Wooden skewers burned on grill... why?

[Derision]

I soaked them in water beforehand for around 4 hours. I didn't put the meat on them completely from the tip to the bottom... should I have? The exposed ends of the skewers were literally catching on fire and burning off to where the meat was. I didn't even have the grill turned up that high.

Maybe getting metal skewers would be better? I'm new to grilling and this was my first time grilling meat on skewers. Seemed like a pain in the ass to keep turning each one. I should have just put whole steaks on the grill.

[Miley Highrus]

bby you gotta put them on the skewers afterwards

[Derision]

The meat was threaded on the skewers when I put them on the grill...

[roasted]

I like wood skewers for the flavor aspect, but they do need more attention than metal.

When I use wood skewers I usually babysit the grill with a spray bottle to put down any flame ups, but I also try to keep the chunks of meat small enough to cook before the skewers catch fire.

I'm not an shish kabob expert, but maybe you had the grill too hot?

[Vox Ducis]

Metal skewers = no more hassle

But if you prefer using wooden skewers (like me), you must put meat from the tip on 3/4 of the skewer. The bottom end must not be on the grill.

[Malice]

Originally Posted by Unwires

bby you gotta put them on the skewers afterwards

rofl, I wish that had been the case.

[rell]

Use metal, problem solved.

[Malice]

Really now.

"Why does my wood burn when I place it on a grill?"

[Mantikore]

My wooden skewers do blacken somewhat, but not the point where it burnt off. Its either

a) water hasnt soaked in enough. 4 hours does seem adequate, but you could always just soak them overnight
b) too hot where the wood is exposed. remember that the water content in saturated wood is still pretty small and skewers are pretty thin, so it will boil off quite easily if the temperature is hot enough.

although this thread sort of gives me an idea: perhaps rather than water, the skewers can be soaked in oil. I did a quick google search and didnt find anything. Although i do know wood soaks oil to an extent (which is why you can stain it), and candles work on the principle that the molten fuel burns instead of the wick.

I might do a mini experiment involving toothpicks tomorrow

[skygear]

Originally Posted by Mantikore

My wooden skewers do blacken somewhat, but not the point where it burnt off. Its either

a) water hasnt soaked in enough. 4 hours does seem adequate, but you could always just soak them overnight
b) too hot where the wood is exposed. remember that the water content in saturated wood is still pretty small and skewers are pretty thin, so it will boil off quite easily if the temperature is hot enough.

although this thread sort of gives me an idea: perhaps rather than water, the skewers can be soaked in oil. I did a quick google search and didnt find anything. Although i do know wood soaks oil to an extent (which is why you can stain it), and candles work on the principle that the molten fuel burns instead of the wick.

I might do a mini experiment involving toothpicks tomorrow

Water saturation is the problem 90 percent of the time. I like to soak my skewers in a water and citrus overnight. 12-18 hours usually. If I know I'm not going to use them or to prep. I like to soak them then FREEZE them in the freezer until I'm ready to use them days or weeks later.

[Derision]

Another grilling question: Meat has started to stick after I've been using the grill more. Should I be coating the meat in a thin layer of oil before putting it on the grill (if the meat wasn't already marinated)? I bought the Weber grill spray. It's like PAM but for the grill, isn't supposed to create flames. Spraying it on the grates didn't seem to help with the meat sticking.

Originally Posted by roasted

I like wood skewers for the flavor aspect, but they do need more attention than metal.

When I use wood skewers I usually babysit the grill with a spray bottle to put down any flame ups, but I also try to keep the chunks of meat small enough to cook before the skewers catch fire.

I'm not an shish kabob expert, but maybe you had the grill too hot?

Thanks for the spray bottle idea. I don't think I had to grill too high. It was on medium and even after I turned it down to low, it still kept happening.

Originally Posted by Vox Ducis

Metal skewers = no more hassle

But if you prefer using wooden skewers (like me), you must put meat from the tip on 3/4 of the skewer. The bottom end must not be on the grill.

Next time I make kabobs I will thread more meat on the skewers.

The appeal of wood for me is not having to wear oven mitts to get the meat off the skewers like I would have to with metal ones.

Originally Posted by skygear

Water saturation is the problem 90 percent of the time. I like to soak my skewers in a water and citrus overnight. 12-18 hours usually. If I know I'm not going to use them or to prep. I like to soak them then FREEZE them in the freezer until I'm ready to use them days or weeks later.

Thanks for the tip.

[Derision]

Originally Posted by skygear

Water saturation is the problem 90 percent of the time. I like to soak my skewers in a water and citrus overnight. 12-18 hours usually. If I know I'm not going to use them or to prep. I like to soak them then FREEZE them in the freezer until I'm ready to use them days or weeks later.

Actually I have some questions about this. Why citrus? And what kind, like some lemon juice? What method do you use to freeze them to keep them from sticking to other stuff? Do you put in a container or a plastic bag? My skewers are so long, I had trouble figuring out what to put them in when I soaked them, wound up using a baking pan.

[skygear]

Ok from the top. DONT USE THAT SPRAY CRAP! Just get your grill up to tempature, then scrub it with a wire brush.

Is it a gas or charcoal grill? You said "grates" so I'll assume its a gas grill.

Ok, so I use Citrus for a few reasons:

1. Depending on the dish, I use
-a. Orange,
-b. Grapefruit,
-c. Lemon
-d. lime
-e. cumquat

2. Citric acid kills germs, bacteria, etc. Helps keep the nastys away.

3. the skewers when you buy them even after being cleaned well can have a bacteria or fungus etc. in the porous wood. - I use BAMBOO

4. To freeze them, after being soaked for an extended period of time, I remove them from the water and freeze them rolled in WAX PAPER. Or on a pan. Once they
are saturated, then frozen - you can re-bundle them in a container for storage.

5. to touch again on the citrus, if you just want to use my citrus method for sanitary purposes, a wedge or two squeezed into the water will not leave a citrus flavor in
the meat.

6. Some other great things to add to the water are Salt, Garlic, Sugar, etc.

I have grown salt crystals on bamboo skewers and then used them as is to shish chicken, meat and seafoods. Cooked some grouper in this manner and it was fantastic.

Also have done the same with the sugar and growing crystals on them. Normally for fruits and desert dishes.

To grow the crystals, it isnt an overnight thing. It takes time.

[YoureATowel]

I too use bamboo skewers. I soak them 24 hours in water and a little lemon juice. Meat usually should be small enough to cook quickly, if not.. try not to have the flame on blast.

[Derision]

Originally Posted by skygear

Ok from the top. DONT USE THAT SPRAY CRAP! Just get your grill up to tempature, then scrub it with a wire brush.

Is it a gas or charcoal grill? You said "grates" so I'll assume its a gas grill.

Ok, so I use Citrus for a few reasons:

1. Depending on the dish, I use
-a. Orange,
-b. Grapefruit,
-c. Lemon
-d. lime
-e. cumquat

2. Citric acid kills germs, bacteria, etc. Helps keep the nastys away.

3. the skewers when you buy them even after being cleaned well can have a bacteria or fungus etc. in the porous wood. - I use BAMBOO

4. To freeze them, after being soaked for an extended period of time, I remove them from the water and freeze them rolled in WAX PAPER. Or on a pan. Once they
are saturated, then frozen - you can re-bundle them in a container for storage.

5. to touch again on the citrus, if you just want to use my citrus method for sanitary purposes, a wedge or two squeezed into the water will not leave a citrus flavor in
the meat.

6. Some other great things to add to the water are Salt, Garlic, Sugar, etc.

I have grown salt crystals on bamboo skewers and then used them as is to shish chicken, meat and seafoods. Cooked some grouper in this manner and it was fantastic.

Also have done the same with the sugar and growing crystals on them. Normally for fruits and desert dishes.

To grow the crystals, it isnt an overnight thing. It takes time.

Thanks sky. You're so smart.

I'll have to check the store for a long container to store the frozen skewers in. None of the tupperware containers I have are long enough. I REALLY like the idea of freezing the skewers after soaking them because I know if I don't, at some point when I plan to make kabobs again I'll forget to soak the skewers.

My grill is a gas grill. For cleaning it, I have been waiting till it cooled then scrubbing it with a grill brush. Can you clean it while the flames are going?

[skygear]

Yeah, I prefer to clean it when its smoking hot. It burns off all the big stuff and your left with the ash. Make sure its a good High temp plastic handle or a good hardwood one. I use the one with a sponge/ abrasive pad, scraper on the front and a wire brush on the other.

You could also use the plastic bag you got the skewers in. Once they are frozen its all the same. the gallon freezer zip locks work well also depending on length. I put mine in diagonal.

the heavily soaked Lemon and Lime skewers are great when cooking shrimp and scallops on the grill too. Sometimes I alternate them and add a little food coloring to the water/citrus for the respective color of the fruit. It helps distinguish the different citrus when I mix them all together in the freezer.

A drop goes along way. There usually is a small amount of bleeding from the skewer if its colored. To some its a pleasant thing, others are freaked by it. You be the judge. It does add a nice personal flare to the dish and something to explain to people when eating the food you prepared.

[skygear]

Also on the meat sticking . Let the food tell you when its ready to be turned. As soon as you put the meat on the grill once its to temp, put the grill on medium heat or turn it down to a desired flame height. The meat will stick as soon as it hits the grill. It will normally sear to the hot iron grates.

As the grate cools from the cooler temp meat and as the meat comes up to temp... It releases, and you get your nice grill marks.

[Malice]

Good god, that sounds like a pain in the ass.

Really Shady, wouldn't it be less of a hassle to just use metal skewers?

Look, they even have some with metal handles, so you won't have to use mitts:

http://www.amazon.com/GrillPro-40538...d_sim_sbs_lg_1

[Derision]

My proxy won't let me thank right now, I'll have to do it later.

Originally Posted by skygear

Also on the meat sticking . Let the food tell you when its ready to be turned. As soon as you put the meat on the grill once its to temp, put the grill on medium heat or turn it down to a desired flame height. The meat will stick as soon as it hits the grill. It will normally sear to the hot iron grates.

As the grate cools from the cooler temp meat and as the meat comes up to temp... It releases, and you get your nice grill marks.

Ok, thanks.

Originally Posted by skygear

Yeah, I prefer to clean it when its smoking hot. It burns off all the big stuff and your left with the ash. Make sure its a good High temp plastic handle or a good hardwood one. I use the one with a sponge/ abrasive pad, scraper on the front and a wire brush on the other.

You could also use the plastic bag you got the skewers in. Once they are frozen its all the same. the gallon freezer zip locks work well also depending on length. I put mine in diagonal.

the heavily soaked Lemon and Lime skewers are great when cooking shrimp and scallops on the grill too. Sometimes I alternate them and add a little food coloring to the water/citrus for the respective color of the fruit. It helps distinguish the different citrus when I mix them all together in the freezer.

A drop goes along way. There usually is a small amount of bleeding from the skewer if its colored. To some its a pleasant thing, others are freaked by it. You be the judge. It does add a nice personal flare to the dish and something to explain to people when eating the food you prepared.

This is the grill brush I have. I feel like I'm not getting the grill clean enough but next time I clean it, I'll do it when it's hot, like you advised.

[skygear]

I use one similar to this right now. Check out the different ones on squido.

http://www.squidoo.com/grill-brush?

the one you showed i had once and found it to be too flexible. When I lay into my grill/ brush i want no give at all. Especially after doing BBQ or a fish.

ah. heres mine. Its a 3-in-1 as they are refered to.


As for Tongs, I dont use flat grill tongs. I like the 20" or larger kitchen style tongs.

good site http://spitjack.com/product/BBQ-TONGS-CLAMSHELL.html

HD has some decent grill tools right now but that only lasts for a few more weeks til they swap out for fall gear.

[Derision]

Originally Posted by skygear

I use one similar to this right now. Check out the different ones on squido.

http://www.squidoo.com/grill-brush?

the one you showed i had once and found it to be too flexible. When I lay into my grill/ brush i want no give at all. Especially after doing BBQ or a fish.

ah. heres mine. Its a 3-in-1 as they are refered to.


As for Tongs, I dont use flat grill tongs. I like the 20" or larger kitchen style tongs.

good site http://spitjack.com/product/BBQ-TONGS-CLAMSHELL.html

HD has some decent grill tools right now but that only lasts for a few more weeks til they swap out for fall gear.

I like that grill brush, I'll have to look for it, thanks.

[Zombie Food]

Out of curiosity, whacha cooking?

[007GoldenShower]

lol you don't use wooden skewers on a grill, tard.

[Food Product]

Cleaning your grill isn't like washing out your saucepan. If your grates were a shiny metal and you're worried you're not getting it cleaned enough based upon it's color: Don't worry. It will darken as you use it. Do like skygear said and get it red hot grill then scrape it down. If there's no debris, you're golden.

[Derision]

Originally Posted by skygear

I use one similar to this right now. Check out the different ones on squido.

http://www.squidoo.com/grill-brush?

I bought one yesterday that looks just like that.

Another question- how can you tell when the propane tank is getting low? There isn't a way, is there? Should I get another one for when the one that is attached to the grill goes empty? I hope it doesn't run out while I'm cooking.

[roasted]

Originally Posted by Derision

Another question- how can you tell when the propane tank is getting low? There isn't a way, is there? Should I get another one for when the one that is attached to the grill goes empty? I hope it doesn't run out while I'm cooking.

Running out of gas while you are cooking sucks

When I'm done cooking (and cleaning) my gas grill, I turn off the valve at the tank. I found even really nice grills slowly leak gas when you leave the tank valve open.

But to check the amount of gas left in the tank, I usually just pick up the tank and shake it. You should be able to feel the liquefied gas move around in the tank. With the cost of propane, and considering how much propane I use, whenever I doubt the amount of fuel left I just refill it.

Depending on how much you grill, a second tank is convenient; but for me, its not something I would consider buying. If I need more gas I drive 30 seconds down the road to the gas station and get a refill.

[Derision]

Originally Posted by roasted

Running out of gas while you are cooking sucks

When I'm done cooking (and cleaning) my gas grill, I turn off the valve at the tank. I found even really nice grills slowly leak gas when you leave the tank valve open.

But to check the amount of gas left in the tank, I usually just pick up the tank and shake it. You should be able to feel the liquefied gas move around in the tank. With the cost of propane, and considering how much propane I use, whenever I doubt the amount of fuel left I just refill it.

Depending on how much you grill, a second tank is convenient; but for me, its not something I would consider buying. If I need more gas I drive 30 seconds down the road to the gas station and get a refill.

How do you refill it yourself?

I always turn off the valve after I'm done cooking.

Edit: Do they fill it for you at the gas station? (the ones around here don't have attendents) or do you fill up a plastic gas can (like when you get gas for the lawnmower) then fill it yourself? If so, how? I'm confused.

[Vox Ducis]

This article explains how to calculate how much time your propane tank will last. Nonetheless, having a second tank is a good idea.

http://cwanamaker.hubpages.com/hub/C...Tank-Will-Last

[Food Product]

They fill it for you. Look for a gas station with a large tank, usually off to the side of the lot, that says PROPANE.

Park near it, run inside, say hey, I need some propane. He'll either sigh and reevaluate his life or praise you, depending on how busy he is.

One filled he jots down how much went into the tank. You pay inside.

[roasted]

Originally Posted by Derision

How do you refill it yourself?

I always turn off the valve after I'm done cooking.

Edit: Do they fill it for you at the gas station? (the ones around here don't have attendents) or do you fill up a plastic gas can (like when you get gas for the lawnmower) then fill it yourself? If so, how? I'm confused.

We have self service gas stations, but to fill up propane tank I need to run inside and get an employee to fill up my propane tank

Originally Posted by Food Product

He'll either sigh and reevaluate his life

lol


Actually most places now dont refill tanks on site. They want you to exchange tanks (I think the company is called 'Blue Rhino'). Its a little more expensive than refilling your own tank, but its faster and more convenient. I own my tank, so its not an issue for me, but most of my friends have a Blue Rhino tank that they just exchange whenever they need gas

[Malice]

Originally Posted by Derision

or do you fill up a plastic gas can (like when you get gas for the lawnmower) then fill it yourself?

Yes shady, please take a plastic gas can and fill it with liquid propane.

Originally Posted by Food Product

Look for a gas station with a large tank, usually off to the side of the lot, that says PROPANE.

No, look for this guy:

[skygear]

I use one of these.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...a#.UBxNh6khe7g


Heres a nice one.

http://heater-reviews.blogspot.com/2...lectronic.html

But there are tanks with them on already.

To echo roasted. I always turn my cylinder OFF after every use. WHen I turn it on, I always make sure all the valves on the grill are off. Also I turn the propane on til it stops. Same when turning it off. Once its off, I turn a valve or two on the grill to purge the lines of excess gas/ pressure.

If your house already has a natural gas hook up (gas stove, etc._) most modern grills can be directly hook up to your source. Normally someone would have to come out and run a line for ~$100 to wherever your grill is located. If not out of the box ready, theres a $20 kit for most to convert them. Basically its the regulator that is swapped out and the fitting.

these are regulators

[Derision]

Originally Posted by Malice

Yes shady, please take a plastic gas can and fill it with liquid propane.

Oh fuck off, I didn't know. Really as a cat molester, you have no business using a condescending attitude towards others.

[Malice]

Nonsense, if Einstein had molested a cat would he not have still been justified in having a condescending attitude towards people less intelligent than him?

[NOX2]

Originally Posted by skygear

Yeah, I prefer to clean it when its smoking hot. It burns off all the big stuff and your left with the ash. Make sure its a good High temp plastic handle or a good hardwood one. I use the one with a sponge/ abrasive pad, scraper on the front and a wire brush on the other.

You could also use the plastic bag you got the skewers in. Once they are frozen its all the same. the gallon freezer zip locks work well also depending on length. I put mine in diagonal.

the heavily soaked Lemon and Lime skewers are great when cooking shrimp and scallops on the grill too. Sometimes I alternate them and add a little food coloring to the water/citrus for the respective color of the fruit. It helps distinguish the different citrus when I mix them all together in the freezer.

A drop goes along way. There usually is a small amount of bleeding from the skewer if its colored. To some its a pleasant thing, others are freaked by it. You be the judge. It does add a nice personal flare to the dish and something to explain to people when eating the food you prepared.

This guy is the kabob master. He is really gay for kabobs. If he could marry a kabob, he would......

[Define-Security]

Originally Posted by Derision

How do you refill it yourself?

I always turn off the valve after I'm done cooking.

Edit: Do they fill it for you at the gas station? (the ones around here don't have attendents) or do you fill up a plastic gas can (like when you get gas for the lawnmower) then fill it yourself? If so, how? I'm confused.

I don't think there is a way to refill it yourself, neither would I try to.

Lowe's & Dick's Sporting Goods have those propane tanks. You buy one and return the one you bought after it's empty for another.

Return credit can pay for these btw.

[Derision]

Originally Posted by skygear

I use one of these.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...a#.UBxNh6khe7g

Picked one up today, thanks!

[skygear]

Nice. They work well for sighting your propane levels. Next project should be to figure out how many times you grill off one tank. Remember, HIGH isnt always the best setting