Hi-Tech Grilling?
I know I work in tech support. I know I love to grill. But has it really come down to this?
Charcoal Bob has created an on-line "Cookout Calculator." It's an interesting website that helps you detemine how long to grill meat and chicken on your various types of grills. It even allows for multiple cuts of meats and different degrees of "doneness - well, rare, medium etc."
This seems like a great little program, but kinda takes the fun out of it don't ya think?
posted by WhiteTrashBBQ @ 1:04 PM
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2 Comments:
To me, it's just a bit too much. I'm not anal enough to need a computerized plan on when to cook things; I can do that on my own.
Your skepticism is certainly natural – my first reaction was exactly the same. I consider myself a better than average griller. We get lots of practice here in California due to a near year-round grilling season. Being raised in Kansas City, it was a right of passage for me and my peers to begin grilling at a young age. Learning to determine doneness by touch was an art form. Had I not known the guys that built it, I would have been reluctant to even try charcoalbob – it seemed like extra work for something I had already mastered. Nonetheless, I tried with 6 rib-eyes one time, taking the time to deal with various thicknesses (1” to 1.5”) and determining how each guest wanted their steak cooked (which of course ranged from medium rare to well done). When I looked at the grilling timeline, I said “No way” these will never be done and my wife will give me the rolling of the eyes when I have to put them back on the grill. Living up to my promise to try it as it stands, I did. I put each steak on when it said to, then flipped them only when it said to, and then pulled them off the grill at the same time. Every steak came out perfect… in about half the time as normal, because I would have been opening the grill, flipping the meat, pressing on them to guess how done they were, moving them around the flame-ups, stacking them on top of one another to slow down their cooking – essentially losing much of the heat and extending my cooking time.
For me, CharcoalBob took over responsibility for one of the important components, the grilling timeline. The meat now comes off the grill at the same time and it is always done the way people want – not just ‘close enough.’ Now I can focus on what spices/marinades or what interesting side dishes I want to try out. My 9 year old always helps me grill – and he has come to expect that we just don’t grill unless we have our grilling timeline.
Not every griller will choose to make the switch – but it is definitely worth a try.
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