The Heat Is On!

Surely by now you’ve tuned up your grill for the summer grilling season.  If so, you’ve been enjoying the unique flavor of fire roasted meats, veggies and fruits. If not, why not?  There are many reasons why you should get the grill going including the benefit of energy savings, the social aspects and of course, the yummy food that results from it all.

At my house, meat is cooked outside quite frequently. Through the week, a gas grill is called into action to handle daily meats including chicken, burgers, bratwurst and steaks. While a gas grill doesn’t offer the smoke flavor a charcoal grill or smoker will, it still gives a flame-kissed characteristic you can’t get from a skillet or griddle.

On weekends, the smoker comes to life.  We have a homemade UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker), and it’s wonderful.  It’ll hold up to six Boston butts, or a combination of butts, ribs, whole chickens, chuck roasts or other foods that cook well for longer times. A UDS is very fuel efficient and is best suited for cooking sessions of 5-9 hours (or more).   

The UDS works on the principle of a small fire carefully controlled by air intake. A UDS usually has between two to four intake ports at the bottom, and a variety of exhaust openings at the top.  Building a fire using the Minion Method, which burns slow and keeps the temp low (225-275 is ideal for smoking), the UDS allows a decent range of temperature control.  It takes a little effort to fine tune a UDS, but once you have yours modified to your liking and learn how it works, cooking with a UDS is fairly effortless and produces amazing results.

My husband and I put a bit of elbow grease into making our UDS.  We spent less than $100 total on the barrel, parts and paint and have a great smoker which has a capacity that will handle enough meat for most home gatherings. Do an online search for “UDS smoker” to get a wealth of information on this easy to make item. Take a look at my photos to see what ours looks like.

For finer controlled smoking, I use a propane upright box smoker.  Popular brands include Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain, Char-Broil and Brinkman and can be found at department stores or your favorite big box store.  A gas smoker, while a little more convenient to use than a charcoal/wood smoker, still requires a block of time to get good results.  I’ve made succulent Boston butts, ribs, and more in a gas smoker, but tend to use it more for things like pastrami, Canadian bacon, buckboard bacon and food items that require a lower temp (200-250) for slower smoking.

So whether you cook outside for the added taste and texture dimensions or to help keep heat out of the house, it’s all good. Remember all of these items employ fire; please take the necessary precautions to protect you, your loved ones and property. 

Yah, mon!  I received word that “The Shizzle” Jerk Marinade is now available at The Cooks Warehouse on Piedmont Road in Atlanta. If you’re a fan of flavorful and spicy jerk marinade, this one is definitely worth a try.  If Piedmont Road is not in your travel plans, order it from the source at www.TheShizzleSauce.com.  Be sure to get more than one jar, this stuff goes fast! 

Growlers at Whole Foods.  Select locations of Whole Foods Market will start selling fresh-filled growlers in the Metro Atlanta area very soon. What’s a growler?  It’s typically a 64 oz. glass jug filled with beer from the tap for you to take home and enjoy –for most of us, it’s the best way to enjoy draft beer at home. The Ponce de Leon shop will kick off growler sales on July 16.

Suwanee Beer Fest: July 23, 1-5 pm, Town Center Park.  This is shaping up to be one of the better beer fests in Metro Atlanta this summer.  Tickets are still available at www.suwaneebeerfest.com.