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The finished Teriyaki-glazed, meaty chicken wings.
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Each item in the class came expertly prepped to our table, like these chicken wings.
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When we arrived at the indoor classroom, the big Weber kettle charcoal grills smoked away.
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The chefs made these pepper and sausage kabobs at the start of class, an appetizer to enjoy while we gathered.
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We used the Weber Smoky Mountain Cooker Charcoal Smoker for the pork steaks. It’s a bullet smoker with two cooking racks big enough to smoke a whole turkey, big pork shoulders or ribs. It’s roomy.
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One tip we learned is to toast the soaked cedar planks first, then place the food to be smoked on the toasted side. Check out the grill marks.
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The cedar planked individual meatloaves delighted most guests with its smoky taste and fine flavor of meat and bbq sauce.
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Eating what we cooked in class. The chefs also made mini-corn muffins for us. Later, we got containers to take home any left-over food.
There’s a new schoolhouse cooking in town and it’s a doozy. The folks at Weber Grill Restaurant built in a classroom so upscale they call it an academy. As a member of the inaugural Smoking 101 class, I thought the event seemed a lot like a party with excellent instructors, state of the art grills, smokers, and gadgets and a fun group of classmates who took to the class and the food with gusto.
This is the only Grill Academy in the United States at present. International academies in countries including France, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, and more have been established for a few years. We’ve got a unique opportunity in St. Louis to try a class or two without traveling the world.
Here’s the skinny on the adventure.
Grill Academy Chef Keith Brockman, left, and Grill Academy Expert Chef Matt Jost warm up the students before class.
The Grilling Gurus:
- Grill Academy Expert Chef Matt Jost blew in to St. Louis from the Windy City to work with the St. Louis homeboy and Grill Academy chef Keith Brockman at the first-ever Weber Grill Academy in the United States.
- Together, the two put on a smoke and grilling lesson equal parts useful information and showman-ship with good humor, laughs and smiles a-plenty. They encouraged the timid and delighted the experienced grill folks in our group -- no easy task. They emboldened everyone to participate, ask questions and dive in.
The Minions:
- Behind every great chef is a terrific staff. This was especially important in the teaching environment. The night went off without even a hiccup.
- Jost and Brockman planned every detail from fire to finish with finesse. Ingredients stood at the ready, clean up happened quickly after each course and we students spent maximum time at the grills.
- The staff ensured that twenty-two students could actually assemble, grill and eat a meal of smoked teriyaki wings, pork steaks, and cedar-planked meatloaf in two hours.
Getting ready to grill:
- We divided into two teams, red and black (as shown by our aprons, above). Each team gathered around a prep table pre-set with all the ingredients for our project.
- Both chefs gave instructions, but in this hands-on class we seasoned, mixed, blended sauces and worked to prepare our supper.
Smoking and grilling:
- The class ran as much like a party with new friends as a teaching tool. We students had a blast and we learned a lot.
- Students took turns placing items in smokers and on grills and timing the meats.
- We played with some big, honking smokers and grills. We took test-drives of terrific gadgets like fire-starting chimneys, grill pans, easy-to-handle grilling tongs and slick instant read thermometers.
A terrific meal and more:
- We were ready to eat after an hour and a half spent in prep, grill and smoker time. The time flew by.
- Things got a little quiet when we chowed down. People at my table remarked how smoking enhanced the flavors. At my table, the cedar planked meatloaf came out a favorite. Smoking elevated the flavors to a new high.
- The results impressed me. I’m an average backyard griller, but I walked out knowing much more about the process and anxious to experiment at home.
Class members checked the internal temperature on all meats before taking food off the grill.
The grill guide:
- Each student left with a slick book of recipes and tips that covered the class material for each dish we prepared in Smoking 101.
- In addition, the booklet gives clear illustrations and instructions on cooking methods.
- No need to wonder how long to keep things on the grill. One page of the guide outlines times for charcoal and for gas grills on meats, veggies and more.
- A separate smoker guide gives pounds, times, wood chunk amounts and grill-to internal temperatures for meats, poultry, fish and seafood.
The finished pork steak in the smoker.
The take-aways:
- In addition to the class grill guide, we walked away with a handsome team apron. This sturdy apron provides great coverage, big front pockets and when we put them on? We became a team.
- Many students went home with a go-box of ribs, chicken and meatloaf because the portions we cooked were extremely generous.
- The academy schedule is here at the Weber Grill Restaurant website. In addition to Smoking 101, you’ll find classes on steaks, charcoal and gas grilling, fruits and vegetables, burgers, fish and shellfish, pizza and even a class on cocktail parties.
- The experience would make a perfect gift for graduation, for newly-weds and for couples, for mothers and fathers on their special day, for birthdays and more.
- The classes rock as company team-building exercises. Private parties may be arranged as well with sales manager Erin Shovlin.
Kevin A. Roberts
