Vegan Grilling Ideas | Get A Life, Dude!

Challenging, maybe more than barbecuing and grilling meat is coming up with ideas for grilling veggies and getting healthy!

En Eefecto: Vegan folks like to grill as much as their meat-eating friends. For me grilling veggies and fruit can be both challenging and rewarding. Plus, it should be part of the “total meal experience”.

The closest many of the pure meat lovers get to vegan grilling is a shish kabob…a couple of cherry tomatoes, a green pepper and maybe some chunks of pineapple. Well, at least it’s not all meat.

I will have to admit, I blog more about barbecuing meat than I do about grilling vegetables and fruit. However, in reality I grill more fruits and veggies than I do meat, especially when they are in season.

The above photo is of four zucchini (2 yellow, 2 green), two ears of corn and a head of cauliflower, fixed a very special way. I think you will like the recipe for the cauliflower.

I cut the zucchini length wise and rubbed EVOO (only olive oil safe for vegans) on them so they would not stick to the grill. I husked the corn and also rubbed EVOO on it.

I am a big fan of Chef Paul Prudhomme. I used his “Vegetable Magic” on both the zucchini and the corn.

Before I put the corn on the grill I zapped both ears for 4 minutes in a covered pie plate, and poured a tad bit of water into the dish. I figured that this saves a lot of grilling time, and the idea is to have everything cooked and done at about the same time.

Clean a head of cauliflower and brush on Spectrum non-egg mayo and yellow mustard. Next, finally chop up a couple tablespoons of red onion and distribute over the entire head. Sprinkle on Prudhomme’s Vegetable Magic. Cover and zap for 4 minutes, with a little water at the bottom of, like a Corning Ware dish.

Place the cauliflower in a separate pan and place shredded “Sheese”, a non-dairy type of cheese over the top before putting on the grill. Actually, the cauliflower is cooked, but the Sheese is not completely melted. Hey, anyway, it’s going to look cool on the grill.

Light up one side of the grill to medium heat or 325 degrees. Place the cauliflower in a metal container, lined with foil and place on the unheated side. Close the hood periodically to help melt the Sheese.

Place the corn and zucchini on the heated side. This will go fast! Flip the zucchini after a couple of minutes on the grill. If overcooked they will become soggy. The corn is less sensitive. Make sure you get the cool grill marks.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef, best griller in the world, and friend George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

Grilled Bratwurst Recipes | With Brew Dude

Letting Bratwurst soak up some suds, spices and then grilling them is a real blast. A griller's delight! However, a real pay off (maybe a major goal thing for the entire year) is being able to sink your teeth into one as it comes off the grill! "Holy Jumpin' Up And Down, Martha!"

But first dude, you have to get yourself happily involved into a premium Bratwurst like Johnsonville, or “Brats” as many people call them. If you going to grill and eat Brats…buy the best, don't be "A Skimpy Dude"!

Just As Important If Not More Important: Purchase a bottle of beer for cooking the Bratwurst. Geez, maybe get a whole bunch more beer so that you can stay extremely focused and cool during this whole cooking and grilling process.

Music: And in the meanwhile, get with some funky music. Blues, jazz... “something that cooks a little!” Motivation and excitement stuff!

I used a bottle of "Henry Weinhard’s Blackberry Wheat Ale" to cook the Brats in. I hope you remember some of their great commercials, “Hey there, where y'all goin’ with all that beer?” from the Oregon Border Patrol guys.

Some folks prefer using a dark beer, or ale when cooking the Bratwurst, and that’s cool! Actually, you could probably use a nice wine as a substitute.  But Brats and beer kinda go together. Are you startin' to get it?

Recipe Time: (I’m assuming that if you have read this far, that you are still alive)

• One Beer (Just one? You got to be kidding? Get a grip, dude! Chill!) 
• Package of Johnsonville Brats (A five pack. If you do this right 5 ain't goin' be enough)
• Maybe Some Spice like Luzianne Cajun ('tis 1 of the best seasonings out there, period)
• A Pan (Spring for the Bayou Cast Iron one at Amazon)
• Any Kind Of  BBQ Grill (One that lights up, dude)
• For You… (A six pack of cold beer to get thru all the dark periods of grilling ...golly gee, like you never know when a minute flare-up might occur. Be prepared!)

I have a first-class shallow cast iron pan (like the Bayou below) that I can use on the barbie. It takes a little longer to warm up than a normal pan, but they are the best thing since sliced bread. 

Ok, you don’t really need a cool cast iron cookware pan like the Bayou necessarily, but they come in handy for other things, like using as a casserole or lasagna pan. Plus, Amazon has a great price on one.

Sure, you can buy flimsy, expensive aluminum foil pans all the time, but it won't take long before you realize you could have easily afforded the Bayou pan in the first place. What were you thinking? Don't be "A Skimpy Dude"! Geez!

Getting To The Gritties: Light both sides of the barbecue: For a gas BBQ, medium even low for the pan, between medium and high on the other side. For charcoal, push the coals to on side and put the pan on the other. For the Traeger Grill place directly over the middle on high heat.

Place a brew in the pan, place a brew in you. Let it get to a simmering type of temperature. Some folks add onions, peppercorns and all kinds of things. That's cool! Like maybe use your imagination. But, I hope it's not a first, dude!

I added bunches of Luzianne Cajun Seasoning to the pan. Place the Bratwurst in the pan and cook on both sides until they turn grayish. You will see that the seasoning sticks to the Brats as they are simmering.




Crunch Time: The whole idea, the premise, your goal for the week is not to destroy the Bratwurst. So let’s be cool and gently cook them in a simmering temp. You do not want the casings to break.

Some people cook them for about ten minutes. It takes me more like 20 minutes. I cook them real slow.

Once you get the grayish look, it is time to grill them. Hey, not to hot of a grill. You don’t want them to split. Is your brain starting to rally? Do you have the situation within reach?

What you want is nice grill marks on your Bratwurst. Move them around on the grill to insure even cooking, turning only once. Again, watch the heat, you don’t want them burned on the outside and not cooked in the inside...that sucks big time!

So have fun with Bratwurst. Sure, you can grill the proverbial and cheaper weenie (dude, you don't ever want to know "what's in dat weenie") and, do you really really want to be known as "A Skimpy Dude"???  Get with the Brats!

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef and friend, George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”


Another post on the subject: Bratwurst Recipes

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

BBQ Grill Accessories | Things You Need

Listed are just some of the BBQ grill accessories I feel are necessary for having around. Some will make you a better barbecuer and griller. Some just make it easier to barbecue. Some are just gift ideas.

Number One: If you do any serious-type barbecuing you are going to have to marinate and store things. My best choice is a Tupperware Season-Serve Marinating Container.

They are best for marinating fish, chickens, pork, beef and lamb roasts in. I also use them for marinating fruit and vegetables. You can get a pretty good-size chicken or roast in one.

They are heavy-duty plastic and seal extremely tight. One of the main features is that you can flip the containers over and over again while marinating to assure even distribution, and without spilling marinade all over you and the floor.  They measure approximately 12 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches.

Personally, I have two Tupperware Marinating Containers. One I have had for over twenty years, and I use it constantly…it’s still like new. Hint! When not in use for marinating things make sure to let someone know about it. They are fabulous for storing cookies in.

Number Two: Everybody has different needs around the grill, but I use a grill brush constantly. Do you?

One of my pet peeves is, once you find a good grill brush, you want to be able to replace just the wire brush part without having to buy an entire new unit.

One such brush, and a rather excellent one at that, is the “Grill Daddy Pro Grill Brush”. It’s all business folks, and you can get replacement brushes for it!

The premise is to find a grill brush that actually “cleans the grill”. The Grill Daddy does it a little differently. It actually works like a “steam cleaner”. It utilizes the heat from your grill and, believe it or not, uses water to steam clean the grill. People that have them, just love'em!

If there is a fault, it’s because they are made out of plastic. But, it gets back to possessing something that actually cleans the grill and you can get replacement brushes for.

Number Three: A good set of barbecue tools that work and will last for years. Such a set is Weber’s Pro-Grade Tool Set.

It’s a three piece set that consists of a pair of 18 inch long tongs, spatula and fork. A couple of my gripes are: that most sets are awkward to handle because they are too heavy, or too big, or hard to store.

These are not. You also want stainless steel and something that looks cool. The Weber Tool Set fits the bill. These are not those cheapie chrome jobs, dude that won’t last.

Number Four: If your only grill is a gas one and you want to enhance the tastes that come off the grill, there are some things that you can invest in. To start with purchase a quality “smoker box” like the “Outset Cast Iron Smoking Box”, and wood chips.

Another item to consider real strongly, along with the smoker box, is a Brinkmann Water Pan and extra grill that fits over the pan. You are going to be shocked, stunned and incapacitated for a week after you find out what you can accomplish taste-wise with this setup on a gas grill.

I have written articles, numerous posts on the super results…additional tastes you can get from using a water pan, adding spices, garlic, onions, beer, wine and other things to it, in between the heat and what you are cooking, and guess what?

As far as I know, nobody that I know has ever tried the water pan thing on their gas grill! “Geez! Holy Jumpin’ Up And Down, Martha!” Like Tony sez, “Maybe Take Some Action, Dude!”

One guy told me: Ok! Hey! I’ll pass it on to my uncle who barbecues a lot…Golly Gee, thanks…that’s real swell!

I guess if you don’t ever want to improve your grilling skills that’s ok. However, if you are interested in improving them leave a message on my blog and I’ll help you in any way I can. I won’t bite either.

Number Five: A meat thermometer! Ok, you can go out and buy the fanciest digital one on the market.  Or, you can buy just a very simple manual one that you stick in whatever you’re cooking that tells you when it’s done.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef and friend, George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!






A Pork Loin On The Traeger

Was there some other type of a grill you were thinking about doing a pork loin on? Well, if you are a Traeger owner, or want to be a happily involved Traeger owner soon, you've got it made.

In the meanwhile dude maybe get a pork loin. Get a big hummer and cut it into manageable chunks for the grill.

Think lean, because that is what most pork loins are like these days…maybe healthier for you and family than many other meats out there.

Now, you can just stick this baby right on the Traeger out of the package and it will turn out good. But, with a little more prep on your part it will turn out superb! But, try this simple little recipe:

First, get yourself a cool marinating container like a Tupperware one. (below) Rinse the pork loin with warm water and pat dry. Pour on a generous portion of Paul Prudhomme’s Pork & Veal Magic, or his BBQ Seasoning all over the pork and rub it in thoroughly.

Pour generic yellow mustard over the roast and brush it in. Sprinkle on more Pork & Veal Magic, or BBQ Seasoning but don’t rub it in this time.

You’ll find that plain old yellow mustard makes for a fine, superb marinade. It has all the right ingredients to help make your pork loin come out cool!

You can fool around with different marinades until the cows come home, and mind you there are some really good ones out there, but try plain old mustard just this one time.

Put the pork loin in the fridge over night. How hard can that be?

Next day, dude! Get the pork out of the fridge. Sit it on the counter. Crack a brew!

Start your Traeger Grill on “Smoke”. Once started, turn to High, let it get up to temperature and then turn down to Medium.

I prefer a fruit wood pellet for pork…Apple, Cherry. You can use any flavor or combine pellets.

You can place the pork loin directly on the grill. I like to place it in a shallow pan, fat side up.

A little theory here: A lot of liquid comes off whatever you are cooking on the Traeger, and if placed directly on the grill, the juices run off onto the deflection plate and into a bucket…lost forever, dude. And, you got to empty and clean the bucket, not to mention disposing of the now yucky aluminum foil you put on the deflection plate.

But, if all those juices justed stayed in a pan, and because you have the cover closed on the grill, those juices will boil, steam and circulate throughout the unit to help permeate the meat, adding flavor, and helping to keep it moist…like self-basting.

This is kind of like the Chinese method of steaming food except we are only interested in self-basting and not steaming anything. I know of Traeger owners who like to add a pan of water off to the side when barbecuing. Is the brain starting to rally?

In reality, anything you cook on a Traeger stays pretty moist, especially if you mist in the final stages of cooking, which adds a crust and helps keep in moisture. But, if you have an additional source of moisture, like water or juices from whatever you’re cooking you are really starting to cook.

Your pork loin is going to be done from about an hour and a half to two hours or 170 degrees. Stick a meat thermometer in it, dude and find out.

Ok, the misting thing: In the final stages of cooking, an hour and a half, or so, using a spray bottle filled with a cup of apple or orange juice, and about two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, lightly mist the pork loin. Shut the hood!

After it's cooked, to gain a further taste you can put your Traeger on “Smoke” mode for 15 minutes or so. Wrap in aluminum foil for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef and friend, George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

Traeger Electric Barbecue Grills-A Smoky Dude

The way I got interested in a Traeger Barbecue Grill was through a local hardware store in Willamette, Oregon…not far from my home.

This is a old fashion hardware store. They have every thing that you need, including exceptional customer service. In other words, you walk in with part A, but don’t have part B, not only will they have part B in stock, they will show you how to connect them. My kind of place!

One thing you wouldn’t expect out of a hardware store is to have them serve pulled pork and brisket sandwiches. They have several Traeger Grills outside the store, barbecuing up a storm during working hours.

The aroma from the Traegers was overwhelming! You can smell the barbecuing from 500 hundred yards out.

Duh Time! Their premise is taken from a basic, much overlooked, nobody-ever-pays-any-attention-to- marketing course! (Basic Marketing Strategy 101)

Was it the aroma thing that me lead to walking into the store? Maybe, leading to, and sampling one of their brisket sandwiches? Golly, Gee!..."Did you BBQ that on the grills that are outside?

Did their aroma and taste thing work? Duh! I am now a proud owner of a Traeger Lil’ Tex Elite Grill.

Get Happily Involved, Dude: The Traeger works through burning a special wood pellet as fuel....a wood burning smoker grill.  In order to do this proficiently, the pellets are feed through a hopper via an auger which transports them to a small fire pit.

To run the auger you need electricity and this is where the “electric” part comes into play. You also need electricity to run the control which starts the unit and controls the temperature.

My unit has a digital read out control for the different settings. It also has a professional grade temperature gauge which tells me the exact temperature of the cooking area.

What sets Traeger Grills apart from many other barbecue grills is that they cook on indirect heat. There are several plates, which deflect the heat, between whatever you are cooking on the grill and the fire box.

This allows you to barbecue things for quite a spell without burning the heck out of something.  A must for slow cooking and good taste.

The wood pellets come in all kinds of flavors: Apple, Cherry, Mesquite, Hickory, Oak and so on. I cater toward the fruit woods. I like that kind of taste. Some Traeger owners mix different flavors together for unique tastes.

The pellets are real wood, and through a unique manufacturing process, no adhesives or chemicals are added. They contain a natural adhesiveness that keeps each individual pellet in tack.

My Elite has a small footprint and is ideal with those with limited space. I can still put a monmouth turkey on  and cook other things at the same time, like a good size ham and four or five baked potatoes.

The Traeger needs to be vacuumed out on a fairly regular basis. If you don't things get plugged up. It's kind of a no-brainer, common sense thing...every BBQ grill needs to be cleaned on a regular basis.

If you decide to get happily involved with a Traeger Grill, a cover is a must. They are not that expensive, and will protect your grill for years.

You can live without the digital read out control, but I would spring for the professional grade temperature gauge. It’s good to know the exact temperature you are barbecuing at.

If you are in a hurry to barbecue, impatient with everything in the world...get a gas grill! A Traeger isn't for you. Traegers are all about having a nice brew, or glass of wine, relaxing and slow cooking.

If you are interested in how good your chow can be, something that will impress family and friends, buy a Traeger. Your food will turn out superb.

The Traeger Owner's Cook book is a must to get you going though. Follow a couple of their recipes and everyone will think you're a genius. It's that simple, folks!

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef and friend, George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

Ways To BBQ Chicken

There are thousands of ways to BBQ chicken. Here we are just going to show you one.

And, this involves cooking whole chickens on a gas grill.

If you can, try to find whole chickens on sale. Personally, the bigger the better…maybe in the five pound range.

When you are cooking anything meat-wise the emphasis, besides tasting good, should be retaining moisture in the meat. If you didn’t do anything else like marinate it or season it, moisture is critical.

The key is to cook/BBQ on indirect heat to retain the moisture. Well, how do we do this?

You simply turn on only one burner on your grill and cook on the unheated side. Making sure that you place whatever you are cooking in some type of a container.

If you don’t, you will have the mess of a lifetime on the unlit burner. You will need to close the cover on the barbecue to retain the desired temperature, and keep it closed, except to mop or mist it in the final cooking stages.

Back to chickens: Make it worth you while. Try to do two chickens at a time.

Empty the cavities and flush with warm water. Wash the rest of the chicken, rinse and pat dry. Rub a little EVOO over the entire chicken.

I then pour a generous amount of Paul Prudhomme’s Poultry Magic into the cavity, and all over the bird and rub it in. Pour more on more seasoning but don’t rub it in this time.

Marinate over night in the fridge in a Tupperware container like below, or large plastic bag.

Turn on your gas grill to high and then when it reaches temperature turn down to medium or 325 or 350 degrees. Let the refrigerated chicken sit out at least 30 minutes on the counter before the grill gets to temperature.

Cook for several hours until you reach 190 degrees using a quality meat thermometer. Remember only one lit burner….cook on the other.

Put a small container of water next to the pans and keep it filled during the cooking process. In the last 15 minutes or so of cooking brush lightly with your favorite BBQ sauce. Don't put on a sauce before that or all it does is burn.

I prefer to mist, using a squirt bottle containing a cup of apple or orange juice along with a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in the last fifteen minutes.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef and friend, George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

Tupperware Season-Serve Marinating Container

Geez, you really can't have enough Tupperware Season-Serve Marinating Containers! Especially, if you do any serious marinating...and some other things. Now. read this whole post, dude, cause we're going to do a test thing later.

My wife bought two Tupperware Marinating Containers for me in the late eighties at a Tupperware party. And, I have had them ever since.
They are 10 ½ wide by 12 ½ long by 5 inches high. And, it’s amazing how much they will hold.

Of course, you are not going to get a twenty five pound turkey in one. What were you thinking? But, you can easily place a really big chicken or roast in one.

Shock time: Besides the marinating thing, they also hold a whole bunch of my wife's home-made chocolate chip cookies, keeping them extremely fresh in a airtight container for days. Of course, you aren't the least bit interested in doing the fresh tasting cookie thing, are you?

Hey, back to marinating: Once the lid is closed you can turn the container over and over again, which is one of the ideas behind the container, to thoroughly slosh marinade all over whatever you are marinating without spilling a drop.

The Tupperware containers are constructed out of heavy duty plastic.  Mine are like new after twenty years of constant use. Duh! Are you starting to get a clue, yet?

They wash up good after use. I never use soap to clean them, just wash them out with real hot water and let them air dry. How hard can this all be, get a grip, dude?

They store easy when not in use. You simply reverse the lid and place it inside the other part for easy storage.

Sure you can marinate things in plastic bags, but that can get expensive after a while and are cumbersome to store in the fridge. In the long run, you’ll find that a Tupperware Marinating Container will more than pay for itself.  Now, after all this lengthy verbage here, a clue here and there, maybe the grip thing, is the brain starting to rally?

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef and friend, George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!