# Gas Grill issues



## oldramon (Nov 11, 2008)

we have a gas grill.  it cooks very quickly unless whats cooking is on the low setting.  apart from my parents making many attempts to make not so tasty stakes and bbq grilled things, they often cook on high, dont have the patience for low, and the taste, is often, not what anyone should hope for (testimony to the fact that my father will eat anything).  

my mom has made some pork chops, that tasted not so bad, on a low setting she reported.  do things grilled often taste best (beef / pork) if cooked on the slow setting ?  i have a gut feeling that grill is a mistake, at least to someone who cares more about what things taste like.


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## GB (Nov 11, 2008)

You generally want to cook steaks at as high a temp as possible so the heat is not the problem with your steaks. It might just be that they were overcooked. 

Doesn't the grill have an adjustment for the heat? You should be able to turn on some of the burners while having others off and/or use a lower heat setting if you find the grill it too hot.


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## TheFanatic (Dec 10, 2008)

oldramon said:


> we have a gas grill.  it cooks very quickly unless whats cooking is on the low setting.  apart from my parents making many attempts to make not so tasty stakes and bbq grilled things, they often cook on high, dont have the patience for low, and the taste, is often, not what anyone should hope for (testimony to the fact that my father will eat anything).
> 
> my mom has made some pork chops, that tasted not so bad, on a low setting she reported.  do things grilled often taste best (beef / pork) if cooked on the slow setting ?  i have a gut feeling that grill is a mistake, at least to someone who cares more about what things taste like.



OK, let's talk about grilling vs BBQ vs. smoking.  

Grilling is done fast and high.  High heat for short period of time.  When I do a steak I flame sear that sucker.  Probably temps of around 500 degrees.  Then when seared I pull it off to the side where I have no heat (called two zone cooking) and let it bake till the desired doneness.

BBQ is done slow and low.  Low to medium heat for a longer period of time.  Temps in the 275-325 range.  Those pork chops should probably be done this way whether you put BBQ sauce on them or not.  Cook between low and medium till the meat is firm but not too hard.  Touch the tip of your ring finger to the tip of your thumb and then feel the meaty part of the base of the thumb with your other hand.  When the chops are as firm as that they are ready to go.

Smoking is slower and lower.  Ideally for smoking I like to go 200-225 for anywhere from 4 hours to 12 hours depending on the meat (a chicken for maybe 3.5 hours, ribs for 6, a pork shoulder for say 8-12).

All of this can be done on a gas grill but it's not ideally suited for the latter two but it can be done.  

For smoking on gas, fire up one side of the grill and not the other.  Put your meat on the side with no heat.  Take some soaked wood chips and put them in a tin foil pouch or ball and poke holes in the tin foil.  Make up a few of these balls.  Put the tin foil ball on the side with the heat.  

I would definitely recommend a remote grill thermometer.  Built in therms are notoriously off.  Get one with a wire lead to the probe so you can drop it into the grill and have the reader outside the grill to monitor the temp.  Amazon has them for under $30 all over the place.


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## Lisar (Dec 10, 2008)

I make my hubby do all the grilling. The only thing I cook on the grill is hotdogs and hamburgers. Everything else he does.


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## Big Shot (Jan 29, 2009)

GB said:


> Doesn't the grill have an adjustment for the heat? You should be able to turn on some of the burners while having others off and/or use a lower heat setting if you find the grill it too hot.


You can also play around with how far open your actual gas line is from the bottle.  A little trial and error, and you will get the range you want on your grill.



TheFanatic said:


> Grilling is done fast and high.  High heat for short period of time.  When I do a steak I flame sear that sucker.  Probably temps of around 500 degrees.  Then when seared I pull it off to the side where I have no heat (called two zone cooking) and let it bake till the desired doneness.


If done right, this will result in the juiciest steak you ever did have!!   This is also how I do a smaller pork loin.


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## 70chevelle (Jan 29, 2009)

TheFanatic said:


> OK, let's talk about grilling vs BBQ vs. smoking.
> 
> Grilling is done fast and high. High heat for short period of time. When I do a steak I flame sear that sucker. Probably temps of around 500 degrees. Then when seared I pull it off to the side where I have no heat (called two zone cooking) and let it bake till the desired doneness.
> 
> ...


 
Excellent advice & info above. In addition, you need to be concerned about the cut of meat and how it is cooked. You wouldn't want to 'grill' a Boston Butt, or 'smoke' an eye of round roast. To over simplify things meats that are very fatty, (brisket, boston butt, chuck roast, etc) are excellent to cook low & slow. When you cook low & slow, you will remove the meat at substantially higher internal temperatures than if you were grilling. The higher internal temp and length of cooking breaks down the connective tissue and the fat keeps the meat moist. Conversly, a lean cut of meat (eye of round roast) will dry out and become tough if cooked the same way. For 'grilling' steaks or lean meats, you use high heat since the meat itself should be relatively tender on it own. For lean roasts, I use the bbq method above and insert a probe thermometer. I remove the meat and let it rest when it gets to the doneness I want. (125* which will go to approximately 130* after resting) A few cuts that are 'tweeners' flank steak & flat iron steaks are thin tough cuts of meat. They are very flavorful and extremely easy to cook. Very high heat for a few minutes on either side. A 10 minute rest and then (the key to success) slicing the meat ACROSS the grain. So, it's not all just the method or cut, it's the entire package or process.  The fun of it is experimenting and figuring it out.  Good Luck!


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## bowlingshirt (Jan 29, 2009)

oldramon said:


> the taste, is often, not what anyone should hope for .


 
What's wrong with it? Without this info, it's impossible to know how to fix it.


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## Jeff G. (Jan 30, 2009)

oldramon said:


> we have a gas grill.  it cooks very quickly unless whats cooking is on the low setting.  apart from my parents making many attempts to make not so tasty stakes and bbq grilled things, they often cook on high, dont have the patience for low, and the taste, is often, not what anyone should hope for (testimony to the fact that my father will eat anything).
> 
> my mom has made some pork chops, that tasted not so bad, on a low setting she reported.  do things grilled often taste best (beef / pork) if cooked on the slow setting ?  i have a gut feeling that grill is a mistake, at least to someone who cares more about what things taste like.


I add soaked wood chips in a smoke box to a that natural wood flavor.


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