cooking order based on temperature

lovestocook

I want to grill pork tenderloins (400 direct) and scallops (500 direct). Which order should I cook the food. Lower to higher or higher to lower.

Also, I read all the discussions about grilling chicken using direct/indirect heat. I found that putting less lump into the grill made a difference in helping me keep temperatures low enough. I grilled my chicken direct and it was moist and delicious. Anything else I'm missing?

TexanOfTheNorth

Scallops won't take much time at all. Do the pork tenderloins first and tent when done while scallops cook

SGH

lovestocook said:

I want to grill pork tenderloins (400 direct) and scallops (500 direct). Which order should I cook the food. Lower to higher or higher to lower.

Honestly there is no right or wrong way here. However I would cook the loin first and while its resting and redistributing it's moisture, I would crank the egg up for the scallops. By doing it this way, you can serve every thing piping hot. Scallops take mere seconds if you are really cranked up. Myself, Nola and Grim kicked some out last week at 55 seconds per side at a estimated (not confirmed) 700 degrees. They were outstanding to say the least. For clarity, the scallops require no rest where as the loin benefits greatly from a good rest. Just my thoughts my friend. 

SGH

lovestocook said:

Also, I read all the discussions about grilling chicken using direct/indirect heat. I found that putting less lump into the grill made a difference in helping me keep temperatures low enough. I grilled my chicken direct and it was moist and delicious. Anything else I'm missing?

Sounds like you have it going your way. However here is a useful tip. Using a small amount of lump (as you stated above) works great for short cooks. However if you are cooking a large amount of chicken, to avoid having to reload with lump, you can fill it on up and cooked raised direct as opposed to standard direct. It accomplishes the same goal but gives you considerably longer burn time without having to fuss with removing the grid and adding new lump. Plus you won't have to wait for the VOC,s to burn off again.  A raised direct setup is great to have in your cooking arsenal. It's my favorite way to cook beef back ribs. 

lousubcap

^^^^ this for any highly grease depositing cook. 

JohnnyTarheel

@SGH   As you suggested for cooking raised direct chicken etc. what level do you put lump to?  I generally go to top of fire bowl and when going indirect for low and slows I go to top of fore ring. 

SGH

JohnnyTarheel said:

@SGH   As you suggested for cooking raised direct chicken etc. what level do you put lump to?  

If I'm cooking "raised direct" I will fill it all the way to the top of the fire ring that sits on top of the fire box. This way I will get several hours of cooking without having to add lump. This is especially nice when running high temps that consume rapidly.  

lousubcap

At the risk of pushing against the tide here-I tend to load low ( no higher than the fire box) with lump for a known grease producing cook and then run raised direct.  Given the cook temp you can get several hours of high (>350*F ) temp cooks with that set-up and minimize the flare-ups.  YMMV-

lovestocook

Thanks for the feedback. Scallops look delicious. What are you cooking them on? 

SGH

lovestocook said:

Thanks for the feedback. Scallops look delicious. What are you cooking them on? 

That is a 3/8 thick piece of scrap metal plate. 

jabam

SGH said:

lovestocook said:

Thanks for the feedback. Scallops look delicious. What are you cooking them on? 

That is a 3/8 thick piece of scrap metal plate. 

So is that just mild steel or SS

bgebrent

I've never seen my brother @SGH opt for mild

clifkincaid

I've tried chicken thighs twice. MBGE. Raised about 1/2" above the felt line. Direct 400. I swear I'm going to burn my hair off or the house down. The drippings create a huge fire. I want crispy skin but not my skin. Indirect has to be the best way for the MBGE

nolaegghead

jabam said:

SGH said:

lovestocook said:

Thanks for the feedback. Scallops look delicious. What are you cooking them on? 

That is a 3/8 thick piece of scrap metal plate. 

So is that just mild steel or SS

@jabam it's some aluminum or magnesium alloy.  Transfers heat much faster than ferrous alloys.   It's from a quarter million dollar ICP spectrophotometer made by Perkin Elmer.  For me, free.

stemc33

@lovestocook, your method of using less lump for chicken will also work perfect for the your tenderloin/scallop cook. You'll have plenty of fuel to do both proteins with the temps you listed. Less airflow issues will allow you to crank the temp up quickly while the tenderloin rests.