# Minimalist grilling



## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Howdy. Since the major grilling season is upon us I'd like to share how I do it. First off, I am single, with an energetic black lab, Sunshine. This technique might be able to be modified for a family, but works great for a one person, fast grill. I love to cook meat on a fire, but do not want to make it an all afternoon affair. I want to start a fire, cook, eat, then get on with other things. Standing, being macho, watching a fire, waiting for it to get ready to do the deed is not my idea of well spent time. I want: Meat, fire, cook, eat. [This is where a big Tim Allen Oh Oh OH comes in].

Spare me all your 'that is racist' comments when I say this. I heard, long ago from a movie, or saying or something, something that really struck home. "An indian will build a small fire and sit close, a white man will build a large fire and sit far away." I took this to heart and started practicing it.

While out waking (I walk the puppy RUNS) in the winter, my old hands get a might cold, even with good gloves on. Same with the toes. I found I can get a small fire going using kindling and within 5 or 10 minutes be warmed up. It flares up when starting, you get the initial hot warmth, then as it quickly dies out you can practically hold your hands right on the dying embers to get that last bit of heat out of it. Minimal effort, I can break all the firewood with my hands. Minimal wood useage, heck a few small branches is all it takes. Minimal smoke, it flares up fast then dies right out. It accomplishes the purpose; minimal preparation of a fire bed, fast, quick and nothing to really put out after a few minutes. If needed, a few more sticks can be added to extend the time on the fire. Small footprint also, your entire warming fire is maybe 8" or 10" in diameter.

You can grill anything from 'spiedies' to a 2" thick steak using this technique. For one piece of meat, or two skewers of spedies, I cut the wood to 6" to 7" long. For two, you might want to go a bit longer, maybe 8" or 10" long and just make the fire a bit longer. That or you can 'stager' your smaller cuts to make the fire just about any size you like. For a larger, thick piece of meat, go with the larger pieces of split wood. If you always eat thick steaks, make your split pieces a bit larger and you can adjust the size after you have a trial or two. What you are looking for is enough 'flame' to sear the meat and the coals to last just long enough to cook it. If you go out 5 minutes later and the coals are still hot enough to cook on, you used too much wood.

I cut and store the wood ahead of time, and keep a few boxes stocked up. The standard paper box works for me: 18" x 12" and 9" tall. I have one of split wood, one for pencil sized pieces and one for "squaw wood" or kindling. One box of each will last me for months grilling a couple times a week, it is very efficient. I can grab a small handful of small kindling, a dozen pieces of smaller pieces and 6 or 8 pieces of split wood. All in one trip!!

We all have yard debris, small branches that have been blown down. Maybe pruning's off the fruit trees. I break them into small pieces, dry them in the sun then stock a box with them. When you get to the pencil sized area on them they go into another box. Don't waste all those tiny, little ends of the branches! They ARE your kindling! For larger branches, 1" - 2" on up, they get split and put into another box. On a 2" diameter hardwood 6" long piece I split it into 6 sections. A one inch piece I quarter it, and larger ones split appropriately to about that size. Yes, you have boxes of really small wood.

OMG You are thinking? That seems like a VERY labor intensive thing to do, split little sticks into pieces??? I also use a hand saw to cut them!!! It takes an hour, maybe, to gather, cut, split and store enough wood to last me for months. Fills many boxes with more 'sticks' cut to 6' lengths and stocked in the shed for when needed. Pick a nice day, pour an adult beverage, walk around and gather deadfall, sit on the porch and cut to length, split with the hatchet right there.... Heck, the dancing show is not on for another two hours, what else are you going to do while you wait? Watch re-runs of the singing show??? Damn, look over there!!! It is two of those green hummingbirds fighting over the herb garden, I wonder what plant they are after?

Last year I started using Goldenrod for the kindling, as part of everyone's herb garden, you should have lots of last years dried stalks standing around, yes? Any tall weed should work but Goldenrod is what I have available. Break them into 6" pieces and fill a box.

The technique. I like to 'burn' or flame seal the meat fast, then let it cook through. I take one section of a newspaper, 4 pages, front and back. Hold the center, where the 4-way fold is, and crumple it up. Not in a baseball thing but more like a log, with the edge exposed so you can light it. Take some Goldenrod tops, or really small kindling, and place two rows on top, 90 degrees to each other. Then do two rows of small kindling, the Goldenrod stems or pencil sized sticks. You want these a half inch apart, log cabin style so air can really get to them. Next, place 4 pieces of your split wood on top and another 4 pieces 90 degrees to them. For a larger steak you might want to go 5 or 6 pieces wide. Make these about half an inch apart, again so you get great air circulation. This, as well as the amount of kindling required, will take a few tries and be dictated to by your fire pit or grill. It will take a few times to get right.
For my grill, I then take the grate and place it on top of the whole shebang, it actually holds it all together also so it does not fall over. You can press it down a bit to stabilize it but don't compress it to the point air cannot freely circulate.

Ok, off to the kitchen. Pour an adult beverage and skewer up your meat or get your steak out and ready. For a thick steak you should of already had it warming up. You can also do small, cut vegies using this technique but not something like corn on the cob, that would take more coals and a longer cook time.

So, now that everything is out by the grill, light the paper! It might take a little 'forced air' to get it really going but you want a fast and furious fire, really fast (just like the Govt likes it, right? Fast and furious? Ok, I'll settle down as most folks night not have gotten that)

The next part is tricky and will take some trial and error to get it done to your liking. When the fire is really peaking, everything is lit up like a torrent, toss the meat on the grill. By the time you flip it once or twice the major flames should have burned down to a low roar and coals are forming. At this point you can poke the fire a bit, or put a few drops of beer on it, BUT!!! DO NOT splash anything from the mason jar on it!!! Not only is that alcohol abuse, it is very dangerous.

By this time you will have a very hot bed of coals, as the fire burns out. You can poke and pile them as you need, or even toss in another small split piece if needed. It might not look like much but you hold your hand over them and you will see they are plenty hot to cook with, they just will not last for hours, only minutes. The full bed of coals should be just a bit larger than

The whole process of cook time takes maybe 10 minutes. A bit longer if you feed the fire for a thicker cut of meat and like it more well done. If you go out 5 minutes later and the coals are still hot enough to cook on, you used too much wood. Minimal wood used, minimal effort to gather/cut/split. Minimal smoke for those OPSEC folks. Minimal footprint to 'cook' a meal. AND! You cleaned up the yard a bit and spent some quality time with your friend, Mr. Hatchet. Which, by the way, Could benefit from a meeting with Mr. Sharpening stone or his big brother, Mr. Mill Bastard File. If you are thinking of calling in Mr. Mill Bastards big brother to help, I am going to call the "See Something Say Something" hotline and turn you in for tool abuse!!!


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Woody you're my hero, what you just described is the epitome of primitive cooking. My hat is off to you Sir.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

And here I thought you were going to say sharpen a stick and impale a hot dog.... LOL


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

camo2460 said:


> Woody you're my hero, what you just described is the epitome of primitive cooking. My hat is off to you Sir.


Thank you camo. It does take a while to 'get it' and you will burn some meat while learning, and you will have to keep adding more sticks because you underestimated the original load, but once you come to that magical point of this is what I have to cook and this is exactly what it will take, it is a great feeling.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

cnsper said:


> And here I thought you were going to say sharpen a stick and impale a hot dog.... LOL


My Mommy will not allow me to play with sharp sticks. Something about poking an eye out.

You can do hot dogs and kielbasa this way also, just let the hot fire die down a bit before placing them on the grill. You still want a HOT bed of coals though. The faster you heat them up the less juice they lose while cooking. Remember learning to cook on a fire back in the scouts? Sharp stick, a hot dog and 30 minutes over the fire... Hard, nasty and rubbery but still tasty!!!


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Boy your scouts sucked. In the flames with mine and char the outside. Only way to cook a dog


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