284276 Mon Apr 03 18:53:36 -0700 2006 9 31 Home Cooking 0 1519372 so I'm moving into the apartment of my dreams (bye, Manhattan. Hello, brooklyn), with a huge terrace. This means, of course, that I need to get a grill and start grilling up a storm. So, two part question: 1. what should i make? what are good recipes/cookbooks/etc? 2. what equipment do i need? what's a good, inexpensive grill for a grilling newbie who doesn't have a direct gas line to her terrace? TIA, guys. Mon Apr 03 18:53:36 -0700 2006 0 helen 1 1519392 For a first grilling book, Weber's Grilling Book by Jaime Purveiance (sp), is pretty good, covering every grilled food from fish to meat to pizza to dessert. That being said, my favorite thing about grilling is how much flavor the grill adds by itself, meaning merely a drizzle of olive oil, s&p, will yield delightful results on all your favorite food. Mon Apr 03 19:37:05 -0700 2006 1519372 0 Aaron 2 1519404 before diving in please read this: Link: http://nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/safety/barbeque.shtml Mon Apr 03 20:38:22 -0700 2006 1519392 0 byrd 1 1519394 I will highly recommend Stephen Raichlen's Barbecue Bible to you. He also has How to Grill, which is very helpful if you have little experience, but I think the recipes in the Barbecue Bible are fabulous and there is also a lot of "how to" instruction in it, as well. A few of my favorites from the book are Cuban Christmas Eve "Pig" (I use shoulder), Beer Can Chicken, Bademiya's Justly Famous Chile-Coriander Chicken (probably what I make most often), Yassa chicken, Chorizo Grilled Mushrooms, and Grilled Snapper with French West Indian Caper Sauce.... too many to list, really. Mon Apr 03 19:42:44 -0700 2006 1519372 0 Terrie H. 1 1519428 Buy a Weber kettle, a Weber chimney lighter and a bag of lump charcoal. Buy a copy or Raichlen's _How to Grill_. Start at the start. Enjoy! Mon Apr 03 22:43:22 -0700 2006 1519372 0 John Hicks 2 1519508 My thoughts exactly, except that I'd probably opt for a gas grill if I lived in the city (not natural gas, but bottled propane. find your local hardware store; they probably sell it.) I have both charcoal & gas grills and I use the gas one 10X more frequently than the charcoal one. I like Raichlen's books; they are well-illustrated, simple, and have clear instructions. The recipes demonstrate core techniques with some interesting flavor twists. Buy a whole chicken & make a beer-can chicken. You'll never buy another supermarket rotisserie chicken ever again. Super-easy to make, you control the seasoning, and requires almost no attention once you put it on the grill. Cooks in 45 minutes to an hour. Search this board for previous beer-can chicken threads. Tue Apr 04 10:13:59 -0700 2006 1519428 0 Hungry Celeste 1 1519450 Weber makes excellent stuff - it's not the only brand to buy, but it's reasonably priced and a great, reliable place to start. 1st decision: gas vs. charcoal. Charcoal is much more flavorful, but takes some prep and more clean-up. Gas is more convenient and easier to control temp, so easier to use for roasting. But it will not get hot enough for some items. You can't sear a steak to form a good crust on a gas grill. I have both - use them for different things. If you have the room, I'd recommend both. If you go for charcoal to get the flavor, I recommend the following: Don't use Kingsford or other charcoal briquets - use hardwood charcoal that isn't full of chemicals, burns hotter, and leaves much less ash. Use a chimney starter - it can get you ready to cook in 10 minutes, no chemicals. Never use a lighter fluid. Never, ever, ever use the pre-soaked self-lighting charcoal briquets. Of course, you may enjoy the flavor of petroleum... I would get the more expensive Webber 22" kettle that has the ash container and the wiper arm in the bottom - especially if you live in an apartment. You're going to find that getting rid of the ash is a problem, and that having it in a bucket is going to make it easier to handle. If you go for gas, I'd recommend that you get a unit that has 3-4 separate burners. This will give you some level of control so you can turn one or two burners off and roast indirectly without a flame under the meat. Whether gas or charcoal, this is something you should learn quickly - what gets direct heat, and what gets indirect heat. Chicken should always get indirect heat - you may want to sear some grill marks into the meat at the beginning or the end, but you don't want to leave it over hot direct heat. As to what to grill? You're in Brooklyn, home of the best steak house in the world - and they sell their meat! Go to Lugers and give them a paycheck or two - get some nice dry-aged strip or rib-eye. All you'll need is s&p. Get your fire as hot as you can (only works with charcoal) and sear that meat on both sides until it builds a nice crust. If you want it cooked more in the middle, make sure that you pile your coals on one side only, so that you can move your meat to the indirect side to finish. Close top and roast to your desired doneness. Tue Apr 04 01:19:56 -0700 2006 1519372 0 applehome 1 1519579 The cheapest grill would be a chimney for starting charcoal and some kind of grill grate to fit it. The Lodge Sportsman is a low end cast hibachi style. But if you can find one at, say, Chinatown, a Thai bucket stove with a grate is the best cheap grill. In the Viet markets in So Fl they go for about $25 for a 12" to $40 for a 16". They won't smoke, being open, but you asked about grilling, not barbecuing. A tiny amount of charcoal will handle a couple of steaks. Put it on the built in grate, and wad up some newspaper stuff it under the grate and light it. Excellent heat source for a wok as well. Tue Apr 04 13:27:19 -0700 2006 1519372 0 rexmo 1 1519700 I second inexpensive Weber charcoal grill, chimney starter and beer can chicken. I prefer lump charcoal for searing and briquettes for slower cooking such as beer can chicken. Charcoal's not as convenient as gas but it's easier to lug a bag of charcoal from the store than it is a tank of propane and it's safer. Plus, if you learn to cook with charcoal, you'll never need to suffer some jerk claiming that "men only cook with charcoal; gas is for pussy's". Learn to grill with charcoal and you will rule! Bob Tue Apr 04 21:04:14 -0700 2006 1519372 0 Sony Bob 1 1519778 I made this last night and was really, really happy. I threw garlic in the lemon-parsley butter, but I'm thinking ginger next time. Do it up with grilled asparagus. mmmmmm.... Link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_31436,00.html Wed Apr 05 11:31:45 -0700 2006 1519372 0 Pman