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[Eye for an Eye]

... I don't know, lol. What's a good beginner smoker? Got about $200 I cen spend on one.

I literally have no equipment.

Do you want to purely smoke or grilling too? A weber smoker is great for smoking but lacks on space for grilling. I think it's only 18" vs a weber grill that's 22" across. But I guess it depends on who you're cooking for.

$200 is too low for most other charcoal grills at the stores, at least those with decent grilling size and smoker box. And well, a weber never dies really. The parts are easily replaceable and there's not much to break on them. The new ones with the ash bucket underneath are really nice. One of mine has the ash plate under the charcoal rack. It's great for controlling the heat on the smokes, but a pain to clean out. My other has the ash pan below the kettle.

Plus you can get a weber for 100-150 and leave you with some extra to buy a chimney starter, charcoal, wood chunks, and a few grilling tools.

A good pair of long tongs - the cheapest I've seen is World Market for $5 and they're always having sales on the stuff.
A pair of heat resistant rubber gloves for pulling apart meat - home depot and lowes has them but bass pro has a bigger selection of stuff.
A spatula for flipping - I just use my kitchen one but a long handle is a good idea.
Spices for making your own rubs if you like - winco has a great selection of bulk seasonings. It's way cheaper than McCormick or other packaged brands.
Wood chunks in different flavors. Wood chips are worthless for smoking. I've found them on clearance at Home Depot in the winter time.
Charcoal - it can be expensive but it goes on sale regularly. Pay close attention to the weight. Kingsford sells three different sized bags from 14lbs to 18lbs and sell them all in twin packs. Memorial day and Labor day weekends the home improvement stores sell twin 18lb packs for $10. Recently FoodMaxx had twin 15.4lb packs for $9. You can also look into wood charcoal but the sizing is really uneven. I think royal oak sells it more uniform chunks. The cheap stuff has little chips to big hunks of wood.
A table or work cart or something high enough to use as some counter space.
Other stuff you can pick up along the way.

 

[zbarron]

What kind of spicy BBQ sauce do you guys recommend? I'm looking for something with a bit of a kick.

My favorite sweet sauce is Blues Hog. I'd like to find something of that caliber, but with some heat!

It might not be feasible paying for shipping if you can't get it locally but this stuff is sweet and spicy and so amazing.
http://quakersteak.authenticmerch.com/product/buckeye-bbq-sauce/

... I don't know, lol. What's a good beginner smoker? Got about $200 I cen spend on one.

I literally have no equipment.

The Weber Smokey mountain is a great smoker but the one selling for $200 is the 14 inch model which might be small depending on what you plan on cooking. You're not going to be able to smoke brisket on it, nor large pork butt, and ribs you may have to cut into half racks and use a rib rack. Everything smaller should fit though and it's a nice smoker that uses very little charcoal. The 18 inch Weber Smokey Mountain is a good size but at $300 it's $100 over budget.

You could get a Weber Original 22" Kettle for $100 and the Slow N Sear for an other $100 making it a great grill and smoker. I'd really suggest spending the extra $50 to upgrade the Kettle to the Premium model. The ash catcher will prevent ash flying everywhere during a wind and the hinged grates make refilling charcoal very easy. You could even start with the Premium and use the snake method to smoke and upgrade by adding the Slow N Sear when you have the cash.

If you're willing to up your budget to $300 and plan on smoking but not grilling the 18" Weber Smokey Mountain and Pit Barrel Cooker are both nice smokers.

 

[captive]

What kind of spicy BBQ sauce do you guys recommend? I'm looking for something with a bit of a kick.

My favorite sweet sauce is Blues Hog. I'd like to find something of that caliber, but with some heat!

how spicy? Stubbs Sweet Heat is my favorite, its got a kick to it but its not overwhelmingly spicy just for the sake of being spicy.

 

[Applesauce]

What kind of spicy BBQ sauce do you guys recommend? I'm looking for something with a bit of a kick.

My favorite sweet sauce is Blues Hog. I'd like to find something of that caliber, but with some heat!

When it comes to store bought stuff I just stick to Kraft brand, I know they have a spicy version too. I get Kraft regular BBQ sauce when I'm not making my own, which is hardly ever these days now that I have a decent working recipe.

Also, anyone doing Keto or Paleo or whatever the fuck it's called these days here's some sugar free BBQ sauces that I can vouch for, they're pretty damn good.

http://www2.netrition.com/guys_bbq_sauce.html

 

[Mr. Giggles]

Pics of todays smoke,3lb turkey breast and two racks pork ribs.

Oh god, that turkey breast looks ace

 

[zbarron]

I started the pastrami. This is my setup.

Temps so far. A lot more stable than last time

 

[andycapps]

Possible to do ribs without a grill to brown them up? All I have is a smoker right now.

 

[phanphare]

Possible to do ribs without a grill to brown them up? All I have is a smoker right now.

yeah for sure. just do them anywhere between 225 and 275 until they're done. the bend test seems to be the best way to test ribs because it's hard to get an accurate internal temp.

I started the pastrami. This is my setup.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8500/29171100696_a61648f806_b.jpg

Temps so far. A lot more stable than last time
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8004/29205310505_97f97d6cde_b.jpg

lookin good

 

[andycapps]

yeah for sure. just do them anywhere between 225 and 275 until they're done. the bend test seems to be the best way to test ribs because it's hard to get an accurate internal temp.

Sounds good. I love ribs but making them is foreign to me. Grew up in the deep south and pulled or chopped pork is the only thing I grew up on. Have made mostly poro shoulders but have done a few briskets and chickens.

 

[otapnam]

does anyone know if you can use any ambient probe with the igrill or does it have to be the branded grill ambient probe?

 

[SpecX]

Any grill deals to look out for now that we're heading into the final weeks of summer? I went to Lowes and saw they are clearing out their grill section and outdoor items, but nothing really on sale yet. When's the best time to catch the clearance sales?

 

[phanphare]

Any grill deals to look out for now that we're heading into the final weeks of summer? I went to Lowes and saw they are clearing out their grill section and outdoor items, but nothing really on sale yet. When's the best time to catch the clearance sales?

I got my weber kettle at target around this time when they were clearing out their temporary outdoor section

 

[zbarron]



does anyone know if you can use any ambient probe with the igrill or does it have to be the branded grill ambient probe?

Use any of them. I'd pick up the clip I linked earlier for $5. You can see in my pastrami picture that I am just using one of the 4 identical probes that came with mine.

Any grill deals to look out for now that we're heading into the final weeks of summer? I went to Lowes and saw they are clearing out their grill section and outdoor items, but nothing really on sale yet. When's the best time to catch the clearance sales?

You'll have the most luck during off seasons. Search Slickdeals for Weber or have them set up to email you when a Weber deal pops up. I'd also check Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot etc. in the fall. Weber grills never officially go on sale, but stores will discount to clear inventory when the cold weather comes since they want them off the shelves.

 

[zbarron]

The pieces on the top half of the plate are the point, and the ones in the bottom of the picture are the flat. I also made latkes with applesauce and sour cream.

I used a mandolin for the potatoes instead of the traditional grater listening to These Tips. Everyone at the table agreed this batch wasn't as good as my last which used a grater. It was still tasty but the texture was all wrong.

 

[weremichael]

I started the pastrami. This is my setup.


Temps so far. A lot more stable than last time

What app/hardware are you using to track temperatures?

I bought a Maverick thermometer and it died in less than a year. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ANCQELE/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I really want to be able to track my smoking process a bit more scientifically.

 

[phanphare]

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8720/29102407532_bdff5d5425_b.jpg
The pieces on the top half of the plate are the point, and the ones in the bottom of the picture are the flat. I also made latkes with applesauce and sour cream.

I used a mandolin for the potatoes instead of the traditional grater listening to These Tips. Everyone at the table agreed this batch wasn't as good as my last which used a grater. It was still tasty but the texture was all wrong.

looks great. love me some latkes as well.

 

[zbarron]

What app/hardware are you using to track temperatures?

I bought a Maverick thermometer and it died in less than a year. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ANCQELE/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I really want to be able to track my smoking process a bit more scientifically.

I'm using an iGrill 2 with the iDevices Connected app. There was a really good deal where it came with 4 probes and was $40 at Sam's club a while back. That model is normally $100 for the one with 2 probes or a more for the one that includes all 4. It's rare that I use more than two probes. If you have the cash and want the nice model I'd definitely recommend it, but be aware since it's Bluetooth the range won't be as good as the Maverick. You might also consider the iGrill mini. It uses the same probe, same app, and it's just as good but the base unit doesn't have a display, is much smaller and only can do one probe. The smaller size is nice since I find my base a little bulky. If you want to upgrade later to a second probe you can just buy a second unit and they'll both connect to the app. The two mini units are still cheaper than the iGrill 2.

I really like the information it provides. It helps me improve my technique since it shows the effect of everything I do. Also not only seeing what the temperature is at the moment but how quickly it got there you can have an idea of where it'll be in the future.

looks great. love me some latkes as well.

Thanks. I rarely make latkes but they're always tasty.

 

[Mr. Giggles]

What kind of spicy BBQ sauce do you guys recommend? I'm looking for something with a bit of a kick.

My favorite sweet sauce is Blues Hog. I'd like to find something of that caliber, but with some heat!

Honestly I've become addicted to Kansas City style BBQ sauce, try it.

But I'll give blues hog a try, I'm all about the sweet

 

[LocknessMobster]

Oh god, that turkey breast looks ace

Thanks!

The pieces on the top half of the plate are the point, and the ones in the bottom of the picture are the flat. I also made latkes with applesauce and sour cream.

I used a mandolin for the potatoes instead of the traditional grater listening to These Tips. Everyone at the table agreed this batch wasn't as good as my last which used a grater. It was still tasty but the texture was all wrong.

Yum..

 

[The Lamonster]

Honestly I've become addicted to Kansas City style BBQ sauce, try it.

But I'll give blues hog a try, I'm all about the sweet

Oh man, you'll love Blues Hog then. It's like candy. Perfect for ribs.

 

[Eye for an Eye]

You'll have the most luck during off seasons. Search Slickdeals for Weber or have them set up to email you when a Weber deal pops up. I'd also check Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot etc. in the fall. Weber grills never officially go on sale, but stores will discount to clear inventory when the cold weather comes since they want them off the shelves.

Home Depot has a garden club. They usually send out a $10 off a $100 purchase coupon. And Lowes gives 5% off with their credit card if your purchase isn't large enough for a financing promo.

 

[SpecX]

Going to Lowe's after work again today to see what they might have. They randomly mark off items at times, so hopefully I see something I like. They had an electric smoker $100 off, but I think it was the store brand and not sure about an electric smoker.

 

[HammerOfThor]

So I think this weekend I'm going to try my first smoke on a Weber 22'' Kettle. I'm going to buy a thermometer to put in one of the vent holes to check temp. This will be the first time I'm doing a long cook and trying to control temp on my grill.

The one thing I'm missing; a recipe! Anyone have any good starter recipes for brisket?

 

[The Lamonster]

Going to Lowe's after work again today to see what they might have. They randomly mark off items at times, so hopefully I see something I like. They had an electric smoker $100 off, but I think it was the store brand and not sure about an electric smoker.

Lowe's is one of the few places that sells Stubbs charcoal. It's the best charcoal IMO.

So I think this weekend I'm going to try my first smoke on a Weber 22'' Kettle. I'm going to buy a thermometer to put in one of the vent holes to check temp. This will be the first time I'm doing a long cook and trying to control temp on my grill.

The one thing I'm missing; a recipe! Anyone have any good starter recipes?

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/best_BBQ_ribs_ever.html

This whole site is 'amazing,' but their ribs recipe in particular is something special.

 

[GiJoccin]

So I think this weekend I'm going to try my first smoke on a Weber 22'' Kettle. I'm going to buy a thermometer to put in one of the vent holes to check temp. This will be the first time I'm doing a long cook and trying to control temp on my grill.

The one thing I'm missing; a recipe! Anyone have any good starter recipes for brisket?

http://virtualweberbullet.com/chicken6.html

when i first started out i made that several times to get a nice seasoning on the grill and get my feet wet

brisket is the hardest meat to smoke (i think), but when I have done brisket, I've used a combo of http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html and franklin's youtube videos (his shorter ones as well as his bbq lecture)

 

[ag-my001]

So I think this weekend I'm going to try my first smoke on a Weber 22'' Kettle. I'm going to buy a thermometer to put in one of the vent holes to check temp. This will be the first time I'm doing a long cook and trying to control temp on my grill.

The one thing I'm missing; a recipe! Anyone have any good starter recipes for brisket?

I have an 18 pounder on right now. Can't go wrong with a 50/50 mix of kosher salt and table grind pepper.

 

[captive]

picked up two whole chickens ill brine and throw on the egg sunday for my sons 2nd birthday. Also got summer sausage and because if i have the smoker on why not, some country style pork ribs for lunches for me.

 

[KingV]

I'm smoking a pork butt and need it done in about 6 hours. What's the hottest GAF has went without it coming out as hot garbage?

 

[jchap]

Smoking a brisket right now. 8 hours from greatness.

 

[phanphare]

I'm smoking a pork butt and need it done in about 6 hours. What's the hottest GAF has went without it coming out as hot garbage?

you could probably get away with 275, just don't go over and don't peek

 

[Applesauce]

I'm smoking a pork butt and need it done in about 6 hours. What's the hottest GAF has went without it coming out as hot garbage?

For new years day dinner at my mom's house I had to finish mine in a hurry and ended up taking it off the smoker and finishing in the oven at 300 and it turned out okay. Just make sure you wrap it nice and snug.

 

[ag-my001]

Had the weirdest cook. Like I said, 18 pounds, so I wanted to go for 260-275 to speed it up a little. Grill got hot for a while, going up to 295, but slowly came down. Then around 3:45 am, a mere seven hours into the cook, the remote starts beeping that the meat had hit 195. I probed in several places to be sure, and the feel and temp were good. Wrapped in foil and put into a heated oven to rest for a while. I've actually been keeping it around 175 in an extended rest, in case there was something off.

The grill temp showed 244 when the alarm went off. With a range of 240-290, I don't know how seven hours was even possible. No wrapping done. Fingers crossed for when I cut into it in about an hour.

 

[captive]

I'm smoking a pork butt and need it done in about 6 hours. What's the hottest GAF has went without it coming out as hot garbage?

wrap it in foil around 3.5-4 hours.




dry brine or wet brine for boston butt country style rips, they're boneless as well.

Also anyone have a recipe they recommend? amazing ribs says take them to 140 internal, another site said 165 and another said 170+
the ones amazing ribs had had bones and look completely different, not sure if its the same cut of meat or not.

 

[ColdPizza]

I'm smoking a pork butt and need it done in about 6 hours. What's the hottest GAF has went without it coming out as hot garbage?

I believe Myron Mixon does his as high as 300-325 sometimes.

 

[KingV]

I believe Myron Mixon does his as high as 300-325 sometimes.

I ended up doing mine at about 275-300, took it off at 198 Internal.

It was probably the best butt I've ever done.

 

[andycapps]

I believe Myron Mixon does his as high as 300-325 sometimes.

Doesn't he also use Wagyu beef and top quality pork? Can probably get away with higher heat when the quality is that high.

Quality is so important, IMO. The crazy thing about pork butts are how forgiving they are. I typically stress about everything and check temps very often. But this last time I was really busy and so we had to go out for a hours. I setup a webcam thing so I could see the temps while I was out. Came back when I needed to top off the coals and it was the best I've ever made.

 

[HammerOfThor]

So I'm cooking my brisket(just using 50/50 salt pepper rub, only a 3.88 lb'er), using the snake method on my Weber kettle for the heat.

So far so good, although for the first hour or so I had a hard time keeping my temp at 250, I was bouncing between 225 and 325. But I've been at a steady 250 for an hour now.

And I'm pretty sure I'm experiencing my first stall, internal temp has been 138 for like an hour :/

 

[ColdPizza]

So I'm cooking my brisket(just using 50/50 salt pepper rub, only a 3.88 lb'er), using the snake method on my Weber kettle for the heat.

So far so good, although for the first hour or so I had a hard time keeping my temp at 250, I was bouncing between 225 and 325. But I've been at a steady 250 for an hour now.

And I'm pretty sure I'm experiencing my first stall, internal temp has been 138 for like an hour :/

Not sure a stall would happen at 138. That usually happens in the 160-170 range as fats and collagens melt

 

[zbarron]

Not sure a stall would happen at 138. That usually happens in the 160-170 range as fats and collagens melt

Actually that's been debunked.

I agree 138 still seems early but googling "stall at 140" shows it's not the first time it's happened.

 

[ColdPizza]

Actually that's been debunked.

I agree 138 still seems early but googling "stall at 140" shows it's not the first time it's happened.

Either way, that lower temp seems abnormal in my experience, but maybe because of the smaller size of the cut he was using it's possible it happens earlier.

 

[KingV]

Either way, that lower temp seems abnormal in my experience, but maybe because of the smaller size of the cut he was using it's possible it happens earlier.

If theres no collagen melting holding temps steady, my armchair heat transfer physics knowledge would make me think the opposite, that a smaller.cut should have little to no stall.

138 would make me think the fire went out.

 

[zbarron]

Either way, that lower temp seems abnormal in my experience, but maybe because of the smaller size of the cut he was using it's possible it happens earlier.

I agree. I've never had a stall start that low, but I Googled it and got results of others having it happen to them.

If theres no collagen melting holding temps steady, my armchair heat transfer physics knowledge would make me think the opposite, that a smaller.cut should have little to no stall.

138 would make me think the fire went out.

It's not so much the length of the stall it's the internal temperature of the meat when it starts.

From the sounds of it he had a pit probe too measuring his pit temp so he should know.

 

[HammerOfThor]

Yeah,so my issue last week was definitely grill temp/probe problems.

I got an iGrill + probe so hopefully I can get a more accurate reading. I wouldn't be surprised if the temp of my grill was like 200 or lower at the meat but 250 at the top smoke vent.

I'm going to try this again tomorrow and see how it turns out. Fingers crossed

 

[zbarron]

Yeah,so my issue last week was definitely grill temp/probe problems.

I got an iGrill + probe so hopefully I can get a more accurate reading. I wouldn't be surprised if the temp of my grill was like 200 or lower at the meat but 250 at the top smoke vent.

I'm going to try this again tomorrow and see how it turns out. Fingers crossed

Nice. That makes sense. Which iGrill did you get, the mini or iGrill2?

I just bought my first bag of lump charcoal. It's Royal Oak's lump. It was an 8.8lb bag which was almost twice the size (volume) compared to the briquette bag.

I'm going to try smoking two racks of ribs with it on Monday. Here's hoping.

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

Just spent two hours waiting in line in Dallas for the Pecan Lodge. Worth it. So freaking good.

 

[dskillzhtown]

I am so lazy this weekend, I haven't even thought about BBQ-ing, lol. I think I will fire up the smoker tomorrow for some brisket. I bought a Q1200 at Walmart yesterday. They had it on clearance to make room for Christmas stuff so I scooped it up. Probably will be a good alternative for me to cook things like steaks or chicken thighs instead of firing up my Performer. We will see how this purchase turns out.

 

[Raiders]

I am so lazy this weekend, I haven't even thought about BBQ-ing, lol. I think I will fire up the smoker tomorrow for some brisket. I bought a Q1200 at Walmart yesterday. They had it on clearance to make room for Christmas stuff so I scooped it up. Probably will be a good alternative for me to cook things like steaks or chicken thighs instead of firing up my Performer. We will see how this purchase turns out.

My Q1200 is just sitting there. Got it from Target for $100.

 

[dskillzhtown]

My Q1200 is just sitting there. Got it from Target for $100.

I hear ya and the same thing might happen to mine, lol. I live alone, so a smaller grill is what I need at the moment. So this seems like a good choice. Still going to use my Performer and WSM for bigger cooks, but we will see how this 1200 works out.

Is there anything in particular you don't like about it?

 

[zbarron]

I'm smoking some ribs right now using that Royal Oak lump. It's been going almost six and a half hours and is at 174*F. It's been unwrapped this whole time. Does this seem unusually long? They are St. Louis cut and a little over three pounds. I don't do this cut often and it's my first time with lump, plus I left the house for about 45 minutes during it so there are too many variables to pinpoint what's going on.

Edit: They were previously frozen but fully thawed if that matters.

 

[HammerOfThor]

Nice. That makes sense. Which iGrill did you get, the mini or iGrill2?

I just bought my first bag of lump charcoal. It's Royal Oak's lump. It was an 8.8lb bag which was almost twice the size (volume) compared to the briquette bag.

I'm going to try smoking two racks of ribs with it on Monday. Here's hoping.

I bought the iGrill2, it seemed like a better deal.