Post your "Rookie Mistake Lists"

[Duke]

Geez, scary stories!!

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

I can tell you it's not direct!

I was in a hurry tonight and went direct. After the grease fire (pic 2) it turned black.











It was still a good burger though. 
 
The onions were another tale of woe.

[Jaronimo]

I used to boil my ribs for 30 minutes in beer and garlic, then finish them on the grill.  I used lots of sauce on the grill, cooking it pretty low to really get a heavy layer of sauce.  The grill would be trashed after ribs from the sauce.  After a couple of rib sessions in a row, without cleaning the grill, everything caught on fire.  All the sauce, rib fat, etc.  burned very hot.  Melted the plastic and left the grill with nasty discoloration on the stainless. 

[Cookingmama]

Geez, scary stories!!

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

 
The onions were another tale of woe.

What happened with the onions?   I have a grill basket similar to the one in your picture and grilled four green peppers and two large onions sliced up in it last night .

[Duke]

What happened with the onions?   I have a grill basket similar to the one in your picture and grilled four green peppers and two large onions sliced up in it last night .

Well, I must have missed a step because the batter seperated from the onions when I set them in the oil. I am going to practice onion rings until I get them right.

[Cookingmama]

What happened with the onions?   I have a grill basket similar to the one in your picture and grilled four green peppers and two large onions sliced up in it last night .

Well, I must have missed a step because the batter seperated from the onions when I set them in the oil. I am going to practice onion rings until I get them right.

.

Ohhhhh onion RINGS..... I just grilled ours to go with the steaks.  I have never attempted onion rings.  We like them, but I rarely fry.  And with a large family like mine its hard to get things like that timed right for everyone.

[Duke]

Thanks, yeah that's where I went wrong. I was trying to fit too much in and had too little time to do it.

[Cookingmama]

Thanks, yeah that's where I went wrong. I was trying to fit too much in and had too little time to do it.

Yeah frying is tough sometimes.  I fried fish awhile back for fish tacos....they were awesome!   But with two cast irons going it was still time consuming and just tough.

My latest want...... A turkey fryer for frying stuffs outside!

[1buckie]

What happened with the onions?   I have a grill basket similar to the one in your picture and grilled four green peppers and two large onions sliced up in it last night .

Well, I must have missed a step because the batter seperated from the onions when I set them in the oil. I am going to practice onion rings until I get them right.

Not sure if we're supposed to help with these confabulations, or laugh at / with / next to, each other?

The "O" rings will hold whatever you dredge them in better if you peel & allow to dry, then slice & allow those to dry, first....
Kinda takes all of the last minute fun out of it, but they will come out better if they've lost a lot of
moisture before you dip & dredge....

I've yet to try them in the wok, but so far the deep fried stuff that's been done has come out good!

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

The bacon I do like this, I'm too old to do the fast dance direct anymore......

[Craig]

Oh, and I used water once to put out my kettle........... 2 years ago.....not because I was a rookie, but we live in tornado alley and a storm was approaching and I was grilling chicken and it was about 30 MPH gusts and the civil defense sirens sounded as I was taking the chicken off the grill. I didn't want to have a kettle full of hot coals body check the house since the winds were coming out of the southwest and my patio faces southwest. So I grabbed the hose quick and sprayed out the grill fast. The next day there was no damage to anything or anyone thank God, so I let it dry out in the sun and I gave it a good cleaning.

Craig

[Troy]

Oh, and I used water once to put out my kettle........... 2 years ago.....not because I was a rookie, but we live in tornado alley and a storm was approaching and I was grilling chicken and it was about 30 MPH gusts and the civil defense sirens sounded as I was taking the chicken off the grill. I didn't want to have a kettle full of hot coals body check the house since the winds were coming out of the southwest and my patio faces southwest. So I grabbed the hose quick and sprayed out the grill fast. The next day there was no damage to anything or anyone thank God, so I let it dry out in the sun and I gave it a good cleaning.

Craig

that's funny.
we got hit with a tornado last fall. i had two birds on the rotisserie when all the sirens and warnings were going off.
my family was in the basement, and i was out on the back deck holding onto the grill (and getting pelted with hail)

the chickens turned out fantastic

[Golly]

last weekend was doing marmalade wings
accidently put in 1 cup of srirachi sauce instead of 1/3 cup
fuck they were hot
to the point unedible
lesson learnt measure twice cut once (chippy talk)

[bamboleo]

I did a beer can pizza using K and turned out good the first time.  Second time used lump...disaster



Melted cans


Broke stone


Chewey pizza 

[1buckie]

Now THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT !!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry about your pizza, your stone, your cans, etc. etc. etc.

[Troy]

the first time i used a skillet on the grill was a disaster.

i was grilling foot long hot dogs and i put a 10" skillet over the coals to heat up some chili for the dogs.

i opened the grill to check things and 'stovetop instinct' tookover. I went to grab the handle of the skillet to give the chili a little flip. totally scorched my hand. I had the handle shape burnt into my palm, fingers, and thumb for weeks.

[Troy]

today i dumped a bowl full of oil covered potatoes onto the hot grill.
the oil dripped and a big flame shot up about 3 feet.

i expected this. no worries.

i closed the lid, then closed the vents on the lid to extinguish the flames real quick.
i wiped the oil off my hand, openend the lid and spread the potatoes around real quick with my tongs.
then i closed the lid and went inside for 5 minutes.

I came back out and realized that I left the lid vent closed. Good thing i had forgotten to salt the potatoes earlier - otherwise I would have came back out 15 minutes later.