GWJ BBQ Catch All

FSeven wrote:

I have to admit, when researching grills, part of what influenced me getting an egg was the insanely active egg community.

There are two types of BGE owners. The type that found the forums, and the type that found craig's list.

I'd like to give everyone who gave me advice on buying a grill and big thank-you. Dinner tonight was some simple barbecued chicken and roasted veggies on my new Weber Genesis E320.

IMAGE(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/301699_717263351361_3000732_34197127_173306572_n.jpg)

I am sure I will be relying on y'all for further grill advice, but I'm just so happy that our first test drive resulted in surprisingly delicious chicken.

First bit of advice is to invest in a good grill brush. I can see food bits still on there

Anyway, real BBQ(different from grilling): I bought a Weber Smokey Mountain last week, and did ribs on it last night; 4 hours with some applewood. They came out absolutely fantastic. Today's itinerary is an 8lb brisket and 15.5lbs of boston butt pork shoulder, with hickory and apple. Results later.

AnimeJ wrote:

Today's itinerary is an 8lb brisket and 15.5lbs of boston butt pork shoulder, with hickory and apple. Results later. :)

Sounds delicious. When do you want us to come over?

AnimeJ wrote:

First bit of advice is to invest in a good grill brush. I can see food bits still on there

Anyway, real BBQ(different from grilling): I bought a Weber Smokey Mountain last week, and did ribs on it last night; 4 hours with some applewood. They came out absolutely fantastic. Today's itinerary is an 8lb brisket and 15.5lbs of boston butt pork shoulder, with hickory and apple. Results later. :)

My WSM is phenomenal. Love the thing. I did a 15.5 pounder late last summer where I cooked it for about 24 hours, very slow, and it was ridiculously good. Did some racks of ribs recently and they were even better.

Yea, I've been super impressed with it so far, it locks in and holds a temp fantastically.

edit - Brisket and pork shoulders were great success. Dinner tonight was like the best of east meets southwest had a delicious bbq babby in my kitchen. So good.

Very nice Cyranix! Looking forward to hearing of your grilling exploits in the months to come.

The Traeger rep was at Costco the other day and I narrowly escaped the temptation to come home with a $900 pellet grill. Man, those things are sweeeet. I pictured myself slow roasting an entire suckling pig whilst leisurely draining a homebrewed six pack and catching up on my summer reading.

Then I remembered that my wife would chop me up with an 8" santoku knife and bury me under the stairs.

Paleocon wrote:

The Traeger rep was at Costco the other day and I narrowly escaped the temptation to come home with a $900 pellet grill. Man, those things are sweeeet. I pictured myself slow roasting an entire suckling pig whilst leisurely draining a homebrewed six pack and catching up on my summer reading.

Then I remembered that my wife would chop me up with an 8" santoku knife and bury me under the stairs.

If I ever get a backyard again, that's right up there with the Smokey Mountain as things I want..

Tanglebones wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

The Traeger rep was at Costco the other day and I narrowly escaped the temptation to come home with a $900 pellet grill. Man, those things are sweeeet. I pictured myself slow roasting an entire suckling pig whilst leisurely draining a homebrewed six pack and catching up on my summer reading.

Then I remembered that my wife would chop me up with an 8" santoku knife and bury me under the stairs.

If I ever get a backyard again, that's right up there with the Smokey Mountain as things I want..

Word.

Along with a large Cajun Cooker and monster wok for outdoor stir frying, deep frying turkey, and brewing 10 gallon batches of beer.

Tanglebones wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

The Traeger rep was at Costco the other day and I narrowly escaped the temptation to come home with a $900 pellet grill. Man, those things are sweeeet. I pictured myself slow roasting an entire suckling pig whilst leisurely draining a homebrewed six pack and catching up on my summer reading.

Then I remembered that my wife would chop me up with an 8" santoku knife and bury me under the stairs.

If I ever get a backyard again, that's right up there with the Smokey Mountain as things I want..

After the brisket and pork shoulders yesterday, I can't sing the praises of a WSM enough. For $300, I don't know that you can go to another brand and get this level of quality. I'm about to go down the mod rabbit hole to make it better, as it leaks a bit of smoke around the side door and lid, but it holds temp rock solid for hours on end. Really wish I'd just gone this route in the first place.

AnimeJ wrote:

For $300, I don't know that you can go to another brand and get this level of quality.

How about for $140?

No really, I made a thread about it earlier this year, and have been super happy. No smoke leak, rock-solid temps at 20 degrees outdoor temp and at 90, and not too long ago I stuffed over 30 pounds of meat in it and it was perfect. Still on the first propane tank too, after ~20 hours of use. So it's an alternative, at least. It's a little larger, too: 25" x 18", instead of 18.5" round like the WSM, so you get a bit of extra space.

It's not charcoal, but with two small kids around, I need all the hand-holding I can get. Haven't noticed any loss in flavor, at least: cherry wood still smokes.

Not too shabby. I'm a charcoal snob though; good quality lump is like mother's milk

AnimeJ wrote:

Not too shabby. I'm a charcoal snob though; good quality lump is like mother's milk :)

I won't use anything other than natural chunk for standard grilling. However, as I said in the thread I originally created, it requires too much babysitting for 8-12 hour sessions. Propane is much nicer in that respect.

Ah, then you have much to learn. I did nearly 8 hours yesterday and did nothing more than check the temperature a few times. Minion Method is your friend

Then perhaps I will reconsider in five years or so when said minions are old enough to have a lick of sense.

Tonight, it's 100% American bison steaks on the grill, seasoned with peppercorn and garlic salt, with a side of grilled mushrooms and washed down with a sample of the first batch of my brother's home brew.

Life, ladies and gentlemen, is officially awesome.

Just found out I'm getting a Char Broil Silver Smoker for Father's day. Entry level I know, but seems silly to sink lots of money into something I have never done.

Can't wait to do some ribs on the long weekend!

Anyone suggest any good websites to help a beginner? I've done the google thing but it's a wasteland of Geocities designed websites.

El-Producto wrote:

Just found out I'm getting a Char Broil Silver Smoker for Father's day. Entry level I know, but seems silly to sink lots of money into something I have never done.

Can't wait to do some ribs on the long weekend!

Anyone suggest any good websites to help a beginner? I've done the google thing but it's a wasteland of Geocities designed websites.

Despite the rather inauspicious appearance, this website is a gold mine of information. He even has detailed reviews of like 15 different thermometers.

Also, this is your new bible.

El-Producto wrote:

Just found out I'm getting a Char Broil Silver Smoker for Father's day. Entry level I know, but seems silly to sink lots of money into something I have never done.

Can't wait to do some ribs on the long weekend!

Anyone suggest any good websites to help a beginner? I've done the google thing but it's a wasteland of Geocities designed websites.

What Minarchist said. Also, at that price range, might I recommend the Weber Smokey Mountain instead? If you're set on an offset firebox, you really need to spend to get one that's worthwhile. If you're locked in, congrats, and poke around for some of the modification websites that help you keep temp on those dialed in.

AnimeJ wrote:
El-Producto wrote:

Just found out I'm getting a Char Broil Silver Smoker for Father's day. Entry level I know, but seems silly to sink lots of money into something I have never done.

Can't wait to do some ribs on the long weekend!

Anyone suggest any good websites to help a beginner? I've done the google thing but it's a wasteland of Geocities designed websites.

What Minarchist said. Also, at that price range, might I recommend the Weber Smokey Mountain instead? If you're set on an offset firebox, you really need to spend to get one that's worthwhile. If you're locked in, congrats, and poke around for some of the modification websites that help you keep temp on those dialed in.

Its at least double the price in these parts.. I don't want my wife spending 300+ on something I have no idea I will use.

Ah, ok. I did a casual search for the silver smoker, couldn't find it less than 300; My 18.5" WSM was that much from Amazon and free shipping. The reason I'd recommend spending a bit more is because for a good offset smoker, you want one with good, thick steel walls that hold in heat well. The key to smoking is good, consistent temps for long periods of time. I did two pork shoulders and a brisket a few weeks ago; total time on the smoker was 7.5 hours for ~23lbs of meat, a brisket and two pork shoulders. The pork should have gone longer than that, probably 10 hours, but they still came out well, but just weren't quite perfect A good test run with your smoker will help you figure out how to dial it in. In general though, you'll want to learn to control temperature mostly from the chimney than from the intake.

For fuel, I would recommend buying good charcoal for it, a good lump brand would be my #1 recommendation. This site has a lot of really good reviews. Personally, I bought a bag of the Gordon Food Service brand and it's been absolutely phenomenal. Very low ash production which promotes good airflow for even temps, and it burns nice and long. In addition to the meat above, I did two racks of ribs a couple days before(which were also incredible) for 4 hours. Total charcoal used out of the bag was a load and a half in the chamber of my WSM. You'll also need dry hardwoods. I prefer chunks over chips, since there's less fiddling, as 2-3 good chunks will give you plenty of smoke for a 7+ hour cook. For types, Hickory is my all around go-to. For ribs, I love-love-love apple. Brisket gets a blend of the two(hickory then apple), and I'm still experimenting. I did hot dogs the other night with mesquite, and they were about the best ever. Don't be afraid to experiment though.

Anyway, since I believe you'll have to season it, a good test run while you do that is a good way to get a feel for how it holds temperature. If you haven't already, buy a good chimney(I have the Weber one, it's about 15 bucks) and some of the weber fire starter bricks I got those for 5 bucks at Ace, and you can get 24 starts out of that. Much, much easier than mucking about with newspaper. Fill your charcoal chamber in the smoker ~2/3 full and the chimney about halfway. Light the stuff in the chimney and pour that on the other stuff once it's all white and hot. For a real cook, mix in 1-2 chunks for every 2-3 hours of planned cook time with what you've got in the chamber, and make sure there's charcoal on top of it. Also, this is where experimentation comes in. Whenever you do a cook, keep a log of the cooking chamber temp, what woods you used, what you cooked, how long, etc.

Happy smoking!

Minarchist wrote:
El-Producto wrote:

Just found out I'm getting a Char Broil Silver Smoker for Father's day. Entry level I know, but seems silly to sink lots of money into something I have never done.

Can't wait to do some ribs on the long weekend!

Anyone suggest any good websites to help a beginner? I've done the google thing but it's a wasteland of Geocities designed websites.

Despite the rather inauspicious appearance, this website is a gold mine of information. He even has detailed reviews of like 15 different thermometers.

Also, this is your new bible.

Wow, I just wasted way to much time on that site.

R2-Meat2

IMAGE(http://blog.geeksaresexytech.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/meat2.jpg)

Does it play a holographic notification when finished?

I am sorely tempted to try some of this American style barbecuing. Sounds right up my street.

AnimeJ wrote:

Ah, ok. I did a casual search for the silver smoker, couldn't find it less than 300; My 18.5" WSM was that much from Amazon and free shipping. The reason I'd recommend spending a bit more is because for a good offset smoker, you want one with good, thick steel walls that hold in heat well. The key to smoking is good, consistent temps for long periods of time. I did two pork shoulders and a brisket a few weeks ago; total time on the smoker was 7.5 hours for ~23lbs of meat, a brisket and two pork shoulders. The pork should have gone longer than that, probably 10 hours, but they still came out well, but just weren't quite perfect A good test run with your smoker will help you figure out how to dial it in. In general though, you'll want to learn to control temperature mostly from the chimney than from the intake.

For fuel, I would recommend buying good charcoal for it, a good lump brand would be my #1 recommendation. This site has a lot of really good reviews. Personally, I bought a bag of the Gordon Food Service brand and it's been absolutely phenomenal. Very low ash production which promotes good airflow for even temps, and it burns nice and long. In addition to the meat above, I did two racks of ribs a couple days before(which were also incredible) for 4 hours. Total charcoal used out of the bag was a load and a half in the chamber of my WSM. You'll also need dry hardwoods. I prefer chunks over chips, since there's less fiddling, as 2-3 good chunks will give you plenty of smoke for a 7+ hour cook. For types, Hickory is my all around go-to. For ribs, I love-love-love apple. Brisket gets a blend of the two(hickory then apple), and I'm still experimenting. I did hot dogs the other night with mesquite, and they were about the best ever. Don't be afraid to experiment though.

Anyway, since I believe you'll have to season it, a good test run while you do that is a good way to get a feel for how it holds temperature. If you haven't already, buy a good chimney(I have the Weber one, it's about 15 bucks) and some of the weber fire starter bricks I got those for 5 bucks at Ace, and you can get 24 starts out of that. Much, much easier than mucking about with newspaper. Fill your charcoal chamber in the smoker ~2/3 full and the chimney about halfway. Light the stuff in the chimney and pour that on the other stuff once it's all white and hot. For a real cook, mix in 1-2 chunks for every 2-3 hours of planned cook time with what you've got in the chamber, and make sure there's charcoal on top of it. Also, this is where experimentation comes in. Whenever you do a cook, keep a log of the cooking chamber temp, what woods you used, what you cooked, how long, etc.

Happy smoking!

Great tips thanks!

[/i]I'm in Canuckistan, so some of the things are different here.

Maq wrote:

I am sorely tempted to try some of this American style barbecuing. Sounds right up my street.

Come to Ohio. I love seeing people eat brisket for the first time. I've got a buddy who was born in Columbia, immigrated when he was a kid and tried him on it last week, the man was in tears, I tell you.

AnimeJ wrote:
Maq wrote:

I am sorely tempted to try some of this American style barbecuing. Sounds right up my street.

Come to OhioTexas. I love seeing people eat brisket for the first time. I've got a buddy who was born in Columbia, immigrated when he was a kid and tried him on it last week, the man was in tears, I tell you. :D

Fixed for yummy goodness.

Well, the catch is that while you can get delicious brisket there, I'm not the one cooking it.