the incoming heat from the grill. After wrapping, and staying on your pellet grill (or you can move it to the oven at the same temperature), your meat will finish cooking and hit 203F in about 2 hours or so.
Expert’s hint #2: Rest it!
If you use the Texas Crutch, your meat will be done well before dinner time. You can of course eat it right away (who can resist?), but for extra juicy results, just take your wrapped meat, put an additional layer of wrapping on it, then line a small cooler with a folded bath towel, gently nestle it in there and cover it with another towel, then close up the cooler. Rest it until you’re ready to shred or chop it. This nap will help it be really super moist and tender!
Now it’s mid-afternoon – the pulled pork is done and resting and you still have a hot pellet grill emitting marvelous fruitwood smoke. Chances are some additional friends have appeared, so let’s get some ribs and wings on the grill!
Baby Back Ribs will be an amazing addition to your meal and they take about 2 ½ hours on your pellet grill using a “hot and fast” method. If you’re serving them as the primary item of a meal, figure a half-slab per person and if you’re having them as part of a BBQ platter like this, 1 slab per 4 people will be fine. Increase the pellet grill heat to 350 degrees, and rub your ribs with your favorite rub. We like Meathead Goldwyn’s Memphis Dust – sweet, spicy, peppery. Be sure to salt your ribs well as there is no salt in the rub. Get the ribs on and go.
Now, how about some wings for an afternoon snack?
You’ve got a hot grill – take some fully thawed wings or wing sections, toss them in some olive oil and then rub – since you have the Memphis Dust mixed up, just use that. Throw them on – they take about an hour to cook fully through, turning once or twice. You can eat them right off the grill, or sauce them with Buffalo Sauce, BBQ sauce or, one of our favorites – Japanese BBQ sauce, which is a sweet/salty/umami bomb of a sauce. The best we’ve found is Bachan’s Japanese BBQ sauce. If you sauce them with BBQ sauce or the Japanese sauce, give them a good coating of sauce 10 minutes before taking them off the grill just to caramelize the sauce a bit, then give them another hit of sauce 2 minutes before taking them off.
So you’ve got this amazing meal – don’t forget the sides! Sides are great to make in your pellet grill. Here are some ideas for you:
Baked Beans: Baked beans on the pellet grill are really easy to get some great results – and while making Baked Beans from scratch gives amazing results, just “doctoring” your favorite brand of canned beans works great too! “Ramp up” your favorite brand of canned baked beans with some extra ketchup, onions, mustard, barbecue sauce, molasses, etc., and then bake them in an open pan on the pellet grill for about an hour. Smokey, tasty, fantastic!
Roasted Vegetables: Chop up some broccoli, cauliflower, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, and mushrooms, then toss with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast them for about a half-hour in a 350-degree pellet grill with whatever pellets you have in there (as long as they are Griller’s Gold of course!). For an extra treat, finish with some smoked salt.
Mac and Cheese: Make your favorite baked Mac & Cheese recipe and just bake it in your pellet grill! The extra smoke will give it that wood-oven roasted flavor and beautiful coloring to the top.
Roasted Potatoes: Buy “B” size creamer potatoes, cut them in half, and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried thyme. Then spread in one layer on a sheet pan or foil roasting pan and bake in the pellet grill at 350 for about 45 minutes.
Smoked/Roasted Potato Salad: Yeah, you heard that right! Take the above-roasted potato recipe and once they are done, smash about half of them, then toss all of them with your favorite potato salad recipe.
Smoked Salsa: This one is amazing! Take Roma tomatoes halved, red and yellow bell pepper, anaheim and jalapeno chilies, whole peeled garlic cloves, halved onions and spread them out on a sheet pan. Roast in the pellet grill at 350 until the tomatoes are shriveled and lightly browned, the peppers are browned and blistered and the onions are tender. Take it all and run it in the blender until smooth seasoning with salt and fresh lime juice. To make it less hot, slice the jalapenos lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs. There are lots of recipes online for this – just Google!
But we’re not done! Yup, you can make dessert on your pellet grill! Cobblers and Brown Betty’s – anything with a crumb or biscuit top, will get a wonderful wood-oven baked flavor when made on your pellet grill with Griller’s Gold pellets. For a dessert, use something sweet like Cherry or Fruitwood blend. Here’s a great recipe for Apple Cobbler.
Whew! That was quite a day of grilling. Be sure to use your grill’s shut down mode at the end of the day so that it is ready to go for the next day’s grilling fun!
Life goals – a weekend where you cook EVERYTHING on the grill.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner – let’s do it. That’s what is so versatile about modern pellet grills – they have an automatic start-up, so no sparks, chimneys, fluids, etc. and at the same time they have amazing flavor from the natural hardwoods used to make the pellets.
That said – not all pellets are equal – Griller’s Gold, however, are pure, 100% natural hardwood – nothing but amazing taste.
So imagine – it’s a three-day weekend like Memorial Day, 4th of July, or Labor Day weekend and the fun starts Friday evening – it’s been a big week and you’re hungry to tuck into a big ‘ol steak for Friday night dinner. With pellet grills, it’s super easy to make them spectacular.
Start by buying good quality meat – warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s are always good choices, as well as your local butcher. Buy the best you can afford – and if you can afford Prime, well, it’s the best.
For this Friday night, 3-day weekend dinner, let’s get some prime ribeyes, and we’re not talking wimpy sandwich steaks but proper, 2” to 2 ½” thick-cut ribeyes on the bone. Some butchers call them “cowboy cut” and if you get them with the extended rib bone, they are called Tomahawk cuts. That said, don’t forget … you’re paying prime meat prices for that big impressive-looking bone. Thick cut, bone-in Ribeyes without the Tomahawk bone are the best value.
If you’ve planned ahead, try dry brining them – this is a simple process by which you just cover them with a generous coat of kosher or sea salt – about ½ teaspoon per pound of meat and then leave them unwrapped in the fridge overnight. The salt will leach into the meat and release moisture – this surface moisture loss helps the steak form an amazing crust! And if you didn’t plan ahead – even an hour’s worth of “dry brining” at room temperature does wonders.
Next, time to build flavor.
Now, there are plenty of folks that say “all you need is salt” – and that’s certainly a valid argument. That said, you can also build some very nice flavors in your crust with some simple ingredients. One very tasty rub is from barbecue blogger Meathead Goldwyn and his Amazing Ribs site called “Big Bad Beef Rub” – it’s a mix of pepper, garlic, onion, mustard, and chili powders with some sugar and cayenne. Another one is what they call “SGP” which is simple – salt (which you’ve already done), garlic powder, and pepper. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
To do a big thick cut like a thick ribeye right, the “reverse sear” method is the way to go – you cook low and slow to start until the internal temp is just short of your desired doneness, and then either fire up to very hot on your grill, or, our favorite method, move them to a hot cast iron skillet to finish.
After your steaks are seasoned up the way you like them, preheat your pellet grill at 250 degrees loaded with Griller’s Gold Competition Blend pellets. (Not grilling on a pellet grill? Check out our blog about how to grill with pellets on any type of grill.) These pellets offer a classic barbecue flavor with a blend of oak, cherry, and hickory hardwoods. For medium-rare reverse sear steaks, you’ll want to cook them to about 130 degrees over the low heat – which should take about 45 minutes to an hour for 2 ½” ribeyes.
While they cook, consider also cooking an appetizer or even baking some bread – you’ve got all that heat and smoke already going! A favorite is this spinach and cheese-stuffed Baby Bella mushrooms – put these on when the steaks go on, and you’ll have a tasty appetizer after about 20 minutes. Check the bottom of this article for the recipe. The mushrooms only take 20 minutes or so on the grill so they are the perfect appetizer – woodsy, smokey, amazing.
To finish the steaks, take a large cast-iron skillet and preheat it on a gas grill (should this be pellet grill or stove burner) set on medium heat or in a 400-degree oven. Have some fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme at the ready along with a couple of tablespoons of chopped garlic and a big knob of butter – about a half stick.
When the steaks hit 5 degrees shy of doneness, take them off the pellet grill onto a warmed platter, wrap them in foil to rest for about 15 minutes, and get everything else ready to serve.
When the steaks have rested a bit, toss the knob of butter into the big cast iron skillet, swirl it around while it sizzles and melts, then put the steaks down, pressing them to make sure they get a great sear. After about a minute, put the garlic and the herbs in the pan, and tilting the pan, begin basting them with the buttery, herby, goodness. After another minute, turn them, baste them again for about 2 minutes – then remove them to a warmed serving platter.
You can serve them now with the butter sauce or … kick it up a level … add about a tablespoon of green peppercorns, sauteeing those in the butter for a minute or two, then a shot of cognac, flaming off the alcohol with a match. The final touch is about a ¼ cup of heavy cream whisked in.
Slice the steaks off the big bones, then slice each steak across the grain into about ¼” slices and pour the sauce over. Serve with some classic steakhouse sides like garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed or creamed spinach, roasted asparagus, fresh bread, and a big chewy red wine!
Is there a more special occasion than a home-cooked holiday feast? We think not. So we’d like to encourage you to look at holiday grilling as the celebration it is. Pick elegant foods to cook on your pellet grill before you put them at the center of your holiday table. Thanks to Peter Jautaikis, whose The Wood Pellet Smoker & Grill Cookbook inspired us, we propose:
Hickory
New York Strip Roast for the main event
A NY strip steak is always a good call for the meat lover; it says ‘steakhouse’ and that means quality. Now picture serving thick NY strips cut right from the roast which has been smoked over hickory pellets after being rubbed with garlic and the prime rib spice mix of your choosing. The flavor is luxe, the meat is a treat. Consult your butcher to order the right size for your holiday gathering, and plan for time to marinate, smoke, and rest the meat. Something this special is worth the effort.
Now that you’ve gone all festive for the main dish, let’s move on to starters and sides
This grilled Brie with cranberries looks seasonal and tastes very rich and indulgent, too. We recommend you spread it on grilled bread slices.
Finally, for a perfect starch to accompany that fancy NY strip roast, take scalloped potatoes to a whole new level with perhaps the ultimate luxury ingredient: the truffle.
Add earthy truffle flavor to your favorite scalloped/au gratin potato recipe with a dash of white truffle oil, which is available at many groceries and specialty food stores this time of year. Or, choose a cheese that includes truffles, and grate into the cream sauce. Get even more savory by layering mushrooms into the baking pan. If you want to skip the improv and have all those ingredients mapped out in one easy yet fabulous recipe, try Chef John’s Truffled Potato Gratin from Allrecipes.
We wish you and yours all the joy of feasting this holiday
season.
What’s not to love about Bluetooth BBQ thermometers? They generally cost around $50—a nice price for a holiday gift that’s perfectly situated between ‘stocking stuffer’ and ‘splurge.’ They help you stay warm indoors while your food heats up on the grill outside. They connect to your phone. And they earn a whole lot of enthusiasm from consumer reviewers. This helpful grilling technology also has big fans on the Griller’s Gold team—here’s how Scott summarized the joy.
“We love using ours so you can keep an eye on what’s happening without being tied to the grill or smoker.”
This is what real-world users say they’re glad to get from
these grilling tech goodies:
Convenience and comfort—you monitor your outdoor cooking without standing outdoors. (This is especially welcome when you’re preparing slow-cooked, smoked foods.)
Ease of use—from quick setup on your mobile phone to clear temperature readouts on the screen.
Digital precision—those temperatures are going to be exact. With multiple probes, you can even check the temps in different parts of a larger cut of meat to ensure consistency.
Four top-rated Bluetooth meat thermometers
These 5 picks all get five-star ratings on Amazon. (There are plenty of additional choices that get four-plus scores, too.)
While you’re thinking about winter grilling, here are some best practices when the weather outside is frightful . If your holiday gift shopping list needs some more items, check out our griller gift list post, updated for Christmas 2019. And send Griller’s Gold pellets to your friends with wood pellet grills; you can order on Amazon.
Get to know a little of the BBQ science about why it’s actually perfect to use low-cost meats for grilling. Extra credit points here for household budget math skills!
Seasonal tomato sides for easy great taste
Let’s serve up a side of summer – while we still can. Tomatoes are a classic accompaniment to grilled meat. Check out some tomato side dish recipes.
Learn about trendy grilled fruit desserts
BBQ isn’t all about meat and the occasional veggie kabob. This uber-easy grilled peach-and-pound-cake recipe is right on trend and delicious to eat.
Once you’ve studied up, you’ll be able to do an A+ job on
grilling. Revel in your top-of-the-class skills and BBQ with attitude!
Get the family out into the fresh air and bond over BBQ this Father’s Day—and all grilling season long. While you might just intuitively say ‘Yes!’ to the idea, let’s have fun and look at all the reasons this is a great plan for the family.
Cooking is a hands-on creative outlet for all ages
It’s healthy to eat home-cooked meals and preparing them together is even better
Education—from measuring to fractions to cooking times (Get a cool education about the science of grilling here)
It’s an alternative to screen time—tho recruiting the kids to research recipes online is completely legit
Just plain togetherness
Let’s get cooking!
Grilling safety for kids
Grilling involves a whole array of hot and sharp objects. Gauge the maturity level of your crowd and assign them age-appropriate activities. Assignments for the younger kids can include mixing and marinating, laying out trays of uncooked meat to bring to the grill, measuring and assembling ingredients, and tossing salads. Knife handling and cooking on the hot grill belong in the domain of older children.
Food safety around the grill is part of kitchen sanitation—a good habit to start young. Since grilling involves handling raw meat, proper handwashing practices rank high in importance. Remember to also provide instruction about washing cutting boards, trays, tabletops and any other surfaces that might carry raw meat juices. Finally, refer to expert references (in this case, the US government’s food safety site) for grilled meat temperatures that meet the safety standard. This highly-rated, well-priced, long-probe digital meat thermometer might be the perfect new grilling gadget for the occasion (and a Father’s Day gift idea if anyone is looking for hints). Here’s a Father’s Day grilling gift guide, coming to you directly from the dads at Griller’s Gold.
Father’s Day grilling favorites
Everything’s better when it’s grilled. Kids happen to agree with that statement. So put vegetables on the Father’s Day menu; grill portabello mushroom caps or multi-colored veggie skewers. Enjoy fancy sausage, nice steaks, shrimp, or the always-fun drumsticks on the grill.
Make the popular burger even better; read about burger trends and wood pellet techniques. And even the simplest burger is more celebratory when it’s patted into a heart shape.
Hearty, happy Father’s Day wishes from the Griller’s Gold family.
