Cooking Guidelines
    Grilling • Smoking • Baking
Basic Recipes
    Grilling • Smoking • Baking

Complete Recipes

Featured Recipe

Grilling Guidelines (also applies to smoking)

Your Dakota Grill cooks meats to tender and juicy perfection quickly and easily. Meats are best when cooked at lower temperatures; this increases cooking time, but meats are more tender and juicy.  Use the meat probe when possible – the grill cooks meat to the temperature you specify, switches to Warm Mode, and alerts you by beeping five times and flashing the green LED. Always stick the meat probe at least 2-3 inches into the thickest part of the meat; when that part is done, the rest is too.

1. Empty the drip jar before grilling or smoking.
2. Grill at temperatures between 250°F and 375°F. Lower temperatures need longer cooking times, but are usually worth the wait, as meats are more tender and juicy. 
3. The maximum temperature for the meat probe is 380°F. Do not set the grill temperature above 380°F when using the meat probe.
4. Cook meats to the following internal temperatures:
   BEEF -
   Med Rare -  145°F
   Medium -   160°F
   Well Done - 170°F
   FISH -                    145°F
   PORK -               160°F
   POULTRY -         170°F, probe in breast meat (180°F if in thigh)
5. If you will not be there to immediately remove your meat, set the probe temperature for 5 degrees less than desired. There will be enough heat left in the grill to finish cooking the meat.
6. Do not open grill to check meat—you will only waste heat. The microprocessor and meat probe continually monitor your meat.
7. Do not flip meats while cooking—you will only waste heat. Your grill cooks evenly without flipping. For attractive grill marks, flip meats when you serve them.
8. Clean the probe after each use, but do not immerse in water. Clean with a damp cloth, rinse, and dry.

Grill Recipes

Note: Cook Times are approximate and are highly dependent on the cooking temperature. The following assume your grill is not preheated; if it is, subtract 5 to 10 minutes from the expected cook time.  Food on a lower rack cooks slightly faster than food on an upper rack; use this to your advantage:  a steak on the bottom reaches medium when the top hits medium-rare.

Flavor hints: Try sprinkling grill seasoning (such as our Country Seasoning™) on both sides of meat. For nice BBQ flavor, brush BBQ sauce on your meat when it is done (or within 5 degrees). Let sit for an additional 15 minutes on the grill. This works very well on ribs and chicken. The longer meat is left after it is done, the less succulent it will be. As a practical matter, the thicker the meat is, the longer it can be left. A thick roast can be left as long as 30 minutes to an hour. 

Foods with an asterisk (*) are also very good smoked.

 

Smoker Guidelines

All types of meats may be hot smoked. Different wood chips impart different flavors. The grill guidelines also apply to smoking, including internal meat temperatures.

1. Smoke-cook only outdoors! (An inside vent may also work.)
2. Use a full tray of dry wood chips (they need not be soaked). You can heap them up to the element. Use hickory or apple wood for pork loin, ribs, and salmon; mesquite for poultry. Use no more than ¼ tray of wood chips for steaks – they have a delicate flavor.
3. Sprinkle the meat liberally both top and bottom with our Country Seasoning^TM or your own favorite.
4. Put the thickest side of the meat toward the back of the grill so that it may absorb more smoke. Generally, place the meat fat-side-up on the grate.
5. Just as you would when grilling, insert the meat probe into the thickest part or the biggest piece of meat. Remember to set the grill and meat temperatures.
6. Set grill temperature to 280°F. (Lower temperatures produce too little smoke, while higher temperatures use the wood chips too quickly.) Feel free to increase the temperature after the first half-hour.
7. Do not open grill lid. Trust your microprocessor to watch your meat for you.

Smoke Recipes

Do not preheat your grill when smoking!  (Meats will absorb less smoke if grill is preheated.)  Fill the smoker tray level with wood chips unless stated otherwise.  Use mesquite for poultry and hickory or apple wood for most other meats.  Foods with an asterisk (*) are also good cured (click here for details).

Oven Guidelines

Your Dakota Grill bakes like your home oven and can bake anything your oven can; all your basic oven recipes will work on this grill.  Preheat time to 400°F is about 12 minutes.

1. To prevent smoke, make sure your grill is mostly clean.  Eliminating grease ensures it won't smoke at higher temperatures (especially above 370°F).
1. Clean the grates. 
2. Remove the smoker tray. 
3. Either remove the drip pan or wash it. 
4. Wipe clean the drip-guards and grate supports to remove grease residue. 
2. The maximum grill temperature is 400°F.  If a recipe requires a higher temperature, cook at 400°F for a little longer time.
3. Always preheat first as you would your oven.
4. Do not use the meat probe.  Cook by time as you do in your home oven, not by probe temperature.  The grill includes a timer for your convenience.
5. Put pizza or biscuits directly on the grates.

Oven Recipes

Any oven recipe will also work with your Dakota Grill.  We have not yet created our own oven recipes, but haven't had problems with anything we tried.  We have cooked things as varied as:  pizza, biscuits, cakes, pies, potatoes, sweet corn, squash, various bars and desserts, and too many others to remember.

©2005 Dakota Grills, LLC. All rights reserved.

This site designed in part by Kendra Deibert, kreative ONE design