The Ultimate BBQ Thread

[beaufort-fj60]

Originally Posted by Trollhole

Lump charcoal rankings and reviews.
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag

Copied this from the site above.


Which is better, lump or briquettes? -- Well, this FAQ is about lump charcoal, so we aren't going to wax eloquent about briquettes. But admit it. You really want to know what is in Kingsford briquettes, don't you? Well, according to Kingsford, here is what is in their briquettes and what each ingredient is used for: wood char (heat source), mineral char (heat source), mineral carbon (heat source), limestone (uniform visual ashing), starch (binder), borax (press release), sodium nitrate (ignition aid), sawdust (ignition aid). If you hang out on any of the barbecue forums on the internet, you will find lots of folks complaining about the borax and coal and limestone. You don't often hear of people complaining about the mineral char. What is mineral char? "A soft, brownish-black coal in which the alteration of vegetable matter has proceeded further than in peat but not as far as in bituminous coal. Also called brown coal. Has empyreumatic smell." What is an empyreumatic smell? "The peculiar smell and taste arising from products of decomposition of animal or vegetable substances when burnt in close vessels." Nuff said?
But back to the question at hand. Should you use lump or briquettes? There is no one answer for everyone. If you are using a ceramic cooker, the low ash production of lump charcoal is very important. Ceramic cookers have a fire bowl holding the charcoal. As the charcoal burns, the ash falls down into the bottom of the bowl. There isn't room for a whole lot of ash.

Lump charcoal burns hotter and faster than briquettes, if given an unlimited air supply. If you can control the air flow through your cooker, lump will burn at whatever rate and temperature that you allow it to. If you can't control the air flow in your cooker, then you may need to use the slower-burning briquettes in order to keep temperature under control.

Another consideration is that briquettes tend to be cheaper than lump charcoal.

i use this one from your link..
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag6.htm

it's cheap and works great. The link says $6.99 a bag, i get it for $3 at Bi-Lo




I agree Kingsford stinks like chemicals.

[Trollhole]

If you want a good smoker that is easy to use but won't bankrupt you I'd go with a WSMC (Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker) I have one in my collection and love it. Portable, easy to set up, has good air flow, holds a good amount of meat and most of all is very effecient. I can pack it full of lump and it will go for about 10 hrs before it needs a recharge.



A good price. Get the Weber chimney also it's the mac daddy.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...VA/webercom-20


I also have a Brinkman Vertical Smoker that I heavily modified that works well. Out of the box it sucks.



Also a Brinkman Pitmaster Deluxe. Which was given to me and has been a good dual roll smoker grill.


And another generic Weber look alike that I have modified.

You can see three of them in use in this pic.




So I have just realized with all these my big cooker my gas grill and my car camping grills I have 8 total cookers. Wow! I think I have a problem.

[Trollhole]

Thermometers.

Another critical tool for BBQ. Know what your meat temp is and cooker temp.

I always use a combination of two types. At least one digital and one manual.

Never trust the thermometer that came built in to your cooker unless you know it's right. Generally if it cannot be removed to calibrate it's junk.

For digital I have tried a lot of different ones, dual probes, remote ones, and the basic ones. I now how Acu-Rite digital ones. I like them and they are very accurate.



One way of calibrating or checking a thermometer is to put it in a pot of boiling water and read the temp.

Here are some steps I stole of the net.

1Step OneBring a small pot of water to a boil.

2Step TwoFill a short glass with water and plenty of ice.

3Step ThreeRemove the thermometer from its plastic guard and place it in the boiling water.

4Step FourIf it doesn't read 212°F (100°C), turn the nut behind the face with needle-nose pliers. Only tiny adjustments are required; recheck as needed.

5Step FivePlace the thermometer in the ice water.

6Step SixIf it doesn't read 32°F (0°C), adjust the nut. Once it is properly calibrated, the thermometer will read the correct temperatures of both boiling and iced water.

For spot checking meat I use a small dial thermometer that I can clip to my apron for storage.

Polder has something new which I might give a try.

[yooper]

Hmm. I've been considering this one that I can buy locally. It's a Brinkmann Smoke King. Pretty thick metal but otherwise kinda crappy build quality. It comes with lots of racks and hooks for the vertical smoking part...is it gonna suck?

[beaufort-fj60]

Originally Posted by yooper

Hmm. I've been considering this one that I can buy locally. It's a Brinkmann Smoke King. Pretty thick metal but otherwise kinda crappy build quality. It comes with lots of racks and hooks for the vertical smoking part...is it gonna suck?

I think they're all good... you can always weld on or change out parts and pieces to "make them better"

[Trollhole]

Originally Posted by yooper

Hmm. I've been considering this one that I can buy locally. It's a Brinkmann Smoke King. Pretty thick metal but otherwise kinda crappy build quality. It comes with lots of racks and hooks for the vertical smoking part...is it gonna suck?

I have never had a Brinkman that I didn't modify by welding it better and adding things on to it. It is a good inexpensive start. Though I would buyt a WSMC before I bought that.

[yooper]

Originally Posted by Trollhole

Thermometers.

...
Here are some steps I stole of the net.

1Step OneBring a small pot of water to a boil.

2Step TwoFill a short glass with water and plenty of ice.

3Step ThreeRemove the thermometer from its plastic guard and place it in the boiling water.

4Step FourIf it doesn't read 212°F (100°C), turn the nut behind the face with needle-nose pliers. Only tiny adjustments are required; recheck as needed.

5Step FivePlace the thermometer in the ice water.

6Step SixIf it doesn't read 32°F (0°C), adjust the nut. Once it is properly calibrated, the thermometer will read the correct temperatures of both boiling and iced water.

Ice water will be closer to 39° F (4° C). 4° C is a common desired temperature in the molecular biology lab because DNA and other things are stable at that temp. We use ice water baths to achieve it.

Otherwise a decent method.

[Mace]

My smoker is the Weber smokey mountain

love it..

[Trollhole]

Ribs I have two ways. One on the smoker and one on the grill.

Grill

baby back ribs is my meat of choice. I get them usually from BJ's wholesale. They have a really go selection and good prices. I always call a day or two ahead and have some brought in for me.

Bring them home and pull the membrane off them. Probably the most important step a clean rag or paper towels and a butter knife are my tools of choice.

Then I rub them down with paprika, garlic, onion powder, a pinch of cumin, ginger, 7 different peppers, kosher salt. They sit in a cooler for at least 4 hrs like this. Pull them out and rub them with a lot of brown sugar.

Throw them on the grill at 275-300 I have a couple of big hickory blocks that sit on the grill and smolder the whole time. Rotate as needed and baste with real butter. Take them off when about a half inch or more bone is showing. This is a more feel they are about done. I can usually pick up a rack with tongs and know they are good to go. Then I lay them on a pan an lather them with your sauce of choice. Sauces are hard to say what is good. I've had people say they like bullseye and some say the dry rub is all they need. Me I will usually do three or 4 different type of rib sauces. I only apply to one side only (top)

dry rub alone
jerk sauce or if you really want to get fancy get some jerk seasoning and dry rub the ribs with that, just make sure you add some brown sugar.
BBQ I make my own Hot and mild. Sticky fingers has some good sauces for those who don't want to make their own.
Trick I have found that a mixture of Franks wing sauce and Teriyaki make some great sauce.

I take them in the pan and stick them in the oven with the broiler on to bake in the sauce. Then cover with tinfoil with a little beer to help put back some of the moister lost to the grill.

[CJF]

Originally Posted by Felix

Okay, I need some help here. What's the best way to smoke/BBQ with a plain old Weber kettle?

Pull the charcoal grate out and throw a bunch of lump charcoal right into the bottom of the kettle.

Get a disposable foil roasting/drip pan (or construct your own from foil) and "weave" the edges into the cooking grate, so that the pan is attached to the grate but hanging beneath it. (Does that make sense?) Cook your meat on the grate, above the pan.

Use a combination of of the bottom/top vents to control the temp. Ideally, have a probe type thermo. in the meat and some type of thermo. sticking in the top vent to monitor kettle temp.

[CJF]

Ok, I've got a question to toss out there:

What do you believe to be the "ideal" temp. to cook, say, a pork shoulder to for maximum juiciness, tenderness, and most of all, "pullability"?

I'm not talkin' roast pork here; I mean slow (8hrs or more) and low (250deg or less).

I tend to go to about 195, and yeah, you can wiggle the shoulder blade out with your fingers, and "pull" the meat with a couple of forks. (BTW, folks who have never seen this done are always *so* blown away by it. )

But, I've seen respectable sources claim anywhere from 180 (i.e., Trollhole) to 200 as the "ideal" temp.

Whaddaya think??

Curtis

[Deep South Cruisers]

200-220 depending on the weight and how hungry I am

[Deep South Cruisers]

Beef Brisket 45 min/lb smoked with cherry wood

[Trollhole]

Originally Posted by CJF

Ok, I've got a question to toss out there:

What do you believe to be the "ideal" temp. to cook, say, a pork shoulder to for maximum juiciness, tenderness, and most of all, "pullability"?

I'm not talkin' roast pork here; I mean slow (8hrs or more) and low (250deg or less).

I tend to go to about 195, and yeah, you can wiggle the shoulder blade out with your fingers, and "pull" the meat with a couple of forks. (BTW, folks who have never seen this done are always *so* blown away by it. )

But, I've seen respectable sources claim anywhere from 180 (i.e., Trollhole) to 200 as the "ideal" temp.

Whaddaya think??

Curtis

I always start getting ready to pull after 180. Usually it's hotter than that by the time all of it has been pulled. I know it's ready when I can take a set of tongues and it goes in like butter. It really depends on the quality of the meat.

Bowl of ice water is a must when pulling. And double layer of latex gloves. The rubber gloves suck at pulling. Never can get it thin enough.

[fsusteve]

Originally Posted by Deep South Cruisers

Beef Brisket 45 min/lb smoked with cherry wood

you gotta quit posting that pic....it makes me fuckin' hungry everytime I see it

[Deep South Cruisers]

o.k.


Whole ribeye

[fsusteve]

Originally Posted by Deep South Cruisers

o.k.


Whole ribeye

fucker....

[BHMCruiser]

The whole ribeye is killer. Do you cook to an internal temperature of med. rare? Or let it bbq through?

[Deep South Cruisers]

ribs

[Deep South Cruisers]

Originally Posted by BHMCruiser

The whole ribeye is killer. Do you cook to an internal temperature of med. rare? Or let it bbq through?

cooked indirect for 2 hours at 300-350 degrees using pecan wood. Internal temp should be around 130-140 for medium.

They came straight out of the package, got rubbed down with Dry mexican rub from Wal-Mart and thrown on the smoker. What you don't see here is the crumbled blue cheese and butter we covered these with at the very end. INCREDIBLE!!!!

[fsusteve]

I've never had ribs that I thought were better than mine, ever.











but those are damn fine looking....

[Deep South Cruisers]

Originally Posted by fsusteve

I've never had ribs that I thought were better than mine, ever.











but those are damn fine looking....

thanks!!!

I love to bbq but still think I have alot to learn. I have been lucky enough to help others with lots of cooking experience and tried to absorb all I could. I did boston butts this weekend and they came out to be my best ever. When the bone pulls out of a shoulder CLEAN and you pull a 10 lb. shoulder apart with two forks, you have done something right.

I hope to have pics of the butts later

[fsusteve]

Originally Posted by Deep South Cruisers

thanks!!!

I love to bbq but still think I have alot to learn. I have been lucky enough to help others with lots of cooking experience and tried to absorb all I could. I did boston butts this weekend and they came out to be my best ever. When the bone pulls out of a shoulder CLEAN and you pull a 10 lb. shoulder apart with two forks, you have done something right.

I hope to have pics of the butts later

we do those at work alot, I love them.

[Deep South Cruisers]

chiggens... 60 at one time