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BBQ GAF - Smokin' Your Meat, USA Style

M

MRSA

Banned
Well BBQ GAF, I went ahead and bought a new OTG from Lowes. I got way too tired of dealing with people on CL and I think I'm going to get a pretty good deal from Lowes. Had a 10% off coupon, a $10 off $50 from AMEX and I realized I have another $10 off $50 from AMEX from my other card that they can hopefully apply once I go pick up the grill. So if it all comes together, I'll be getting a brand new OTG for $125.

Now to order a smokenator.
 
D

dskillzhtown

keep your strippers out of my American football
CrankyJay said:
whynotboth.jpg
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There is no point is having a OTG and a Performer. Performer is just a OTG with a work table attached. I was doing that for awhile, it never used the OTG after I got the Performer. That work table makes that much of a different and the storage shelf on the bottom is nice as well. In the end, I wish I had gotten the Performer in the first place, the One Touch ended up being a waste of money. I ended up giving it to my cousin who is loving it. But this is all advice from my particular experience and circumstance. Everyone's perspective is different.

Congrats MRSA on your purchase.
 
C

CrankyJay

Banned
dskillzhtown said:
There is no point is having a OTG and a Performer. Performer is just a OTG with a work table attached. I was doing that for awhile, it never used the OTG after I got the Performer. That work table makes that much of a different and the storage shelf on the bottom is nice as well. In the end, I wish I had gotten the Performer in the first place, the One Touch ended up being a waste of money. I ended up giving it to my cousin who is loving it. But this is all advice from my particular experience and circumstance. Everyone's perspective is different.

Congrats MRSA on your purchase.
Click to expand...

I meant if you want to cook for ridiculously large groups. Hehe.

I really want to ditch or supplement my weber gasser so I can make some wood fired stuff.
 
D

dskillzhtown

keep your strippers out of my American football
CrankyJay said:
I meant if you want to cook for ridiculously large groups. Hehe.

I really want to ditch or supplement my weber gasser so I can make some wood fired stuff.
Click to expand...

Ha! I know what you meant,. I did use both the Performer and One Touch at the same time on 2 occasions. I made wings on them for a couple of Super Bowl parties.

I had a really nice weber gasser and ended up selling it to a neighbor because it just collected dust...and wasps nests. It was a gift, and I felt bad getting rid of it, but eff it.
 
M

MRSA

Banned
Picked up my OTG but didn't get to put it together because I'm at work now.

Other than a chimney and Smokenator what other accessories should I get?
 
S

Shin Johnpv

Member
MRSA said:
Picked up my OTG but didn't get to put it together because I'm at work now.

Other than a chimney and Smokenator what other accessories should I get?
Click to expand...

Walmart sells a 10 - 15 dollar collapsible table that is like the perfect height and size to sit next to your grill. Ohhh also ignore the temperature gauge in the lid, they're wildly inaccurate. I really like the Maverick ET 732 and I think you can find it fairly inexpensive on Amazon. There is the new ET 733 out but I haven't used it myself so I can't comment on it.
 
C

CrankyJay

Banned
Shin Johnpv said:
Walmart sells a 10 - 15 dollar collapsible table that is like the perfect height and size to sit next to your grill. Ohhh also ignore the temperature gauge in the lid, they're wildly inaccurate. I really like the Maverick ET 732 and I think you can find it fairly inexpensive on Amazon. There is the new ET 733 out but I haven't used it myself so I can't comment on it.
Click to expand...

Sometimes the temp is on...

Just disconnect it from the grill and put it in boiling water and see how close to 212F it is.
 
G

GiJoccin

Member
IMG_20140428_214152.jpg


first time using the WSM

figure i'd go with chicken. read that it runs hot the first few times, so wanted to break it in a bit with a meat that didn't need a long cook...

came out awesome
 
M

MRSA

Banned
Whats the verdict on briquettes? Tried and true Kingsfords blue or should I try out those fancy all natural briquettes?
 
C

CrankyJay

Banned
MRSA said:
Whats the verdict on briquettes? Tried and true Kingsfords blue or should I try out those fancy all natural briquettes?
Click to expand...

For smoking, use kingsford blue (you want a steady heat)...for grilling etc I'd get a nice bag of some lump charcoal.

Natural will burn out too fast and fluctuate in temp.
 
M

MRSA

Banned
Got another $10 off coupon at Lowes, gonna pick up a chimney, cover, starter cubes, and a 15lb bag of Stubbs natural briquettes for $45.
 
C

Chris R

Member
The BBQ comes Saturday when I babysit a brisket (new wood chunks, they better work!), but tonight is the "Break out the grill the snow is gone" night with some flank steak fajitas :D

edit: tasty, wasn't patient enough to get the thing roaring for a proper sear though :( Guess that's what I get for starting late.
 
M

MRSA

Banned
Oh my goodness, I found my old Weber Smokey Joe Silver in storage, should I dare create a Weber Smokey Mountain Mini?
 
D

dskillzhtown

keep your strippers out of my American football
MRSA said:
Oh my goodness, I found my old Weber Smokey Joe Silver in storage, should I dare create a Weber Smokey Mountain Mini?
Click to expand...

Do you have space for a OTG and a Smokey Mountain Mini? I remember you saying that space was an issue. I personally would keep the Smokey Joe as is. Mine comes in handy for small grill jobs.


I am doing an all night smoke tonight. Brisket for a Mother's Day thing my family is having tomorrow. Don't know why we are doing it on Saturday, and not the actual holiday but whatever.
 
M

MRSA

Banned
dskillzhtown said:
Do you have space for a OTG and a Smokey Mountain Mini? I remember you saying that space was an issue. I personally would keep the Smokey Joe as is. Mine comes in handy for small grill jobs.


I am doing an all night smoke tonight. Brisket for a Mother's Day thing my family is having tomorrow. Don't know why we are doing it on Saturday, and not the actual holiday but whatever.
Click to expand...

The Smokey Joe can convert into a Smokey Mountain Mini with just a simple pot that I can shove in storage with my Smokey Joe. You can still use it as a regular Smokey Joe as well for small portable grill, its why its a versatile thing.
 
M

MRSA

Banned
I put together my Weber and wow the copper color is damn right handsome. Its like a beautiful manly color.

Bought a slab of spareribs, gonna trim it into a St Louis rib tonight and overnight marinate it with Meathead's Memphis Dust. I'll throw it on in the morning and pick up some Trader Joe's KC BBQ sauce along with some of their cheap beers. I haven't been this excited about cooking in awhile.
 
C

Chris R

Member
dskillzhtown said:
For Brisket I target atleast 195, after that, I do a "toothpick test" to gauge tenderness.
Click to expand...

I smoked for 5 hours and then foiled it and rode it to 205. Then I let it sit for another hour.

Pretty good, really nice smoke ring, at least I think so for coming out of a regular Weber grill. Only bummer is how bitter the bark is. Thinking it's because the wood I was using caught fire too much instead of smoldering. It might have been my rub too. I'd like to mop it up next time with a different cut of meat but I'm on a low carb diet now so sugar based rubs and sauces are a no go :(
 
M

MRSA

Banned
What kinda wood were you using? I bought some Weber hickory chunks at Home Depot today for my smoke tomorrow.


Anybody got some moink ball recipes?
 
C

Chris R

Member
MRSA said:
What kinda wood were you using? I bought some Weber hickory chunks at Home Depot today for my smoke tomorrow.


Anybody got some moink ball recipes?
Click to expand...

That's exactly the wood I was using, also using coals for the heat. Tried to keep it at 225 but ran roughly 275 most time.

Still, a real tasty piece of meat, trying to decide what I'll do next weekend. Maybe a butt or some ribs.
 
M

MRSA

Banned
I would love to do a brisket, its just the most difficult piece of meat to smoke from what I've read. Did you use a crutch?
 
C

Chris R

Member
MRSA said:
I would love to do a brisket, its just the most difficult piece of meat to smoke from what I've read. Did you use a crutch?
Click to expand...

Yup, and I probably should have done it sooner. Again, I wasn't at 225F so I hit 160 after about 3 hours. Finally wrapped it when it was just 170 1.5 hours later.

Again, first real attempt at BBQ, and I like the result, but now I know what I need to do to make it better next time (fewer coals to keep the temp down, different rub and maybe a sauce and crutch it as soon as I see the stall).

Might get an injector and real digital thermometer so i don't have to run down a flight of stairs and stick mine in to see the temp all the time :D
 
H

Hanzou

Member
rhfb said:
Yup, and I probably should have done it sooner. Again, I wasn't at 225F so I hit 160 after about 3 hours. Finally wrapped it when it was just 170 1.5 hours later.

Again, first real attempt at BBQ, and I like the result, but now I know what I need to do to make it better next time (fewer coals to keep the temp down, different rub and maybe a sauce and crutch it as soon as I see the stall).

Might get an injector and real digital thermometer so i don't have to run down a flight of stairs and stick mine in to see the temp all the time :D
Click to expand...
Less coals is not really the answer to the temp problem, you really just want less air into the coal chamber. Less coals will help bit if you can restrict air flow it should be more consistent and you don't risk running out of coal partway through the smoke? Also, what makes brisket such a hard meat to smoke. Really want to do o e bit have not got to it yet.
 
M

MRSA

Banned
Hanzou said:
Less coals is not really the answer to the temp problem, you really just want less air into the coal chamber. Less coals will help bit if you can restrict air flow it should be more consistent and you don't risk running out of coal partway through the smoke? Also, what makes brisket such a hard meat to smoke. Really want to do o e bit have not got to it yet.
Click to expand...

A packer brisket (full sized) is a difficult meat to smoke as its two muscles you have to tackle rather than one.

I hope my Smokenator comes through tomorrow.
 
B

Billen

Banned
MRSA said:
I put together my Weber and wow the copper color is damn right handsome. Its like a beautiful manly color.

Bought a slab of spareribs, gonna trim it into a St Louis rib tonight and overnight marinate it with Meathead's Memphis Dust. I'll throw it on in the morning and pick up some Trader Joe's KC BBQ sauce along with some of their cheap beers. I haven't been this excited about cooking in awhile.
Click to expand...
That Memphis Dust is awesome. Try making your own bbq sauce by adding chipotles to hot water, where you let it simmer for 30 minutes. Then chop the chilis, removing membranes and seeds if it is too strong, then just go for it with flavours. Add onions, cider vinegar, passed tomatoes, cumin, honey, dark sugar and just keep playing and mix it together. :D
 
D

dskillzhtown

keep your strippers out of my American football
Hanzou said:
Less coals is not really the answer to the temp problem, you really just want less air into the coal chamber. Less coals will help bit if you can restrict air flow it should be more consistent and you don't risk running out of coal partway through the smoke? Also, what makes brisket such a hard meat to smoke. Really want to do o e bit have not got to it yet.
Click to expand...

Honestly....I don't think it is that tough once you get the basics of your smoker down. Others and my self were stressing getting a kettle first for everyone to get the basics of adjusting air flow, effects of wind, etc. down first before trying to do an all-day cook I think once you get that down, you can keep the temps in an acceptable range. More importantly you learn what to do if the temps jump or fall out of that range.

I did pulled pork overnight. It went on and on and on and on to get to the tenderness that I wanted. I had a bit of a spike towards the end, which was caused by the winds dying down at around 3 am. So I had to close a damper to get that temp down. All of that kind of knowledge comes with experience. All the YouTube clips and books in the world won't teach you that. You end up screwing up some perfectly good meat in the process, but that is how it is.

One last thing, even of you have all that experience, things will go wrong at times. You will think you did everything correctly, but the meat still ends up too dry or not tender enough or whatever. It happens. I spent the night with a BBQ team a couple of weeks ago as they did 15 full briskets. They did them all the same, in the same trailer-sized smoker, etc. but some were better than others. Quality of meat comes into play as well.
 
T

theytookourjobz

Junior Member
Moving into a house with a buddy of mine and I've finally got a back yard. Need a grill and a smoker. Should I just grab a Weber grill and a Smokey Mountain 18"? Or try that smokenator thing? I'm assuming that's a combo deal. New to all of this and a little intimidated but I want some brisket!
 
M

MRSA

Banned
theytookourjobz said:
Moving into a house with a buddy of mine and I've finally got a back yard. Need a grill and a smoker. Should I just grab a Weber grill and a Smokey Mountain 18"? Or try that smokenator thing? I'm assuming that's a combo deal. New to all of this and a little intimidated but I want some brisket!
Click to expand...

If you have the space get both a kettle and a WSM. Otherwise a kettle can smoke foods, it just requires more attention rather than set it and forget it nature of a dedicated smoker.
 
C

CrankyJay

Banned
theytookourjobz said:
Moving into a house with a buddy of mine and I've finally got a back yard. Need a grill and a smoker. Should I just grab a Weber grill and a Smokey Mountain 18"? Or try that smokenator thing? I'm assuming that's a combo deal. New to all of this and a little intimidated but I want some brisket!
Click to expand...

I love your enthusiasm. I've been smoking for 3 years and still am intimidated by brisket. And with beef prices skyrocketing too.

Dunno. I love my WSM. But maybe get a 22" one touch gold with a smokenator. It's hard to fit a whole packer on an 18.5" weber.
 
S

ShinAmano

Member
Smoked 8lbs of wings yesterday...got them so it was nice and crispy skin with a subtle smoke flavor and just the right amount of spice. They were gone in minutes.
 
D

dskillzhtown

keep your strippers out of my American football
theytookourjobz said:
Moving into a house with a buddy of mine and I've finally got a back yard. Need a grill and a smoker. Should I just grab a Weber grill and a Smokey Mountain 18"? Or try that smokenator thing? I'm assuming that's a combo deal. New to all of this and a little intimidated but I want some brisket!
Click to expand...

It really depends on your budget. If you have room, I would get a Weber Performer. It is basically a kettle with a work table attached along with a charcoal holder built-in. I have a Smokey Mountain 18", the 22" was out of the budget and I don't regret it. I can put an entire brisket on it, I have levels to cook brisket, and ribs at the same time. The 22" is bigger, but at the same time you need a bit more fuel to get that temps right.

My real advice is to do your research, be patient and be ready to learn. So many people buy kettles or Smokey Mountains and get frustrated because they aren't having success in the first week. That is why there are so many brand new grills on Craigslist. Buy a kettle or the performer first and get some basics down. Also, IMO, don't buy attachments like the smokenator until you get a good foundation of cooking without them. Just my opinion.


ShinAmano said:
Smoked 8lbs of wings yesterday...got them so it was nice and crispy skin with a subtle smoke flavor and just the right amount of spice. They were gone in minutes.
Click to expand...

What did you use to cook all those wings?
 
M

MRSA

Banned
Also, you can replicate a Smokenator with some fire bricks or if you're good with a jigsaw you can make your own. It really just dumbs it down for lazy guys like me who don't mind checking on something every hour or so (beer reminder).

I think a Weber 26.5" is the most versatile BBQ equipment you can get.
 
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