We've always loved hibachi style restaurants where they cook in front of you.  The four of us would often say how cool it would be to have a large griddle, restaurant type cooking surface, to cook on.

For no particular reason one day I searched online for "propane patio griddle" and sure enough there was exactly what I imagined, and it was reasonably priced.  The Blackstone 36 inch Outdoor Flat Top Gas Grill Griddle Station immediately caught my attention.  It had good reviews and I researched for anything similar worth considering.  The Blackstone model was perfect and nothing else really caught my attention, so I ordered it!

We've cooked on it dozens of times at this point.  Everything from hibachi style dinners with fried rice to big breakfasts with all the fixings.  Our son Braxton particularly loves cooking on it.  He is the one in the picture cooking bacon, sausage, eggs and french toast one morning.  The cooking surface is very large as you can see in the picture.  You can cook as little or as large of portions as you want to.

Cast iron is really great to cook on.  When we first assembled the gas patio griddle we "seasoned" the cast iron cook top.  You do that by wiping a thin coat of vegetable oil on the the entire cooking surface.  Then you turn on the burners to high and let the heat cook the oil until it stops smoking.  This creates a nice non-stick surface as it bonds to the cast iron surface.  We did a second coat of seasoning too before we started cooking the first time.  Typically you won't ever need to re-season the cooking surface.  Each time you cook it will enhance the seasoning further.

With the four burners you can control your heat really well.  You can have the left side of the griddle on med-high for bacon and your right side on medium-low for scrambled eggs.  We've also done steamed vegetables on one side with high heat and fish on the other side with medium heat.  You simply turn on your burners and push the electric ignition button to light the flames and then set each burner knob to where you want it.

Clean up is a breeze.  There's a drain slot at the back center of the griddle that you can push grease or food bits right off into.  It has a simple bin that hangs right under the drain slot that catches everything.  When you are done cooking you just scrape everything to the rear and into that little bin.  The bin comes right off for dumping later.  After we're done cooking we typically turn the griddle heat to high and use a very wet rag to wipe down the griddle and then let the steam cook off.  That's it, you are cleaned up and ready for the next use!

Our patio cast iron gas griddle has done a wonderful job creating another way to make cooking fun!  It has also eliminated the smell of bacon hanging around the house for the whole day.

​It's easy to recommend ​The Blackstone 36 inch Outdoor Flat Top Gas Grill Griddle Station.  Friends and family that have been over to eat when we're cooking on it just love it too!

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Happy Cooking,
​Harvey III
www.harvster.com

​The Best Tasting - Tender - Juicy - BBQ Fast!
- Brisket in about 5 hours
- Baby back pork ribs in about 2 hours
- Beer butt whole chicken in about 1.5 hours
- Thick steaks in about 10 -15 minutes

Top 5 Skills of the Hasty Bake Legacy charcoal grill:
1. Large cooking surface area, perfect for all your favorite meats
2. Fire box is easily raised for searing and lowered for slow cooking
3. Vent-less hood and lower vent placements create convection heat
4. Virtually no flare-ups with grease drain system
5. Heat deflector included for indirect cooking and perfect smoking

I was first introduced to the Hasty-Bake Legacy charcoal barbecue grill in the mid 1980's.  The black powder coated model on my grandfather's back patio was a cooking machine.  Even at a very young age I knew the BBQ I was enjoying was something special.  Eating BBQ anywhere else just wasn't quite the same.

I learned the importance of being able to adjust the fire box up and down to control the heat.  Depending on whether we were searing, grilling, or smoking you could get the heat right where it needed to be.

When I moved out on my own in the late 1990's I bought a gas grill.  The idea of a gas barbecue grill seemed so much easier.  But the meat I grilled was nothing like I had enjoyed coming off the Hasty Bake.  Luckily a few years later, about the time I was 21, my grandfather decided to upgrade to the stainless steel version of the Hasty Bake Legacy.  Guess what, I got the hand-me down!

Keep in mind that my hand-me down Hasty Bake Legacy barbecue grill was roughly 15 years old, and it was still an excellent BBQ grill.  That's the great thing about these barbecue grills.  The design is so perfect that the Legacy model has been virtually unchanged for decades.  The few parts that have wear and tear over many years are easily replaced and readily available for very reasonable prices. 

So off I went with my own adventures cooking amazing BBQ with the Hasty Bake Legacy charcoal barbecue grill.  I don't think you can cook the best BBQ with anything other than charcoal, so getting away from gas was a big part of improving my BBQ skills.  But the Hasty Bake is what put me over the top.  I was in my early twenties and all of our friends and family would brag on my BBQ cooking.  I in-turn always had to brag on the fundamentals of the Hasty Bake Legacy and the merits of cooking with charcoal.  It was truly my secret to having my meat turn out so great every time.

I cooked with the hand me down Hasty Bake for about 8 years.  So it was around 23 years old at that point and was still cooking up BBQ as good as ever.  But I was ready for a shiny new one of my own.  I ordered the exact same Hasty Bake Legacy charcoal grill in powder coated black.  The stainless steel version was still a little too rich for my blood!

I received the new barbecue grill and the rest is history.  I've been cooking with the Hasty Bake Legacy that I bought new in 2008 for almost 11 years as of the time I'm writing this.  I also sold the old hand-me down in a garage sale back in 2008 for $150.  The guy knew all about the Hasty Bake and had always wanted one.  I'm willing to bet it's still grilling up great food to this day!

If you are ready to perfect your grilling and smoking game, then you really need to take the plunge and get the Hasty Bake Legacy charcoal barbecue grill in your backyard!

If you have a favorite barbecue grill or BBQ story, please leave a comment below...
www.Harvster.com

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The kitchen appliance that gets a lot of use around our house is a 6 quart pressure cooker.  You can whip up some delicious meals and only have one pot to clean.  It literally puts the food under pressure while cooking, so it cooks much faster than any other method.

We have the Instant Pot Lux version.  The 6 quart is the perfect size for our family of four.  We got it about a year ago and have tried dozens of recipes.  You can find all kinds of pressure cooker recipes on Pinterest.  I will try to remember to post some of our favorite recipes on our blog here in the future too.

The concept of cooking under pressure is supposed to lock in the flavors and nutrients.  I can't speak for the nutrients, but it definitely creates some very flavorful meals.  With the settings to operate as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sauté, steamer, and warmer, you can cook up an endless variety of meals.  It also has a delayed start setting, so you can have it all set to have dinner ready when you get home.  Did I mention it leaves only one pot to clean!

I've cooked a lot of stews, soups and our favorite is chicken breasts that we pull apart to make buffalo chicken sliders with.  All the meats I've cooked come out very tender.  We've even done boiled eggs quite a few times and it is perfect for that.  Perfect boiled eggs every time!

It takes a little getting used to at first.  Everything cooks very fast, so you have to learn the timing for various foods.  Noodles is probably the most finicky to get your timing down for.

If you are looking for a fast way, with easy cleanup, to prepare some delicious one pot meals this is a great option.  If you already have a pressure cooker please leave a comment about your favorite use or recipe!

Happy Cooking!
~ Erica
www.Harvster.com

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Healthy and lean food is great most of the time, but sometimes you just have to enjoy some good ol' BBQ and forget about your diet for the moment.

Spring time in Texas is when the BBQ itch really gets going around our house.  Beer butt chicken, baby back pork ribs, cheddar and jalapeno sausage, and a rib-eye steak.  That is my favorite spread when I have the time to do it up all the way.

I will definitely be sharing pictures and BBQ tips when we get the coals rolling!

- Harvey III
www.Harvster.com
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