Indoor grill suggestions, please?

(Deborah ) #1

I hope I’m posting this in the correct category. :slight_smile:

I live in an apartment and cannot have an outdoor grill, even on my patio as it’s semi-enclosed. I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a good indoor, smokeless-type grill.

I really miss cooking my steaks (especially!) on a grill. I’ve been doing doing them in a cast iron skillet and, while they’re good, it’s just not the same.

We do have a couple of “community” hibachi-type grills, but I’m not about to trek my steak to a grill to cook it. Come to think of it, I’ve not seen anyone else using them, either! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

(Kristen Ann) #2

I have a refurbished Phillips infrared smokeless grill. It’s AMAZING. I’ve had it for about a year and I use it weekly. I use it on my stove so I can run the fan because the grease will spatter and cause some light smoke.

(Deborah ) #3

Thanks for the suggestion!

#4

Know what ya mean, but I’ve never used a smokeless grill, so can’t speak on it? … I do have a big, full-sized stainless grill outside, but also hate cranking it up sometimes for just a few steaks, etc. (Usually try to cook a lot of stuff, to utilize the entire cooking space. Plus, it’s good to have leftovers for days. I’m actually looking at one of these, which we used to use all the time growing up. … But not sure if this would be practical either for you? (They run about $85 dollars on Amazon, but I’m sure you can probably catch one on sale sometime?)

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If I were in your shoes, and didn’t have any other way of doing it, I might look into something like the George Foreman grills? If it’s just for the searing, this may indeed work for you? … I’ve had a couple over the years, but to be honest, I always found it dried out the foods too much, but I actually never tried to use it just for searing?

Just a thought, if nothing else helps… :slight_smile:

(Steve) #5

Are you certain that you can’t even have an electric BBQ on your balcony? (When I was in Kitchener the city by-law was that no incendiary type grills were allowed - wood, propane, charcoal - but electric grills were ok). Then you have potential building guidelines that also need to be considered. (Weber makes a couple models of electric BBQ - I had the larger one - was quite happy with it).

A good alternative is to do Sous Vide to cook the meat, then use either a pan or a torch / Searzall to finish the meat (can also use the broiler in your oven if it’s a larger cut of meat such as a roast). An electric grill is also good for completing your sear.

You may actually be bending the rules a bit by using a torch - many city by-laws also prohibit propane tanks in apartments - need to check that out as well - see what the guidelines are.

(Mike W.) #6

This. Sous vide and a searzall or just a ripping cast iron skillet.

(Deborah ) #7

That looks like the hibachi grills we used to use all the time many years ago. :slight_smile: I would totally have one if I could, however, they need to be used outdoors.

I’ve toyed with the George Foreman idea. May have to look further into it. I had a small one years ago, but as I recall, I wasn’t too thrilled with it.

Thanks for the response! :slight_smile:

(Deborah ) #8

No Sous Vide here. I’ve considered getting one, but it’s just me and I don’t know how much I’d use it – not good at pre-planning. I’m lucky if I remember to take something out of the freezer the night before.

As for a torch…well, the community is much safer if I don’t even try it. :man_firefighter: :fire: :rofl:

I like my steak “mooing” (extremely rare), so whatever method used will have to sear the outside without overly cooking the inside. Doing them in the cast iron skillet now, I usually cook them on high heat for 2-3 mins per side.

(Sophie) #9

I’ve never used a smokeless grill but when I was in an apt. without access to a patio for a hibatchi, I used my ovens broiler. Made for a nice steak when I needed one.

(Steve) #10

Heh…I live alone too, and got a lot of use out of mine. :slight_smile: (I also take advantage of expiry dates and stock up on good cuts, throwing them in the freezer) :slight_smile: A small chest freezer is a great investment.

There’s several different knock-off Sous Vide “sticks” that you could pick up really cheap, just to give it a whirl without a major investment.

Heh. You’ll likely want to keep the cast iron for doing your sear though. :smiley:

(Raj Seth) #11

Yeah - me too moo! I now sous vide the steak in butter @ 110dF (1:00-1:30), then quick sear on a ripping hot cast iron skillet - 1 min to 1:30 per side…

That steak (choice ribeye) comes out as delicious as any I have ever had - and I have been to all the top steak houses in NYC, Vegas and Buenos Aires. I usually ordered my steak Pittsburgh or black and blue…

One problem - the smoke from the skillet process is prodigious. Knowing this, I had put in a commercial strength range hood. Without that - be prepared to have a 2-3 foot thick smoke haze in your kitchen for a good while :volcano:

(Sophie) #12

I started taking my stuff outside and using the burner on the side of my gas grill for that.

(Deborah ) #13

Thank you all for the suggestions and responses.

Quick question: I may have to rethink the Sous Vide… can you cook a steak in the Sous Vide and then freeze it to sear/eat at a later date?

(Steve) #14

Yep, you can. You can also leave it in the fridge longer than you would if it was raw or cooked using other methods, provided you pass the pasteurization point.
(see the pasteurization tables on Douglas Baldwin’s site for timings):
http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html#Government_Pasteurization_Tables

If you just leave the meat in the bag (don’t open it), it’ll remain pasteurized - also, that extra moisture (au jus) will help prevent freezer burn.

You can thaw it any number of ways afterwards (in your Sous Vide bath again, if you want to bring the meat up to the same temperature). Just in a regular sink of water if you want to keep the core temp cooler to give you a bigger “forgiveness buffer” when you’re searing, or just leave it in the fridge for a day or two. :slight_smile:

(Deborah ) #15

Very useful information, thank you!