What kind do you use?
They seem to come in three basic types:
Kettle: Standard type like the Weber Smokey Mountain. Cylindrical with the fire at the bottom and the racks above with a water pan between.
Offset: These are like a normal grill shape with a smaller firebox attached to one side.
Cabinet: Big square box. Some of them have electric burners that take wood cartridges.
I'm thinking stick with the standard charcoal thing. Have any of you even used an electric one?
Have kettle for smoking salmon. Never tried electric.
I have an electric cabinet, its easy to haul around, but not exactly all-weather. I've been using it a couple times a week since we got it.
New guy, who the fuck are you? :)
Quote from: katmai on September 13, 2012, 07:53:27 PM
Have kettle for smoking salmon. Never tried electric.
What kind of kettle? Who makes it?
Quote from: Barrister on September 13, 2012, 09:16:33 PM
New guy, who the fuck are you? :)
He's been around for a while, lurking. I remember approving his memebership back in the day.
Quote from: Neil on September 13, 2012, 09:18:29 PM
Quote from: Barrister on September 13, 2012, 09:16:33 PM
New guy, who the fuck are you? :)
He's been around for a while, lurking. I remember approving his memebership back in the day.
As a community we have traditions we have to respect. I'm just doing my part. -_-
Quote from: CountDeMoney on September 13, 2012, 09:16:54 PM
Quote from: katmai on September 13, 2012, 07:53:27 PM
Have kettle for smoking salmon. Never tried electric.
What kind of kettle? Who makes it?
This type of thing, I think:
http://www.weber.com/explore/grills/smokers-series
I use a standard Weber grill for smoking small cuts, or an offset for big cuts.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on September 13, 2012, 07:36:49 PM
What kind do you use?
They seem to come in three basic types:
Kettle: Standard type like the Weber Smokey Mountain. Cylindrical with the fire at the bottom and the racks above with a water pan between.
Offset: These are like a normal grill shape with a smaller firebox attached to one side.
Cabinet: Big square box. Some of them have electric burners that take wood cartridges.
I'm thinking stick with the standard charcoal thing. Have any of you even used an electric one?
There is a fourth, the kamado-style. Kamados are similar to the bullets (which you referred to as kettles), but are heavily insulated and can reach very high temperatures (700+ F). I have the Char Griller (http://www.amazon.com/Char-Griller-16619-Kamado-Charcoal-Barbecue/dp/B005ELWI7S) version (note that the picture shows Mk. 1, and that Mk. 2 can be had for $300 from Lowes), but the Big Green Egg is the most famous example.
Offsets will likely be fuel hogs that require periodic tending during cooks. They will also be by far the cheapest smokers per square inch of cook space. You can get these pretty hot, but it will be exponentially more inefficient.
Bullets are set-and-forget smokers, as long as you stick to the good ones like the WSM. Main drawbacks are cooking ares and that they can't reliably run above 300 F. If all you want to do is low-and-slow, there is probably no better cooker.
Cabinets are typically insulated and have similar set-and-forget times to bullets and kamados. They also typically have cooking space that approaches the offset stick burners. However, they tend to be really heavy and can also have trouble running hot (though not as much as the bullets).
Kamados are insulated, egg-shaped cookers that can run at a wide temperature range (250 - 700+ F). These work very well as conventional grills as well as smokers, and at the temps they can reach approach what you get in steakhouse kitchens. The biggest drawback is cooking space; they have less space than the WSM despite being the same diameter since they only have one cooking grate. The Eggs are heavy and expensive, but the Char Griller version takes care of that nicely.
Personally, I'm not fond of the offsets and probably will not buy or build another one of those. I have some interest in building a cabinet, though not enough to do it yet. I obviously bought the kamado, and would do so again. That cooker has been excellent for all purposes. I think, if you ignore boiling water, I have used my kamado more than my kitchen cooktop since I bought it. I still feel the pull of the bullet, though, and I would buy one of I could justify another $400 outlay on a cooker.
At 700 degrees I could put my pizza stone in there and do it right. :)
That thing is a third the price of a BGE too. Do you have any trouble keeping the kamado steady at low temp (250)?
Also, how wide is the cooking surface? 18 inches?
Quote from: Barrister on September 13, 2012, 09:19:24 PM
Quote from: Neil on September 13, 2012, 09:18:29 PM
Quote from: Barrister on September 13, 2012, 09:16:33 PM
New guy, who the fuck are you? :)
He's been around for a while, lurking. I remember approving his memebership back in the day.
As a community we have traditions we have to respect. I'm just doing my part. -_-
What a conservative. :rolleyes:
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on September 14, 2012, 02:07:06 PM
At 700 degrees I could put my pizza stone in there and do it right. :)
That thing is a third the price of a BGE too. Do you have any trouble keeping the kamado steady at low temp (250)?
Also, how wide is the cooking surface? 18 inches?
Its 20 inches, with a 16 inch warming rack as well.
I can easily get it down to 250, but I have seen it run away a couple times for reasons that weren't clear. I think the spikes were caused by having too much raw wood in it, but I have no evidence yet.
Quote from: Neil on September 13, 2012, 09:18:29 PM
Quote from: Barrister on September 13, 2012, 09:16:33 PM
New guy, who the fuck are you? :)
He's been around for a while, lurking. I remember approving his memebership back in the day.
We have to have our membership approved?
Quote from: Razgovory on September 15, 2012, 04:49:09 PM
We have to have our membership approved?
Yes. We have been bombarded by spammers. With the current backlog at 13413 accounts, I think registration is effectively disabled at the moment.
Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on September 15, 2012, 04:50:51 PM
Quote from: Razgovory on September 15, 2012, 04:49:09 PM
We have to have our membership approved?
Yes. We have been bombarded by spammers. With the current backlog at 13413 accounts, I think registration is effectively disabled at the moment.
Yeah, I hadn't realised it was such a large problem until recently; Vm and Neil are doing a sterling job keeping the spammers at bay. :cheers:
I have an offset smoker and yes, it is a wood hog. It does a pretty good job when I actually use it for smoking, which is rarely and not at all this year. :blush:
More often than not I just grill shit directly in the firebox, actually.
What's the point of a smoker that goes up to 700? I thought the object was low heat, long time.
Damn fine question.
BBQ snobs incoming...
Interested in a BBW looker?
Quote from: Admiral Yi on September 15, 2012, 06:58:00 PM
What's the point of a smoker that goes up to 700? I thought the object was low heat, long time.
The kamado-style cookers are not straight smokers. They are very efficient for smoking, but they also serve as high temp grills and wood-fired ovens.
I ended up getting the Char Griller. Had to order it from Lowes since they didn't have it in stock where I live but whatever. They assembled it for me so no foul. Yesterday, I removed the lower vent and sealed it with high-temp silicone. No visible light getting through. So I lathered up the grates with crisco this evening and started a fire to cure it. I hope this thing works out! :)
Had this thing up a bit over 700 after the sealer dried. Cooked some steaks and ears of corn that day. I notice the difference in how much charcoal is used. It's amazing. Kamado style things burn way less fuel for the BTU.
Tonight I'm doing the ultimate test for this mofo. It's windy as fuck, which is the only veto on grilling that I have. Snow, rain, whatever else, fine. High wind is a bitch because high wind here doesn't mean 20mph gusts. Sometimes when the sun is going down it's 60 mph on a normal day. Tonight, it's one of those wind too high, veto the cooking days.
I have a pork shoulder in there. Been in for four hours now. Sun was up when it went in (7PM my time). No opening the lid until now. After four hours, the temp on the meat is 130. Not too bad considering it's cooking in a tornado.
Controlling the heat has been not too bad. The biggest problem I have grilling here is the wind gets up and stokes the fire no matter what I do. The sealed up kamado is good for this kind of thing. It hasn't been a rockstar, but under the circumstances this guy has been good enough to keep the temp within 50 of where I want it for the last couple hours, and I think I've got it dialed in to about 230 or so for the last hour. The Nevada evening wind gets so fast that they don't let semis drive the freeways in those hours. It's like the air is trying to escape the mountains. When I was moving here and coming up 95, the truck trailers were literally jumping five or ten feet to the side when the gusts came.While they were moving 65 mph. I wasn't used to that.
Anyway, lots of tweaking. And I'm monitoring while I play CK2. But it's not going badly at all considering.
I wish I had a walled-in area to run my BBQ protected from the wind.
I plan to pull that pork tomorrow. Current air temp: 240
Last recorded temp in the meat: 130
I'm going for 185 or 190 before I take it off.
Obviously, I have some drawbacks here that change the picture. But I can't imagine not having the same ones with a BGE or another ceramic cooker. The one I got seems pretty capable of handling the situation.
I actually have some difficulty bringing it up to really high temps. Like 600+ for pizza. I tried last week for some steaks. It worked all right, but my normal grill is made for that, and sucks up the air and burns up the coal as fast as possible. Works fine for that. High heat, high burn.
I got some lump charcoal for the Char-Griller, and this thing sips at it like my wife does a a martini. Very economical.
Next week, I'll be trying ribs on the kamado, and the one after that, brisket.
Ribs are already out thawing in the garage fridge.
Okay, as I type this, current temp: 225. Awesome. If I hadn't sealed the intake slide it would be more difficult, I'm sure. But six bucks on silicone and a couple hours' drying time can save you seven hundred dollars sometimes. :)
Reading now: 322.
I need to go tamp it down. Wind is nuts here, and frankly I cannot blame it on the grill. I will reduce the airflow a bit more.
Edit: Left the top vent at 1 and reduced the bottom vent from 1.5 to 1.
OK current reading: 325.
Bad bad.
Maybe good for Katmai, but not for real people. It's nearly two. I have to calm this shit down.
New reading 363. Ugh. Ok bring it in bitches.
I opened it up. .1 on the intake.
Ok now heat .355. I don't know how to get it down...
Story of my life.
I managed to get it to between 220 and 230 and it stayed there all night. Despite the wind. The meat internal is at 190 and ready to go right now. Perfect bark and it smells awesome. :)
This is what I was looking for.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on October 21, 2012, 12:16:57 PM
Perfect bark and it smells awesome. :)
This brings me back. :)
Man, I haven't used my smoker in a long time. Maybe I'll do pulled pork next weekend. :)
...but seriously, I wanted to restart the thread since I just got a new electric cabinet smoker, which I mentioned in another thread, but smoking is serious business and requires its own active thread. It's a Masterbuilt Sportsman Elite 30" black (i.e. no window) cabinet. Got it for about $130 at Bass Pro Shops, which I think was pretty good. The unit only has so-so reviews and there have apparently been a lot of QC problems with the control unit and temp accuracy.
I smoked a 4 1/2 pound whole chicken on it for company last night and everyone said it was great. I thought it was pretty good myself given it was the first thing done in this smoker and the first thing I've actually smoked in probably a year. The main thing I didn't like about it (and Princesca complained about also) is that it didn't have a very strong smoky flavor, though it definitely did have a detectable one.
To prepare it, I just took a quarter cup of olive oil and mixed a tablespoon of onion powder, a tablespoon of sweet paprika, a tablespoon of sea salt, a teaspoon of cayenne, a teaspoon of garlic powder, and a teaspoon of black pepper into it and then rubbed the chicken down with it while the smoker was coming up to temp. Before I started the smoker I loaded the wood hopper up with JD whiskey barrel chips, and after I put the chicken in there I fed a mixture of the whiskey chips and hickory in to the wood side loader about once every 45 minutes or so. It was done (internal temp 165 F) in a little over four hours.
At this point I've literally got nothing but the smoker, wood, and a cheapo meat dial thermometer for tools. I guess the next thing I need is a good probe thermometer for measuring the smoker's ambient temp as well as meat temp. It looks like there are all these new neat gizmos that are wireless and can connect to your home WiFi, send you emails when certain thresholds/times are reached, etc. Anyone have any experience with those? :hmm:
Oh, the other cool thing about it is that while it's bulky, it's actually pretty light (I would guess 50 pounds max) so I've been carrying it inside after it cools to store it. One of the reasons I stopped smoking on my Brinkmann is because it's starting to rust out, so I'm trying to avoid the environment destroying another smoker.
In the time since then, I've probably cooked more with that thing than I have in my kitchen, and I cook a lot.
Cal--What are you spending on all this high-tech wizardry?
My dad visited here last year and I put a brisket in the CG. He was worried about it but I said don't worry it'll be going steady this time tomorrow. Sure enough, the next afternoon it was still holding steady at 240ish. I love that damn thing. Even in a blizzard I will use it. And the charcoal use is like a Prius to a Charger.
What do the chips/fuel cost? Is it an electric auto-feed thingie?
I'm almost entirely low-tech but I do have a set of radio thermometers that I can use to monitor the meat and the ambient from my desk while I'm playing civ or something. They break often, but aren't that expensive. Mainly, it's good to catch flare-ups before they cause too much damage. When the monitor on my desk goes from 250 to 400 I know I need to go outside.
MiM... Nothing yet but the wireless units are typically in the 50-100 range.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on August 19, 2014, 07:03:26 AM
What do the chips/fuel cost? Is it an electric auto-feed thingie?
Sorry didn't notice earlier that you had asked a second question. In theory you can run it with no wood at all in which case you're basically cooking your food in a hot box. OEM, the smoker has a little wood chip tray you are supposed to fill up before turning it on so that it's nice and smoky once it's up to temp and it's time to load the meat. It also has a little port on the side that a slotted cylinder fits in to, that you can remove, load with more wood chips, and replace which dumps the additional chips into the chip tray (which sits right above the heating element). That way, you can add more wood without even having to open the smoker up at all.
That said, in my one smoking experience so far, I found that I had to add more wood chips every 30-45 mins or so which is annoying and makes an overnight smoke impossible unless you are ok with it not having much smoky flavor. Because of this problem there are some aftermarket chip/pellet trays available that you load up, light on fire with a propane torch, and then load into the smoker at the beginning of the smoke that are supposed to produce steady smoke for many hours.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstar-mfg.com%2Fmedia%2Fcatalog%2Fcategory%2Fgrill-max_express_stadium_seating_roller_grills.jpg&hash=09a8f9fdaa096adf0d188c8a7ac2ff3085da5b10)
You gonna open a convenience store?
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 25, 2014, 08:49:27 PM
You gonna open a convenience store?
No need, since I have many excellent establishments nearby already. :)
At some point this weekend I'm gonna smoke a pork butt, pull it, and top it with Carolina Gold BBQ sauce. :cool:
Ide: am trying to make sauce that tastes like Maurice's Racist sauce. :cool:
I've had an 8 pound pork butt in the smoker since 5:40 AM this morning. :mmm:
Just probed it and it's at 190 F right now, which is good because me so hungry.
Quote from: Caliga on August 31, 2014, 06:31:08 PM
Just probed it and it's at 190 F right now,
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.hark.com%2Fimages%2F000%2F001%2F141%2F1141%2Foriginal.jpg&hash=6a46b4deedabaa4bf9e1eec3f162b8e61d159d80)
Pulled pork was the shiznit. I screwed up two things (bark wasn't blackened/hard enough and wasn't quite smoky enough) and it still came out better than at most BBQ joints. I have had better, but this was close to that. It damn well better have been since the total cook time was almost 16 hours. :D
Oh, MiM, I got one of these at Homo Depot yesterday:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kitchenaids.in%2Fimage%2Fcache%2Fdata%2FWeber%2Fnew%2F6312-500x500.jpg&hash=e84cc5ca45bf49d98ce3b2ea4f636fe68f147f81)
Weber 6312. It was only ten bucks and it calibrated perfectly (read ice water as 33F, boiling water as 211F). Pretty quick read time too.
Got an 8 lb pork butt on the smoker for tomorrow when my parents get here. Since I last posted I have gotten:
1. A supplemental/cold smoke box with its own heating element and massive wood chip capacity (loaded with hickory right now)
2. Silicone five finger BBQ gloves
3. A Maverick ET-732 wireless dual probe thermometer.
Got one of the probes in the center of the butt and the other clipped to the grill rack to measure ambient temp. I was pleased to discover my smoker's built in thermostat is highly accurate based on the ambient probe reading.
Am I: hardcore.
MAH WOODCHIPS
I really like the propane rectangle with the wood chop box. I have had three over the years. Low and slow for the win. The egg is pretty amazing as well. Get the smoker plate. It works well.
Oh yeah, I'll probably be smoking this butt for 16 hours or so. :cool:
I'll probably get a BGE eventually but I love the electric smoker I have.
Smoke nuts biyatch
Quote from: Caliga on December 26, 2014, 10:20:06 PM
Oh yeah, I'll probably be smoking this butt for 16 hours or so. :cool:
I'll probably get a BGE eventually but I love the electric smoker I have.
WTF? I have never had pork go that long. Mine take 6 - 8 hours.
Low and slow. :)
What temp do you do it at? I've done this smoke (which is still going) at 210-225 most of the way. I started inching it up to be sure it'll be ready in time for dinner.
225 - 250. the central temperature typically crosses 160 after about 3 - 3.5 hours and hits 205 in the 6 - 8 range
How big of a pork butt are we talking here? The one I did (which turned out perfect btw :cool: ) was 8 lbs.
Usually 6 - 8 pounds. My experience with both pork and beef is that one hour per pound is the rough cooking time at 225, in a cooker with good temperature control like I have now.
:hmm: I've usually heard 1.5 hours per pound for pork butt. Do you pull it, slice it, or chop it? I pull it and I wait till it hits 208 degrees to take it out of the smoker.
I do all three. That is the standard practice in KCBS competition and I like the variety for non-competitive cooks as well. I pull the butt off the smoker at 195 and let it rest up to 205.
Smoking related question:
My father-in-law has been curing some Sichuan style meat and homemade sausage in the back yard. He would like to smoke them as well, but I guess he's looking for some sort of cold-smoker since he doesn't want to the meat to be cooked.
Any suggestions on the most hassle free, low-cost way to do this? I'm up for buying a smoker of some sort if necessary (it probably is, since I'm not going to build one), but I don't really know what's what.
Any tips or suggestions?
Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on December 29, 2014, 08:38:55 AM
I do all three. That is the standard practice in KCBS competition and I like the variety for non-competitive cooks as well. I pull the butt off the smoker at 195 and let it rest up to 205.
Do you have a BGE?
Quote from: Jacob on December 29, 2014, 02:31:27 PM
Smoking related question:
My father-in-law has been curing some Sichuan style meat and homemade sausage in the back yard. He would like to smoke them as well, but I guess he's looking for some sort of cold-smoker since he doesn't want to the meat to be cooked.
Any suggestions on the most hassle free, low-cost way to do this? I'm up for buying a smoker of some sort if necessary (it probably is, since I'm not going to build one), but I don't really know what's what.
Any tips or suggestions?
I have a cold smoker kit for my smoker. I haven't actually used it for cold smoking but for meats (as opposed to cheese) it supposedly works well.
Smoker:
(https://masterbuilt.com/images/masterbuilt/20070213.png)
Cold Smoker Kit:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F71fzSOz1q3L._SY606_.jpg&hash=4bcce9b0e7837badc2ba762d1d21eea8efcf9bd0)
Total cost of those together is about $200-250 US, depending on if you can get them on sale, etc. I paid only $130 but that's because I had tons of gift cards for Bass Pro Shops (where I got the main unit) and then I got the cold smoker with credit card reward points.
But I need a smoker before the cold smoking kit will be any good, right?
Quote from: Jacob on December 29, 2014, 06:28:23 PM
But I need a smoker before the cold smoking kit will be any good, right?
Well that cold smoker was designed to go with that smoker, but I guess in theory you could buy the cold smoking kit and then rig up a metal box on your own to attach to the cold smoker. You basically just need to pass smoke from the cold smoker into a closed chamber with minimal venting.
I made a roast beef on the CG kamado. The fire was burning for less than a half an hour, but the thing kept its temp at 250 for about five hours now. It's still doing it even though I took the food out. That thing saves so much charcoal.
Nice. :cool:
I think the next thing I'm going to try is a pulled beef with a chuck roast. After that, I may go for the 'gold' and finally do a brisket in my smoker.
Jacob, try this:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Cardboard-Cold-Smoker/
As much as I love my new Big Green Egg it takes forever to get to temp with those wimpy wax and sawdust starters. Think I'm gonna go buy a heat gun.
Quote from: Caliga on August 01, 2015, 08:02:12 PM
As much as I love my new Big Green Egg it takes forever to get to temp with those wimpy wax and sawdust starters. Think I'm gonna go buy a heat gun.
I use the Weber paraffin cubes (http://www.lowes.com/pd_145599-505-7417_0__?productId=3151081). Those give off a nice flame that starts the fuel pretty quickly.
Tried the heat gun tonight. Had a raging inferno within a minute. :cool:
How are you lighting anything with a heat gun? :huh:
Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on August 05, 2015, 10:20:36 AM
How are you lighting anything with a heat gun? :huh:
1. Turn on heat gun to high fan and highest temp.
2. Point heat gun at charcoal piled in Egg.
3. Wait a minute.
4. INFERNO
Quote from: Caliga on August 05, 2015, 02:11:07 PM
Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on August 05, 2015, 10:20:36 AM
How are you lighting anything with a heat gun? :huh:
1. Turn on heat gun to high fan and highest temp.
2. Point heat gun at charcoal piled in Egg.
3. Wait a minute.
4. INFERNO
Huh, I didn't think they got hot enough to do that. When I run out of starter cubes or need to give the fire a boost, I use a MAPP torch. MAPP gas is a lot more expensive than electricity, though. :P
Yeah. If you have a heat gun, just try it. I guarantee you it will work dude.
Most of my Christmas presents revolved around my Big Green Egg. This might be in part due to the fact that I smoked a chicken in it for Thanksgiving and the chicken was devoured by the family, while some people didn't even touch the (conventionally cooked) turkey.
I got:
Smokeware Stainless Steel Chimney Vent - just installed it. It replaces the BGE Daisy Wheel. I probably didn't need this as bad as some, since I use the egg below a deck with a roof so it never gets rained on, but I like the fact you can open it without the vent needing to be re-adjusted.
Pizza Stone - can't wait to try to cook a real Naples-style pizza on it
5 quart Dutch oven - for chili :cool:
grill basket - for veggies and stuff
grill gripper - handy tool for moving around a hot grill grid
new silicone gloves - not what I would have picked out (I really want welding gloves), but conveniently got them on a day that my dog decided to chew through my existing gloves' fingertips :wacko:
new color-coded, larger temp gauge (still in transit though)
I bought the Char Griller Akorn from Lowe's, love it. Of course, I have no idea what I am doing.
Quote from: lustindarkness on February 17, 2016, 01:59:10 PM
Of course, I have no idea what I am doing.
Ever stopped you before?
Quote from: lustindarkness on February 17, 2016, 01:59:10 PM
I bought the Char Griller Akorn from Lowe's, love it. Of course, I have no idea what I am doing.
There is plenty of info on line.
Did my first pizza the other night. It came out pretty good though I don't think the stone was anywhere near as hot as it should be. Next item I need: infrared thermometer.
Quote from: Caliga on February 17, 2016, 10:00:38 PM
Next item I need: infrared thermometer.
But sticking it in there is the fun part. :(
:sleep:
Quote from: Caliga on February 17, 2016, 10:00:38 PM
Did my first pizza the other night. It came out pretty good though I don't think the stone was anywhere near as hot as it should be. Next item I need: infrared thermometer.
Is this how it works? :w00t:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi-cdn.phonearena.com%2Fimages%2Farticle%2F70930-image%2FFlir-One-infrared-attachment-turns-your-phone-into-a-Predator-with-thermal-vision.jpg&hash=3967f852cf2cb2b54d5b4a5e0a51ac5eacd32e5f)
I have to report I have been grilling/smoking just about every day. Steaks, chicken, pork, burgers, veggies, etc...
I think tonight I will do some pinchos, (kabobs for you non-spics).
Should I make a spiced rum bbq sauce? I mean, some rum and coke for me, some for the sauce sounds good to me. :beer:
Quote from: lustindarkness on March 18, 2016, 12:00:09 PM
I have to report I have been grilling/smoking just about every day. Steaks, chicken, pork, burgers, veggies, etc...
I think tonight I will do some pinchos, (kabobs for you non-spics).
Should I make a spiced rum bbq sauce? I mean, some rum and coke for me, some for the sauce sounds good to me. :beer:
That does sound good; especially if you used cola as the sweetening agent and lime juice to give it some tartness.
If I drink enough rum and coke before I cook it, I won't care how good it will turn out. :hmm:
Quote from: lustindarkness on March 18, 2016, 02:31:38 PM
If I drink enough rum and coke before I cook it, I won't care how good it will turn out. :hmm:
Even better :)
Steven Raichlen talks about lemon-lime soda (http://barbecuebible.com/recipe/sparkling-barbecue-sauce/) being used as a base for barbecue sauce in Puerto Rico. Is that authentic, or just something he dreamed up?
Quote from: Savonarola on March 18, 2016, 02:37:27 PM
Quote from: lustindarkness on March 18, 2016, 02:31:38 PM
If I drink enough rum and coke before I cook it, I won't care how good it will turn out. :hmm:
Even better :)
Steven Raichlen talks about lemon-lime soda (http://barbecuebible.com/recipe/sparkling-barbecue-sauce/) being used as a base for barbecue sauce in Puerto Rico. Is that authentic, or just something he dreamed up?
Not sure (may have to research), but I can verify that the culinary arts in the island can be very creative, and lemon/lime is used for quite a bit. I have used it myself.
Quote from: lustindarkness on March 18, 2016, 02:50:15 PM
Not sure (may have to research), but I can verify that the culinary arts in the island can be very creative, and lemon/lime is used for quite a bit. I have used it myself.
Thanks :)
Well traffic sucked and everyone was "starving" by the time I got home, and it was raining, so just grilled them with regular BBQ sauce and I'm drinking the rum and coke. Maybe I'll try it tomorrow.
Si, manana. Porque no.
IF you want a smoker, get a green egg.
Quote from: Jaron on March 19, 2016, 01:24:12 AM
IF you want a smoker, get a green egg.
Try it, try it, and you'll see.
Quote from: Tonitrus on February 19, 2016, 01:45:43 PM
Is this how it works? :w00t:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi-cdn.phonearena.com%2Fimages%2Farticle%2F70930-image%2FFlir-One-infrared-attachment-turns-your-phone-into-a-Predator-with-thermal-vision.jpg&hash=3967f852cf2cb2b54d5b4a5e0a51ac5eacd32e5f)
Yes. I aim it at the stone and then say "What the hell are you", and the stone says the same thing in response. :)
Doing a ham jambalaya tonight in the egg. :cool:
So, yesterday was the last day of a four day weekend, and my birthday to boot. I had some time, so I decide I'm going to try my hand at some slow-cooked pulled pork. I don't have a smoker, but I do have a propane grill and a bunch of wood chips, so I decide to give it a go. I get up at 5:30 am, get the meat on the grill by 6:30am.
I keep checking on it every hour or two during the day. The meat is coming along, but by 4 or so I pull out a meat thermometer and it's not done. 140F internal temperature, when it should be minimum 160F, and more like 190F for pulling. So for about the final hour I crank the heat and cover it with foil.
I manage to get it cooked enough to be edible, and it still taste pretty decent, put the meat has to be cut, not pulled. It's moderately tender but not fall apart at a touch tender.
So, barbecue snobs, what did I do wrong here?
Quote from: Barrister on March 29, 2016, 01:17:57 PM
So, yesterday was the last day of a four day weekend, and my birthday to boot. I had some time, so I decide I'm going to try my hand at some slow-cooked pulled pork. I don't have a smoker, but I do have a propane grill and a bunch of wood chips, so I decide to give it a go. I get up at 5:30 am, get the meat on the grill by 6:30am.
I keep checking on it every hour or two during the day. The meat is coming along, but by 4 or so I pull out a meat thermometer and it's not done. 140F internal temperature, when it should be minimum 160F, and more like 190F for pulling. So for about the final hour I crank the heat and cover it with foil.
I manage to get it cooked enough to be edible, and it still taste pretty decent, put the meat has to be cut, not pulled. It's moderately tender but not fall apart at a touch tender.
So, barbecue snobs, what did I do wrong here?
How thick are the walls of your smoker and what was the outside air temperature? It can take considerably longer to smoke on a cold day especially if you have a smoker with thin walls.
Quote from: Savonarola on March 29, 2016, 01:34:03 PM
Quote from: Barrister on March 29, 2016, 01:17:57 PM
So, yesterday was the last day of a four day weekend, and my birthday to boot. I had some time, so I decide I'm going to try my hand at some slow-cooked pulled pork. I don't have a smoker, but I do have a propane grill and a bunch of wood chips, so I decide to give it a go. I get up at 5:30 am, get the meat on the grill by 6:30am.
I keep checking on it every hour or two during the day. The meat is coming along, but by 4 or so I pull out a meat thermometer and it's not done. 140F internal temperature, when it should be minimum 160F, and more like 190F for pulling. So for about the final hour I crank the heat and cover it with foil.
I manage to get it cooked enough to be edible, and it still taste pretty decent, put the meat has to be cut, not pulled. It's moderately tender but not fall apart at a touch tender.
So, barbecue snobs, what did I do wrong here?
How thick are the walls of your smoker and what was the outside air temperature? It can take considerably longer to smoke on a cold day especially if you have a smoker with thin walls.
My "smoker" is just my gas grill. I don't think the walls were particularly thick. Temperature wasn't too far from freezing in the early morning, but probably came up to 10-15C by mid-afternoon.
Sounds like you were not getting the grill to temp? I'm still learning, so I can't help you much.
Yesterday I put in some thin tilapia filets on my stone pan with some adobo and a bunch of butter, smoked at @225 for @45-55 minutes. YUM!
Quote from: Barrister on March 29, 2016, 01:35:27 PM
My "smoker" is just my gas grill. I don't think the walls were particularly thick. Temperature wasn't too far from freezing in the early morning, but probably came up to 10-15C by mid-afternoon.
Lust is probably right here; you either need to adjust the heat up or plan for a longer smoke time. Smoking in the winter/early spring in the north is tricky especially if you don't have a proper smoker. If you're in that situation again just put it in the oven for a couple hours at 120 C.
Unless I am missing it you didn't tell us what temp you tried to do the smoke at so... what temp did you set your grill at?
Quote from: Caliga on March 29, 2016, 02:44:04 PM
Unless I am missing it you didn't tell us what temp you tried to do the smoke at so... what temp did you set your grill at?
Well I used to have a nice thermometer I could just put right on the grill to measure... but I couldn't find it. So I was using the thermometer built into the top of the grill. It was showing around 250-280, which is hotter than I would want it, but I was pretty sure that since heat rises the top was hotter than where the air actually hit the meat.
Yeah man, you need to get a probe-style thermometer and stick it right into the pork butt. The dial thermometers just won't work for something like a smoke that is low and slow. I have one that has a wireless receiver and two probes, and I put one into the center of the cut and the other one I clip to the grill surface to measure ambient temp in my BGE.
Quote from: Caliga on March 29, 2016, 03:25:24 PM
Yeah man, you need to get a probe-style thermometer and stick it right into the pork butt. The dial thermometers just won't work for something like a smoke that is low and slow. I have one that has a wireless receiver and two probes, and I put one into the center of the cut and the other one I clip to the grill surface to measure ambient temp in my BGE.
Well I did have a probe thermometer in the meat. It's just I couldn't get a temperature for the grill and was eyeballing it.
Okay, so if I try again I'll do it more in the summer, and I'll be sure to have a proper thermometer. :thumbsup:
I know, I know, a BGE would be awesome. My dad has one and I'm jealous. But it's just not super practical for the handful of times per year I'd ever get to use it.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs11.postimg.org%2Fnyzg9q737%2Fimage.png&hash=91c1891ecb6c133189bf21338d518bf3f8b48bed) (http://postimage.org/)
images hosting (http://postimage.org/)
Quote from: Barrister on March 29, 2016, 03:29:32 PM
Okay, so if I try again I'll do it more in the summer, and I'll be sure to have a proper thermometer. :thumbsup:
Smoking in the dead of winter should be fine as long as you can get the temp to 200-250 (I ordinarily smoke pork butts at 225) and hold it there. I do it year-round. Of course, it's not nearly as cold where I live, but I think you should still be able to do it.
Quote from: Caliga on March 29, 2016, 03:52:34 PM
Quote from: Barrister on March 29, 2016, 03:29:32 PM
Okay, so if I try again I'll do it more in the summer, and I'll be sure to have a proper thermometer. :thumbsup:
Smoking in the dead of winter should be fine as long as you can get the temp to 200-250 (I ordinarily smoke pork butts at 225) and hold it there. I do it year-round. Of course, it's not nearly as cold where I live, but I think you should still be able to do it.
I proudly grill year round, but trying to grill when it's, say, -20C is very challenging. The differential in heat between the middle of the grill and the edge, or from on the grill to above it, becomes huge. I would not even attempt to smoke something here in the winter.
Come to think of it, it might be kind of tough if you don't have a smoker made of thick ceramic like a BGE or another kamado-style smoker.
The CharGriller isn't ceramic but it works great even in the cold.
Before I got a proper smoker, I actually found lower-temp cooking easier in the winter on the regular grill. The ambient cold keeps the temp from creeping up too high. Unless it just flares because it gets too much air. It's hard to control that if it's windy here. Which is often.
Quote from: Barrister on March 29, 2016, 02:57:44 PM
Well I used to have a nice thermometer I could just put right on the grill to measure... but I couldn't find it. So I was using the thermometer built into the top of the grill. It was showing around 250-280, which is hotter than I would want it, but I was pretty sure that since heat rises the top was hotter than where the air actually hit the meat.
250 - 280 is fine, assuming your grill thermometer was accurate. I usually shoot for 275.
The big problem with gas grills is airflow. Smokers and charcoal grills create convection currents that help cook the food faster at a given temperature.