| How to Make a Smoker Grill Posted: 23 Oct 2018 05:00 PM PDT Most barbecue lovers will agree that there is no better taste than meat slow cooked in a smoker. While there are numerous smoking options available on the market, purchasing a smoker can be costly. However, you can learn how to smoke on a charcoal or gas grill in a few steps by building a basic wood smoker that can work just as well as most purchased varieties. EditPreparing a Charcoal Grill - Soak of smoking chips in cold water. Fill a large bucket full of cold water. Then, pour in worth of wood smoking chips, making sure they're completely submerged. Wait for 1 hour before placing them in the smoking grill later on.[1]
- There are many different types of wood chips that you can buy. Each lend a distinct flavor to the smoke. Mesquite chips are especially good with beef. Maple chips are great for vegetables, cheese, and steak. Apple wood chips go great with poultry and fish.
- If you have the time, an overnight soak will yield the best results for flavor.
- Remove the large grill grate and grill lid, then open the vents. To convert your grill into a smoker, remove the large grilling grate and the grilling lid. Most charcoal grills will have 2 grill gates, 1 large grate in the middle and a smaller one below. Remove the larger. Then, open the vents on the grill as wide as they'll go.[2]
- Place 4 to 5 large handfuls of charcoal on 1 side of the grill. To prepare the smoking process, you'll need to divide the lower grill grate into distinct sections. Choose 1 half of the grate and lump 4 to 5 handful of charcoal into it. Try to keep them bunched up.[3]
- Heat the charcoal with an electric starter iron. Place an electric starter iron on the charcoals. Then, plug the device in. The iron will begin to heat the charcoal up. This process should take approximately 8 to 10 minutes.[4] You can tell if the charcoal's heated when you can hear the coals crackle and can see smoke rising from the mound. Once you see smoke, remove the starting iron from the charcoals and unplug it.
- If you don't own an electric starter iron, you can light paper under the charcoals or use firestarters to heat it instead.
- Fill a foil drip pan with water and place it in the grill. Fill a foil drip pan approximately 1/4 full of water, and set it on the other side of the grill, beside the heated coals.[5] Close the grill and let these components heat for around 20 minutes.
- Although the charcoal will provide enough smoke to cook your food, it's best to add some water to improve the flavor of the smoke and regulate the temperature. If some of the charcoals have slid to the other side of the lower grate, push them away with tongs to make room for the water.
- Remove the soaking wood chips and layer them on the charcoals. Open the grill and cover the heated charcoals with the soaked wood chips. Cover the charcoals completely, but leave some wood chips for later. Then, place the large grate back on the grill.[6] The charcoals, wood chips, and water should be between both grates. Close the lid again.
EditPreparing a Gas Grill - Submerge of wood chips in cold water. Purchase a large bag of smoking chips weighing at least . Then, pour them all into a large bucket full of cold water making sure that they're completely covered. Let them soak for at least 1 hour.[7]
- Apple wood chips are designed for poultry and fish. Mesquite chips are known for the complimentary taste they lend beef. Maple chips work best for accompaniments like cheese and vegetables.
- Take off the grill grate and adjust the vents. A gas grill only has one primary grate propping the food up from the flame. Remove this grate entirely and place it to the side. Then, open up the vents as wide as you can. This will allow air to circulate as we heat the grill later.[8]
- Wrap the soaked wood chips in a foil bag. Once the chips have been soaking for at least an hour, pour them into a foil bag. Make sure the bag is sealed, then pierce the top several times. Place this bag of wood chips directly on top of the burner.[9]
- Place a foil drip pan filled with water into the grill, then heat it for 20 minutes. Fill a foil drip pan approximately 1/4 full with water. Then, decide which side of the gas grill you are going to ignite the flame under. Place this foil pan on the other side. Ignite the flame and close the lid, letting the chips and water heat up for around 20 minutes.[10]
EditSmoking the Meat - Prepare chicken, sausage, brisket, or fish. Smoking works best for tough pieces of meat that don't cook quickly.[11] Lay your meat out on a flat surface and sprinkle it with a pinch of salt, pepper, and any other spices you'd like. If your meat is just out of the freezer, you will need to let the meat defrost first before smoking.
- If you're working with raw chicken, do not let any other foods touch a surface raw chicken has touched.
- Sausage usually comes pre-spiced so you don't need to worry about adding anything else unless you'd like to.
- Brisket benefits from a proper glaze or rub to enhance the smoky flavor.
- Fish is generally a tender or lighter meat so it cooks faster. However, go light on the spices. Fish has plenty of taste on its own. But if you want to add flavor, use table sauces like tartar or dill after the fish is done smoking.
- Check the heat of the grill is in the to range. Most grills, whether they're charcoal or gas, will contain internal thermometers. Before you begin smoking the meat, ensure the interior is hot enough to do so. Generally, the temperature needs to be between to .[12]
- If your grill is too hot, the temperature will decrease with time. If it's too cold, add more chips or charcoal, or increase the temperature on the gas knob.
- Place the meat over the water pan and close the lid. With a pair of tongs, lift the meat onto the grill. Place it over the pan of water, no matter whether your grill is charcoal or gas. If your grill isn't very large, you may need to smoke the meat in several batches.[13] Once all the meat is on the grill, put the lid back on tight.
- Closing the lid will lock in the smoke, letting your meat absorb all the flavor.
- Close the grill vents fully for a full smoke or halfway for a light smoke. The vents on top and below a grill help expunge the smoke building up inside. If this is your first time smoking food, rotate the vents so that they're half open. The less smoke you let out of the grill, the smokier your food will be.[14]
- Let the meat smoke for 30 minutes to 6 hours. The length of time it takes to smoke meat greatly varies. If you're cooking several different types of meat, think ahead so that you're cooking the longer meats first and the shorter meats later.
- Chicken should take approximately 30-45 minutes per to cook.
- Sausage can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes to properly cook.
- Brisket takes longer than other meats, usually somewhere between 4-6 hours depending on how smoky you like the meat.
- Most fish take around 2 hours to cook.
- Add a handful of wet wood chips on top of the pile every 30 minutes. More wood chips will add more fuel to the grill. For a charcoal grill, add a handful of saturated wood chips over the charcoals every 30 minutes. For a gas grill, remove the foil bag with a pair of tongs. Remove the old chips carefully and fill the bag with new ones.[15] The more wood chips you add, the more smoky the meat will be.
- Insert a meat thermometer after the smoking time has elapsed. An experienced smoker will be able to eyeball when their meat is ready. However, if this is your first time smoking, it is best to err on the side of caution. Pierce the meat at its thickest point with a meat thermometer and take a note of the temperature to see if it's ready.
- Chicken should read at least internally.
- A thoroughly cooked sausage will internally read around .
- A well done brisket will have an internal temperature of .
- Different types of fish will take different times to smoke. However, as a general rule of thumb, make sure the internal temperature reads .
- The meat's thickness and size will determine how long you need to smoke it. Most roasts and whole chickens, for example, take approximately 5 hours to fully smoke, while smaller steaks, fish, and other meat generally require less time. Check the internal grill temperature as indicated in the last step, but you can also use a meat thermometer to determine if the meat is fully cooked.
- There are a number of different styles of hardwood smoking chips available on the market. Popular styles include oak, maple, and cherry wood. Each will lend a slightly different flavor, so experiment with each variety to find what works best for your tastes.
EditThings You'll Need - Kettle-style charcoal grill or gas grill
- Natural lump charcoal
- Gas canisters
- Electric starter iron
- Drip pan
- of hardwood smoking chips
- Large plastic bucket
- Water
- Tongs
- Meat thermometer
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| How to Make a Death Star Pumpkin Posted: 23 Oct 2018 09:00 AM PDT If it's going to be a Star Wars kind of Halloween or costume party, you can't party properly without a Death Star pumpkin. While carving a Death Star into a pumpkin may take some time, you will be the talk of the neighborhood with this bad boy shining in your window. EditPreparing For Carving - Select your pumpkin. Consider going for the larger sized pumpkin for a more dramatic effect.
- Gut the pumpkin. Approach this step as you would when carving any other pumpkin.
- Slice off the top using a sharp knife and remove the insides and seeds of the pumpkin.
- Gather supplies. Pick up a store-bought pumpkin light bright kit that will allow you to illuminate the pumpkin with small colored (or clear) lights that illuminate off the candle or battery operated flashlight.
- Get typical pumpkin carving tools including sharp knives in different sizes and a small shovel that you can use for scraping the insides of the pumpkin. Also, a clay loop tool (available at most craft stores) will be vital to creating the lines.
- Find a sewing tape measure. The tape measure will be a very important part to making this design work so make sure you don't leave this supply out. You should also grab a pencil to trace lines on the pumpkin.
EditCarving the Death Star - Create the middle part of the star. Wrap your tape measure around the middle of the pumpkin and mark your lines.
- Use the clay loop tool to gouge out the center circle around the middle of the pumpkin. Don't cut all the way through the pumpkin skin, but make an impression around the center.
- Design the horizontal lines on the pumpkin. Use your tape measure to mark lines along the pumpkin veins. You will need to create specific measurements all the way around the pumpkin.
- Keep measurements in proportion to the size of the pumpkin. For example, a 77-pound pumpkin you could make a 2 ½ inch mark above and below the middle impression you just made around the pumpkin center.
- Create the laser circle. Choose a space between the veins and the upper part of the pumpkin for the laser circle/hole.
- The circle should be at least an inch above the horizontal line.
- Consider using a teacup bottom to trace the circle.
- Use a knife to create an indent around the perimeter of the circle to mark it in place.
- Place a hole in the middle of the circle with a pencil mark and then use a small knife to dig a larger hole (but not much bigger than a pen tip).
- Carve horizontal lines around the entire pumpkin. You made pencil marks earlier to use as your guide. Use a thin clay loop tool or knife to gouge out the horizontal lines. Follow the pencil markings to keep lines symmetrical.
- As you cut the lines, avoid cutting into the laser circle. You will need that circle to be surrounded with clean lines.
- Re-emphasize the centerline of the Death Star. Use the flat clay loop tool to go over the line, deepening and smoothing the line.
- Widen the fourth horizontal lines using your clay loop tool. Depending on the pumpkin size you may want to re-assess where to create this wider line. Don't make it as wide as the middle line, but wider than the rest.
- Carve out boxes. Make small vertical cuts every around the pumpkin. Start at the top and work your way around and then downward. Make sure the vertical lines are parallel to the pumpkin veins too.
- Avoid carving boxes over the laser circle.
- Deepen box lines after you've created the initial vertical lines using the clay loop tool. Again, you don't want the box lines to be as thick as the midline but large enough to be seen from a distance.
- Customize the Death Star by carving out different sized geometric rectangular shapes throughout the pumpkin. Use the clay loop tool as you will need to remove the pumpkin flesh to distinguish the rectangles from the rest of the pumpkin.
- Carve out the laser circle. If you have a round drill bit you can use that to create a smooth surface. Otherwise, carve the circle with the clay loop tool.
- Hollow out the laser circle and create a smaller circle that goes all the way through the pumpkin. The center circle you created earlier will be your guide. Be careful not to make this circle too large, but large enough so light can shine through.
- Add finishing touches. These small touches will make all the difference in the world so don't skip this step.
- Pepper the exterior of the pumpkin with the pumpkin light brites. Once the candle or flashlight has been lit inside the light will illuminate the light brights so select places that you want to sparkle or shine.
- Add a flashlight or candle inside the pumpkin. If you plan to leave the pumpkin unattended, opt for a battery operated flashlight or battery-powered candle for safety.
- Finished.
EditPrintable Pumpkin Carving Template To use this template, print it out and tape it to your pumpkin wherever it fits best. Try to pick a surface that is relatively free of blemishes, if possible. Then, use a sharp, narrow implement like a toothpick to poke holes through the paper and create a guide that will help you carve your pumpkin. - If you make a mistake carving (and perhaps carve too much), keep a tube of glue stick handy. You can always put the pumpkin back together with the glue.
- Consider using a different colored bulb to illuminate the pumpkin. For an extra eerie effect, try a purple or green bulb.
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| How to Change Your Wallpaper on Google Chrome Posted: 23 Oct 2018 01:00 AM PDT Google Chome's 10th-anniversary update gives you an option to change the default background wallpaper. This wikiHow will teach you how to do it! EditSelecting from Google Backgrounds - Open the Google Chrome browser. It is represented by the red, yellow, green, and blue circle icon. Make sure that your browser is up to date, because this feature is only available on the latest version of the software.
- Click on the gear icon, at the bottom-right corner of the homepage. The customization tab will appear.
- If you don't see the gear icon, hit next to the right of your current tabs to open a new tab. The gear icon should appear on the default Chrome homepage.
- Click on the option. The wallpaper collection box will appear after you do so.
- Select a category from the box. You need to click on a category to view the wallpapers. If you want to use a solid colour wallpaper, scroll down to the bottom and select the Solid colours box.
- Select a wallpaper. Scroll down to view more pictures. Click on your favourite picture and hit the button.
- Finished. When you are done, the wallpaper will appear on your home screen within seconds.
EditSetting a Custom Wallpaper - Launch Google Chrome on your PC. Update your browser to the latest version, if you have already done so. Read How to Update Google Chrome for more information.
- Click on the gear icon. You will see the tiny gear icon on the bottom-right corner of the home page.
- If you don't see the gear icon, hit to the right of your current tabs to open a new tab. The gear icon should appear on the default Chrome homepage.
- Click on the option. It will be the second option in the customization menu. Clicking it invokes a pop-up window.
- Choose an image from your computer. Select a picture using the file browser and click on the button to set as a wallpaper. Or, just double-click on an image to select it.
- Finished. The new wallpaper will be applied to your home screen, after you followed these steps. Use a high-resolution image for the best quality. Done!
- If you want to return the default background, click on the gear icon again and select the option.
- Another way of changing your wallpaper can be done by going to the Chrome Web Store and enabling one of the available free backgrounds there. Also, in the Extensions category of the Chrome Web Store, there are extensions that will randomly pick an image out of a collection of images and make that your wallpaper. For example, if you enable a tiger wallpaper extension, the extension will have a large collection of tiger pictures and will pick one to show as your wallpaper each time you open Chrome.
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