How do you barbecue stuff?

TheLawinator

I'm asking for my dad, we never really learned anything about meat preparation or the actual barbecuing process. We got a bunch of filet mignon, and have no idea what to do with them.

Teach us! What kind of marinade/soaking stuff do you suggest? How do you cook it? Should we get a gas grill?


I don't know!

Arikado

You can marinate with anything you want, really. Usually the base for our marinades is lemon juice with peppers, garlics, paprika, and other stuff. If you don't want to make your own, there are usually marinades sold in the BBQ sections of some stores that work well. I'm used to peppering my meats with dry seasonings before I cook them since I've learned that marinade flavoring tends to cook off unless it's been marinading for a long time. And usually when I want some bbq, I want it now. My dad likes to marinate with beer whenever he is making fat t-bone steaks or ribs. Basically, the longer you marinate your meat, the less likely the flavoring will go away.

Wood/coal grills are nice and really bring out the flavor of the meat and its seasonings. However, it has its flaws like how it is usually a bitch to get the flame going, takes a while for the coals to set, and you also have to watch for the coals to not go out. Then there's the mess and ashes to worry about. If you got good sized coal grill, it could work for slow cooking/smoking meats.

Propane gas grills are great because they're made for barbecuing. Propane tanks are refillable in some gas stations or hardware stores. I know Wal-Mart does as well. Most gas grills are relatively easy to clean and to get started, usually open the gas valve then click the flint switch. I've gotten attached to ours since I can come home hungry and be eating a steak in less than 30 minutes.

Lewisham

Propane is the only way to go. Food practically cooks itself, just got to make sure it doesn't burn.

Get a good BBQing book and you'll have all the recipes you need.

fuelish

I would not marinate a Filet Mignon. At the most light peppering(maybe bacon wrap, probably not) then on a fully heated grill(about 15 minute with gas heat) on medium direct for around 8 minutes, then flip an 8 more minutes. Be sure to allow the meat to warm before cooking and rest before cutting. The cooking time depends on how thick the cut is. If yours are very thick or thin (and your rare/medium/well preference), then you would up or lower the time, a bit of a guess until you really know your grill. 8 and 8 is a good start tho.
If you have a cheaper cut and want to marinate, the easy out is italian dressing, straight from the bottle. Just put the meat in a ziplock bag, pour dressing to cover and let it sit fot at least thirty minutes(I have heard lots of opinion on marinade time. I beleive the cheaper the cut, the longer the time). Again, be sure to rest the meat before cooking(let it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes before putting on the grill) This gives it a chance to warm and cook more evenly so you don't end up with raw inside burnt outside.

see317

fuelish wrote: »

I would not marinate a Filet Mignon.

This.
Filet Mignon is good steak. It does not need marinating.
Maybe a little salt/pepper before you toss it on the grill, and some people wrap it in bacon (bacon makes everything better. Everything.

For the grill, make sure it's hot and clean before you toss the steak on. This will help you get good grill marks on the meat as it sears. Get either a pair of tongs or a spatula, for good meat you don't want to be poking it with a fork to flip it (lets the juices out). I've heard some people brush the grill with olive oil as well, but I never have.

Also, as it is a good cut of steak, you don't want to over cook it. Medium-well at most, I'd recommend keeping it medium-rare to medium.

vonPoonBurGer

see317 wrote: »

For the grill, make sure it's hot and clean before you toss the steak on. This will help you get good grill marks on the meat as it sears.

The heat does more than create aesthetically pleasing grillmarks, it also means you keep more of the tasty, tasty juices to stay inside the steak. When BBQ'ing good quality steaks, I'll usually dash some Montreal steak spice on both sides, heat the grill to maximum / High, then toss it on for a minute. After a minute, turn it (not flip, turn) 60 degrees or so to get those nice crosshatch grill marks. Another minute, then flip it, wait another minute, turn it 60 degrees again to create crosshatching on the other side.

For a one inch thick steak, that'll bring it to about blue-rare, where it's still pretty raw in the middle. At this point you want to turn the heat down to medium, close the lid, and let it bake for an amount of time that matches how well-done you like your steak. Rare only takes an extra minute, two tops. I usually pull my girlfriend's steak from the grill at this point, she's likes em bloody. I usually give mine an extra minute or two, I'm more of a medium steak kinda guy. It takes some practice to figure out how long for different degrees of done-ness on any given grill, there's always some variation.

Edit: almost forgot... try crumbling some blue cheese on top of your steak. So, so tasty. And this is coming from a guy who used to hate blue cheese.