>Hmm, there are tons of sites online about steak dry rubs.
>Isn't that what they do at steakhouses?

not really... I think most use salt and pepper and then broil or grill them, Pretty simple. Maybe serve with a little rendered butter on top.

I've never thought much about rubbing steaks, but I think this article pretty much captures my own views:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/dining/22mini.html?_r=0


>I'm a little nervous about the duck...lots of sites seem to be
>talking about 'rendering' the fat and I kind of bought this on
>a whim because I've loved the duck (and lamb) I've had on
>restaurants.

Duck breast fat is delicious... I always eat it when I get duck in restaurants. I don't see any need to render the fat unless you're going to use it to fry something in later.

Remember 2 things:
-in a lot of grilled meats, fat adds flavor. The leaner the meat, hte less flavor. So even if you trim the duck fat off after it's cooked, having it on there while it's cooking will add flavor to the rather lean breast meat.
-a lot of experts feel that when you're grilling something, a lot of the smoky flavor in the crust (especially when you're not using charcoal) comes from melting fat or meat juice hitting the hot element and vaporizing. That's why I'm a big believer in putting the fat side down over high heat and really searing it.

>Ever grilled goat?

Nope, not once. I've only ever had goat in Indian restaurants and I've never been thrilled by it.... not sure I shop anywhere that butchers it, either.

>Do you grill in the winter?

All the time. No reason not to. Biggest problem is finding places that stock charcoal between November and April, so I usually try to stock up on a few bags in September to get me through the winter.

All in all though, with 2 working parents and 3 fussy-eating kids and the added time charcoal takes (15-20 to get the grill hot, plus i'm a very slow cooker in general), I just don't grill as often as I used to. Still love it though.