Cold Weather = Hard Grilling

I pretty much grill 24/7/365...except when the temperature dips below 10 degrees. Snow...yes, hard rain...yes, lightning...yes, but it was really scary. It is not so much the run to the grills, it is usually just the time it takes to maintain any decent temperature. With the old Broilmaster gas grill (whose old tired legacy of good grilling is worth another post) I get adequate heat in this weather but it is never really hot enough and it does not satisfy me. With the Weber Kettles, I can only cook direct because I have an incredibly hard time maintaining a good indirect temp for any period of time. I wonder how those new 07 Weber natural gas models would fare?

You can always tell a serious griller because besides the driveway, you also shovel a path to your grills!

Anyways, since grilling must go on, I have temporarily shifted to an inside operation. I typically try to avoid pan frying beef. It just is not the same as the grill. It also reminds of the dribble that chain restaurants try to serve as "grilled steak". The only upside to pan frying is that you have a nice building block for pan sauces. And in the pan, the sauce is what makes the meal.

Pictured above is the Lang His/Her Special. The Rib-Eye for the man and the "petite" filet for the lady. Now you might ask, why in the world would you place both of those in the pan at the same time? Well, since Zoe is English I have to literally kill her cooked beef. That's right....both of those pieces cook for the same time...medium rare for me...door stop for her.

I have had great success with Steak au Poivre. There is nothing like igniting brandy to create a four foot flame in the kitchen! This last weekend, we made Rib-Eyes with Marchand de Vin Sauce (Wine Merchant's Sauce) which was more like a butter. Although both were quite good, there is quite a difference between a pan sear and the sear you get on a grate over an open flame.

As I looked out onto the snow covered deck and then glanced at a picture taken of the backyard last June, I realized how much I long for warm weather and good grilling!