DaleB
Final Approach
We don’t call those mice. We call those hors d’oeuvres.
New Grill
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AKBill
En-Route
You can go over by Hoonah and legally pick up crab and shrimp.. Elfin Cove is better... Seaplanes just picked up a PC-12, and is going to start a service to Whitehorse, YT.. I think Wednesday and Saturday flights..
Bulldog573
Pre-takeoff checklist
Charcoal is manly, but propane is fast and efficient enough to use it after work during the week. I got the Weber Genesis a couple of years ago and it put the joy back in cooking on the deck.
Weber has a grilling school in St. Louis. The classes I want have been full.
biplanebob
Pre-takeoff checklist
jallenO: clean the grill, turn all the burners up to MAX, let it run for an hour with the temperature gage redlined.....that should kill all of the hanta virus. LOL
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I have three grills: The first is a GrillDome which essentially is one of the komodo style cookers (like a big green egg). The second is my pig cooker and the third is the Kalamzoo Gourmet in my outside kitchen. The GrillDome I burn lump charcoal in. The other two are hybrids. You can run them on propane or use the propane to start the wood or charcoal.
RJM62
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Even without the mice, the surface of the average cooking grate contains twice as many microbes as the average toilet seat does. That's why restaurants in most jurisdictions are required to heat grills and griddles to specific minimum temperatures before putting food on them. The temperatures vary with the jurisdiction, but 185 F is common because that's the temperature at which Listeria will die instantly. (Most commercial grills run a lot higher than that anyway, so it's kind of a moot point.)
Whatever the mice added to the microbial menagerie is likely to be insignificant in the big microbiological picture. Clean the grates using over cleaner or grill cleaner, rinse them well to wash away the traces of pee and cleanser, wash and rinse them again if you're OCD, heat them up good and hot, and use the grill.
Mice on non-heated food prep surfaces are another story. Those need to be chemically disinfected. Chlorine is the most common disinfectant because it's cheap and effective. One tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water will yield about 200 PPM chlorine, which is the recommended (and maximum) dosage for disinfecting food prep surfaces. That will kill pretty much anything other than Cryptosporidium.
Just as an aside, the most bacteria-laden machines in most commercial kitchens are the ice machines and the soda machines. On average, more than a third of them will test positive for E. coli, Enterococcus, Listeria, or other nasties.
The only reason I know this stuff is because I was a part-time health inspector many years ago. I needed the money, and I had enough college credits in biology and chemistry to sit for the exam. It was an okay job, I guess. I've had worse.
It did kind of turn me off from eating in restaurants, though, a dislike that persists to this day -- unless the restaurant is in New York City, where all restaurants must post their letter grades from their most recent inspection on their front door or window. That did wonders for commercial kitchen sanitation. No one wants to eat at a "B" or lower-scored establishment.
Rich
RJM62
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Flavor-wise, the smoker tray on my new propane grill actually works pretty well. I used it once yesterday and twice today. If definitely made the food taste, well, smoky. It also scented my clothing nicely. I went to the store after grilling and a lady waiting in line with me asked me if I'd been camping.
Rich
Clark1961
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185 ain't nothing. Even the long and slow smokes run over 200. A guy burning burgers on the flat top is probably up in the 400 degree range.
Clark1961
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I think they are really saying be careful with cold smokes. I use cold smoking to get a lot of smoke into meat quickly and it also has good penetration depth. Just gotta start with a clean grill and then get the meat to safe temperatures all the way through.
RJM62
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Yeah, it's kind of a dumb rule because it's almost impossible to violate. But I suppose they have to set it somewhere. In practice, all it means is to turn on the grill or griddle and let it heat up before putting food on it.
The internal temperature requirements for cold and hot foods waiting be to served ( < 40 F and >140 F, respectively) are more important and much more frequently violated.
Rich
Yep the 40/140 thing is to keep the food from spoiling (been through a food safety class or two myself) to keep bacteria from growing. The 185 is important to kill e coli that is already preseant on the surface (in the case of meat cuts) or throughout (for ground meats). The latter is a bigger issue. While throwing a steak on the grill you're probably safe with the center mooing because stuff on the surface has been "burned" off. Ground meat has all that stuff homogenized within.
RJM62
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Some jurisdictions also have a 165 F rule for egg-based dishes awaiting serving. That one is almost always ignored because in most commercial settings it would mean raising the temperature on the whole serving line.
In most places, literally anyone is allowed to enroll in the food safety courses that food service managers are required to take. I think taking the course at least once is worthwhile for most folks, especially younger people. They're very informative and usually inexpensive. Many jurisdictions have online versions.
Rich
mtuomi
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I'd rather take the infrequent food poisoning than eat my burgers cooked past well done, just saying...
165 is somewhere around medium well actually. Unless you are very certain of where the meat came from and how it was prepared before it was ground, it probably is well advised you cook it that far.
FormerHangie
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We had a Char-Broil for about 15 years as well, but the burner rusted out a second time and I couldn't get a replacement. We sprung for a Weber Genesis, and had it delivered as it weighs 190 lbs and I didn't want to try to get one of my daughters to help me carry it up to the deck. I named it Miss Kay in honor of the matriarch of the Robertson clan of Duck Dynasty fame. We've had it for five years,and I like it a lot. No one here is fond of smoked food, so no need to involve wood in the process. Ours is natural gas, which is both economical and convenient.
When I first got it, I went around telling my neighbors that I had a new grillfriend. Talk about some confused looks...
Gerhardt
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Gerhardt
When I bought my grill last year I thought about your post where you brought your old grill back to life. I tried, replacing my parts one by one, but nothing worked. I was too ashamed to admit my defeat when I bought the new one...didn't want you to know just how lacking my skills are. So after reading this thread I feel at least a little better now.
And finally, someone who knows meat was meant to be cooked well-done.
And finally, someone who knows meat was meant to be cooked well-done.
DaleB
Final Approach
Good call. I ended up in the ER with a pinched sciatic nerve after we loaded it into the back of my pickup. Between the oxycodone, steroids and pain I wasn't able to use the new grill for a couple of weeks, and it took another several months until I could actually feel what my right foot was doing when I walked. It was over a year before I could walk without looking a little like Igor.
Not the grill's fault, of course.
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I'd love to try out a pellet grill, but to get a similar size to what we use currently with a charcoal grill would cost close to $1K. That's a bit pricey to try out a grill in the hopes that you like it, especially with a lot of reviews complaining of electronics erroring-out frequently. I wish there were some decent charcoal grill/smoker combos under $1K but that's hard to find as well. Plenty of LP grill /charcoal smoker combos out there, but not too many charcoal-only setups. I like this one though.
Matthew
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^^^
That looks like a brand called "The Good One".
My brother might have that exact model.
I've used it, and a few of their other models. They do make good stuff.
That looks like a brand called "The Good One".
My brother might have that exact model.
I've used it, and a few of their other models. They do make good stuff.
Zeldman
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I'd love to try out a pellet grill, but to get a similar size to what we use currently with a charcoal grill would cost close to $1K. That's a bit pricey to try out a grill in the hopes that you like it, especially with a lot of reviews complaining of electronics erroring-out frequently. I wish there were some decent charcoal grill/smoker combos under $1K but that's hard to find as well. Plenty of LP grill /charcoal smoker combos out there, but not too many charcoal-only setups. I like this one though.
I have found that pork doesn't come out as good as I want on the pellet grill. So the old and well used charcoal grill gets the pork.
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SoonerAviator
Yeah, that's my fear on the pellet grill idea. I need something that is first/foremost a direct-heat grill like a Weber Kettle or Char-Broil. The indirect-heat smoker portion would be used much less. Yeah, you can do some work-around methods to smoke stuff on a grill, or grill stuff on a smoker. Neither is really ideal. C'Est La Vie I suppose.
Edit: I almost forgot about the good 'ol Hasty Bake charcoal grills. They're pretty good about having a large range of settings for the firebox, so you can sear, grill, and smoke as needed. I'm sure an offset or cabinet smoker would be more ideal, but being able to set the firebox 14" below the grill and adding metal baffle is probably good enough for ribs and shorter smokes. again $1K is the price of entry.
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Yeah, that's one's called the Open Range model. They have a smaller model as well that's more of a small patio version. The nice thing about it is that you flip the preparation table and smoker lid around if you want to use it primarily as a smoker, or access smoker/grill at the same time from one side. It's still a little over $1K though.
Matthew
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The Good One had a dealer demo at one of the BBQ contests I do. Middle of the night, a guy on a neighboring team wandered to their booth, pulled a smoker to his place, and cooked on it all night. The plan was to get it back before they noticed it was gone. Funny thing about alcohol... He rolled it back in the morning and they were standing there, waiting for him. They gave him the choice, buy it or get arrested. Every time we see him we ask him how he likes his smoker.
RJM62
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Anything past medium earns you a ticket to the vegetarians table at my patio grill, lol.
mtuomi
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No, it's past well done (160F). USDA safe temperature for ground beef is 160 which is way past medium well.
RJM62
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We may be getting temperatures confused. The 165 F temperature to which I was referring was for already-prepared, egg-based products that are awaiting being served. Most hot foot on a serving line is required to be kept at > 140 F. But a few jurisdictions have another regulation of 165 F for egg-based foods on the serving line.
Rich
mtuomi
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No no, I was talking about burgers. I'll rather have food poisoning, than eat a burger at 165F. It was not a reply to your comment originally.
azblackbird
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Canned mushrooms on a steak? WTF? Is that a NY thing or something?
FYI... you have some of the largest "fresh" mushroom farms in the entire USA right out your back door.
RJM62
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Canned mushrooms on a steak? WTF? Is that a NY thing or something?
FYI... you have some of the largest "fresh" mushroom farms in the entire USA right out your back door.
Price Chopper had canned mushrooms on sale. Ten for $10.00, plus $0.10/gallon off on a gas fill-up for every ten. So I bought thirty cans, along with four other items with gas discounts. It came out to a $0.70 / gallon discount. The limit is 20 gallons, so the next time my car needs gas, I'll bring four gas cans along to get the full $14.00 discount (or more if I go to Price Chopper again before then).
They're not bad as canned mushrooms go. I usually doctor them up some, but they were a last-minute addition this time.
Rich
RJM62
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This is how I maximize the gas discount benefit despite having a car with a small gas tank:
That picture was from fall of 2017, right before a storm came through. I figured I'd use up a gas discount (I think that one was actually from Speedy Rewards) and prepare for the storm at the same time. The storm wound up fizzling out, but at least I had gas for the snowblower all winter.
The shelf also comes in handy for schlepping mogas to the airport, waste oil and other hazmat to the county collection center, smelly garbage to thedump transfer station, propane tanks for the grill, stuff I buy that's too big for the car's trunk but not big enough to justify pulling the trailer, and deer to the cutter should I ever actually shoot one. The nozzles on the cans are the only newfangled ones I actually like, and the cans themselves are also very good. They have handles on the sides facing the bumper that make them easy to use with the nozzle pointed straight down.
The shelf is actually much higher off the ground than it appears. The proximity in the picture is an optical contusion. It didn't come with the lights, but I thought they were a nice addition. (I don't use them when carrying gas or other hazmat.)
Along with the trailer and hitch, the shelf is among the better investments I've made, especially since the hitch was essentially free (purchased using accumulated Amazon gift cards from Speedy Rewards), and I installed the hitch and the lighting kit myself. They've more than paid for themselves in saved shipping costs for stuff I would have had to pay to ship, including the grill that is the topic of this thread.
Rich
That picture was from fall of 2017, right before a storm came through. I figured I'd use up a gas discount (I think that one was actually from Speedy Rewards) and prepare for the storm at the same time. The storm wound up fizzling out, but at least I had gas for the snowblower all winter.
The shelf also comes in handy for schlepping mogas to the airport, waste oil and other hazmat to the county collection center, smelly garbage to the
The shelf is actually much higher off the ground than it appears. The proximity in the picture is an optical contusion. It didn't come with the lights, but I thought they were a nice addition. (I don't use them when carrying gas or other hazmat.)
Along with the trailer and hitch, the shelf is among the better investments I've made, especially since the hitch was essentially free (purchased using accumulated Amazon gift cards from Speedy Rewards), and I installed the hitch and the lighting kit myself. They've more than paid for themselves in saved shipping costs for stuff I would have had to pay to ship, including the grill that is the topic of this thread.
Rich
Checkout_my_Six
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the gas tax in NY must be horrendous.... What are you saving by toting around that tank farm?
What are you saving by toting around that tank farm?
This is how I maximize the gas discount benefit despite having a car with a small gas tank:
That picture was from fall of 2017, right before a storm came through. I figured I'd use up a gas discount (I think that one was actually from Speedy Rewards) and prepare for the storm at the same time. The storm wound up fizzling out, but at least I had gas for the snowblower all winter.
The shelf also comes in handy for schlepping mogas to the airport, waste oil and other hazmat to the county collection center, smelly garbage to thedumptransfer station, propane tanks for the grill, stuff I buy that's too big for the car's trunk but not big enough to justify pulling the trailer, and deer to the cutter should I ever actually shoot one. The nozzles on the cans are the only newfangled ones I actually like, and the cans themselves are also very good. They have handles on the sides facing the bumper that make them easy to use with the nozzle pointed straight down.
The shelf is actually much higher off the ground than it appears. The proximity in the picture is an optical contusion. It didn't come with the lights, but I thought they were a nice addition. (I don't use them when carrying gas or other hazmat.)
Along with the trailer and hitch, the shelf is among the better investments I've made, especially since the hitch was essentially free (purchased using accumulated Amazon gift cards from Speedy Rewards), and I installed the hitch and the lighting kit myself. They've more than paid for themselves in saved shipping costs for stuff I would have had to pay to ship, including the grill that is the topic of this thread.
Rich
RJM62
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the gas tax in NY must be horrendous....
The gas tax anywhere in the Northeast is horrendous. New Jersey used to be an exception, but they're almost as bad as New York now.
I don't carry the gas around all the time. I only carry enough gas cans to fully exploit whichever gas discount program I'm using. Both discount programs in which I'm enrolled (Price Chopper's and Speedway's) are limited to one fill-up. That one fill-up resets the discount to zero, regardless of how little gas you pump. They also have limits of 20 gallons and 25 gallons, respectively, for that one fill-up. When you reach that limit, the pump stops and the price resets to the full price.
My car's gas tank only holds 14.2 gallons and has never taken more than 11 gallons on a fill-up, even when showing empty. So without the gas cans, I would lose the remaining discount beyond whatever I pump into the car's tank. So I carry enough gas cans to bring it up to the 20- or 25-gallon limit.
In that picture, I was also preparing for what was supposed to have been a major storm, hence the four cans.
Rich
DaleB
Final Approach
Not to wander more or less back to the topic, but yesterday I spent half an hour or so giving our grill its Spring scrubbing. I emptied out and scrubbed down the storage/tank space below, which was most of the work. The grates were OK, no nesting rodents, so they just got a good scrubbing with the wire brush followed by a coating of coconut oil and some 500 degree time. Once it cooled down I brushed on a thin coat of olive oil. The chicken turned out quite nicely. Looking forward to a lot of grilling this year; we're going to have our kitchen completely remodeled, so we'll be using the grill and a microwave exclusively for a few weeks later on.
Matthew
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Yesterday was spent cleaning the deck and furniture. Today will be spent mowing the lawn and taking apart, cleaning, and reassembling the grill. Might be time for a propane refill, too.
Back when Priceline was doing gas deals I used to load up my 42 gallon tank in the suburban.