How Often to Clean a Barbecue Grill
For health and safety reasons, not to mention the taste of the food, a barbecue grill should be treated just like you treat your kitchen stove. Clean it after every meal preparation.

What You’ll Need

Stainless steel grill brush with scraper
Rags
Stiff nylon brush
Materials
General-purpose dish soap
Instructions materials for cleaning a barbecue grill

How to Clean Barbecue Grill Grates and Racks
Grill grates and racks—and any other surface that touches food—should be cleaned after each use. For best results, wait until after you’ve grilled.

Brush Off Grates and Racks
Immediately after each cooking session, brush off the grates and racks when they are cooler but still warm, using a high-quality stainless steel grill brush to clean off food particles.

Using a bottle brush tool to clean the grates

Scrape the Grates
Use the brush’s built-in scraper (if it has one) for burned-on food, or use a separate scraper tool.

Scraping off grill grates

Wipe the Grates and Racks
Wipe the grates and racks with a damp rag to remove loosened bits, and make sure there are no loose brush bristles left on the grate (you really don’t want a wire bristle in anyone’s food).

If you have a cast-iron grate, clean it completely, then brush on some vegetable oil with a paper towel to keep your grate in proper shape. Bare cast iron needs to be inspected regularly because it is more likely to rust.

Using a scrubber on the grill grates

Soak the Grates and Racks if Needed
Cleaned after every use, the grates and racks on your grill will avoid a heavy buildup of grease. If you forget to do this for too many cycles, you may need to soak the parts in a large bucket filled with a mixture of hot water and dish soap, which will help loosen baked-on grease.

How to Clean Charcoal Grills
Grills that burn charcoal have unique issues related to the large quantities of ash generated. Here’s a schedule for how to clean charcoal grills.

Empty Ashes After Each Use
Clean out the residual ash in a charcoal grill after each use. A pile of ash left on the grill can collect moisture, and ash plus moisture can equal a cement-like substance that’s can be incredibly difficult to remove.

To make quick work of ash cleanup, keep a metal (not plastic or anything combustible) bucket with a lid next to the grill, and dump the ashes and spent coals into it when everything has cooled down. Store the bucket somewhere where it won’t get wet.

Transfer the collected ash to the garbage when the bucket is full and you’re positive there are no coals still burning. Ash disposal becomes even easier if you opt for lump charcoal since it creates relatively little ash when compared to briquettes.

Clean All Parts Once Each Year
At the beginning and end of each grilling season, or at least once a year if you grill year-round, give your charcoal grill a thorough cleaning with hot soapy water and a stiff nylon brush or fiber scrub pad.

For complete cleaning, perform this work systematically, beginning with the surfaces up under the hood, and moving down to the side walls and bottom of the cooking chamber. Make sure to thoroughly clean the drip pan.

Conclude by wiping down the outside of the grill from top to bottom, using warm water. Wipe dry to prevent rust.

Take Your Time
This can be difficult work if you haven’t done it in a while, so be prepared to spend some time. You may go through several scrub pads and many buckets of warm water. Most people find it most satisfying to do this deep cleaning at the end of the grilling season, before storing the grill for the winter. That way, the grill will be clean and ready to go when the next grilling season begins.

Scraping ashes off of the grill
How to Clean Gas Grills
People with gas grills often think they are home free when it comes to cleaning their grills because of the “clean” setting on many gas grills. This setting does heat up the grill and burns off some of the particles, but it isn’t a substitute for regular cleaning.

Clean Grates and Racks After Each Use
Cleaning chores are much easier if they are done often, after each use of the grill. This is critical with gas grills since the high temperatures can bake on grease and foods, making it challenging to clean the grates and racks once they cool and the grease hardens.

Make sure to clean these parts after every cooking session.

Clean the Heat Deflectors
Many gas grills have thin steel plates, angled in the shape of a V, that separate the burners from the cooking chamber. These heat deflectors serve to distribute heat evenly around the cooking chamber and prevent the gas flames from burning the foods directly overhead. Grease and food residue often drips down onto these deflectors.

Clean the deflectors after every three of four uses of the grill by removing them from the cooking chamber and scrubbing them with warm soapy water and a nylon brush or scrubbing pad. Dry them completely before putting them back in the grill.

Clean All Parts Once a Year
Clean everything else—including the burners themselves, the side walls, the bottom of the cooking compartment, and the drip pan—at least once a year, using warm, soapy water. This seasonal or annual cleaning requires some simple disassembly so you can clean each part separately let and dry it thoroughly before reassembling the grill. Make sure to disconnect the gas hookups before removing the burners.

The burners require special attention. Makes sure the jets (the tiny holes where the flames emerge) are free of debris. A thin wire or small nail can help to open up any holes that are plugged.

Conclude by wiping down the outside of the grill, using warm water. Wipe dry to prevent rust.

Inspect All the Parts
The annual cleaning is a good time to inspect all the parts and replace any that are worn or damaged. Grill burners can eventually wear out, as can the heat deflectors and other parts. Hardware stores sell many of the parts necessary to tune up a grill, and the grill manufacturer may offer them for sale online.

Cover Your Outdoor Grill
It may seem obvious, but covering your grill is a must if you’re keeping it outdoors. Without a cover, all the dust, dirt, pollen, cobwebs, and insect mess that covers your deck or patio during the off-season will equally cover your grill. Also, grills stay dryer under a cover, which helps reduce corrosion of the metal parts.

The post How to Clean Your BBQ Grill appeared first on X-BBQ Grill Vietnam.

You have purchased your wood pellet smoker, but now what? With endless options of flavored wood pellets to choose from it’s hard to know where to begin.

Experimenting with different flavors of pellets is half the fun of investing in a pellet grill.

Don’t worry about sticking with the pellets made by your grill manufacturer either.

What are Smoking Wood Pellets?

Now that you know some of the best wood pellets for smoking, it is time to talk more specifically about the wood pellets themselves. Where do they come from? How are they made?

These are just a few of the questions you may have.

If you were to visit a lumber mill, you would see sawdust and wood pieces scattered all throughout the mill.

This short video does a good job of showing how wood pellets are actually made.

Sawdust and wood pieces are waste from the lumber being cut. Instead of throwing this out, it gets re-purposed!

Wood pellets are created from compressed sawdust. The compression of the sawdust releases natural substances within the wood. During compression, these released substances soften then harden.

This allows the sawdust to stick together to maintain their shape and consistency. These shapes are usually small, cylindrical shapes for easy use.

These cylindrical wood pieces are called wood pellets, and they have different intended functions.

Unlike wood chips, smoking pellets are not required to be soaked prior to use. Soaking wood pellets in water will cause the pellets to disintegrate.

There’s a big difference between heating pellets and smoking pellets

Wood pellets made from hardwoods with chemicals or insecticides are intended to be used only as heating pellets.

Heating pellets are wood pellets made for a pellet stove to heat a home.

Wood pellets made from food-safe hardwoods are manufactured as smoking wood pellets.

Different kind of pellets- oak, pine,sunflower- selective focus on the heap

These smoking wood pellets are specifically made fuel for pellet grills. Some food-safe hardwoods include apple wood, hickory, or mesquite, to name a few.

This is where the fun begins! There are many flavors, blends and combinations of smoking wood pellets to choose from.

Depending on the type of meat you will be smoking can help you decide which flavor or combination of flavors to use.

What are the Best Wood Pellet Flavors?

Wood pellets for smoking are produced from a variety of hardwoods. Each of these have slighly different properties that can impact the flavor of your barbecue.

The most popular hardwood flavors include:

Apple

Cherry

Hickory

Maple

Mesquite

Oak

Pecan

Smoking wood pellets may be from 100% the specified type of hardwood, or a blended combination of generally 30% flavor with 70% filler.

Blended smoking wood pellets which use roughly 30% of flavored pellets are more affordable. The remaining 70% of the pellet is typically comprised of oak.

There’s nothing wrong with using oak as a smoke wood. Some people take issue with how manufactures use oak because it tends to be cheaper, while still labeling the pellets as something else.

Smoking Pellet Pairings

Pairing your smoking wood pellets with what you are smoking is not a requirement.

However, some people enjoy trying to enhance the flavors of what they are smoking by pairing specific types of wood with different types of meat.

This is a very subjective topic so take the suggestions below as just that. Suggestions that you can play around with.

Apple – Apple wood pellets are best used for smoking chicken, pork, lamb and seafood. It is mild and can be mixed well with others flavors.

Cherry – Like Apple, cherry wood pellets are extremely universal and can be used to smoke anything.

Hickory – When it comes to smoking pork, hickory cannot be beat. In addition to pork, both chicken and beef are also best paired with hickory flavored wood pellets.

Maple – Best for chicken and vegetables, maple wood pellets are also similar to cherry and a great flavor to keep on hand.

Mesquite – This flavor is the best wood pellet to use for beef; specifically for beef brisket.

Oak – While oak is a mild flavor mostly used for filling and blended flavors, it can be used for all proteins and vegetables. It is another universal flavor to keep on hand at all times.

Pecan – Pecan wood pellets are ideal for smoking chicken. This flavor can be blended with others, especially when smoking chicken.

Keys to Remember

100% flavored smoking wood pellets are more expensive than blended pellets.

Do not soak wood pellets prior to use as they will disintegrate.

Always use food-grade pellets. Do not use wood pellets that are not recommended for smoking, such as heating pellets.

Do not use old wood pellets that contain mold or fungus.

Do You Have to Use the Same Brand Pellet as Your Grill?

Most companies that manufacture pellet smokers also sell their own brand of wood pellets for smoking.

Many people believe they have to only use wood pellets that are sold by their pellet grill manufacturer.

As you have seen in the reviews above, Traeger is a brand that makes quality pellet grills and quality wood pellets.

They also claim that the use of other brand’s wood pellets could harm your pellet grill and result in a voided warranty.

There are actually laws that prevents manufacturers like Traeger from enforcing an implied warranty like that.

However, there are no law that prevents them from putting those stickers on the grills.

So long as you use a quality smoking wood pellet, there’s no reason why you can’t experiment with different brands.

How to Safely Store Your Wood Pellets

While it may seem unnecessary, it’s important to safetly store your wood pellets.

Proper storage is essential for guaranteeing your wood pellets’ shelf life is maximized.

Proper storage will prevent mold, fungus, or other toxins from entering or growing on the pellets.

When it comes to safe storage, try to remember the BOOM method. If it doesn’t boom, then you’re doomed.

B – Buckets or Bins

5 Gallon White Bucket & Lid – Durable 90 Mil All Purpose Pail – Food Grade – BPA Free Plastic –

If you are purchasing bulk bags of smoking wood pellets, try not to leave them in the bags they come in.

Some manufacturers such as CookinPellets recommends leaving these pellets in their original bags.

Otherwise, you will want to remove these pellets from their bags.

Leaving wood pellets in their original bags may become punctured. Puncturing a pellet bag exposes them to oxygen or moisture.

Original bags with pellets that become damp or wet will deteriorate, resulting in a wasted product.

In addition to deteriorating, these pellets can also grow mold or fungus if they become wet. Smoking wood pellets with mold or fungus can penetrate your food and potentially make you sick.

A five-gallon bucket with a lid ensures the pellets stay dry and sealed. This gives you optimal cooking quality, both safe and tasty!

O – Off the Ground

Bags of smoking wood pellets that are stored directly touching the ground are run a high risk of being exposed to moisture.

Moisture from rain or a leak will start from the ground up. Placing your bags of pellets on an elevated, open surface will keep them off the ground and keep moisture from building up around them.

O – Open when Needed

Do not open your bag(s) of smoking wood pellets until you are ready to use them.

Bags of pellets that are opened and unused for an extended time will become oxygenated.

Oxygen contains moisture which will break down the wood pellets from the hardened capsules they are and cause them to crumble.

Additionally, once opened, use the opened bag of pellets first before opening the next one.

M – Moisture Avoidance

Did you notice the overall theme to the above? Moisture. Moisture is a wood pellet’s nemesis.

Not only will moisture break down the product, but it will also become a mold or fungus’s new habitat.

When avoiding moisture, you must also consider humidity. Humidity is just as dangerous as acute water exposure from a leak or rain.

If you choose to store your wood pellets in an area such as a basement, consider a dehumidifier for the area to keep the air as dry as possible.

The reason moisture is so detrimental is because it can cause you to spend extra money. 100% flavored wood pellets are expensive. You do not want to waste your purchase by having to replace your inadequately stored pellets.

The more hazardous risk that moisture imposes is its potential for growing toxins, such as mold or fungus.

Smoking wood pellets that are burned with these toxins will penetrate the food you are cooking through the smoke from the pellets.

Consuming food that has been exposed to these toxins has the potential to make anyone who eats the food sick.

It is imperative to store your smoking wood pellets in an area that will protect both your health and your wallet.

Wood Pellet FAQ

When it comes to finding the best wood pellet for smoking, we want to make sure all your bases are covered. Here are some of the most asked questions users ask when finding the perfect pellet.

How Long Do Wood Pellets Last in a Smoker?

A pellet grill will use approximately ½ pound of pellets per hour during smoking.

However, wind or cooler temperatures may increase how many pellets you typically burn.

Some wood pellet types have a quicker burn rate. This means you may go through more pellets of one flavor versus another flavor.

Last, the size of the meat you are smoking can also speed up the rate at which you are burning pellets. A larger piece of meat, such as a beef brisket that needs to be smoked for 12 hours, will go through more wood pellets than a small pork shoulder.

Are Wood Pellets Safe?

Wood pellets that are food-grade and made from consumable hardwoods are safe for consumption.

Do not purchase heat pellets for food preparation and consumption. These pellets may contain contaminants such as insecticides or chemical treatments.

Using heat pellets rather than food-grade wood pellets will not only worsen the taste of your food, but also make you sick.

It is imperative that you use food-grade smoking wood pellets when fueling your pellet grill.

Additionally, smoking wood pellets are safe as long as they have been adequately stored.

Do not burn wood pellets that have been exposed to moisture. Moisture may have created a toxic habitat within the pellet, potentially housing mold or fungus.

This mold or fungus is unsafe for food preparation and consumption, increasing the risk of illness if consumed.

Do Wood Pellets Need to be Soaked Before Use?

Wood pellets do not need moisture. In fact, moisture is the enemy to wood pellets.

As wood pellets are made from sawdust, soaking them in water breaks down its composition and causes them to disintegrate.

While this may make wood pellets seem fragile, it is actually the opposite.

Without requiring to be soaked in water, they require less maintenance. This means immediate bag-to-smoker use!

Wrapping it up

As you can see, there is more to smoking the perfect meat than just firing up a grill and turning the temperature to low. It is a beautiful science. It’s simple enough to enjoy, but complex enough for you to formulate a perfect blend of flavors, temperature and protein type.

Wood pellets are a great way to quickly fire up your smoker without the worry. By purchasing a universal blend or flavor of wood pellets and keeping them on hand, you can have delicious tender smoked meat anytime you want.

Remember that proper and safe storage of your wood pellets will keep them long lasting and great tasting!

The post Wood Pellets for Smoking – What are the best? appeared first on X-BBQ Grill Vietnam.

The Kamado grill, contrary to a popular belief, is a very easy to use, it just requires a little practice and understanding.

How to Light a Kamado Grill

Kamado Joe is a grill that runs on charcoal (also with wood chunk and smoke). It means that you have to light the charcoal every time in order to get the grill hot and start grill. It used to be a hard task, dirty and time consuming, but today things are different ways to get the charcoal burning fast and easily without toxic tinder with blow lighter or fire dish.

Which specific method will be the best for you is only up to you, but easiest and most effective and important are free of toxics.

Never use lighter fluid to light charcoal in a ceramic grill. It has plenty of downsides which is why it’s better to use one of the selected methods. Lighter fluid creates the strange order to foods.

Which charcoal is better for Kamado Joe?

Lump Charcoal is more expensive, burns faster, but it reaches much higher temperatures and produces way less ash, which is the main reason why it is better to use 100% Hardwood lump charcoal in a grill.

Briquettes (Coconut, tree wood or….), on the other hand, are much cheaper, burn longer, reach slightly lower temperatures, but they leave sometime much more ash which might get the holes clogged and lower the air flow which is important in case of long cooking like smoke.

Definitely, Lump charcoal is better because it reaches higher temperatures and produces much less ash than briquettes, the main downside of lump charcoal is only its price.

Method no. 1 – Charcoal Chimney: A chimney is a great way to light charcoal, it allows to get the charcoal burning fast and evenly in a short time.

Step 1 – Place some old newspapers on the bottom of the chimney, then put in as much charcoal as you need and set it on fire

Step 2 – Wait for a moment, usually 10-15 minutes, when the charcoal is ready and you can move it to the fire box in the kamado.

Step 3 – Then close the lid of the grill and manipulate the air vents to get your requested temperature.

Method no. 2 – Electric Starter (RJE Blow Lighter)

A little more expensive but self-sufficient starting method, a very effective way, and it works great when lighting charcoal in a kamado grill.

Step 1 – Open all the air vents, open the lid of the grill and pour charcoal into the firebox. Then put the electric blow lighter on the charcoal about 2-3 minutes.

Step 2 – Once you see that the charcoal is burning, take out the electric starter and you can add some more new charcoal to the hot charcoal so that the grill warms up faster.

Step 3 – You can close the lid of the grill now and close the upper air vent a little, leave the bottom one still opend all the way until you get your ideal temperature.

Method no. 3 – Lighter Cubes/ Fire Disc

Another method  (Lighter Cubes/ Fire Disc ) consists of pouring the right amount of charcoal into the inside of a kamado grill, then just adding 1-2 lighter cubes. It is also a quick way to get the grill burning cheap, fast and without chemical additives.

Step 1 – Open the lid, all the air vents, pour in charcoal

Step 2 – Add lighter cubes (2 cubes is enough) and light them.

Step 3 – Wait for 10-15 minutes the charcoal will burn faster.

The best solution is lighter cubes and a charcoal chimney starter for economy solution but the blow lighter is most effective and faster way. But lighter cubes/ Fire disc is an advantage for outdoor or countryside area

Temperature Control in Kamado

So the charcoal is burning already and the temperature in the grill keeps getting hotter by the minute. The key thing is to keep the selected temperature? It may be a difficult task, but the truth is, it just requires a little practice and understanding few rules.

While cooking, you should always close the lid of the grill, only open it if you really have to. Avoid opening it every few seconds, it results in losing the heat fast and makes it impossible to maintain a temperature.

Temperature control in a Kamado Joe depends on two main factors – the amount of charcoal and the amount of oxygen through the air vents. Which means you should choose the right amount of charcoal and properly control the air vents in order to have a good control of the air flow.

The more charcoal in the grill, the higher temperature you will get, so if planning to cook for few hours at a low temperature then it’s a good idea to light a small amount of charcoal at first, and then add charcoal when it’s needed. If you want a higher temperature then you have to add a lot more charcoal.

How to deal with the air vents?

Charcoal burning requires oxygen. The more oxygen, the faster and hotter the charcoal burns, and it goes the same the other way, the less oxygen the longer the charcoal burns and the lower temperatures the grill reaches.

How to control a fixed temperature?

Step 1 – Chose the right amount of charcoal, which is already burning and close the lid of the grill and open all the air vents until the Kamado Joe gets close to the desired temperature (about 20-30 degrees away from the desired temperature).

Step 2 – Is the temperature inside the grill close to the desired one? If yes, then close the bottom air vent and leave the top air vent slightly open and keep checking if the temperature has stabilized for few minutes.

Step 3 – If the temperature is too hot then open the top air vent some more, but close the bottom one. If the temperature is too low, then close ¾ of the upper air vent and open the bottom air vent a little to increase the temperature.

Step 4 – Depending on food you cook in a high temperature or a low one, monitor the charcoal condition inside the grill.

Are you planning to smoking meat?

You should start cooking a little differently than usual and to start with a definitely smaller amount of charcoal. The grill will be warming up much longer this way, but once it gets hot, it will easily hold a fixed low temperature for many hours. Kamado grills are great at holding temperature (especially the ceramic ones).

You should also control the air vents accordingly so that you don’t provide too much oxygen and not make the charcoal burn faster. It is very important to choose the right amount of charcoal, too much of it will cause the temperature to be high and you mus wait for some of the charcoal to burn down so that the temperature drops on.

Cooking on a Kamado Grill

When you know the basics of temperature control and air vent control or check everything about your food, the desired temperature and what the rub to use. Now all that is left is to put all that knowledge into practical use, light the charcoal, preheat the grill and start cooking.

There is best way to learn how to cook on Kamado Joe than to simply experiment on your Kamado and learn how your grill works. You can find your own recipe, Kamado Joe allows grill lovers to make a difference and create their own taste.

The post HOW TO USE A KAMADO GRILL appeared first on X-BBQ Grill Vietnam.

Natural gas (methane) has no carbon monoxide and is therefore not poisonous. It is also lighter than air, and will float away given a chance. Other fuel gasses (butane, propane, ethane…) are heavier than air and could conceivably cause asphyxiation if they leaked in a confined space.

Just to be fair, any kind of cooking can have risks. Electricity can kill if abused, open fires can spread, BBQ grills can fall over… But used properly, gas is not harmful.

1. Food safety – Handling your food properly is just as important as properly handling and operating your barbecue equipment. Did you know that bacteria develop at any temperature above freezing? Keep food chilled until it goes onto the grill and serve immediately. Food poisoning is easy to avoid if you follow three easy rules: keep food chilled and covered until ready to cook, and then eat it while it’s still warm.
2. Alcohol safety – Grilling often means an ice cold beer or cocktails. Remember to drink responsibly while grilling. Keeping a clear head is a great way to avoid accidents.
3. Keep it clean – Don’t let grease build up in your grill. It can cause flare-ups while you’re hovering over the grill. Just a few cookouts can accumulate a surprising amount of grease. At the start of the season, check that insects or other debris haven’t created obstructions for the fuel flow.
4. Maintain a distance – Your grill should be placed at a safe distance from your house or anything else that could catch fire, including trees. All manuals will provide this elementary safety information.
   
5. LPG – Propane safety: Every year the first thing you should do is throughly inspect your grill for problems, and then do periodic inspections throughout the season. The most common cause is an obstruction in the fuel path. Be sure to check the major connection points: tank hose, regulator and cylinder. Tighten if loose. Check the hose for potential leaks (how? purchase a leak detection solution or spray a bit of soapy water along the hose and connections and then check for visible bubbles that form due to a leak).
6. Limit charring and smoke: While LPG – Propane grills emit much less CO2 than charcoal fuel, the excessive charring of foods and inhaling of the smoke from burning grease are both health hazards. Enjoy the wonderful smell of cooking food from a distance and prefer marinated foods which reduce the toxic charring during grilling.
7. Follow Instructions – Seems pretty obvious, but manuals do get misplaced and basic safety rules are easily forgotten from one year to the next. Also, a new grill won’t operate exactly like your last one. Contact the manufacturer’s website to download a manual if you’ve lost the original.
8. Fire extinguisher – every home should have one and during barbecue season, it’s essential that a fire extinguisher be close at hand. Prepare yourself and family members on basic first aid and protocol in case of a fire: cut the fuel supply, extinguish the fire, call the fire department if necessary.
9. Stay put – Never leave your grill unattended. This not only guarantees safe operation, it also guarantees that children and pets be kept at a safe distance from the grill area.
10. Keep your nose on alert – the minute you smell gas, turn off both the grill controls and the tank’s valve. If you continue to smell gas, call the fire department. Have your supplier check the cylinder for damage when refueling, and safely store cylinders upright. Keep the cylinder valve closed when not in use.

The post Grilling with an LPG – Propane Barbecue is the optimal choice for tasty and healthier meals appeared first on X-BBQ Grill Vietnam.

The post WHAT IS INDIRECT AND DIRECT GRILLING? appeared first on X-BBQ Grill Vietnam.

Whether you’re a novice griller or seasoned pro, it never hurts to have a few tips & tricks up your sleeve.

Check out eight of our must-have, can’t-live-without grill hacks and enjoy stress-free grilling.

1. Preserve Steak Juices:Let your steak rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing to prevent juices from running out.
2. Season Your Grill: Season your grill grate with half an onion dipped in canola oil to prevent meat from sticking to the grates.
3. Smoke with a Gas Grill: Make an aluminum pouch filled with wood ships to generate smoke in your gas grill.
4. Fire-Proof Skewers: Soak your wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes to prevent them for catching fire.
5. Know Your Time & Temp: Hang a meat cooking temperature chart on the inside door of your grill so you don’t have to remember them all.
6. Spiral Dogs: Stick a skewer lengthwise in your sausages and cut a spiral around with a knife.
7. All-Purpose Spray Mop Sauce: Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp of kosher salt within a spray bottle.
8. When to Flip Burgers: How to know it’s time to flip your burgers? Look for juices to start rising out on top.

The post 8 GRILLING TIPS appeared first on X-BBQ Grill Vietnam.

The Lava rocks now used with a gas grill because of their ability to heat very fast and radiate for even grilling.

With traditional use, lava rocks should last for about two years before replacements are required because of the build-up of grease, which can affect flavor, as well as the natural deterioration of the lava rocks from frequent heating and cooling after use.

Step 1

Lift the lid on the grill, remove the cooking grate and pour new lava rocks onto the grate over the propane burners.

Step 2

Put the lava rocks with only one layer on the grate over the burner with the edges shape touching each other, then replace the cooking grate. The Lava rocks should not be massed on top of each other.

Step 3

Turn on the gas grill and ignite the burner , then close the lid and let the grill preheat around 10 minutes.

Step 4

Fix up the food on the cooking grate and barbecue according to the recommended time as your recipe.

Step 5

Remove the cooked food, then turn the grill burners up to high temperature to burn off grease and diffused food on the lava rocks. Leave the heat on for 10 minutes; this cleans the rocks for the next BBQ session.

Step 6

Remove the cooking grate and turn the lava rocks upside down (when the grill has cooled) after four to five bbq use. This will helps clean the rocks and keep it for longer use.

Step 7

Replace the old lava rocks with a new one when the rocks begin to deteriorate or reflect a  odor that cannot be removed by heating the grill for 10 minutes.

Tip

How long does Lava Rock last?

This is dependent on use, on average we would recommend every 1 to 2 years as soon as the rocks become small enough to allow fat to drip down on to the burners or when the coals ignite due to fat saturation.

Warning

Do not wash the lava rocks in any solution, not even water, in order to clean them. Lava rocks are cavenous and can absorb liquids. When heated, the moisture will expand and crack the rocks.

The post HOW TO USE LAVA ROCKS ON A GAS BARBECUE? appeared first on X-BBQ Grill Vietnam.

The spice rub forms a coating with many layers as favorites on the food. The food can be marinated in the spice rub for some time for the flavors to incorporate into the food or it can be cooked immediately after it is coated in the rub. The spice rub can be left on or partially removed before cooking.

Rubs can be wet or dry. Like brines, barbecue rubs consist of two primary flavors: salty and sweet. You can build on those, but salty and sweet are the foundation.

Ingredients: The spices are usually coarsely ground. In addition to spices, salt and sugar may be added to the rub, the salt for flavor and the sugar for caramelization. Different salts are sometimes used for their unique qualities, such as Himalayan pink salt or smoke salt. The simplest rub is just coarsely ground black pepper as in steak au poivre.

Spice rubs can also have ingredients such as herbs, dry chili, crushed garlic or oil added to make a paste. Less common ingredients can include coffee beans or any local ingredients.

RUBS ARE FOR WHEN YOU BARBECUE, NOT GRILL

Any discussion of rubs ought, to begin with clarifying the difference between grilling and barbecuing.

Grilling is a fast, high-temperature method suitable for cooking, for example, steaks or burgers or asia styles foods Street.

Barbecuing is a slow, low-temperature (typically 225 F) method you’d use to cook, for example, a whole pork shoulder or beef brisket or any method of low cook.

This is a huge difference and diversity, and its misunderstanding leads to the misconception that rubs should be used for grilling. No! Rubs, either wet or dry, are for when you barbecue, not grill which is mostly base on spice.  For high-heat grilling, stick to a simple seasoning of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

This is mainly because rubs will burn in the scorching heat of a grill, leaving you with a blackened, smoky mess. Sugar is one of the primary components of a rub and starts to burn at 265 F. Consider that steaks are grilled at 450 to 550 F, and even chicken is grilled at 350 to 450 F, and you’ll see why rubs and grilling don’t mix. So, use rubs for low-heat barbecuing and smoking, not grilling.

Flavoring Ingredients in Rubs

Beyond salt and sugar, other rub ingredients typically include garlic and onion powders, cumin, oregano, paprika, and chili powder. These last two contribute color as well as flavor. Color is important because, at 225 F, meat is not going to turn brown via the Maillard reaction, which happens at temperatures of 310 F or higher.

Since there is no set formula for the relationship between a piece of meat’s weight to its surface area, there is no formula for how much rub you’ll need per pound. You simply want enough to cover the entire surface. Any excess simply won’t stick and will fall off. Fortunately, dry rub keeps for a few months in a cool, dry place, so make extra.

We can, however, talk in terms of ratios. In general, a good rub recipe will combine equal parts (by weight) of salt, black pepper, sugar, chili powder (including paprika and chipotle powder) and aromatics (such as garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, mustard powder, and so on). 

Wet vs. Dry Rubs

In a sense, the choice of wet vs dry is mainly a choice relating to the flavor. Which is to say, there is no way to add the flavor of Worcestershire sauce without using Worcestershire sauce. And since Worcestershire sauce is wet, you’re using a wet rub. The same goes for citrus juice or vinegar.

Beyond that, liquid applied to the surface of a piece of meat is going to evaporate very quickly when exposed to heat. But though the liquid may evaporate, the flavor compounds it contained still remain. Thus the liquid is merely the medium for applying the flavor.

Oil (another liquid) doesn’t evaporate—but other ingredients don’t dissolve in it, either. Therefore, an oil-based rub (dry ingredients moistened with oil and formed into a paste) is using oil as a glue to adhere the dry ingredients to the surface of the meat.

And remember, the flavors of the rub aren’t going any deeper than the outer millimeter or two of meat. That’s why spice rubs need to be bold. You’re trying to apply enough flavor to the surface of the meat to season the entire meat.

Note too that when discussing the difference between wet and dry rubs, that is not the same as the difference between wet and dry barbecue. The former relates to the form of rub that is used, while the latter has to do with the use of sauce —either during the cooking, at the table, or both.

Sweetness Is the Key to Barbecue Rubs

Speaking of wet vs dry, molasses is a great ingredient for making wet rubs. As the byproduct of refining raw sugar into granulated white sugar, molasses functions both as a glue and as a medium for sweetness. And remember, because barbecue is a slow, low-temperature affair, you don’t have to worry about the sugar burning.

Brown sugar (which is what you get if you mix white sugar with molasses) is a standard foundation for dry rubs. Because it is slightly moist, it forms a good glue between the meat and other ingredients in the rubs. Maple sugar and turbinado sugar are also good choices. 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/barbecue-rub-definition-336237

The post WHAT ARE BBQ RUBS AND HOW TO USE BBQ RUBS? appeared first on X-BBQ Grill Vietnam.

When it comes to smoking meat, there are recommendations of meat/wood combinations. For example, for heavier meats, like beef and pork, hardwood is recommended. For more delicate meats, like chicken and fish, a lighter hardwood is suggested.

Avoid using softwoods like pine and cedar. These woods are too resinous and can ruin the meat and your smoker.

Here is a great guide on everything you need to know about smoking wood to check out if you want to learn more.

That does beg the question, what is the best wood for smoking meat?

Oak

Oak is the quintessential go-to for smoking meat. It is a great place to start if you are a newbie to smoking.  It will lend a medium to a strong flavor that is seldom overpowering.

Best Meat to Smoke

Lamb, beef, brisket, and sausages

Hickory

The most versatile choice as it can be used to smoke wood in many ways. Be careful, though, because too much hickory flavor will cause your meat to have a more bitter flavor. It has a sweet, savory, and hearty, a bit bacony.

Best Meat to Smoke

Larger cuts of ribs and pork shoulders, as well as almost all red meat and poultry.

Maple

One of the most subtle smoking wood, it will impart a more subtle smoke flavor.  Use maple for a sweet, light, mild smokiness.

Best Meat to Smoke

Poultry, pork, game foul

Mesquite

A hardy wood packing intense flavor. It is recommended for grilling, or to be used in smaller quantities. It is famous for its strong, intense, and unique.

Best Meat to Smoke

Red Meat and for adding additional flavor when grilling

Pecan

Pecan will lend a rich, sweet, nutty flavor. In fact, the wood is so sweet that you may want to use a combination of it with another harder wood to balance out the flavor.

Best Meat to Smoke

Briskets, roasts, and ribs

Apple

Applewood is mild and sweet, lending a mellow flavor. Apple smoke flavors take a while to permeate the meat, so anticipate several hours of smoking.

Best Meat to Smoke

Chicken, wild foul, pork

Alder

A very light and sweet flavor profile. It lends a delicate and sweet characteristic.

Best Meat to Smoke

Fish, like salmon and other Pacific Northwestern types.

Cherry

Cherry is mild and fruity, and when mixed with other hardwood like hickory, the two flavors compliment each other for an amazing result.

Best Meat to Smoke

Chicken, turkey, ham

What is the best wood for smoking meat? This is one of those debates that has gone on for years, and will continue for many more. 

The post What is the Best Wood for Smoking Meat? appeared first on X-BBQ Grill Vietnam.

Learn how to smoke meats without a smoker and impress all of your guests.

No smoker? No problem!

It’s summer, and that means fixing a big plate of delicious barbecue ribs for friends and family. You know, the kind of ribs with a mouth-watering smoky flavor, tender enough to fall right off the bone? Nothing can stop you from smoking that big rack of meat and serving it up backyard-style, right? But wait, you don’t have a smoker? Good news: You’re not out of the game just yet. We’ll teach you how to smoke meats without a smoker!

You actually don’t need one of those fancy, expensive smokers to enjoy great ribs — you just need to get a little creative with your culinary skills. There are more than a few ways to get great flavor from ribs without spending big bucks, and we’ll be glad to show you some here.

Count Your Chips
First thing’s first: You’ll need wood chips. Wood chips, such as Applewood or Pecan wood, add tons of smoky flavor to your ribs. To prep them, soak the wood chips in water for at least 4 hours. Save some of that liquid for later to baste the meat while cooking. No matter what heat source you use, the chips bring the smoke, which brings the flavor.

Cooking on the Grill
When using a grill to cook ribs, you’ll need to handcraft an aluminium foil bag for your chips. Simply place the chips on a sheet of foil, then place another sheet on top and twist the ends into a bag shape. You’ll need to poke a few holes for venting so the smoke escapes. If you’re using a charcoal grill, make sure to place the coals on one side and the ribs on the other.

Cook over indirect heat so as not to overcook the meat. The same principle applies for gas grills — only use the burners that are not under your ribs. For the actual smoking process, low and slow is the name of the game. “Low” means a cooking temperature between 225-275 F; you don’t want big heat. The “slow” comes in with cooking time — at least 4 hours of cooking, and many times up to 5 hours. Use a probing meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is 175 F on beef ribs before finishing up.

In the Oven
For the oven, you’ll need a roasting pan that has a raised grill, to keep the ribs out of their juices. Line the bottom of the pan with foil and then your soaked chips, topping with the grill. Place your meat on the grill, then tent a sheet of foil on top of the pan. Once again, slow and low for the cooking, at 225-275 F for 4-5 hours. Baste as much as possible to prevent drying out. This is very important when you smoke meats without a smoker.

The Combination Method
For meats other than ribs, you can combine the grill and oven methods! This is perfect for tough cuts of meat like brisket and pork shoulder. Here’s how to do it:

1. Season the cuts of meat with a good coating of salt, pepper, paprika and cumin
2. Place the meat on the grill over high heat until the outside is nice and charred
3. Transfer the meat to a roasting pan and bake at a 250 F for 4-5 hours until it’s fork tender

Smoke Flavor Shortcuts
If you’re in a rush and still want to add a little smoky flavor to ribs, you can always work some spice and sauce magic. Spices like smoked paprika and cumin add that smoky flavor to ribs without all the work. Finally, feel free to cheat a little by using all-natural liquid smoke. It adds the right flavor, and you might not get smoked out of the kitchen when the fire alarm goes off!

The post How to Smoke Meats Without a Smoker appeared first on X-BBQ Grill Vietnam.