Post your "Rookie Mistake Lists"

[Tim in PA]

To piggy back on the "Grilling mistakes that amateurs make" thread, I thought it would be helpful for beginners like me if you guys would post your own lists on rookie mistakes. I know you all didn't agree on the list that was posted in that thread so now is your chance!

First time using my Performer, I already made a rookie mistake and didn't use enough fuel. What else do you have?

[Craig]

My rookie mistakes........ I can't believe I'm telling this, but when I was a grilling pup I used lighter fluid......on K Craplight! (I was young and dumb) And I cooked with the lid off constantly and burnt the hell out of my food. And this was on my then newly inherited 18.5 redhead that belonged to my Grandfather. When I was doing this, I'm sure somewhere in the great beyond, Grandpa was shaking his head and saying "what are you doing to my grill!?" He used an electric charcoal starter that I still keep for sentimental reasons. Fast forward 10 years, and today lighter fluid is forbidden at our house, it's chimney's and white cubes. I hate the flying embers from newspaper. No more Crap Light, though I use K blue with some wood chunks. I learned to control temps. Lid stays on to keep foods tender and moist! That's when you discover that something happens, and only seems to happen in a Weber cooker! Ok, bad reference to the '70s TV ad, but it's true!

Craig

[Troy]

i used to always add enough wood chips or chunks to make a giant smoke plume come from my grill or smoker. I've since learned the error of my ways.

one time i also closed the top vent to extinguish some flare-ups and then walked away forgetting that it was closed (i was probably drunk)
I came back 10 or 15 minutes later and the temp had dropped to less than 100 and the coals were completely extinguished

[Cookingmama]

When I first started smoking I went out and bought a crapload of wood CHIPS......sigh...  I don't like to waste so will use them up and then finally start to use chunks.

[1911Ron]

My first mistake was to buy a Masterforge grill (aka leaky pete) and did nothing but struggle    My other mistake when using my new to me "Redhead" i used to few briquets and took forever!

Now i cover and let the magic happen

[1buckie]

1st fattie I did, I rolled everything around together....



It needed help...



Since then, things have gone better !!!



Please Note: I STILL get edgy & use small skewers or large toothpicks....
Bad experience as a child sticks with ya !!!

[DoppelBock]

Cooking bacon on my gas grill which was on the deck and near the house...direct heat...right on the grate...with the lid closed


The fireball and smoke were magnificent.

I quickly killed the gas and moved the grill away from the house; tragedy averted...except for the bacon of course.

Probably qualifies more as a dumb-ass mistake than a rookie mistake.

[1buckie]

I like this ~~~>

"The fireball and smoke was magnificent."

  

[Duke]

Great thread idea!  When I got my first WSM back in the nineties I used to stay up all night watching temps and barely sleeping. I kept running back outside every hour or so making sure the temps were stable and messing with the fire. Then I bought one of those cordless weber thermometers so I could stay in bed and watch the doneness of the meat. I was so paranoid.   I don't do overnights very often anymore, but I definitly get lotsa sleep when I do now. I just pick it up in the morning wherever I left off. 

[DoppelBock]

I like this ~~~>

"The fireball and smoke was magnificent."

  

Probably would have been more of an ooOOOOhhh moment had the wife, son, and house not been near by

[Eastex]

I even remember about what day mine was on. We moved into our house in December of 95. The following July 4th we had most of the family out to visit and I was running my "Char Broil" gasser, ( I know, I know ). One of my cousins brought out a load of Renfros sausage that I cooked along with all the other food , Renfros is a great local sausage but man is it fatty. Anyway, fast forward a week and my cousin from New Jersey comes down to visit with her husband and we cook steaks for them. I wasn't sure how done they wanted them so I erred on the under side a little and brought then in while leaving the grill on in case they wanted them cooked a little more. They were fine with them  (except for asking where the steak sauce was which got them a short lecture from me), and we settled in to a nice long visit at the table. I finally got up and took my plate over to the sink where I saw my grill leaning over and the hose laying on the ground shooting a jet of flame about ten feet long ! I ran outside and shut off the gas, the knob and tank both were pretty hot. The grease had caught on fire and had burned off the wooden handle on the lid, the shelf in front of the grill and had melted one of the plastic wheels which led to the lean. No more gas grills for a loooong time after that. That story was featured very prominently when we visited them in Jersey and they had their friends over for a "meet the rednecks" cookout.

[Ted B]

Man these stories are great!  I don't have one as good as Chad or Eastex but it seems all the mistakes were on gas.  Guess it just gives one more reason for switching to charcoal.   

My wife bought some super cheap frozen hamburgers.  I had to cook for 20 people.  Fired up the gasser threw the first 15, closed the lid, and almost instant fireball.  Black smoke starts pouring out!  The whole bottom of the grill by the burner is on fire.  Shut the gas off and cooked the next 15 or so burgers on the grease fire from the first ones.  Those could not have been good burgers.

Another time half way through grilling the propane hose came loose from the clip and starts whipping around with flames shooting out of it about 6 inches.  Managed not to get burned, but that was the end of gas.  Started using charcoal in the gasser using the propane to start it like a crappy performer.  Not good for a propane grill, needless to say it did not last long after that.

[Tim in PA]

Geez, scary stories!!

So, what is the correct way to cook bacon on a grill? Indirect heat?

[DoppelBock]

Geez, scary stories!!

So, what is the correct way to cook bacon on a grill? Indirect heat?

Direct heat in a cast iron pan, IMO anyway. Much safer and no grease messing up your grill or threatening to burn your deck and house down.

[Troy]

when i grill bacon, put it on indirect first (and i leave it all stuck together, just like it came out of the package)

after 20 minutes, i either move the whole thing to direct, or peel it off piece by piece and put them direct.
the trick is to close the lid when the flames start.

you have to be fast with the lid and the tongs