Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

I pulled some Del Frieda ground beef from the freezer and made myself a thick burger patty. I served my burger bunless with green beans and home fries. The burger was thick but still nicely cooked, very juicy, very flavorful beef. The sides balanced the beef nicely. I am grateful for this delicious, healthy meal.

A steak dinner gave me the chance to grill on my new Pit Barrel Cooker. The grill comes with the cooker. It sits more than a foot above the coals. The grill itself doesn't get very hot---I was able to hold my hand just above the grill for quite some time. Thanks to the low heat level, I needed to grill my steaks for over 30 minutes to get them to medium rare on the thermometer. The result was very tasty: nice smoky flavor, good crust, tender interior. But the process takes much longer than with a traditional grill. Perhaps adding more coals would have provided more heat but I doubt that would completely solve the problem. In my experience, the Pit Barrel Cooker is a good backup grill but a little slow for everyday use.