Fixing for my first BBQ.

And by first, I mean first outdoor cooking except for over a campfire for over 20 years (I'm a recovering New Yorker). I'm going to start simple with chimichurri-marinated skirt steaks. A good marinade will ensure they stay moist even as I char the heck out of the outsides. A high-heat sear is called for.

Here's what I've got. A refurbished older model of a Weber Performer Silver. A big-ol bag of Royal Oak lump charcoal from the HD. A rusty old chimney and some Wall Street Journals and a match. I'm planning on going high heat over 2/3 of the grill to grill the steaks and the corn (the corn will go on first by a good 15 minutes).

The recipes: A chimichurri marinade for the steaks for several hours and on the side as a sauce. A yet-to-be-determined take on Mexican street corn but without crema. Tons of butter, lots of lime, arbol chile powder, maybe some cayenne and finished with a dusting of cotija and cilantro.

The process: Get the coals good and hot in the standard way, with the chimney. Strip back the corn husks and apply some butter, salt and pepper. Restore the husks and place over the hot area and cover for 15 minutes or so until it seems done. Move the corn to the indirect area and cook the steak, max 5 minutes per side. Strip the corn while the steak rests and finish the elote variation. Cut the steak against the grain and serve to hungry people.

Am I missing anything? Any advice? How's that Royal Oak compared to other lump coals?

It's scheduled for some time this week when it doesn't rain. I'll report back on the results.

Toast said:

Yes, it's Gulf's Possum Korn.

Welcome to the forum!

Click to expand...

Ooh, that looks like some fun for pretty cheap. That goes on the "buy soon" list.

Success!

After a delay and a test run with some chicken to learn about the grill's hot spots and temperature trends, a meal best left unmentioned, it was time for the real deal flank steak. It turns out that skirt steak is pretty rare (hah!) around here and at most places a little spendy. Wegman's wanted nineteen bucks a pound!

Everything worked perfectly. Salt the steaks 45 minutes in advance of cooking. Direct heat to the left, indirect to the right. Started with the corn and when the husks were blackened I started the steak. Gave the steaks a good sear on the direct heat side, took off the corn and moved the steaks to the indirect side and covered. Husked the corn quickly, finished the steak and started to let it rest and put the corn back on for a final char. It could not have been easier and everyone loved the prep, including the chimichurri sauce and the lime-chili butter. I didn't think the kids would go for that so I was pleased on that front.

What I'll do differently next time: I'll put the direct heat on the other side, since I'm left-handed and normally sweep in from that side with my arm. I'll buy a better glove (see below). I'll try to use a little less charcoal. Down the road, I'll get a better large set of tongs (my medium set are fine). I'll get better at cutting on the bias. I'll have a grill broom or something to sweep the burnt husk bits off the grate before putting the steaks there.

What I'll keep for later bouts: Both the chimichurri and the lime-chile butter turned out perfectly. That recipe calls for blending the chimichurri into a paste. Don't do that unless you're marinading. Just use the same recipe and chop the herbs as small as possible and apply with a spoon. The lime-chile butter goes in the recipe book (real tough -- one stick butter, zest and juice of one lime, teaspoon to tablespoon of ancho chili powder, dusting of cayenne until it's your favorite heat) and will probably replace Mexican-style crema corn as my go-to for on-the-cob fun. I'll probably also fashion a corn salad with it. The short sear and short finish were great for getting the flank right between rare and medium rare where I like it, so long as the thicker part is toward the direct heat.

Questions for the Brethren:

1) What's a good, relatively cheap thermometer for measuring the interior temperature of the grill? For the food I've got a Thermapen (or will when I find the thing and unpack it) but I've got nada for the ambient temperature.

2) What's a good, relatively cheap grilling glove? The cheap glove I got at a grocery store for six bucks is more than adequate for oven work but isn't tough enough for the more intense heat of the grill?

3) The lid of my Weber has no interior hook to hang the thing anywhere. Should it? It doesn't look like anything was removed from in there. What do you do with the lid when you're working the grill?

4) Grill broom?

Thanks for any advice. My next grill will probably just be cheeseburgers. Any thoughts on those? 80/20 mostly chuck and/or short rib, don't overhandle the meat, big dimple on top, cover the grill or even use a metal bowl for better cheese melting.