BBQ and Grilling megathread

[bc-chris]

thought i'd share some pics....

some burgers from a few nights ago....




and some slow-grilled pork ribs from tonight....





sorry for the crappy ipod pics

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well the easiest way to get a fire going for cooking is to buy a chimney. Crumple up some paper in the bottom part, fill the top with charcoal, light the paper and let it burn right up through the top. Voila, you're ready to cook.

I have a Looftlighter, which is pretty wicked. It basically starts the fire within seconds, and blows the fire onto other pieces of charcoal. Not at all practical for camping though!



I go either sirloin, tenderloin or filet. I can't get ribeye, and don't understand the love for NY strip.

Not really going to debate meat preference, so take this more as an informational thing. This is also referring to grilling, and can vary if you want to marinate.

Filet is Tenderloin - in that Filet Mignon is smaller end of the Tenderloin. IMHO it is terrible for grilling as there is limited flavour in the meat itself, which is why it often gets wrapped in bacon.

Both Ribeye and Striploin are the best quality marbling you can get, and they are essentially the same cut, but different ends of the muscle.

There are 3 kinds of Sirloin, so if you are grilling you should be really careful about which kind you get.

Bottom Sirloin is the most suitable for grilling as it has the least elastin (essentially ligaments/gristle). I like it because the portions are really suitable for one person.

Sirloin Tip is the least suitable for grilling, and is most often sold a a roast. It is actually from the leg of the cow, and it a lot tougher. Occasionally you see it portioned for steaks, which is kind of a disservice to people who see it and think it is the same as other types of sirloin.

Top Sirloin is kind of mid-range in terms of grilling. It has 2 parts, which vary in quality.

The cap, has a bit less elastin and fat in it, and typically is portioned much more suitably than the rest of the top sirloin. It is actually really close to the bottom sirloin (as it is different ends of the same piece of meat).

The rest of the sirloin can be portioned as medallions or as size-of-your-plate steaks. There is typically a big chunk of fat in the middle, and depending on how it is portioned it can be a real detractor.

For me, I typically try and buy Bottom Sirloin or Top Sirloin Caps, as I am cheap. I would love to be able to afford strip loin on a consistent basis , but I find Ribeye to be a bit fatty for my tastes.

[Hockeyguy15]

Ribeye and NY strip are usually the only 2 cuts I get.

Maybe a bacon wrapped filet here and there because the wife likes them.

[TheGrimm]

Striploin is by far my favorite, it dry ages well and as others have mentioned has good fat marbling. I've never understood why some people love T-bones so much, for me it's more of a distraction trying to get to the good stuff.

Question for the board though, does anyone here actually like the taste of grass-fed beef? I've tried to like it several times but it always ends up tasting very strong and somewhat "irony". I've heard it's healthier, so I'd be willing to try it once more, if anyone can recommend a good place to get some.

[Hockeyguy15]

I've plugged them a few times already, but Master Meats is a great little butcher shop. Family run, great staff, great meat so there isn't much more I could ask for. They are on Twitter and Facebook, if you want to check out some pictures of some of their meat (Ha!).

They have some beef from Spring Creek, which is hormone free though I'm not sure if it is grass fed.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by TheGrimm

Striploin is by far my favorite, it dry ages well and as others have mentioned has good fat marbling. I've never understood why some people love T-bones so much, for me it's more of a distraction trying to get to the good stuff.

Question for the board though, does anyone here actually like the taste of grass-fed beef? I've tried to like it several times but it always ends up tasting very strong and somewhat "irony". I've heard it's healthier, so I'd be willing to try it once more, if anyone can recommend a good place to get some.

I buy beef in bulk from a local farm. Usually go in with 10+ people and get a half a cow or a full cow, depending on how much people want.

It's all organic and grass fed. Nothing tastes better. Even cuts that are generally too tough, like Chuck Roast, can be portioned off into some pretty tasty steaks. The meat all has a deep red colour.

I ran out about a month ago, and have now been buying from the grocery store and butchers again...so depressing. The farm meat was about $5/lbs. So I'm paying significantly more for worse beef.

[aaronck]

I bought a Blue Ember grill from Home Depot last year, and totally hate it. It takes forever to heat up, no way does it deliver the BTU ratings it promises. Do I contact Home Depot, Blue Ember? Just keep looking at this Stainless Steel no heat machine with regret?

[Smyth's Skate]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

Is there a proper way or tool to clean the burner? Scrubbing the outside and poking out the holes with a toothpick sort of works, but I think there is a lot of junk inside the tubing.

nm

[Smyth's Skate]

Originally Posted by Clarkey

That roast looks delicious but the chicken looks a bit dry, was it moist?

Wow, this is a really delayed reply, but no, it wasnt dry. It was moist and tender, like most have never experienced chicken.

[Smyth's Skate]

Here is some more smoker porn. Two Beef roasts and a pork shoulder out of the smoker

[Smyth's Skate]

How about some homemade back bacon from the smoker?



Or some delicious cold smoked Side Bacon



Maybe some Venison Pastrami

[Hockeyguy15]

Damn you.

[Mccree]

That time of year again. Anyone have any recommendations on s decent smoker for under $700?

[Mathalete]

I love my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker. This weekend was my first with it and I made side ribs, beef brisket and beef short ribs. All were excellent

[bc-chris]

hey Mathalete

which of the smokers do you have?? 14.5"? 18.5"? or 22.5"?

http://www.weber.com/grills/series/smokers


i've been talking to my wife about a smoker forever so she's pretty much decided that i'm getting a smoker for our anniversary (how sweet is that!!) ...i just need to decide on a size!

[Mathalete]

I have the 22.5. I only have myself and the girlfriend to cook for, and so it's plenty of room. One consideration is the bigger the unit, the more fuel you will likely have to supply it with.

If I could do it all again, I might go for a smaller one, but I am extremely happy with what I've made so far. So if I am ever entertaining, I have plenty of room to make lots of delicious food The ribs were the best ribs I have ever had.

In doing the research I did, general consensus seems to be that it is the smoker to get for first timers as its generally easy to use.

When I made the ribs, I made the mistake of letting the temperature get too high before closing off the vents so I had to wait about a half hour with all the vents closed for the temperature to get back to that sweet spot of 200 to 250 F.

One thing you might want to invest in is a really good meat thermometer.

Using the advice on the WSM located here (http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_tech...ain_setup.html), I bought the Thermapen and it was delivered to me from the US before the WSM shipped from Home Depot.

[Kjesse]

If you really want to control your temps for bbqing and smoking and want to remove the guesswork from airflow, get one of these:

http://store.thebbqguru.com/weborderentry/DigiQ%20DX2

I use it on my Big Green Egg and it can hold temps perfectly. I've also used the Smoky Mountain and its a great smoker, it is what is used in this class:

http://www.cookbookcooks.com/class-s...cue-workshop-0

I would recommend that class to anyone. Since taking it I've greatly improved my slow bbqing.

[Flacker]

Originally Posted by Mathalete

I have the 22.5. I only have myself and the girlfriend to cook for, and so it's plenty of room. One consideration is the bigger the unit, the more fuel you will likely have to supply it with.

If I could do it all again, I might go for a smaller one, but I am extremely happy with what I've made so far. So if I am ever entertaining, I have plenty of room to make lots of delicious food The ribs were the best ribs I have ever had.

In doing the research I did, general consensus seems to be that it is the smoker to get for first timers as its generally easy to use.

When I made the ribs, I made the mistake of letting the temperature get too high before closing off the vents so I had to wait about a half hour with all the vents closed for the temperature to get back to that sweet spot of 200 to 250 F.

One thing you might want to invest in is a really good meat thermometer.

Using the advice on the WSM located here (http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_tech...ain_setup.html), I bought the Thermapen and it was delivered to me from the US before the WSM shipped from Home Depot.

The temperature gauge on those Weber smokers is a cheap coil spring and is highly inaccurate. Great smoker, just use a couple good digital thermometers. One for temperature in the smoker, one for internal meat temp.

[Canehdianman]

I've got a maverick ET-732. Works great, but a word of warning, don't immerse the probes in water when you clean them or they will stop working.

I'm debating whether I should buy new probes or find a different thermometer that builds its probes better.

[photon]

I got one of these and it is very nice to use, super fast reading exactly where you put the probe.

http://thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/