My quest for a ceramic grill started about 6 months ago. I wanted a grill that was very versatile, used hardwood lump charcoal as its fuel source and would last a long time. These requirements narrowed the field to two choices; The Big Green Egg and Primo. While both are great grills I decided on the Primo Oval XL and I am glad I did.
When my Primo arrived on a freight truck it was very well packaged in a wooden crate. After a careful inspection to make sure the ceramic was still in one piece, it was time to get the grill to its new home. This is definitely not a one man job as the grill weighs 192 lbs. The nice thing about this grill is that it requires very little assembly. The band assembly is factory installed which is a big plus. The band assembly on the Big Green Egg is not, you must assemble this yourself; and it isn‘t the easiest job, I have assembled many. The only item I needed to put together was the cradle the grill sits in. That took about 15 minutes.
There are some other reasons I decided to go with the Primo Oval XL over The Big Green Egg. First, I prefer the oval shape to the round. I do lots of ribs and the oval shape allows me to do more racks of ribs lying flat on the grate than the round shape would. The Primo also offers a wide range of accessories that allow you more flexibility when cooking. It has a cast iron firebox divider that allows you to cook over direct heat and indirect heat at the same time by only having charcoal in one half of the grill. It also helps conserve charcoal for smaller cooks. The main cooking area uses two cooking grates. These grates have legs on them and when in the standard position the cooking grate is flush with the lip of the ceramic shell. You can also flip the grates over allowing you to get the food closer to the heat. Another great accessory is the extender racks. These extend the already large cooking area of 400 sq. inches to up to 680 sq. inches. Also, if you take one main grate and flip it over so the feet are up and add the extender grates you can give yourself 4 different cooking levels. The accessories I use the most are the ceramic heat reflector plates. These are placed over the charcoal and allow you to cook totally over indirect heat. These are great for low and slow cooks. You can also install only one to allow you to cook over direct heat on one half of the grill and indirect on the other.
I have only owned the Primo for about 5 months but in that time it has got quite a workout. As with most ceramic grills the range of cooking is unmatched. You can easily hold temps as low as 200 degrees or well over 750 degrees. The temperature is regulated by the vents on the top and bottom of the grill. With a little practice I was surprised how easy it was to dial in and maintain a certain temperature. I have done cooks as long as 15 hours and the temperature didn’t move more than 5-10 degrees.
I have also found that the ceramic is a great insulator and helps keep your food moist. Regardless of the outside temperatures the Primo maintains and recovers heat loss very well. Colder temperatures just don’t have any effect. This also helps conserve fuel. On my last low and slow cook I filled the firebox with Wicked Good Lump Charcoal and held 225 for 15 hours. When I was done less than half of the charcoal was gone. Now, this also has to do with the quality of charcoal you use, and I haven’t found anything that comes close to the Wicked Good brand, but that is for another review.
There are only a couple negatives I have found using this grill. First, the weight. This thing is a beast and I have already hauled it to one competition and have three more on the calendar this year. However, this grill isn’t meant to be a portable grill, I have just chose to make it one so I can’t really call this a negative. Second, the felt gasket that lines the top and bottom edges of the grill. The first time I did a pizza I had the grill close to 700 degrees and a portion of the gasket melted off. I rarely cook this hot and the gasket is easily replaced but if you plan on doing a lot of high heat cooks this could be a problem. You can find some high heat gasket replacements, not sold by Primo, on the web. The only other item that I think could be improved is the cradle. It doesn’t seem to support the grill as well as it could. I only purchased this because I am planning on building a custom table for the grill and I needed something until then.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the Primo and would easily recommend it to anyone. The customer service is great and the grill is backed by a great warranty. If you are in the market for a ceramic grill I highly recommend the Primo Oval XL.
Source: Primo Grill Review | Yardandpool.com
The latest news, ideas, and inspiration beyond the pages of EVERYDAY FOOD magazine, packed with easy recipe ideas, behind the scenes photos, budget-friendly tips, and more.
Read more from the original source: grilling recipes for father's day – Everyday Food Blog …
Tags: easy, everyday, friendly, grill recipes, ideas, latest, magazine, News, packed, recipe, scenes
Summer’s on the way. Can you smell the aroma of food hot off the barbecue grill?
Add some sizzle to your dinner plates with grilled fruits and vegetables. Throughout the summer, enjoy some seasonal fruits and vegetables. Later in the season, try grilling fresh vegetables straight from your garden or a local farmers market.
Try these grilled vegetable ideas:
* Cut vegetables into large flat pieces of even thickness.
* Leave thin vegetables such as asparagus, and water vegetables, such as tomatoes, whole.
* Prepare bell peppers by cutting off the top and bottom of the pepper; remove the core and cut pepper in half from top to bottom.
* Lay vegetables on a cookie sheet. Brush them with olive oil or vegetable oil. Turn them over and repeat. Sprinkle with fresh or dried herbs or spices of choice.
* Grill the vegetables until they have grill markings on both sides. Remove them from the grill and place into a bowl or pot. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to prevent steam from escaping for 5 to 10 minutes. This will finish the cooking process without drying them out.
Try these grilled fruit ideas:
* Sprinkle apple or pear wedges with cinnamon and a little brown sugar. Grill for about 5 minutes on each side.
* Grill slices of pineapple.
* Grill peaches for a side dish with pork or beef.
* Slice grilled fruit; and some lime juice and peppers for a tasty salsa to enjoy with whole-grain crackers or baked tortilla chips.
Food safety tip:
Wash fruits and vegetables well with plenty of running water. If you buy pre-cut fruits and vegetables, be sure they have been kept refrigerated.
Source: Luella Morehouse, NDSU Extension Service, The Jamestown Sun
Tags: grill, grilled fruit, grilled vegetables, grilling, grilling fruit, grilling season, grilling tips, grilling vegetables
Summer is right around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about getting your pool ready for another fun filled season. For those of you who don’t have warm weather all year long, 2010 was probably a pretty hard winter for you. We saw record snowfall in many areas so it’s important to check on your pool even earlier than you normally would to make sure your pool is ready to go. Hopefully, you’ve maintained your pool during the winter months so you don’t have as much work to do. If you’re new to swimming pools and never have opened a swimming pool before then you should definitely call a local pool professional to open the pool for you, at least for the first time. For those of you who have opened your own pool before, here is a checklist for getting your pool opened.
-For all covers, remove all debris on the cover. If you have a solid cover, make sure to pump all excess water off. Once the cover is free of debris, remove cover and clean with a cover cleaner. Allow the cover to dry before folding it up and storing it to prevent mildew. As long as you’ve maintained the pool properly while it was closed, your water should be fairly clear.
-Connect your pump, filter, and other equipment. If you have a DE or cartridge filter and have not cleaned the DE grids or cartridges then you should clean them now. Use a filter cleaner/degreaser to properly clean your grids and cartridges.
-Make sure to lubricate all seals.
-If large debris has gotten into the pool, use a leaf rake or a leaf bagger to remove all large debris.
-Remove all winter plugs and re-install all return fittings and skimmer baskets. Bring the water to the proper level in the pool. Make sure nothing is clogging up the suction lines.
-Prime the pool pump and turn on the power. Check the pressure gauge to make sure your system is running properly. (Normal operating pressure will vary from one pool to another. If your pressure is not at the normal operating pressure then you know something may be wrong.) Visually inspect your pool equipment for leaks. Walk around your pool to check for leaks by looking for air bubbles.
-Brush pool walls and floor thoroughly.
-Take a water sample from 18 inches below the waterline into your local pool store for testing. You can also test your water with the Aquachek 7 Way Pool test strips. Balance your pool accordingly and add sanitizing chemicals according to manufacturer’s recommendations.
-Check your pool chemical supplies to make sure none have expired.
This is your basic pool opening checklist. Some of you may have more complex systems and if you are not comfortable opening your pool on your own then you should seek out a local pool professional. Good swimming!
Source: Yardandpool.com - Pool Opening Checklist
Tags: opening tips, pool maintenance, pool opening
Along with budding trees and fresh-cut grass comes another familiar smell wafting across backyards: burgers hitting the grill.
We combed through the latest cookbooks for the fresh batch of burger recipes printed here. And we asked a few backyard-grilling aficionados (along with a few professionals) for their tricks on making a better burger at home.
• Make an indention in the middle of the patties with your fingers and it will grill up flat on both sides, instead of balling up like most people’s burgers. Use at least 20 percent fat ground beef and it will be moist with beef flavor. — Ryan Rudolph, Hendersonville
• Use a lid from a mayo or peanut butter jar as a mold to make your burger patties. I sometimes put a cube of cheese (any kind will work) inside the burger patty, so when you bite into it, there is a surprise cheesy bite. Yum. — Rob Hennes, Spring Hill
• I use breakfast sausage with my ground beef. For one cup of meat, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sausage. — Paul Wright, sous chef at Eastland Cafe
• We use jerk seasoning in our turkey. You don’t handle turkey very much, because that makes (the burgers) dry. Then we grill them, but not too long. Top with a wet jerk marinade. . . We usually put them on grilled English muffins. — April Parker, Nashville
• Don’t overcook it. I just make sure the fat content’s right on whatever meat I’m using, and that’s typically grass-fed of some sort. If there’s not enough fat, I might add some bacon or something. I think a good burger is 30 percent (fat), maybe. — Jeremy Barlow, chef/owner of tayst
• Ketchup, honey-mustard, chopped garlic, Worcestershire and hot sauce mixed into the meat. It’s pretty tasty and keeps it moist. — Danny Casella, Nashville
• Combine the meat with a Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning packet. I’ve also mixed ground pork and ground beef together in one patty. Tasty.” — Brooke Martin, Nashville
• Roll blue cheese chunks and diced Vidalia onion into the meat. Serve with lettuce and tomato. — Chris Lassiter, Nashville
Source: The Tennessean by Jennifer Justus
Tags: burgers, grilling, grilling burger tips, grilling tips, hamburgers
This is a classic marinade, full of flavor and contains really good beer! You don’t have to use Guinness if you don’t want to, but you will want a really rich dark beer and Guinness Brand Stout is the perfect beer to provide flavor for this marinade.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces Guinness Stout Beer at room temperature
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 ounce soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Vidalia onion
- 1 teaspoon shallots
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh tarragon
- 1/4 teaspoon parsley
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
Finely chop garlic, shallot and onion and place in a small bowl. Finely chop parsley and tarragon and add to the bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, Guinness beer, soy sauce and seasonings then mix well to combine. Let stand for 30 minutes to blend flavors. Once you have finished marinating, place the remaining marinade in a small saucepan and reduce it for one or two minutes until slightly thickened. Add more beer to the marinade at this stage if desired.
Source: Derrick Riches About.com Barbecue and Grilling Guide
Tags: guinness beer, guinness recipe, marinade recipe, recipes
Enter our NCAA College Basketball Pick’em Challenge and test your college hoops knowledge. This is a great contest for the die hard hoops fan or if you are just looking for a chance to win a great prize.
Entering is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
1. Become a Fan of Yardandpool.com on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/yardandpool
2. Join our Bracket Group on Yahoo and make your picks – http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/group/114315
3. Root for your favorite teams!
Our first place winner will win a Backyard and Barbecue Prize Pack that includes a Grilling Tools Set, BBQ Wood Chips by Steven Raichlen, BBQ Rub, Bamboo Skewers, a Battery Operated Bug Zapper and a set of two Ribbed Glass Tealight Lanterns.
Deadline to submit your picks is before the first game on Thursday, March 18, 2010.
GOOD LUCK!
Tags: College Basketball Brackets, NCAA Bracket Contest, NCAA College Basketball
Traditionally, March is the beginning of spring, which means different things to different people. To some, it’s the start of baseball season, with training camps taking place all over the country. Others race outside to get the yard back in shape after the ravages of winter. But no matter the approach, lighter beers are back in the picture – especially the seasonal brews making their way to store shelves.
Every year as college students make their plans for Spring Break, Americans turn from the stouts and porters of winter to the lighter brews that signify the return of the sun. To celebrate this shift, breweries turn out limited edition beers that are brewed to smooth the transition from frigid winter to the more moderate spring months, and aren’t on shelves long. Typically, these are Lagers, Pale Ales, Amber and Red Ales – lighter, but with enough body and complexity to stand up to the rains and cool nights of spring. Not to mention the lawn mower that won’t start after four or five months in the garage.
The following four beers are some of the best available for anyone looking to celebrate the return of lawn mowing, rain, and grilling season.
Magic Hat Vinyl Spring Seasonal
Psychedelic packaging and a bizarre name don’t make this lager any less perfect with a massive bowl of salty chips and baseball highlights. The rich, coppery color and a creamy-white head that rapidly disappears make for a great pour with a smooth texture and light carbonation. It’s an incredibly easy drink with a sweet and fruity flavor dominating, and a little bit of wheat and grass thrown in for good measure. An almost perfectly balanced dose of hops tones things down to keep Vinyl from getting cloying, and with a slice of lemon dropped in, this is a beer that could fit any nearly bill, from a way to pass the time during a spring rainstorm to the solution to the “dear lord I need a drink” moment after the church Easter egg hunt.
Blue Moon Rising Moon Spring Ale
The seasonal brother of the beer everyone drops an orange wedge into, this is an amber wheat ale with a nicely hoppy bite and an almost grassy aftertaste. Citrus flavors round things out with soft carbonation that makes it a solid friend of virtually anything off the grill – especially burgers. And if it’s not warm enough for grilling where you live yet, it’ll do double duty with pretzels, or even Chex Mix.
Samuel Adams Noble Pils
Replacing Samuel Adams White Ale as Sam Adams’ spring seasonal, this will likely be the easiest of the spring brews to find by far. This Pilsner pours a bright wheat gold with a huge fluffy head that seems to take forever to disappear. The five varieties of hops used, called Noble hops, give it a crisp grassy flavor with a solid hoppy kick that, like many Sam Adams beers, offers a fairly heavy dose of bitterness. The malt used balances things out fairly well with some fruit and sweetness, lemons and toasted caramel being the most prominent flavors. Whether you’re mulching flower beds or prepping for a massive screaming fit at a Little League coach – the Noble Pils has your back.
Dark Horse Brewing Co. Double Crooked Tree IPA
Just barely nosing in to the spring category with a limited February shipment to stores, this Double India Pale Ale from Michigan straddles winter and spring better than any other beer in the tasting. This bottle is crisp and complex, with an oddly appealing grapefruit flavor coming from the hops and only a light toasty overtone of malt. Amazingly with flavors like these, it’s still very drinkable. A few bottles would disappear pretty quickly after getting the landscaping in order. Heavy carbonation provides fuel for fairly impressive belches too – serving as essential spring training to prepare for prime grilling and baseball season.
Source: Fox News – Richard Goldsmith
Tags: beer, grill, grilling, grilling season
If you are like us and many others across the Northeast, you have had to deal with record breaking snow over the last couple of weeks. While stuck at home I really wanted to fire up the grill or smoker. But those are both covered up under 5 ft. of snow. So what else could we make while snowed in? Considering we currently have an unlimited supply of the main ingredient my wife had the perfect suggestion, Snow Ice Cream.
I have never had this before so I was curious to see how it would turn out. I was surprised how simple the recipes we found for Snow Ice Cream were. We decided to go with one we found by Paula Dean.
Ingredients:
- 8 Cups of FRESH Snow – We have a dog so we were very careful of where we selected our snow.
- 1 – 14 oz. can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Toppings of you choice – this was our addition to the recipe
Now here comes the hard part. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to the snow and combine. Yes, it is as simple as that!
Once you have combined the ingredients serve immediately in bowls and add your toppings (optional).
Carter went for the sprinkles and my wife Jess and I went with a caramel topping.
I was very surprised how good this was considering how simple it was to make. I have a feeling we will be making plenty more of this before the snow melts, and that isn’t gonna happen anytime soon.
The Super Bowl is right around the corner and it’s a great time to get together with friends and family to enjoy the game and lots of great food. Here are a few of our favorite Super Bowl appetizer recipes. The great thing about these recipes??? They all include one of our favorite dairy products that can be used with almost everything, Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
Our first appetizer recipe is one of George’s favorite and a healthy alternative to some of your more traditional Super Bowl eats.
GRILLED VEGGIE PIZZA by George
Unfortunately, for most of us, the foods that we eat on the Super Bowl are foods high in fat and calories. In fact, according to MSNBC, the Super Bowl may be the worst day of the year when it comes to eating. We devour chips, dip, fried chicken wings, sausages, burgers, pizzas and more in just a single afternoon. But I’ve got a great-tasting recipe from a friend which is actually a healthier alternative (it even has veggies!). It’s an easy-to-make Philadelphia Cream Cheese Grilled Veggie Pizza that gets rave reviews every time.
Ingredients:
- 2 (8 oz.) packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened (for a healthier alternative use reduced fat)
- 2 (8 oz.) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
- 2 cups of frozen sweet corn
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1 cup red/orange bell peppers
- 1 cup red onions
- 1 cucumber, peeled
1. Preheat the grill to 250 degrees Fahrenheit; spread both packages of crescent rolls evenly across a cookie or baking sheet to form the pizza crust. 2. Place the bell pepper, onion, and the pizza crust on the grill, for only 8-10 minutes. Be careful as the baking sheet is close to the flame on the grill so you don’t want to burn the crust. Allow the crust, grilled pepper and onion to cool.
3. Chop the peeled cucumber and finely chop the broccoli (food processor is best); I stir-fried the frozen corn this time but I prefer fresh corn on the grill. Since it’s winter, there is no fresh corn to be found so I had to settle for frozen sweet corn. Chop the grilled pepper and onion and mix it all together with the rest of the veggies in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. 4. Once the pizza crust has cooled, spread the cream cheese evenly across the pizza crust, followed by the veggie mixture. Enjoy!
BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP by Jack
With the Super Bowl quickly approaching don’t be that person attending the Super Bowl party empty handed. Here is a quick and easy recipe to bring a kick to the party.
Ingredients:
- 2 (8 oz.) packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
- 2 cans (10 oz each) cooked Chicken – or shred your own
- 1 cup +/- to taste wing sauce – I use Franks
- 1/2 cup +/- to taste blue cheese dressing
- 1/2 cup +/- to taste crumbled blue cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. If using raw chicken breast boil, grill or bake until done. Once chicken has cooked thoroughly shred. I shredded the chicken meat using a set of Bear Paws. Bear Paws are a great tool used to lift/carry meat and a great shredding tool.
3. Put shredded chicken and buffalo sauce in pan and sauté for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. 4. Then mix chicken, cream cheese, crumbled blue cheese and dressing in baking pan. Bake at 350 until bubbly. Let the Buffalo Chicken Dip stand to thicken.
I would suggest doubling the ingredients to fill up a 9 x 9 baking dish. Also, make sure you are a blue cheese fan.
Serve with tortillas and celery.
CREAMY CRAB DIP by Bryan
This is one of my all time favorite appetizer recipes. It contains two of my favorite foods, crab and cheese. This simple recipe is sure to be a hit at your Super Bowl party.
Ingredients:
- 2 (8 oz.) packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
- 8 oz. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 4 tbsp. Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- 2 tbsp. +/- tp taste Old Bay Seafood Seasoning
- 1 lb. Crab Meat (lump, backfin, claw or special)
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- 8 oz. Sour Cream
- Wheat Thins and/or baguette
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2.In a large bowl mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce, dry mustard, old bay, sour cream and appoximately 4 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese. 3. Slowly fold in crab meat. If you are using lump or backfin crab meat you want to fold in slowly so you keep large lumps intact. This is not as important if you are using special or claw meat. 4. Place ingredients into a glass or ceramic baking dish then top with remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35-40 minutes or until bubbly. 6. Allow crab dip to cool for 10-15 minutes then serve with Wheat Thins and/ or baguette.
We hope you enjoy these easy but tasty appetizers. We would love to hear your feedback if you decide to try any of these recipes.
Tags: buffalo chicken dip, crab dip, creamy crab dip, grilled veggie pizza, philadelphia cream cheese, phill cream cheese, super bowl appetizers, super bowl recipes
