Cheeseburgers + Grilled Corn

I first tried the "TimR" cheeseburger while hosted by the "HGLR" up in bean-town. Here is the recipe. They are so good and easy to make that I made them all summer long. Burgers are a great way to feed an army of your buddies.

The better the quality of meat you use the better these bad-boys will taste. I suggest anything between 80%-90% lean. Go with the ground chuck. I usually make 8oz burgers so you can figure out the math on how much meat you need.

Cheeseburger Directions:

1. Split you meat into 6-8oz portions. IMPORTANT: Do NOT smush the meat into patties at any time! The key to these burgers is you ligthly form them into a burger shape. Just use the your finger tips. For most people this is a foreign concept. Most people want to smash the burgers into a brick. When I do it, I barely even shape them. Gentle touch, gentle touch.
2. Coat both sides of each burger with a healthy coating of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
3. Prepare your grill. For 4 burgers I don't use more than a half a chimney of coals. You want the coals to be real hot for this one so make sure you remain patient until they are red hot.
4. Once the coals are red hot, place the burgers directly over the heat. Keep the vents open. Once the meat is on the grill don't mess with 'em. If you mess with them then they will fall apart. Cover the grill and let them cook for about 6 minutes.
5. When flipping the burgers take care. You will need a spatula and tongs to make sure they don't break apart. Add cheese to the cooked side. If you don't like cheese, then you are SOL. Let them cook for another 6 minutes and they should be done. Play it by ear at this point. They should be about "medium" by then.
6. Serve the burgers immediately with your favorite fixins. I suggest at minimum: Claussen pickle slices, raw onions, tomatoes, spicy mustard and ketchup.

Grilled Corn Directions:

1. Unhusk fresh ears of corn
2. Place directly over heat on grill.
3. Keep an eye on the corn and rotate frequently. They will be finished when the entire ear is slightly charred. See picture.
4. Optional: Rub the corn with fresh lemon juice, salt, and butter

Spicy Grilled Chicken

Grilling chicken can be tricky but if done correctly will taste better and sort of traditional oven method. I typically like to grill bone-in chicken. I feel the boneless cuts dry out sometimes.

Directions:

-- ~4-24 Hours before

1) Marinade the chicken pieces in olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and chili powder. You can control the heat by how much chili powder you place on the chicken.

--Day Of

2) Prepare your grill with the coals off to one side and the chicken on the other. You will want to use about 1 chimney full of coals for this. The key to cooking chicken is indirect heat. Make sure the vent on the bottom are open and the vents in the lid are open right above the chicken. The chicken in the picture took about an hour to cook. Make sure you flip them half way through.

Supplies

Here is an essential list supplies every barbecuing bachelor should own.
1) Charcoal grill. I recommend the 22.5 Inch One-Touch Silver Weber Grill. You can cook just about anything on this baby. The kettle design has changed little in decades.
2) Weber 87886 Chimney Starter: This elimates the need for lighter fluid. In addition, it serves a "measuring cup" for your coals. I.e. I know I can grill 3 tbones on only half a chimney of coals.
3) Decent set of Stainless-Steel Barbecue Tool Set. The most imprtant tools would be the tongs, the spatula, and the brush. Most kits also come with a poker type tool. You can toss that one out. You won't be needing it.
3) Coals
4) Matches
5) 1 beer for every 15 minutes of grilling

My Thanksgiving Turkey on the Grill

Believe it or not, this is easier than it looks and in my opinion the taste cannot be beat. I got this recipe from "TennesseeTom". I promise it will be the moistest and most flavourful turkey you've ever tried. However, I wouldn't use a bird over 13 lbs. The bird in the picture is 12 lbs.

Directions:

--2 Days before

1. 1) Marinade the turkey for two days in a salt water (~1 cup) + brown sugar brine (~1 cup). Also toss in a few bay leaves and maybe some peppercorns. Try to m ake sure that the entire bird is submerged in the brine.
2. -- Day Of, take the turkey out of the marinade. Rub some olive oil all over the bird and then coat with a healthy layer of both sea salt and pepper. Now you are ready to start grilling.
3. Prepare your grill. Due to the size of the turkey you will most likely be better off using a Weber 22.5 inch grill vs the 18.5 inch. The key to grilling it is to make sure the bird is not directly over the coals. As normal fill start your coals using a chimney (see top right of picture). You will want to fill the chimney up completely. After about 15 minutes or whenever the coals are red and hot, pour them on one side of the grill. At this point you could add a drip pan to catch the greasy goodness (not shown in picture). Put the grill back on and place the turkey on the opposite side of the coals (see picture). Don't forget to keep the vents on the bottom open. Place the cover back on the grill but make sure the top vents are open and positioned on the same side of the turkey. We want the heat/smoke to rise up and pass over the bird as it leaves the grill.
4. Crack open a beer. You are in it for the long haul! A good rule of thumb is 15 minutes per lbs. After about half that time you will want to rotate the bird 180 degrees to make sure both sides face the heat for the same amount of time. In this picture the bird has just been rotated after 1.5 hours. During the cooking time check the grill every 20-30 minutes to make sure your fire has not gone out. Depending on the heat of your fire you will need to replenish your coals at least once. When I grill large cuts of meat I will usually replenish my coals every 1.5-2 hours. This can be tricky so be careful.
5. Once the entire cooking time has elapsed you may want to stick a themometer in the turkey to make sure its done. Whole chicken and turkey is safely cooked when the juices run clear and it reaches an internal temperature of 170F in the breast and 180F in the thickest part of the thigh. When its ready take the turkey off the grill and cover it in foil. Let it sit for 30-60 minutes before cutting and serving. Don't forget to cover your grill back up and shut the vents. You will be able to use the coals again next time.

Welcome to the Barbecue Bachelor

Welcome to the Barbecue Bachelor, the first blog dedicated to all the bachelors and bachelorettes out there who own a grill and like to entertain their friends. Here at the BBQB, my friends and I will share both techniques on how to grill the ultimate meal and to host perfect get-together. I will cover both the basics of grilling and the more advanced methods of preparing fantastic food over an open flame!