*Charcoal* BBQ/Grilling

unklerosco

maximum12 wrote: »

Hi, I have a bog standard Weber original kettle and would like to get a more adventurous with it. Any recommended links for recipe ideas? What do you guys recommend for monitoring temperature ?

www.amazingribs.com for how to get more out of your weber. You can get a temp guage for it. Also recommend http://thermapen.co.uk/

rubadub

I saw lyle's treacle in tesco with BBQ written on it, thought it was a new product but was just plain old treacle.



I know a few people who would not like that golden syrup tin in their cupboard.

mickc

unklerosco wrote: »

www.amazingribs.com for how to get more out of your weber. You can get a temp guage for it. Also recommend http://thermapen.co.uk/

Thermapen 3 (previous gen) reduced to £24 + delivery on amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AAAD9ZW

mahoganygas

Hi folks,

Probably a basic question.
I'm having a few friends over for a BBQ at the weekend.
I've ordered a good few racks of ribs from my butcher, but I may not need all of them.
I plan on freezing a few for another day.

I'm looking for advice on when I should freeze them.
1) When I get them home (raw)
2) After applying a dry rub
3) After slow roasting in the oven for 7 hours
4) After finishing on the BBQ

Cheers

maximum12

mickc wrote: »

Thermapen 3 (previous gen) reduced to £24 + delivery on amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AAAD9ZW

thanks. do you also use something to monitor the grill temperature ?

mickc

maximum12 wrote: »

thanks. do you also use something to monitor the grill temperature ?

Only one grill came without a pre installed gauge. I bought a temp gauge from ebay and drilled a hole through the lid and installed it. That was a while ago though.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00N7CGB0G
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009ALK3K2

MaceFace

maximum12 wrote: »

Hi, I have a bog standard Weber original kettle and would like to get a more adventurous with it. Any recommended links for recipe ideas? What do you guys recommend for monitoring temperature ?

I also have a gas burner which these days I use exclusively for pizza. If trying a pizza on the Weber do you just aim for maximum heat ? Is there any point adding wood to the charcoal ?

I advise you read both amazingribs.com and nakedwhiz.com for some great recipes, but depends on what you want to cook. Not sure the practicality of a long "low and slow" on a kettle as I imagine it would be difficult to maintain a long enough burn at a sustainable level that would just not really annoy you. As you have to refill often, wouldn't that lead to a lot of the noxious smoke that gets produced by fresh charcoal being exposed to the food?
Then again, someone else might be able to advise better than me.

This is what I use for keeping an eye on the temperature. Highly recommended.

When cooking pizza, I assume you are using a pizza stone. I try to get the heat to about 650F while trying to keep flames down so it doesn't burn the edges. I just use lump, but charcoal is wood. I assume you mean chips or chunks? I do not add myself as I would think that it would impart a too smokey flavor into the bread.

MaceFace

mahoganygas wrote: »

Hi folks,

Probably a basic question.
I'm having a few friends over for a BBQ at the weekend.
I've ordered a good few racks of ribs from my butcher, but I may not need all of them.
I plan on freezing a few for another day.

I'm looking for advice on when I should freeze them.
1) When I get them home (raw)
2) After applying a dry rub
3) After slow roasting in the oven for 7 hours
4) After finishing on the BBQ

Cheers

One word - breakfast. Another lunch.
Leftover ribs are one of the best BBQ leftovers you can get!
If I had to, I would freeze when you get the home, but I would wonder if the freezing process would draw too much moisture out of the meat which could be a major problem for ribs.

maximum12

MaceFace wrote: »

I advise you read both amazingribs.com and nakedwhiz.com for some great recipes, but depends on what you want to cook. Not sure the practicality of a long "low and slow" on a kettle as I imagine it would be difficult to maintain a long enough burn at a sustainable level that would just not really annoy you. As you have to refill often, wouldn't that lead to a lot of the noxious smoke that gets produced by fresh charcoal being exposed to the food?
Then again, someone else might be able to advise better than me.

This is what I use for keeping an eye on the temperature. Highly recommended.

When cooking pizza, I assume you are using a pizza stone. I try to get the heat to about 650F while trying to keep flames down so it doesn't burn the edges. I just use lump, but charcoal is wood. I assume you mean chips or chunks? I do not add myself as I would think that it would impart a too smokey flavor into the bread.

I use "Big Green Egg" branded lump wood charcoal and find that it burns cleanly from the start. I wouldn't use briquettes as some of those smell like oil.

I've done a whole chicken on the Weber which took nearly two hours and worked out well. Would like to try ribs.

Yeah I have a pizza stone. I have some kiln dried hardwood for the stove so was thinking about using that but may just stick with the charcoal at least first time.

MaceFace

maximum12 wrote: »

I use "Big Green Egg" branded lump wood charcoal and find that it burns cleanly from the start. I wouldn't use briquettes as some of those smell like oil.

I've done a whole chicken on the Weber which took nearly two hours and worked out well. Would like to try ribs.

Yeah I have a pizza stone. I have some kiln dried hardwood for the stove so was thinking about using that but may just stick with the charcoal at least first time.

I use kiln dried hardwood for the outdoor firepit, but the amount of smoke it produces, I can't see how that can produce a good cook.
There was some mention of it recently, but I would think it is high risk.

fitz

maximum12 wrote: »

nice, is there a reason you have two pizza stones ?

The bottom is the Kamado Joe Heat Deflector, which you stick your pizza stone on top of...I put pizzas in when the dome temp gets up around 600F. If you stick a pizza stone over the fire at that temp it'll crack.

AndersLimpar

fitz wrote: »

If you stick a pizza stone over the fire at that temp it'll crack.

It shouldn't. The temp gauge on mine goes over 650 degrees when I use the pizza stone and it hasn't cracked?

MaceFace

AndersLimpar wrote: »

It shouldn't. The temp gauge on mine goes over 650 degrees when I use the pizza stone and it hasn't cracked?

Yeah, I'm the same. I put the stone on at a much lower temperature and don't take it off during the cook. Temp often goes well above 600

fitz

My pizza stone may have cracked from being too low to the flame when I tried cleaning it over high heat, but the Kamado Joe cooking instruction booklet said to use the stone on top of the deflector, so I'm happy to keep doing it.
I always put it in cold and let it heat up with the fire too.

Has anyone here purchased the Aldi smoker? How did you find it? Did you upgrade any part of it?

flended12

DÃ&#179 wrote: »

Has anyone here purchased the Aldi smoker? How did you find it? Did you upgrade any part of it?

I have. Although the offset chamber is small, I have cooked some great dishes on it. I've a post with pics on this thread from about 2 months ago.

columf

Dónal wrote: »

Has anyone here purchased the Aldi smoker? How did you find it? Did you upgrade any part of it?

Have not used it too much done some wings on it and some pork belly both were amazing. Apart from the small firebox it is a decent smoker bar one you have to feed fairly often. I have some nomex high heat gasket coming in for the fire box and grill chamber. I put in some angle steel in and bolted it to the holes used to support the grill. The next upgrade is to finish and attach my Arduino based pit controller once I get the pid programming sorted.

dudara

MaceFace wrote: »

I advise you read both amazingribs.com and nakedwhiz.com for some great recipes, but depends on what you want to cook. Not sure the practicality of a long "low and slow" on a kettle as I imagine it would be difficult to maintain a long enough burn at a sustainable level that would just not really annoy you. As you have to refill often, wouldn't that lead to a lot of the noxious smoke that gets produced by fresh charcoal being exposed to the food?
Then again, someone else might be able to advise better than me.

I get 6-8 hours from the snake method in my Weber kettle without needing to restock. So it's feasible for certain.

flended12

Dónal wrote: »

Has anyone here purchased the Aldi smoker? How did you find it? Did you upgrade any part of it?

Heres the link to my bit...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=99952278&postcount=477

niallam

http://www.grillbilliesbarbecue.com/products/meadow-creek-ts-70p

Would anyone pay for something like this?
I keep seeing people happy with €100 smokers but there is a huge difference between a cheap offset and something like that one

beertons

Had a great afternoon at the big grill festival. Only one guy selling bbq's or smokers. Oliver Peddan, op smokers on fb. Not cheap either, 1200 for the smallest one. Went down to the competition area and saw large big green eggs, Smokey mountains, and lots of kettles scattered round the place. The pulled pork is a bit overdone at this stage. Best burger I had was from box burger, from Bray. Worth the spin out just to sample it, I kid you not.

fitz

Another successful overnight pork shoulder cook on the Kamado Joe.
Not picnic cut this time, no bone, just a big hunk of meat, with a bit of skin on top.
So ridiculously moist.

FCB1899

Went on Friday to the Big Grill Festival and dropped a 100 euros for the two of us but had a great night.Food was quite overpriced but beers were reasonable and a great selection.A lot of it was open fire or pit cooking and not so much closed smokers so not exactly American BBQ style but some tasty food.Quite a few of the specialist guys had run out of food well before closing.Good atmosphere and well organised.

niallam

FCB1899 wrote: »

Went on Friday and dropped a 100 euros for the two of us but had a great night.Food was quite overpriced but beers were reasonable and a great selection.A lot of it was open fire or pit cooking and not so much closed smokers so not exactly American BBQ style but some tasty food.Quite a few of the specialist guys had run out of food well before closing.Good atmosphere and well organised.

There's only 1 smoker BBQ on adverts
Maybe we'll realise the Americans way of a BBQ is so much superior to what the Irish call a BBQ.

oleras

Bittersweet delivery today.

I have nobody to help me lift it onto the nest till tomorrow evening.

First world problems eh !

dingbat

Best place near Dun Laoghaire to buy decent, good value lump for a kamado?

I'm assuming the stuff A Room Outside (Glasthule) stocks is good but pricey?

fitz

dingbat wrote: »

Best place near Dun Laoghaire to buy decent, good value lump for a kamado?

I'm assuming the stuff A Room Outside (Glasthule) stocks is good but pricey?

Buy from woodfuel.ie and get it delivered.
Their restaurant grade lump that comes in 12kg bags is terrific stuff, and good value.

dingbat

fitz wrote: »

Buy from woodfuel.ie and get it delivered.
Their restaurant grade lump that comes in 12kg bags is terrific stuff, and good value.

Many thanks. Think I'll do that. Running v low so think I'll be popping down to Glasthule tomorrow to get some to tide me over until my delivery arrives!

MaceFace

fitz wrote: »

Buy from woodfuel.ie and get it delivered.
Their restaurant grade lump that comes in 12kg bags is terrific stuff, and good value.

There does not seem to be a price on their website for the 12kg bag. Do you recall how much it cost?

dudara

beertons wrote: »

Went down to the competition area and saw large big green eggs, Smokey mountains, and lots of kettles scattered round the place. The pulled pork is a bit overdone at this stage.

I was a judge for the competition (second year doing it). This year the difference between the pro teams and the first-timers was evident, but some really good food served up for judging. We're not allowed into the competition area before judging, only afterwards. But it was great to see the variety of gear used.