TheFanatic
Footballguy
97% of the time this is what I do. I just want rubbed ribs. But every now and again, I get a hankering for some sloppy sauce.
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***Official Grilling and Smoking Thread*** (1 Viewer)
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TheFanatic
Footballguy
Asparagus, steaks, burgers, breakfast, shrimp, scallops, etc. This cooker is for hot and fast only. I'm not slapping a brisket on this bad boy.Looks like a nice grill to make some froo froo items on, maybe some asparagus
odin33
Footballguy
LOL, yeah I knew I was early, guy at Ohio Mulch said as much when I ordered this past Saturday but wanted to beat the neighbor, (whom I've secretly been trying to keep up with in terms of yard). He's got one of those yards that every blade of grass stands at perfect attention.
Sure as $#!^, Sunday afternoon the dump truck backs up and dumps a load in his driveway.
Softballguy
Footballguy
I sort of combined the Meat Church recipe and @TheFanatic's recipe at Grillin' Fools. I think the key is to really make sure you get them up to that 195 internal range. Most of my chunks were, but a few of the bigger ones that were sitting on a cooler end of the smoker probably didn't get quite that high. They weren't as tender and weren't quite as good as the super tender ones.
TheFanatic
Footballguy
Broke the Ofyr in last night. It made some MEAN steaks. Flavor crust for days, yo! I'll take even flavor crust on a steak over cross hatch all day long. Cross hatch looks pretty but even flavor crust (think cast iron) is way better. If you want to see the inaugural cook you can check out my Instagram Live I did on it with my son last night. You have to use a cell phone or tablet to see a Live (which is pushed to my Story last night). Try to disregard the jackassery of some of the commentors. Someone actually took a jab at my 10 year old son who loves to do Instagram Lives with me. The recap will only be up for another 11 hours or so and then it will disappear.
My only complaint is it took a while to get to temp, but once it did, man was it fun! I am in love with that grill. Can't wait to cook breakfast on it when it warms up
My only complaint is it took a while to get to temp, but once it did, man was it fun! I am in love with that grill. Can't wait to cook breakfast on it when it warms up
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Hawks64
Footballguy
Went to use the smoker last night and something terrible happened this winter! Apparently moisture got in it somehow and have white mold blooms all over inside. Biggest issue is I put in seals last year and there is mold all over the top one, and it was put on with the lavalock high temp adhesive. Going to try and remove the seals once it's a bit warmer and I can work on it all weekend. 
TheFanatic
Footballguy
Lots of kamados get mold. They hold in the moisture too well and mold develops. I have to leave the bottom vent cracked on mine to keep it from molding over between cooks. At least for now. Looking to sell it. Speaking of which. I need to get that bad boy on CraigsList or Facebook Market Place or some such.Went to use the smoker last night and something terrible happened this winter! Apparently moisture got in it somehow and have white mold blooms all over inside. Biggest issue is I put in seals last year and there is mold all over the top one, and it was put on with the lavalock high temp adhesive. Going to try and remove the seals once it's a bit warmer and I can work on it all weekend.
Hawks64
Footballguy
I can get it cleaned up pretty easily other than the felt seal, really my only concern.
odin33
Footballguy
Reporting back. TLDR: Awesome results on the pork belly burnt ends thanks @TheFanatic
Took the advice listed and used minion method- no way was I running out of fuel this time. ran outta foil though so just used water pan with a little water. Temps were upper 30s/low 40s so a much better day overall, despite the light rain. Overfuel resulted in having to throttle the vents some, but nothing too crazy.
Started up with the white smoke, but it did find that faint blue smoke after about a half hour. Only threw in 2 chunks of wood this time. Might try starting one piece in the chimney next time as neither caught right away despite my attempt to put them on hot coals. end results were good, but was hoping for a little more smoke flavor.
Overall good experience, I just need to realize that it takes time and budget extra time as it never goes quite right.
Any tips for cleaning out the water pan afterwards? Thanks to all that fat I had a nice 2" thick layer of gelled fat the next morning.
Next up, pork shoulder. Probably be a few weeks.
Took the advice listed and used minion method- no way was I running out of fuel this time. ran outta foil though so just used water pan with a little water. Temps were upper 30s/low 40s so a much better day overall, despite the light rain. Overfuel resulted in having to throttle the vents some, but nothing too crazy.
Started up with the white smoke, but it did find that faint blue smoke after about a half hour. Only threw in 2 chunks of wood this time. Might try starting one piece in the chimney next time as neither caught right away despite my attempt to put them on hot coals. end results were good, but was hoping for a little more smoke flavor.
Overall good experience, I just need to realize that it takes time and budget extra time as it never goes quite right.
Any tips for cleaning out the water pan afterwards? Thanks to all that fat I had a nice 2" thick layer of gelled fat the next morning.
Next up, pork shoulder. Probably be a few weeks.
heckmanm
Footballguy
I line the pan with heavy duty foil. Then once it's cooled down, I put the whole thing in my chest freezer overnight, and can then remove the foil, ice and fat all at once and pitch it in the trash.
Softballguy
Footballguy
This comment really stuck with me over the past month plus. A couple years ago I would have vehemently disagreed, but it did occur to me that since purchasing my sous vide a year ago (another product I initially didn't have much interest in but now consider it my favorite cooking tool), I now am more interested in making great tasting food as easily as possible.
So, as of Wednesday night I am now the proud owner of a Traeger Select Elite smoker. Found a guy near me who had his on sale for half off after just one summer of use. Thing looks brand new. Just played around with it last night and made a few pizzas, but already I'm digging it. Going to do ribs and a couple shoulders over the weekend.
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Insoxicated
ydoc
Footballguy
yep, i keep thinking i need a stick burner of some sort but the rec tec pellet smoker is just too f'n easy.....
TheFanatic
Footballguy
I get into it all the time with the stick burner nazis. I usually end the argument with this, "I've cooked for thousands upon thousands of people, and not a single one of them, after tasting my barbecue has said, 'This tastes great. How much sleep did you lose last night adding fuel and adjusting vents?'" Unless that badge of honor comes in the size of a blanket and an accompanying pillow, I'll go ahead and get some sleep instead.
In The Zone
Footballguy
Filling in for my Dad today cooking for 100 golfers and workers. On the menu is 10lbs of onion sausage, 9 lbs of hot dogs and a couple of tenderloins. The wind is a giving me some fits but everything is chugging along so far.
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
I may change my username...TheFanatic said:
JaxBill
Footballguy
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
⚡DEADHEAD⚡
Footballguy
Happens to me most years. Do a high temp burn. Like 700 degrees or so. That'll take care of it.Went to use the smoker last night and something terrible happened this winter! Apparently moisture got in it somehow and have white mold blooms all over inside. Biggest issue is I put in seals last year and there is mold all over the top one, and it was put on with the lavalock high temp adhesive. Going to try and remove the seals once it's a bit warmer and I can work on it all weekend.
TheFanatic
Footballguy
I have two Char-Griller Akorns arriving today. A black one and a blue one, just like how I prefer my steak!
Hawks64
Footballguy
TheFanatic
Footballguy
I sold a couple Traegers and have a ceramic kamado on the block. Right now I just have 3 grills back there that I use and one that's sort of a mobile deal that allows me to shoot with a bunch of different options in the background. Oh, and the deck is 60 feet long, so I have plenty of room
Punxsutawney Phil
Footballguy
TheFanatic
Footballguy
Everyone that has seen it in person has used the word art without me prompting. It really is on that level of cool.Looks fun... A little unsure about the "art" aspect.
Costco has the traeger 34 on sale for $799. About to pull the trigger. 3 year warranty plus free grill cover. Wife is onboard ?
JaxBill
Footballguy
Thinking of doing scotch eggs tomorrow for brunch with the dyed hard boiled eggs.
Breading or no breading? Cheese?
Wife picked up Jimmy Dean Italian so I might use simple rub and parmesan cheese on inside. Not sure whether to go bread crumb on outside or just do a bbq sauce thinned with bourbon glaze.
Breading or no breading? Cheese?
Wife picked up Jimmy Dean Italian so I might use simple rub and parmesan cheese on inside. Not sure whether to go bread crumb on outside or just do a bbq sauce thinned with bourbon glaze.
JaxBill
Footballguy
Welp. I did what I mentioned above for the Scotch eggs, except I went with egg wash and bread crumbs. Jimmy Dean Italian with rub (chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne.). Sprinkled parmesan Romano cheese. Smoked fir 45 minutes ar 250. Maple bourbon glaze applied. Vents opened to get smoker to 300 for 15 more minutes.
Delicious. Would do again.
Delicious. Would do again.
JaxBill
Footballguy
I have seen either soft or hard boiled egg recipes. Soft boiled has ooze issues. Plus these eggs were already hard boiled for dyeing
Not sure how raw eggs would work unless you just made a cup out of the sausage and poured the egg in.
heckmanm
Footballguy
I worked on an egg farm as a kid, and very rarely a bird would lay an egg with no shell (and that didn't break in the cage). They basically had just the membrane that you find just under the shell of a hard-boiled egg.
Even if you were somehow able to get hold of these, you'd probably break them trying to get the sausage around, so yeah the "cup" approach would be the only way. Seems like that could easily leak, tho.
heckmanm
Footballguy
So I have a fairly cheap-o Brinkmann vertical offset. I've done some mods putting gaskets on the doors, but the firebox is REALLY leaky on the air inlet side. It's similar to this, with a fairly large "D"-shaped door below the intake damper on the firebox (for ash removal). I've put a high-temp gasket around this door, but the metal just isn't thick enough for me to get it flat and tight to the box without warping and opening some gaps. So it tends to run kind of hot, despite my efforts at using a minion approach - the fire just spreads really fast.
I'm kicking around the idea of trying to get a new firebox made to replace this thin-walled POS. Anyone with any experience with this? I really like the rest of the smoker and it'll hold a TON of meat, but it's really hard to keep a low, steady fire for a long cook.
I'm also looking at bending some metal to create more of a "snake" burn in the charcoal but I still think I'm getting too much air in there.
Edit - assume for the moment that shooting the lock off my wallet for a $1K smoker isn't in the cards.
I'm kicking around the idea of trying to get a new firebox made to replace this thin-walled POS. Anyone with any experience with this? I really like the rest of the smoker and it'll hold a TON of meat, but it's really hard to keep a low, steady fire for a long cook.
I'm also looking at bending some metal to create more of a "snake" burn in the charcoal but I still think I'm getting too much air in there.
Edit - assume for the moment that shooting the lock off my wallet for a $1K smoker isn't in the cards.
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Ron Swanson
Footballguy
Have you tried simply building a smaller fire? I find that to be an effective method to get good convection and clean smoke vs. vents. Oftentimes I run my Lang with the firebox door wide open and a small fire.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
in preparation for making ribs tomorrow, I made a nice home made BBQ sauce today with some ingredient combinations I have not tried and it worked out very well
=======================
Pineapple chunks
Pineapple juice
Chipoltle's in Adobo Sauce
Petite Diced Tomatoes
Apple Cider Vinegar
Honey
Onion (chopped)
Garlic (paste)
Ginger
Worchestershire Sauce
Salt
Pepper
============
Saute onion and garlic then add all rest of ingredients and let simmer uncovered for 30 minutes to reduce and thicken.
After it cools, run it through the blender to make it smooth and then store.
=======================
Pineapple chunks
Pineapple juice
Chipoltle's in Adobo Sauce
Petite Diced Tomatoes
Apple Cider Vinegar
Honey
Onion (chopped)
Garlic (paste)
Ginger
Worchestershire Sauce
Salt
Pepper
============
Saute onion and garlic then add all rest of ingredients and let simmer uncovered for 30 minutes to reduce and thicken.
After it cools, run it through the blender to make it smooth and then store.
Worm
slimy ninja
Best (and different) way to get some heat into a smoked shoulder if I don't want to just do it in the sauce?
Up the spice level of the rub way way up (will this translate to the whole thing once pulled)? Stuff with habaneros or some other crazy method?
I want it HOT.
Up the spice level of the rub way way up (will this translate to the whole thing once pulled)? Stuff with habaneros or some other crazy method?
I want it HOT.
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Hawks64
Footballguy
I used a cajun blackening rub and put 3 halved jalapenos into slits in the shoulder. I'd imagine by adding more cayenne and jalapenos it would get hot.
msommer
Footballguy
If you don't want it in the sauce you are left with various types of insertion and the rub. Maybe inject hot sauce would be the way to go.
But that will just make it taste like hot sauce
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
I would add the spice once you pull it. Just put a lot of your favorite pepper powder into the rub. Add extra rub after is pulled and mix well. Maybe add a light sauce or some butter if extra moisture needed.
If you smoke the peppers in slits or whatnot they will lose a lot of their heat in the cooking process.
heckmanm
Footballguy
Yeah, I can manage it that way, but it's problematic when I need a long burn, like for a butt or brisket. If I load nearly enough charcoal to do a long smoke, it ends up catching too quickly and running hot. And opening it up to add more charcoal mid-cook tends to make the temp fluctuate quite a bit.
I had a little better luck the last time with just putting like 4 briquettes in the chimney starter, but it still spread faster than I wanted.
In any case, the firebox is probably going to be the first thing to rust out, so I'll have some kind of decision to make at that point no matter what.
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
heckmanm
Footballguy
I've tried "minion" as best I can. It's a rectangular grid and I drop a few lit coals on the very top of the pile, but there's just a lot of gaps that make it hard to limit the airflow (short of choking the top chimney which I don't want to do).
Haven't tried burning just wood yet.
TheFanatic
Footballguy
THIS! All the comp guys season the outside to get a good bark, but then once they pull the pork, they hit it with another layer of seasoning. Moe Cason will run the rub through a grinder or through a sifter to make it as fine as possible so it sort of melts into the meat and isn't visible to the judges. I don't know if you need to do that for a home cook, but I like the idea of seasoning after the fact and will do so with my pig this year.
TheFanatic
Footballguy
TheFanatic
Footballguy
I was soooooo planning on grilling it up this weekend, but forgot my wife is out of town. Not grilling while watching my four kids by myself. So that means I have to live vicariously through you guys. What's on the menu this weekend?
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
Smoking a batch of homemade Andouille tomorrow and then boiling crawfish on Saturday. I'll probably cheat and use a propane burner for the crawfish. 
TheFanatic
Footballguy
I was able to grill a massive tomahawk on Sat along with a smaller rib eye that I had about half left over (the rest fed 6 and a toddler). Made Steak and Eggs on Sunday morning. It was a GREAT weekend!
The Ref
Footballguy
My cousin in law is quite the shopper. He bumped into a "Oklahoma Joe Bandera" side smoker a few months back on super clearance at a lowes for $75 (retails for ~375). His wife is pissed because they have limited space and he already has a Green egg + kicking about the backyard so he give her the "oh I bought this for The Ref". So a few weeks back he drops of this 230 lb box and I finally put it together this past weekend. What an incredible smoker. I did a 4 rib standing roast in this thing on Sunday and it came out absolutely fantastic.
only complaint is this thing blows through fuel. Took a whole bag of charcoal and a bundle of wood (although I did have to season the unit too).
only complaint is this thing blows through fuel. Took a whole bag of charcoal and a bundle of wood (although I did have to season the unit too).
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That one guy
Footballguy
I find myself fully attracted to Gateway Drum Smoker options; just love the look. Reviews of that kind of smoker vary, as with most smokers. Anyone have experience with drum smokers?
TheFanatic
Footballguy
Lots of competition BBQ guys are skipping the traditional smokers and moving to a drum.
Avoid Barrel House drums. Gateway went to this company and asked them to manufacture their smokers. The company says, "Sure, send the plans." Gateway sends the plans. The company then balks and says they can't do it. A few months later, the company starts selling Barrel House drum smokers. Gateway is now suing Barrel House and their parent company.
ETA: Actually, I think it's Pitbarrel Cookers that are in the kerfuffle with Barrel House, not Gateway. Either way, Barrel House is the one who is the subject of a lawsuit.
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