PBR vs. PBR

If you follow along on this blog, you likely remember that I screwed up the Potato Beer.

I won't go into details ... if you need a reminder you can check out the I screwed up the Potato Beer link. For now, I'll just say SheppyBrew's Potato Barley Rye (PBR) is a bit salty.

It isn't completely undrinkable, and I don't have a lot of HomeBrew "Inventory", so I still have the beer on tap.

4th of July Steak and Corn

For our 4th of July grilling, we took advantage of our grocery store's holiday sales on Ribeye Steak and Corn-on-the-Cob.

Both of these are things I feel like I have not perfected grilling.

My main issue with steak is that I hardly ever am able to consistently get them to the right temperature before searing. There is always one or two that cooks faster.

So, either one or two are over-done or one or two are under-done.

But ... Ribeyes are fairly forgiving even if cooked a little long, so I always make it work.

For corn, I'm just never sure how the best way to cook them is. Should I remove the husks and cook indirect? Should I remove the husks and cook them direct? Should I leave the husks on and when I do, should I cook them over the fire or off?

Tri-tip photos

I've had a tri-tip in my freezer since sometime in mid-ish October. 

Tri-tips were on sale I guess and I purchased two. One I grilled on October 13. The other I grilled this past Saturday.

I never posted about the first one. Now, lucky reader, I'm posting photos from this past cook.

I really enjoy grilling eating tri-tip, but they are expensive enough that I never buy them unless they are on sale.

Tri-tips are pretty simply to make, and my process is always pretty much the same. I apply a salt / pepper / garlic rub hours before I want to cook.

I generally prepare my grill around an hour and a half before dinner. I'll set up the grill for a reverse sear. Indirect for the first hour to hour and fifteen minutes and then direct for the last little bit.

Tri-tip

If you've been follow along on this blog for awhile, you might know that I really like grilling / smoking tri-tips.

A tri-tip is one of my favorite things to make on the grill.

Unfortunately, they are usually more expensive than I like to pay and/or I don't see them at all at my local grocery store a whole lot.

A couple of weeks ago, there was a buy-one-get-one sale on tri-tips, so I picked up a couple.

I grilled one of them the next Sunday.

The other is sitting in my freezer waiting for another opportunity to grill up some beef.

More Tri-tip photos

As I mentioned in Tri-tip photos, I got buy-one-get-one-free Tri-tips last time I bought tri-tip.

So ... I had another tri-tip in the freezer to make.

This past Sunday after my #MetricCenturyEveryMonth ride ... I made the second tri-tip from that purchase.

Yum!

As usual, I Reverse Seared it on one of my Weber Kettles.

Hickory smoked tri-tips are delicious.

I got started around 4:30 pm, which is about an hour and a half before dinner time.

Tri-tip photos

My grocery store had tri-tips on sale again last week, and I picked some up.

As I've mentioned more than once on this blog, I really like making and eating tri-tips, but I don't see them that often.

Maybe that is changing as this is already the second time I've made them this summer (see Tri-tip). That would be awesome.

The sales was buy-one-get-one-free, so I actually have another nice-sized tri-tip in my freezer that I'll make sometime before the summer is over.

I'm quite certain this will be the only time I've made tri-tips so many times in a season.

Anyway ... If you've read any of my other tri-tip posts, you pretty much know how I make them ...

Tri-tip

While in the grocery store last week, I noticed that Tri-tips were on sale.

I love tri-tip, but hardly ever see them around me, and when it is it usually is too expensive for me to want to purchase it.

So, when I saw them on sale, I had to grab one. In retrospect I wish I would have picked up another ... but oh well ...

This past Sunday, after my Brew Day, I cooked it up.

This was actually a much bigger cut than I've ever had here in Denver, but that just makes it even better.

I added SPG onto the meat early in the day.

Mothers' Day Kettles

This past Sunday was Mothers' Day.

My wife's parents were visiting so we had two mothers in the house.

My older son also came home from college.

The two mothers decided they wanted grilled ribeye steaks for their dinner, which at our house means I had to cook.

As I generally reverse-sear my steaks, the 6 ribeyes fit just perfectly around my vortex on the 26 inch kettle.

In order to get sides done, I needed to pull out both of my Weber Kettles, and do the sides on my 22 inch.

The main side I made was the dish I made for Easter, Pecan Smoked Potatoes Au Gratin. I also grilled some corn.

Vortex Steaks and Corn

On the 5th of July (Independence Day Observed), I had some ribeye steaks and corn on the cob to grill.

As you may remember from First Vortex Use, I received a (knockoff version of ) the Vortex, and I mentioned that it could be used in various configurations.

Monday, I thought I'd try another configuration. I turned it upside down and placed it towards the side of the trusty Weber kettle, filling it about 75% with lit charcoal.

I then started reverse searing the steaks with pecan wood chunks for awhile.

Tri-tips

I made tri-tips back in 2018 X-Mas Ale and Tri-tips and really liked them.

For whatever reason, I don't see tri-tips available in my area very often. Usually when I see them, they are more expensive than I'd like to pay.

So, I don't make them very often. In fact, I think I only made them that one time.

Maybe one other time.

Last week, randomly, I saw two tri-tips in my grocery store on sale, and I picked them up.

I smoked them on the kettle this weekend.

I decided to experiment again with the cast iron pan much like I did in Reverse Sear Steak on Cast Iron Pan.

Reverse Sear Steak on Cast Iron Pan

Saturday, I had ribeye steaks in my fridge, and I decided to try making them a little differently.

The way I usually cook steaks is how I did them in Reverse Seared Ribeyes.

Cook the steaks indirect until they are just below their desired doneness.

Move to direct heat over the fire and sear them.

On a couple of youtube videos I had seen people basically the same thing, but rather than sear directly over the fire, they used a cast iron pan to add the crust.

I have a cast iron pan, so I thought I'd give this a try.

So, Saturday, I set up my fire in my two weber charcoal holders. This provided a circle of charcoal which was exactly the same size as my pan.

2018 X-Mas Ale and Tri-tips

So, I brewed my 2018 X-Mas Ale a couple Sundays ago.

As you may remember, every year I brew a different X-Mas Ale. You can read about most of them right here on Sheppy's Blog: X-Mas Ales.

They are all winter warmer base beers with various flavorings.

This year's version was designed to be slightly lighter in color.

The unique flavoring this year is Peanut Butter.

As you might have noticed over the years from my GABF posts, that my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) really enjoys trying out Peanut Butter beers.

I've been surprised quite a few times since this year's GABF, when I mention peanut butter beers (or chocolate peanut butter beers) how surprised / disgusted people initially are.

Reverse Seared Ribeyes

So ... you probably know I've been playing with my new grill / smoker recently.

See SheppyBrew: Grilling. Or SheppyBrew: BBQ. Or SheppyBrew: Smoked.

I've really been enjoying the food I've been making on the smoker.

Last weekend I decided to make some Ribeye Steaks. I love steak. Bone-in Ribeye Steaks are the ones that always turn out best for me. And that is what I got from the grocery store Sunday.

This time, I decided to try "Reverse Searing" the steaks. It is something I've read about, this this is really the first time I've done it.

In case you don't know, "Reverse Searing" is a technique used in grilling. Most of the references I've seen are around steak, but you can do it with other cuts of meat too.