In The Danger Zone

"Beat the Rain" Grilled Salmon

2011-10-27T13:00:00.000-04:00

Step by step Photo Album on Facebook or Slideshow on BBQBackyard.com.

It’s been hard to hit the grill with all of the fluky weather we’ve had in the past few days.

And the fresh farm raised salmon from Foley Fish had been in the fridge overnight so I had to grill ‘em up before the next rain came. As you can see, I just made it!

After 24 hours in the fridge and a good rinse with cold water these fresh salmon filets did NOT smell. Yes!

There was plenty of room for working the salmon filets with out the usual bags of veggies.

I moved the filets a little towards the safe zone on the right at 15 mins.

Why would I ever order salmon in a restaurant?

Step by step Photo Album on Facebook or Slideshow on BBQBackyard.com.

WTF?...NO DRIP PAN?

2011-08-23T11:14:00.001-04:00

Has this ever happened to you?

It was another beautiful summer Sunday morning here in Chestnut Hill, MA. The sun doesn’t hit the balcony until the afternoon so I figured what could be more therapeutic than cooking a “No Recipe” meatloaf on the rescued Weber 18.5” kettle.

Even better was the fact that I had brushed out this grill the night before. So here I was with a clean grill in the morning shade. The “Rescued” grill was calling to me.

I use the Minion method when I’m roasting so I filled up a side basket with about 15 briquettes and lit another 15 in a chimney and went into the kitchen knowing I had at least 10 to 15 minutes to prep the “No Recipe” meatloaf.

This is great, I said to myself while poking holes into the bottom of the foil loaf pan.

Meatloaf prep – 9 minutes.

Ten minutes later or about 20 minutes into my therapy I went out the balcony and dumped the coals into the side basket and went back in to get the meatloaf.

What an awesome morning!

With meatloaf in hand, I saw that the grill was a perfect 350 degrees and…WTF? NO DRIP PAN? Yikes!!! Time to panic? No, be resourceful.

Yes, this Tupperware thingy would fit inside the 18.5” kettle.

Maybe 3 sheets of foil will be enough.

Voila! The Poor Man’s Drip pan.

Nice fit in the “Rescued” grill.

FYI: By the way, meatloaf with all of the fat dripped out just explodes in your mouth.

Now this is Healthy Grilling.

2 Grill Chicken Night …at Dangerous Dave's.

2011-08-19T22:18:00.001-04:00

There’s a special feeling you get when you have two charcoal grills going at the same time. Two chimney starters smoking left and right on the balcony. Two Weber kettles ready to go.

I got a 4 1/2 lb. Perdue Oven Stuffer to roast on the rescued Weber 18.5” for sandwiches and stuff during the week and barbecued boneless chicken breasts with Apple chicken sausages and foil wrapped corn and cauliflower ala Dangerous Dave's for dinner tonight.

Full story on Facebook (Album) or Slide Show on BBQBackyard.

I already have 3 out of these 5 items so the garlic and onion powder count as only two ingredients and this works perfectly for a “No Recipe” recipe.

One side basket in the Weber 18.5” kettle is perfect for 325 – 350 degrees.

We’re Smokin’ now! The rescued grill is becoming my favorite for all of my indirect cooking.

Full story on Facebook (Album) or Slide Show on BBQBackyard.

At the same time I was rockin' the Performer with some boneless chicken breasts and Apple chicken sausages, foil wrapped corn on the cob and cauliflower ala Dangerous Dave's for tonight's dinner.

Is There A Market For This Kind Of Service?

2011-08-12T09:19:00.001-04:00

Personal Grill Master for Private Parties

Nothing rivals the aromas and taste of a relaxed barbecue.
Now is the perfect time for outdoor entertaining. Whether a couple of friends for cocktails, a small party in the yard, or a romantic outdoor dinner, Dangerous Dave will display his grilling prowess at your home, on his grills.
Link is HERE.

Throwdown with Young Bobby Flay (Very Funny Video!)

2011-08-11T11:27:00.001-04:00

I love this video. The girls are very talented.
Throwdown with Young Bobby Flay (Video)

"What does BBQ Mean to you?"...

2011-08-10T12:40:00.003-04:00

"What does BBQ Mean to you?"...

My good friend Tom "Big Butz BBQ" Porter, the Mad Scientist of the "Q", who does his fabulous grilling in Northwestern Wisconsin, recently expressed his feelings
on the subject most close to our grilling hearts in this post at BBQ Backyard.com.

Tom does it all and has a bunch of trophies to prove it, but what I love about him is his fearless approach to trying anything and everything one could think of, for the grill.
His bacon scotch egg caught my attention right away.

However, these "Heartstoppers" are stuck in my head right now. Bacon wrapped breakfast sausage. AWESOME!!!

As I mentioned, Tom is a competitor to the extreme but I love his approach to all of the small things that make his efforts unique.

All Hail Tom Porter, the Mad Scientist of the "Q".

May 28th, 2011 - Greenwich Town Party “Grill Off”.

2011-08-09T22:12:00.002-04:00

1st Place - “Smoke In Da Eye” Competition BBQ Team: Greenwich Town Party “Grill Off”. A Sanctioned IBCA Event.

This past May 28th, my good friend Clint Cantwell, editor of Kingsford Charcoal's web site "Grilling.com" invited me to be a guest member of his award winning grilling team “Smoke In Da Eye” for a "People's Choice" barbecue contest.

With this awesome menu, the 7 other teams never had a chance.

The "Smoke In Da Eye" crew prepared and served 50 racks of Cherry Smoked Babyback ribs and 30 Apple and Balsamic vinegar rosted chickens for 400 sliders.

Participating with Clint and being part of the well oiled machine that is the Smoke In Da Eye Competition BBQ Team was exhilarating and exciting beyond my wildest expectations. I firmly believe that the People’s Choice format was a big reason for this. I could tell that the baby back ribs were perfect just by feeling them with the first handful I grabbed to put on the plates. That fact that we ran out of food first, spoke volumes to me at the time and I knew for sure that we would win.

A nice slide show of all the action is here. (Yes, WE WON!)

This is why it’s called…”Healthy Grilling”.

2011-08-09T20:03:00.001-04:00

People keep asking me “Hey Dave, what’s so dangerous about healthy grilling?”
Here’s my answer: “Good grilling is addictive and the food is to die for”.

With rain predicted for the next few days here in Boston I figured I should fire up the Performer and cook a meatloaf AND
roast a 4 lb. chicken at the same time for sandwiches during the week, since the temps and the times were about the same for both.

Way back when, some 25 years ago, I was shocked to see how much fat there was in the drip pan first time I used side baskets and roasted a chicken. And I’ve been addicted to grilling ever since for what appears to be a very good reason. My health!

I got a steady 350 degrees going with my water cup and grate thermometer to help things along.

I poke holes in the bottom of the loaf pan so that the fat from the meatloaf drains into the drip pan too. With the moisture from the water cup both the chicken and meat loaf come out super juicy and will keep me happy during the rainy days ahead.