Rich's for the Home

Char-Grilled Oysters Recipe for your Weber Grill

Last week, I introduced you to the Weber Genesis E320 grill, rated #1 by Consumer Reports among the medium-sized gas grills they tested (June 2010).

Today, I'll share a delicious shellfish recipe for  you can prepare on any Weber grill. Here in the Puget Sound area, fresh oysters are plentiful, so this recipe by chef and author, Jamie Purviance, from Weber’s Way to Grill™ cookbook is for Char-grilled oysters.

You'll also find a terrific, step-by-step video tutorial for how to shuck and prepare the oysters on the Weber website.

Char-Grilled Oysters

Prep time: 30 minutes

Grilling time: 2-4 minutes

Ingredients

2 dozen large, fresh oysters
Lemon wedges
Tabasco® sauce
Cocktail sauce

Instructions

1. Grip each oyster, flat side up, in a folded kitchen towel. Find the small opening between the shells near the hinge and pry it open with an oyster knife. Try not to spill the delicious juices, known as the “oyster liqueur,” in the bottom shell. Cut the oyster meat loose from the top shell and then loosen the oyster from the bottom shell by running the oyster knife carefully underneath the body. Discard the top, flatter shell, keeping the oyster and juices in the bottom, deeper shell.

2. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).

3. Spoon some of your favorite dipping sauce on top of each oyster (recipes follow).

4. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the oysters, shell sides down, over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the oyster juices start to bubble and the edges curl, 2 to 4 minutes. Using tongs, carefully remove the oysters from the grill. Serve with lemon wedges, hot sauce, cocktail sauce, and your favorite dipping sauce.

Garlic-Thyme Butter

Makes: enough for 2 dozen oysters

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1/4 cup white wine
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and sauté the garlic until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and wine and simmer until the sauce reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, whisk in the remaining butter, and stir in the thyme and salt.

Grapefruit-Basil Aioli

Makes: enough for 2 dozen oysters

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1-1/2 teaspoons finely grated grapefruit zest
2 teaspoons fresh grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1. In a small bowl combine the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Asian Butter Sauce

Makes: enough for 2 dozen oysters

1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, combine the oil and ginger and heat until the oil begins to foam. Remove from the heat; stir in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and mustard. Whisk in the butter a few chunks at a time until completely incorporated.

Gorgonzola-Tomato Sauce

Makes: enough for 2 dozen oysters

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup vegetable juice
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the shallot and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable juice, horseradish, and salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then remove it from the heat. After you’ve added the sauce to the oysters, sprinkle the cheese on top, and then grill.

Serves: 4 to 6

Take This Hot Factory Tour – You Won’t Regret It

By Laura Christianson
Guest columnist

I love to tour manufacturing plants. I’ve toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory (multiple times), the Aplets & Cotlets factory, CNN, and the Elegant Gourmet candy factory, among others. So when Rich’s for the Home announced that Travis Industries – the home of Lopi, Avalon, and FPX hearth products – was offering their first-ever tours to the general public, I signed up.

After finding my way to the Mukilteo, WA Travis House of Fire plant (which is 11 acres huge, but hidden behind a housing development), I meandered into the showroom and instantly received a warm handshake from a man who introduced himself as Kurt Rumens.

I surreptitiously checked out his name tag. “Company President.”

Are you kidding me? The president of Travis Industries was there, in person?

Yep. And he wasn’t just making an executive appearance. He personally conducted the tour.

Before the tour started, Kurt introduced me one of his “babies,” a gas stove that apparently does everything but wash your dishes. Kurt was like a kid in a candy store, fiddling with the remote, showing me how to make the flame flicker high and low; how to regulate the temperature on the stove; and how to turn off the flame but leave on the decorative backlighting (which doubles as a night light). I want one!

After donning electronic headsets so we could hear Kurt over the factory noise, we embarked on our 1 ½ hour walking tour (if you’re wheelchair bound, never fear; the plant is wheelchair-friendly). Kurt showed us nearly every area of the plant. He told us about how he founded Lopi stoves 30 years ago (details in my next post), and he showed us exactly how stoves and fireplaces are made, starting with the mammoth $250,000 lasers that precisely cut the raw materials.

The neat thing about this tour is that we got to see stoves being built (unlike many tours, where employees are nonexistent and all the machines are shut down). We learned about metal munchers, computer punch presses, welding stations, air scrubbing, and much, much more.

We got up-close-and-personal with 11 assembly lines, and eyeballed many of the 40 ways to finish the same fireplace.

We were the first members of the public to ooh and aah over a brand new model just off the assembly line that day: the “Eden,” a 3-sided glass stove with a gothic arch design. (Rich’s Lynnwood store has it on display, so buzz by and see it; it’s beautiful.)

At the end of our tour, we were treated to a delicious box lunch. And yes, Kurt sat down and ate lunch with us!

In case you haven’t already figured it out, I highly recommend the Travis House of Fire Tour. It’s free. It’s fun. It’s interesting. They don’t try to sell you anything. And they feed you. What could be better?

You have more opportunities to tour the plant:

• Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
• Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

The tour is from 9-11:30 a.m.

Pre-registration is required and you must show the registration e-mail and ID at the door. When you register online, put "Rich's blog" in the space that asks, "How Did You Hear About the House of Fire Factory Tour?"

Related post:

The fascinating story of how Kurt Rumens founded what is now Travis Industries.

Consumer Reports Gives Weber Genesis Grill Top Marks

Consumer Reports rated the Weber Genesis E320 grill #1 among the medium-sized gas grills they tested (June 2010). They gave this model the highest marks for evenness of cooking, low-temperature grilling, convenience and features.

I thought you’d like to know more about the features of this top-rated grill:

1.  Three stainless steel burners with electronic Crossover™ ignition, which gives you the ability to grill using direct or indirect heat.

2.  Primary cooking area of 507 square inches (plenty of room for 16 to 30 burgers, according to Consumer Reports).

3.  Flush-mounted side burner with 12,000 BTU-per-hour output. Perfect for multi-tasking – you can heat up a pot of pork-and-beans on the side burner while you’re grilling your meat.

4.  Warming rack (130 sq. in), so you can expand your total grilling space (I love this feature, especially when I’m cranking out burgers for a large number of people).

5.  Total cooking area of 637 square inches. That’s generous for a medium-sized grill.42,000 BTU-per-hour input. BTU, or British Thermal Units, indicates how much gas a grill can burn and the heat that it could generate. [According to Consumer Reports, more BTU/hour doesn’t guarantee better searing or quicker warm-up. Smaller cooking areas generally need fewer BTU.]

6.  Porcelain-enameled, cast-iron cooking grates, excellent for holding heat and creating sear marks.

7.  Porcelain-enameled lid with matching painted doors.

8.  An enclosed cart with painted steel doors that hides your LP tank.

9.  Thermometer mounted on the center of the lid. 

Weber gas grills come with Flavorizer® bars (pictured at right), angled to exactly the right pitch to direct juices down and away from the burners and create flavorful smoke without flare-ups.

Grill Dimensions (with lid open):

Height: 64.5 inches
Width R-L: 60 inches
Depth: 30 inches

Stop by one of Rich’s five Puget Sound showrooms – in Silverdale, Tacoma, Southcenter, Bellevue, or Lynnwood – to see our full line of Weber grills.  Be sure to ask to see the Weber Summit 420 and 670, two other models that are “hot” items this season.

Travis House of Fire Factory Tour Gets Rave Reviews from Rich's Customers

Lloyd and Anthea Milton of Mukilteo were in the market for a gas freestanding stove. After browsing at Rich’s Lynnwood showroom, they narrowed their choices to two models, but they couldn’t decide which they liked best.So they registered for the free tour of Travis Industries (manufacturer of Avalon, Lopi, and Fireplace Xtrordinair brands).

When Lloyd and Anthea walked through the door of Travis Industries, they were immediately impressed with the “friendly, family feeling.”

“The gentleman who led the tour (Travis Industries president, Kurt Rumens) has so much passion for the product,” says Lloyd. “He has an enlightened view about how to run a factory.”

Lloyd would know; he’s been in manufacturing all his life, first at Rolls-Royce and now at Boeing. “I’m trying to coerce some of managers at Boeing to tour the Travis factory,” says Lloyd. “It’s a wonderful example of a lean factory layout.”

In fact, Travis Industries’ Mukilteo plant is located on the site of a former Boeing factory. Lloyd likes the way the factory is laid out neatly and efficiently. “Everything is under one roof, so they can really streamline operations, and everyone can understand each other’s job.”

The work environment is very clean, adds Lloyd. “There were no noxious smells and no rubbish anywhere. You can tell people take pride in working there.”

He noticed how management takes great care to create an ergonomically-friendly work environment (they structure their equipment to lessen wear and tear on one’s body). Lloyd also noted that workers aren’t just funneled onto an assembly line, but that management accesses each person’s strengths and puts them in jobs that utilize those strengths.

“[Kurt] is looking for the best in his people, not just someone to do a job. Anyone is welcome to come forward with a new idea – not just the design department or certain engineers.”

Halfway through the tour, Lloyd and Anthea pinpointed which stove they wanted, and asked Kurt, “When can we have it?”

“We went straight from the tour to Rich’s and ordered the Avalon Tree of Life model with an enamel finish and fan,” says Lloyd.

They’d been wavering over whether to buy a stove with a fan. After learning about the latest technology during the tour and listening to the whisper-quiet stove fans, they opted to go with a fan. They chose an enamel finish over cast iron because “it’s easier to keep clean.”

Lloyd and Anthea say they came away from the Travis House of Fire tour asking each other, “When can we afford another stove?”

Their new Avalon will be installed this week, and they’re already brainstorming adding a second stove to another room in their home.

“This tour put the icing on the cake,” says Lloyd. “It helped us decide exactly which features we wanted on our stove. I’d recommend the tour to anybody who wants to buy a stove – or just see the factory.”

“To see the quality on the build… these are the people we want to work with,” says Lloyd. From now on, “We won’t go anywhere else.”

Take advantage of more opportunities to tour Travis Industries:

• Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
• Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
• Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

The tour is from 9-11:30 a.m.

Pre-registration is required and you must show the registration e-mail and ID at the door. When you register online, put "Rich's blog" in the space that asks, "How Did You Hear About the House of Fire Factory Tour?"

More tour highlights:

• Take This Hot Factory Tour – You Won’t Regret It
• A Man Who Loves Fire: Kurt Rumens, Founder of Lopi Stoves

Delicious Grilling Recipes from Traeger

In a recent post, I introduced you to Traeger pellet Grills, a popular, energy-efficient grill/smoker/convection oven that cooks foods to perfection using food-grade, flavored wood pellets.

At Rich’s, you can not only purchase from our full line of Traeger Grills, you can also buy the Traeger Cookbook   and accessories.

Here are two sure-fire recipes, courtesy of the folks at Traeger, plus links to several additional recipes from the Traeger website.

Change Your Life Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 whole 4-lb chicken
1 tbsp. Traeger Chicken Rub

1. Rinse chicken in cold water and drain on a paper towel.
2. Season with Traeger Chicken Rub and let sit for 30 minutes.
3. Start your Traeger on "smoke." After fire starts, set to "high.” Preheat for 5 minutes.
4. Place whole chicken on grill and cook about 1 hour 20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees.
5. Remove from grill. Let rest 20 minutes before eating.

Recommended pellets: 50/50 mixture Maple and Hickory.

Surprisingly Simple Ribs

Serves 1-2

Ingredients

1-3 racks meaty baby back ribs
1 tbsp Traeger Salmon Shake (per rack)
½ cup BBQ sauce or ½ cup apple juice

1. Lightly sprinkle Traeger shake on the ribs.
2. Start your Traeger on "smoke." (Recommended pellets: Maple, Apple)
3. Place the ribs on grill and smoke for 4 to 5 hours.
4. Remove ribs from grill and place in aluminum foil with your choice of BBQ sauce or 1/2 cup apple juice or water.
5. Close foil and put ribs back on grill.
6. Switch digital controller to 350 degrees or "medium" and grill 45 minutes.
7. Remove from grill and allow to sit for 20 minutes.

  Try these additional delectable recipes from Traeger:

• Simple Fish
• Simple Steak
• Tri-Tip Roast
• Quick Ribs (Less Than 3 Hours)

Here’s a video that demonstrates how to use a Traeger Grill:

Stop by one of Rich’s five Puget Sound locations – in Silverdale, Tacoma, Southcenter, Bellevue, or Lynnwood – to see our line of Traeger Grills.

Save up to 40% off Tropitone Patio Furniture at Rich's

Save up to 40% off on patio furniture -- including our popular Tropitone brand -- at Rich's Outdoor Living sale, going on now.

How to Have an Eco-Friendly 4th of July

This 4th of July, why not go "green" with your celebration? Here's how:

1.  Get crafty.

Ask your guests to bring a box of stuff they'd normally throw away. You supply hammers, nails, glue etc. Set everything out on a table and have everyone craft their own wind-chime or garden sign.

2.  Choose local, organic foods whenever possible.

Turn a visit to an organic farm into a party. Don't be shy about asking the farmer for ideas and recipes.

3.  Focus on no-cost fun, including old-fashioned games.

Set up an obstacle course or relay races that you adapt according to participants' ages. More games.

4.  If you're seriously into eco-friendly, ditch the personal fireworks as they are anything but.

Also, it is more environmentally friendly for thousands of people to attend a big display versus setting off your own fireworks.

5.  Don’t waste food.

If you have leftovers, send them with people who will eat them. Put them in containers with lids versus plastic baggies. If you don’t want to send your good leftover dishes, buy disposable that can be washed and re-used.

6.  Recycle any waste that is left over.

Put veggie and fruit scraps in the compost bin. Recycle aluminum cans and anything plastic or glass.

7.  Walk to your local parade and fireworks instead of using your car.

That will make even parking a breeze. Or ride your bikes and get good exercise too.

8.  Proudly wear a green tee shirt to any gatherings.

How about “I’m celebrating with Red, White and Green?”

Thanks to CelebrateGreen for a couple of the above ideas.

How to Plan an Earth-friendly Summer Celebration

For most Americans, July 4th marks the official start of summer and that means family and friends gathering together enjoying each other at picnics and barbecues. But all this celebrating can take a toll on the Earth (and cost a lot of green as well), so why not consider some alternatives to the ways we've traditionally celebrated summer? Here are just a few ideas:

Serve filtered tap water. It's so easy to hit one of the big box stores and pick up cartons of water if you're hosting a picnic or barbecue, but you can save money and the planet when you choose to drink and serve filtered tap water instead.

Knowing that bottled water (even by the case), is 240 to 10,000 times more expensive than tap water and that 40% of bottled water should be labeled tap water because that's what it is, you may decide that the "convenience" is simply not worth the cost. Instead, set out pitchers of iced tap water and ask a willing helper to keep the pitchers full.

Substitute reusables for disposables when possible. Picnics and barbecues have become synonymous with throw aways--plates, cups, napkins, tablecloths and decor. While there are more choices for disposables made from recycled and biodegradable materials, using what you already own and remains a more earth-friendly (and budget-conscious) choice.

If you don't own enough plates and glasses, why not:

1. Borrow. Friends and neighbors are usually happy to contribute
2. Ask everyone to bring their own place settings. That's what people used to do B.P.P. (before paper plates).
3. Hit your local thrift store. You'll likely be able to pick up dozens of plates very inexpensively and when you're done, you can donate them back.

When it comes to napkins, tablecloths and decor, think outside the paper box by decorating with items you already own, like sheets. Supply guests with red, white and blue fabric markers and set them loose. You'll end up with a unique table covering that you can use over and over again. Also, washcloths make great napkins and if they're stained with barbecue sauce, use them for rags.

--
Guest posters Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family. 

Save up to 1/3 on Vermont Castings Outdoor Grill Packages

This week, during Rich's huge 4th of July sale, you can save up to 1/3 off Vermont Castings outdoor grill packages. You'll also save up to half off the Northwest's largest selection of name-brand patio furniture, including Tropitone.

Our 4th of July sale ends Monday, July 5, 2010.

Visit any of Rich's five Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Tacoma, Southcenter, or Silverdale.

Hot Tubs Half Off - 4th of July Sale at Rich's

Save up to half off on Clearwater Spas at Rich's for the Home. Save on new models, repos, demos, floor models, closeouts, and factory seconds. Payments starting at only $59/month!

Our 4th of July sale ends Monday, July 5, 2010.

Visit any of Rich's five Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Tacoma, Southcenter, or Silverdale.

Free Assembly on Weber Grills

When you purchase a Weber grill from Rich's during this week's 4th of July sale (through July 5, 2010), we'll assemble it for you, free!

You'll also save up to half off the Pacific Northwest's largest selection of name-brand patio furniture.

Visit any of Rich's five Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Tacoma, Southcenter, or Silverdale.

Pellet Grills: Sophisticated, Energy-Efficient, and Easy to Use

You’ve heard of charcoal and gas grills – but how about pellet grills? Pellet grills from Traeger have garnered a cult following because they’re so easy to cook on and they use energy-efficient food-grade wood pellets.

How Traeger Grills Work

Traeger grills use small, food-grade pellets made from 100% hardwood sawdust (these are NOT the same kind of pellets used in a stove that heats your home). Pellets come in flavors such as hickory, cherry, and mesquite. 

You simply load the pellets into the pellet hopper, select the desired temperature and turn on the grill. The grill ignites with a standard 110 VAC household electric current. The igniter rod (a small heating element) activates and the auger (a corkscrew-like rod) feeds pellets into the firepot.

[When the igniter rod is active, during the first four minutes, the grill operates on 300 watts. After that, it drops down to 50 watts per hour, less than a standard light bulb.]

Traeger grills are unique in that once they’re heated up, you place your food in and let the grill do the work – you don’t have to babysit your grill. No flare-ups, no hot spots, and no unevenly cooked foods.

That’s because these grills are manufactured with sophisticated microprocessor circuitry that regulates the heat and smoke by stopping and starting the auger motor. The auger precisely controls the dispense rate for the pellets, keeping the temperature just right.

A fan evenly distributes the heat and the smoke. As the hot, smoky air circulates around the cooking chamber, it surrounds your food with heat, cooking it evenly on all sides, both top and bottom. In most cases, you don't even need to turn food unless you are cooking at a high temperature or want grill marks on both sides of the meat.

Grill, Smoke, or Bake

This heat distribution system makes for a versatile grill that allows you to do everything from smoking ribs or a brisket to grilling burgers and salmon. It also functions as a wood-fired convection oven – you can bake pizza, breads, biscuits and cookies – right on the grill.

Stop by one of Rich’s five Puget Sound showrooms – in Silverdale, Tacoma, Southcenter, Bellevue, or Lynnwood – to see our line of Traeger Grills. Be sure to ask about the most popular model, the Lil’ Tex BBQ070 (pictured at top).

Stay tuned for future posts, when I’ll be sharing delicious recipes for your Traeger grill.

Here’s a video from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, who interviews Traeger spokesperson, Terry Bradshaw (who, in turn, interviews frounder, Joe Traeger).

How to Shop for a Hot Tub or Spa Cover

Have you ever thought of a hot tub cover as custom-made furniture?  Well, it is. A hard cover is crafted to fit the exact dimensions of your spa so you can obtain a good heat seal and save on energy costs.

My family has owned a Clearwater spa for years, and we replace our hard cover every year or two. We know it’s time to order a new cover when puddles form in the middle, it’s heavy to lift, and the foam core sags, cracks, or breaks.

Wear and tear on the vinyl is another signal that it’s time to replace the cover. Even though I clean and condition the vinyl regularly, and my hot tub is under a gazebo, the vinyl eventually gets brittle, cracked, or torn.

You can custom order a hot tub cover from Rich’s -- our sales representatives will explain how to measure your hot tub so the new cover will fit perfectly.

Here are some other important factors to look for when you’re shopping for a spa cover:

Foam Thickness

Don’t assume that all covers are created equal. While all spa covers are tapered – much like the roof of a house, so rain and snow will run off – the thickness of the foam can vary substantially.

Ask the spa cover salesperson about the load the cover can withstand. Depending on whether your spa is indoors, outdoors, or outdoors under cover, you could need a cover that bears anywhere from 75 lbs to 250 pounds (the greater the load capacity, the heavier the cover).

Foam Density

Foam density (pounds of foam per square inch) is a big determining factor in how long your cover will last, and how well it will perform. The higher the foam density, the longer it will take for your cover to get waterlogged.  A 1.5 lb foam density is considered standard in the industry.

Foam Seal

The foam core has a heat-sealed, vacuum-sealed moisture barrier around it.  Avoid a taped poly wrap, as it leaks easily. Ask what type of sealing techniques the manufacturer uses, and ask for for a poly wrap thickness of at least 3 mil.

Heat Seal Gaskets

You want to prevent heat from escaping between the space where the halves of your cover fold together. Be sure to order a cover with heat seal gaskets.

Hinge

One of the most important parts of your cover, because it gets the most use. Look for a hinge that has several layers of vinyl for added strength.

Scrim (bottom vinyl)

This material on the underside of your cover protects the foam core from moisture. To prevent your foam core from getting waterlogged, and to reduce energy costs, ask for a cover that has a water repellant, mildew resistant, reflective scrim that deflects radiant heat back into the spa water.

Top Vinyl

Make sure the cover uses marine grade vinyl, which doesn’t fade very much, and is treated with Ultraviolet and mildew inhibitors.

Sewing and Finishing

The cover should not have any raw edges or tie offs showing, and should be constructed with cotton-wound polyester thread that has been treated with UV and mildew inhibitors.

Handles and Fasteners

Look for quick-release buckles designed specifically for spas. Get reinforced locking fasteners that color coordinate with your spa cover.

Warranty

Find out if your cover comes with a warranty, what the warranty covers, and how many years it lasts.

Ready to purchase a new cover for your hot tub? Call any of Rich’s five Puget Sound showrooms to custom order yours.

**Rich's also sells CoverMate lifts (pictured above) to make it easy for your to open and close your cover. Made of high-grade, corrosion-resistant aluminum tubing and coated with an exclusive two-part powder coating process, this #1 selling lift will give you years of trouble-free performance.  Every CoverMate comes with an industry-exclusive TowelMate, designed to keep towels close by.

How to Clean Your Outdoor Grill

After you cook a meal on your kitchen stovetop, you (hopefully) wipe up your mess. Your outdoor grill, like your stovetop, needs a little TLC after each use.

Here are some essential grill-care tips that will help your grill last longer… and your food taste better.

Store your grill in a dry place

I can’t tell you how many bedraggled grills I’ve seen that “live” outdoors year-round in the rainy, moldy Pacific Northwest. You’ll extend the life of your grill if you move it into a garage or shed or covered area when it’s not in use. At the very least, purchase a grill cover to protect it.

Great Grates

Grates can be buggers to clean, so lots of folks avoid cleaning them after every use.  But you should clean them after every grilling session.

1. Allow your grill to cool down till it’s warm to the touch (before the gunk hardens).
2. Remove the grates, and use a brass wire grill brush to loosen stubborn food particles.
3. Wash the grates in warm, soapy water.
4. To remove heavy-duty grime, spray on oven cleaner and let it sit until the grease is softened. Spray the inside of the grill with oven cleaner, too.
5. Once the grease has loosened, wipe the oven cleaner off with paper towels or a sponge, and then wash with a mild detergent and water (you may need to apply gentle pressure with a wet, soapy fine steel wool pad). Sponge out with clear water and wipe dry.
6. If you have a cast iron grate, get it nice and clean after every use, and then wipe on some vegetable oil with a paper towel to keep it from rusting.

Cleaning a Charcoal Grill

1. Once your grill is completely cool, remove the grates and clean them as instructed above.
2. Scoop out the ashes with a fireplace shovel or garden trowel and place them in a small galvanized trashcan with a lid. Brush out any remaining ash residue. If your grill has an ash catcher, empty that, too. It’s important to remove ashes because they absorb moisture, which could cause your grill to rust. A clean grill also ensures adequate airflow every time you grill.
3. With a non-abrasive cloth, wipe down the outside of the grill and lid with a warm soap and water solution, and rinse with clear water.

Cleaning a Gas Grill

Some gas grills have a “clean” setting. Like a self-cleaning oven, it will burn up gunk that’s slipped into the grill, but you still need to wipe up the ashes from the burn-off.

1. If your grill doesn’t have a self-cleaning function, turn it on high for 10-15 minutes with the lid closed to burn off excess food particles.
2. Then turn off the grill and let it cool till it’s warm to the touch. Clean the grates as explained above, and clean off the barrier above the burners (metal plates, lava rock, or ceramic briquettes).
3. For heavy-duty yearly cleaning, disconnect the gas and then lift out each grill part one at a time.
4. Inspect the gas connection and burners to ensure nothing blocks the gas flow. Clean and/or replace parts as needed.
5. Clean any ceramic briquettes or lava rocks (if your grill uses them) to get rid of acrid smoke smells.
6. Wipe down every component with warm soapy water. Rinse with clear water and dry completely.
7. After re-assembling your grill, let it heat up completely before using it to cook on so that any remaining soap residue burns off.

Rich's for the Home carries a full line of charcoal, gas, electric, and pellet grills and grill-cleaning accessories. Visit one of our five Seattle-area showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Southcenter, Tacoma, or Silverdale.

Lump Charcoal vs. Briquettes: Which is Better?

In anticipation of the sizzling steaks, ribs, and chicken I’m going to grill this summer,  I’m stocking up on charcoal.

But which charcoal should I buy? Lump or briquettes? Grade A or Grade B? Flavored or unflavored?

Troy Olsen (a sales representative for Associated Energy Systems), educated me in the finer points of charcoal. And let me tell you, Troy knows his charcoal.

How Charcoal is Created

Charcoal is recycled timber. When timber is harvested, some parts of the trees cannot be milled into lumber. Those remnants are bundled and loaded into air-controlled ovens that charcoalize the wood.

Grade A Lump Charcoal

This is the charcoal that’s on top of the pile once the wood has been charcoalized. It’s typically larger in size than other forms of charcoal, which makes it easier to start. When you grill with Grade A lump charcoal, you’ll see very few sparks flying out of the grill.

Grade B Lump Charcoal

This is the charcoal that’s in the middle of the charcoalized pile. It’s typically smaller in size, and because tree bark, sand, and dirt from the ground can get in it, you’ll see more sparks flying out of your grill.

Charcoal Briquettes

This is charcoal dust – small pieces of charcoal at the bottom of the pile – that get ground up and mixed with sand and a binding agent to become charcoal briquettes. Sometimes, briquettes have a paraffin-type wax mixed in, making them self-lighting.

Which type of charcoal to use?

Most grills use lump charcoal because it’s far more economical than briquettes, which use one-third of their lifespan just to get the fire started. With lump charcoal, you can begin cooking as soon as your grill is at the right temperature, usually within 5-7 minutes.

Lump charcoal and briquettes are comparable in price (by the pound), and unlike briquettes, lump charcoal has a distinct, natural flavor.

Big Green Egg, for example, produces lump charcoal that’s a blend of four species of wood: hickory, maple, oak, and mesquite. Because BGE charcoal is a blend of woods, your smoked foods will have a mesquite and hickory flavor, says Troy.

Wicked Good Charcoal is produced from a hardwood (similar to ironwood), which gives it a long burn time, but less flavor for your food. This type of lump charcoal is ideal for desserts, hearth breads and pizza – foods where you don’t want a mesquite flavor.

And if you use Wicked Good Charcoal to grill salmon, for instance, you can add alder chips to obtain a delicious alder flavor.

Starting your charcoal

There are several methods for starting lump charcoal. At Rich’s, you can buy a chimney for starting charcoal. “You put the charcoal in the chimney, put newspaper underneath it in the changer, and light new newspaper – it takes five minutes,” says Troy.

Troy notes that some grills – including the Big Green Egg – don’t need chimneys.  Rich’s sells EGGcessories such as firestarters (made from sawdust and paraffin), an electric starter, and an EGGcelerator (pictured, left) that attaches to the draft door of some EGGS and fans the lump charcoal.

Once the heat is established, the remaining charcoal is used to maintain the heat – low and slow for barbecuing… hot and fast for grilling.

Be sure to stop by one of Rich's five Puget Sound showrooms -- Bellevue, Lynnwood, Southcenter, Tacoma, or Silverdale -- for all your charcoal and grilling needs.