The Barbecue Thread

[Chino]

[Podaar]

I just pulled the trigger on one of these.



I'm really looking forward to trying it out.

[ReaperKK]

Oh that is awesome, let us know how it is. I need to replace out electric smoker, it lasted a long while but it needs some work done to it and I'd rather get something new. I've wanted to try one of those pellet smokers, my buddy raves about his.

[Podaar]

Okay, my new grill/smoker came yesterday. I got it put together last night. This morning I did the burn in (an hour at 250° F, followed by 30 minutes at 400° F). After it cooled down, I seasoned the cast iron grilling grates at 300° F for an hour. It is now ready for cooking!



Some great things I noticed.
. Once the fire was lit under the charcoal it took about 10 minutes to get to 250° F.
. Later when I turned it up to 400° F, it took 2 minutes flat to get up to temperature!
. The entire burn in and seasoning phase consumed less than half a bag of briquettes. That's after 2 hours of cooking!
. The fit and finish is better than any grill I've ever owned.
. The controls are intuitive and easy to use.

Some not potential issues I noticed.
. The Bluetooth app is pretty basic and prone to disconnecting. Not a huge issue because I'll probably just use the panel controls.
. The temperature you set it to tends to fluctuate between -5° F to +15° F. I think the only way they could make it more consistent is if they had an active damper system. Of course, that would probably over complicate the machine and cause mechanical problems down the road. Still, it's way better than the manual method I've been doing for years.

I'll let you know how cooking with it goes.

[Chino]

Okay, my new grill/smoker came yesterday. I got it put together last night. This morning I did the burn in (an hour at 250° F, followed by 30 minutes at 400° F). After it cooled down, I seasoned the cast iron grilling grates at 300° F for an hour. It is now ready for cooking!



Some great things I noticed.
. Once the fire was lit under the charcoal it took about 10 minutes to get to 250° F.
. Later when I turned it up to 400° F, it took 2 minutes flat to get up to temperature!
. The entire burn in and seasoning phase consumed less than half a bag of briquettes. That's after 2 hours of cooking!
. The fit and finish is better than any grill I've ever owned.
. The controls are intuitive and easy to use.

Some not potential issues I noticed.
. The Bluetooth app is pretty basic and prone to disconnecting. Not a huge issue because I'll probably just use the panel controls.
. The temperature you set it to tends to fluctuate between -5° F to +15° F. I think the only way they could make it more consistent is if they had an active damper system. Of course, that would probably over complicate the machine and cause mechanical problems down the road. Still, it's way better than the manual method I've been doing for years.

I'll let you know how cooking with it goes.

Nice!

To the bolded part - What was the temperature outside, and was the grill somewhere where it was going from sun to shade every now and then? Both of those things could cause minor, temporary swings. You'll never get better than + or - 5 degrees variance, so don't kill yourself trying to get it perfect. My pellet grill swings 10 degrees either way, and my stuff still always comes out just fine. If it's on the chillier side, a lot of guys throw blankets (special kinds) over the grills to help insulate/maintain temps.

I'm really anxious to see your experience. I don't personally know anyone that's cooks with charcoal in a pellet grill-like fashion. I've had my on on these for a while.

[Podaar]

Did a test run last night by cooking up some garlic burgers.

My goal was just to get some skill with operating the grill/smoker. I was unsure of how long it would take and how well the smoking would work just by throwing chunks of wood into the ash hopper. Well it works just as advertised. Got the grill up to 500° in roughly 10 minutes, threw two chunks of hickory into the ash catcher, and a few minutes later smoke was filling the cooking area. The embers from the burning charcoal fall onto the wood and cause them to smolder. The air flow picks up the smoke and pushes it into the grill along with heat from the fire box.

I seared the burgers for a few minutes on each side at 500°, turned the temperature setting down to 350° (I had to leave the lid open for roughly 2 minutes) and smoked the burgers for 10 minutes. Plopped some sauce and cheese on them for another couple of minutes. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Love the new machine!

I'll be cooking some thick beef tenderloins today. Going to go with mesquite wood for this grill/smoke.

[ReaperKK]

That sounds amazing, you're really making a case for me to pick up this smoker. I'm over my electric smoker and I'm ready to try something new.

[Podaar]

I did some clean up this morning to see how that would go.

. The cast iron grates could use another seasoning, so I've got them cleaned, oiled, and in the oven for 45 minutes.
. The outside was easy to clean with a mild spray cleaner and a microfiber rag.
. The inside of the lid for the charcoal tower was pretty sooty, but cleaned up easily with, again, mild spray cleaner and rag. A paper towel might be smarter since I basically had to throw away the rag at this point.
. The heat manifold was pretty grimy from dripping fat. It took a bit of scrubbing in the kitchen sink to get the burned on food off. I decided to wrap it in heavy foil for easier clean up in the future.
. The drip pan and grease catcher are both coated with a non-stick surface so they cleaned up easily by spraying with hot water in the sink.
. The walls of the cooking area are discolored by the heat and smoke. Unavoidable and no big deal. I never expected that to stay pristine. If it gets too coated in creosote I assume some oven cleaner will be required if and when it becomes necessary.

That's it for cleaning. I'm impressed with the thought that was put into easily removing components for cleaning.  All told, it took about 15 minutes (other than the grates seasoning in the oven).

[ReaperKK]

A little off topic but what recipe did you use for the garlic burgers?

[Podaar]

1 lb ground beef 20% fat
2 T garlic, coarsely chopped
2 T yellow onion, finely chopped
Mix those together and form into three thick paddies

Salt and pepper the paddies on both sides and the edges. lonestar told me a few years ago to be liberal with salt and pepper on proteins, so I do. Let the paddies sit at room temperature until the salt pulls some moisture to the surface (about 15 minutes).

Sear them on a very hot grill for a minute or two each side. Move to lower heat (300) for 4-5 minutes. Coat with a thin layer of bbq sauce while still on the low heat. Wait 5 minutes and  cover with sharp white cheddar until melted. Remove from the grill and cover for 5 minutes.

Last night I smoked them with hickory the entire time! It was gorgeous.

[ReaperKK]

Jesus christ that sounds good. I'm going to try that next weekend.

[Podaar]

Mesquite smoked beef tenderloin fillet.

Oh, and some broccoli so Tim can make that gagging sound that excites me so much.

[ReaperKK]

Goddamn that looks amazing.

[TAC]

 

I looked at the picture and immediately thought, geez you ruined it with all that broccoli, and the I scrolled up to read the posts above. Then I looked at the picture again and only noticed the comment then.


The tenderloin looks great.

My brother in law has a smoker, and honestly, it seems like too much work. I thought I'd love it more than I do. The best thing he's made has been a smoked turkey he's made for Thanksgiving. Spectacular. But as far as burgers go, they've actually been pretty nasty. I literally cannot eat them.

[Podaar]

Reap,

I've got a pork tenderloin roast marinating in the fridge. I'll be slow smoking that with apple wood later today. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I'm slowly working my way up to a big cook of rib racks or brisket or a turkey. I'm building up confidence each time and honestly the machine makes it easy. Fill the hopper with briquettes or lump charcoal, throw the smoking wood into the ash pan, set the temperature.

[TAC]

I think a pork tenderloin would be awesome.

Are you also making your own wet and/or dry rubs?

[Podaar]

But as far as burgers go, they've actually been pretty nasty. I literally cannot eat them.

I know what you mean. Some people go overboard with the smoke. My old boss would mesquite smoke everything to the point that it was almost inedible.

The burgers I mentioned above were pretty light in the smoking department, because a) I only put in two small blocks of hickory, b) they weren't on the grill all that long, and c) they were pretty thick 1/3 lb burgers. Smoking meat is awesome, but in my experience it takes a practiced hand to not over do it. I never want to see a cloud of smoke coming out of the cooker, just a thin blueish vapor. You want to taste the meat predominately and just have a smokey tang.

These were more like having grilled some burgers over a campfire bed of coals, Tim.

Are you also making your own wet and/or dry rubs?

I do. I have a dry rub that I use for most things. I put a tablespoon of the rub into a 2-1 mixture of hard apple cider and avocado oil (dietary reasons). That becomes the marinade. I'll do that for about 3 hours, remove it, dry it and put the spice rub on it. Then onto the smoker it goes.

[lonestar]

I'd be curious to see how a pork tenderloin will fare. That's something I always like to do high heat, short cook time to get a good outside sear without going past that perfect medium rare a tenderloin (and any primal cut pork meat) should have. I think a long smoke would just annihilate the meat texture wise.

[Podaar]

Yeah, I'm concerned with it too, lonestar. I'm told it's totally doable, but I'm skeptical. A lot of folks wrap the tenderloin in bacon, or bacon weaves, but I'm concerned that would create too much of a barrier between the smoke and the pork. I plan to not let the internal temperature get above 130 while on the grill.

We'll see, I guess.

[lonestar]

Yeah, I'd be wary of letting go higher than that.


Not sure on your device, but I'd think a good, cold smoke, followed by a hard sear would be fucking killer.


Did you brine it, or just doing a rub?

[Podaar]

Yeah, I'd be wary of letting go higher than that.


Not sure on your device, but I'd think a good, cold smoke, followed by a hard sear would be fucking killer.


Did you brine it, or just doing a rub?

I'm going to go with 225° on the smoke. On the top rack to keep it away from too much direct heat. Maybe put a drip pan full of water beneath it.

Got it the brine under vacuum pressure right now. I'll dry it and put on a rub in about an hour from now. Start smoking it in an hour and a half.

[ReaperKK]

Reap,

I've got a pork tenderloin roast marinating in the fridge. I'll be slow smoking that with apple wood later today. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I'm slowly working my way up to a big cook of rib racks or brisket or a turkey. I'm building up confidence each time and honestly the machine makes it easy. Fill the hopper with briquettes or lump charcoal, throw the smoking wood into the ash pan, set the temperature.

Can't wait to hear ow this turns out

[Podaar]

In the marinade/brine under vacuum.


Spice rub coated for 1/2 hour


Going on the grill/smoker (apple wood)

[lonestar]

Ohhhh, that's a pork loin, not a tenderloin. That'll handle the smoke much better.


this pic shows the size difference between the two, not to mention a tenderloin is a hell of a lot more fragile...

[Podaar]

Ah, got it. That makes sense. An hour in and internal temp is 101 degrees.

[lonestar]

Ah, got it. That makes sense. An hour in and internal temp is 101 degrees.

You gonna yank it at @120? Let the resting take it to nirvana...

[Podaar]

Actually, it stalled hardcore at 123° and started backsliding to 121°. I ended up wrapping it in foil and bumped the grill temp up to 300°. It took another 1/2 hour to finish for a total cook time of 2-1/4 hours. Final rest temp of 133°.

While it was resting, I grilled some asparagus and garlic cloves.



Very tasty, but I think I'll bacon wrap the next one, because, well...bacon. 

[TAC]

Good looking pork.


A bit heavy on the garlic though.

[Podaar]

A bit heavy on the garlic though.

That's not a thing. There is never too much garlic.

[ReaperKK]

A bit heavy on the garlic though.

That's not a thing. There is never too much garlic.

agreed

[New World Rushman]

Did a London Broil over the weekend, with sliced potatoes and onions in a foil pack, and some asparagus:







Before anyone asks "why is there a beer in everyone of your BBQ pics?" I have an Instagram page called Bob's Brew N Que, so just staying on brand. lol

[Podaar]

^That looks awesome! London broils can be a real chore to get right, in my experience. Good work, sir.

God, how I miss potatoes...damned blood sugar.

[Chino]

Question for you dudes.

I have a prime grade chuck roast in my fridge. I've never bought/cooked a chuck roast. I bought this particular one because the marbling on it is freaking ridiculous. I know chuck roast is usually used in stews and stuff like that, but if I reverse seared one, how would it do sliced on a sandwich?

[Podaar]

I've only ever braised chuck roast (think pot roast style). I've no experience with grilling one...but it's logical that if you did it low and slow, like a brisket, then seared it at the end, it would be delicious. You'd probably need to let it rest for a long while, I would think.

[lonestar]

Chuck roast have way too much connective tissue buried within to be slice-able in that manner, and it's just too confusing to figure out which way the grain is going since there's a bazillion different muscles running through the meat. The reason it's meant for slow cook methods is that they break down all that connective tissue to get an edible piece of meat. You might be able to get a servable, and probably tasty piece of meat, but it'd be chewy af unless it was well done.