I AM A MANGRATE!

Here is my Weber grill, warming up with the Mangrate!  Also, next to the Mangrate is a PaleoJayGrate, which is just some iron grill thing I had lying around...  Just the right size for smaller items, to keep them from "falling through" into the fire.  But I digress- the MANGRATE!  I really procrastinated on this, thinking as I do:

"Hey, this grill I inherited from my father-in-law, that is from the early 1970's, works just fine.  What do I need some new fangled do-dad fur...  "

But, this doodad is cast iron, thick and heavy- the real deal.  It will leave marks on your meat, particularly steaks and chops, but actually on everything- perfectly!  


I believe that grilling your meat and veggies is the most viscerally PALEO thing you can do.  It literally makes you feel you are a pioneer, a barbarian, and a hunter/gatherer all in one, supplying your tribe with vittles for a long spell! 

Anyway, the way I do it is this:

I start the coconut shell charcoal (this is key!).  This charcoal is the bomb!  

I start it with a torch!  

The beauty of the torch is that, not only do you start the charcoal within about 30 seconds or so...

but you also have the opportunity at the same time to clean the grill and the mangrate!

This makes a charcoal grill actually easier (it's already superior) to a gas grill...

Just start the  coals as depicted above with the torch, then put on the grill and the mangrate, and blast them with the torch til clean!

Now, your coconut charcoal is glowing hot, the grill and mangrate are "flame on!", and you, my friend, are ready to grill the best food you have ever chomped!

You will probably be the new hero of your tribe!!

How good will your grilled items be?  Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:  Ribs with... bacon!

So, what have I really accomplished here?  Well, the whole point is that you can easily and enjoyably spend a fun Sunday afternoon supplying your "tribe" with meat and vegetables!  You can easily prepare a week's worth of meat; just put it in your ready and waiting glass and tupperware type of containers, and you are set!  

Actually, eat the meat throughout the week, and drink your Paleo Smoothie, replete with vegetables and fruits for breakfast, and all, and I mean ALL of your nutritional needs will be met.

You know, eating Paleo and enjoying life are really not all that hard, considering...

Now we have grills, Vitamix blenders, and propane torches!  

(And computers and iPhones)   

Just make sure you take the best of the old (grilling), and the best of the new (propane torches and cast iron grill grates), and ignore the worst of the new (grains and flour, sugar and processed food), and you will be golden my friend!

Like a Barbarian lurking on the outskirts of Rome, you can pick and choose what you see as valuable from "Civilization".  You can reject the decadence, you can ignore the Romish breads in favor of your own herds... but, you can adopt the Roman steel sword, and notions of sanitation and aqueducts, or plumbing.  

It is possible to have the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!!

J

Coconut! Does it do EVERYTHING??

Coconut!

Coconut oil...

And now- Coconut Charcoal!!

Is there any end to the miracles this nut/fruit supplies??!!  

The OIL has been shown to be beneficial to eat: it is anti-bacterial, and can actually help you to lose weight.  When I first started adding a can of coconut milk per day to my Paleo Smoothie, I was shocked to lose 4-5 pounds in a week- and I didn't even try, or even think I needed to lose weight!

I believe it was visceral fat; fat around my organs that I wasn't even aware of, but is the most unhealthy body fat of all.

I have always used canned coconut milk; which is always a good choice.  But lately, I have gotten...

Dry coconut milk powder!

I was able to buy it in bulk, from a wholesale provider, so it is quite economical.  Also, it is quite convenient, as you can just scoop out a few scoops of the powder to add to your paleo smoothie.  No opening of and disposing of a can, and the water weight of the canned milk is not added- leaving you with more room for even more nutrient dense foods in your drink!

The Smoothie becomes a bit smaller, with even more nutrients per cup.  And there is more room in the smoothie for kefir, green tea, whatever!  It is a sensible addition to your Paleo quick start strategy.

And coconut oil?

Each morning, before showering, I take a teaspoonful in my mouth, and just.. rinse it around my mouth while I shower!  So, maybe 10 minutes of this "oil pulling", and my mouth is de-acidified, all bacteria are flushed out, and I'm ready to:

Take some more coconut oil, and, after warming it in my hands (it is Winter!), I rub it over my body, and especially on my face for shaving.  This is the best thing ever you could shave with!  Very close, smooth shave... and amazingly, your blade will last almost forever!  (It's lubricated constantly, and so doesn't really rust of degrade).

So, after adding coconut oil and dried coconut milk to my morning paleo smoothie, how else do I use the coconut

After I come home from work, I fire up the grill with:  coconut charcoal!

Really, this is a big one!  The charcoal burns hotter than other charcoals, even hotter than natural, "Cowboy" types of charcoal.  It is made from coconut shells, and natural coconut by-products- no petroleum adjuncts ala "Kingsford" types of charcoal.  This means that, not only is the heat really HOT and even, but the ash production and smoke are substantially LESS.  

This really is a case of "Once you try it, you won't go back!"

So, spend your day with coconut products.  That's what our ancestors did!

J