A few years ago we decided to switch from gas to charcoal (topic for another post some other time) so I began researching charcoal grills. Let's face it, gas is all the rage when grilling in many parts of the country. For us, gas lacked any pizazz and, well, was a real pain to maintain. Finding a charcoal grill was a challenge though.
I found one through L.L. Bean that caught my eye finally - the Volcano II. Volcano II is advertised as a collapsible, portable grill that is convertible for those who just really prefer gas. Intrigued, I ordered one.
We've used it a few times. It is indeed a piece of cake to 'unfold' - just hold the handle and it expands on its own. It did a great job of cooking. The coals burned nicely, no issues with the flame dying or flaring as can happen with many cheap charcoal grills. It comes with a sturdy carrying case.
Those things said, this is not a camping grill unless you are car camping. Yes, it is heavy - too heavy to lug on a hike. In addition, it requires some serious TLC. For the grill to collapse and open smoothly, it must be thoroughly cleaned and lubricated after use. Not doing so leads to rust and build-up... bad news for a collapsible grill.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
D.C. BBQ? Try Willard's
Ask any carnivorous male in Northern Virginia about good barbecue, and odds are good one of the places that will pop to his mind is Willard's. Willard's Real Pit BBQ is a hole in the wall place located in Chantilly, VA not too far from Dulles and the Dulles Expo Center.
Like all good BBQ joints, they offer sandwiches and platters. Sandwiches come with the Q staples of baked beans and cole slaw. Platters come with cornbread and your choice of two sides - baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, rice & beans, dirty rice, green beans, collard greens, mashed potatoes, and black-eyed corn. I've tried the baked beans, cole slaw, and cornbread - all were great.
Sides are nice but lets get the the 'meat' of this story, shall we? Mmmmmm, meat. How does this sound? North Caroline pulled pork? Kansas City burnt ends? Texas sliced beef brisket? Barbecued pulled chicken? Red hot smoked sausage? St. Louis cut ribs? Barbecued chicken? Jamaican jerked chicken? Yes, Willard's offers a regular smorgasbord of BBQ, something to satisfy everyone's taste.
Got a meeting or party? No worries, mate. Willard's offers combos to feed 4, 6, or as many as you got.
If you find yourself in northern Virginia, maybe have some time on your hands before your flight departs from Dulles, then swing by Willard's and give them a try.
Like all good BBQ joints, they offer sandwiches and platters. Sandwiches come with the Q staples of baked beans and cole slaw. Platters come with cornbread and your choice of two sides - baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, rice & beans, dirty rice, green beans, collard greens, mashed potatoes, and black-eyed corn. I've tried the baked beans, cole slaw, and cornbread - all were great.
Sides are nice but lets get the the 'meat' of this story, shall we? Mmmmmm, meat. How does this sound? North Caroline pulled pork? Kansas City burnt ends? Texas sliced beef brisket? Barbecued pulled chicken? Red hot smoked sausage? St. Louis cut ribs? Barbecued chicken? Jamaican jerked chicken? Yes, Willard's offers a regular smorgasbord of BBQ, something to satisfy everyone's taste.
Got a meeting or party? No worries, mate. Willard's offers combos to feed 4, 6, or as many as you got.
If you find yourself in northern Virginia, maybe have some time on your hands before your flight departs from Dulles, then swing by Willard's and give them a try.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Welcome to all things BBQ
I got into the BBQ craze thanks to my husband and one of his friends. We used to drive for Q runs into South Central LA at a time when it wasn't considered the safest things for people to do - but the BBQ was great. Watching BBQ contests, trying out new eateries, and grilling have become a part of our family.
A year ago we saw a BBQ episode on Food Network's "Good Eats" where the host made his own smoker. Being a bit into Q ourselves, we decided to turn our patio into a smoked BBQ factory. I chronicled our efforts at Squidoo and found that there are a lot of BBQ fans out there who like to tinker with their own smokers. As an update to that article, we used the smoker a few more times. We never managed to get the temperature high enough to cook the meat - possibly the hotplate we selected or the large size of our pots or both were to blame. Meat was smoked using different types of wood and different size chips then moved to the oven to cook. Given our setup, the smaller wood chips produced a more thorough smokey flavor in the meat but required frequent checks to load more chips (they were small enough to burn up quickly, producing lots of smoke and lots of flavor through-out the meat).
A year ago we saw a BBQ episode on Food Network's "Good Eats" where the host made his own smoker. Being a bit into Q ourselves, we decided to turn our patio into a smoked BBQ factory. I chronicled our efforts at Squidoo and found that there are a lot of BBQ fans out there who like to tinker with their own smokers. As an update to that article, we used the smoker a few more times. We never managed to get the temperature high enough to cook the meat - possibly the hotplate we selected or the large size of our pots or both were to blame. Meat was smoked using different types of wood and different size chips then moved to the oven to cook. Given our setup, the smaller wood chips produced a more thorough smokey flavor in the meat but required frequent checks to load more chips (they were small enough to burn up quickly, producing lots of smoke and lots of flavor through-out the meat).
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