*Charcoal* BBQ/Grilling

Shred

unklerosco wrote: »

Aldi had some great charcoal in last year, at least I think thats where I got it.. still have some left, burns very hot n lasts quite long.

Woodies is the only main chain that I've found that sells un-soaked charcoal, it's not bad.. been using it for a few years.

This crowd sell a good range of fuels (and BBQs), plan to stick in an order with them soon.

http://www.aroomoutside.ie/big-k-lumpwood-charcoal-5kg.html

Thanks again, I've used the Weber lumpwood and it works fine but maybe doesn't last very long, it's expensive too. Speaking of which, I actually bought two bags of the briquettes, so I might have to give them another go with the fire lighters
I did grab a bag of lumpwood from my local Centra recently (it was late in the evening and I'd ran out). It worked pretty well, Polish I think @ something like €3 for 2-3KG, again it was just for a quick cook.

Whistlejacket

I got excellent lumpwood charcoal in the local Eastern European shop several times last summer. It was very good value as well. Might be worth having a look if there's one near you.

Shred

I had flicked a question to Weber on the briquettes and, although it took them 2-3 weeks to come back, they replied that (naturally) they only recommend using lighter cubes. So I gave this a whirl yesterday and they worked perfectly; after 20 minutes or so the coals were red hot in the starter and quickly reached 500f degrees in the grill. I did a roast chicken and roasted root vegetables which turned out very well. I checked the grill around 4 hours after I had lit the coals and they were still @ around 300 degrees! Finally 6 hours later I checked the grill again and it was still hot to touch and some of the coals were still visibly hot, I had to close the vents the kill it!

unklerosco

Shred wrote: »

I had flicked a question to Weber on the briquettes and, although it took them 2-3 weeks to come back, they replied that (naturally) they only recommend using lighter cubes. So I gave this a whirl yesterday and they worked perfectly; after 20 minutes or so the coals were red hot in the starter and quickly reached 500f degrees in the grill. I did a roast chicken and roasted root vegetables which turned out very well. I checked the grill around 4 hours after I had lit the coals and they were still @ around 300 degrees! Finally 6 hours later I checked the grill again and it was still hot to touch and some of the coals were still visibly hot, I had to close the vents the kill it!

If you close the vents once you're done cooking you can usually reuse around 50% of the charcoal for your next BBQ..

Shred

unklerosco wrote: »

If you close the vents once you're done cooking you can usually reuse around 50% of the charcoal for your next BBQ..

Yeah it's certainly something I'll be doing the next time if I don't intend grilling longer than a couple of hours.

Muahahaha

just new to charcoal grilling, bought a 5kg bag of briqeutte charcoal in Aldi the other night. I tried them in a starter with paper underneath, all I got was smouldering for 30 minutes. So went back down and bought 1l of BBQ gel to spray on the charcoals before lighting in the starter. That worked better but tbh I don't think much of the briquettes, there didnt seem to be a great heat off them even when lit. I have a small portable oil drum shaped BBQ with a lid and at best with the lid down it got up to 150c on the thermometer on top of the lid. Just wondering if its 150c there how much extra might it be at the cooking surface about six inches below? Also looking for recommendations of better charcoal that burns very hot and also looking for advice on the safest way to extinguish charcoal as I'm cooking on a balcony so want to make sure its out.

RasTa

Anybody have a ProQ bbq?

Dotcomdolly

BBQ's half price for June in Homestore & More.

iggy

Just bought a weber compact 47cm charcoal bbq today.

Complete nooby to charcoal.
Do people recommend getting the chimney starter?
Also like be mostly cooking burgers, chicken skewers and steak so what do I use, briquettes or charcoal or what?
Cheers

Muahahaha

Yes I would recommend a chimmney starter as charcoal can be difficult to light without using one. I got mine in a Tesco Extra, they're in the gardening section beside their BBQs and cost €8. I think the Weber branded ones are €20 but do much the same job.

As for charcoal I'm new to it too and am also looking for recommendations. I bought charcoal briquettes from Aldi last week and wasn't that impressed with how long they burnt or took to ignite. Heat from them could have been better too.

curiousb

RasTa wrote: »

Anybody have a ProQ bbq?

Yes, I got a ProQ Excel Elite from A room Outside in Limerick about a month or so ago.

I smoked a turkey crown and ham on it for Easter Sunday and it worked out very well. I have used it a fair few times also as a simple bbq for cooking steaks.

I had been looking at a Big Green Egg but couldn't justify (or afford!) the price, and the ProQ is also significantly cheaper than the Weber Smokey Mountain.

oleras

curiousb wrote: »

Yes, I got a ProQ Excel Elite from A room Outside in Limerick about a month or so ago.

I smoked a turkey crown and ham on it for Easter Sunday and it worked out very well. I have used it a fair few times also as a simple bbq for cooking steaks.

I had been looking at a Big Green Egg but couldn't justify (or afford!) the price, and the ProQ is also significantly cheaper than the Weber Smokey Mountain.

I had never heard of these, now after spending the afternoon looking at them and youtube videos all i need is a reason NOT to get one...lol

The rotisserie attachment looks very useful, meat being self basted...drolllllllllll

curiousb

oleras wrote: »

I had never heard of these, now after spending the afternoon looking at them and youtube videos all i need is a reason NOT to get one...lol

The rotisserie attachment looks very useful, meat being self basted...drolllllllllll

Seeing as you are in Limerick i would highly recommend going to the shop and having a good nose around! Last weekend they had 2 days of demoing cooking with the ProQ and the BGE. I wasn't able to make it, so I'd say it was good fun.

They have loads of stock of all things BBQ and they are very helpful.

I think they have a Weber Smokey Mountain there also so it would be good to do a side by side comparison. The ProQ is more versatile, but the Weber is possibly better made. Weber is also much more expensive...

p.s. I'm just a satisfied customer, nothing to do with them other than that!

RasTa

curiousb wrote: »

Yes, I got a ProQ Excel Elite from A room Outside in Limerick about a month or so ago.

I smoked a turkey crown and ham on it for Easter Sunday and it worked out very well. I have used it a fair few times also as a simple bbq for cooking steaks.

I had been looking at a Big Green Egg but couldn't justify (or afford!) the price, and the ProQ is also significantly cheaper than the Weber Smokey Mountain.

Have ye down a brisket or pulled pork? Just wondering how it fares during a 12hr cook

curiousb

RasTa wrote: »

Have ye down a brisket or pulled pork? Just wondering how it fares during a 12hr cook

No not yet. The turkey and ham was smoked for about 6 hours roughly and turned out well.

One issue is definitely with keeping the temperature constant and I imagine this applies to any smoker other than the ceramic ones. The thinner walls of the ProQ means that heat loss is higher than in a BGE with thick ceramic walls.
So you will definitely need to top up the charcoal a few times over a 12 hour period.

I am going to make up a steel 'chute' of some sort so I can slide in more charcoal through the bottom door without having to remove the top layers. This will keep more heat in and be safer I think.

This site has loads of interesting info on smokers and the various ways to light them and refuel them...

oleras

I am blaming you RasTa.





Thanks for the info curiousb, nice people to deal with and it turned out both our fathers worked together many moons ago.

Side by side against the WSM the ProQ seemed a lot better value and the rotisserie attachment i will no doubt add on in a few weeks.

Now to put it together and hopefully will be able to try it out Wed or Thur.

curiousb

oleras wrote: »

I am blaming you RasTa.





Thanks for the info curiousb, nice people to deal with and it turned out both our fathers worked together many moons ago.

Side by side against the WSM the ProQ seemed a lot better value and the rotisserie attachment i will no doubt add on in a few weeks.

Now to put it together and hopefully will be able to try it out Wed or Thur.

Great stuff!! It goes together really easy, let us know how you get on (with the cooking that is!)...

vicwatson

Love to get some feedback on this when set up/used.

curiousb

vicwatson wrote: »

Love to get some feedback on this when set up/used.

I can give you my tuppence worth. Just with the base and the lid on it makes a great bbq, especially the Excel, which is a decent size.

As a smoker, which I am new to, is seems really good also. I cooked a turkey crown and a ham on it at Easter and it turned out very well. I don't have an accurate thermometer yet and I believe the one in the lid is not too accurate, but each time I have smoked with it the temperature gets to 100-130 degrees C and no more. This is fine for what I have been cooking but I think I would need to add a load more charcoal to get it hotter.

I have used Lumpwood, but this does burn quicker than charcoal, so I have switched to charcoal now and add in wood for the smoke. I reckon I would need 2 Weber Chimneys worth of charcoal to get a high heat going but I haven't tried this yet.

I haven't had much free time over the past few months but hope to be able to experiment a lot more over the Summer.

RasTa

Yeah let me know, apparently you should light the charcoals using the minion method to get a longer cook.

http://burninlovebbq.com/2011/05/26/the-minion-method-easy-low-and-slow-bbq/

I had a Big Green Egg in the last house I lived it and will only be able to go so long without a smoked chicken so weighing up my options on what to get.

I think I'll be buying one myself soon.

vicwatson

Anyone know what type of ribs I'm looking to ask the butcher for for BBQ ribs? Is it pork baby back ribs or....?

Minder

I'd go for spare ribs as baby back ribs are shiners - no meat on them bones!! It's what you get when bacon is more popular than rib racks.

Spare ribs in a rack will give you a lot more meat. One end of a plate of spare ribs will have the cartilage and gnarly bits but this can be trimmed off to give a finer piece of meat.

Look up St Louis Spare Ribs

vicwatson

So if I ask a butcher for a rack of spares ribs he won't look at me funny? !! Cheers

BaZmO*

vicwatson wrote: »

So if I ask a butcher for a rack of spares ribs he won't look at me funny? !! Cheers

I used to get a rack in Superquinn all the time no bother. Just as for Pork Ribs not Bacon Ribs and they'll know.

Haven't made them in ages........something I must rectify!

vicwatson

Do I need to do anything special with them like dry brine them in advance. My plan is to use a ready made bbq sauce to marinade and cook them in, also how long to cook for in standard oven?

Shred

I'm not sure where you are but my sister and I get back ribs from the butcher's opposite Aldi near Charlestown (Dublin); they're always nice and big with lots of meat on them.

Here's some easy BBQ (read: no oven) ribs recipes, I'm going to give a few of these a lash myself:

http://help.weber.com/search/?q=ribs

In the past I've done these and they've turned out well, but it's a lot more effort than the above, although they are incredibly tender:

http://mmmisformommy.com/2011/09/easy-barbecued-ribs.html

My sister has also just recently started smoking her ribs and they've been turning out great; I'll ask her for her recipe(s).

See from post 129 on for great looking smoked ribs too.

unklerosco

vicwatson wrote: »

Do I need to do anything special with them like dry brine them in advance. My plan is to use a ready made bbq sauce to marinade and cook them in, also how long to cook for in standard oven?

Have a look at my posts here about cooking ribs http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055542022&page=9

Should give u some ideas...

twerg_85

Beef ribs are also very tasty (think they're called short ribs).

For ribs, I'd give them about 4 hours low and slow. I've done pulled pork and brisket for 8-10 hours. It's lovely, but it's a long ould slog and if it's hard to make sure it's ready by a certain time.

These days, I'd smoke it for a few hours and then finish in the oven, or else do larger joints in the oven and smaller ones (ribs, small brisket, leg of lamb etc.) in the smoker.

http://amazingribs.com/ is a great website for all your grilling needs !

F.

BaZmO*

vicwatson wrote: »

Do I need to do anything special with them like dry brine them in advance. My plan is to use a ready made bbq sauce to marinade and cook them in, also how long to cook for in standard oven?

There's a great recipe in the Cooking Club for Ribs. The cooking method is spot on and gives you fall off the bone ribs. :pac:

oleras

A quick update on the ProQ.

It went together very easily, all i had to do was attach the feet.



Grabbed some meat Tuesday, beef and pork ribs.





Ribs, marinaded overnight in a basic enough rub. Smoked for 3 hours with maple chips, covered in foil for a further 2 hours with a drop of apple juice then the final 30 mins unwrapped to firm up. temp didnt get over 110.
This smoker thing uses a water bath as a buffer between the firepit and the grills, great way to keep a stable low temp.



Beef short ribs, these just had a salt and pepper rub applied before they went into the smoker, same dealio as the pork really, 3-2-1 method, 3 hours smoking, 2 hours wrapped in foil getting the internal temps up and the last hour uncovered. these were way overdone imo, next time i will drop the time or not bother with the wrapping, trial and error.

They were tender as **** though, the bones fell out as i was lifting them off the grill. I had to have a corner to try it, the smoke ring is seemingly a good sign, something to do with nitric acid in the meat coming in contact with the smoke, not unlike the maillard reaction i would assume.







Very happy overall, cant wait to cook some more meat.

unklerosco

I've a decent recipe/method for need ribs I've been using for a while... Works a treat, I'll dig it out n post it here..

RasTa

That's a nice looking smoke ring

curiousb

Those ribs look great, well done.

How much fuel do you think you used for the cooking?

Dr Crippen

One word epic! You should go into business with that, the food looks amazing, whats your address

oleras wrote: »

A quick update on the ProQ.

It went together very easily, all i had to do was attach the feet.



Grabbed some meat Tuesday, beef and pork ribs.





Ribs, marinaded overnight in a basic enough rub. Smoked for 3 hours with maple chips, covered in foil for a further 2 hours with a drop of apple juice then the final 30 mins unwrapped to firm up. temp didnt get over 110.
This smoker thing uses a water bath as a buffer between the firepit and the grills, great way to keep a stable low temp.



Beef short ribs, these just had a salt and pepper rub applied before they went into the smoker, same dealio as the pork really, 3-2-1 method, 3 hours smoking, 2 hours wrapped in foil getting the internal temps up and the last hour uncovered. these were way overdone imo, next time i will drop the time or not bother with the wrapping, trial and error.

They were tender as **** though, the bones fell out as i was lifting them off the grill. I had to have a corner to try it, the smoke ring is seemingly a good sign, something to do with nitric acid in the meat coming in contact with the smoke, not unlike the maillard reaction i would assume.







Very happy overall, cant wait to cook some more meat.

oleras

curiousb wrote: »

Those ribs look great, well done.

How much fuel do you think you used for the cooking?

It was a 12KG bag, i used just over a third i would guess, with some large pieces that did not burn completely and can be reused.

hadepsx

Is it safe or not to use normal firelighters (for an open fire) to start a lumpwood bbq?

The Hill Billy

Using fire lighters to ignite charcoal would be fairly common.

curiousb

hadepsx wrote: »

Is it safe or not to use normal firelighters (for an open fire) to start a lumpwood bbq?

There is no problem using them, but they can give a chemical odour to the food, so it is not recommended. You can get natural odour free firelighters which work just as well.

RasTa

Yeah you don't want to be using anything that gives an odour.

Something like this is usually the best solution

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Charcoal-Starter-Lighter-charcoal/dp/B0085Y9I6K

hadepsx

RasTa wrote: »

Yeah you don't want to be using anything that gives an odour.

Something like this is usually the best solution

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Charcoal-Starter-Lighter-charcoal/dp/B0085Y9I6K

That's a really handy device. Thanks for the link

curiousb

A Chimney Starter is also very good. I use one all the time and it makes it very easy.

Alun

curiousb wrote: »

A Chimney Starter is also very good. I use one all the time and it makes it very easy.

This x100000. Simplicity itself, it just works ... 3 crumpled sheets of newspaper in the bottom, fill with charcoal, light paper and come back in 15-20 mins to glowing charcoal.

hadepsx

hmmm that chimney thing looks cool. and ingenius. but when you come to turning it upside down to empty out, would that not lead to hot ash flying up around your arm. can you get ones that you can just lift up and pull a flap so as the charcoal falls out of the bottom into bbq?

Alun

hadepsx wrote: »

hmmm that chimney thing looks cool. and ingenius. but when you come to turning it upside down to empty out, would that not lead to hot ash flying up around your arm. can you get ones that you can just lift up and pull a flap so as the charcoal falls out of the bottom into bbq?

A little bit, but as suggested in the video I usually use a pair of oven mitts when I'm doing it and I've not got burnt yet.

Alun

hadepsx wrote: »

hmmm that chimney thing looks cool. and ingenius. but when you come to turning it upside down to empty out, would that not lead to hot ash flying up around your arm. can you get ones that you can just lift up and pull a flap so as the charcoal falls out of the bottom into bbq?

A little bit, but as suggested in the link above I usually use a pair of oven mitts when I'm doing it and I've not got burnt yet.

curiousb

hadepsx wrote: »

hmmm that chimney thing looks cool. and ingenius. but when you come to turning it upside down to empty out, would that not lead to hot ash flying up around your arm. can you get ones that you can just lift up and pull a flap so as the charcoal falls out of the bottom into bbq?

I haven't had any problems, and no oven mitts! Just be careful...

vicwatson

curiousb wrote: »

A Chimney Starter is also very good. I use one all the time and it makes it very easy.

Tesco have these at €7.99, very good quality and great price.

BaZmO*

This is how I always start a BBQ after seeing this guy do it on his show on BBC.

Some would probably see it as overkill but I'm not a fan of using lighter fuel.

vicwatson

Used chimney starter tonight and boy it was excellent, never had the coals as hot and because of that they burned for hours. A must have gadget.

OU812

Gonna jump in here & ask a quick question. I love BBQ, absolutely adore it, but I've always had a gas one, mainly because I like the taller fuller ones with racks etc. How easy is it to adapt to the charcoal ones ? It it not a lot more work because the heat isn't as easy to manipulate ?