***Official Grilling and Smoking Thread*** (1 Viewer)

[TheFanatic]

The peril of cooking baby backs. Can't believe the marketers have convinced people they're better or even equal to spare ribs.

I prefer BBR's to spares.

 

[JaxBill]

High heat brisket

 

[In The Zone]

High heat brisket

Nice. That flat looks plenty juicy.

 

[TheFanatic]

The weekend was pretty epic. We grilled 3 slabs of spares, 2 tomahawks (one was 4 lbs and the bone wasn't all that long), 2 lamb racks, about 6 lbs of sausage, some asparagus and some romaine. I hope to have 4 happy clients from all that...

 

[TheFanatic]

My post for Coke went up on Instagram last night. Everyone is all about tailgating at home or homegating. The posts I have coming later this week for Kingsford and Eckrich are also about homegating. In the Coke post, see if you can spot the leftover Eckrich Farms sausages we used for the spread. Also, I now nominate Lamb Racks as the greatest tailgating/homegating food of all time. It's finger food. It's nick name is meat lollipops. It's delicious. It's lamb. 

 

[Wingnut]

All stainless with any kind of thickness is going to run you well north of that price. The only truly ceramic grill you will find for less than that is the Char-Griller Ceramic Akorn. An actual BGE will be well above a grand without any of the needed accessories. 

The GF hinted that she wants to get me a BGE for xmas this year because I smoke and grill quite a lot (its the only kamado shes heard of)...after doing some research online, I showed her the $300 Akorn and told her Id rather her not spend the money for a ceramic kamado and that the Akorn would be just fine...soooo, looks like Ill be ditching my gas grill and electric smoker later this year. Looking forward to going back to charcoal and learning a new grill.

 

[TheFanatic]

The GF hinted that she wants to get me a BGE for xmas this year because I smoke and grill quite a lot (its the only kamado shes heard of)...after doing some research online, I showed her the $300 Akorn and told her Id rather her not spend the money for a ceramic kamado and that the Akorn would be just fine...soooo, looks like Ill be ditching my gas grill and electric smoker later this year. Looking forward to going back to charcoal and learning a new grill.

You will not be disappointed. I have 2 of them on my deck right now. 

 

[ChiefD]

You will not be disappointed. I have 2 of them on my deck right now. 

I know someone has asked before, but what is your grill/smoker inventory look like right now? 

 

[TheFanatic]

I know someone has asked before, but what is your grill/smoker inventory look like right now? 

As mentioned, 2 Char-Griller Akorns (one blue, one black)

1 PK Grill

1 Ofyr

1 red Grill Dome, XL

1 Everdure 4K in robins egg blue

1 American Muscle Grill

1 Green Mountain Grills pellet smoker

1 Beefer

2 Char-Broil portable gas grills (for tailgating and grilling demos)

1 Kettle

1 Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-less turkey fryer

(the last four are in the garage)

 

[Tony Jabroni]

As mentioned, 2 Char-Griller Akorns (one blue, one black)

1 PK Grill

1 Ofyr

1 red Grill Dome, XL

1 Everdure 4K in robins egg blue

1 American Muscle Grill

1 Green Mountain Grills pellet smoker

1 Beefer

2 Char-Broil portable gas grills (for tailgating and grilling demos)

1 Kettle

1 Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-less turkey fryer

(the last four are in the garage)

Unpack the oil less turkey fryer....crispy skin?

 

[Da Guru]

My wife bought me a Char-Broil electric smoker for my birthday as out first attempt in the smoker area.  Have used it 4 times and really not happy with the results.  First time I totally ruined a bunch of salmon and it seems to cook at too high a temp even at lowest setting.   The other times if I watched it close the food did not burn but it did not taste like I was hoping.

I want the smoked salmon to turn out like I get at the markets but it is nowhere close to that.

 

[TheFanatic]

My wife bought me a Char-Broil electric smoker for my birthday as out first attempt in the smoker area.  Have used it 4 times and really not happy with the results.  First time I totally ruined a bunch of salmon and it seems to cook at too high a temp even at lowest setting.   The other times if I watched it close the food did not burn but it did not taste like I was hoping.

I want the smoked salmon to turn out like I get at the markets but it is nowhere close to that.

Smoked salmon at the market is cold smoked. That will take quite a different set up. 

 

[TheFanatic]

Unpack the oil less turkey fryer....crispy skin?

It makes a mean turkey. It basically does as well as deep frying without having to drop $50 on oil as well as without the massive mess. 

 

[JaxBill]

Been a long week

 

[In The Zone]

Question. It's been a long week for me as well. Put some chicken wings and a couple of breast in a brine back on Tuesday. Well sadly my SIL passed and my chicken is still sitting in the fridge in the brine. It was frozen when i put it in there. 

Is the chicken still OK would you think? I plan on getting some smoke on it for an hour or so and finishing in the air fryer. Thoughts on food safety is my main concern. Not sure how the texture would be affected either.

 

[PinkydaPimp]

Question. It's been a long week for me as well. Put some chicken wings and a couple of breast in a brine back on Tuesday. Well sadly my SIL passed and my chicken is still sitting in the fridge in the brine. It was frozen when i put it in there. 

Is the chicken still OK would you think? I plan on getting some smoke on it for an hour or so and finishing in the air fryer. Thoughts on food safety is my main concern. Not sure how the texture would be affected either.

Sorry for your loss.  If it was fully frozen it may not have thawed until Thursday.  So if cooking today it should be fine i would imagine.

texture I’m not sure about.  I usually brine overnight max for chicken. 

 

[In The Zone]

Sorry for your loss.  If it was fully frozen it may not have thawed until Thursday.  So if cooking today it should be fine i would imagine.

texture I’m not sure about.  I usually brine overnight max for chicken. 

Thanks GB. 

 

[Beef Ravioli]

A little off topic but I figured some of you all would have some knowledge to share.

Looking for some quality kitchen knives to get the wife. Budget would be in the $300-$500 range but would prefer to stay closer to $300 if possible. It can be a set or a selection of knives. I would want at least a chef knife, couple of different sizes of boning knifes, pairing knife. Some steak knives would be nice because our current ones rot!

I have no clue about materials, brands, etc. so please educate me. 

If there is a more appropriate thread, I apologize, I didn’t find it. 

Thanks! 

 

[TheFanatic]

A little off topic but I figured some of you all would have some knowledge to share.

Looking for some quality kitchen knives to get the wife. Budget would be in the $300-$500 range but would prefer to stay closer to $300 if possible. It can be a set or a selection of knives. I would want at least a chef knife, couple of different sizes of boning knifes, pairing knife. Some steak knives would be nice because our current ones rot!

I have no clue about materials, brands, etc. so please educate me. 

If there is a more appropriate thread, I apologize, I didn’t find it. 

Thanks! 

I'm lucky enough to get to play with lots of knives. I am working with this brand called Bokashi. I have 2 of their knives and have been using them non stop for about 2 months trying to see how fast I can dull the them and they are standing up to the abuse like champs. My wife said to me the other day, holding one of the knives, "This one is my new favorite. I love this knife." My collection is pretty insane, so that is a huge compliment. I'm not a big fan of them marking them way up in order to show a dramatic price reduction, but the knives are reasonable and they are extremely durable and well made. 

 

[Hawks64]

A little off topic but I figured some of you all would have some knowledge to share.

Looking for some quality kitchen knives to get the wife. Budget would be in the $300-$500 range but would prefer to stay closer to $300 if possible. It can be a set or a selection of knives. I would want at least a chef knife, couple of different sizes of boning knifes, pairing knife. Some steak knives would be nice because our current ones rot!

I have no clue about materials, brands, etc. so please educate me. 

If there is a more appropriate thread, I apologize, I didn’t find it. 

Thanks! 

I'm lucky enough to get to play with lots of knives. I am working with this brand called Bokashi. I have 2 of their knives and have been using them non stop for about 2 months trying to see how fast I can dull the them and they are standing up to the abuse like champs. My wife said to me the other day, holding one of the knives, "This one is my new favorite. I love this knife." My collection is pretty insane, so that is a huge compliment. I'm not a big fan of them marking them way up in order to show a dramatic price reduction, but the knives are reasonable and they are extremely durable and well made. 

Not exactly in his price range GB And honestly in the 3-500 range for that number you may be better off getting two to start with. I'd look at a chef/santuko/kiritsuke, a 5" utility and then maybe a 8-9+" slicer.

I really like the Miyabi Habana collection at Sur La Table, but I think anything in the Miyabi line are nice knives. And like @TheFanatic I prefer Japanese knives, so that's what I lean towards.

You could also go the route of the Twin Signature from Zwilling JA Henckels, which are German knives. I'm not sure if you have a place like Sur La Table or a Williams Sonoma but they have mid to high end knives and will let you try them out. I found I liked the Miyabi Hibana handles over a similar Shun handle so that's what I went with. The handle makes a huge difference to me.

 

[TheFanatic]

Not exactly in his price range GB And honestly in the 3-500 range for that number you may be better off getting two to start with. I'd look at a chef/santuko/kiritsuke, a 5" utility and then maybe a 8-9+" slicer.

I really like the Miyabi Habana collection at Sur La Table, but I think anything in the Miyabi line are nice knives. And like @TheFanatic I prefer Japanese knives, so that's what I lean towards.

You could also go the route of the Twin Signature from Zwilling JA Henckels, which are German knives. I'm not sure if you have a place like Sur La Table or a Williams Sonoma but they have mid to high end knives and will let you try them out. I found I liked the Miyabi Hibana handles over a similar Shun handle so that's what I went with. The handle makes a huge difference to me.

I'm pretty sure he can get all four knives they carry for $500 right now. One only really needs 4-5 knives. And don't spend a ton on steak knives. We don't need a scalpel to mow down a steak. Even if I do happen to have one of those fold up personalized steak knives  I don't actually need it. Most of the time I use a crappy Chicago Cutlery steak knife. 

 

[Hawks64]

I'm pretty sure he can get all four knives they carry for $500 right now. One only really needs 4-5 knives. And don't spend a ton on steak knives. We don't need a scalpel to mow down a steak. Even if I do happen to have one of those fold up personalized steak knives  I don't actually need it. Most of the time I use a crappy Chicago Cutlery steak knife. 

you're right, I looked at the prices wrong....was looking at the red tag as the price.

 

[TheFanatic]

you're right, I looked at the prices wrong....was looking at the red tag as the price.

You mean the ridiculous mark up to make it look like they are doing us a favor? Yeah, it does sort of jump out at you and slap you in the face. 

 

[berndog]

Maybe the 3rd time is the charm as I finally cooked ribs that met my expectations.  

Baby backs on the WSM at 275 for 2.5/1/45 minutes 

great flavor, texture, tenderness and with 2 kids in college leftovers to gorge on. 

 

[Beef Ravioli]

I'm lucky enough to get to play with lots of knives. I am working with this brand called Bokashi. I have 2 of their knives and have been using them non stop for about 2 months trying to see how fast I can dull the them and they are standing up to the abuse like champs. My wife said to me the other day, holding one of the knives, "This one is my new favorite. I love this knife." My collection is pretty insane, so that is a huge compliment. I'm not a big fan of them marking them way up in order to show a dramatic price reduction, but the knives are reasonable and they are extremely durable and well made. 

Do you have surplus of these knives that you might be looking at selling? 

 

[TheFanatic]

Do you have surplus of these knives that you might be looking at selling? 

Funny you should ask. I could be persuaded to move this one. 

 

[Beef Ravioli]

Funny you should ask. I could be persuaded to move this one. 

First off, “You serious Clark?” That looks nice! 

How long have you had it? What’s the FFA brotherhood discount?

 

[TheFanatic]

First off, “You serious Clark?” That looks nice! 

How long have you had it? What’s the FFA brotherhood discount?

I've had it a little over a year. I just had it sharpened by the best in St. Louis.

I reached out to the brand about doing some more work together but they were complete jackasses to me. So now I can't use it in any stuff I do for digital marketing, which is 95% of my cooking. Debating on selling it or giving it to dad who LOVES the knife more than any other blade I own. 

 

[Beef Ravioli]

I've had it a little over a year. I just had it sharpened by the best in St. Louis.

I reached out to the brand about doing some more work together but they were complete jackasses to me. So now I can't use it in any stuff I do for digital marketing, which is 95% of my cooking. Debating on selling it or giving it to dad who LOVES the knife more than any other blade I own. 

Well, the answer is obvious....you sell it!

Just kidding, give that boy to your Dad!! He deserves it! Case closed! 

 

[TheFanatic]

Well, the answer is obvious....you sell it!

Just kidding, give that boy to your Dad!! He deserves it! Case closed! 

Dad has an impressive collection of knives. I worked for Shun for 4 years. 

 

[Hawks64]

Dad has an impressive collection of knives. I worked for Shun for 4 years. 

You should reach out to Meglio. Custom knives made in America by hand. I really wanted to get one of their knives but couldn't justify the min 700 price tag, especially since the one I wanted was going to be 1500.

 

[Beef Ravioli]

Dad has an impressive collection of knives. I worked for Shun for 4 years. 

Then upgrade your dad and then see if he’s ready to sell

 

[TheFanatic]

Then upgrade your dad and then see if he’s ready to sell

I could move the Nesmuk to you for $500. 

 

[TheFanatic]

You should reach out to Meglio. Custom knives made in America by hand. I really wanted to get one of their knives but couldn't justify the min 700 price tag, especially since the one I wanted was going to be 1500.

Whoa! Those are impressive. But it looks like they only work with chefs. Which is a little funny. Chefs generally don't use really good knives in their work kitchens because they get beat all to hell. And even if they do, they don't take the time to take any pics or videos of them using their knives. So if nobody sees them use them knives...

After a couple years with Shun, they switched their strategy entirely from this model to getting them into the hands of people who not only use them but also document that use digitally because more people saw me using their knives than all their chefs combined. 

 

[Hawks64]

Whoa! Those are impressive. But it looks like they only work with chefs. Which is a little funny. Chefs generally don't use really good knives in their work kitchens because they get beat all to hell. And even if they do, they don't take the time to take any pics or videos of them using their knives. So if nobody sees them use them knives...

After a couple years with Shun, they switched their strategy entirely from this model to getting them into the hands of people who not only use them but also document that use digitally because more people saw me using their knives than all their chefs combined. 

Which is why you should work with them!

 

[TheFanatic]

Which is why you should work with them!

I hounded Shun for 2 years before we worked together. And then it took them 2 more years to convince them. They want to be aligned with chefs even if the chefs are completely taking advantage of them. Want to see a prime example? If you go to Meglio_Knives Instagram feed. They list six chefs and instruct people to follow them. I found only 6 posts in all six feeds of a Meglio knife. Two individuals had one pic the knife. One had 3 and one, the last one on the list, has a pic of a magnetic knife strip full of Meglio blades but tags the one non Meglio knife that is hanging there and says how he can't wait to use that one knife that is not a Meglio.  

 

[Hawks64]

I hounded Shun for 2 years before we worked together. And then it took them 2 more years to convince them. They want to be aligned with chefs even if the chefs are completely taking advantage of them. Want to see a prime example? If you go to Meglio_Knives Instagram feed. They list six chefs and instruct people to follow them. I found only 6 posts in all six feeds of a Meglio knife. Two individuals had one pic the knife. One had 3 and one, the last one on the list, has a pic of a magnetic knife strip full of Meglio blades but tags the one non Meglio knife that is hanging there and says how he can't wait to use that one knife that is not a Meglio.  

I believe you're continuing to make the business case for them to work with you.

 

[Beef Ravioli]

I could move the Nesmuk to you for $500. 

I appreciate it but that’s my max number and although I know that knife is worth it, if I am spending $500 I want to get at least two quality knives.

I’ll check out the link you shared yesterday. Thanks! 

 

[TheFanatic]

I appreciate it but that’s my max number and although I know that knife is worth it, if I am spending $500 I want to get at least two quality knives.

I’ll check out the link you shared yesterday. Thanks! 

I can understand that. No worries. I'm in no rush. It is an absolutely amazing knife if you change your mind or if you want to get a single blade now and get a second one later. 

 

[TheFanatic]

I believe you're continuing to make the business case for them to work with you.

The problem is conveying that without damaging the ego. See, to me, somebody who eats and breathes digital marketing, this is an obvious waste of time and resources. But to someone who thinks they have a bevy of great chefs repping their product, they might take offense when it is pointed out how little exposure they are getting, which is essentially next to nothing. It's particularly hard with a cold call considering they don't know me from Adam. 

That being said, once I get through promoting a guy who is hooking me up with this amazing knife, I'll reach out to them. But I need to show this guy a ton of love and get him some major business before I reach out to someone else. 

 

[Hawks64]

The problem is conveying that without damaging the ego. See, to me, somebody who eats and breathes digital marketing, this is an obvious waste of time and resources. But to someone who thinks they have a bevy of great chefs repping their product, they might take offense when it is pointed out how little exposure they are getting, which is essentially next to nothing. It's particularly hard with a cold call considering they don't know me from Adam. 

That being said, once I get through promoting a guy who is hooking me up with this amazing knife, I'll reach out to them. But I need to show this guy a ton of love and get him some major business before I reach out to someone else. 

That's a nice looking knife! How well does it handle?

 

[TheFanatic]

That's a nice looking knife! How well does it handle?

Don't know yet. It's on its way. I've heard amazing things from those that own this guys stuff. I should know in a week or so. 

 

[Beef Ravioli]

Don't know yet. It's on its way. I've heard amazing things from those that own this guys stuff. I should know in a week or so. 

Be sure to give us a report as this may be a place for me to consider. Thanks in advance! 

 

[Ron Swanson]

The problem is conveying that without damaging the ego. See, to me, somebody who eats and breathes digital marketing, this is an obvious waste of time and resources. But to someone who thinks they have a bevy of great chefs repping their product, they might take offense when it is pointed out how little exposure they are getting, which is essentially next to nothing. It's particularly hard with a cold call considering they don't know me from Adam. 

That being said, once I get through promoting a guy who is hooking me up with this amazing knife, I'll reach out to them. But I need to show this guy a ton of love and get him some major business before I reach out to someone else. 

That's like the PRS Dragon of knives.

 

[TheFanatic]

Be sure to give us a report as this may be a place for me to consider. Thanks in advance! 

Will do. 

 

[TheFanatic]

That's like the PRS Dragon of knives.

Yeah, can't wait to play with it. 

 

[TheFanatic]

Grilling some prime grade NY strips tonight for a client. Nothing crazy. Salt, pepper, grill marks, slice. I've got six 1.75 inch beasts coming from the butcher and if all goes right, I'll only use three of them and the rest go into the freezer. 

 

[TheFanatic]

Grilling some prime grade NY strips tonight for a client. Nothing crazy. Salt, pepper, grill marks, slice. I've got six 1.75 inch beasts coming from the butcher and if all goes right, I'll only use three of them and the rest go into the freezer. 

All went well. Three prime grade steaks for me. Not only that, I fed the fam, fed the videographer, fed her dad, and have plenty left over for steak and eggs this weekend. 

 

[In The Zone]

Just put a couple of pork shoulders on the WSM with a couple of racks of St. Louis style ribs to follow in 3 hours or so. Trying the higher heat approach. I'm dialed in at 300 degrees right now with a mix of hickory and apple. 

In the mean time I will prep for mac n cheese, baked beans, and a peach cobbler. Temperatures are currently @63 degrees and dry. Beautiful day. 

 

[Ron Swanson]

Anyone ever try smoking with Palm Wood, specifically cabbage palm (the lower mature woody part, not the heart)?